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The ocean! Waves lapping the shore, stretching to the horizon and beyond; was it any wonder that the sea called for adventure?
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Alphinaud?” a familiar voice asked.
The young man looked up from his easel to lock eyes with his dearest friend. “That it is, Moonflower. Come, sit with me.”
She sat on the bench with ease, her tail neatly curled onto her lap. “I see you’re painting today.”
He had a sketch on the canvas before him, and was currently working on painting the water. The sketch had a boatful of people riding into the horizon, steered by a competent crew. “I am. I haven’t painted in so long, I began to feel rusty.”
“It doesn’t look that way at all,” she commented, mesmerized by his paintbrush as he dabbled at his canvas. “The water looks so pretty.”
“You flatter me, my friend,” he laughed, and glanced at the sea to check his work. Frowning, he went to add a little more green in the bottom right corner. Moonflower watched with green eyes of a different hue, and he could sense that she had questions on her lips, but she was trying to stay silent for his sake. “I don’t mind if you want to talk.”
Her eyes lit up, relieved and delighted. “Did you learn how to paint when you started sketching? Did you have a teacher?”
“I took a painting class at the Studium.” He blushed, remembering why he had started art in the first place. Wanting to impress girls at eleven by drawing or painting sounds like a rational, mature thing to do, but in fact, it was very stupid. He’d been brilliant at it, of course, as he was in every other subject he took.
“Wow, only one and you’re this good?” Her ears perked up in surprise and she leaned forward to get a better look at the details.
“No, no!” Alphinaud chuckled, his blush dying away—and he hoped she didn’t notice. He didn’t want to admit to his embarrassing, childish thought process. “I took art courses every semester. It was to keep myself sane amidst the heavy amount of coursework we had. Alisaie and I had classes nearly all day most days.”
Moonflower instantly frowned. “Alphinaud, darling, I know you two are smarter than average, but was that really a good idea? You were children! Barely old enough to hunt!”
“We had dreams and determination in spades. We wanted to learn as much as we could as fast as we could, because we were going to help Eorzea just like our grandfather.” He was not going to admit to her that they were often stressed and more than once they grew ill from the workload. It didn’t seem entirely relevant. “Besides, if we hadn’t, you and I wouldn’t have met when we did.”
“That’s true.” She sighed and leaned back to gaze out upon Sharlayan’s port. “I would be unhappy if I didn’t have you.”
Alphinaud fell silent for a minute, but then quietly he replied, “I would be too.”
Moonflower whipped her head around so fast, her braid hit her in the jaw. “What?”
He set his paintbrush down and stared at his hands. He hadn’t expected today of all days to be when he was finally open with her, but it had to be some day, right? One day was as good as any other. So, gathering his courage, he looked her in the eye. “You’re my best friend, Moonflower, and I love you very dearly. I would also be unhappy if I didn’t have you.”
Ugh, feelings! Surely confessing romantic attraction was easier than telling your best friend you cared about her! He never wanted to read another novel about how difficult it was to confess love. Telling Moonflower that he cared was the hardest thing he’d ever had to say, and he’d had many difficult things to say in his life. That was why he’d put it off for so long.
“What’s this all of a sudden?” she asked, and he saw her ears turned back in fear. “Has something happened? It’s not bad, is it?”
Alphinaud ran his paint-smudged hand through his hair in frustrated laughter. “No, I just—I just wanted you to know that I cherish you.”
She tilted her head, her brow still furrowed in concern. “But… but you two don’t talk like that. Is there really nothing wrong? You’re not sick? Is Alisaie sick?”
“Is it really so unbelievable for me to tell you I care about you?” he asked, perplexed.
“You’ve never said ‘I love you’ before,” she pointed out, fiddling with her braid. “I mean, of course you’ve said you care, so I never questioned it, but…”
Heat rose in his cheeks again and he could swear it was spreading to his ears. “I’ve always admired that about you, you know. Your ability to be as open and expressive as you are.”
This finally got her to laugh and shake off the worried expression. “I… well, thank you, dearest. You mean the world to me.”
“I know,” he admitted, toying with his paintbrush now. “It has been on my mind for some time that you didn’t know how much I cared. That your love is returned in full. But… but it’s… not easy to say.”
“The most important things rarely are,” she said, patting his head. Her smile softened when he leaned into it.
“I—I wanted to, in Ultima Thule. Say that I love you and—”
Moonflower visibly swallowed at the reminder; her arm slid off his head to wrap around him and bring him closer to her. “I’m glad you didn’t, Alphinaud. It was already unbearable.”
As he returned her hug, he realized that his face didn’t quite sit in the crook of her neck anymore. He was growing taller, and soon enough he would tower over her. His heart ached at the thought; Moonflower had always been so big and important, a tower, a queen, someone he relied on always. Being taller would change that… would she become small and fragile? Would she not seem so heroic anymore?
Alphinaud squeezed her, wishing those dreaded thoughts away. “I’m here, Moonflower, and I’m not going anywhere.”
They held one another for a few minutes more. The smell of the sea wafted over them along the breeze that stirred their hair and clothes. Eventually, Moonflower kissed the crown of his head and pulled him back to look him in the eyes. “Even if you decide to go on your own adventures someday, I’ll always be with you.”
He held up his right hand, where a golden ring embedded with sapphires and lapis lazuli glittered. It was a gift from months ago, given to him by the very woman in front of him. “I shan’t forget it, Moonflower.”
She smiled, pleased he was wearing her friendship ring, and gestured to the near-forgotten painting. “Do you think you could teach me how to paint?”
“If you would like to learn, my friend, I would be glad to teach you.” Alphinaud brought out a smaller canvas and handed it to her. “Water is not an easy subject, given that it is constantly moving, but if you’d like to at least test out the paints…”
Moonflower took it eagerly and laid it over her lap, as he didn’t have a spare easel. “Thank you, Alphinaud! I’ll try my best!”
They spent the rest of the afternoon painting together, talking about colors and laughing over mistakes. And between them was a friendship bound by glittering morning glories, forged and made beautiful in the direst circumstances.