A/N: We've got another chapter from Joey for you this week. You may recall a previous entry of his where Reese bumped into Ilia on the Avenger. What follows here is a continuation of sorts from that encounter.
Enjoy!
Title: Date Night
Author: Joey
The mess hall was empty save for the sound of relentlessly pacing footsteps. Reese Chloris may not have been riding her board at the moment, but she was still practically hovering over a single table illuminated by candlelight. She was checking everything, from the tablecloth and the bucket of iced wine to the placement of silverware and the pot of delicious-smelling food kept warm with a sleeve of fire dust. More than a few times she checked her outfit to make sure it wasn't wrinkled or dirtied - her usual hoodie and tank top had been swapped for a frilly camisole, and her cargo pants had been washed and smoothed out at least twenty times in anticipation for this night.
"Kid. Relax. Sserana says she can hear your heart pounding from here."
The young Mistrali teenager grumbled at the voice in her ear. "Well, tell your friend it's rude to listen in on other people's panic attacks without permission. I gotta make sure everything's perfect before she gets here."
"You know it doesn't have to be perfect, right?" MacAuley's voice, usually full of mirth and charm, was sounding more genuine now than it ever had. "As long as you both have fun, and she has a good time, that more than qualifies as perfect. And I don't think you gotta worry about making a good first impression, considering you ran her over with your board…"
Another groan. Of course MacAuley had to bring that up again. "I know," she said tersely, "It's just...I want her to enjoy this. She deserves this. She deserves the world. She's been so sad ever since…"
Reese cut herself off before she could finish the thought. She knew that everyone was hurting after the events of Gatecrasher and Warsaw, and one of those people had graciously offered to play wingman for her tonight. It wouldn't be right to bring that up to him, no matter how annoyed she may get.
"...I just want her to be happy for a few hours," she finished with a sigh. "I just wanna see her smile, you know? She has such a pretty smile…"
The Engineer chuckled. "Then it sounds like the night's gonna go perfectly according to plan already. You've got a lot of heart, Kickflip, and she can see that. She's not used to people caring about her without some ulterior motive, so a genuine adoration like yours means the world to her. Treat her right, be yourself, and don't second-guess your heart. You got this, kid. Show her the world."
The tension and stress flowed out of Reese in a single long sigh. "Thanks, Mac," she said with a genuine smile. "I...I think I'm better now."
"Good, cause Sserana's saying that she's on her way to the mess hall now. Good luck, kid."
The comm clicked off before Reese could reply, so she busied herself with making sure her teal-green hair wasn't too mussed up before she heard a soft, familiar voice behind her.
"Reese?"
The young huntress turned on the spot...and her jaw promptly hit the floor.
She knew that Ilia Amitola didn't like wearing dresses, so the fact that she didn't show up in an eye-popping ballroom gown wasn't surprising. What was surprising was just how well-dressed she was - far better than Reese, in any case. The chameleon faunus wore a silky white blouse with a short-sleeved black blazer, paired with loose-fitting gray dress pants and black shoes with silver buckles. A rainbow-colored scarf and a matching bracelet provided the only color in the outfit itself - the rest of it came from the young woman wearing the clothes, with ginger-red hair hanging in loose curls while her freckles burned bright pink.
Holy shit.
Ilia hid her hands behind her back, anxiously tapping her foot against the ground. "How...how do I look?"
"I, uh...um…" Reese could feel her own cheeks growing hot as she tried to pick out the right adjective out of a raging sea of melted brain. What's the right word? Pretty? Beautiful? Cute? Amazing? Yeah...that one might work…but what if...
"Go ahead and say something, kid," said Mac in her ear. "She's not looking for any particular compliment, just whatever means the most to you."
Right. Yeah. Amazing works.
"Amazing," the teal-haired teen eventually sputtered out. She smiled as best she could. "You look… absolutely amazing."
"Nice recovery."
Ilia smiled in return, her freckles changing to an even brighter shade of pink. "...thanks. I...usually don't wear this kind of thing. I asked Coco to help me put together an outfit for tonight, and she said she'd get something for me that would 'knock your socks off.' Her words, not mine."
Reese sort of nodded and chuckled. "Well, consider my socks launched to the moon. Speaking of which, I'm starting to feel really underdressed right now."
She looked down at her outfit with some measure of dissatisfaction. Her feelings of inadequacy were interrupted, however, when Ilia stepped forward and ran her hands down the exposed arms, pausing at the biceps.
"It's fine, Reese. You look nice too," said Ilia gently. Then with a smirk, she added, "I was starting to wonder if you even had shoulders under that jacket you wear all the time. And by the gods...I had no idea your baggy sweater was hiding muscles like these."
She flashed a dangerous (but playful) grin. "You've been holding out on me, Reese Chloris."
Shit shit shit shit shit shit.
"Hate to rush you along, but the food's not gonna stay fresh forever. If you're not feeling comfortable, just go ahead and say so."
Reese gulped, shakily putting her hands over Ilia's and gently pulling them away. "Um...maybe I can give you a closer look at them after we eat. After all, shouldn't we wait until after dinner for...um...dessert?"
The two girls stared at each other as Reese's words hung in the air, before the meaning sunk in.
Oh my fucking gods.
Ilia blinked rapidly, and Reese felt her brain effectively flatline out of embarrassment. Gods, this was a disaster already. Ilia was gonna storm out for that inappropriate joke, and Reese was never gonna -
The faunus laughed, then pulled away and started walking to the table. "Well, alright, if you insist."
Reese's mind rebooted itself in time for her to do the same, pulling a chair out for Ilia to sit down before she went and took a seat herself. A moment later, a Viper wearing a bow tie slithered out of the shadows, followed by a familiar man in a tux.
"Good evening ladies," said the man in a ridiculously over-the-top accent. "Welcome to Chateau de MacAuley. My lovely assistant and I shall be your servers tonight." He flashed a wink at Reese, who rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.
Ilia seemed confused for a moment, but smiled as well. "I see. And what will you be serving us tonight, mon-see-our?"
MacAuley grinned. "Why, only the finest cuisine aboard the Avenger! A traditional Italian dish all the way from Earth - spaghetti bolognese, courtesy of the ever-lovely Sergeant Scherer. Legend has it that this is the very same dish she served to Lieutenant Arc and Sergeant Nikos themselves! And to help it go down, a bottle of well-aged Valean Chianti. For your exclusive enjoyment, mademoiselles."
Reese smirked. "If you're serving an Italian dish, why are you pretending to run a French restaurant?"
"Do not mock me, mademoiselle!" MacAuley clutched his chest dramatically, pretending to swoon. "My heart, it is frail, and the death throes of my body may splash boiling-hot sauce into your smart-ass face, you fucking ungrateful punk."
Ilia giggled. "Yes, please, don't insult the nice man Reese. He's working very hard."
"Yeah, yeah," said Reese with another eye-roll. "Well, the nice man better dish us up and head back to the kitchen, or I might 'accidentally' forget to tip."
MacAuley gave what could only be described as a playful glare before he smiled and started drawing generous amounts of long, thin noodles in a thick red sauce out of the pot. As he served it expertly onto the plates in front of the girls, Reese watched as Sserana carefully poured the wine until both her and Ilia's glasses were filled to the brim with dark red liquid. The engineer finished by drizzling shredded cheese on the spaghetti, then adorned each one with a single stem of basil and two pieces of toasted bread.
"Bon apetit, ladies," said MacAuley with a flourish and a bow. "Do enjoy." Sserana gave a hiss and bowed as well, and the duo disappeared as quickly as they'd come.
Reese was trying to figure out the best way to eat the mass of noodles and meat in front of her when Ilia took the first bite, twirling it around her fork and popping it into her mouth. Her blue eyes quickly flashed between green, pink, orange and yellow, and she moaned in appreciation. The Mistrali teenager did her best to follow her date's lead, and though her technique was nowhere near as elegant, the food tasted delicious all the same.
"Mmm…" she said after swallowing. "Holy shit, that's good."
"Mm-hmm," agreed Ilia, reaching for a sip of wine. After setting her glass down, she looked at Reese with a smirk. "I've gotta say, I'm surprised you roped MacAuley into this. I was thinking it'd just be the two of us tonight."
"Oh, it is," said Reese, "or, well, it will be. Mac's in my ear right now, acting as 'mission control.'"
Another wonderful chuckle escaped the lizard Faunus's lips. "Hasn't he noticed this is a dinner date and not a combat operation?"
"I dunno, this kinda stuff terrifies me more than fighting Grimm," said Reese, scratching her neck. At Ilia's almost-insulted expression, she quickly added, "N-not that you scare me! No, no, nothing like that. I just mean that this whole 'dating' thing, or talking to people alone like this. I...haven't really had many chances to practice. So Mac's mostly there to feed advice when he thinks I need it."
"That's really sweet of him," said Ilia with a smile. "I don't have a problem with him being your wingman, if it makes you more comfortable. I guess I'm just...surprised that you're not used to this sort of thing. You've always struck me as the 'life of the party, try to impress everyone' kind of gal."
Reese blushed, doing her best to hide it behind a sip of wine. "Yeah, well...you can probably thank my folks for that."
All at once, Ilia's smile faltered. "...how so?"
"Well, they're - "
"Careful, kid. Remember who you're talking to."
Reese was about to ask MacAuley what he meant, but the look on Ilia's face answered the unspoken question for her.
"Oh...shit, right." Reese shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to -"
"It's fine," said Ilia quietly, shaking her own head. "It's an old wound, and it's healed enough that I don't break down anytime I think about it anymore. I've made peace with it for now, no matter how much it still hurts, but...I'm not so selfish to think that my pain outweighs everyone else's."
She looked back up at Reese with a small, sad smile. "Please, go on. Just because my parents are gone doesn't mean you don't have a right to complain about yours. Besides, I'm very interested to know what little baby Reese was like."
The quite-grown-up Reese felt her cheeks heat up again at those eyes, but she smiled and nodded.
"Well, you probably wouldn't have liked her very much if you saw her. My folks were super controlling and traditional. You probably know their type - 'children should be seen and not heard, everything on television is evil, the Grimm are punishment for our sins against the gods, the Faunus are coming to take our jobs,' those kinds of people. They thought that just 'cause their ancestors guarded the Empress of Mistral before the Great War, it made them some sort of nobility, and that was reflected in how they tried to rear me. Every single aspect of my life was under their control - what I wore, what I ate, who I talked to, when I spoke, even what kind of music I listened to...they had complete and total say over everything."
"So they were trying to turn you into themselves, basically," summarized Ilia. She looked Reese up and down and smirked. "I'm guessing it ended up backfiring horribly."
"You bet your sweet ass it did," said Reese with a grin. "I didn't go full-on punk at first, though. I found small ways to rebel, subtle enough that I wouldn't get in too much trouble but big enough that I knew it would annoy them. Like sneaking downstairs to watch those Saturday morning cartoons they'd make about Huntsmen and Huntresses. Or making obnoxiously loud fart noises during Sunday morning church services. Or asking the barber to cut my hair real short and dye it some wacky color. You know, stuff like that, stuff that most other parents wouldn't really split hairs over. But apparently my folks thought it was serious enough for them to openly talk about sending me off to an Atlas prep school."
Ilia cringed sympathetically. "Oh jeez. What did you do then?"
Reese furrowed her brow. "I ran away. As soon as I found out, I packed up all my stuff, snuck out in the middle of the night, and hopped on the Argus Limited as a stowaway. All I left was a handwritten note, which basically boiled down to 'fuck you and everything you stand for, I'm gonna become a Huntress and you can't stop me.' When I enrolled in Sanctum under forged documents, they found out almost immediately, and the headmaster practically dragged me to his office as he called my folks. I remember being so scared when I heard their voices, thinking they were gonna come and take me back by force. You wanna know what they told the headmaster in front of their twelve-year-old kid?"
The lizard faunus leaned forward. "What?"
"They just said, 'Do whatever you want with her. She's not our daughter anymore; she's your problem now.' Then they hung up."
Ilia's gaze softened. "Oh, Reese…I'm so sorry…that must have been awful."
"It was," admitted Reese with a shake of her head. "But it was also kinda liberating, in a weird way. I might have been a kid, but I wasn't dumb. I knew what a good family looked like, and it sure as hell didn't look like mine. My team, RWBY, XCOM, MacAuley, you...they've all felt like more of a family than Mr. and Mrs. Chloris ever did."
The two of them continued eating in silence for a moment, letting the gazes in candlelight carry words that didn't need to be said. Eventually, Reese reached for another piece of garlic bread in the middle of the table, only to find Ilia's hand instead.
"For what it's worth," said the Faunus girl, eyes shimmering in the low light, "my parents would have adored you. Lots of people in Menagerie have disavowed their kids for falling in love with humans, but Mom and Dad would never have done that. They...they always believed that love is a bond that exists between two souls, no matter what the bodies they inhabit take the form of. They'd have opened their doors to you anytime you wanted, if you asked them."
Reese felt tears pool out of her eyes, but she didn't wipe them away. Instead, her other hand clasped over Ilia's, her thumb tracing over the pink spots that lined her entire body.
"Thanks, Ilia. That...that means a lot. You mean a lot. To me, at least…"
Ilia's entire body turned a light shade of pink, barely noticeable in the low light. The rest of the meal was eaten in a pleasant silence, the food and wine finished off in between bashful gazes and sweet smiles. After they were finished, they spent some time talking about other things, like what kind of music they liked, what their favorite bands were, and what kind of movies they enjoyed.
Eventually, Reese found the nerve to stand up during a natural pause in the conversation, flashing a smile to her date.
"Well, I hope you didn't overstuff yourself during dinner...because otherwise it's gonna make the next part of the date real awkward."
Ilia tilted her head in confusion. "Next part…?"
"Meet me on the flight deck in about fifteen minutes. And bring a coat with longer sleeves, because trust me, you're gonna need it."
Ten minutes later, Reese was donning her usual jacket as she stood on the edge of the Avenger, staring down at the once-former kingdom of Mantle from Atlas's seat in the sky. She usually found Ironwood's desire to keep the capital separate from the rest of the kingdom to be ostentatious at best and arrogant at worst, but she had to admit - the flying city had a great view.
It also gave a perfect launch point.
"You're sure about this kiddo?"
"As sure as I am of anything."
"She seemed pretty satisfied with the dinner. You could have easily called it there."
"I know, but that kind of stuff isn't really me. This is."
"Alright, if you're sure. Just let me know if you need a bailout. I borrowed one of those Albatross suits, and I'll be tailing you to make sure there's no problems."
Reese smiled. "Thanks, wingman."
MacAuley chuckled. "No 'old man' comment? You must be in a good mood. Sserana says she's inbound, so get ready. And keep your scroll on so I can track you."
"Yeah, yeah," said Reese as she took a deep breath of clear night air to calm her mind.
"You weren't kidding. It's cold up here."
Reese spun on the spot to see Ilia walking up to her, shoulders hunched over as she hugged the sleeves of a faded sweater close to her chest. The Mistrali teen went over to warm her up with a hug, and immediately questioned if it was the right thing to do when she felt the faunus stiffen in her grasp. A moment later though, Ilia leaned into the embrace and returned it, nuzzling her chin against Reese's shoulder as she drank in the warmth.
"So, what are we doing up here anyways?" Ilia asked as she reluctantly pulled away, leaving both the girls feeling just a bit colder. They kept one hand locked together as Reese led her back to the edge, using her other hand to pick up her hoverboard and display it to Ilia proudly.
"You had said at one point that you wanted to know what it was like to ride one of these," said Reese proudly. "Well tonight, I'm gonna show you!"
Ilia literally paled, her skin turning ashen white. "Oh...um...well…"
Reese deflated. "...unless you don't want to. I mean, I can record myself as I'm flying, and you can just - "
"N-no!" Ilia sputtered, "I-I do want to! I just...are you sure this is gonna be safe? I thought your board wasn't able to carry two passengers very well…"
The Mistrali girl grinned. "Lily and Nichole helped me boost the engines and optimize the stabilization software without adding more weight or mass to the board itself. I could probably bring Professor Port along for this ride and we wouldn't have any issues. Hell, when we were testing the new upgrades, I was able to lift Penny for a solid two minutes before the engine started to waver. So there's no risk for someone like you."
Ilia looked down at the board as Reese set it down flat on the "ground" before securing her scroll to her hip. "If you say so...there's not a lot of space, though…"
"Well, I guess we'll just have to snuggle up real close, then."
For what must have been the tenth time that night, Ilia blushed. Then after taking a deep breath, she nodded.
"Alright, cool!" Reese stepped onto the depowered board. "So the important thing is that once you get a feel for your center of gravity, you try not to extend yourself past it. This thing reads movements as input, so leaning one way steers it that way, leaning the other steers it back, forward and back makes it speed up and slow down, that sort of thing. You've got a pretty good sense of balance, so you shouldn't need to worry about having to overcorrect yourself. Just don't make any sudden movements and you'll be fine. Okay?"
Ilia nodded, stepping onto the board and putting her hands on Reese's hips. The teal-haired teenager felt her face heat up again, but she shook her head and kicked the switch near the front, activating the Dust within and filling the night with the sound of humming turbines.
As soon as the board rose to its pre-programmed height of eight inches off the ground, Ilia let out a yelp and wrapped her arms around Reese. While she wasn't about to object to a second hug, this one was a lot more forceful than the one they'd greeted each other with. Still, she leaned forward and guided the board to the edge of the Avenger, coasting along slowly to let Ilia get a feel for the sensation. Sure enough, the arms around her loosened slightly, and Ilia even let out a quiet chuckle as her confidence grew.
Said confidence didn't last very long.
Ilia somehow managed to turn an even paler shade of white as they neared the edge of the Avenger. "Um...Reese? I'm suddenly having second thoughts."
"That's just the nerves talking!" said Reese as she turned off the automatic altitude control. "Don't worry! We'll be fine once we're out of freefall!"
"Freefall?!" Ilia shrieked. "You never said anything about falling! I'm serious, I don't think this is a good ide-AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The sound of the rushing wind whipping past them drowned out the terrified faunus girl's scream, and Reese could feel the arms around her waist tighten into a death squeeze. The tip of her board plunged straight down to Mantle as they fell from the sky, a smirk spreading across the Mistrali daredevil's face as her stomach lurched into her throat. Reese knew her own limits as well as that of her baby, and if it was just her flying tonight she could have easily held the nosedive until she was just a few feet from the ground. But for Ilia's sake she peeled off well before that point, flaring the engines and her Semblance until they were cruising at a cool two hundred feet above the Downside.
She let the momentum carry them for a little bit, weaving back and forth as the city of Mantle came alive far below. Despite Operation Warsaw happening just a few weeks ago, the city was well on its way to recovering from the damages incurred largely by ADVENT. Lights were spilling out of the houses and into the streets, street lamps illuminated the roads and the people traveling, and children ran along the city blocks with iridescent kites that soared in the cool night air. Reese had to admit, the sight was no Haven or Vale, but it had a certain amount of beauty all of its own.
And she didn't need to look behind her to know that Ilia had refused to open her eyes yet.
"Hey, Ilia," she said gently as they slowed to a halt, hovering over the cityscape. "Open your eyes."
"Mm-mm," protested Ilia, burying her face into Reese's back.
"Come on, I guarantee you're gonna love it."
"No."
"Please? Just a quick tiny peek. Then you can close them again. I promise, it's gonna be worth it."
Ilia grumbled, then poked her face out and opened one eye a fraction of a crack. Predictably, the sight intrigued her enough to open both eyes, exposing those gorgeous blue gems to the world once more.
"Whoa…" breathed the lizard Faunus, her fear forgotten as she gazed at the lights below them. "It's...beautiful…"
"Told you," said Reese with a smirk. "Every city looks totally different at night. Especially when you've got a bird's eye view. Or a lizard's eye view, in this case."
Ilia gave a playful scowl. "If we weren't so high up on a tiny little board, I would have totally pushed you for that."
"Don't let that stop you," joked Reese, then she chuckled. "I don't let just anyone fly with me, you know. Me and Chronos here? We've got something special."
"I'll bet," said Ilia with a smile. "It is a pretty sight."
"So are you."
The lizard faunus's freckles turned pink, and she nuzzled her face back into Reese's shoulders, this time out of affection instead of sheer abject terror. Reese simply stroked the arm wrapped around her waist, rubbing it as she leaned the board forward to carefully glide once more.
A moment later into their flight, her Scroll opened up without her input, and Reese was worried she'd been hacked. She was about to wonder if she should speak up or if it would just worry Ilia more...before it started playing a song at maximum volume.
I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering splendor
"Gods dammit, Mac," groaned Reese in a harsh whisper. "Really?!"
"Yes, really," answered the Albatross-suit-shaped shadow in the moonlight. "Come on, kid. You can't take a pretty girl for a flight on a starry night and not play this song. Vahlen would have my head if I didn't."
"Yeah, well, I'm gonna have your head if this ruins the mood," grumbled Reese.
MacAuley's smile was audible. "I don't think you need to worry about that."
Reese was about to ask how he knew before she heard Ilia's voice, clear and beautiful as a bell, join in on the song.
A whole new world!
A new fantastic point of view
No one can tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming…
Despite her earlier gripes, Reese couldn't help but sing along as well, guiding her own princess on a magic carpet ride unique only to them. They dropped altitude to about fifty feet above the ground and flew among the kites, waving at the amazed children and their parents as they sang. They glided across the frosty plains of Solitas, joining the penguins as the flightless birds slid down an icy slope. Finally, they rocketed back up to the sky, trailing a shooting star as the song came to a close.
"A whole new world…" sang Reese softly as they hovered in front of the shattered moon, stepping slightly to face Ilia and take her hands.
"That's where we'll be…" sang Ilia in turn, smiling with eyes as bright as the stars.
"A thrilling chase…"
"A wondrous place…"
The two teenagers leaned forward and touched foreheads softly as they sang in unison.
"For you, and me…"
The song ended seconds later, and after staring into those gleaming sapphires for a moment longer, Reese turned around and guided the hoverboard back to the Avenger. They descended smoothly and let their momentum carry them across the flight deck before Reese finally cut the power, gently setting down until the board went lifeless and their feet were on solid steel yet again.
"That was…" said Ilia as she took a shaky step back onto the ship.
"Amazing? Exhilarating? Terrifying?" Reese offered as she picked up her board and turned it back into a pair of pistols, holstering them in her cargo pants pockets.
"Yes," breathed Ilia. She looked back at Reese with an astonished stare. "I can't believe you actually fight with that thing."
Reese chuckled. "Yeah, takes a bit of getting used to. But you did great for a first time flyer. Better than Nadir, at any rate - though that's not a high bar to clear. Poor guy was hoarse for three days straight afterwards, he was screaming so much…"
Ilia let out a shaky laugh. "Well, it's good to know that I managed to do better than that."
The Mistrali teenager laughed again. "Seriously, though, you were practically a natural. A little more practice, I'll bet you'll be flying better than me. Maybe I'll even give you some pointers next time we do this."
Assuming there even is a next time.
"Assuming there even is a next time."
Soon as the words left her mouth, Reese felt a chill as Ilia's gaze snapped onto her.
"What does that mean?"
Shit.
"I mean...if you want there to be a next time. Cause I'd be down for that. Unless you had a terrible time and never want to see me again."
Ilia's head tilted in curiosity again as she stepped forward. "Please tell me MacAuley didn't tell you to say that."
"No, no, he didn't," supplied Reese quickly, deflating on the spot and staring at her shoes. "That...probably came from my own insecurities and crippling sense of self-doubt. Again, you can probably thank my folks for that."
Reese didn't know what she was expecting when she said that. But she wasn't expecting a pair of thin, strong arms to latch around her, pulling her into a warm embrace. She looked up to see the back half of Ilia's head and her long hair in all its untied glory, as the Faunus girl pressed her face into her shoulder. Relieved, Reese returned the hug, wrapping her arms around a delicate but sturdy waist, pulling her closer and eliciting a soft sigh from her date.
Eventually, after standing there for a moment, Ilia pulled back slightly, keeping her hands on Reese's shoulders as she stared into her eyes.
"Well, as someone who's got a nagging voice constantly berating her in her own head," she said gently but firmly, "let me give you some advice. That 'other you' that talks to you, and keeps putting you down? She's full of shit. Especially now. Because I had a wonderful time, and I definitely want to see you again."
Ilia leaned back in for another hug, but this time, she left something else behind. Something that completely silenced the negative voice in Reese's head, as well as most of her higher brain functions.
A kiss, as gentle as a butterfly setting down, right on the lips.
It was soft, it was warm, and it was so brief that Reese didn't even have a chance to return it. Not that any amount of extra time would have helped - her mind was swimming in emotions and her brain hurried to reboot itself, which wasn't easy when it felt like someone had stuck her head in a microwave. And yet, she felt warm and tingly all over, and instinct took over as she hugged Ilia tighter even as she pulled her lips back, nuzzling her forehead against the Faunus's as tears flowed down her face.
"Thank you…" she whispered. "I...I'm glad to hear that you had fun. That's...really all I wanted tonight, was to see you smile…"
Ilia laughed softly, grinning and blushing brightly. "Well...then I'd say you did an excellent job."
They stayed like that for a little while longer, with Ilia's hands caressing Reese's face as she played with the long red hair. Eventually, the hours began to wane, and fatigue overcame them both.
"I'm gonna head back to the bunks," said Ilia. "Would you like to walk me back?"
Reese wanted so badly to say yes, but she ended up shaking her head. "Um...if it's okay with you, I'd like a few more minutes up here. Just to...process stuff, you know?"
Ilia nodded in understanding. "Of course. I'll see you around, then?"
"Y-yeah, definitely. Let's do this again sometime."
One more smile to light up the night. One more gentle kiss.
"I look forward to it, Reese Chloris."
And with one more lingering hug, Ilia withdrew and disappeared into the darkness.
Reese stood there for another solid minute, busy trying to catch her breath as the events of the last few hours replayed in her head. Then she let out a loud whoop, laughed at the top of her lungs, and eventually laid down on the flight deck, staring up at the stars with the brightest smile on her face.
"Nicely done, Reese. Told you it'd go perfectly."
She wanted to quip back at MacAuley, but her heart wasn't on the flight deck at the moment.
Right now, it was soaring over the moon with Ilia in tow.
