Chapter Text
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know how the clasp works.”
She held her hair patiently out of the way, enjoying the warmth of his fingers on the back of her neck, even if they were shaking and a little sweaty. “I don’t mind. It’s a beautiful necklace.”
He chuckled. “I guess I should have practiced.” He tried again, and the chain slipped down the back of her dress as he dropped it again.
Veth smiled at the ground. She didn’t want Yeza to think she was laughing at him, but it was a little funny. “Can I try?”
“Not yet.” He fiddled with it longer, and Veth waited until he sighed, a little puff of air against her skin that made her shiver. “All right. I give up.”
She took the chain from him. There was nothing special about the clasp, and in her hands it was closed in half a breath. She turned around to face him, nervous. But he didn’t change his mind and take it back. The metal slowly warmed to match her skin, and Yeza kissed her softly.
“What a fool I am.” He said things like that sometimes, and it made her want to shake him and tell him he was a genius and wrap him up in a blanket at the same time. But this time his tone was light and he didn’t have that furrow between his eyes. “I can’t even work the clasp on a necklace.”
“That’s fine,” Veth told him. “I’d still love you if you couldn’t tie a shoelace.”
He stared at her for so long, brown eyes huge and startled, and she’d wanted to swallow the words back down how she’d swallowed the wine they’d shared the first night he’d kissed her-- really kissed her-- but they were out, dangling in the air between them. She squared her shoulders and stared back.
And then he smiled, really smiled, one of the smiles that made her heart race, and maybe it wasn’t so frightening to have that out in the open after all.
--
They were outside the gate she’d run through a thousand times, but as soon as Yeza had lifted the latch, Veth’s feet had turned to lead. The sweet, spicy smell of the Brenotto family’s famous-- and secret-- stewed hare hung on the frosty air.
“Come on,” Yeza rubbed his hands together. “It’s cold out here.”
She shook her head and pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders. It was old and washed so many times it was more gray than green. The frayed edges were hidden by the darkness of the evening, but as soon as the light inside fell on them, it would be so obvious. “This was a bad idea.”
“My family loves you,” Yeza told her, gentle but firm. “My ma is always telling me to bring you for dinner more. She likes how much you love her stews.”
Veth’s shoulders shook, but not from the cold. “This is different and you know it.” They loved her the way she loved the ragged street cat that lived under her shed, with pity and indulgence, and the firm understanding it would need a solid bath if it were ever to actually come inside.
Yeza closed the gate again and wrapped his arms around her. She felt his breath move her hair and tried to match the rapid rise and fall of her own chest to his. A crownsguard passed by them with a chuckle, but Veth didn’t move.
When the light from his torch faded away, and they were almost alone in the almost-dark once more, Yeza touched her chin and she looked up at him. His eyes, always crinkled at the edges from so many smiles, were serious. “I do know that. And I promise, that if things go wrong tonight, or next week-- if they don’t approve or don’t understand-- I’ll still love you even if they don’t want me too.”
She felt her face scrunching with the effort of not crying. “I want them to want me,” she whispered.
“I know, love.” Yeza’s hands shook a little. “And as much as it’s possible to know what my Ma’s thinking, I believe they do. Really. But they don’t matter.”
Her breath sucked in through her teeth. “Of course they do, Yeza. They’re your family.”
“You matter more.” He sounded so absolutely certain. “Veth, I want to marry you. I’m going to. You come first now, no matter what.”
The Brenatto’s front door opened, spilling light across Yeza’s face. There was no trace of a joke in his eyes. Veth bit her lip and nodded.
Yeza’s younger sister whistled at them-- Veth deeply regretted teaching her how to do that. “If you two stay out there any longer, Ma’s going to have a conniption.”
Yeza laughed then, and Veth found herself smiling along. She let Yeza lead her through the gate, her hand still clasped in his.