Chapter Text
Ilsa woke slowly, gradually, to the sounds of seagulls calling and waves crashing against the shore. She slowly blinked her eyes open and stretched languidly, her naked skin sliding against soft sheets. The light curtains covering the tall, open windows were billowing gently in the warm breeze and Ilsa smiled contently.
The mattress shifted slightly beside her until lips were pressing gentle kisses against her spine a moment later. “Good morning,” Ethan rumbled, voice still heavy with sleep. Ilsa shivered and hummed in delight. “Morning,” she murmured, gasping as he nipped on her shoulder, followed by a hot swipe of his tongue. “You’re insatiable, darling,” Ilsa chuckled softly and turned over onto her back to look at him. Her hand reached up to cup his cheek and draw his face down to hers, making it easier to press a gentle kiss against his smiling lips. “What can I say,” he whispered against her mouth, “I’m making up for lost time.”
Ilsa smirked and drew his bottom lip into her mouth before she said, “Mhh, I’d say the five orgasms you gave me last night were already a good start.”
“Oh, yeah?” She could feel his grin against the hollow of her throat. “What do you say we’ll go for number six right now?”
Ilsa’s left hand trailed down his back to settle on his ass. She gave it a good squeeze, making him laugh and involuntarily buck against her. “By all means, baby.”
He gave her a happy little grin and Ilsa marveled at how relaxed and content he was. It almost felt like he was a changed man; as soon as they had walked through the doors of their little cottage by the sea, and had locked out the rest of the world, all the tension and pressure of having the world constantly rely on him had fallen off his shoulders.
Shoulders that were strong and attractive and currently nudging her legs apart. Ilsa laughed softly and let her legs fall open, making room for him to scoot down and settle between them. He pressed several hot kisses to the insides of her thighs in thanks for her accommodation before he put his mouth where Ilsa really wanted it.
“ Oh !” She gasped, her head falling back against the pillows and her back arching in pleasure. “ Yes !”
He licked and nibbled and sucked on her wet flesh, leaving her breathless, and catapulting her towards her orgasm so fast that her brain had trouble catching up with her body.
“And that’s six,” Ethan said a few short minutes later, sounding very smug.
“I think,” Ilsa panted, her whole body still tingling, “we should reset the count every day. Because at this rate, I’ll have lost count within the next two days, at most.”
Ethan chuckled as he crawled back up her body, placing kisses on her heated skin along the way. “Challenge accepted.”
Ilsa snorted. “Oh, God, please don’t. I might die.”
“Nah, we’ll just make sure to keep you hydrated.” He gently kissed her forehead and grinned down at her. “You’ll be fine.”
A glint entered Ilsa’s eyes, which was the only warning Ethan received before he found himself sprawled on his back, with Ilsa’s legs on either side of his hips.
“Let’s see if I can’t repay the favor first, hm?”
Ethan just wordlessly raised his arms and crossed them behind his head, making himself comfortable. He then raised his eyebrow in a silent ‘Go on, then’ . Ilsa didn’t need to be told twice. Mirroring his earlier move, she scooted backward until she was kneeling between his legs. She eyed his erection hungrily before she met his gaze and lasciviously licked her lips, watching his eyes darken in response. Ilsa smirked and went to work, satisfied that she was able to reduce him to a moaning mess within moments as well.
Afterward, they lay entwined together, enjoying the breeze on their heated skin. Ethan’s fingers trailed up and down her arm in gentle caresses, as she lay in his embrace, her leg slung over his.
“Does it still hurt?” He murmured, and Ilsa blinked her eyes open, not even having noticed that she had been dozing off. “Mhh?” She hummed in question.
His fingers softly touched a spot just beneath her left collarbone, where a scar was marking her skin. “No, not really. Sometimes when the weather is changing, it just stings a bit.”
“Does the lotion you use still help?”
Ilsa nodded. “Yes, it works really well. I’ll have to thank Benji again for recommending it to me. Sometimes the scar tissue is so dry that it pulls a bit uncomfortably and the lotion does wonders.”
“I’m glad.” Ethan pressed a sweet kiss to her head and Ilsa smiled, content. Her fingers trailed mindless patterns across his chest as a thought occurred to her.
“Do you mind the scar?” She whispered, hating out unsure she sounded.
She could feel Ethan looking at her and wished she could take the words back. “Mind it?”
Ilsa swallowed. “Does it…bother you to look at it?”
Ethan gently extricated himself from beneath her in order to catch her eyes. “No, never. It might actually be my favorite scar of yours,” he said earnestly. “Do you know why?”
Ilsa shook her head. “No. Why?”
“Because it’s a reminder that you’re alive. A reminder that you are the most astonishing, strong, and resilient person I know. A reminder that you willingly got yourself almost killed in order to defeat our enemy and save the world. A reminder that you’re still here with me and we finally have a shot at this .” He gently placed a kiss against said scar. “Your scars are beautiful. You are beautiful.”
Ilsa gave him a slightly wobbly smile and blinked away her tears. Her palm cupped his cheek and she drew him closer. “I love you, Ethan Hunt,” she whispered adoringly, kissing him gently.
“And I love you, Ilsa Faust,” he murmured against her lips.
Ilsa smiled into their kiss, still unable to believe that he was really here with her and she finally got to kiss and touch him whenever she wanted. She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him closer, sighing as he carefully molded his body to hers.
Much later, after their lips were red and swollen, their muscles sore, and their empty stomachs’ had started grumbling in protest, they got dressed and had a very late breakfast outside on their balcony.
Ilsa thought she would never get tired of this view, as she took in the steep cliffs and the deep blue ocean with its rolling waves spread out endlessly before them.
When she eventually managed to take her eyes off the beauty mother nature had created, she noticed Ethan smiling softly at her from across their small table. Ilsa could feel her ears start to burn and she smiled a bit self-consciously. “What?” She asked, quickly taking a sip of her coffee to hide behind.
“Nothing,” Ethan shrugged, still smiling. “I’m just admiring the view. Same as you.”
Ilsa laughed. “You don’t have to charm me to get into my pants, you know?” She joked.
Ethan grinned. “I know. You’re not wearing any.”
She snorted but had to admit he had a point. Currently, the only thing she was wearing was his dress shirt, and nothing else. “Touché, Mr. Hunt.”
They continued smiling foolishly at each other while they ate their breakfast. They were almost done, when Ethan asked, “Are you happy, Ils?”
Her smile turned soft and warmth involuntarily spread throughout her chest. “Yes, Ethan. I can honestly say that I’ve never been happier.” She reached across the table to gently grasp his hand. “What about you?”
Ethan’s thumb dragged across her knuckles before he lifted her hand to his lips to press a barely-there kiss to it. “I never dared to believe I’d ever be this happy again, after Julia….” A slightly nervous glint entered his eyes, but before Ilsa could read too much into it, it was gone. “There is one more thing that would make me even happier, however.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
Ethan let go of her hand and turned to reach into the flower pot on the railing. Ilsa’s brows furrowed in confusion as she watched him pull out something small she couldn’t identify before he hid it in his hands.
He got up and rounded the table to her side, where he then proceeded to kneel by her chair. Ilsa’s breath caught in her throat, and her eyes began to burn. She blinked hastily, not wanting to miss one single second.
“As you know, I’ve never been a man of big speeches. You know that I love you more than I will ever find the words to properly express, so I’m keeping this short and sweet.” He quickly cleared his throat and lifted his hands, revealing a small, red velvet box to her gaze. He flicked it open with nimble fingers, and a shaky breath escaped her lungs as she took in the delicate golden engagement ring, one single small diamond held by a tasteful but subtle fastening. “Ilsa Faust, will you make the happiest man on earth and do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Yes! She wanted to scream. Yes, of course, I’ll marry you! But she couldn’t get the words out around the big lump clogging her throat. So instead she nodded, emphatically, and fell down to her knees in front of him, looping her arms around his neck and molding herself against his strong chest. “Yes,” she finally managed, a mere whisper, instead of a shout, and she hoped she made her feelings clear, regardless. They had always communicated perfectly without words, but right now, she really felt like she needed to use them. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes! Yes, Ethan, I'll marry you!”
Ethan laughed, happy and relieved, and Ilsa wondered if he ever really doubted she’d say yes.
She detangled herself from him slightly and backed away just enough to look at him. “ Of course , I will marry you, darling.”
Ethan gave her the most blinding smile she had ever seen. “Thank goodness,” he breathed, making her chuckle wetly. “May I have your hand?”
“Oh!” she gasped and quickly held out her hand to him. She was strangely relieved to see that his hands were trembling just as much as hers as he slid the ring onto her finger, where it rested in a perfect fit.
“Oh,” she breathed again, turning her hand slightly to watch as the ring sparkled in the sunlight. “It’s gorgeous, Ethan.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he smiled, before he admitted with a slightly embarrassed air, “It took me almost five months to find the perfect ring for you. I just felt like none of them were good enough.”
“Oh, Ethan,” she whispered, unable to resist leaning forward and kissing him deeply. “I’m sure I would have loved any ring you would’ve picked because it was you who picked it. ” She kissed him again before giving him a loving smile. “But I have to admit, your search was worth it. I love this ring. I love you. And I can’t wait to marry you and get to call you my husband.”
Ethan pressed his forehead against hers and breathed deeply. “I already love the sound of that,” he murmured, a content smile on his lips.
“Me, too.”
They shared another sweet kiss when Ilsa murmured against his lips. “What do you say? Want to take me back to bed and make love to me again, future husband?”
“I think that is a brilliant idea, future wife,” he grinned and carefully helped her back to her feet before he quite literally swept her off them. Ilsa squealed as he carried her back inside, her laughter carried off on the breeze and out onto the ocean, where it got lost with the seagulls’ calls.
~fin