#kalicred | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

modernmisadventures · 7 months

Text

Chapter 14: Double Feature

Once more, Thancred found himself walking into the lobby of Kal’istae’s shabby-chic apartments. This time his dress was more casual - a faded t-shirt featuring the movie poster from ‘The Azure Dragoon and the Wyrmking’ and a pair of fitted jeans that highlighted one of his best assets. Another bouquet of flowers - this one spring daisies and sunflowers - was clasped in one hand as he crossed the lobby with a long, ground-eating stride. He could feel Candyne’s eyes on his back - or, perhaps, on his assets.

The elevator ride was quicker than last time, and he was at her door before he knew it. His first knock had barely sounded before it swung open and there she was, framed in the doorway. Like him, she’d gone casual - a pair of short shorts that barely peeked out beneath the hem of a baggy t-shirt that proclaimed that ‘books are like people, only more interesting’. The irritated Viera glaring over the edge of a novel sold it. Her thick hair was pulled back in a braid that trailed down her back, with two spiraling strands that framed her smiling face. “Prompt, I see,” she greeted him, stepping back and gesturing for him to enter. He stepped past her and offered over the flowers as the door slid shut behind him. “Oh, cheerful!”

“So are you,” he commented as she scooped them from his hand and buried her face in them, inhaling. Then she whirled and danced towards the kitchen passthrough. He saw the first two bouquets he’d given her were already set in matching vases, one upon the counter, one atop a short bookcase. “Want a hand?”

Kal’istae was studying her upper cabinet. “Yes, actually. I have another vase - one more, and if you could get it down…” She trailed up as he came up behind her, pressing lightly against her back as he reached above her head. She laid her hands on the counter and gripped the edge, swallowing against the feel of him against her back, the heat of his body crawling up her spine. His hand came to rest next to hers as he stretched, neatly bracketing her in while he rummaged in the cabinet to find the last of her vases.

When he set it down on the counter, she stared at it blankly, having half-forgotten what was going on. The heat of him, the feel of him, the scent of him was driving all thought from her brain. “Oh. Uh.” When he chuckled, it vibrated through her body and she just gave up and closed her eyes, leaning back into him.

His hands came up and closed lightly on her arms, skimming along them as he lowered his head and pressed his lips to the top of hers. “We’d best be going soon,” he murmured, his voice echoing in her horns and sending those butterflies to swirling in her belly, “if we don’t want to miss the start of the first movie.”

His hands were on her braid, tugging lightly, and she leaned her head back, opening her eyes to meet his amused golden stare. His own gaze was heated, and she had little doubt that his thoughts and hers were aligned. Just one move. One word. One kiss…

Instead, she slid free of his hands, and he let her go, only the faintest hint of disappointment flickering across his face. As she whirled away, she reached out, catching his hand in hers and linking her fingers with his. “Then we should probably get going.” She didn’t bother to hide the huskiness of her voice; there was no use in pretending that he didn’t affect her strongly. Her body had already given her away.

His fingers closed about hers, and he pulled her hand up to his lips, gazing at her over the curve of their knuckles. “I’m looking forward to this,” he murmured, and when she smiled, he grinned, then untangled his hand from hers. “Set the flowers and we can head out.”

“Flowers?” she asked blankly, proving her thoughts were still a bit frazzled. He picked up the vase and proffered it to her and she blushed. “Right. Flowers. Really pretty flowers.” She took the vase and filled it partially with water, then skirted out of the kitchen to where she’d left the bouquet laying on the table. He watched as she slid them out of the paper wrapping and carefully arranged them in the vase, taking a moment to sniff appreciatively at them. “Have I ever mentioned I love flowers?”

Reaching out, he stroked his hair down her hair and picked up the end of her braid to tickle her neck. “I might have figured it out,” he said blandly, and she tilted her head back to grin at him. He couldn’t resist and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. “Ready?”

“Mmmhmm,” she agreed. When he pulled her towards the door, she grinned at him. “Oh, you meant for the movie.” At the light in his eyes, she laughed and danced up to him, bouncing on her tiptoes to brush her lips over his. “Come on, Thancred. Date!”

Damn it, he thought, but it was mild and mostly facetious. “Coming,” he said instead, and let her drag him out the door.

The theater wasn’t too crowded this afternoon; the double feature was a good draw, but the gorgeous day outside had no doubt tempted many of the would-be movie-goers into outdoors activities instead. That suited both Thancred and Kal’istae just fine, and as they entered the building hand-in-hand, it was with laughter in their lips and their eyes filled only with each other. “I’m going to go get the popcorn,” she told him. “Why don’t you go grab our seats?”

Thancred hesitated, and she smiled to see it, then went up on her tiptoes to brush her lips across his cheek. “Alright,” he finally agreed. “But be quick. The movie should start soon.” They both knew that was only an excuse, and she kissed him again before darting off to join the short concessions line. He watched her a moment longer, then strode down the hall towards the theater.

“Thancred? Thancred Waters? Is that you?”

He didn’t recognize the voice, didn’t recognize the woman flagging him down at first. A curvy hyur, she stood with her arm around the waist of a tallish miqo’te woman, waving vigorously to him. Frowning, he altered his path to intercept her, stopping several paces before them. “I’m sorry, do I…” He trailed off, a memory percolating up. “Anise Laven, that’s you?” Lawyer, he remembered, just as he remembered, vaguely, tearing up the sheets with her as a way of releasing the tension of a particularly nasty court case they’d both had to deal with.

She grinned at him. “I wasn’t sure you’d remember me,” she told him, though he suspected given what he remembered of her rather healthy ego, that was hardly the case. “Are you here for the double feature as well?”

“Yes,” he replied, somewhat shortly; he already knew where this was heading, and saw no polite way to head it off.

Sure enough. “What a merry coincidence!” she exclaimed. “Why don’t you join M’zhia and I? Movies are always much more pleasant with company, and who knows.” Her smile curved higher, brightly lascivious, “perhaps we could have our own double feature afterwards.” She hip-bumped the miqo’te, who grinned and swished her tail invitingly.

Cursing in his head, Thancred kept his smile fixed at bright and cheerful and, most of all, impersonal. “A lovely offer, and I wish I could say I was tempted, but I’m afraid I’m all booked today - and for the foreseeable future.” At her frown of confusion, he clarified. “I’m on a date, ladies, and not available.” He started to turn to go around them, then caught sight of Kal’istae lingering to the side, popcorn in her arms and a look of resignation on her face. “Speaking of.”

He had a moment to make a decision, then strode up to the Au Ra and reached out to cup the back of her neck. Her eyes widened when he leaned down to kiss her, but she kissed him back without hesitation. “All ready then?” he asked her.

Her eyes flicked briefly to the other two women, both of whom were studying her most curiously. “Ah - yes,” she told him, and he smiled and slid his hand down to rest against her spine, steering her gently as they walked past the women and down the hallway to the theater. He could feel those stares on his back - or perhaps his assets - thoughtful and surprised, but thankfully, not hostile.

Good. He wasn’t up to deflecting jealousy today. He had much more delightful plans in mind.

“I never thought I’d see ‘The Wyrmking and I’ on the big screen,” Kal’istae murmured as they walked out of the theater nearly four hours later, fingers tangled together as they walked practically hip to hip. She tipped the empty popcorn tub into the trash as they passed it. “Thank you for staying.”

He laughed softly as they strode towards the exit. “Don’t be silly. I invited you to a double-feature - I was hardly going to skive out after the first movie. Anyway, I happen to enjoy ‘The Wyrmking and I’. It’s a rather fascinating tale, especially since, although Ishgard vehemently denies it, Sharlayan’s historians say it’s mostly true.”

Kal’istae blinked, narrowing her eyes as they stepped into the late afternoon sunlight. “Wait, are you telling me that there was once a woman who had a relationship with the king of the dragons?”

Humming in his throat, Thancred deftly steered them towards the nearby park, answering as they passed through the ornate wrought-iron gates. “From what I recall from my studies,” he replied, “it wasn’t the Wyrmking Midgardsormr, but rather one of his children. I forget which one. It was a fairly large scandal at the time - it was during the period when the Ishgardians and the dragons were feuding over territory and mutual atrocity. It’s no matter - it’s just that you know how Ishgard hates to admit that period in history happened.”

“What they hate to admit is that they started it,” Kal’istae replied drolly, lifting her face to the breeze that whispered through the trees that bordered the edges of the walking path. “Which is also why ‘The Azure Dragoon and the Wyrmking’ is one of their favorite movies - the double super-hero trope is always a hit, and it puts a lot of the onus for the initial conflict on the Wyrmking.”

Thancred’s chuckle rumbled from his chest and made her tail twitch madly. “Regardless of the veracity - or lack thereof - of the message, it’s a good movie. I always enjoy a few hours of gratuitous violence and unnecessary monologuing as long as it’s not in a courtroom.”

Kal’istae swayed into him and when he looked down at her, she smiled up at him. “I had a wonderful time, Thancred,” she murmured. His fingers tightened on hers, then dropped away and he slung his arm across her shoulders instead. She did not protest as he drew her in, instead tilting her head so she could nestle it against his shoulder without interference from her horn. Her arm slid about his slim waist and she could feel the vibration of his body as he hummed in pleasure.

“Are you in a rush to get home?” he asked softly.

She should say yes. She knew she should say yes. Drawing things out only made it more likely that things would progress beyond her control, and she wasn’t entirely certain she was ready for that. But the day was warm - though not as warm as he was - and the scents of water and flowers were intoxicating - though they hardly competed with his. Half-lidding her eyes, she hesitated. “What did you have in mind?”

His fingers skimmed along her arm, pushing up the sleeve of her shirt to touch bare skin. The sensation sent lightning crawling down her spine, and she was glad they were holding each other; her knees weren’t entirely steady. When he answered, there was a hint of smug pleasure in his voice. He knew. “There’s a little pizza place just down the block, in an alley. Hole in the wall, and the service sucks, but their pies are to die for and I love their garlic knots.”

“Oh!” Delight flooded her. “You mean Saberie’s?” When he nodded, she made a soft sound. “Ugh! How can I turn down a visit to Saberie’s? I practically lived there my first year here - try and make it back every couple of months.”

He steered them towards the path leading to the appropriate exit. “You can’t, of course. I get there every month or so. Sometimes I take the kids that need a moment away from home or just their own problems. Sacrificing a five to the pinball machine is nothing if it helps.”

Gods, gods, gods! It was unnatural; no man could be this damn perfect. There had to be a catch. “Well, there’s no way I can say no to pizza,” she said lightly, and hoped the butterflies in her stomach would let her eat.

“Excellent,” Thancred purred. “I was hoping you’d say yes. I’d have gone for pizza regardless, but so much easier to justify the indulgence by treating company. Especially,” he added, his fingers gliding along the strip of scales on her upper arm, “my favorite company.”

Playfully, she spun away, laughing up at him as she whirled in place and danced backwards. “Favorite! Hah! After two dates he says this. You, sir, are plying me with compliments.”

He smirked and darted forward, nipping her around the waist and twirling her in place. “My lady,” he said, “while ‘tis true that this is but our second date, think of the hours I have spent in your company, begging you for but a drop of acknowledgement from your sweet lips.”

As his arm dropped away she skimmed her hand down his until her fingertips met his and they turned in a slow circle, her steps light and teasing, his deliberate and stalking. “And you would place me above your siblings? Your daughter? I think not, nor would I ask you to.”

His palm pressed against hers, warm and dry, then his fingers slid open and he twined them with hers. “Two different things,” he argued as he tugged her in until her body rested lightly against his and he gazed down at her, his smile having fled. “My family is in a category all its own - and you, my dear Kal’istae, are a unique star to whom there is no comparison.”

They swayed on the path. Kal’istae was silent as she reached up to hook her arm around his neck, her eyes sober as she stared up into his unexpectedly serious mien. She never trusted a man who always said the right thing, did the right thing. No one knew their audience better than a man who had made a hobby - or a living - out of seducing women. And no one could argue that Thancred Waters was anything but a master of the game.

Yet. “You have a very smooth tongue, Mister Waters,” she murmured testingly as they swayed and circled in the late afternoon sun.

An observation, and a warning. And she watched his eyes as he considered her words, recognized the danger. “Be that as it may, for you, my tongue is nothing but truthful,” he replied, dropping the urbane edge to his words and speaking plainly. “I cannot help but flirt - it’s the only way I’ve ever known to get a woman’s attention.” Irritation - with himself, she wagered - edged his voice. “And given the kind of attention I’ve craved in the past, it was certainly the most suitable method. Forgive me for being… bad at this.”

She’d noticed that the more defensive he became, the more formal his speech; it was clear to her that he was upset that she continued to think that he was simply stringing her along for sex. “I’m just as bad,” she admitted, her fingers curving lightly around the back of his neck, gazing up into his eyes. “Though I keep my… friends… for longer than a night,” and at his scowl, she grinned, “I also keep them at arm’s length and beyond. I never let anyone close. It’s… safer that way.”

He tucked their joined hands against his breast, staring down at her. “I know exactly how you feel,” he admitted. “I have struggled long and hard to let anyone in. Even my family… even my family,” he repeated. “And yet here you are, sneaking past all of my defenses. I can’t even say when it started.” His eyes never left hers, his gaze never wavered. “I think it was the first moment I saw you.”

How was she supposed to believe him when everything he said sounded like a line? How could she do anything but believe him when he gazed down at her with such intensity, such a fierce desire for her trust?

Especially as she’d had the exact same reaction when she’d first seen him standing there in the middle of the school, waiting so patiently for her?

“What are we doing, Thancred?” she asked him as she tangled her fingers in his soft silver hair.

He inhaled sharply and his free arm slid around her waist, holding her tight against him. “It appears, Kal’istae, we’re starting a romance.”

Her breath shuddered out through parted lips and she felt those butterflies migrate into her lungs, stealing her breath. “Are you sure about this?”

“No,” he admitted. “But it doesn’t matter. It is what it is. I want you. I know you want me. But it’s not just about bodies, delightful though yours may be. It’s not even,” he sighed, “about chemistry, though we’ve that in spades. You’ve gotten inside of me, and I’m not certain I’ll ever get you out. I’m not certain,” he corrected himself, his voice growing soft, “I’ll ever want to.” When she remained silent, his patience wore thin. “Kali, please. Just a chance.”

The faint crackle at the edge of his voice freed her from her paralysis. “I…” Blinking, she tried again. “I…” She couldn’t say no. So instead, “Okay.”

“Okay?” Again, his voice cracked at the edges, shifting an octave higher for a brief moment.

Eyes wide as her fingers tightened in his hair, Kal’istae nodded mutely, searching for her voice. “Okay,” she finally repeated, her own tone a hair higher than usual. “We can try. We can… no. We can do.”

“Do or do not,” he murmured, quoting the line from a highly popular science fiction franchise, “there is no try.”

Her sudden giggle was just a bit frayed around the edges, betraying her nerves, and his return grin echoed her anxiety. “I should have known you’d like those movies,” she teased him. “Don’t worry. They’re some of my favorites.”

He drew her hand up, nuzzling against it as his eyes never left hers. “One more thing we have in common. I imagine there are many.”

She stroked her fingers through his hair, smiling as his eyes finally drooped closed. “Legion,” she murmured, and lifted her chin as he gave into temptation and leaned down for a kiss. It was as potent as the first, as the last, as each and every one he’d stolen in the theater earlier that day. His mouth roamed over hers, at once softly yielding and yet firmly possessive. The arm about her waist banded like iron, allowing no escape - and yet she knew that even a hint of rejection and he would free her. So she offered none, only pliant welcome, making it clear that it was this that she wanted.

Him that she wanted.

When he finally pulled away, he let out a heavy sigh, then leaned in again to rest his forehead against hers. “So,” he finally said after a long moment. “Pizza?”

Was it any wonder she was falling for this man? “Pizza,” she agreed, and her lips curved happily as he claimed them once more.

“Cats or dogs?”

Kal’istae blinked at Thancred across a long string of cheese as she pulled her slice of pizza away from her mouth. She reached out and caught the cheese, looping it around her fingers and neatly nipping it off with her nails before pouring it into her mouth. “Pardon?” she asked once she’d swallowed.

He grinned, leaning on the table as he toyed with his second slice. “Cats or dogs?”

Brow furrowed, Kal’istae thought about the question. “Cats, probably. I like dogs, but mostly medium- or large-sized ones, and they don’t do as well in apartments. Anyway, cats are a lot more mischievous and I find I have a fondness for mischievous things.”

The hyur’s grin widened as she smirked at him. “If I must be compared to any animal, I won’t complain about it being a cat, as I prefer them too. Though I have considered getting myself a big, shaggy dog if I ever get around to buying a house.”

She nipped off another bite, making a soft sound of pleasure at the mix of dough and cheese and sauce. “So you have an apartment right now?”

“Condo,” Thancred replied, “a little further downtown. Comfy little one-bedroom bachelor pad, complete with obligatory couch for my couch-surfing friends.” He shrugged. “It suits me for now, but I’ve been thinking about the future a bit, and realizing it may be time for an… upgrade.”

Her lavender-edged eyes darted up to his, but he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze stared off into the distance, and she smiled to see him so contemplative. “Do you have your family over often?”

He blinked and focused in on her. “Not as often as I should,” he admitted. “I try to have Ryne over once a week and I host the holiday parties and dinners, but for the most part, we tend to meet up at Get The Scoop or the bowling alley over on Stevenson.” He picked up his pizza and took a healthy bite. “Mostly we keep in touch via chat.” He watched her thoughtfully. “What about you?”

It wasn’t his imagination this time; mention of her family brought a tightening to the corners of her eyes. “What about me what?”

His eyes were serene and he put his pizza down, reaching across the table to catch her hand before she could pick up her pizza and hide behind it. “Do you see your family often?”

Her gaze slid away from his, her fingers limp in his grasp. “I try to get back to Sharlayan once or twice a year to see the Miuranis,” she replied, her voice low. “They’re very nice and they say that they like having me for the holidays. But… their kids are having kids now, and I’m starting to feel a little…”

“Out of place.” Thancred’s murmur was sympathetic. “I know what you mean.”

Her eyes flickered up. “By all accounts the Leveilleurs are very fond of their hyuran son.”

He turned her hand over and rubbed his thumb across her palm, feeling unexpected patches of calluses across the pads. He shoved that puzzle aside for another time, focusing instead on teasing out some of those secrets that put such sorrow in her eyes. “I got lucky. Louisoix and his wife love me very much, Ameliance is fond of me, and the twins are more than happy to consider me their uncle - if only because it irritates Forchenault. But few of my kids have such happy tales.”

She watched his thumb move across her skin. “Please,” she murmured, and he sighed. “We’re having such a good time,” she added, reluctantly lifting her gaze to meet his. “I don’t like to think about it.”

He sighed again and closed his hand around hers, jiggling it gently. “Very well, but I would like to talk about it sometime. I’d like to know you.”

“I will, I promise,” she replied, and he couldn’t help but hear her relief. “You deserve to know what… what you’re getting, I guess.”

Those pale golden eyes held nothing but compassion. “Have you ever told anyone?” When she silently shook her head, he exhaled. “Alright then. When you’re ready. So what classes did you take at the Studium?” he wondered, and smiled as the tension eased out of her face and her fingers curled lightly about his own.

He knew all about patience, about laying bait and lying in wait. And he would wait as long as he needed to until she could trust him.

Until she would trust him.

It was much later than she’d expected to return home when they finally stopped outside of her apartment. After pizza, they’d walked through the shopping district, window browsing as they spoke. He’d talked her into a pair of horn-dangles with little starbursts at the ends; she’d returned the favor when she’d discovered he had a pierced ear by convincing him to buy a set of silver and garnet studs and start wearing earrings again. When asked why he’d stopped, he admitted that he’d gotten it in college on a lark, and didn’t think it suited his professional demeanor. She countered by pointing out it made him look sexy.

She’d won with that argument alone.

And now the stars were shining outside, the moons glowing brightly in the sky as Kal’istae leaned back against her door and gazed up at Thancred with eyes that shone with happiness. “Definitely not what I was expecting for a second date,” she murmured as he slid closer, reaching down to place his hands on her hips.

Lowering his head, he nuzzled against her horn. “What were you expecting?” he murmured, and smiled to feel her shiver beneath his touch.

Her breath shuddered out and she lifted her hands, one curving around his elbow, holding him in place, and the other burying itself in his hair. “Movies. Maybe a little walk. And you leaving me here at the end of the afternoon.”

His breath was burning in his breast; his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest. “Gods, Kali, don’t ask me to leave.”

She stared up at the ceiling as he closed his mouth over her throat, teeth scraping skin already heated and damp. She yearned for him, her body physically straining against the constraints of her mind, desperate to meet him, body to body, skin to skin. “I’m not ready,” she whispered, then exhaled sharply as he nipped down. “Thancred.”

“Just let me hold you,” he murmured, lifting his head to brush his lips over the corner of hers. “We don’t need to sleep together; I just want to touch you. Taste you. Hold you.”

Could she do it? Could she get that close and not go all the way? When her body and blood and brain burned for him? “I’m afraid of you.”

Nothing could have doused his passion faster. Shocked, he reared back, staring at her. “Kali…”

Lavender-edged eyes were damp as she gazed up at him. “Not of you doing anything,” she assured him. “I’m afraid of what you make me feel. It would take you no effort at all to talk me into bed, to talk yourself into my bed. I want you there, so badly.”

He leaned in to rest his forehead against hers. “Sweet Kali, I swear, I would never do anything you did not wish to do. If you tell me that you do not wish to sleep together, then I will wait for you to tell me that you do.”

Swallowing, she slid her hand up his arm until both hands were tangled in his hair, gripping lightly. “I’m afraid you’ll make me want to say yes. But I’m not ready. There are things… things I want you to know first.”

Thancred searched her eyes. “You said you’d never told anyone else,” he murmured.

She met his gaze. “That’s right.”

The import of those words hovered in the air between them, then he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was soft and sweet, sizzling at the edges with hints of the heat that could burn between them if they would both just let go. But he didn’t push her over the edge, and she didn’t drag him into the depths, and when they parted, it was with breath intact and regrets muted. “Sleep well, sweet Kali,” he murmured. His hands drifted up to cup her face, and his smile was tender. “I hope we can talk again soon. So soon,” he repeated as he kissed her again. And again.

And once more before he released her. She watched him back away several steps before turning, and found her voice. “Thancred!” He turned, one eyebrow winging up. “Are we..?”

His lips curved and he raised his hand, kissing his finger tips before blowing across his palm. “I will call you, Kali. Very soon. I can’t wait for our next date.”

She exhaled in relief. “Neither can I.”

His smile deepened and he blew her another kiss, then turned and strode away. She watched him get onto the elevator, then unlocked her door and stepped into her apartment.

And just inside the door, as it swung closed at her back, she sank to the floor, wrapped her arms around her knees, and wept.

#ffxiv #au: misadventures in modern eorzea #author: ainyan #oc: kal'istae miurani #npc: thancred waters #kalicred

6 notes · View notes