#pictures taken moments before disaster.jpeg

[alicesadventuresinffxiv]

FFxivWrite2024 Prompt #14

Title: A Telling Emotion

Wordcount: 1042

Spoilers through: Stormblood

Alternate Universe: To Catch a Falling Star

Relationships & Characters: Fordola/Lyse (finally, some actual kissing in this one haha)

Summary: Lyse is jealous, though not in the way Fordola expects.

(TCaFS timeline has a lot of changes, but the important part is, this fic takes place shortly after Fordola gets her gunblade from Zenos.)

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“I’m sorry.”  Lyse said, still feeling terrible about the petty, thoughtless comment she’d made. Enough Garleans had repeated similar insinuations that she’d started to wonder. What was the imperial commander’s relationship with the crown prince?

And when she’d seen the glow of Fordola’s eager smile as she’d shown off the gunblade he’d presented her, something inside Lyse had just… snapped. 

“If you love his gifts so much, why don’t you sleep with him?”

In the moment, she’d told herself she was angry with Fordola for falling for more imperial promises. That she was worried Fordola was loyal to Zenos rather than her. 

It was beginning to dawn on her that “loyal” wasn’t quite the correct word in that sentence.

“I was just… jealous,” she admitted aloud. 

“Hmph. You and every other bastard who wants my position.” Fordola ran her fingers over the gunblade still sheathed at her hip. Even here, even sitting side by side at the secret overlook only Fordola and Lyse knew about, that awful thing still came between them. “If you want one for your own, you can damn well put in the work yourself.”

“I… what?” Lyse blinked and sat up straighter. “Gods, no, I’m not jealous of the stupid gunblade. What would I even do with it?” She couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. “I’d just poke my own eye out!”

Fordola frowned and clenched her hands in the grass. “Then what in the hells is your problem?”

“I think… it’s Zenos I’m jealous of,” Lyse said quietly. “All he gave you was something you should have had in the first place, and you were so happy.” She hugged her arms defensively to her chest. “I wish I could make you smile like that, but I’m not a viceroy or a prince. There’s naught I have you would want.”

Lyse felt a rough, callused hand on her hair. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“Really?” She raised her head to find herself staring directly into those sharp green eyes. “What do you - mmph?!”

Of the many things Lyse had braced herself for, Fordola suddenly pressing her into the tree with a kiss had not been one of them.

“Huh,” was the only dreamy syllable her scattered mind could produce when Fordola drew away.

“Was that not -” The young woman cringed with guilt, likely taking Lyse’s hesitation for rejection. “Seven hells, now I’ve mucked this right up, haven’t I?”  She sat back and gritted her teeth. “I just thought, maybe you thought of me the same way I - no, nevermind. Forget that ever happened.”

“But…” Lyse was still trying to make sense of it all. Was this what Krile had meant when she said Lyse already had Fordola wrapped around her finger? Had it been completely obvious to everyone but her? How long had she been - 

“If you’re not interested, that’s that.” Fordola looked away, her features schooled back into that cold, Butcher mask.  “It can just be - you know, like with Yda,” she continued, not quite able to hide the hitch in her voice.

Now that wasn’t right. Lyse made a disapproving growl in the back of her throat. “I am not my sister,” she said, and yanked Fordola into another kiss.

They could figure out the details later. Right now, Lyse knew one thing: she wanted to make Fordola hers.

For a brief moment, Lyse felt Fordola tense, as though she wasn’t sure if she should fight back. Then, as she realized what was happening, Fordola relaxed, closed her eyes, and leaned in on her own.

It was still a very clumsy kiss. Lyse hardly considered herself an expert - she’d dated a few pushy boys back in Sharlayan before she’d learned to say no, and there had been those chaotic weeks with Naago - but Fordola definitely had less experience than even that. Or maybe she just treated everything like a battle to be won.

Well, two could play at that game. And Lyse had spent the past several weeks desperately imagining what it would feel like to wrestle Fordola to the ground.

This probably couldn’t be considered a kiss any more, but on the other hand, finally getting to test her own strength against the swordswoman’s muscles felt amazing. Of course, while Fordola put up an impressive fight, Lyse could pass as a prodigy of unarmed combat for a reason. 

And so, what started with Fordola shoving Lyse into the tree ended with Fordola splayed out on the grass, Lyse pressing light kisses into her tattoo until she slowly stopped thrashing and instead arched her head imploringly into the touch.

“You don’t like losing, do you?” she eventually murmured. 

Lyse grinned.“Did you want me to go easy on you?”

“Absolutely not.” Fordola reached up to wrap her arms around her captor. “I’ll put you on your back next time, though.”

“You can try.” Lyse snuggled down into Fordola’s shoulder, contentment blooming warm in her chest as she felt the soft rise and fall of Fordola’s breathing.

This was good. More than good. If Fordola was in love with her, it would be all the easier to pry her away from Zenos and the Empire. 

And that’s the real goal, Lyse thought to herself. Cuddling with Fordola was nice (and kissing Fordola was nicer), but it didn’t soothe the part of Lyse’s heart that ached to steal her away from masters who praised her one day only to punch her down the next.

Skulls and Resistance alike, none of Lyse’s friends would be safe until Ala Mhigo was free.

In the short term, she’d still have to work out how to keep Krile safe now that the imperials had her in their custody. And then there was the message that the Scions had returned, and that Resistance forces would soon move on Velodyna. But those were minor concerns in comparison to what Lyse was going to count as a major victory today.

Lyse winced as the hilt of the gunblade dug into her hip.

“Zenos is giving me a chance in battle at Velodyna, and you’re giving me a chance with this.” Fordola sighed lazily and stroked her fingers through Lyse’s hair. “For once in my life… it feels like everything’s going my way.”