"I'm sure you can keep it, if you try. And if you think you deserve it." She said softly, turning her head to press a lingering kiss to his palm, before returning to facing him. "And personally, I'll have you know that I think you deserve it."
Tali grinned at her, letting his thumbs rub across her cheeks. “I’m not sure how to feel about that. About me thinking I deserve it. I definitely want it.” He paused gently and watched her carefully. “But if you believe I deserve it then it must be true.”
“Don’t you know, my word is basically gospel?” Osora joked, pressing forward just a bit into his touch. It was comforting, and on occasion drove her just a tad crazy. “You deserve it, Tali. More than you know and want to believe.”
“Oh of course!” He replied, playing along with her. His hands drifted down to gently rub at her back, his fingertips skittering across the curves she had. “Thank you Toki. It means a lot to me.”
She shivered lightly as his hands moved along her body, closing her eyes. "Of course, Tali. I'm going to repeat it until you believe me, fair warning. Prepare yourself."
“Much like I’m going to tell you you’re beautiful until you believe it.” He teased, poking her sides gently. “I have absolutely fallen for everything about you.”
Her eyes shot open as he poked her, and she couldn't help squirming. She was, in fact, ticklish. "Fallen for everything about me? Even the bad parts?"
He grinned evilly. “Yes, even the bad parts.” He purred as he suddenly trapped her against his chest and tickled her sides with a soft laugh. “Are you ticklish?”
She let out a small noise of surprise, her wiggling increasing as she half heartedly tried to get him to let go of her. "A-absolutely not. I am not and have never been ticklish."
“Mhm… the way you’re acting says otherwise, Toki.” He teased, pulling her closer to him so she couldn’t escape as he tickled her mercilessly:
Even pressed up against him completely, she still tried to wriggle away, though without the franticness that would have meant she really wanted him to let her go. "Nope. Nope nope nope, I'm not ticklish. At all." A small sound, a breath of air with more solidity to it than normal, that almost sounded like a laugh, escaped her as he tickled her.
He slowly eased off of the tickling, smiling happily as he drew her into his lap. “You know, you’re very comfy and easy to hold.” He purred.
"And apparently entirely too easy to tickle." She mock-grumped, her cheeks heating slightly at being in his lap. She cuddled into him anyway, the tickling adrenaline fading as his presence returned her to being sleepy-ish.
He laughed, pressing a kiss to her head. “You’re quite cute.” He rumbled happily, sighing deeply. “I’m glad I got to know you, Toki.”
And he truly was glad. He absolutely adored her and her family. He almost didn’t want to leave their home.
"I'm glad too." She murmured, tucking her head against his chest and under his chin as she closed her eyes. A cuddler, even though she would never admit it. "Kinda don't want to see you leave."
He hummed softly, letting himself admire her warmth and cuddliness. “I kinda don’t wanna leave either. I want to stay.” He admitted. “But I don’t want to bother your family. Nor do I want to be a burden on them.”
“All four of my best friends show up at random and eat my family’s food, hang out, then leave. My family loves them.” She said, wrapping an arm around him and tucking the other close to her chest. “Don’t worry. You won’t be imposing or bothering them.”
His eyes trailed along the scars upon her arms, a very gentle hum leaving his lips. Tali was very certain he would be a bother. He didn't like being a bother. "Alright." He agreed nevertheless, resting his head against her's. He wouldn't let her know it but he was extremely happy she wasn't pulling away. He liked her touch. It sent shivers up his spine. And she was so easy to hold and so comfortable. He kind of thought he had gotten in a little too deep too fast. It was only the first night they had known each other.
"You're…making me tired, dammit." She complained half heartedly, her voice more a murmur than anything. Maybe it was a bit too fast, but he made her comfortable, and she couldn't deny that. Without lying, at least. She couldn't remember ever feeling this willing to be semi-vulnerable to someone this soon before, Reeha being the one exception.
“Am I?” He asked gently, rocking them back and forth with a wicked grin. “Good. Sleep. You need it.” Tali closed his own eyes, burying his face in her hair and sighing deeply.
Tali’s mind drifted off for a moment. He thought over everything that had just occurred that day and smiled. This is too comfortable… it has to be some sort of dream. He hushed himself, determining that even if it was a dream, it was a nice one and he’d gladly roll with it until it ended.
"I have things to do…" Osora muttered, feeling herself getting drowsier and drowsier. The lack of sleep and exhaustion from the panic attack, paired with the comfort Tali brought her, all added up as a very unfortunate combination for her.
She was asleep before he could respond, her expression peaceful if slightly empty as normal.
He chuckled lightly, gently lifting her and climbing back through the window. He laid her down on her mat, making sure she was tucked and wrapped up in her blanket. “Sleep well.” He hummed, kissing her forehead.
Even as he set her down and tucked her in, she clung to him, lips quirking up just barely as he kissed her forehead. And then he tried to step away, and the tiny smile dropped, replaced by a furrow between her brows. "Don't….go?"
He sighed softly and smiled down at her. The skin-stealer sat down next to her, biting his lip as he watched her. "You're such a beautiful woman. I wish you could see that." He murmured to her sleeping self, slowly laying himself down next to her. "And you're also very cuddly." He commented, laughing softly as he snuggled her into his chest.
She hummed something too incoherent to understand, happily snuggling against him. "Comfy." Was the one word that made any sense. Tucking her face against his chest, she settled back down, slipping off fully now that she was comfortable again.
He chuckled and rolled his eyes. She was cute even when sleeping. He curled up, burying his face in her neck and drifting off back to sleep.
He was up before she woke the next morning, having to reconstruct his facial features once again. He wasn’t too fond of that.
In actuality, Osora was already awake. She always woke up early, but she never woke up in someone's arms. At the very least, she remembered that he had asked her not to look at his face, so she kept her eyes closed, wrapped around him and face hidden in his chest. "'Mornin' Tali."
He shivered when he heard her speak. “Oh. I didn’t realize you were awake.” He murmured sheepishly. “You… uhm… didn’t see did you?” He asked nervously, pulling her into his chest once more.
"Nope. Told ya I wouldn' look." Her voice was muffled and slightly slurred with sleep, and her eyes were still closed. "Promise is a promise, ain' it." She tapped out a rhythm along his side, yawning.
He let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and closed his eyes. “Oh good.” He murmured gently, smiling sweetly at her. “You can look at me now, by the way.” He hummed, nuzzling into her hair and sighing.