#[ B R O this knocked me out this ended me I am on the pavement face down ]

[starshcwer]

( happy birthday, tifa! | @royalarms )

" uh - " he starts , overcome with overwhelm , and realizes he's already off to a rough start . " it's your birthday , yeah ? " he's only been pestered about it all day long , unable to find a moment for himself not only to gather composure for this inexplicably nerve - wracking experience , but to garner the courage to approach her with a decided confidence ( which , he now realizes he wasn't completely prepared for ) . a sigh pushes past his lips , as if he's ejecting the nervousness from his chest , and he places an assured hand atop his hip , slouching more comfortably into his usual posture . " i got ya something . " and from his pocket he draws a dainty silver - chained pearl drop necklace , holding it in the minimal space between them . his thoughts race in several directions , his imagination portrays him wrapping the jewelry around her neck and placing a loving kiss behind her ear . . . but this is reality , and his face grows red and instead he continues standing there , offering an awkward clearing of his throat . " to match your earrings . saw it and thought of you . " he places one foot back and his eyes drift to the side before he approaches her with obvious hesitancy . " don't really know how to put it on but . . . " he doesn't , knowing full well that he'd make a fool of himself . instead he simply leans into her space , swallowing harshly , perhaps audibly , and while he wants to kiss her lips , he shies from it and places a gentle kiss atop her head . " happy birthday , tifa . we should hang out tonight . "

her head tilted to the side, & a curious hum left her lips at noctis' hesitancy. with the date momentarily forgotten from her mind, his uncertainty confused her, but he finally spoke his question, & the pieces clicked into place. their relationship often went like this: she was sure when he wasn't, & he was sure when she wasn't. they operated in a balance, action, & reaction. & so she met his question with a confident nod of her head.

❛ that's right! you didn't forget now, did you? ❜ not that she would have blamed him for doing so. friend or not, she wasn't self––––centered enough to think that the life of a prince ceased in its forward momentum for something like her birthday, but she also found herself hopeful that he had remembered. & then the coin flipped. his confidence announcement brought an expression of surprise to her face–––– lips parted, eyes a bit wide–––– he'd thrown her off kilter with such a simple declaration.

❛ you did? ❜ the unspoken, you didn't have to lingered on her tongue, but it never made it past the thought. the sudden excitement in her chest held it back. her hands clasped together, & she rose slightly on her toes as he reached into his pocket, as if she could get a glimpse of the gift even a second sooner that way.

the sight of the necklace stole the breath from her lungs, & she rocked back to the soles of her feet almost involuntarily, as if she'd been stunned. her lips parted as she searched for her words, & yet the only thing that left her was, ❛ oh... ❜ a single syllable spoken in a soft, sweet tone.

the sight of the gift dangling before its giver brought a foggy memory to tifa's mind. her dad had once given a necklace to her mom–––– for what, tifa could no longer remember, but the memory lingered. they'd stood together so he could put it on her with smiles on both of their faces before sharing a kiss, & though tifa had made a face that had made them both laugh, she remembered admiring the moment more than she had wanted to admit.

it felt odd, for just a moment, to be the young woman receiving jewelry & not the little girl who had once coveted becoming her. the feeling was quickly replaced with a warmth that spread through her at the realization of what sort of comparison she had just made between her & noctis ( though it was also what finally shifted her stunned look into a smile ).

to match your earrings. the realization that he paid such close attention that he would remember what they looked like, even when she wasn't by his side, was enough to turn that warmth into something tangible–––– a redness on her cheeks, threatening to cross the bridge of her nose. ❛ it's beautiful. thank you! ❜

she thought he was approaching to hand her the gift & assumed that his hesitancy was because of his embarrassment at not knowing how to put a necklace on her ( words that had, admittedly, brought a few giggles from her ), & she shook her head, dismissing the thought even as she wanted to ask him to try anyways. ❛ don't worry about it. ❜ but then he grew a bit too close, & more steps followed until her head had to tilt back a bit to see him properly.

tifa could hear nothing over her own heartbeat, suddenly fast & strong, but she didn't dare move from her spot. her eyes shut as his lips pressed gently against her forehead & her breath left her in a gentle sigh. they opened again as he separated, happy to see that he hadn't yet moved.

 ❛ thank you. ❜ her voice was much softer this time, as if this was a secret to be shared between just the two of them. she nodded her head, her smile growing. ❛ yeah, we should! ❜

but instead of making plans or taking the gift from his offered hand, she hesitated. her teeth caught her lip & her gaze turned to the side in thought before she turned back to noctis, feeling a bit bold. ❛ hey...if I showed you how...do you think you could try? ❜ she wasn't dressed for such jewelry. her outfit was far too casual, & she had almost decided against her earrings, but now she was glad she had worn them anyway. despite her informal attire, she wanted to wear the necklace.  she wanted noctis to put it on her–––– a birthday wish, she'd call it.

❛ putting it on me, I mean. ❜