Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

prompts are based off this post here:

1. As a hello
2. With a hoarse voice, under the blankets
3. A scream
4. Over a cup of tea
5. Over a beer bottle
6. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, the late sunlight glowing in your hair
7. As a thank you
8. As an apology
9. When baking chocolate chip cookies
10. Not said to me
11. With a shuddering gasp
12. When we lay together on the fresh spring grass
13. In a letter
14. A whisper in the ear
15. Loud, so everyone can hear
16. Over and over again, till it’s nothing but a senseless babble
17. When the broken grass litters the floor
18. From very far away
19. With no space left between us
20. As we huddle together, the storm raging outside
21. Over your shoulder
22. Muffled, from the other side of the door
23. Through a song
24. Without really meaning it
25. In a blissful sigh as you fall asleep
26. Broken, as you clutch the sleeve of my jacket and beg me not to leave
27. A taunt, with one eyebrow raised and a grin bubbling at your lips
28. When I am dead
29. Slowly, the words dripping from your tongue like honey
30. Too quick, mumbled into your scarf
31. In awe, the first time you realised it
32. In a way I can’t return
33. On a post-it note
34. Before we jump
35. As a goodbye

these requests were once again requested from my followers on my former FE writing blog, @thisway-imagines. please enjoy!

Chapter Text

Deciding to close the library a little earlier than usual today, Lyon had chose to go home to your shared apartment in anticipation of enjoying a little bit more time with you than usual. He often came home rather late, getting lost in the books or organizing the shelves by himself - and he was always very appreciative of you popping up now and then to bring him lunch or wait for him back at home with dinner prepared already.

As he opened the door to home, Lyon gently called out: “[Name], I’m home!” Setting his bag on the floor so that he could take his shoes off, he was slightly confused to your lack of response - was it perhaps you were outside? You didn’t text him beforehand. When Lyon had removed his shoes, he walked into the hallway into the living room, his feet softly thumping on the wooden tiles of the floor.

And to his relief, there you were.

Lyon found his heart swelling fondly as he saw you napping peacefully on the couch, half-covered by the blanket that you had lazily draped over yourself.  The stray 5PM sunlight that escaped from the curtains shone softly on your face, your hair almost seemingly glowing in Lyon’s love-struck eyes. As you continued to sleep, your beloved couldn’t help himself but to step quietly towards you to place a sweet kiss on your cheek. Nuzzling against the soft pillow you were holding onto, you let out a tired “mmph” as you slowly opened your eyes. Upon seeing Lyon hovering above you, you smiled as you slowly raised your hands up, gesturing him to come closer. He complied with a sweet smile as you pulled him down for a peck on the lips, both of you giggling after he pulled away.

“I love you, [Name],” Lyon said as he gazed at you adoringly, never had appreciating you more than this moment. “I’m gonna go and make dinner, okay?”

Chapter Text

Kliff had already packed all of his belongings up, sighing as he zipped his suitcase up and locked it. The hours were early in the morning (too early, you would groan if you were awake by now), and he gazed down to your peaceful, slumbering figure.

I wish I could stay just a little bit longer… He thought as the temptation of cuddling down next to you started to rise, but he quickly shook it off as he was reminded that he had work to do. The faster I get it done, the more time I can have with [Name]. He settled with that reasoning, planting a gentle kiss on your cheek before he closed the door to your bedroom with a click.

“Oh gods, I woke up late again…!”

You rushed to brush your teeth, spitting it out hastily as you collect water in your hands to wash off the foam and your mouth. Immediately afterwards, you splashed water on your face to wake up; then, you quickly rubbed your face with a towel as you dashed into the closet, pulling out an outfit that would look decent enough for the morning.

You grumbled to yourself as you failed to wake up early once again to wish Kliff a goodbye before he was whisked off to another trip. Curses to that man…! He could’ve at least shaken me awake or something…

Once you had finished dressing yourself up and making yourself look more presentable, you put your shoes on while kicking them into place. Swiftly swiping the keys off your shelf, you lock your apartment behind you and ran as fast as you could to the train station.

Boarding the train to his next destination, he sat himself down on the window seat as he gazed out to the station itself; another sigh had left his lips (was he this tired today already?) as he saw couples tearfully saying goodbye or to those who shared kisses and hugs before the other’s departure. We humans are full of dramatics, he scoffed as he looked away, pulling a book from his bag as an announcement softly rang out that it was about to depart.

As he closed the windows next to him, his gaze started to focus on a certain someone rushing towards the train, barely being able to catch their breath as they ran closer and closer.

And to his very shock, it was you.

“Kliff…!”

Once again opening the window, Kliff stumbled slightly as the train started to move; your eyes widened as the train had started to depart and gain acceleration, now having to run once again to say the words you wanted to desperately say to him.

“[Name], what on earth are you doing here?!” The white-haired man shouted out, stunned but also confused on why you would waste your precious sleep to meet him.

As you tried your best to catch up with the train, you realized that you couldn’t keep this up anymore. This caused you to settle with the next best thing you could do - running the end of the station to see Kliff’s face one last time, you finally stopped dead in your tracks and raised your hands up to your mouth to shout out as loud as you could:

“Kliff, I love you!”

And although the train had left, Kliff could hear your very words loud and clear - his heart thumping wildly in his chest as he flushed madly, hiding his red face away from the passengers around him. You were always so extra.

I love you too, you lovable fool.

Chapter Text

You weren’t being much help, if you were being completely honest right now. Eirika had put you on time-out due to how messy you were being - there was flour everywhere on the counter and floor, when you tried to crack an egg there were little pieces of eggshell in the mix, and so on. Your girlfriend didn’t honestly know if you were being intentionally clumsy, either - but she knew that you really liked to tease her.

…so that was why you weren’t allowed to bake cookies with her. You resorted to sitting on the dinner table, mindlessly talking to her as she prepared the cookies herself.

But as the conversation died down when Eirika had started to mix the ingredients; you couldn’t help yourself but appreciate the simple beauty you found within Eirika’s actions. Now and then, her eyelashes would flutter back and forth as she referred back to the recipe shown on her phone’s screen, her delicate hands cracking the eggs carefully, and how she paid so much attention to getting the right measurements of ingredients needed to make these cookies. There was a flush of labor on her cheeks, her face slightly sweaty due to the summer air outside - but a shimmer of light was cast on her soft, cyan hair as the sunlight casted on her being. She looked so cute whilst mixing all the wet and dry ingredients together - her eyebrows were slightly furrowed together, the tip of her tongue sticking out with concentration, her eyes shining softly-

Your girlfriend was so beautiful.

So beautiful that you had snuck up on her secretly and flicked a little bit of flour on her nose.

“Oh, [Name]-!” She turned around to look at you, an angry pout now apparent on her lips as she stares disapprovingly of your actions. “What’s gotten into you?!”

You stare back at her with such a fond look in your eyes, kissing her cheek gently as you told her: “I just love you so much.”

Never had you seen someone look so adorably angry shift to an expression of meek shyness in mere seconds as Eirika looked away from you, letting out a small hmph! as she continued her work.

She won’t admit it any time soon, but she thought that your little pranks were endearing too.

Chapter Text

Cleaning up the wounds Michalis received after coming back to your home littered with cuts and bruises, you sighed as he winced slightly when you dabbed antiseptic onto his body. You honestly didn’t mind doing this for your lover, but every time you tried to question why Michalis received such injuries he would shake his head and dragged you off to bed. You had never pressed on more than that, but his wounds had seemed a lot more severe than usual today - helping him stand up to guide him to your shower, you told him to clean his wounds gently under the water. As he walked inside, you also quickly pipe out: “Take a shower too, you’re pretty sweaty!”

You sat outside the bathroom door, sighing as you thought about how he looked when he appeared in the front door. Why was he getting into fights nowadays? It wasn’t like him at all… 

What was really the reason why he was being like this?

When Michalis finally stepped out of the bathroom, you rushed to your bedroom to pull out some of the spare clothes Michalis often left at your apartment. Right afterward, you took out your bandages and band-aids from your medical box in order to wrap up his wounds firmly (but not too tightly as to hurt him). It was much easier to mend his injuries without getting flustered from seeing his body now - he had done it too many times, with your reaction now only being unimpressed with how he came back home.

“Michalis…what happened?” You finally asked, breaking through the silence. Your boyfriend answered with a slight huff, replying with a “just another fight, that’s all.”

As you finished wrapping up his arms and sticking band-aids where needed, you pulled away to look at Michalis - unhappy with how roughed up he looked every time he came over to your place. “You always get into fights. You’re getting me worried every time you come over, Mich.” 

He stayed silent in response, only starting to wear his clothes from the pile you left beside him instead. You let out another sigh, wiping away the sweat along your brow. “Well, here you go. Come on now, big boy. Time for bed.”

You outstretched your arm towards him, and he took your hand to help him stand up. Setting yourself down on the bed, you waited for the bed to dip with Michalis’ added weight; throwing your blanket out of its folds, you cover it over you and him and come closer to his warmth for cuddles.

Michalis put an arm over you, inviting you to huddle into him. There were no shared words between you for a while, you two just enjoying each others’ company - but eventually, your boyfriend had grumbled out something.

“They were saying bad things about you back at my place lately. I couldn’t stand for that.”

Opening your eyes slightly to stare up at Michalis’ downward gaze towards you, you smiled softly as you buried your face into his chest.

“I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I love you too.”

Chapter Text

Laying contently on the plush bed, you had cuddled up against Camilla comfortably - your legs crossed together with her smooth ones, bodies pressed against each other closely. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt this relaxed - your workload had been hectic as of late, with you barely finding any time to let loose at all. 

But now here you are, with your girlfriend coming over to your place to crash for the night. Camilla had promised you a night where you could finally kick back and let her pamper you - and your wonderful lover had stayed true to her words. After a night of her making dinner and letting you choose the movie for the night, your drowsiness had started to overcome your need of wanting to stay awake with her.

Camilla giggled when you told her you wanted to stay up even later to enjoy her company - but she only told you that you needed your well-deserved sleep and that she won’t be leaving you any time soon. Kissing your forehead softly, your purple-haired lover reassured you that she would be over for as long as you want her to (in which you responded with a sweet smile which made her heart burst).

Now cuddled up to her warmth, you couldn’t help but get drawn to her intoxicatingly saccharine scent and how her soft wisps of hair brushed gently against your face; you couldn’t believe how you blessed you were by having an angel such as Camilla to be your lover. 

“Hey…my love?” You mumbled out against her neck, making her giggle slightly as the slight movement of your lips and the hot breath of your mouth blew out.

“Yes, [Name]?”

“I love you,” you sighed happily, lethargy taking over your senses as your eyes grew droopy and your breath slow. You had already drifted off to dreamland when she replied the same sentiment back to you - but you didn’t need another reminder after everything Camilla had done for you already.

Chapter Text

It was a quiet moment between you two, lazily lying together in the hammock you recently brought home. It had taken a while to settle on where you wanted to put it - Zelgius had suggested putting it inside the living room, but he finally agreed to set it out in the backyard near the shade. Once you tested it out (and turned out to be successful!) you flopped right onto the hammock, extending your arms out to invite Zelgius into your embrace.

It was too tempting for Zelgius to not deny you of cuddles - and so, he gently settled next to you as you two moved around, trying to find a comfortable position together. Eventually, you two laid against each other happily as you laid on top of him and him underneath you, both sighing blissfully together by each other’s presence.

You were the one who had suggested to buy the hammock in the first place. The weather had been beautiful lately - the cool, summer wind blowing against you two as the puffy clouds continued to drift slowly through the skies, the sun shining gently on your faces, the shade of the trees providing relief for the two of you - it was rare for you to ever have such perfect weather where you came from, so you wanted to savor these days as much as you could with the love of your life besides you.

Zelgius was just as gorgeous, you had to admit. As you gazed at his face, he seemed to glow under faded sunlight - you took notice of his soft hair blowing softly to the wind, expression content and relaxed. You had never really noticed how your lover seemed to look like during days like these - in your eyes, you had honestly never seen anyone look more perfect than Zelgius.

Eventually, Zelgius had taken notice of your stares - opening one eye to look at you, Zelgius softly asked: “What are you up to, [Name]?”

“M’just admiring you,” you mumbled back, coming down to lie your head inside the crook of his neck, “it’s your fault for looking so handsome, y’know.”

Zelgius only laughed softly, bringing a hand up to brush the stray strand of hair behind your ear. Nuzzling his cheek further on yours, he brought his lips up to whisper quietly to you: “I love you.”

Unable to hide your grin against the skin of his neck, you replied back with an ‘I love you too’.

Chapter Text

Zelgius stared at you intently as you measured the ingredients with care, wanting to soak in as much information as possible. He had never tried baking before, if he was being completely honest - you were the one who always roped him into such activities. You only quirked an eyebrow at your boyfriend, smiling at how cute he looked when focused. Poking his cheek with one of your flour-ed fingers, Zelgius flinched slightly as he moved away. You laughed softly, asking him if he saw anything he fancied.

“Forgive me. It wasn’t my intention to stare so intensely,” your lover apologized, and you quickly added: “Hehe, I didn’t mean it like that! You’re so focused over me measuring some stuff. Do you perhaps want a role in this as well?”

Taken back, Zelgius looked down at you as he considered the preposition. “I haven’t done anything like this ever, though,” he replied to your question, looking somewhat unsure at all the ingredients you had displayed out on the kitchen counter. You simply waved your hand dismissively, grinning: “That doesn’t get you a ticket out of my offer! C’mon, I know my Zelgius tries every challenge that is ahead of him!”

As a result, he was roped into one of your usual tricks again. For every little demonstration you did in front of him, you made him continue in your steps as you watched him approvingly. Your boyfriend was surprisingly good for just a beginner (and you weren’t no baker either) - it was also a good thing you had him around for mixing the ingredients together! Taking a little bit of batter on your finger, you let out a small “aah!” as you motioned it towards Zelgius’ mouth. Although his face was a bit red at your actions, his face melted into a warm smile at how good the batter was.

As you two sat down to wait for the cookies to finish baking, you hugged Zelgius from behind and cheerily said: “Good job, hon! That was all you today, and I can’t be prouder!” He chuckled in reponse, leaning up to place a kiss against your cheek. Zelgius’ lips continued to linger at your face, murmuring out: “I also had a pretty good mentor.”

A warmth spread through your cheeks at his sweet words, feeling joyfully content at the simple moments you could share with your beloved.

“I love you, Zelgius!”

“And I can’t ask for someone better than yourself, [Name].”

Chapter Text

Alm was being especially sweet today.

Before any of this had happened, you were only flicking through the pages of your textbook - you had exams for a certain class coming up soon, so you decided to brush up a little bit on your knowledge before properly taking notes as a refresher. You had sprawled all over the couch, pillows supporting your back and your blanket hanging from your lap - the atmosphere was far too cozy for you to actually study, but you tried nonetheless.

Hearing the door open from your entrance, you knew it was Alm from the way you heard his bag fall with a soft thud on the floor and the sounds of him kicking off his shoes hastily. You smiled - he was always so eager to come home to see you. As you opened up your mouth to say “Welcome home!”, he had ran up to you - tackling you further into the couch as you let out a surprised yelp.

Here you were now, with Alm nuzzling up to your face before he started to peck you all over your face - your studies long forgotten. You couldn’t stop giggling from his actions - either could you stop your cheeks warming and your heart melting at his affections. Not wanting to be the only one to get kissed like this, you waited until Alm took a pause for a moment; when he did, you immediately flipped him over on the couch so you could be on top of him and start your barrage of kisses. Now it was his turn to giggle, the sounds of your shared laughter and joy filling up the room.

It was when you decided to get a little more mischievous the atmosphere grew more amorous - your kisses had started to travel downward, softly pressing against your lover’s neck. He had started to let out little gasps, ticklish and sensitive to your touch. “I love you,” he gasped out when you kissed at the very right spot, shuddering when your hands trailed below his shirt, with every second becoming more daring as it passed…

You were very keen on returning his love.

Chapter Text

Peering through your curtains as you opened them up slightly, you spoke out: “It’s raining pretty badly out there tonight.”

You sighed, turning around to flop onto the bed that Ike had already been laying on. Turning to face his side, you puffed out your cheeks and pouted. Raising an eyebrow, Ike inquired: “What is wrong is a little rain?”

“A little rain? Aw, boo, Ike - I was gonna go out and get some snacks from the store nearby… but if it’s raining like this, I can’t get any at all!”

A loud crackle of thunder suddenly boomed through the area, causing you to jump slightly out of shock. Your pout turned to a small frown as you whined out even more: “And now it’s even storming outside! How laaaame!”

Your boyfriend didn’t really return any of your sentiments as he continued to look at you, fondness apparent in his eyes as a small smile pulled on Ike’s lips. Your childishness was always so cute to him. When you stared back at Ike again, you felt your heart become a little bit softer as he pulled you in a for a hug - and so you sighed, scooting even closer to Ike so he could hold you tighter.

“But at least I have you,” you simply said as you wrapped your arms around him, breathing in his comforting, wooden musk. “Times like these call for perfect napping weather too!” You giggled as you felt him chuckle softly, the rumble of his chest and the gentleness of his voice soothing you.

“Indeed it does,” Ike pressed his lips against your cheek, and rested his head above yours as he buried his face into the messiness of your hair. “I love you, [Name].”

“And I love you just as much, Ike,” you mumbled against his neck, slumber eventually whisking you away into happy dreams.

Chapter Text

He felt like he couldn’t breathe. In that moment when he heard that monstrous boom! of thunder, Reyson jolted awake from your shared bed - his heart was pounding out of his ribcage, the air feeling too entirely suffocating, the warmth of the sheets too hot for his liking.

Upon hearing the rustling next to you, you drowsily woke up to the sound of ragged breathing and the feeling of the bed frame shaking slightly. In the dimness of the bedroom, you could barely make out a dark figure sitting up, letting out small, muffled sounds of an emotion you couldn’t quite decipher in your sluggish head -

A flash of lightning illuminated through the cracks of the curtain, and you caught a moment of your lover looking paler than he already was. He seemed so small, so scared, so terrified -

Boom!

You jump at the sudden noise, hearing Reyson let out a violent jolt and a suppressed gasp of fear. Realizing that he was frightened by the thunder, you cursed yourself for not knowing sooner; immediately, you pulled yourself up from your lying position to turn on the bedside lamp. Upon hearing and seeing the lights flash in the room, Reyson snapped his head to face you, opening his mouth to utter out a weak apology - but you simply leaned against your lover’s back, your arms wrapping around his torso as you nuzzled your head against the crook of his neck.

“It’s okay, Rey… I’ve got you,” you spoke somewhat hoarsely (you had barely woken up, but it didn’t matter - he was your highest priority before anything else); Reyson leaned back against you further, feeling the soft sensation of you on him and memorizing your comforting scent as if to distract himself from his fears. You slowly pulled him back under the covers again, with his back nestled perfectly against your front - settling him into a position where he could feel safe, you continued to murmur sweetly against his hair: “The thunder can’t get you now, I promise. It’ll have to go through me first.”

And despite him still shaking, Reyson let out a weak smile at your words. “Would you like your earphones to listen to some music, dear?” You offered, but felt him shaking his head as his locks of hair brushed against your face. Smiling gently at his actions, you put an arm over his torso to find one of his free hands to lace your fingers together - and once you did, you uttered out a soft “I love you.”

And although he couldn’t still find the strength to reply back, you knew he loved you too as he squeezed your hand a little tighter.

Chapter Text

Soft, stray beams of sunlight peeked through your curtains, shining dimly against your face as you fluttered your eyes open, vision blurry and mind hazy. Letting out a small, muffled moan from shuffling slightly underneath the bedsheets, you realized you were firmly being wrapped by Python next to you (who, to your fond amusement, was still snoring softly).

Pulling the sheets away that covered his face, there was just a moment where you laid there to admire your handsome lover - you always felt at ease looking at Python’s tousled, soft hair (he always had worse bedhead than you, to his dismay and your utter joy), the relaxed expression he wore, and the steady rise of his chest as hot breaths of air blew gently against your face. Pulling one of your hands from beneath the blanket, you ran your fingers through your beloved’s hair down to his jaw, the corners of your lips quirking into a smile as you were reminded to tell him he needed to shave again. Your eyes trailed down to where his neck peeked out from the covers, showing off part of the intricate designs of the tattoos he had gotten - you had always told your lazy lover that he was a work of art, just like the art pieces painted across his body. There would always be a smirk on his face, some pink also apparent on his cheeks - and you smiled in bed, thinking of the way that he would gently kiss you whenever you paid him those compliments.

As your fingers trailed further to his neck to mindlessly trace the patterns of his tattoos, there was a disturbance in Python’s breathing as he stopped snoring and grunted quietly at the faint sunlight in his eyes. It took him a while until he opened one of his eyes, and through his bleary vision, he saw you innocently stare up at him as a smile graced your adoring expression. Grumbling slightly, Python pulled you closer and covered your faces with the blanket again, huskily asking: “Why…are you up this early…?”

His voice sent a small shiver up your spine, and Python smirked when he could feel you tense up in his arms. “It was just the sun,” you mumbled back, kissing the corner of his mouth before you pulled back to add: “Plus, I get more time to admire you.”

Letting out a warm chuckle, Python pecked your lips and buried his face against your ruffled hair. “Dork,” he said hoarsely (but so tenderly), his eyes once growing heavier once again as he was enveloped in your warmth. “I love you.”

“Mmm,” you nuzzled back against his neck, feeling right at home as you were lulled into another nap when you cuddled next to the love of your life.

Chapter Text

“[Name], where is all the food in the house supposed to be?!”

Although you were in the middle of a freezing winter, there were pressing errands you had neglected to do (there wasn’t a real excuse to not do them, and when Grima had pressed reasons from you, you finally admitted that the cold had caused you to loaf at home for too long). And on one of those errands, you were supposed to go out and get food for you two…

“I can’t believe your incompetence has continued on even ’till today,” he grumbled, flicking your nose softly as you flinched away - however, despite his rough words, Grima couldn’t stop his cheeks from darkening as a soft smile adorned your sheepish expression (he always thought you were made of magic for being able to make his heart burst out of his chest, the swirls of butterflies seemingly appearing out of nowhere and the warmth of a cozy fireplace suddenly lit with your damned smiles). Shaking his head as he pulled away from you, Grima pinched the bridge of his nose before grabbing your wrist and dragging you to the entrance of your home. Letting out a sound of confusion, your lover quickly cut you off: “Get dressed now, quickly. I’m getting food, and you’re going with me,” there was a tone of finality in his voice, firm and slightly gruff. “No complaints.”

Pulling on his signature purple cloak and taking a scarf hanging from the hangers at your entrance, Grima stared back at you as you fumbled with your own coat and sweater, pulling on your own boots with haste in order to catch up with his pace. Once you patted yourself down and looked up to Grima, his eyes seemed fond when your hair was ruffled from the way you put on your clothes; his hands ran through your hair to straighten them down slightly again, and then offered one of them for you to take (and who were you to not take one of these rare chances?).

As you walked side-by-side together, you started to regret your hurried choice of clothing as the frosty winds blew against your flushed cheeks - the chill brushing against your exposed neck like icy, caressing fingers. Suppressing a shiver that went down your spine, you exhaled softly through your mouth, letting out small puffs of hot air before sniffing quietly. Your little actions didn’t go unnoticed by your boyfriend, who turned to your side as he stared at you with an unimpressed look on his face. Sighing, Grima stopped walking as he pulled you closer to him; his hands came up to feel your cold cheeks, patting them softly as he grumbled under his breath. “Forgetful as always, it seems,” he said as he unwrapped the warm scarf around his neck. “Keep this for now - and don’tforget to give it back later.”

Despite the sharpness of his words, there was still a tender look on Grima’s face as he swaddled your face and neck with the material - quickly, your senses were overcome by the familiar scent of old books and faded, musky cologne, reminiscent of the smell that you would be surrounded by when Grima’s held you in his holds. The very thought of your lover being this selfless for such a person like you made your heart race and red cheeks turn even darker - memories of your first encounters with Grima came flooding back as you remembered the genuine harshness behind his words, the terrible arguments you would get into due to the differences between you two, the unbreakable barrier that he had built as if to close off and ward you away from the danger that was him-

And to see all the hard work you both went through to be able to achieve something like this, you couldn’t help but to feel embarrassed under the unfamiliar (yet not unwelcome) care. There was a strong warmth radiating within your heart, urging you to say the words you’d kept yourself from saying for so long now-

“I love you.”

It had come out too briskly, too faintly due to your shyness - eyes adverted away from Grima, you turn away as if to not look at the satisfied smirk he would have on his face upon getting such a reaction from you.

But to your surprise, when you finally managed to glance back at him again, his face was an unexpected pink - Grima’s eyes were wide, as if trying to process the words that you just said. That was the very saying he never expected someone to even tell him (he knew he was unlovable, his hatred for humanity present and obvious) - and yet here you were, unbelievably in love with him in spite of the sins he had committed in the past. One of his hands came up to smother his flustered expression from you while the other snatched your hand again, promptly pulling you to where the nearest grocery shop was located.

“Don’t get too used to it!” Grima snapped, his face turned around to prevent you from noticing his pale skin turning crimson from your adorable actions. There was hope in your heart as the memory continued to linger throughout your mind, now looking forward to many more to come in your future with Grima. But for now, all you could really do was stumble alongside him as you kept up with his pace, smiling under the scarf as you relished in such small, yet significant moments like these.

Chapter Text

Letting out a tired groan, you started to wake up as one of your hands slowly came up to wipe off the crust that had collected in the corner of your eyes. You let out a weak cough, shuffling in bed slightly as you mumbled out: “Where am I?”

Sitting up to get a better sense of your bearings, you felt your entire muscles weigh down against you and your breathing labored - it took you a while to be reminded that you had gotten run down by a cold, your mind still hazy from the heavy nap that you just woke up from. You continued to zone out for a while as you ran your fingers through your messy hair, smoothing it down to the best of your abilities as you tried to look somewhat presentable so you could go outside to get a drink. But right as you started to peel your sheets off the bed, the door to your bedroom gently creaked open - and there Zelgius was, a cup of water and some medicine on one hand as the other held the doorknob.

“Ah, [Name]. I see you have woken up - good timing, you need to take your medicine right now anyway.”

What a blessing this man was.

Pulling a nearby chair next to your bed, Zelgius settled himself down as he gave you the glass of water. When you took it (gratefully) away from his hands, he looked at you with somewhat amused eyes as you drank the water down greedily (your throat felt incredibly dry - it was so hard communicating with what felt like sand in your voice). Shaking a pill out from its bottle, Zelgius nudged his hand against yours to pause you from drinking; you soon took the pill from his hand and swallowed it alongside the rest of the water, finishing it off as you wiped your wet lips dry.

“Thank you, Zelgius,” you hoarsely said, smiling as you sniffed towards him thankfully. “You’re really a godsend, y’know that?”

There was mirth in his eyes and a small chuckle rumbling in his throat - even though you were sick, the cuteness of your actions never changed.

“Yes, I know,” there was a great tenderness within his smile as he stared down at you, his hand coming up to brush away the stray hair that had fallen on your flushed face. “What would you ever do without me, I wonder?”

“I dunno - probably dragging my corpse around the house, perhaps?” You replied back with a weak laugh, but it soon caused you to cough as you turned away from Zelgius. A shiver ran down your spine as you felt yourself become cold, once again pulling your once discarded sheets onto your body. You continued: “I’d probably be really cold without you, actually.”

A quirk of his eyebrows was raised. “Is that an invitation of sorts, [Name]?”

“Maybe,” there was a teasing, yet puppy-dog-eyed expression on your face, silently hoping that Zelgius would dip into the bed with you.

A sigh escaped from your lover’s lips, standing up to walk over to the other side of your bed before he stood there waiting for you to lift the sheets. You couldn’t mask the delighted grin that appeared on your face, immediately scooting over to make room for Zelgius to dip in the bed with you. Once you felt his added weight next to yours, his arms pulled you closer into the warmth of his being (man, who needed a heater when you had your very own portable warmer right next to you?).

“Hehe, I love you,” you spoke softly to him, reveling in the glow of his arms as you came closer to eliminate the space between you two. “I can’t ask for anyone better who still takes care of me when I’m grumpy and runny nosed.”

You brought another round of affectionate laughter from Zelgius. “I love you too, no matter how grumpy and runny nosed you get.”

Chapter Text

“Are you ready?”

Lukas’ voice snapped yourself away from your reverie, your vision once again focusing on your lover in front of you. In his arms was a box of his belongings, his eyes looking down at your crouched figure in slight concern.

Blinking for a moment, you stared down to where your hands were - your fingers were loosely holding a photo from the past, the very photo that sent you into a daydream in the first place as you were in the middle of packing. As you fumbled to think of a reply, he sighed and gave you a reassuring smile.

“It’s alright. We still have some more time left - get some rest.”

Once he finished speaking, Lukas disappeared away outside the door with his box as you let out your own sigh as you stared back at the photo. Finally placing it back into the box, you closed the flaps down in order to tape the box securely. Patting your taping work down, you realized that that was the last box you had to finish packing; a sound of relief escaped your lips as you slumped onto the floor as you closed your eyes, finally having some time to take in the weight of the present.

You were moving.

Moving in with Lukas, somewhere unfamiliar and new.

Moving forward with your future…

…and away from your past.

You opened your eyes once again, eyes meeting with the plainness of the ceiling above you. Were you ready for any of this?

A sudden rush of emotions wash over you as you recall the memories of the past - the laugh of your friends as you stared at where your couch had been, where the kitchen table was where you sat there working on everything, looking towards the door to your bedroom where you shared many nights of solitude and doubts - and now to leave all of this behind? It felt scary.

And it was scary.

To leave all of these memories behind all of you was not something to move on from - there had been so much you’d done in this quaint, little place. But when you think of Lukas, well…

He had (and still has) been a blessing.

You couldn’t remember being happier with anyone else than Lukas - you could vividly remember the dark blush of your cheeks when he had bashfully told you he had held affections for you for a while now, love and adoration all flooding your senses all at once. He was the one who filled in the gaps in between the crevices of your heart, warmth weaving back the holes wholly, your soul practically melded into his as he whispers sweet nothings to you in those late nights; the thought of Lukas never left your mind throughout the months and years that passed by his side, his smiles and laughter bringing daydreams into the middle of the day. Your heart fluttered when you felt Lukas so nearby you - his hold on you tender, his voice huskily murmuring into your ear - you felt so vulnerable but indescribably happy by his side, and you just-

Cutting off your thoughts abruptly, you slapped your two hands against your face to silence the trail of endless thoughts that came crashing down on you; but the time provided for you to ponder on Lukas’ question was far than enough for you to provide an answer. Slowly getting yourself up into a standing position, you took one final good look of your house and then finally picked up the final box - Lukas must be outside waiting.

As you appeared outside the front door, your lover turned back to see your figure walking up with your belongings as he gave you a soft smile. You returned it as he took the box away from you, a “thank you” leaving your lips as he comes to place it into the truck. After you waited for him to finish talking to the other driver, you felt a hand come up to lace fingers with your own, Lukas looking into the distance as you stared at him quietly.

“I love you,” he said, turning back to face you - the words reverent as the gentle look on his face solidified all the decisions you needed to make, ready to jump into the next part of your future with the one you had come to love the most.

I’m ready.

Chapter Text

Life with your beloved Forsyth was always hectic, you had to admit.

Forsyth was an incredibly hard worker, but he was also the type to miss out a lot of the smaller things when he was focused on one goal - and unfortunately, his health was considered to be one of the things he usually forgets about. Sometimes you’d hear him come back home complaining that he was hungry because he forgot to bring lunch, or forget to bring an extra jacket to help protect him from the cold - and if he ever came back sick, then you were the one to nurse him right up again, enjoying yourself to a sight of red-nosed Forsyth and blushy cheeks when he’d be embarrassed under your care.

While you did enjoy coddling your boyfriend often, you couldn’t help but feel worried over him often - you had tried telling Forsyth to take care of himself better by taking it slower in the mornings as he prepared for work. And bless his heart, he really does try for your sake.

But slow? That was not a word in his vocabulary. 

It was winter already, and despite how cold it was, Forsyth always had excess energy for any task he had in front of him. He’d be up at 5:30AM sharp to his alarm despite the cold, dark weather outside, plant a small kiss against your temple, and head out to cook both of you some breakfast. You’d wake up to the scent of food in the morning, the delightful smell filling up the air in your home. But when you had managed to get yourself up to enjoy breakfast with him, Forsyth ran back into the bedroom (while also slightly knocking you over in the process, but he quickly turned back to say a hushed sorry!) to prepare himself for the day.

You could only look at the trail left behind him and smile at your beloved. Some things never change, it seemed.

Sitting yourself down on a chair, you started to enjoy breakfast set up Forsyth earlier on. The toast was still hot, your favorite cereal was already poured into a bowl… the small things he did for you brought warmth to your heart. When it came down to you, Forsyth never seemed to forget anything about yourself - while pouring milk into your bowl, you were reminded of the times when he surprised you with your favorite drink from the local coffee shop, baked your favorite pastries during your first Christmas together, suddenly bringing home random gifts that reminded him of you… sighing to yourself, you shook your head with a soft smile gracing your lips as you’re reminded of all the things he had done for you already.

Suddenly, the door to your bedroom closed shut as you heard rushed footsteps and a flash of green running toward the entrance of your apartment, Forsyth sitting himself on the floor to put his socks and shoes on. You rose from your spot as well, coming over to say goodbye to your boyfriend before he headed out - and as soon as Forsyth saw you, a grin burst out from his face and he leaned upwards to plant a smooch against your lips.

“I’ll be going now.”

Taking his coat from the hanger, he shrugged it onto himself as he took the keys and unlocked the door. Cool wind entered inside the house as both of you shivered, and as Forsyth was about to leave for work, you suddenly realized-

“Wait, honey!”

Shocked from your loud outburst, he turned back to see you running toward the hanger to retrieve something. And despite the cold outside, you hastily put on some slippers before coming over to his side with your scarf on hand.

“Oh, [Name]-“ Forsyth started, but he was silenced when you wrapped it around his neck and covered around his nose when you finished up. “You have to stay warm, Forsyth! It’s especially cold today according to the weather forecast,” you said to him as you shivered, showing proof to him that it was extra cold today, “I can’t have you bringing a cold back here, okay?”

Feeling his face turn red and warmer than he should be, Forsyth was immobilized for a few seconds at your sweet actions until your voice snapped himself out of his reverie again, feeling you nudge him slightly forward outside. “Time to go, mister! You can’t be late either.”

But before he missed out the chance, Forsyth turned to look at you one last time before he departed. Your stare was curious when he stared at you back nervously, your mouth about to open and ask if he was okay-

“I love you!” Hastily spilling out those words, he pulled your scarf down a little from his face so that he could plant a small kiss on your cheek - and before you could react, he had already ran away so he could catch his bus.

“… I love you too, Forsyth.” And even though he couldn’t hear you, he already knew that you loved him very much as well.

Chapter Text

This was the least wanted scenario Alfonse wanted to encounter with you.

The night had continued to escalate as the party continued to get rowdier and rowdier with drunken college students, with Anna being the queen of the living room as she sloppily sang into her straightener (where in everyone’s hazy minds thought that it was a microphone), Sharena loudly cheering amongst the small crowd that had formed around the TV, and you clapping happily alongside everyone else. The chances of getting near you seemed impossible with how possibly loud everyone was shouting (not to mention with the addition of the drunken, unholy belting of lyrics that left Anna’s mouth) - you couldn’t possibly hear his voice calling out for you amongst the chaos of the room. Sighing somewhat to himself, Alfonse internally beat himself up as he stood in the corner of the room, staring at the party that was buzzing in front of him.

Sharena had been the person to drag him into this mess in the first place - and he didn’t know why he was so easily persuaded in the first place. He remembered clearly how his sister was hiding behind those teasing eyes and mischievous smirk as he sighed loudly, about to ask what she was doing until she spurted out: “Y’know, [Name]’s coming to Anna’s party, riiiiiight?”

“S-Sharena, what do you mean by that?!”

That was his response back then - vehemently denying and rejecting any of the implications Sharena had for him, refusing the very idea she proposed. And yet, here he was - in a party he didn’t want to be in, staring into the crowds alone. Did he come for you? He definitely did not. He was just… looking after his baby sister. Just in case something happens.

(And yes, that was a half-truth - Alfonse knew he was the biggest liar on the planet, his eyes betraying his words as he constantly scanned the party in hopes of catching a glimpse of you and stole glances toward your direction.)

Somewhere amidst his thoughts, he felt himself being pulled back into reality when Alfonse felt a rough pull against his arm, the drink held in his hand somewhat spilling on the floor as he adjusted his hand at a new angle so the liquid wouldn’t fall - turning upward to face the perpetrator that had caused him to spill his drink, Alfonse let out a groan as Sharena’s peppy, pink-ish (no doubt from the alcohol, he thought) face appeared in his line of vision.

“What is it now, Sharena?” He asked incredulously, a bit surprised that Anna’s singing session was cut short. The little sister could only giggle and drag her brother to another room, where his face flared when he saw you sitting on the floor in a circle (for how long did he even daydream for?) amongst another crowd, a green bottle in the middle. Immediately, he grew even more embarrassed when he realized what was going on, but his sister was strong - Sharena managed to jolt Alfonse down next to a random person in the circle, her sloppy voice whispering “You go get ‘er, Alf!”.

And this was how he ended up in the situation - with him crushed underneath you in this dim closet, your faces a breath away, and the only light source coming from the creaks of the locked door. 

And unfortunately for Alfonse, it gave you the total view of how flustered he was below you.

His heart was beating faster than ever - and he already thought it was impossible to beat that when the bottle had pointed at him on the first spin. And when the bottle spun at you on the second go…

…he was screaming even louder inside of his head, moreso when Sharena had sat him down in the circle.

Alfonse really didn’t like it here in this closet - he honestly was thinking of a more romantic way to ask you out, not in some stupid party while you caught him extremely flustered amongst the crowd. His mind was in a full panic when Gunnthrá dragged both of you to the closet, while you looked positively excited for the moment to come (of course he didn’t notice - he was too stuck in his own thoughts again). And now while both of you are stuck here for 7 minutes, Alfonse was scrambling to think of anything to say, just anything, not just sit here and sweat, gods, what should he do-

“Alfonse?”

The boy snapped his head towards you, his shy, wide-eyed face looking at you nervously. 

“Y-Yes?”

“You know, there was something your sister told me. You have a secret to tell me, don’t you?”

He gulped. Did you know?

“Whatever do you mean? I’m sure my sister was just babbling on about again, haha-”

Damn, he thought, my voice shouldn’t have wavered so much there-

Despite how dark it was, the lighting still allowed him to see you shake your head, your hands coming up to cup his face softly as you seemed to put your face closer to his - Alfonse’s breath hitched even further as he felt your warm breath against his, your scent undeniably sweet…

“Tell me. I want to hear it for myself.”

This was his chance.

“I…”

And even though it wasn’t the moment he wanted it to be, Alfonse took your hand and laced it with his, bringing the back of your hand to his lips. 

And even though he knew you could see his blushing face, he couldn’t afford to lose this moment to tell you.

And even though he didn’t manage to say the words as confidently as he had recited back at home, gods be damned if he didn’t try anyway-!

“I love you!”

At his outburst, you burst out into soft laughter - and Alfonse could feel his heart sink with dread, his eyes immediately averting away from yours as if ashamed from what he had just done. Perhaps this was all a mistake, something that he really shouldn’t have done. Gods, why was he such a fool? You were way out of his league, and-

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that, Alfie? I love you too, so so much, you dork.”

And while it really wasn’t the ideal situation, Alfonse got what he wanted anyway.

And he couldn’t be any happier to hear those words from your mouth.

Chapter Text

“Doctor, there must be some way for you to do something with her health-!”

Shaking with desperation, your eyes searched the doctor’s in front of you as you anxiously waited for a response - any response - from him at this point. But your vision was turning blurry from the tears that couldn’t stop themselves from falling, the grim expression on the doctor’s face doing nothing to ease your grief any longer.

“I’m afraid we’ve done as much as we could for her - with her stability right now, we believe she’s only got a few months to live left…”

Everything he said next was clouded in your head, each word becoming foggy and muddled into your head as images of Fjorm flooded your head - her soft smiles warming your heart, blonde locks of hair tickling your neck, gentle fingers lacing with yours as you felt the cool seep into your hand-

All of that was going to be lost.

A large wail escaped from your lips, the doctor’s words now lost from his tongue as the hospital fell almost silent to hear you grief in agony for that moment in time.

“I assume you know, right?”

Fjorm’s hand was in yours as your fingers were loosely intertwined (you also noticed how colder her hands were now - both of you knew the implications, but it was too unbearable to discuss until now), her weak gaze coming to look at your tired form crumpled on top of her bed. Not seeing you perk up from your position, her fingers then traveled up to your face to caress your cheek gently, rubbing at the warmth of it - that was when you leaned against her touch, letting out a miserable mmph.

“…I’m sorry it turned out this way.”

Her words chilled you, as if she thought everything was her fault - it was all wrong, it wasn’t her fault, fate was being cruel, it didn’t have to turn out this way, it could’ve been so much better-

“It isn’t your fault!”

Your outburst didn’t stop her from her actions, Fjorm still staring down at you with the gentle gaze from before. She always had such a loving look in her eyes when she looked at you no matter the situation, your heart aching every time when she does so - you could tell that the sickness was affecting her from the way her hair was duller in the sunlight, skin paler than it was before (your heart tightened, for she was even paler than snow)-

But her eyes never changed, still shining brilliantly despite everything that has transpired. They were everything you needed to see to know that she still feels guilty for making such a big sacrifice.

“Do you remember the bucket list we made as kids…?”

You placed your head on her lap, reveling against her soft body (you had to enjoy it as much as you could now).

A pause.

“Yes.”

“Could you… take me to all those places? For one last time, [Name]?”

You burrowed your face further against her stomach, trying hard to fight away the tears that threatened to spill and the burn felt in your throat.

“One last time.”

As you wheeled her down the rocky, muddy path, you worried and fretted over her every time she went through a harsh bump or got stuck in the mud. And yet, despite everything, her face still held a serene expression - her smile soft as she looked around the familiar surroundings, admiring the blooming flowers and nature flourishing around her. Feeling the wind blow against you two, Fjorm closed her eyes.

And while she was admiring everything around her, you were there admiring her peaceful face. You always found her so incredibly beautiful, no matter the circumstance.

“I’m so glad to have been here one last time with you, [Name].”

You heard Fjorm’s voice call out to you softly, but whenever the words “one last time” uttered out from her lips, you couldn’t help but feel a lump wedged in your throat appears.

And so you don’t reply.

“We’re here.”

In front of you was a clear spotting of the fields, with the grass swaying against the winds and the trees providing shade and shelter to those underneath. The flowers were blooming positively bright this spring, the creatures rustling in the bushes. You had never seen it more alive than it was right now - and you felt Fjorm perking up with excitement.

Everything came back to you at that very moment. You could see images and memories flashing past your eyes as you saw a younger version of you and Fjorm spending time together in this very same spot. The games of tag, the joyful laughter, collapsing next to each other after a playtime session, staring up at the clouds and shaping them into animals and objects… it was her you found your happiness in, and you felt yourself starting to shake.

Please don’t take her away. Please don’t take her away. Please don’t take her away.

I need her. Please. Please. Please-! 

“Could you help me down and join me?” She held your hand as if asking for help, and it snapped you out from your thoughts completely - it took you a moment to lace your fingers together with her. Helping her up from her chair, you picked her figure up from the chair (she was so cold, so frail, so delicate) and carried her close against your body. You wanted to protect her so badly, her soft and gentle aura always able to sooth you down - and yet…

Placing her down on the fresh grass, the blonde-haired girl sighed blissfully as she stretched her limbs to the best of her abilities and visibly relaxed there. Fjorm then turned to look at you, patting the space next to her with her hand.

“You’re so absentminded today, [Name],” she smiled. “Please come and join.”

“Oh, sorry - of course,” you fumbled with your words, unable to form any other better apology than that.

As you sat down and eventually laid down next to her, you felt her hand once again coming to meet yours, her cold fingers lacing together with your warm ones. You two stayed in silence together like this, staring at the magnificent clouds above you.

Eventually, you saw her hand move up to point at a cloud.

“Don’t you think that looks like an owl? A snowy, white one,” she was pointing and outlining the shape of the cloud for you to see, and you followed her movements. “She wants you to be happy.”

“H-happy?” You asked, turning over to look at her.

“Yes. And I want you to be happy.”

“Fjorm, I-” you started, but-

“[Name],” the love of your life looked at you, her eyes looking sad. “I know that you’re devastated. I know that… seeing me like this hurts you.”

You swallowed audibly, fighting the lump against your throat that keeps appearing.

“I’m so sorry that I can’t be with you here physically anymore in due’s time. I… want to be by your side if I could, forever,” she smiled, turning over to cup your face. “But I can’t. So promise me something… just this one thing.”

You took your free hand and placed it over hers against your face. “Anything.”

“Please be happy.”

Tears were starting to freely flow from your face.

“I know you won’t be happy immediately. But I want you to be happy after… everything. I want you to feel the happiness we shared when we were children, the happiness when you were by my side, and just happiness. You deserve so much more, and of course… I’ll always be looking over you. You have my word.”

Throughout her talking, you found yourself urging closer to Fjorm until you found yourself sobbing against her neck - you felt so strongly for the girl, and to have her leave the world so soon was too cruel. In response, she could only pat your back in return, whispering “I love you” over and over again…

… for it was the last time you could ever spend time like this ever again.

Chapter Text

Lukas never really understood the feelings he felt when he was around you.

There was something about you that made him so indescribably curious about you - and he couldn’t exactly pinpoint it. You had been one of his closest friends for a while now, and you two would often hang out at the flower shop he owned. These feelings had only started to grow stronger as the years passed with you helping as an assistant in his small shop - and around that time, Lukas had also started to notice the small little details that you’d do.

He thought you looked absolutely beautiful no matter what you were doing. During the quieter moments of the store as you two worked hard to prepare many bouquets for the orders placed, Lukas adored how focused you looked when being so incredibly careful with the flowers. He’d notice the little quirk in your eyebrows, the dedication in your eyes, how your tongue slightly peeked out from your mouth in concentration… he found it irresistibly charming. He loved seeing you interact with customers, and how you have grown more confident over the months after working with him - Lukas always felt so proud of you when he saw a satisfied customer walking out with their flowers that you made. You were always able to spread joy to everyone in his eyes, and of course, that was including him too.

Those weren’t the only things he paid attention to. There would be smaller moments where you two would share a meal together during your breaks, engaging in soft conversation with each other. The red-haired man always found himself wanting to smile around you - and try to make you smile as well. He found the quirk of your soft lips so precious, radiating a certain kindness he couldn’t find elsewhere. And even if you were clumsy with your food or do little mess ups, Lukas couldn’t help but laugh at how cute you were everyday. 

He couldn’t think of a time where you didn’t make him smile. Having your presence around the shop always helped to improve his mood significantly, for your silly laugh sounded like a sweet melody to his ears, your pretty face made him felt soft for you every time, every single little thing about you he found so incredibly charming.

You were his source of happiness everyday, and his thoughts would always trail back to you no matter what time it was.

“You love [Name], don’t ya you ginger stud?”

What?

Python and Forsyth came over to Lukas’ store one afternoon, bringing lunch over to share with him. You were sick that day, so you were unable to join in with the three - but this only left the chance for Python to poke fun of Lukas’ small, little problem.

“Python! Don’t make fun of Lukas like that!” Forsyth would butt in as always, trying to get his friend to be less blunt with his answers and questions. The two made for a dynamic duo, and it was even more so when all three of them were together.

“Aw c’mon, let me live a little! What’s the matter with some teasing? And isn’t my question seemingly becoming the truth every time Lukas stays quiet-”

Forsyth shoved his hand in front of Python’s face, annoyed. “Can’t we ever just have a normal lunch like normal people?!”

And while those two were squabbling amongst themselves, Lukas couldn’t help but think to himself.

I… I love [Name]?

The question still hung in his mind freshly everyday - there wasn’t a single day where he wouldn’t think about it. Lukas continued to think about you everyday, and then reflect back upon the question Python had raised.

“You love [Name], don’t ya you ginger stud?”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Lukas let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes.

“Lukas? Is anything the matter?”

His eyes widened immediately to see you there in front of the counter, looking concerned for him as you looked down at your slumped position. “Are you alright? Are you feeling ill?”

Smiling slightly, he shook his head. “No, I’m alright, thank you,” Lukas answered, “let’s get prepared for work.”

You tilted your head slightly, looking confused for Lukas. But not wanting to press the matter further, you nodded. “Of course.”

There were more orders for bouquets today, and so the both of you got into work quickly. But you were doing it again.

Lukas couldn’t help but drift his vision towards you as you worked. He saw the usual furrow of your brow, the little tongue sticking out from your mouth, how focused you seemed to be…

…but this time, you looked so incredibly beautiful.

“…I love you.” Lukas mumbled out in the quietness of the shop, but in some sort of realization as his fingers stopped working immediately. He dropped the flower he was supposed to weave in, and this prompted you to look up from your own work.

“Pardon, Lukas?”

“I love you.”

And then it was your turn to stop doing work completely, you holding in your breath as you dropped the flower you were about to put in. “L-Lukas?”

Lukas shook his head, going away from his counter to come to yours. “[Name]… I’m sorry if that was sudden. I’ve… I’ve been holding so many feelings for you, yet I never knew what they meant.”

You were holding a breath subconsciously, your being filled with excitement as Lukas took your hand and laced it with his.

“It took me… so long to understand them. My friend always teased me about you, for I didn’t know why I felt so happy when I was around you. But eventually… I realized. I understood. And I love you.”

“Lukas, I…” you started, feeling your heart thumping with an excitement you never thought would ever come. “I’m… gods, I’m ever so glad to hear you say that. I…”

And this time, you laughed.

“Even though your confession came out of the blue, I’m so glad you feel the same way.”

Chapter Text

“Okay, Leanne…”

You both were sitting on the couch, with your girlfriend sat crosslegged facing you as you started continued to shuffle the back of cards in your hand. 

Quietly shuffling a small pack of flashcards in your hand, you pulled out one of the cards from the top of the pile. Showing Leanne a card of a certain bird, you prompted her softly as you sat to your side so you could face her: “Could you pronounce this for me, my love?”

“H… Heron.” Her soft voice called out, enunciating each word carefully as if careful, looking at you unsurely as she didn’t know her pronunciation was good or not.

“That’s correct!”

Your girlfriend was quite a fast learner, to your delight. Leanne was new to your country, and she didn’t share any common language with you before either - but through the lessons that she had requested from you, you had been pleasantly surprised on how fast Leanne was learning. 

Now leaning close to the blonde-haired girl, you smiled mischievously as you looked into her eyes. “Time for your reward!”

“W-wah-?”

And with that, you smooched her softly on the lips, pulling out with a wide grin on your lips as you saw a flustered Leanne looking at you, face flushed red and caught off guard with what you just did. You stared back at her frozen expression for a while, and then turned into a soft fit of laughs when Leanne turned pouty and thumped her fists against your body lightly. 

“Hey, hey, what gives?” You teased her, lightly placing a finger to boop her nose. “You did really well this lesson, I thought you could use a reward so you could work harder next time, y’know!”

With your words, her face flares a brighter red as you continue to laugh at your adorable girlfriend. Leanne clings onto your sleeve and her face dug into your shoulder, letting out a muffled “meanie” from under her breath. Now giggling softer, you placed the flashcards down and placed it on the coffee table next to you - and immediately after that, pulled Leanne close for a cuddle and knocked both of you on the couch comfortably.

Shuffling slightly, you felt Leanne nuzzling against your outstretched arm when she placed her head upon it - and you pulled her closer against yourself, greeted with the pleasant smell of her shampoo and soft hair brushing against your face. “Let’s take a break, shall we? You’re doing so well for a new student, Leanne.”

“I’m… glad to hear, [Name],” she breathed out, the rumbles of her voice vibrating against your skin. You turned slightly to face her again, and gave her another soft kiss. “No, I’m glad to hear you speaking to me, Leanne.”

With that reply, Leanne smiles - and you feel your heart warming up significantly, the love you held for her in your chest flared happily. As you two continued to snuggle against each other, you suddenly felt Leanne move nearer as you were about to doze off.

“What’s wrong, my love…?” You mumbled quietly, your eyes barely open as you tried to turn to look at her to check what’s going on. But you only felt her head shaking a little bit, then a small voice speaking out. “I… learned something by myself…”

And through the drowsiness, you felt your lips quirk up slightly. “Yeah? What did you learn?”

Leanne presses her lips near your ear, and whispered the words that made your heart leap from your heart and gave you happiness for the many dreams to come:

“I love you.”

Chapter Text

It had honestly been a tiring day for you.

Kicking off your shoes and pulling your socks off your feet, you dragged yourself into the apartment as you dropped your bag off in the living room floor and collapsed on the couch neared to you. The softness of the couch and the coziness it immediately provided made you sigh in relief when you plopped down against it - at least the day is over, huh?

And as you were about to fall asleep just sprawled out lazily like that, you heard a deep chuckle from another end. Knowing that it was your man, you groaned loudly and didn’t even bother to look up - Hector would just laugh at you for being so (adorably) messy at the moment. “Welcome home, [Name],” he greeted with a laugh as he came closer to the living room to see you clearly, “I take it you had a bad day today?”

Letting out a muffled noise against the cushions, you confirmed that you indeed had a bad day. As you felt the couch sink down further with the added weight of your boyfriend, you finally shifted over so there could be more space for you both on your run-down couch. Moving your head away from the cushions, you turned to look at Hector with a pout. “Today was really tiring…”

Hector smiled. “You wanna talk about it?” He asked, but then leaned down to whisper to you cheekily: “Let me guess… was it that annoying colleague of yours again?”

And immediately, you perked up. “Yeah! And he did absolutely nothing again and of course, who had to do his part of the work? Me!”

“Damn,” your boyfriend whistled. “Want me to come over and punch some sense into him?”

His reaction made you giggle a little, “I’d love that. Oh! And gods, I can’t believe this happened today as well…”

There was a moment where you just talked about your day, with him listening in understanding as he pulled you close for cuddles for comfort.

There were moments of laughter arising for every joke Hector made about your colleagues.

There was a moment where you’d plop yourself against Hector as you made dramatics about the woe that was your day, making him shake with laughter and you finding amusement out of it.

As you continued to talk about your day, Hector couldn’t help to recognize how animated you were in your actions - you were much more awake then you were before, his responses started to make you laugh, you seemed a lot less heavy when you were able to confide in him with these little issues… and he couldn’t help but grin. In seeing you feel just a little bit better after talking to him, Hector felt his heart swell up a little - there was happiness in him that glowed when he could help out in any way for you to be happy, for he only wanted you to feel joy no matter where you were. Your eyes seemed to glitter again, your smile a little wider, your voice losing that sluggishness… your boyfriend was smitten. It wasn’t just him, either - you felt yourself a lot lighter than before when you shared little moments like these with Hector, relieved that you could share your troubles (even just a little bit) with him. The weight was lessened from your body, and you felt like you definitely feel better…

…after a nap.

Continuing to talk a little, you suddenly let out a big yawn in the middle of a sentence. After that, you fell into a little silence and… 

“Wait…” you mumbled, “was I saying something?”

Sitting there dumbfounded, Hector let out a bark of laughter when he saw how cute you were, looking all confused from your surroundings. “Guess it’s time for a nap, huh?” When he asked you that, you opened your mouth to protest - but only a small “eep!” got out as your boyfriend picked you up with ease and put you on his shoulder, walking both of you towards the bedroom for a well-deserved nap.

“Hector!” You whined as you hit his back lightly with your fists like a child, demanding to be let down. “I’ve got work! I…”

And you yawned again, to his amusement (and your dismay).

“That sure sounds like you need sleep in you, huh? C’mon, you cute sleepyhead, stop denying yourself of sleep.”

You sighed, relenting. “You win this time.”

Hector laughed as he placed you down gently on the mattress, giving you a little kiss on the nose before pulling away. But as he pulled away, you felt another protest build up in you as you continued to have your arms outstretched to him. “You’re not gonna stay?”

Your lover blinked, but grinned and immediately came to dip into the bed with you after you suggested so. “I thought you’d never ask,” he replied cheekily, and you let out a harrumph. “Of course I would, you’re the anchor that helps me stay still in uneven tides.”

“Oh, how poetic,” Hector laughed, pulling you closer against his chest. “But I guess I do love you for that.” Grinning yourself now, you wrapped your arms around him as he did around your waist, and snuggled up closer to him so you could take in his comforting, musky smell, the warmth he provided to battle against this cold weather, and to finally make yourself feel at home. You smiled tiredly, starting to get drowsy as you felt sleep starting to pull down against your being…

But before you could, you let out a small sigh.

“I love you.” 

A pause. 

A small peck was placed against your cheek. A rumbling, happy chuckle.

“I love you too, sleepyhead.”