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He had nothing for breakfast that morning. He wasn't tired either, although he had spent almost the entire night wandering around, thinking and looking to the stars. When the sun started to rise and the first sunbeams bounced on his bracelet, he was blinded for a second and he knew what he should do. He squeezed the fist holding the bandage, hesitating before placing it over his right eye and adjusting it well on his head. He wouldn't rely on his perceiving abilities this time, they meant too much pain now.
It was not a secret that the atmosphere surrounding him and his partner had gotten awkward in the last few days and that drove him crazy, especially when he thought that she could betray him and Ylisse. He gripped his bow and kept walking towards the place he knew she would be treating her Pegasus. Today was the day to set things right.
That hideous feeling in his gut had started about a couple of nights ago, the moment she said that she enjoyed battling as his partner to save Ylisse. That whole phrase made his bracelet react and he perceived her sweating and twitching, which was even more obvious under the light of the campfire they had set; not that he would've ever imagined she could be capable of doing such a horrible thing. But the rumors of someone's treason were everywhere and he just couldn't help it.
He shook his head to himself and caught a glimpse of Athena petting her Pegasus in the distance as he kept approaching the place with a serious face. His pace decreased so he could stop midway, contemplate the whole picture and forget for a delightful moment all the doubts in his heart. He took a second to get mesmerized by her astonishing beauty.
It was not only about her long hair, completely loose today and undulating in the air like a wild wave of fire, or about her deep and lively blue eyes... neither about her fair skin glowing in the morning sunlight. It was all about her aura; that enormous energy she emanated every time she expressed herself, that sweet nature of hers that impulsed her to help the people in need, especially the ones she loved. The smile on his face did not last long because he knew. He knew he loved her and he could feel the fragility taking over his whole self. The risk was too high. So ironic... being the weak one among them two.
Athena turned her head when she sensed Apollo's presence nearby. She blushed a little as she noticed the bandage on his eye and the strength of his steps; not that he would notice, he was still far away. He'd grown so much since the first time they met... he got some battle scars of course, but he had definitely developed an engagement to the cause, a maturity she fancied maybe too much. She couldn't hold it in anymore, she had to tell him how she felt for him today. Yes, she was nervous, but her optimism had always worked quite well.
Her train of thoughts stopped immediately when she heard the uncontrollable noise coming from Apollo's heart, growing stronger every time he moved forward. Her face contorted in an expression of concern and suddenly they were face to face, only he was looking away.
“Good morning, Athena” his tone of voice was almost inaudible.
“Hi Polly” she responded worried and confused. “What took you so long to get here today?”
“Listen...” yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing. “We can't ignore the fact that something's happening around us... something weird...”
“Is everything okay?” her eyes were wide open and as soon as she finished the question, she felt the fear rising on his heart.
“No... it's... I don't like this...” all of his determination was gone and he looked lost. He didn't know how to go on. That was not like him at all. They were very aware of the tension in the air and every second seemed like an eternity.
“Apollo...” Athena broke the silence, but just because she couldn't stand it. Did he know? Was he thinking of separating their ways because her feelings were getting in the way? “Look at me” she took his chin and turned his face so their eyes could meet. She wouldn't let go that easily. “I don't know what has you so scared right now, but I think I know how to make you feel better.” The redhead grabbed one of his hands with her own and didn't pull away, despite it being ice cold. “Let's go for a ride while you clear up your mind, okay?” she took a few steps towards her Pegasus and caressed its back.
“Athena, I don't think we should...” she turned one more time to face him and he could see the firmness in her gaze, while he stood still.
“Come on! Trust me, I want you to remember one thing” she dragged him and he got in the Pegasus as he told it that it was okay. They had only flown in it together one time. What was she trying to do?
She carried away her plan successfully. Not as smoothly as she had planned, but successfully in the end. They were taking off and it wasn't until they were in the open sky that she started taking care of the discord in his heart.
“I'm sensing this big frustration coming from you. Your heart is filled with contradictions” she said in a very straightforward way. How much did she know? “I can't say I'm not worried, Apollo” she continued, then bit her bottom lip “But I'm sure I want you to remember the day we met. You do remember it, right?”
“Yes. It's been a long time since then” Apollo managed to say as he looked down. Everything looked really small, but he could recognize the place where he'd first seen her. He had almost no experience in battle back then, but more than her for sure. She had been careless that day, impulsive as he would later know.
The archer cornering her was just about to attack her and take all of her belongings. Easy kill; one apparently helpless girl with her Pegasus. Apollo heard the mayhem and when he saw her he didn't doubt for a second and he yelled at the assaulter. The fear in her eyes was covered with decision and he knew she wasn't going to give up, despite the upcoming consequences. He attacked quickly and the other archer fled badly injured, not without counterattacking and giving the rescuer something else to worry about.
She screamed and ran towards him, not knowing if he was dangerous or not, but at the very least she had to make sure he was okay, so she got him on her Pegasus and they quickly departed to a safer place. She blushed when she saw him up close because it couldn't be denied that, although he was not the tallest man around, he was very good looking. She took one vulnerary from her bag and aided him immediately.
When he opened his eyes, he smiled at her and managed to say thank you before passing out again. She would never forget the heat in his gaze. From that day on, they formed quite the invincible team.
When Apollo stopped reminiscing, his partner found some relief due to the decrease in the discord.
“You've always tried to do the right thing Apollo” Athena turned her head to face him “Your strength has always impressed me and others...”
“That's over with” the archer interrupted her. He realized that his love for her was bigger than he thought earlier and he was willing to trust her, no matter the outcome. If she could forgive him, that was. “Athena, I'm not as strong as you think I am...” the bandage on his head was loosened up by his hand and it was left hanging from his neck. “You see... I'm one of the weakest people I know right now”. She opened her eyes and tilted her head almost imperceptibly. “Weak enough to think you could ever be capable of betraying me and the cause we've fought so hard for...” a tense silence had settled down between them and he decided to continue. “I didn't want to say it because I didn't want to believe it. I'm weak enough to feel hurt by this because I... I actually love you. I do.” He wanted to run his fingers through her hair, but he thought it was too late for doing that now. He had said it today.
Apollo stood still and watched as a single teardrop made its way along Athena's cheek. He felt incredibly sorry for having hurt her beautiful partner, but then she smiled and he did not know why. She knew though; the noise was all gone now, so she got slowly close to him and gripped the bandage on its neck, pulling it and tossing it in the air. As it got carried away by the wind, she let out a little laugh.
“I'm so sorry Polly... I should have known that what I said the other night had left you confused, but I thought maybe you would figure out it was because I didn't want to admit my feelings... for you” He wiped away the teardrop with his thumb and stared straight into her eyes. She felt her cheeks burning as his face got closer to her and her eyelids slowly going down. Apollo's bracelet was far from being tight when their lips met for a sweet moment. They didn't really know how much time had passed when they opened their eyes again.
“You know... you looked way more threatening with that bandage on” Athena smiled and turned herself again so she could see where they were heading to.
“Stop that!” the archer said “Where are we going anyway?”
“We're having breakfast! I don't know about you, but I'm starving” She caressed her Pegasus and they started to descend. Apollo sighed in relief and embraced her.
“Yeah, me too”.