Osora really did feel like a better person with Tali around. The doubts that plagued her about her own character, the knowledge that morality was something that managed to escape her constantly, all of it faded away when she was with him. Especially when he kissed her like this. When he kissed her with so much love it made her want to be a better person more than anything. He was incredible to her.
I don’t know what I’m doing but I wanna use this character (OxO| Closed)
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Unfortunately for them both, Tali had to pull away for air. He pulled that stupid face he always got around her and laughed lightly, pressing his forehead against her shoulder. “I love you, Osora. I want you to hear it. I love you.”
"You-" Osora blinked, a warm red making itself home on her cheeks at his words. "-you do?" She asked, voice carrying a note of uncertainty that it almost never had, like the idea of somebody loving her was incredibly far fetched and impossible.
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“I do… is it too early to say so?” He asked quickly, suddenly paling. “I just… you’re beautiful and amazing and kind and I’ve never felt like… like this before. I’ve never had anyone make me so nervous or so excited to see them.”
"It's-no, no, I don't think it's too early, as long as-as you're sure." She said, eyes flickering across his face, searching for something. There were hints of a different expression on her face, somewhat like worry, like she was worried for him. "You've seen parts of me I can't even show my friends, Tali. And I'd like to think I could say the same for you. And you make me feel, in a way I never really had with any of my other romantic pursuits. Shou was the closest thing, but…we only clicked for a while, and it didn't…happen this fast." She explained, hands sliding down to cup his face gently. "You make me feel, Tali. You make me want to feel."
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"I'm sure…" He responded simply, leaning into her hands as she cupped his face. "I've never been more sure of anything. I've been with plenty, Osora. I've been with male, female, nonbinary, fluid, whatever is out there. But not a single one of them clicked with me. Not like how it does with you. I guess I've just been with so many who fake their emotions, or who feel too much… having you been so clear and honest with me is nice… I want to make you feel, and I want to be the one who makes you smile for the first time in a long time."
"I can't-I can't promise you that." She said, shoulders slumping slightly as though disappointed, not in him but in herself. "You aren't the first person to have tried getting me to smile. Most people…they give up after a while, on me smiling or me in general." She said, eyes flickering away. Plenty of people had stopped talking to her when they'd realized she wasn't going to smile. And at this point, anyway, she was pretty sure she might never be able to smile.
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Tali’s expression softened. He shook his head and gently poked her side. “And that’s alright. You don’t need to smile for me or for anyone I don’t need to see you smile to know you’re happy.” He promised, a little saddened to hear but still very sure he wanted to stay with her for the rest of his life.
She shifted when he poked her, rolling her shoulders instead of letting out choked laugh that threatened to spill out. At his words, she softened entirely, burying her face in his neck as she hugged him. “I can at least…promise to try. If it ever happens, you’ll be the first to know.”
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“If it’s too hard on you, you don’t have to, Osora.” He reminded her, playing with a few strands of her hair as he hugged her back. “But thank you, it would mean a lot to me if you told me first.”
“But for you, I kind of want to. Hell, I think I’d do anything for you if it kept you here.” She said quietly, holding tightly to him. “Maybe I’ll even try and get a picture. Then you’d have that smile forever.” She joked, trying to lighten her own mood somewhat.
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Tali laughed gently and leaned his head against hers. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay here with you.” He chuckled lightly and nodded softly, just enjoying their moment before he carefully pulled back and cupped her face. “A photograph? Ha! I’d be able to remember your smile even if i just saw it once!”
“I find that very hard to believe. You’re gonna remember a single smile forever?” She asked, leaning into his right hand and playing with the hem of his clothing(I. Can’t remember if he’s wearing a shirt or not). “I guarantee, if I ever did smile, that it wouldn’t be that special.”
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(I’m really sorry. Life is getting a little too stressful rn)
(Also, I cant remember either so let’s just go with yes he is.)
“You underestimate a smile.” He replied smoothly. “Smiles reveal a lot. A fake one may be a sign of hostility, or of a brokenness that can’t be healed with bandaids and creams. A small one might be brought up by a butterfly or some soft memory. A true and large smile is a sign of happiness and love. Each smile is unique. Each has a story to tell, and they’re easy to remember if they’re special.”
((if you want to put these on a sort of hiatus to deal with real life, you absolutely can my man. if not, i'm perfectly fine with updates like these!))
"So what about yours, then? The grin you gave me earlier, or the smile after we first kissed?" She asked, gripping the hem of his shirt for a moment before reaching up to gently poke the corners of his mouth. "If smiles are a language themselves, like you say, then what are yours saying?"
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(Ah thanks for the offer!! I took a day for myself, I’m doing much better now. It was just really crazy with a lot of stressful things piling up at once. It’s all good now.)
Tali couldn’t help but to smile as she poked the corners of his mouth, laughing softly. “My smiles and grins are special when they’re with you. Sometimes I fake a smile to get what I want, but when I give you smiles and grins, they’re genuine and loving. They’re happy and amused. You make my heart flutter and it feels weird.”
((that's good to hear! let me know if you ever need to talk))
Osora leaned in, fingers still pressed to his mouth as she pecked his lips. "That…I'm glad. I'm glad I can make you smile, that I make you feel the same things you make me feel. You make me want to smile, you know? I want to smile at you the way you do at me, to show…everything, I guess."
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((I will! Thanks for your support!))
Tali reached out to touch her face gently, his smile fading into something more loving and kind. “I’m very happy I make you feel that way. I want to make sure you always feel happy whenever I can help it.” He traced the lines of her face for a moment, tilting his head. “I wouldn’t mind if you didn’t show your emotions through expressions. You give me enough to know how you’re feeling.”
"You're lucky with that. If you'd known me a while back, just back in high school, I wouldn't be that easy to read. I was once likened to the statue of a very solemn looking lady feeding pigeons down the street." She commented, nose wrinkling in amusement just briefly. "I've been…trying. To open myself up more, to express as many things as possible in as many ways. And now I have even more incentive."
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“High school…” he laughed softly and shook his head. “I never went to high school but I’ve heard it’s rough. I don’t blame you for not showing anything.” He mused, making a game out of memorizing every detail of her face. “You are doing wonderfully, Osora. Keep working towards it. I know you’ll get it one day. You’re strong.”
She had been strong enough to get rid of them, but was she really strong enough to bring them back? To be able to express the way she wished she could, now that she was safe to feel? "Maybe. I hope so, at least. It would be nice to finally feel a bit more normal."
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“You don’t have to be normal.” He scoffed, pecking her lips. “You’re fine and by fine I mean fine like you’re such a fine little lady.” He laughed at his own words, having remembered them from a past relationship. The man who told him that was sweet, but he was merely looking for someone to warm his bed. Not what Tali wanted or was looking for in a potential permanent pairing.
"Fine in both contexts, or only one?" She joked, huffing that small breath of air that functioned as a laugh. She shifted, pressing her cheek to his and looking over his shoulder, holding onto him. "You're pretty great, you know? I want you to know that."
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“Oh come on. You know what I meant.” He teased, closing his eyes happily at their contact. It felt good to be held by someone so loving.
“Who me? Great? Nah. If anyone here is pretty greats it’s you, Osora.”
"No. It's you. You and your warm arms, your acceptance. Your heart, and comforting presence. The way my family loves you, and the way you wish you could change. Everything about you." She insisted, hold on him tightening for a split second. "It's you."
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His smile grew as she spoke, giving her a soft squeeze. "Me? I'm glad you think so highly of me. That makes one of us…" He mused, kissing her head softly. "I'm happy I met you. You make my heart sing."
"You make my world slow down." She said, turning her head to catch his lips, murmuring against them. "And that's quite something. It never stops moving at a hundred miles an hour." She pressed her lips firmly to his, for just a moment, before pulling back.
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Despite the fog in his brain, Tali managed to kiss her back and speak coherently. “I’ll make every second count then. I’ll help you slow down to a healthy tempo.”
"You say that like I'm not at a healthy pace." Osora said, huffing a small laugh. The move caused her lips to brush against his again, but she didn't fully kiss him. "But I hope you do. Something tells me it won't be hard to make each second count when I'm with you, though."
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“Well, you speak as if you don’t think you are at a healthy pace.” He retorted playfully, playing off the shiver that ran through his body as a shift in his hips. “I’m glad. I hope it’ll be easier.”