Disclaimer: Don't own Tales of Arise, nor any of its characters.
Rating: T
A one-shot that takes place after the game's ending, following Alphen and Shionne.
Elde Menancia; Viscint Palace
Nighttime
This was really something...
Alphen wasn't sure what to say, both nervous and full of anticipation - telling Shionne about the room choice earlier had been embarrassing, but he couldn't deny that he wanted it to happen, if given the chance. He'd been surprised and relieved when Shionne managed to imply that she was also fine with either, before they had (rather wordlessly) gone with the single room option.
"Say, Alphen?"
Jolted out of his thoughts, he looked over- Shionne was already sitting on the bed, if merely the edge. "Um, yeah?"
She glanced at him. "Earlier, you were discussing something with Dohalim, right? I'm just curious what it was about."
Earlier- ah right, after dinner with the whole group. He wondered for a moment, as Shionne sounded a bit awkward - but even if she's merely asking to break the ice, he didn't have a problem with that.
In fact, he'd been trying to do the same.
"Yeah, we were" Alphen admitted, easing more as he talked. "He said that at some point, he wanted me to be part of a 'history lesson' for my swordsmanship. He'd like to get artists to draw all the forms, movements, and stuff on paper while I practice in person, to help preserve the 300-year-old style that I learned back then. He even offered for him and Kisara to be my sparring partners when available, and Law thought it'd be pretty fun to join in too. Rinwell's all for the idea as well, since there's a lot of our history we still have to reclaim."
"Oh?" Shionne breathed, before she smiled. "That sounds neat. I'm sure you'll do great as a teacher, Alphen."
"Ehehe. Well, I'm not sure I'll be teaching much... all I can really do is be a practice dummy of sorts."
"You're not giving yourself enough credit, you know."
By then, without even realizing it, Alphen had moved closer and sat down beside Shionne. "You think so?" he wondered, to which she nodded. "Well either way, I was going to do my best. After all, Dohalim's right: it'd be a shame if my swordsmanship style ended with me, or if anyone else couldn't learn it. And of course"
"Between that and helping Dohalim as an ambassador, you'll probably be busy for awhile" she teased, almost smug; he chuckled.
"Yeah, probably. But what about you, Shionne?"
She was silent for a moment, inwardly thoughtful. "Other than helping out in general, I don't know" she admitted, quiet. "I haven't given any thought as to where I might like to live yet... though I guess staying in Elde Menancia full-time wouldn't be a bad option."
He got a little smile. "'Not bad', huh? I'm sure Dohalim would be offended if he heard that."
Shionne gave him a look, yet her lip curved. "You know what I meant."
"Of course I do."
A moment of comfortable silence, before her cheeks reddened a bit as she kept looking at him- Alphen wasn't sure why, even as he looked at her in return, but waited for her to say what it is.
"...Alphen?" she whispered, with a small voice.
He went still, and subconsciously, everything else but the two of them fell away.
"Yeah?" he whispered, equally quiet.
She fidgeted a bit, her lip twitching briefly. "Don't... don't take this the wrong way..." Shionne breathed, full of effort as her eyes darted all over. "But, could you... let me touch you, all over?"
A breath escaped, and he could barely think for a few seconds - yet despite the surprise, Alphen immediately understood how important this was.
...
Shionne couldn't believe she'd asked that, irrationally worried that he'd find it weird, even though she tried to tell herself that it's baseless. Still, she couldn't deny that she wanted the- the 'experience' - all her life, she's dreamed of what it would be like to touch someone in all these normal ways.
Things like handshakes, high-fives, and the like, she could (and will) get from their friends.
But such things as running her fingers across the arm, the chest, the legs, their feet, their hair? As far as she knew, friends could do that to each other, but only briefly; prolonged contact was considered weird in normal circumstances, unless they were extremely close.
Yet her circumstance isn't normal, and- and she knew she could trust Alphen, so... it's okay, right?
Even as Shionne wrestled with these thoughts, Alphen took her hand-
-not used to that yet (or at least not so suddenly), she was startled and her heart beat faster.
Glancing at his hand, which gently-yet-firmly held hers, she looked up with a little wonder- Alphen was smiling, just as he always did. Even so, he had some difficulty keeping her gaze; she could see the flickers in his eyes, as if they wanted to nervously dart all over the place too.
"You're right" he breathed, before clearing his throat; his cheeks gradually reddened. "That could've been um, taken the wrong way. But, well, my answer's yes!"
She'd been about to say something about teasing her right now, even if it was to break the ice, but that last part (said really fast) stopped her. Shionne was left staring at him, breathless and her hand instinctively closing on his...
"But, Shionne-"
Huh?
His cheeks reddened even more, yet his smile remained; it looked so soft and gentle. "-I- I hope that I might get to, um, return the favor" he breathed with effort, which made her heart flutter and her body feel a bit hot. "Uh, if not tonight, t-then some other time! ...Yeah."
She could barely think, yet even if she'd tried to say something, she wouldn't have been able to get it out before Alphen's hand touched her cheek.
In that time, he'd gotten closer too... she could feel his breath on her face, and he continued to give that smile she's come to love.
"And... I know where you can start" he whispered.
By this point, she could feel her heart thumping against her ribs, but it didn't stop her from moving closer, nor her hand coming up to his cheek.
"A-Alphen, I..."
"I know."
Their lips met, and the warmth in her chest nearly exploded, as if she were in danger of melting; even so, Shionne loved the way that Alphen caressed her mouth. She did the same in return, and he certainly didn't mind as he held her - still, as happy as they were, it was obvious they didn't really know what they're doing.
But that's okay. There's all the time in the world now to learn...
As they kissed, brushing their lips together in new and exciting ways, she slowly brought her hands up and touched Alphen's head. From there, she would brush against his hair in numerous ways - caressing his scalp as well - and no doubt leaving it a mess afterward. But she didn't stop to consider that, as her hands gradually traveled downward over his neck to his shoulders, where she spent a little time wondering over how broad they were. Then she spent some time moving over his arms, his back, and even his chest- just the feel of his toned muscles sent a thrill through her, almost making her wish to see them properly.
But if she starts going that far, she might take things too fast...
During the brief moments where they separated for air, Alphen's breathing sounded heavier, different: her touches, particularly over his chest, were affecting him. Yet he kept at their kisses, and simply continued touching her in small ways; caressing her cheeks, brushing over her hair, holding her close with his strong arms, and so on.
Otherwise, he just let her do what she wanted.
It was- it was really good too. She didn't want any of this to stop.
"It's..." Shionne breathed to herself, without realizing. "It's just like before..."
"Hmm?"
Realizing, she was briefly embarrassed that she'd said that without thinking.
"Sorry. I just remembered something... that I used to do as a child" she whispered after a moment, hands brushing against his sides/hips now.
Alphen was silent for a moment, aside from breathing, and then his hands moved over her shoulders. "If it's okay, I'd like to know" Alphen whispered back, leaning in toward her left ear - his breath was warm.
She was quiet for a time, with him just holding her.
"Sometimes, whenever I was alone, I would just brush my hands over my own body. Over and over and over again" she breathed, closing her eyes - Alphen shifted a bit. "Back then, even though I knew otherwise, I tried to imagine other people touching me in all these little ways. The sensations of contact with others, without my Thorns causing them pain... but as time went on, I lost hope, and then I just stopped doing it."
Without realizing it, her hands and arms began to shake, and her vision briefly became blurry.
"It's- it's been so long, since I've thought about that..." Shionne spoke, sniffling once.
Alphen's grip tightened on her, but otherwise he didn't move- yet despite that, he sounded rather shaken too when he spoke:
"You never have to deal with that pain again, Shionne." Alphen adjusted his grip, pulling her even closer against him, not that she minded. "Your Thorns are gone. And I'm... I'm so happy for that, for you..."
It was then that she suddenly felt tears touch her neck, which led her to hitch.
He's crying, because he's happy for her sake...
The shaking got worse for a moment, and yet all she could do was smile (along with hold him closer), feeling warm in the best way. She just- she didn't have the words to express how wonderful it felt, to be able to experience things like this after so long...
"Alphen..."
That was all she could say before next thing anyone knew, they had found each other's lips again, and didn't let go for a long while. That whole time, their hands continued to explore each other... Shionne found that she enjoyed how much attention Alphen paid to stroking her legs, while his back would slowly arc as she traced her fingers down his spine...
/
Sometime later
Alphen slowly angled his head, where all he could see was Shionne's long pink hair for the most part- well, he could make out her bangs and forehead, but still. He smiled as she stirred against his body, musing how they've been quiet these last few minutes, just laying together and taking in that whole experience... her even more than him, for obvious reasons.
He did think it was special too, but for someone who's rarely had any touch experiences throughout her life... well, he understood just how much tonight meant to Shionne.
And he'd gladly do it again and again, whenever she wanted.
"...Alphen."
He made a "Hmm?" sound, partly distracted her fingers tracing over his chest; he hoped that didn't show in his voice.
Shionne paused a little, still resting against him. "I think I know something I can plan for now, or at least start to" she whispered. "Remember that time where w- I discussed living in a proper house?"
His heart-rate went up, because he vividly remembered that conversation... a-and also because the near-slipup hadn't escaped his notice.
Not that he had a problem with it!
"Ah, yeah. Of course" Alphen breathed, trying to keep his voice steady. "That's a good goal."
She lifted her head a bit, just enough that he could see her eyes now. "Yeah, but at the same time... a proper kitchen, dining table, and a fireplace doesn't make a full house" she admitted, softer. "There's lots more space that needs to be filled."
Hearing her softness distracted him, and it made him smile. "I don't doubt it" he breathed, equally soft. "What else are you thinking about?"
"Mmm. Well, to start with... the house should have plenty of room for multiple people."
Alphen didn't say anything, but though his heart-rate remained up, he knew full well what she meant...
Shionne shifted again, moving closer to him again. "I don't want to live somewhere that's just enough for me" she whispered, almost wavering for a second; then her eyes closed. "I want a big place, Alphen. Not crazy big, but a house filled with rooms and things to do... and if at all possible, I'd like the the outside to be big as well. Plenty of space to just run around, play on/around certain things, garden- mmm, though I've never tried it at all, so maybe not that last one."
Without thinking, his hand moved, gently going to the back of her head-
-Shionne made a sound, almost in surprise, but otherwise did nothing as he slowly stroked her hair.
"That sounds wonderful" he whispered, utterly sincere - in fact, the next words left his mouth of their own accord: "And yeah, the fireplace needs a big living room to go along with it. Maybe it could be next to the kitchen and dining table, even. And there can a welcome mat area next to the front door, where visitors can be entertained. Then, if we're going past a one-floor plan, is the upstairs... it could have two, maybe three bedrooms to fit the ideal house size, plus a bathroom. Oh, there should be one of those downstairs too."
As he spoke, Shionne lifted her head to look at him more, wondering and her mouth open a little- then she smiled.
"Absolutely" she breathed, equally sincere as she leaned closer. "The floors could be tiled in certain places, but carpeted in the others; it'll be a nice, fuzzy sensation for bare feet."
"I'd definitely go for that. As for the windows, they should have curtains to block out the sun if it gets too bright."
"Or open up if it's too dark, though there'd also be other lights for that. And let me guess: you'd like the curtains to be blue?"
"Hehe. I wouldn't mind, but it's not a deal-breaker."
After a moment, they unconsciously jolted and their faces started heating up- Alphen in particular had to try hard not to make a sound.
L-Looks like they've gone and done it again...
But surprisingly (after several seconds), Shionne spoke:
"But, um, that's just a hypothetical" she said quickly, her head stirring against his chin several times. "It's- it's nowhere near a reality, where either of us could make decisions about such a thing."
"Y-Yeah, of course" Alphen breathed, feeling his heart pound. "Though, um, there's nothing wrong with speaking in hypotheticals, you know? As long as no one gets carried away... and I-I don't think we have, Shionne. At least, I hope not."
"...Let's go with that then."
Inwardly, he was relieved by that, having been hoping that it wasn't too much.
"Then, well, maybe it's time we go to sleep" he breathed, before making a slight chuckle. "Probably should've done that a little while ago, in fact."
Shionne seemed to suppress a giggle, yet simply continued to hold onto him. "Yeah, let's" she whispered, quiet yet happy.
One of the best main Tales couples in recent games, period :P Hope you all enjoyed this one-shot!