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Feendrache was a welcoming place for the crew of the Grandcypher. Praised for helping the people against illness and the cruel workings of Isabella, their visits there were nothing short of pleasant. Especially the Dragon Knights, who quickly became close friends with the crew, largely so to Lyria and the Captain, (Y/n).
It was however, quite obvious a certain dragon knight was head over heels for said captain, which he was teased about by his friends for. His once carefree attitude would suddenly become meek and indecisive, unsure about how to approach simple conversations with her. It was something Vane couldn’t help, seeing as how she was such a big supporter of him. Whatever he wished to pursue, (Y/n) had his back. She was like his very own cheerleader, eager to help and inspire him to do his best. He had to admit, it was nice to have someone so helpful.
But then again, that was also the one drawback of her being so willing to help. She helped everyone. Despite her kind words and determined grins, he realized she helped nearly every person that she could meet, wether or not they seemed rude or cold at first. It was a constant struggle between his heart fluttering with glee at the thought of her giving him special attention, or seeing her do the same with others. It was a delicate place to be in, and for that reason, he decided he wouldn’t confess.
Perhaps he mistook her actions for love when it was really just a sign of her friendship? He was frustrated over this predicament and so desperately wanted to ask his fellow knights for help. Yet his own insecurities and jealousy didn’t let him, he knew if he asked they’d probably think lesser of him. He wasn’t as smart as Percival, as strong as Siegfried, or as handsome as Lancelot, and it crushed him slightly. His friends were practically perfect on their own, they could probably have any woman they wanted with a snap of their fingers. But him? He was Vane, the loud-mouthed knight who would always be in the shadow.
“Hey there, dough boy! What are you doing?” Vane let out a girlish shriek and placed his hand over his heart, trying to calm himself down.
“Jeez Captain, you could have said something you know!” He flushed.
“I did, but you never heard me. Are you okay? You looked really out of it…” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
“Y-yeah…I’m fine now that you’re here!” He have a soft smile.
“That’s so cheesy.” She giggled “but I shouldn’t expect anything less than sweet from you!”
That smile. No matter how sad he may have been feeling, it was a miracle to have her smile. Even if she was in the arms of someone else, that grin would be all he needed to be content. He sighed loudly and looked at the ground.
“Seriously though, you look very sad. Is something troubling you? You can always talk to me, you know that right?” She looked at him sadly.
‘But you’re my problem.’
He couldn’t tell her how he felt. Despite how much these feelings were drowning him, he couldn’t just admit them and ruin his one chance at being close to her.
“Hey, I got an idea! What if we do what you want for now? I’ve got nothing going on and everyone is doing something else, so why don’t we spend together?” She grabbed his hands and smiled with a hopeful look in her eyes.
“T-together? Alone?” Vane sputtered. (Y/n) seemed to read it as a rejection of her idea and awkwardly shuffled around.
“If you don’t want it that way then I could-“
“No! I was just surprised! You know, like, why me of all people?” He scratched his hair and gave a toothy grin, leaving her shocked.
“What do you mean, ‘you of all people’? You’re awesome!”
“I dunno…I just thought that like… maybe you would’ve wanted Lancey or Percival to hang out with you more?”
“And why’s that? I thought we had a good thing going on here.” The captain chuckled.
“We do! Don’t misunderstand me! It’s just-“
“Awww, is Vane jealous?” This made her nearly riot as she slyly chuckled at him.
“N-no!” His face was erupting in red, flustered that she’d make fun of him like this.
“Aww you’re too cute! It seems I got you to feel better a bit!” She pinched his cheeks and giggled, making him puff his cheeks in embarrassment.
“You’re so mean, (Y/n)!”
“I know, I know, come on now, what do you want to do? I’m still holding that offer up.”
“Oh, right. Let’s…you pick.”
“But…this is for you?” She shook her head in confusion before she looked like she had an epiphany. “Oh I get it! I’ll pick all the things you want to do! Like a test of our friendship! Got it, I won’t disappoint!” She gave him a thumbs up and began dragging him to the palace’s kitchen.
“First, we can bake! I know how much you love it so we can make a cake together!” He beamed happily, loving the fact she knew that about him.
“Okay, but I’m warning ya, Chef Vane goes very fast!” He stated proudly.
“That’s how I like it.” (Y/n) laughed loudly.
“Good, because this might seem a bit hard for a beginner.” Vane innocently replied, making (Y/n) howl even louder.
“Thank you for that.” She murmured.
“So first, we need eggs, flour, vanilla, and sugar. Oh and milk.”
As the duo gathered the ingredients, they talked about random things that occurred while they were apart. Vane mused about how Percival cried about dropping his favorite china set, or how Siegfried nearly broke his legs trying to dance in his armor. (Y/n) talked about how Lyria almost set fire to the Grandcypher trying to toast bread, which caused a massive panic amongst the crew members. Vane felt more relaxed than earlier, practically forgetting his own insecurities and worries. It was nice to indulge in small talk like this.
It was strange how horrible the captain was at cooking, which made Vane curious as to how she made those chocolates from previous months ago.
“Sorry Vane, I think I cracked another egg wrong.” She laughed awkwardly.
“No worries. Here,” he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around hers, gently holding her tiny hands in his large ones. He scooped up an egg for her and he guided her hands on the proper way to crack them open. “See? You gotta tilt the eggshells so the yolk falls into the bowl.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” She nodded.
“Now for the flour, we need about three quarters of a cup and-“ He abruptly stopped when a sudden force hit his face, making him sputter and cough. (Y/n) giggled as he slowly wiped some flour of his eyes. With a blank stare, he cupped some flour into his hands and shook his head.
“You shouldn’t have done that. Now you’re gonna get it!” He yelled as he chucked the flour at her. She squealed in excitement as they both began pelting each other with flour, dodging and attacking in the name of good fun.
“I’m not done with you yet Captain!” Vane yelled energetically, holding the flour in his hands and aiming straight for her. She ducked in time but someone else wasn’t so lucky.
“Oh shit.” (Y/n) whispered, edging back away from him.
“Oh no, I’m gonna get killed.” Vane murmured, wrapping an arm around the captain.
“What are you two buffoons doing?” Percival quietly spoke, his voice stern and slow.
“She/he started it!” The duo pointed at each other. Percival clenched his teeth and gripped his sword tightly.
“I don’t care! You two are going to regret this!” He yelled, his face still covered in flour. The duo began screaming and running, this time out of fear for their own lives.
“Oh, hello Vane and- what the?” Lancelot was taking a stroll in the castle when he saw his childhood friend and (Y/n) running quickly, covered in flour.
“Can’t talk now bye!” Vane waved as he held onto (Y/n)’s hand. Lancelot stared in confusion before seeing, or rather, hearing, Percival. He turned his head and saw the red haired knight screaming like a maniac with his sword out, his face and part of his armor covered in flour. It was a surprising thing to see, but Lancelot couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
“They must be having a good time.”
“I know a place where he won’t find us!” Vane shouted and jerked (Y/n) to the right, near a very hidden clearing in the forest. The two tried to catch their breath and waited anxiously for Percival to be gone. After waiting for five minutes, which felt like eternity, the two sighed in relief and collapsed on the ground.
“Jeez, I’ve never thought baking a cake could be so scary.” (Y/n) laughed.
“Thank you, (Y/n). That cheered me up a lot. Even if we almost died, I don’t regret this!” He rested his hands behind his head and stared at the blue sky above them. (Y/n) scooted closer to him and sat down, enjoying the nice breeze.
“I’m glad I helped you. You mean a lot to me, so I want to make sure you’re happy.” She softly spoke, the breeze gently making her hair flow. Vane opened his eyes widely and felt heat rise to his cheeks.
“Y-you…you mean a lot to me too. Listen I have something I want to tell you.” He gulped and lifted himself up to a sitting position. He held her hands in his and looked into her eyes. (Y/n) looked shocked and he saw her cheeks turn a tinge of pink. Breathing in deeply, he closed his eyes and tried to muster up all the courage to confess. To hell with the downsides, to hell with the risks. He needed to let his feelings be known, and if she wasn’t the one, then he would finally rest knowing at least he tried.
“I…I love you a lot! Like more than what is normal and it’s been driving me crazy! I’ve been thinking nonstop about you, and I miss you every time you leave Feendrache! Damn it (Y/n), I love you so much!” He yelled loudly. His eyes were tightly shut before he felt her hug him. He dared himself to open his eyes and saw her smiling.
“You idiot! I love you too!” Tears of joy trickled down her cheeks and Vane’s eyes widened in surprise. Overcome with happiness, he swiftly picked her up and twirled her in his arms.
“Yes! Yes! By the gods, I thought you’d never feel the same!” He held her tightly in his arms.
“Is that why you were so insecure earlier? Vane, I’ve loved you since forever. I even pretended I didn’t know how to bake so you’d be close to me!” She laughed.
“Well that makes sense.” He nuzzled his face closer to hers and wiped her tears away with his thumb. “I love you…”
“I love you too you big goof.” (Y/n) softly responded.
“Now, how about we finish that cake and celebrate our first official day as a couple?” She nodded and he quickly hoisted her up bridal style and began jogging back to the kitchen.
Bonus: Siegfried watched the new couple happily run back into the castle. He sighed in contentment and laid his head back into the branches of the tree he was resting upon.
“Looks like he finally found his princess.” He murmured, before looking at a nearby bush towards the left of him. “Percival. Lancelot. You can come out now.”
He heard the shuffling of the two men as they came forward, pride visible in their features.
“I’m so proud of Vane for confessing, it takes a lot of courage. I only hope this relationship lasts a lifetime, and may they both be happy.” Lancelot was about to continue with his prayer for the couple when Percival grumbled. Even though he had his usual self-righteous attitude, it was quite evident that even he was proud of his friend.
“That oaf mustn’t ruin my best vassal.” He turned away and folded his arms, but that large smirk on his face revealed what he was really feeling.
“Have faith, Percival. I wonder how the wedding might look.” Siegfried mused.
“Wedding? Don’t you think you’re rushing things?” Lancelot asked, dumbfounded.
“You haven’t heard half of the things he’s said to me. The poor boy was so entranced by the captain, he nearly had a heart attack the moment her name was uttered.”
“One can only hope the proposal is better prepared than this confession. I’ll help him treat my vassal to the most proper union of love.” Percival stated.
“I thought you were very angry at them? You looked like you were going to stab them with Lohengrin.” Lancelot grimaced at his friend’s scary expression.
“Oh, I will have my revenge. However, I will not deny my brother the best.” Percival chuckled.
“Does that mean I’ll walk the bride down the aisle?” Siegfried asked, a joking grin on his face.