No True Pair

Title: Here and Now
Author: Cephy
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Pairing/characters: Asch/Noir
Rating: R
Warnings: Spoilers if you don't know who Asch is, I guess?
Prompt/challenge: Can Noir convince Asch that they are fated for more than just a fling?

Of course she was sweet on him. How could she not be? He was young and handsome and so fierce in protecting what was his. Sad enough to make her heart go out to him, even if he'd never admit any such thing, and just lonely enough to let her seduce him even if he was still caught up on his princess and his old life. Not that he'd ever admit that, either, not in so many words, but it only took one wrong name called out at the right time to get the idea across.

So far, she hadn't had any luck making him realize that this here, right now-- them together on her narrow bed in the Isle, moving together in the half-light-- was pretty good too.

She slitted her eyes open as his breath hitched above her. She bit the corner of her lip as he rocked her back again, and again, as he slid a hand down from her breast to put it between her legs instead. She let a lazy smile touch her lips and let her head fall back at the touch-- he was such a gentleman, even a heartbeat away from losing himself in her.

After, as expected, he gave himself just enough time to catch his breath before he rolled over and started pulling on his clothes. She didn't do anything so crass as sigh as he left her side, though she might have wanted to. But it was the same thing every time, wasn't it?

"Going so soon?" she said, carefully casual. Any sign that it wasn't just a tumble for both of them and he'd go right out her door and never come back, she knew that much for sure. For all his talk about what he'd given up, he'd never actually given it up, not deep down where it mattered. She had to be patient, coax him into the idea, and maybe he'd come around.

"I have work to do," he said flatly, pulling his tunic straight.

And maybe Lorelei would come down from the sky and dance a jig on her doorstep, too, but she wasn't about to hold her breath. Good things came to those who wait, so the saying went, but most people seemed to end up waiting forever. She wasn't about to let herself be one of them.

"You let me know if there's anything I can do to help," she said, closing her eyes and curling down into the pillow. It was starting to smell a little bit like him.

She heard him draw a breath, like he was going to say something, then let it out again wordlessly. She didn't quite start when his fingers touched her hair, tucking it back away from her face, but she did open her eyes again in something a little bit like shock when she felt his lips touch hers softly.

"I will," he said, pulling away. "Thanks."

She watched the door swing shut behind him, then closed her eyes and buried her smile in the pillow, thinking-- maybe he was getting a little soft on her, after all. She'd just have to keep at it, and who knew, maybe something would happen. In the meantime, his princess was somewhere else and he was here with her.

That was good enough for now.