Things were starting to take a turn for the better around Alcamoth: Reconstruction was underway, the citizens were settling back into their homes, and Shulk and Melia found themselves with plenty of work to keep them busy. While Melia fulfilled her duties as leader of the High Entia, Shulk juggled between helping with reconstruction and his work with M.S.I.T.
Melia finished her work for the day and went back to the Villa around late afternoon. Shulk had been living with her for a week now, but the thought of coming home and seeing him there would still make her blush and smile warmly on the walks back.
"I'm exhausted." Melia said out loud, letting out a sigh as she closed the front door.
"Not too exhausted to go out, are you?"
Shulk came home early and was waiting for Melia to get back. He gave her a hug and kissed her cheek, keeping one hand behind his back.
"Hey beautiful, long day?" Shulk asked.
"Very long." Melia answered and hugged him back, "I'm not too tired to go out. What did you have in mind?"
Shulk smiled, "It's a surprise, you'll see. Oh, I got you something."
Shulk pulled out what he was hiding behind his back, revealing a small box of chocolate in the shape of a heart.
"That's so sweet of you!" Melia took the box from him and pecked his cheek. She sat down and ate a few pieces from the box, then looked up at Shulk.
"Do you mind if I take a shower and do a few things before we go?" Melia asked.
"Do whatever you need. You don't have to dress fancy either, just wear something comfortable." Shulk replied.
Melia's Villa was more modern-styled and had the master bath connected to their bedroom along with a walk-in closet. After her shower, Melia laid some clothes down to make an outfit, but nothing was catching her eye.
"Something wrong?" Shulk asked, leaning against the closet door.
"Just having trouble deciding." Melia answered.
Shulk walked over and looked at all the outfits she had laid out, "Like I said earlier, just be comfortable. Here, try this."
Shulk picked out a few things and left for Melia to change. She came out wearing a pair of jeans, black boots, and a light gray top with a black leather jacket. She also wore her hair down and straightened it, thinking it matched better instead of her usual curled hair.
"How do I look?" Melia asked a bit sheepishly.
Shulk chuckled, "I don't think I've ever seen you dressed all casually. It looks cute."
Melia was already blushing but turned slightly redder as Shulk came closer to get a better look at her.
"Hm, it's missing something, though." Shulk commented.
"Hold on, I might have something." Melia said.
Melia had a desk with a mirror where she kept all her jewelry, make up, and other accessories. She pulled a pair of small studded earrings out from the drawer and put them on, then walked back over to Shulk.
"How about now?" Melia asked.
"Perfect!" Shulk answered.
Melia went back over to the mirror for a second look and smiled.
It's definitely something different, but I kind of like it. It's a nice change from my usual, more formal attire.
Shulk came up and hugged her from behind, "Ready to go?"
Melia nodded and Shulk took her hand as they left the Villa. It was starting to get dark and the street lights turned on, but everything still seemed bright and lively as the two walked through Alcamoth's districts. Both current and soon-to-be citizens were laughing amongst themselves while they ate and drank together outside, others were reconstruction workers passing by, and some were even kids getting more playing time in before their curfew. With all the people around and the upbeat atmosphere, outsiders would have never guessed that a war actually broke out here such a short time ago.
The Homs and High Entia couple arrived at the main entrance transporter and passed through, leading back to the hovering reefs.
So we're going somewhere outside Alcamoth?
Melia was looking around and trying to guess where Shulk was taking her as they walked through the city, but Shulk would only smirk and refuse to tell her any time she asked. Now that they were outside Alcamoth, she didn't have the slightest clue on where they were going.
On the other end of the transporter was a docked ship with an Imperial Guard stationed by it, just a few feet away from them.
"Right this way, sir." The guard said to Shulk.
Melia followed behind Shulk and they boarded the ship. She looked out the window as they gained altitude, briefly forgetting her curiosity as she gazed outside. Even from an aerial view she could see how bright and prosperous her beloved city looked at night. It wasn't just Alcamoth either, the outside of the barracks at the Ether Plant were also very populated, and the light from the stars gave the other reefs a peaceful glow.
The ship lowered altitude at Latael Shore and docked near the transporter to the reefs. Shulk let Melia exit first and looked back to the pilot.
"You don't have to stay here, we can make our own way back to Alcamoth." Shulk said.
"Understood." The pilot replied.
Shulk stepped off the ship and stood beside Melia as the pilot took off, heading back towards the city.
There was a beach only a short distance away from where they landed. Shulk took Melia's hand and they walked along the coastline, the waves gently crashing along the shore close by.
"Certainly has come a long way, huh?" Shulk asked.
"It has. It's only been a week, but everyone seems happy with the progress already made in Alcamoth." Melia answered and looked towards the city.
"Well, that too, but I meant more about us. I honestly didn't think you liked me or any of the others when we first met, but look where we are now." Shulk corrected.
"Oh, that's what you meant. I was acting imprudently after losing my friends to that rampaging Telethia in Makna Forest, I didn't mean to take it out on you all. Also… I'm sorry for what I did to you when we first met." Melia said, sounding a little ashamed.
Shulk started to laugh after he remembered her slapping him, "You don't have to apologize, I wasn't bringing it up to try and criticize you. It's just that we've been travelling together for so long, been to so many places we probably never would have gotten to see. I'm glad you stuck around with us to experience all of it, and I'm really happy to have met you, Melia."
Melia felt color reach her cheeks, "I'm happy to have met you too, Shulk. You and everyone else have had such an impact on my life, I wouldn't trade that for anything else."
Melia looked down at the ground as they walked, "Though, if I can be honest, I've always been a bit jealous."
"Jealous? What would you have to feel jealous about?" Shulk asked.
"You and the others have always been so at ease when you're in each other's company. You get to be yourselves, and… I felt like I didn't have that same luxury. I don't often feel that way around you, but sometimes I would doubt if I really fit in with everyone else. At times I assumed it was because of my upbringing and would wonder what it would be like if I wasn't royalty…" Melia admitted.
Shulk tightened his grip on Melia's hand, "Melia, you don't have to be thinking that way. Even if you weren't royalty, it wouldn't change the fact that we all care about you. You could sit here and tell me every last detail of what you would want to change about yourself, but the one thing that would never change is that I love you."
Melia's heart skipped a beat, and with what felt like impulse alone, she turned to Shulk and kissed him, pulling him into a tight embrace after they broke the kiss.
"I love you too, Shulk." Melia mused.
Shulk put his arm over Melia's shoulder, letting her stay nuzzled against him as they continued walking along the coastline.
"Here we are!" Shulk said and stopped walking after a short while.
Melia slightly tilted her head and looked confused.
But there's nothing here?
There was a tall-standing rock a few feet away from them and Shulk walked behind it. He reappeared with a few things: A basket in one hand, an ether lamp in the other, and a large rolled up blanket under his arm.
A picnic by the beach? Certainly not what I was expecting, but why have it at night?
Melia was trying to piece together the reason while Shulk sprawled the blanket over the grass and set the ether lamp to a dim light.
Just when you give me an answer, Shulk, you only leave me with more questions…
"You just gonna stand there?" Shulk smiled and patted a spot next to him on the blanket.
Melia gave up on trying to figure it out and sat down next to Shulk. He opened the basket and on top was loaves of bread to make subs, along with containers of meat and veggies underneath, then some drinks and small snacks near the bottom.
"Here, I'll make yours. What do you want on it, Angel?" Shulk asked.
Melia listed off what she wanted and Shulk got started making one for the both of them.
As they were eating, Melia reached her hand into the basket for a drink. She found a bottle of iced tea near the bottom, but also felt a strange object next to it brush against her hand.
"What's this?" Melia asked.
"Oh, let me see that." Shulk took the object out of the basket and aimed it upward, making a red flare shoot out of it and into the sky.
"A flare gun? Shulk, why would you need a-" Melia was cut off by a loud blast in the distance. The sound made her jump and reflexively latch on to Shulk.
"It's all right, Melia. Look up." Shulk said.
Melia kept her grip on Shulk and looked up to the sky. She seen small, dim lights soar into the air before bursting into multiple colors, making the same booming sound she heard earlier.
"Fireworks?" Melia asked.
Shulk put an arm around Melia and leaned back, letting Melia rest her head on his chest while he laid down on the blanket.
"You've been so stressed lately with the fighting to reclaim the city and all the work being done towards reconstruction. I wanted to surprise you and give you a night to relax." Shulk said.
"You did all of this for me?" Melia asked, looking up at him with hearts in her eyes.
"Of course I did. You deserve it after everything that's happened. Besides, I haven't seen a real smile on your face in a while. I wanted to see that happen again, you look so beautiful when you have one on." Shulk answered.
Melia started to blush and hid her face. Shulk gently cupped her chin and lifted her head back up, revealing a bright smile.
"That's all I wanted to see." Shulk was also blushing and smiled back as his hand moved up, caressing Melia's cheek.
Melia's smile only grew as she moved closer and kissed him while the fireworks continued to shoot off. She then laid back down and the two cuddled on the blanket, looking back up to the sky at the display of fireworks.
The fireworks eventually stopped and they waited for a minute to see if they were launching any more, but nothing happened.
"Looks like that was it." Melia said and sat up.
"It doesn't have to be." Shulk said, still laying down.
"You actually have more planned?" Melia jokingly asked.
"Just one more thing. It's still pretty nice out, swimming sounds kind of good." Shulk said and sat up.
"But we don't have bathing suits." Melia pointed out.
"Got that covered too. That same spot I grabbed all this stuff from, there's another bag back there with bathing suits and a couple towels." Shulk said and pointed behind him.
"You plan pretty far ahead, don't you?" Melia commented.
"I've got a few more things in mind, but that's for another time. So, what do you say?" Shulk asked.
Melia thought it over for a few moments before she answered.
"Okay, let's go!" She said.
Shulk stood up, "Alright. We can change back there while we're at it. I'll go first."
Shulk went behind the rock to change and came back out shortly after, wearing a black bathing suit that sat a few inches above the knee.
Melia had a suggestive look on her face and was eyeing Shulk up and down as he came back over. Shulk noticed she was biting her lip and jokingly started to flex and pose.
"See something you like?" Shulk asked.
"Yes, I do." Melia said back with a small laugh.
Shulk laughed along, "Alright, your turn."
Melia walked up to Shulk before she went to change. She put her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes, blushing as she leaned in and kissed him deeply.
Melia broke the kiss and put a finger up to Shulk's lips.
"No peeking~" She cooed.
"Do I seem like the kind of guy to do that, Melia?" Shulk playfully scoffed and batted her hand away.
"You can be pretty unpredictable when you want to be, so it's hard to tell." Melia teased.
"Just go change already." Shulk playfully shot back.
Melia could feel a set of eyes on her as she was walking away. She looked behind her and followed Shulk's gaze. Her curves were more visible with her new outfit and she caught Shulk staring at her ass, but instead of calling him out on it, she put on a smirk and wiggled her hips a little to spur him on.
"See something you like, Shulk?~" Melia purred.
Shulk turned red and quickly looked away, knowing he was caught staring.
Melia giggled, "I don't mind~ Maybe you'll get a better view after I change~"
Melia didn't realize it, but she had a sway in her hips as she kept walking to go change. When she was behind the rock and out of Shulk's sight, Melia rested her back against it and tried to calm her husked breathing. They haven't been intimate since they were staying with Reyn and Sharla; With everything that's happened since then, and now all the work that still needs to be done restoring Alcamoth, they haven't had much time for themselves lately. Now that they were alone could Melia realize how badly she wanted him- No, needed him. Her thighs were rubbing together and she could feel how wet she was getting at just the thought of it.
Once Melia calmed down, she changed into the swimsuit Shulk packed for her and stepped out from behind the rock. Shulk was blushing even more at the sight of her as she came back over. He wasn't sure what to pack for her so he went with something similar to what she normally wore, but she still looked adorable in it. It was a two-piece, close to the same color as her hair and had trims of purple.
"What do you think, Shulk?~" Melia asked, a hint of a suggestive tone in her voice.
Shulk started to look flustered and turned his head away.
"It looks good on you." He murmured.
Either because she wasn't satisfied with his answer or just to keep spurring him on, Melia cupped Shulk's chin and moved his head back over to her before placing her arms around his neck. Her breasts were more noticeable in the bikini she was wearing, and she was aware of that by how she angled Shulk's head, keeping her face in Shulk's vision while also subtly giving him a nice view of her cleavage.
"How about the way it feels?~" Melia purred and took Shulk's hands, guiding them around her slim body before placing them at her hips.
Shulk was loving the feel of her curves and put on a smoldering grin, moving his hands behind her and giving her ass a tight squeeze as he pulled her closer.
"I love it~" Shulk purred.
Now feeling satisfied with his answer, Melia gave a small giggle and moved her lips closer, kissing him passionately and letting Shulk put his hands wherever he wanted.
Melia let out a faint, seductive moan into the kiss, but broke it and took Shulk's hand before they got too carried away.
"Come on, let's go." Melia said, a teasing smile on her face.
Shulk could tell what Melia was trying to do and shot her another smoldering grin. He figured this was Melia's way of hinting at the tension building up between the two of them, but he was fully aware of it too.
Melia noticed the look Shulk was giving her and eagerly bit her lip, but she tried to suppress the lustful thoughts filling her head before she got too riled up as they headed for the water, stopping about waist-deep.
"The water feels great. I'm going out a bit deeper, you coming?" Shulk asked.
"I will in a minute, I just need to get used to the water." Melia replied.
"I know just the thing that'll help!" Before Melia could react, Shulk threw his arms around her and jumped into the deeper water.
Melia let out a startled yelp, but it was no use as they both went under the water with a big splash. They resurfaced and Shulk was laughing while Melia was wiping her eyes.
"That wasn't funny, Shulk!" Melia exclaimed.
"You said you needed to get used to the water, didn't you?" Shulk asked, still laughing.
Shulk finally got it out of his system and looked over at Melia, who was giving him an unamused glare.
"Hey, you're not mad at me, are you?" Shulk asked, an apologetic look on his face as he swam over to her.
Melia suddenly had an idea and put on a softer look, trying to hide the conniving grin that was about to appear on her face.
"No, I'm not mad at you, Boo." Melia said softly and wrapped her arms around Shulk's neck.
Shulk started to lower his guard and placed his hands on Melia's waist, something about those gorgeous teal eyes of hers would always help get rid of his worries as he gazed into them.
Melia gazed back into his and pulled him closer.
"Come here~" Melia mused.
The two closed their eyes as they leaned in for a kiss, but Melia slightly opened an eye before their lips met. Seeing that Shulk wasn't looking, Melia quickly moved an arm off his neck and back into the water, splashing Shulk right in his face.
Shulk jumped back and was coughing from water getting in his mouth, while Melia was snickering with her hand covering her mouth.
"Okay, even what I did wasn't that dirty!" Shulk protested.
"True, but we are even now." Melia shot back, now showing her conniving grin.
Shulk returned the grin, "Oh, so it's like that? Alright, this means war!"
Melia back-peddled to keep Shulk at a distance as they splashed back and forth, but he lunged forward and got his arms around her, making Melia let out an eek as Shulk lifted her over his head.
"Shulk, don't!" Melia pleaded.
"You ain't talking your way out of this one, Melia. You're going down!" Shulk shot back, readying his arms and throwing Melia back under the water.
Melia was smiling brightly as she traveled further beneath the surface, her hair flowing freely as she felt like she could finally unwind, even being able to physically feel her stress leaving.
Melia felt something against her back and also brushing up against her cheek. She opened her eyes and started to blush; Shulk was underwater with her, one arm wrapped behind her while caressing her cheek with the other.
Melia pulled him closer and they shared a kiss before resurfacing to catch their breath. She swam over to Shulk and hugged him tightly, her legs also wrapped around him.
"I love you so much." Melia mused.
"I love you too, Angel, with all my heart." Shulk said and hugged her back.
After swimming for a bit longer, the two got out of the water and dried off. They changed back into their clothes and packed everything up, holding hands as they walked back home.
"I'm so tired. I might take a shower and go right to bed." Melia said, letting out an exhausted sigh as her and Shulk walked in the front door of the Villa.
"Yeah, I could use one too. You can go first, Angel." Shulk said.
Shulk plopped himself onto their bed, but Melia stopped at the bathroom doorframe, nervously biting her lip before she looked back at Shulk.
"Actually, Shulk… did you want to come with me?" Melia asked.
Shulk's ears perked up a bit in surprise before revealing his infamous grin, looking pretty interested in her offer.
"Yeah, sure." Shulk tried to play it off as he followed behind Melia into the bathroom.
Shulk shut the door behind them and Melia didn't waste any time, shoving him against the door and kissing him deeply as they stripped each other down.
Melia broke the kiss and opened the glass shower door, taking Shulk's hand as they stepped inside. She leaned over slightly to turn the lever and get the water started, then felt a jolt shoot up her body from Shulk slapping her ass while she was turned around.
Melia looked back over at Shulk and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Sorry, couldn't help it~" Shulk purred and put his hands on Melia's hips.
"I never said there was a problem~" Melia purred.
Shulk gave Melia's ass another slap and a firm squeeze as he pulled her closer, giving her a rough, passionate kiss as their lips met.
Melia broke the kiss and kept Shulk held in a tight embrace as the hot water ran over them, enveloping the two in a thin cloud of steam.
"Thank you, Shulk. A night out like this was exactly what I needed." Melia mused.
"Glad to hear that you had fun. Anything to make you smile, Angel." Shulk said.
"It did." Melia replied, "You know, this is pretty similar to how I pictured it would be living together."
"I've wondered what it would be like too after our talk about it, both when we were living with Reyn and Sharla, and even during the reclamation of Alcamoth." Shulk admitted, even smiling as he reminisced, "I'd still say I love it more with just us two, but it wasn't all that bad when we were staying in Colony 6."
Melia started to trace her finger over Shulk's chest, "I enjoyed it too, but there's some advantages living here than in Colony 6."
"Yeah? Like what?" Shulk asked.
Melia started to giggle mischievously and pinned Shulk against the shower glass.
"You said it yourself, it's just the two of us now~" Melia purred.
Shulk started to catch on and pulled Melia closer, their hips pressed against each other as they locked eyes.
"No more having to worry about anyone interrupting us~" Shulk cooed.
Melia grinned and moved closer to Shulk's ear, making a shiver go up his spine from her breath tickling his ear.
"How about we recreate the magic of that night together in Colony 6?~" Melia whispered.
Melia's fingers ghosted over Shulk's neck as she came closer, kissing him tenderly and passionately as they continued into the night.