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Rimuru never felt desperate before. He had arrived in this world with nothing to hold onto. He did what he wanted, carried away by his own rhythm, and without even spurting an effort, earned thousands of monsters at his beck and call, ready to slit their necks if ordered. It was quizzical at first, a wonder in this world that fascinated him. He gave them names, a bit of power, and they followed him like a loyal lapdog.
He never did any sacrifices, so why?
The answer lays at how tight he held the man before him.
The first friend he had, keeping an affection for him that goes beyond words, beyond space and universes. He granted him a name, shared a title with him, and in turn, Rimuru offered him home, a kingdom.
Rimuru had calmed down. Retrieving him brought the greatest relief he ever had in his life. But that didn’t stop the fear from flaring up, something that took root in his heart without notice. An experience that bound him to the ground and left him grasping.
That anger alone had dulled his mind and darkened his emotions, and he wonders, what would he do if he had lost him completely?
It was a shuddering thought, unwelcome, ebbing away at his humanity, tainting his feelings, sinking him to the bottom. He wants to burn the thought, but what would he do?
The answer surfaced in his mind. And it was nothing short of terrifying.
“Rimuru…?”
The war with Empire had now subsided, though, with one closed, another one slowly unfolds. However, right now, it was pushed to the back of his mind. Velgrynd had been taken care of, had promised never to bare her fangs against him again. It was reassuring, at least, to have one less True Dragon off the charts that hunt his blood.
But now, there’s another dragon he has to take care of. One that started this all. But he was safe, and that's all that matters.
“What’s this?”
As expected, this dragon’s not one that can shut his mouth. He’ll voice his questions, talk, and talk without brakes, too airheaded to read the atmosphere.
“What do you think?”
Veldora thought for a long moment, stiff in his place because Rimuru is sure as hell he won’t let go, right now, right here, he’s not allowed to wander off anywhere else again.
“Uhm—um, I thought you’re going to suck my magicules like the one Ruminas used to inflict unimaginable pain to me, but—”
Rimuru had gotten taller, the evolution of being part True Dragon, so his head now leveled with Veldora’s chest. The dragon doesn’t have the need to breathe, but still, he felt him steadying, calming down.
“—But it wasn’t…”
A bubble of laugh escaped from Rimuru’s lips. The full of energy Veldora, crackling with vibrancy and life, suddenly tipping his head back in sort of confused angle, that even in his thousands of years of life, can’t figure out what Rimuru’s doing.
“This is called ‘embrace’, you fool.”
“…Oh.”
So no one had done this to you before? He wanted to mock the reckless dragon, but suddenly, he felt him eased in his arms and brought an arm around his shoulders.
He doesn’t have heart, but he still felt it skipped a beat when Veldora brought him closer, hugging him back, tightly but gently. The infamous storm dragon burying his face in the plot of soft blue hair, leaning lower to plant a kiss close to his forehead, just above his ear.
Even in his previous life, he never felt like this for anyone else. Sure he had friends, but they were fleeting, quick to goodbyes. His parents were distant and live far away, working out of his reach. He only had an older brother, but he married too soon, and so, solitude had always been an element attached to the plot of his life.
They stayed like that for a while, maybe even longer, because their love for each other runs deep, something far from what Velzard and Guy had for each other, maybe closer to what Velgrynd felt for Rudra, who was ready to leap through worlds to retrieve back his souls, but greater. The unbearable torrent of pain tearing apart his soul was nothing compared to the feeling of losing Veldora completely.
It was only until Ramiris called that the meeting will start that they let go, albeit reluctantly, but even then, they knew they have all the time in the world. Because moments like this can easily come back.