Happy Valentine's Day: Tiala x Gaz
(A BEAUTIFUL art commission made by @temeyes LOVE YOU SO MUCH PELE! And thank you for making my babies come to LIFE!😍🥰💖)
Read the story right down here ⬇️
As the morning sun slowly rose over the island of American Samoa, golden light spilled across the horizon and slipped quietly through the open window. The curtains swayed lazily in the island breeze, dancing as if they, too, were waking from a dream. Sunlight poured into the room, gently illuminating the two figures who lay peacefully entwined beneath the sheets.
The only sound was the soft rhythm of their breathing — slow, steady, comforting. Warm rays brushed against their faces, and the man stirred first. A quiet hum escaped his lips as his eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the glow of morning. Realizing it was dawn, he let out a low yawn and rubbed the last traces of sleep from his eyes.
Then he looked down.
There she was, resting in his arms — calm, safe, completely at peace. Her black hair fanned softly against the pillow, her expression relaxed in a way only sleep could grant. In that moment, the world outside no longer mattered.
A warm, tender smile curved his lips. He loved seeing her like this — unguarded, serene, his. And as he tightened his hold around her just slightly, he silently wished the morning would linger a little longer.
As he tightened his arms gently around his lover, she began to stir, a soft hum slipping from her lips as she slowly woke from her dreams.
Gaz noticed immediately.
A fond smile touched his face as he leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to the side of her head, lingering there for just a moment as if savoring the quiet warmth between them. The scent of her hair, the steady rise and fall of her breathing — it made the morning feel even softer.
“Morning, Tiala,” he whispered, his voice still husky with sleep. “Did you sleep well?”
His words brushed against her ear like a secret meant only for her, low and gentle, carrying the kind of affection that didn’t need to be loud to be felt.
Tiala hummed softly, only to groan when the morning light spilled across her face. She squeezed her eyes shut in protest, burying herself deeper into the warmth beside her before slowly turning her head toward Gaz.
“Is it morning already?” she muttered, her voice thick with sleep.
Gaz couldn’t help but chuckle at the adorable irritation written all over her face. “Yes, it is,” he murmured, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her forehead. “And I’m guessing you’re not very fond of it?”
She scoffed lightly, though a small smile tugged at her lips. “I might be,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him playfully, “if someone hadn’t been so rough last night.”
Gaz raised a brow, feigning innocence. “Hey,” he replied smoothly, his voice dropping to that teasing tone she knew too well. “I can’t help it if someone looks that beautiful beneath me.”
Before she could fire back another remark, he leaned in, his lips trailing slowly along her neck — soft, deliberate kisses that carried both apology and promise. His hand tightened just slightly at her waist, a silent reminder that he wasn’t done teasing her yet.
A soft giggle escaped her lips — a sound that once would have felt foreign to her.
For so long, Tiala had built herself from stone. She had locked her heart away from any man who dared come close, scarred by the way she had been treated before — used, hurt, forced into things she never wanted. Loving someone had once felt like weakness.
She had even tried to shut Gaz out.
But time has a quiet way of breaking down walls.
Days became weeks. Weeks slipped into months. Then a year passed… and then another.
Somewhere in between shared glances, late-night talks, and mornings like this, she realized something terrifying and beautiful all at once:
Gaz was nothing like the others.
He never pushed when she wasn’t ready. Never demanded more than she could give. He stayed.
He stayed through the nightmares that tore her from sleep, holding her until her shaking stopped. He stayed when she refused to eat certain foods because they carried memories she didn’t want to relive, gently helping her rebuild what trauma had taken from her. He stayed through the silences, the mood swings, the days when she shut down.
And when missions pulled them apart, he was always the one who called first — voice steady, soft, promising her he’d return. Sending kisses through the phone like little pieces of reassurance. Reminding her she wasn’t alone.
He had always been there.
Tiala never expected someone like him to cling to her the way he did — not out of need, but out of devotion. He waited for her. Supported her. Loved her with a patience she didn’t think she deserved.
Sometimes it made her chest ache.
Because she remembered how harsh she had been. How many times she rejected him. How often she pushed him away, convinced he would leave like the rest.
But he didn’t.
He held on.
And somehow, despite everything, he was still here — loving her as if she had never been broken at all.
Tiala couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this warm. This safe.
She couldn’t even remember the last time a man had shared her bed — not like this. Not with gentleness.
A soft smile curved along her lips as she glanced over her shoulder. Gaz’s arms were wrapped securely around her waist, his touch firm but careful, as if she were something precious. His lips brushed slowly against her skin, warm and unhurried.
Even against the scarred skin that covered her right arm.
She used to flinch when anyone touched it.
But Gaz had known her story. He had listened — really listened — when she told him how it happened. And he hadn’t looked at her with pity. Or discomfort.
Instead, he had pressed his lips to the ruined skin as if it were something sacred.
Not to hide it.
Not to ignore it.
But to honor it.
Another reason she loved him.
The Sergeant had never judged her — not her scars, not her sharp tongue, not the walls she built so carefully around herself. It was as if he could see straight through them. As if he had never been afraid of her fire.
Gaz didn’t just see her beauty.
He saw her heart.
He saw the way she cared for her family — the way she scolded her younger brothers, and sometimes even the older ones. Especially Kanoa. And yet, she loved them fiercely, protectively, without hesitation.
And somehow… he loved that about her too.
They had settled into a quiet kind of comfort. He watched her the way he always did — gently, as if she were something precious he’d sworn to protect.
He kept pressing soft kisses to the scar on her arm.
Tiala sighed and lifted that same arm, shielding her eyes from the sunlight. The light traced the ridges of old damage, illuminating what had once been there.
The tattoo.
The mark that had tied her to her ancestors. To her family. To home.
Now, only scar tissue remained.
“You know…” she murmured, still staring at her arm. “Sometimes I think my parents might be disappointed in me for losing it.”
Her fingers moved slowly from her wrist to her shoulder, tracing what used to be ink.
“But they never said that. They were only worried about me. Growing up, our Samoan tattoos represented our ancestors — our people, our family. Our culture. Our home.”
Her voice thinned.
“I carried so much pride when I first got it. I felt… whole.” She swallowed. “And then that bastard took it away.”
Her hand trembled.
“He took my pride. And my virginity.”
Gaz felt the words like a blade to the ribs. He hated that this was part of her story. Hated that someone had tried to strip away something sacred from her.
But when he looked at her, he didn’t see loss.
He saw fire.
She was still the same woman who loved fiercely. Who carried her heritage in her heart, even if it no longer lived on her skin.
Gently, he lifted his hand and placed it over hers. Careful. Tender. His thumb brushed against the scar, not in pity — but in reverence.
As if reminding her that nothing about her was ruined.
“You didn’t lose it, Tia,” he said softly.
She went still, but she didn’t pull her hand away.
“You may have lost the ink,” he continued, his thumb brushing gently over her scar, “but everything it stood for? Everything you were taught? That’s still inside you.”
Carefully, he guided her hand downward until it rested over her chest — over her heart. His hand remained over hers, steady and warm.
“It’s here,” he murmured. “It’s always been here.”
His gaze didn’t waver.
“If you love your family… your culture… if you still carry them with pride — then nothing was taken from you. Not really. They didn’t leave you. And you didn’t lose them.”
His voice wasn’t forceful.
It was certain.
“And even if you did lose them… I’ll be here to remind you.”
Tiala’s back pressed against his chest. She could feel him smiling behind her, the warmth of it brushing against her neck. His lips traced soft kisses there, coaxing a hum of comfort from her. She closed her eyes, letting herself melt into the quiet softness of him.
Her heart fluttered gently, and a few tears slipped unbidden. Gaz’s words — steady, reassuring, true — wrapped around her like a shield. She believed every one of them. Trusted him completely. His judgment. His actions. Everything about him.
THE END
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A/N: First off, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to @temeyes for creating this piece! It looks so beautiful! And it's a good thing too that I've wrote a story about it as well! I loved my babies so much and I'm happy that they are finding great comfort from each other! Especially for Tiala. Since we all know how she is towards men. But when she gets to know Gaz more. She had finally let her walls down and embraced to the man who had truly love and care for her! Hehehe! I also hope you guys enjoyed reading this! It had took me a while and having some help (my older sister) to fixed this story. Trying my best to upgrade my writing and understanding the plot line that I've created. And even for the characters. So I hope you like it! Thank you so much for reading this far!
💘HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!💘
(P.S. if you are interested to commission with Tim. Look through here! It will end very soon which it is on the 22nd of this month! So make sure to commission with them! And give them your BEST support! Thank you and love you peles!😘💖)
Reference of that pic from up there:
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