The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 353 - Last Night Together: For Now, Forever, For Always (Part 2)

Facade cracked, dull features taking over as she attempted to recover with monotone humor.

"What, can’t a cute girl simply miss her husband-wife before they’ve even left?"

"You can. And you do. As do I. I’ll miss you."

Low voice rumbling the admission, pigeon blues moved just an inch closer. Just that much and she could feel all the frantic whirlwind of emotions in her El.

"But that’s not all that’s happening right now, is it?"

After a long moment, the reincarnator sighed and let her shoulders droop. Abandoning the pretence but not all of her containment. Because *needing* to stay contained was the very issue.

Quickly, she finished her portion of the food in relative silence with the single unheld hand. The Yecine didn’t press further, sensing the ’young’ girl needed time to organize her thoughts. Eventually, the other teenager let go and joined her in finishing the meal for a bit of normalcy.

After that, El moved to their bedroll while extinguishing the essence lantern from afar. A trick that would have impressed anyone other than the one who had seen her do it dozens of times by now. The small figure sitting with her back against the wall would have looked pitiful, if enough light was there.

Shoulders touching lightly when her beloved joined the moment, they simply existed in the shared space for several minutes. Breathing gradually synchronizing, like they were meditating together again.

"This separation is amplifying something I already struggle with. You know that what I call my Ogre Physique... it interferes with the techniques I’ve developed over centuries to manage certain... hormonal responses."

Qatrand nodded in the dark while pulsing affirmatives through the fragment in the girl’s chest. This wasn’t new information, though Elua rarely spoke of it so directly. Her ’fortress’ was quite sure this was because she was too frustrated that she couldn’t concoct an elegant solution.

"You’ve mentioned this before. That your new body’s reactions are much more intense than you’re used to."

Mint eyes glowed softly in the darkness. Holding a seriousness that made her seem older than her physically apparent years when turned toward the technically far younger cultivator.

"What I haven’t adequately explained is how much worse it’s becoming. I’ve been refining my technique, but it has been stripping past even those changes like it has a mind of its own. And it’s the genius while I’m the talentless beating my head on a rock."

Her voice remained without pitch as ever, but something in it had changed... a vulnerability in its cadence rarely revealed. Backed by the sense of ’inevitability’ and ’fear’.

"When you touch me, when you kiss me... I’m afraid of what might happen if I stop concentrating even for a moment. And I’m afraid what might happen if you hold back too much. Like I’m addicted to even that small gratification..."

Qat took a trembling, outstretched hand that hovered near her face without touching and held it between both of hers. Steadying the familiar piece of her cute wife with her hold. Wrapping it with tendrils of spirit in ways she’d done before... but as much as she could feel the appreciation, she could feel the ’hunger’ growing faster.

"You’re worried about our separation making it harder."

"I’m increasingly uncertain of my ability to maintain this level of control. And yes, part of it is just anxiety about your leaving."

Elua withdrew her hand, curling it into a fist.

"Qat... how I feel when I’m with you. How I’ve always felt, but more intensely with each passing day. I’ve loved you since I was a child... and just like this stubborn Physique, it keeps bursting forth stronger than ever."

She knew that everything was different with her precious gem. Appreciating someone and deciding on them was always pretty quick, in her past life. But it never felt like she really grew into it like this.

"This body... it experiences the need for that love differently now. Like a teenager that doesn’t know restraint, no matter how many meditations I practice. I can feel my control slipping by the day."

"What are you saying, exactly?"

"When you return, what if I can’t maintain the boundaries we set after not seeing you for too long? The ones that I want to keep and my body isn’t listening to?"

Qat considered her response carefully, aware of its importance. She thought of all the times Elua had guided her, supported her, believed in her capabilities even when she doubted herself. Now, it was her turn to provide that same certainty.

"Honestly, El. I think you can handle it. I think you’ll find a way. If you can’t, then just like you expect of me I’ll do my best to help you. To protect you, even from yourself. We’ll figure it out together."

The Yecine heir took her wife’s face gently between her hands. Hot and flushed with the very ’urges’ the girl worried about. Knowing that her mint-drop listened to her intent just as much as her words, she pushed ’calm’ and ’aloof’ feelings and... orders at her.

"Just as we’ve figured out everything else as we’ve gone along. I can’t pretend to understand everything, but I do know that our path isn’t like anyone else’s. It never has been."

Quickened breathing slowed as thumbs stroked along her cheekbones. It wasn’t a total solution, but the effect was more pronounced than the spiritualist had hoped. That fact eased something in her ancient heart, just a little.

"But it is our path and we’ll walk it at the speed we both want. Believe that, wife."

"You always surprise me when I least expect it."

The tension drained not because the problem was solved, but because it was finally acknowledged and shared. Elua hated keeping secret worries from her spouse, even if she had been dropping hints all along. And without even asking the young cultivator had tried to help her and succeeded some...

"I love you. More than I thought possible."

"I know. I can feel it, but it’s nice to hear anyway."

They settled onto the bedroll properly, Elua curled against Qat’s side. The conversation hadn’t resolved the underlying issue, but it had created a space for it to exist between them.

"If you’re worried I-"

"Oh, I’m not, El. Just concerned you might argue with me and not sleep... if I say what I want to."

’That I love you more. Or at least, I want to get there.’

The blonde remained awake for a while longer, her fingers absently stroking her wife’s hair as the ancient cultivator contentedly drifted off... knowing the gist of the tall girl’s feelings. Qat made more silent promises to herself and to the sleeping girl beside her.

About returning stronger, about finding answers if El could not, about being worthy of the trust placed in her. The trust placed in her own little dreams and ideals. Whatever challenges awaited during their separation and whatever decisions they might face upon reunion...

They would navigate them together. Just as they always had. And this night, like their first night ever sharing a bed so long ago... after her little fairy flit into her quarters in secret... would become another memory to sustain them through the challenges ahead.

Challenges neither quite expected to face, in the way they would face them.

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