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“…Um…Haken?”
Permeating the silence wrapped around them in the still air of the Zeit’s main room, Haken slowly refocused his gaze back on to Kagura Amahara’s princess; the one that, not moments ago, was seemingly lost in thought alongside him. Time felt slowed to a crawl as her question sank into his brain. Along with it, an expression on her face that he couldn’t quite place the word to describe.
“Hmm?” Not wanting to let silence bring its grip around them both again, Haken acknowledged her. “Is something wrong, Kaguya?”
“N-No, it’s just…um…” Looking straight into his questioning gaze, Haken felt it necessary to give her all the time she needed. After all, they weren’t in any rush to leave each other so soon. The words that left her lips, however, weren’t at all what he had expected.
“…Could you…turn off the lights…?”
If only for a moment, the doe-eyed innocence retained in Kaguya’s gaze left him lost for words, as if a vice gripped around his throat from surprise alone. He didn’t really know what to feel at first after that simple question left her lips, completely unprepared to see her blushing as fiercely as she was after the fact. The realization of the words that spilled from her mouth must’ve caught up with her; even still, that look of yearning in her eyes…
He blinked once. She’s serious, isn’t she?
Haken removed his hat and held it forward; with it and a warm smile, so too did it dissolve any worry he might’ve had up to that point. “…Of course, Princess. I wouldn’t want to embarrass a fine lady like yourself.”
“E-Eh?” The shade of Kaguya’s face grew a deeper shade incredibly quickly, nearly the same as the tips of her hair. “Y-You mean it?”
“I think this far in our little journey, lying to you about something like that would be out of the question.” Moving closer to her after placing his hat back on, Haken cupped her chin in his hand, taking a moment to admire just how cute she really was. “Besides, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I did something that cruel, especially to a beautiful woman like yourself. After all—“
Stopping himself mid-sentence, a gentle laugh from Kaguya made it all the clearer that he was beginning to blush, too. Fumbling for the light switches on the wall he found her back up against, Haken took a deep breath within the precious seconds he allowed himself to break away from rapturous blue. Turning back, she almost looked to be at the brink of joyful tears.
With a flip of the switch, the room went dark. The shine in her eyes didn’t, however, wholeheartedly capturing his attention. “I think I might’ve fallen for you too, Princess. Pretty badly, actually.”
Noticing Kaguya slowly moving closer, Haken’s heartbeat grew in its intensity until he swore it overtook the ability to hear his own scrambled thoughts. Loosening his already feather-light grip on her chin, the only thing he registered at first was the closing distance between them.
“I kind of thought so, but something about hearing you say it out loud…it’s really nice.”
With Kaguya’s chest pressed a bit against his and their faces barely a few inches apart, the fierce blush they both wore was enough to clue each other into their headspace. Even still…
“Kaguya, is this…okay with you?”
Nearly inaudible, a whisper broke through the soundscape his hummingbird-esque heartbeat no doubt owned.
“…Of course.”
With a nod, a simple answer and a nearly teary-eyed smile, she began to close what little space there was left between them rather cautiously at first. Noticing her slow movement, Haken decided to pick up the slack, a smile donned and soon left behind. A spark seemed to catch the moment on fire with one brief kiss leading into another, his eyes sliding shut to revel in the sensation of it all. A distinctly soft yet electric touch to her lips and motions almost shattered his train of thought, the third lasting far longer than he realized at first. Hands reaching to wrap around his back, with one snaking its way into his silver hair to deepen the fourth, Haken felt himself get pulled closer in body and soul. Two things were clear enough by that point, even in the rising, inescapable heat of the moment.
The first was that she tasted like cherries, a fact not lost on him even as Kaguya eventually parted a moment later. The second was the indisputable fact that Haken was irrevocably head over heels for her, obvious enough as it seemed in hindsight.
“Was that…alright?” Snapping him back to reality, Haken looked spellbound into blue eyes, shining from the bit of sunlight bleeding into the room and framed by red on all accounts. Even when flustered, she looked absolutely captivating. Between heavy breaths, a wide smile nearly knocked out his ability to form any kind of coherent thought. “I-It’s…kind of my first time…doing anything like this…even if you’re guiding me through it…”
Collecting himself, Haken traced a thumb across her cheek. Warm to the touch, and…damp…? It took a moment for it to register in the haze his mind drowned in that she had started to cry at some point.
“Kaguya…are you okay?” Speaking in a hushed tone, Haken wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug. “We don’t have to go any further if you don’t want to. You have my word.”
“What? N-No…I’m okay, Haken! I promise…” Careful not to break the embrace, Kaguya pulled back a little, the warmth in her eyes lingering. “I guess I’m just…overwhelmed by it all. In a good way, of course…this is the happiest I’ve been in a while, but…what about you?”
Taking a moment to get his thoughts in order as a finely-manicured hand caressed his cheek, he sighed. “Needless to say…I’m a little overwhelmed by all this too. Kind of a rush of emotions going on in my head right now, sure, but I’m sure it’ll sort itself out if I take my time.”
“That’s usually the best way to take things, right?” An unmistakably coy expression on Kaguya’s face left him speechless and open for a brief peck on the lips. Voice low, the rest of her response left him reeling. “Nice and slow?”
“Of course it is, but…” Blinking once, Haken’s own shifted into one far more playful. “I swear, at this rate Aschen’s gonna say that I’m corrupting you or something.”
“Yeah…Suzuka’s gonna find out eventually too, I’d figure.” Sharing a laugh, Kaguya warmly smiled. “Honestly, though…I don’t mind.”
Leaning in again for a far more-drawn out kiss than the last, it felt as though the two of them were the Endless Frontier’s only inhabitants instead of just the Zeit’s. Eventually breaking their embrace, Haken smirked. A breathy response met her, clueing him in to how easily she took it away.
“Okay…whatever you say, Princess. I have to be honest, though, for your first, well, couple of kisses…it was better than I ever could’ve hoped. Of course…” Leaning in close to whisper into her ear, Haken could’ve sworn he felt a chill go up her spine. “I certainly wouldn’t mind trying that out a few more times.”
“Eh? O-Oh, right! U-Um…” Blushing profusely at the offer, Kaguya struggled to rein in her own racing heartbeat. Locking eyes with him, it was clear as day what was on her mind. “Would you…want to go somewhere a bit more, uh…private?”
Seeing her gaze linger on the surprise creeping into his expression, it quickly shifted to one far gentler. Pulling Kaguya close with his hand against her back, Haken leaned in more so, wordlessly planting a short kiss against her neck. Etching the squeak of surprise it garnered into his brain, he slowly ran a series down to her collarbone before eventually pulling back. No need to get too carried away just yet.
A quiet laugh escaped his lips at the faint pout she gave him as he did, a small gasp of breath at the contact beforehand signaling to him that he hit quite the sweet spot. “To answer your question…”
Noting her surprise at the feeling of an arm snaking underneath her thighs, Haken reigned in a chuckle as he hefted her up without much issue. Quickly gripping his upper back for support, the blazing red shade her entire face became painted with was a beautiful sight to behold. Lifting her slightly, the blush only became more prominent as he planted a kiss against the center of her collarbone. Playfulness written in Haken’s gaze made her blink once, sharing a stifled, yet uncontrollable laugh with him only moments later.
Eventually settling down, Kaguya noticed him take a step forward with her still in his arms. “I-Is that…a ‘yes’, then…?”
“Yep.” Gently shifting her into a princess carry without a word, Haken couldn’t deny that the darkness swallowing the Zeit’s halls did a fine enough job of hiding his own crimson-red blush. Not being able to bear breaking his gaze away, he smirked after smoothly kissing her on the forehead. Warm to the touch, just like the rest of her adorable face. “…Damn right it is.”
—————
With the click of the door behind them after some time, Haken sat Kaguya down on the edge of the bed with a drawn-out kiss as a send off. Removing his hat and promptly setting it on her head, a warm smile nearly sent his brain into overdrive from the cuteness alone. Cupping her chin in his hand and delivering another brief peck on the lips, Haken began to lose himself in bright blue eyes.
Puzzled, Kaguya questioned him with confusion in her gaze. “Is…something wrong?”
“Hm?” Snapping out of the small trance he was in, Haken gently smiled and straightened himself. Beginning to lose himself again, what came out of his mouth was a lot less witty than he meant it to be and more honest, instead. Some part of him didn’t really care anymore, even though he couldn’t quite pinpoint which. “Just…lost in thought, that’s all. Mostly about just how damn adorable you are.”
In hindsight, there wasn’t any need to be coy about how he felt. The remark left the desired response regardless, Kaguya’s face quickly growing red. Setting his coat aside, eyes fixed on hers noticeably watching like a hawk the action of unbuttoning his vest.
Catching on, Haken felt the corners of his mouth lift almost on instinct. Something about the way her eyes scanned across him was…awfully exciting; careful not to let it show too early, playfulness dominated his gaze in its stead.
“Like what you see, Princess?” Collected as he could’ve been despite the rising heat, Haken could’ve sworn the edge of her lip twitched. The cold metal of the bullet pendant resting against his sternum did nothing to put out the fire stirring beneath, swelling ever brighter at the sight.
“Eh?” Snapped out of her trance, Kaguya’s own face drowned in red in a matter of seconds as she realized just how long she was staring. “U-Um…yeah, actually.”
Her innocent honesty nearly sending him reeling, Haken blinked once. “Glad to hear that. Even still, I could…keep going, you know?”
A wordless nod and an eager smile prompted more slow undressing, her gaze tracing over the movement of his fingers until it settled on his eventually exposed chest.
“Y’know…if this is what I realized I’d see, I probably would’ve encouraged you to lose some clothes back out in Dunopolis too…” she whispered, receiving a raised eyebrow and subtle smirk in response to a comment that quite quickly revealed her hand.
“So, you do like what you’re seeing.”
The swift blush she donned only made her growing smile all the more adorable. “If I said I didn’t, well…didn’t you say something about lying being out of the question…?”
Swiftly getting to her feet, Haken felt a hand become buried in his hair as Kaguya pulled him in for a kiss. Surprisingly soft in its execution, he realized, considering how brusquely she drew him close. Was she…holding back?
Regaining his breath, Haken wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her close. The wide-eyed look she wore from what he could see, realizing how close to his chest she was, was nothing short of priceless. With a carefully-placed hand on her shoulder, the other snaked down to the small of Kaguya’s back as he planted a brief kiss against her forehead. Purely electric, no matter how gentle the touch.
Something about it made him want to lean in for a few more.
One soft kiss after another, planted in a series across her neck at first, garnered a favorable response all the way back to her lips. Feeling Kaguya shift a hand to the back of his head to bring him in for a final, passionate embrace damn near obliterated his desire for anything else. All he wanted was to be there with her…maybe a bit more than that, if the past half hour was any indication.
Noticing her eyes well up with tears after they eventually parted, Haken pulled back to catch his breath. Worried that he might’ve been less cautious in his advance, he gently cupped Kaguya’s cheek, wiping a tear away in the process.
“Kaguya…are you okay? If you’re uncomfortable, we can end it here…”
Trailing off as she drew him back into another embrace, Kaguya kissed him full on the lips for a moment longer than he anticipated. Parting, she shook her head.
“Haken, it’s alright. You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just…I never thought I’d get to this point.”
Remaining wrapped in her arms, Haken didn’t know quite how to respond at first. Opting to let her continue rather than spoil the mood by saying something dumb, his gaze shifted sympathetically. Enough of a clue for her to continue, he soon realized that the sound of her voice really was becoming like music to his ears.
“I guess…I just feel like there’s a lot that could’ve happened over the course of this journey, that…” Noticing her tear up again, Haken repositioned himself to pull her close against his chest. Tracing circles against her back, he felt himself begin to choke up after hearing a muffled sob. “I thought that we would’ve never gotten to this point…I was at the point that I accepted that I had to die to save the Endless Frontier, but…”
Lifting her head, a beaming smile contrasted the tears staining her cheeks, her voice dropping to a breathy whisper inevitably upping the tension. Where, exactly, he wasn’t quite sure.
“I’m still here, aren’t I? Aschen, Suzuka…you, especially. I’m so happy everyone made it out of everything we went through…” Grasping Haken’s chin in her hand, she pulled him in for another brief kiss. Remaining just centimeters away from his lips for a moment, a hand pressed overtop his heart nearly short-circuited his brain. “…Hearing your heart race like this only sinks that fact in further, doesn’t it? You’re here, you’re safe, and…I…”
Meeting her gaze as she scrambled to right herself, Haken smiled warmly back. A nice blush painted her face as her statement ended up trailing off, decidedly a cute sight despite the tears still budding in her eyes. “Can’t say I don’t feel the same way, Kaguya. We’re both still here, we’re still breathing…dammit, we’re both still alive, you’re absolutely right. That’s enough of a reason to celebrate, isn’t it?”
She nodded, grasping his hand. “Right, but…”
“Hm? But…?”
“…I don’t want to talk about the past anymore, Haken. I don’t even want to worry about the future right now…our future, I guess…” Kaguya’s face grew red, the heat of the moment catching up to her in spectacular fashion. Adjusting herself to end up straddling his waist, she went through the motions of undoing her hairpin; with a cascade of jet-black hair pooling beside them, the sight alone was enough to send a chill up his spine. “All I want to focus on is this moment, right here with you. Besides…it’s one thing to say that you’re still alive, sure, but…I guess…”
Leaning close once more, Kaguya’s lips rested just a few inches away from his, an aura of warmth combined with the faint smell of cherry blossoms proving to be intoxicating. Trying to stifle the urge to laugh, bubbling up from whatever rush of emotions she might’ve felt, she smiled despite it all. “…I just need to feel the same way, too. Just to be certain.”
Haken’s eyes widened for a moment, finally letting it sink in that not only had she wholeheartedly meant what she said, but that he hadn’t felt a sensation like that in quite a while, either. The desire to feel something meaningful, just to know and affirm that their hearts were still beating, felt all the more senseless to neglect, especially after Kaguya poured her soul out the way she did.
Lifting her hand and promptly kissing it, he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face after hearing a quiet squeak of surprise.
Glancing up after another kiss against her fingertips, Haken couldn’t deny that something was beginning to bubble up inside of him. He had an idea as to what it might’ve been, the dawning knowledge only spurring him along. “You want something a bit life-affirming, huh?”
Playful though his gaze was, he couldn’t hide the fact that his heart was ready to burst from his chest. He wanted to feel something like that again too, dammit; after risking his life a few too many times for his liking, all he really wanted was to not feel as touch-starved. Nearly getting lost in her eyes again, still a bit teary as they were, Haken smirked after giving her a kiss on the forehead.
“That’s absolutely something that can be arranged, Princess. We’ve got plenty of time to ourselves, after all…”
Feeling her wrap her arms across his back, Haken leaned in to plant a deep kiss against her lips. Pulling him down with her, Kaguya smiled wide as they parted.
“Um…Haken?”
Stopping himself from going any further than a hand snaking down to her thigh, he blinked once. “Hm? What’s up?”
With another deep blush painting her face, Kaguya forced herself to keep her eyes trained on him. “Would it be okay if…I stayed overnight, perhaps?”
“Hm? And here I thought you said something earlier about heading back home…” With his voice dropped to a whisper, Kaguya’s wide-eyed look was nothing short of precious. “Guessing the important royal business can wait a night?”
“…Possibly. I’m sure nobody would mind too much—”
A hitched breath cut herself short as he leaned in close to plant a kiss against her neck. Before she found herself too worked up to speak clearly, Kaguya tipped his head back up. Delivered as light as a feather, she stopped herself just short of crying in joy at the declaration that spilled from her lips. “I…I love you, Haken.”
Feeling warmth swell in his chest, an equally bright, shining smile from her made everything they went through together feel worth it. They were still breathing, after all, their hearts racing almost in sync. They were still here.
“Kaguya…”
Slowly working a series of kisses down to her collarbone, Haken managed to reign himself in before anything more serious had a chance to transpire…before he lost his chance to kick everything off with something truly special. A coy smile playing at his lips, it felt as though what he couldn’t contain any longer behind it were three simple words; there wasn’t any point in holding back how he felt anymore. Kaguya poured her heart out, after all…it was only right that he did the same, even if he needed to say it a million times over.
Just thinking about it nearly made him cry.
“Kaguya…I love you. Feels like my heart’s about to burst just finally getting to say it, but…” With a brief kiss breaking any mental floodgates he had left, tears began to form in the corners of his eyes and refused to let him say anything more than the honest truth. “…I love you, so…so damn much.”
“What is it you usually say…something about taking someone straight to heaven?” Feeling a finger trace down his chest with a glint in her eyes, there wasn’t any doubt in his mind that she knew what she was doing. An innocently playful visage coupled with it nearly did him in right then and there. “…Could you?”
Eyes wide, whatever look he more than likely had plastered on his face was enough to get a good, beautiful laugh from the woman he loved. Chalking that up on the list of things he desperately wanted more of, Haken smiled warm and proud. “…Absolutely, Princess. And, hell…I promise, I’m going to make this moment one that’ll be on your mind for a while.”