[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"] For once, she didn’t flinch away from the contact that came with this sort of thing. For once, she felt like she couldn’t help but want it to persist. It wasn’t something she’d actively thought about– wanting this. But when it was there in front of her, Blue realized that maybe she’d been hoping for it longer than she’d been aware of.[break][break]

Even before that stupid game drummed up confusing thoughts that had left her awake and staring at her ceiling, it had been there. That strange feeling that had crushed in on her that day in the silent icelands where things fell apart for a while. There had been no reason to feel as upset as she had. And yet that had been what happened.[break][break]

Maybe it was that night at the bar where he’d tucked her hair away, or when he’d found her out at the underground ring, and followed after it. Maybe it was even before that–when they’d met and he managed to look straight through her until she was seething over being perceived so acutely. Maybe she’d wanted to be seen more than she ever wanted to admit.[break][break]

Blue wasn’t all that poetic, though. So it didn’t really matter when this nagging feeling had started. When it had taken root or grown like a scraggly weed in her heart. All she really cared about was the then and there. The seconds between them stretched out longer in a way that felt near terrifying before his mouth found hers again.[break][break]

And this time, she reacted.[break][break]

The tension bled out of her, and Blue leaned against him as she returned the kiss. Clumsy against the gentler edge of it. Careful, tentative hands drifted up to cup his jaw. As if she were worried that at any second she might lash out because all those hands had ever really known to do was claw and tear and hit. Blue wasn’t built for this. This time, though, she wanted to be. She wished she was.

[break][break]

---

[break][break]

Shinra Moro // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

They moved with the carefulness of two frightened animals, backed into a corner and expecting the other to bite first. Maybe it was ridiculous to be driven by fear like this, to touch with such care, but they'd both known pain before. This fear was not misguided, but a by-product of experience in pain. Granted, their experiences were different and he hated whoever had made someone as fierce as Blue hesitate under comfort.
[break][break]
When she finally responded to him, he couldn't help the sigh that escaped or the way he felt himself notably relax. He hadn't even realized that his breath was held all that time. Careful fingers slipped up to cup his jaw and his own finally moved until they had settled on her back. The gloves muffled the contact of skin on fabric, but he didn't yet try to remove them. Not yet. He wasn't even sure what she wanted from this. Did she truly want it at all?
[break][break]
A little silly of a thought considering what they were doing, but he couldn't help his over-thinking. Still, his hands pulled her closer. His mouth remained awkwardly soft, pressing to hers a little more solidly.
[break][break]
Little did he realize what this meant, the extent of his life that had gone by without realizing how much he needed this contact. Still, he waited for the illusion to break and to find himself either wanting or predictably hollow again.


[break][break]

---

[break][break]

blue murtagh // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"] None of this felt smooth or easy. It was clumsy and uncoordinated, but still somehow natural. Like her instincts had just been waiting for her to react to this sort of contact. Like everything in her was breathing the same sort of sigh of relief she felt exhaled from Shinra’s lips.[break][break]

Curiously, Blue let her head tilt. Her eyes fluttered partially open to peer at him as she invited the opportunity for the kiss to deepen. Then they fell shut again. It was a lot like fumbling around in the dark for something that had fallen just out of reach, and waiting for the moment her fingers closed around it again. That ah, there it is sensation.[break][break]

Her breath hitched as his hands slid around her to settle against her back, fingertips accidentally tangling in the ends of long, navy hair. A shiver darted along her spine at the feeling—of how caught the simple act of a hold like this made her feel. A rabbit with its foot in her snare.[break][break]

But she wasn’t fighting for her life here. The spike of adrenaline that set her heart racing felt exhilarating. Like she should chase that feeling instead of running away from it. It was the sort of feeling she’d never really thought herself to be capable of.[break][break]

Blue settled back on her feet again, hands still cradling his face as she retreated to watch him again. Her face burned, but it was pleasant. Enough to make her smile again despite the awkward tilt of her words when she finally spoke. “Sorry. I haven’t really, uh- I’m not very good at all…this.” A nervous, breathless laugh trickled out afterward.[break][break]

Maybe if she’d given it much thought, she’d clue in that he didn’t seem to be either, but in Blue’s mind, she was typically the problem source more often than not.

[break][break]

---

[break][break]

Shinra Moro // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]


It felt intimate, more than that, vulnerable. The very thing that neither of them seemed particularly skilled at. Blue was a bloodied lip and bruised eyes, she was sharp knuckles and a wicked temper. Meanwhile, Shinra was cold, hollow, deathly. Nothing happened that wasn't according to plan, his plan. This was not according to plan though. This was something else. It felt like he was dangling over a precipice and was, at that moment, oh so tempted to let go. Yet, it was frightening.
[break][break]
Blue was soft and awkward and entirely unlike herself (or the version of her that he knew too well). To abandon her in that moment out of fear, that would be too cruel. It would also be so contrary to what he wanted to do. It was why his hand moved up, slipping through her hair to brace the back of her head. His mouth fitted solidly into hers, aligned in a way that deepened the kiss. It relaxed some, less awkward and more natural. Still, it wasn't like either of them knew what to do with it.
[break][break]
Whether or not this whole thing frightened her, he couldn't tell. She felt as drawn to it as he was. Even more so, she felt lighter. The aggression seemed to slip away and he was surprised to find that she was far softer than he expected her to be. Blue had always seemed so strong, but maybe she was more delicate than he at first assumed.
[break][break]
She retreated away from him and then they were staring back at one another. A little breathless, entirely fixated. He felt warmer, like the ice had melted. This was unnatural. He smiled and it was soft, not the same severe and threatening smile that usually lingered on his lips. "That's okay, I'm not exactly an expert either." He laughed softly. True, he'd made do with what he had, but he'd never bothered to feel anything in the process.
[break][break]
"Little scary, huh?"

[break][break]

---

[break][break]

blue murtagh // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"] It was a tentative sort of dance, allowing instinct to take over as she grew more accustomed to the feel and sensation of it all. Her nerves all on fire, but in a way that wasn’t blood mad or fear driven. Coaxed out of her hesitancy, Blue followed his lead and tilted into what he offered. Airless sound passing between them as fingers threaded through her hair.[break][break]

But somehow, that was nothing compared to the smile Shinra offered her in the wake of it all. Unlike anything she’d seen in his expression before.[break][break]

Her heart fluttered– stupidly it fluttered like a swarm of butterfree had erupted there in her chest cavity. Dozens of tiny, velvety wings taking the place of that beating organ. “Woah.” It was a tiny, awestruck word. Should affect her so much, just to see him smile at her that way? It made no sense, this had never been the sort of thing that had belonged to her. She’d never trusted herself to hold something so carefully and not crush it to bits in her hands.[break][break]

Was she really allowed to have this?[break][break]

A small smile mirrored Shinra’s as he reassured her uncertainties. “Fair,” she managed to rasp, “that’d be humiliating. So I’ll gladly accept the fact that there’s something you’re not a pro at.” A laugh bubbled up her throat. It felt like the sort of moment where she would then pull herself away. Make herself separate and isolated again. Blue made no move to do so, though.[break][break]

She remained rooted right there, fixed in the tug of his gravitational pull. Glancing back, she half-expected to find Bonnie watching her with disapproving eyes. But the poochyena paid her no mind–too busy tussling with the snowy white vulpix and tugging at the plume of his multiple tails.[break][break]

Then carefully, she let her hands slide down so that her arms could circle his midsection. Head turning, her head rested against his chest. Wondering if his heartbeat would sound the same as hers right then. “Yeah, just a little bit.” Her voice came out smaller than anticipated, but her smile didn’t fall. “That’s okay. With you anyway, I guess.”


[break][break]

---

[break][break]

Shinra Moro // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]


Woah. That little muttered word. That little laugh, so careless for someone so guarded. Suddenly, he realized he was dealing with a far different version of Blue. This was the version of her that he could actually hurt, maybe even break if he weren't careful. Shinra was rarely ever careful in matters of the heart. Many times in the past, he'd broken people just for the fun of it. So how could he ever be trusted to handle someone's heart in this way? It felt like a threat lying just under the surface.
[break][break]
Yet it had to mean something, right? All of this. The way his skin buzzed and the heat that burned under the surface. The little subtle flickers of "what if?" that lingered there. It cultivated into something he didn't really recognize. What are you doing? The little sensible voice in the back of his head said with such clarity that it nearly caught him off guard. He felt like he'd been caught in the act of doing something wrong and, for once, he actually cared. He cared.
[break][break]
That was a problem.
[break][break]
She rested on his shoulder and he felt himself only melt further. This was nice though, so it couldn't be wrong. Maybe this was exactly what he'd been waiting on, for years now. All this time waiting for something or someone that mattered to him. Now, when he had that someone, he faltered.
[break][break]
That’s okay. With you anyway, I guess. She trusted him, and Blue didn't trust anyone.
[break][break]
"I'm not sure I deserve that." He sighed, hands running through her hair. "But it makes me happy."

[break][break]

---

[break][break]

blue murtagh // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"] A soft scoff followed his words as she tilted her head into the slide of his fingers in her hair. “Neither of us deserve shit.” She felt all mushy soft looking up at him. “But I don’t really care right now.”[break][break]
Let her be selfish.[break][break]
Eventually, she stepped back a pace. It was strange to find that she felt reluctant to do so. Putting space between herself and others had always been an essential, desperately needed thing. But now all she wanted to do was stay within his reach.[break][break]
Something fluttered in her chest, “I should, um. I should probably go.” Her words slipped out quietly, lacking her typical brusqueness. A doofy smile began to spread across her face—almost sheepish. Shy. What was going on?[break][break]
Rather than turn away, she only took steps backward, intent on keeping her eyes on him. Committing it to memory. Her heart lurched when she stepped backward into one of the table chairs by mistake and stumbled. Her hands caught the back of it, and she steadied herself as a giggle burst from her throat.[break][break]
“Oh, hah—oops. But, uh, yeah. I’ll call you. Or text. Something. Just… for real this time. For real.” Blue chewed on her bottom lip as her face warmed. This was weird, she was being an idiot. Some pretty innocent kissing shouldn’t have held this effect.[break][break]
But somehow it made all the difference.

[break][break]

---

[break][break]

Shinra Moro // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

How selfish. He smiled at that sentiment. It was so entirely Blue, of course. Normally, he never would have crossed this boundary. He wasn't sure what the hell had gotten into him. Yet, he felt happy. That was this feeling, right?
[break][break]
Would it be so bad? To let go of that fine-tuned control?
[break][break]
Maybe it was his silence that prompted her to pull away, but the distance felt monumental. What he wanted to do was draw her back, tell her not to go. Be selfish. To question everything he'd believed in about himself. This wasn't possible for him and it was foolish to beg for more out of life. He was unfeeling, cold, cruel. It had been a sentiment that followed him his whole life. Who was Blue to challenge that? She was something else, someone special. She was terrifying, but not for the reasons she wanted to be.
[break][break]
"Okay," He smiled, forced that shared eye contact to break as he looked down to the ground. To the meal set out that was now cold. When he looked back up, her eyes were still searching his out. That connection was hungry, demanding. He couldn't look away, not again. Only to watch Blue nearly topple over a chair in her effort to get away. It was awkward and cute, it was weirdly her. Even if he'd never seen this side of her before.
[break][break]
"Yeah, I'm counting on it." His smile lacked every cold edge, there was no reason behind it. There was no aloof analysis to it all. This was something else.

[break][break]

---

[break][break]

blue murtagh // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]
Okay. His agreement made her nod a few times, as she hadn’t really expected him to. Maybe because she wasn’t. This was unfamiliar territory. She was used to being needed for her skills. Not for just her. Whatever the nature of their connection was before, it had shifted into something else entirely now. Something that felt special.[break][break]
Made her feel special.[break][break]
“Bonnie,” she whistled lightly for the poochyena, who reluctantly peeled away from her new playmate to retreat to Blue’s side. Her tail wagged, though she looked up at her trainer with a quirked head. Confused by the strange display of emotion that was unfamiliar on her face.[break][break]
The door opened, but Blue continued to back out of it rather than turn away. Heat burned in her face, matching the red of her eyes. Chewing her lip, she nodded. Butterfree erupted in her stomach again at the sight of his smile. Unlike anything she’d ever seen on his face before. “You better,” she retorted, though it lacked any real force behind it.[break][break]
Then she slipped out of the door and back into the night. Her back pressed against the closed door for a moment, palms pressing to her face as she tried to gather herself. She didn’t know what to make of the bubbly, giddy feeling that persisted even after she’d separated herself. Blue made her way back to her bike, cheeks finally cooling in the evening air.[break][break]
But inside, she was still warm, warm, warm.

[break][break]

---

[break][break]

Shinra Moro // m: bond bridge

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠