~ Watch Me ~

Angel of Mine

The corridors were dark as Rose made her way towards the training rooms, and she realised the day was catching up on her once again, as she awkwardly stifled a yawn. She checked the time, it was almost eight-thirty.

She'd been longer than she'd intended.

Having been annoyed when Sephiroth had suggested meeting at eight, Rose had purposely procrastinated, grabbing a soda and candy bar from the nearby store, and taking her sweet-ass time. Now, instead of feeling victorious, she found herself worrying that he'd have gotten bored of waiting for her and simply left.

She checked her phone. No calls or messages. Her heart sank.

Rose was annoyed that Sephiroth had completely ignored her during the meeting with Lazard, but she did want to see him.

She broke into a jog.

To her relief, though she made sure to keep it from her features, she found him waiting patiently outside the VR room. He didn't look up when she rounded the corner, instead his gaze remained firmly trained down towards his phone screen, his face utterly unreadable as she quietly stopped beside him.

He smirked.

"Done sulking now?" He wondered softly, pocketing his phone, as he moved his knowing emeralds down to meet her own.

Rose scoffed, insulted. "Sulking? I wasn't sulking, Sephiroth."

To add to her irritation further, he tittered, as though she was some small child having a tantrum, and crossing her arms, Rose glared.

Sephiroth, unperturbed by this, lightly shook his head. "Of course, clearly I was mistaken."

Leaving his words hanging tauntingly in the air, he turned, heading cleanly into the VR room, as Rose followed hotly on his heels.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She snapped, storming towards him as he looked back lazily over his shoulder.

"That you're not upset." He quipped, a wry smile teasing playfully at the edges of his lips.

Rose stepped pointedly in front of him. "I am not upset." She pressed crossly, ignoring the way the lights flickered when she spoke. "But if I was, it would be you're fault."

"I thought it might." He murmured indulgently, his focus on the loose tendrils of hair that had fallen wildly across her features. "If you calm down, perhaps we can discuss it?"

Sephiroth gently brushed the rebellious strands from her vision, the small gesture sparking a trail of heat tauntingly across her skin, but Rose was not to be distracted.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Talk to me like I'm a child."

"Then don't act like one."

She huffed, completely indignant, but despite her anger, a small voice whispered that perhaps he did have a point. She hadn't exactly come at this maturely. Rather than discussing her issue with him like any well-rounded person might, she had dramatically stormed off, throwing her weight around in a bid to demonstrate how upset she was.

Sulked.

Rose dropped her gaze, falling back reluctantly on the truth, as she lightly scuffed her boot against the tiled floor. "You didn't even look at me."

"In Lazard's office?"

She nodded. "It was like you were trying to avoid me, after we had, you know... and I thought..." She fell silent, realising how terribly pathetic she sounded.

They had slept together, but that didn't mean that either of them owed the other anything; they were adults, and yet the thought of being brushed aside, of meaning nothing to him, cut her deeper than she cared to admit.

A moments hesitation, a moments silence, and gloved fingers curved slowly under her chin, encouraging her to meet his gaze. Sephiroth moved closer.

"Rose, we agreed not to make others aware. We work together, we have to hold a professional standard. You were the one who was worried what people would think." He added softly, searching her gaze for a hint that he was wrong.

Rose internally kicked herself.

"Doesn't mean you have to treat me like I'm the invisible woman." She murmured, paraphrasing Kunsel as she pointedly lifted her jaw out of his hold. "You're supposed to be my mentor, surely that equates for some interaction?"

Sephiroth met her words with more silence, a heavy sigh breezing past his lips, as he carefully thought them over.

"Perhaps, but you have a habit of not keeping your emotions in check. Angeal would have noticed, and he is the one you are so keen to hide everything from, is he not?"

Rose pouted, the beginnings of an argument dying on her tongue. She wanted nothing more than to argue that she was more than capable of controlling her own feelings, but she had already lost that moral high ground with her earlier transgressions.

"Fine." She sighed, considering him as he was. She quirked a brow. "You realise, of course, how big headed that makes you sound?" She said instead, watching distrustfully as Sephiroth carefully closed the gap between them.

He smirked at her reaction, bending low to ghost his mouth across her own. "My apologies." He teased, his breath falling softly across her cheek.

Rose shivered, desperately trying to remember she was mad, as strong arms snaked their way purposefully around her waist. Sephiroth's hands drifted knowingly to her hips, pulling her closer, and Rose found herself pinned against his chest. Her fingers splayed across it, the muscle chiselled to ridiculous perfection. Her lips found his automatically, of course, the two drawn together like opposite ends of a magnet. Their kisses soft and warm.

Rose could have stayed liked that forever, the taste of him enveloping her completely, the world utterly insignificant, but of course he pulled away, shamelessly smug as he allowed her to catch her breath.

"You don't fight fair." She mumbled breathlessly, clinging hazardously to the front of his coat, as her feet threatened to lose their footing.

Sephiroth smirked. "Then I am forgiven?"

She thought about it. "Maybe."

He considered her. "Because I do have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Rose felt her eyes light up, woes suddenly forgotten, as Sephiroth carefully pulled out his phone.

His thumb moved across the screen as though he was setting up a training session for them both, but after a click, Rose watched eagerly as around her, an abandoned beach began to materialise. She was awestruck, her gaze wandering, mesmerised, between the pure white sand, endless ocean, and spiralling night sky above them.

Her smile etched itself from ear to ear, her eyes drawn upwards towards the never ending blanket of stars that arched high over her head, she faltered.

"Do you like it?" Sephiroth murmured.

Rose nodded, too beguiled to speak, as slowly she made her way toward the shore line. She regarded the water's edge, knowing if she were to touch it, the realness of it all would be ruined, and settled instead on listening to the waves crash subtly against the beach, the wind swirling playfully around her, as she happily drank it all in.

Sighing, Rose glanced back over her shoulder to find Sephiroth watching her, his interest held by her, and her alone.

"It's so beautiful." She simpered, slowly moving back to stand beside him.

He inclined his head. "Shinra tech at it's finest. You see now why it would be no good for training?"

"I do feel very distracted." She confessed, her eyes once again roaming the beautiful expanse. "But it's definitely better than a dojo. Besides, you said I needed to focus more, this is a perfect handicap to learn against."

"That's what the meditation is supposed to be for." He reminded her pointedly, forcing her to remember all her failed attempts at blocking out distractions.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine. But what about this..." Playfully she drew her sword, swinging it thoughtfully in front her, before angling it teasingly towards his heart. "If I beat you, we get to train here always."

Sephiroth didn't even flinch. "That hardly seems fair to you."

Rose shook her head, watching with growing excitement as he carefully drew his own blade from his sheath.

"So cocky." She remarked disbelievingly, caught damnably between despair and awe, as Sephiroth slowly began to circle her. "You can't win all the time. Nobody does."

"I do."

To some his words would have riled, poked at the embers of their own self-doubt. To Rose it was like hearing music, a rhythm that swelled her heart into a trophy of pride. This destructive angel was hers now, she could see it in the way he watched her, hungrily drinking her in with every second offered, and she was only too willing, to give herself back.

She smirked. "We'll see."

R&R!

Hi guys! I know, slight delay, but I am trying to keep to the weekly updates :) Always quicker if I can. Lil bit of fluff in this chapter from you, I hope you liked it and are all safe? Take care won't you? I'm off to reply to reviews, and thank you to everyone who reviewed, favoured, and followed, and of course who is reading this story.

Stay safe! x