Sigh No More
A songfic to Mumford and Son's Sigh No More, as I realized it went nicely with the POlivia resolution. Follow up to my earlier Little Lion Man.
Takes place the morning after 6B
Serve God, love me and mend
This is not the end
Olivia was fast asleep, curled into to Peter, who was staring at her. Her blond hair fell gracefully over his shoulder, and he lazily ran his hands through it. It was soft as silk and smelt like whipped vanilla frosting, the kind his mother used to make for him as a kid. It made him fell safe.
He couldn't believe that she had forgiven him. Sure, in frustration, and a bit of anger, he'd told her she was holding them back. He'd pushed, because being around her, was impossible. Wanting her was draining. He'd felt drained.
Live unbruised, we are friends
And I'm sorry
I'm sorry
But he'd never expected to have her, finally. He'd never been religious, never really believed in God. But he'd been through the fabric of worlds, and still hadn't found a peace like this, a heaven on earth.
With Olivia in his arms, he finally knew what it meant to love someone. The pain of hurting her lingered, but the weight of her head on his shoulder, the weight of her friendship on his heart was enough to suppress it. He would always feel guilty, but she knew he was sorry. And that feeling, that knowledge was peaceful.
Sigh no more, no more
One foot in sea, one on shore
They were starting something, and he knew, without any hesitation, that it would never end. That Olivia was all he needed. She would save the world, no doubt, but she had saved him. He was weak and foolish before he'd met her. And through trial by fire, he started to earn her.
She began to stir in her sleep. It occurred to Peter that she probably suffered nightmares, nightmares from what had happened on the other side. And though he knew he could never heal the wounds, he'd spend the rest of his life kissing them, gently sewing them closed.
He ran his hands through her golden hair, and placed his hand on her side, forming a sort of circle around her. The weight of his hand made her trembling cease.
My heart was never pure
You know me
You know me
He'd never felt this honest before. In all the loves, all the women he'd had before, there was a part of him he'd held back. But with Olivia, he was honest. She knew him, knew his darkness. And she loved him.
In time, he would tell her all his secrets. Because he knew that she would love him, in spite of his past. There was nothing that they couldn't face together. And now that he knew her, inside and out, he would never make the mistake again. To let her down, to let her go.
But man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Visions of their life together flooded his mind. A ring on her finger, the softness of white silk against his hand as he held her to him as they danced, the blush of her cheeks in labor. And especially, seeing her smile in their children. Her freckles, sprinkled across tiny noses, her voice, lulling them to sleep at night. And of course, the comfort of knowing she would lie with him, every night, forever more.
He couldn't say why, but he knew it would happen. He knew it was truth.
Love; it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be
In the beginning he thought his feelings for her had damned him. That he was so happy to be with her that he hadn't noticed that it wasn't. But in the end, when her alternate left, he still loved her.Only her.
He'd known then, too, no doubt, that he had loved her, even if she would not have him. He knew this to be true because his love for her had made him do the bravest of things. He would chase criminals, face bullets, or cross the universe if it meant saving her.
He'd never felt that before. He'd fallen for women before, but he'd never felt that he could not live, could not exist, without them. Olivia made him turn honest. He couldn't con her, like he had other women. He didn't have it in him. He wanted to be worthy of her, because she deserved so much more than anything this universe could offer.
There is a design, an alignment to cry
Of my heart to see,
The beauty of love as it was made to be.
It was lucky for him, of course, that he wasn't from this universe.
He knew, somehow, unquestionably, that their lives were not undesigned. He had been brought to her, lead by the hand of fate. He existed for her, and no other reason. Even being born in separate worlds couldn't stop them. She was his purpose.
They were the only people on earth who knew what it felt like to love like this, to love through reality, through unreality.
Olivia's eyes opened, groggily and she noticed the lightness of Peter's eyes, staring gently at her.
"You staring at me?" she whispered, as pink spread across her cheeks, followed shortly by a coy smile.
"Couldn't help it, my love," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead, lingering so his lips could memorize her skin.
The beauty of love as it was made to be.
A/N: Reviews are AWESOME.