Silver Strands
For the typical Rosarian gold was the most precious of metals. It was coveted as much for it's rarity as it was for its beauty. Countrymen adorned themselves in cloaks embroidered with gold and clasped with jewel-covered brooches set into it. But from a young age, Clive knew that his opinion diverged from the norm.
Long hair, glittering in warm candlelight, fell against pale shoulders. Clive brushed the curtain of silver from his lover's neck. His eyes flitted down to his fingertips, marveling at the strands that ran between them.
Jill Warrick was a marvel, a beauty of ice adorned in a crown of silver.
She turned at him and smiled faintly.
"Would you braid it?" she asked.
"Gladly," Clive replied without even taking a second to ponder the question. It was always yes to Jill for anything within his power.
Jill sat up, letting her hair cascade down her back, covering the expanse of it, hanging between shoulders covered by the thin fabric of her dressing gown. Clive's fingers massaged her shoulders and caressed the back of her neck before pulling the silver strands together.
As a boy, Clive never learned how to plait hair. It wasn't something he needed to concern himself with. His only duty was that of becoming the best possible shield to the Phoenix. And of course, at that time Jill's hair had been cut short in a style easily managed by a girl her age.
But in adulthood, seeing the amount of time and effort Jill put into her nightly routine preparing her head for bed, Clive was all too happy to assist. Jill had found it tedious, but a small price to pay for managable hair in the morning. But for Clive, though he never said it once, it was something he relished in. It was intimate, sitting in bed, brushing and braiding her hair.
The conversation was often light if even held at all. They instead just enjoyed the shared intimacy, knowing that even they could participate in something so mundane. It felt good to feel something normal because outside of the confines of their room, few things could be described that way.
Rebuilding the world after the fall of Ultima left a heavy weight upon the two and they savored times like these where they could simply breathe and exist. It was human.
Finally, the braid was done. He tied it off with ribbon the color of baby's breath and let go. Jill turned, looking him in the eye.
"Thank you," she said.
She moved the covers so that she could burrow herself under them. Her eyes were tired, and the last of her before-bed routine was finished.
Clive settled beside her, but he did not blow out the candle. Instead, he watched as Jill reclined against the down of the pillow and pulled the pilled blanket up to her chin.
"Are you cold?" Clive asked.
Jill shook her head and as she did so Clive moved down to kiss her on the forehead. When he pulled away she spoke.
"Tomorrow, you'll go to Rosaria?"
Or that which remained of it, Clive's mind unhelpfully supplied.
"Yes," he said aloud.
"I'll miss you," Jill replied. "When will we have time?"
He knew what it was that she asked. When would they have more time to be together, just as they were in the confines of their shared room? When would they have time to live selfishly? He had no answer to her inquiry. He wanted it too, but there was something in him that couldn't let go of the mantel placed on his shoulders. He wanted to have it all and greedily continue to live his double life. He didn't answer her, in fear of making promises he couldn't keep; there had already been enough of those.
So instead he blew out the candles at their bedside and tucked himself in beside her. Jill sighed wistfully and Clive ignored the implications as he held her hand beneath the quilt and took in the scent of her silver hair.
END
AN: Thanks for reading. I wrote most, but not all of this, in a writing sprint with my friend. It's just a moment in time for these two. I forgot about Clive's arm until halfway through the sprint and was like YOLO! And just kept writing.
I might add to this and make it a cliji oneshot/sprint series if I do more sprints. In the meantime, I hope you like it, comments and criticism are welcome, and feel free to check out my other FFXVI works.