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Traveling the world was always something Caspar had wanted to do, even from a young age. He’d wanted to push past the Empire, to see what new things he could discover, or just find new places where he could test his skills. Not to say he needed to get into fights at every corner -- though that happened to be the case, more often than not -- but he really did enjoy knowing his dream of getting stronger hadn’t faded after the war had finished.
A part of him still is surprised he’d dragged Linhardt with on him on this endless journey across the world. Neither of them held interest in cleaning up Enbarr after it lost the war, nor whatever responsibilities came along with their titles. A few conversations later, they’d packed their bags and slipped outside of its borders, fingers intertwined, ready to see a world that wasn’t ravaged by the scars of war.
Who need some stuffy, boring titles when there was an entire world to explore?
They’d started to mark down the locations they crossed in a journal, and eventually, Linhardt began to transition into written word. Caspar would rest against his shoulder, watching him bring their tales to life with a stroke of his quill when they rested for the night. There was something special the way Linhardt wrote about them both -- and maybe it was Caspar’s bias towards him, his love, but each word brought warmth to his heart.
Half the time, Caspar could never understood what Linhardt wrote about, especially when it came to his Crest research. He tried, really, he did! But it was too confusing, and he often got lost a few paragraphs in. This was much better to read -- it was their story, after all. That was something worth keeping his focus on.
Caspar couldn’t say he remembered the exact area of the former Alliance they were in, but all he could care about was lying on the endless expanse of soft grass before them. The warm sunlight filtered over them through the trees they were curled under, the two of them enjoying a moment of respite.
He took this moment to study Linhardt, as he always tended to. Linhardt’s hair had continued to grow longer, and while it was usually tied up in its usual style, now it was fanned out onto the grass below, nearly blending into the verdant green below them. A warm smile graced his expression, eyes shut -- though not fully asleep. The white ribbon was tied around his wrist, and Caspar couldn’t help but be glad it was kept in such good condition all these years.
He’d finally remembered that Caspar gave it to him years ago. Funny how love did that, huh? He rested his arms on Linhardt’s chest, leaning on them as a soft smile graced his lips.
“You’re really beautiful, Lin, you know that?”
Those wonderful, soft eyes of his opened to look down at Caspar, a warm flush adorning his cheeks. It wasn’t too often he got Linhardt to blush like that. It was the opposite of his own, which tended to bridge across his nose and reach his ears. Even so, when it happened, Caspar swore it was the best sight in all of Fódlan. Faint as it was, it just made him smile wider.
“Thank you, Caspar.” He brushed his fingers under the other’s chin, indicating for him to shift closer for a kiss. Caspar’s lips gladly met his, fingers brushing through his hair, which he decided was much softer than the grass they were lying upon.
“I never did take you as the affectionate type,” Linhardt watched him get comfortable on his chest again, “but I can’t complain about it, of course.”
“I found someone worth being all sappy with, duh!” He laughed, his fingers still carding through strands of gorgeous, soft hair. “C’mon, it took me long enough to realize I’ve basically been in love with you since we were kids.”
“I was wondering when you’d realize.” Caspar melted slightly when Linhardt’s fingers ran down his back. “Granted, I didn’t find myself complaining when you kissed me the way you did before we marched back to Enbarr.”
It was a day before they were ready to take on the capital, and to say they were tense would be an understatement. While Caspar didn’t doubt his skills, or Linhardt’s, battle was unpredictable as ever. He didn’t want to die -- or be the one to live, had the worst come to pass -- with regrets. Words failed him, and he had pulled Linhardt into a desperate, heated kiss, whispering against his lips he couldn’t lose his best friend. He couldn’t lose Lin, especially with the realization of how in love he really was.
He couldn’t put an exact finger on what made it dawn on him. Maybe it was the way his heart skipped a beat when Linhardt smiled, or the cold fear in his heart every time he’d found himself in the infirmary, or taken somewhere safer in the midst of combat. Maybe it was the way Linhardt looked at him when he held him close in his arms, taking him to safety, trying to dress his wounds even if he was absolutely terrible at it. Maybe it was the relief he felt when those beautiful eyes met his own, when his soft voice whispered his thanks, his hand gripping onto Caspar’s.
It could have been all those things at once, too. It had all culminated into Caspar’s mind yelling at him that Goddess, he could not return home on his own. He wanted, no, he needed Linhardt by his side.
“When did you realize, Lin?” Lin. He couldn’t stop himself from letting the nickname slipping out when they were like this. It felt right to say it, and he knew how much Linhardt loved it, if the warm smile was any indication.
“Truthfully, I always did have a crush on you, even back in the academy days.” His fingers curled softly into Caspar’s hair -- a touch that made him relax to his very core. How did Linhardt’s hands remain so soft? “And when we began to fight by each other’s side, learning from another, I began to realize it was love. I’d fallen for my best friend.”
“Aw, geez…” A blush started to creep its way to his ears, and Caspar swore his heart skipped a beat. “We really did just get closer during those five years.”
“And I’m grateful for it.” Linhardt’s eyes slipped shut again, a smile on his lips. “I do love you, Caspar.”
The blush dared to take over Caspar’s entire face at this point. Dammit, when did Lin get so good at flustering him like that? It wasn’t fair! He had to work extra hard to get him speechless, and Linhardt made it seem so simple.
He wanted to get him back -- well, that was a rather unfair way to state it, but he loved seeing that look on his face -- and could think of one thing to do that.
And even if he didn’t get all flustered, it was something Caspar wanted to say anyway.
“Hey, Lin,” he shifted up again, his arms resting on each of his sides now, “we should get married.”
Linhardt’s eyes slowly opened as he stared up at Caspar, gaze slightly widened.
“It doesn’t have to be a big, fancy ceremony. We don’t have to go somewhere formal - we can just get a priest to do it, right?” He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Not even the final battle had made Caspar this nervous. “I just think it’d be really nice to continue our journey as husbands, ya know? You could write about in your book. People love this kinda stuff, don’t they?”
He’s half rambling at this point, trying to place the proposal on some sort of foundation. Did he really need to? He wasn’t sure how this was supposed to go; he didn’t bother to really think this far ahead.
Indeed, Linhardt’s face grew a beautiful, deep shade of red as a smile that reached his eyes etched upon his face. “I would love to marry you, Caspar.”
“You would?” Duh, Caspar, of course he would! Lin loves you more than anything! “Y-You’re… you’re blushing, Lin. A lot.”
“You did just ask me to marry you.” He leaned up to kiss Caspar once more, cupping his face with his hands. “And I would be a fool to say no.”
The kiss was returned, a wide grin on his face as their foreheads touched. “Then we’re gonna get married!”
Linhardt laughed, and Caspar swore his heart was going to burst. Unfair - absolutely unfair. He’s back to being flustered. “Yes. We’re going to marry, and we’re going to continue our travels as each other’s spouses. Maybe we’ll even settle down and enjoy our lives together in that aspect, one day.”
“Wherever we go, I think we’ll be happy - heck, I know we’ll be.” He tackled Linhardt to the ground in a tight hug, burying himself in his neck. “All of Fódlan and beyond will know how much we love each other!”
That same, warm laughter graced his ears once more. “I don’t think anyone will doubt it for a moment.”
Caspar claimed Linhardt’s lips as his own once more, thinking this is what he’d fought for, all those years ago.
This was the peace he had always wanted.