Robin glanced up at the color of the sky. By now, Tifa had surely prepared a hearty dinner and was waiting for them to return and eat.
"Alright," Aiden replied, a hint of regret lingering in his voice as he obediently released his embrace.
He knew he couldn't afford to drown in this moment forever. There would be plenty of time in the future; there was no need to rush.
After crossing that invisible line, the relationship between him and Robin had fundamentally changed. It could no longer be summarized by simple words like "companions" or "friends." A deeper, more fervent connection had taken root in their hearts.
From now on, there would be more than enough time for intimacy.
When the two finally returned to the Familia headquarters hand-in-hand through the night, they were greeted by the warm glow of lamplight and the mouthwatering aroma of home-cooked food. Tifa had already set a lavish spread on the table and was warmly calling everyone over.
However, as she watched the two walk through the door so intimately, her gaze lingered on their tightly interlocked fingers for a fraction of a second, a flash of understanding passing through her eyes.
On the other side of the room, Hyacine, who was busy arranging the cutlery, instantly lit up. She nearly dropped the plate in her hands. Clenching her small fists in excitement, she screamed internally, My ship has sailed! My ship has sailed! Aiden and Robin are finally together!
Jeanne didn't show much of a reaction, simply giving the pair a passing glance. However, she too noticed that the distance between them seemed to have vanished entirely compared to when they had left.
Furina was the only exception. Blinking her beautiful heterochromatic eyes, she remained completely oblivious to any shift in their dynamic. Instead, she bounded over to Robin, tilted her head, and asked loudly in her crisp, innocent voice, "Robin, what happened to your mouth? It looks so red and a little swollen. Did you get bitten by a venomous bug?"
"!?"
The air in the room instantly froze.
Robin stood as if struck by lightning, her delayed realization hitting her like a tidal wave. She panicked, throwing a hand over her mouth as her beautiful face shifted from a rosy pink to a deep, burning crimson at a visible rate.
"Uh... well, I just had something a bit too spicy. Yeah, the newly released spicy Jagamarukun! Totally normal. Very normal."
Aiden's mouth twitched uncontrollably, his scalp going numb as he forcefully stepped in to smooth things over.
"So the Captain and Vice-Captain are in that kind of relationship..." Cassandra whispered quietly to Daphne from the corner, her voice so low only the two of them could hear. The fires of pure gossip burned brightly in her eyes.
"Shh!" Daphne moved with lightning speed, clamping a hand over Cassandra's mouth and issuing a hushed warning. "The atmosphere is weird right now. Don't speak, and don't ask questions. My intuition is telling me that pretending to be invisible is our best option."
And so, dinner commenced in an incredibly bizarre atmosphere.
Aside from Furina—who was completely tuned out, seriously pondering just how spicy a Jagamarukun had to be to turn Robin's lips that color—everyone else at the table tacitly threw sideways glances at Aiden and Robin.
As the night deepened, a pristine full moon hung high in the sky. Its silvery light draped over the world like a veil, casting mottled shadows of tree branches onto the floorboards of the room.
The world was dead silent, but Aiden found himself tossing and turning in bed, completely unable to sleep.
The unique ability of an adventurer to forcefully induce sleep anywhere, anytime, seemed to have completely lost its effect tonight. Every time he closed his eyes, that breathtaking silhouette uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
Robin's soft touch, her scorching body heat, her rapid breathing, and those soft, trembling whimpers she suppressed in her throat—it was all branded into his memory.
Am I... just pent up from suppressing myself for too long?
Aiden abruptly sat up and threw off his blanket.
He glanced out at the tranquil moonlight, reasoning that everyone else must be fast asleep by now. A daring thought began to grow wildly in his mind.
He stood up, wearing a set of pajamas patterned with Furina's likeness. It was custom-made by Furina herself during her free time; she had supposedly prepared a set for every member of the Familia, even including the latecomers, Daphne and Cassandra.
Aiden had no idea if anyone else actually wore theirs, but he did, and he had to admit the pure cotton material was incredibly comfortable.
He silently opened his door. The hallway was pitch black and deathly quiet.
Instinctively softening his footsteps, he activated his stealth techniques and moved like a ghost—slowly but with unwavering purpose—toward Robin's room.
He gently turned the doorknob, producing an extremely faint click.
However, to the person sitting by the window inside the room, that minuscule sound was as loud as a thunderclap.
Bathed in the moonlight, Robin was sitting quietly by the window. She wore a moon-white silk nightgown, the immaculate lunar glow draping her in what looked like a holy mantle of feathers. Her silver-purple hair cascaded with a soft luster, and her usually composed, elegant face looked almost unreally beautiful in the silver light. She looked like a fairy under the moon, ready to ride the wind and drift away at any moment.
When Aiden pushed the door open, this breathtaking, suffocating scene was what greeted him.
"Aiden, what... what are you doing?"
Seeing Aiden barge into her room in the dead of night, Robin's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of wariness in her tone.
"I couldn't sleep."
Aiden's answer was simple and direct. He walked into the room without hesitation, gently closed the door behind him, and purposefully locked it. "Neither could you, right?"
The soft click of the lock caused Robin's meticulous heart to skip a beat before it began hammering violently against her ribs.
Aiden didn't give her much time to think. He walked straight up to her, reaching out to gently brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His gaze was scorching, falling unapologetically onto her lips—which had returned to normal, yet looked even more tender and red.
"What we started this afternoon," his voice was low and hoarse. "I want to finish it."
"No, you'll wake everyone up. Calm down."
A blush instantly painted Robin's cheeks. She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away, but her force was pitifully weak, looking more like an invitation than a rejection.
"I can't calm down."
Aiden forcefully grabbed her slender wrists, his eyes locking onto her shimmering, lake-green pupils. "And neither can you."
He understood her too well. Robin's daily routine was as precise as a clock. The fact that she was awake this late only proved that her heart was just as restless as his.
Without giving her any chance to refuse, he leaned down, sealing whatever she was about to say between their lips, leaving only broken whimpers in the air.
Under the moonlight, the man and woman, having savored the sweetness of intimacy, held each other tightly, eagerly taking in each other's scent and warmth.
In a daze, Robin felt her body go light as Aiden swept her up into his arms.
By the time she realized what was happening, she had already been laid gently onto the soft mattress, followed immediately by the weight of a distinctly muscular body pressing over her. The nightgown became a tangled mess in their struggle, revealing large swathes of snow-white, flawless skin.
"No!"
Just as Aiden's hands brazenly reached under the hem of her clothes, Robin snapped out of her daze. She grabbed his wandering hand, her tone hardening with resolve.
"I know. I won't really eat you."
Aiden's breathing was still heavy, his forehead resting against hers. Deep within those flaming blue eyes, a sliver of rational light flashed.
Of course, he had the urge to claim her entirely, but he also knew that doing so in this temporary headquarters—where the soundproofing was practically non-existent—would essentially be a live broadcast.
It would absolutely wake Tifa and the others.
Hearing Aiden's promise, Robin's tense body relaxed slightly, and she let out a long breath of relief.
She was genuinely afraid that if Aiden insisted, she wouldn't have the resolve to reject him to the very end. After all, her own state of mind wasn't much better. Experiencing this kind of intimacy for the first time, she found herself becoming addicted, unable to extricate herself.
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