Chapter Text
You usually didn’t wake up in the middle of the night.
Inazuma always became peacefully quiet when the sun completely sets, blanketing the outside with a silence that absolutely anybody could sleep through.
At first, you sit up, turning the pillow so that it was on a colder side (based), and you would’ve gone back to your rest, if it wasn’t for something that threw you completely off guard.
“Baal?” Your voice blurted out.
Baal wasn’t with you on your bed.
Many people were surprised to hear that Baal, or the Raiden Shogun as they called her, had a significant other whom she loved, especially when they learned that the other was just a completely normal person.
You didn’t even think she’d notice you; you felt so painlessly average compared to her grandiosity, but she had. While she looked imposing on the outside, she was completely soft on the inside, and had a caring side that anyone would wish for.
It was strange to you though: Baal wasn’t one for leaving in the middle of the night, unless it was something so drastically important and confidential. The last time a moment happened like this, she had folded a letter explaining her absence for you. To see that there was nothing by your side made you suddenly aware of your surroundings.
You quickly found yourself getting onto your own two feet, trying to get your footing as you walked out of the bedroom you shared.
The more you walked around, the more it truly felt like you were alone: it was so awfully quiet, with the only sounds being your own footsteps walking in the night. It was pitch black wherever you looked, at least from where you stood. You found yourself taking a deep breath - should you be worried? Baal was such a strong leader, and a strong archon wife too.
Even if she was away, you were sure that she was safe...
As your mind conflicted over whether to go to sleep or not, accepting that she had simply forgotten to write a letter, you heard a sharp thud onto the floor.
If you weren’t living inside a place as safe as you were, you would’ve jumped in fear at the endless possibilities. Living inside Baal's home gave you so much safety, that you didn't even shudder at the noise. Instead, your mind raced to the obvious question.
Was that… Baal?
You began to slowly creep towards the noise, on the opposite side of the floor you were on, careful to not make a sound.
As you got closer to that sound, you began to see a dim light coming from a room in the far corner. You were about to figure out which room exactly, until you heard an audible sigh, one that definitely resembled the one of your wife. You made a sigh of your own, in relief that she was potentially okay.
However, the relief soon turned into confusion as another question began to loom over your mind.
What was Baal doing in the middle of the night… in the…?
That’s what you realised what the problem was.
As you made your way towards the kitchen door, you mentally prepared yourself, before peeking over to see your archon.
Baal’s was sniffling, and rubbing her eyes occasionally as she stood beside the kitchen counter. Your wife rarely got emotional over nonsensical things – she rarely cried at all.
You had told Baal so many times now, how not everybody can do everything, but she just wouldn’t accept that. Truthfully, you had expected a scenario this: She always tried her hardest to prove to everybody why she earned and deserved her title as the Raiden Shogun. She wanted to be able to do absolutely everything possible, from the most substantial actions such as protecting her region, to the smallest hobbies such as cleaning and sewing.
And you were always so thankful for everything she would do, just for your sake. She was so talented and beautiful, and she was always here to help you whenever you needed it.
However, there was just one thing she couldn’t do, and while you had no problem with it, it was something that always filled Baal with a burning shame.
“Baal?” You finally made your presence known, walking into the kitchen. Hearing her sniffles made your heart wrench in sadness. The steps you made echoed around the room, and if Baal didn’t hear her name, then she definitely heard you walking up to her from behind.
She tried quickly to wipe away her tears, but to no avail, as you wrapped your arms around her sides, trapping her arms in the process. Your wife didn’t say a word, allowing the hug to happen as you leaned your face onto the back of her body, taking in her warmth.
“Baal, did you try to cook again?” You asked, squeezing her softly, as Baal kept looking down, silent. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”
“I--“ Her voice cracked immediately.
Baal stopped herself from talking, and you began to feel her tremble slightly. You didn’t say a word to interject though, only nuzzling your face deeper onto her bare skin, as you heard her shaky breaths.
You knew how your wife didn’t like to be told that she was getting emotional. It came with her pride of being a Shogun, and never wanting to look weak in front of anybody. The only exception that Baal had to that rule was you, the one she treasured and loved ever so dearly.
Even with that though, Baal wasn’t used to having her heart open for another person. You were the first and only person that she had fallen head-over-heels for, and she had never felt love for another person in her thousands of years of life. She was still getting used to unveiling her mask in front of you, and so you gave her all the time she needed to get used to it.
Baal cleared her throat, before taking a deep breath. She seemed to feel a small sense of comfort that you were so patient with her.
“I want to be able to cook at least something…” She spoke. “But t-these-“
Baal paused again, after stuttering her words once again. Before it could any worse, you took your hands off of her. You began to slowly maneuver around her so that you were in front of her, and you held her hands lovingly.
“It’s okay Baal, I’ll help you.”
You always tried your hardest to help calm her down in the rare moments of weakness that she had, whether it was from soft hugs, or loving words, or holding her hand. So you did all three at once.
“But you should go to sleep-“ She said promptly, feelings your soft hands intertwine with her own.
“No, let me help you…” You looked at her, before smiling. “Please?”
Baal looked directly back at you, and you could see the small blush residing on her face.
She took a few moments more to collect herself, before she closed her eyes and sighed. “Okay…”
A smile rose onto your face. It was always so heartwarming when she removed her pride like this; she had even begun to do it more frequently now, which was such a relief to you. Baal saw the smile on your face, and returned it with one of her own. It only made you smile even harder; your wife was so beautiful.
After a few seconds of enjoying the moment, you moved your focus upon the kitchen counter. There was a single potato there, with a peeler right beside it. You didn’t need to interpret what she had been trying to do.
“Oh, were you starting with potatoes first?” You ask her, hands still intertwined.
Baal nodded, and you could see the embarrassment on her face. You squeezed her hands gently, trying to reassure her non-verbally that it was okay.
“Let’s me show you first, and then I’ll help you.”
You began demonstrating it to your wife, letting her peer over your shoulder as you motioned everything for her. Your words were slow, but not too slow, so that she didn’t feel like she were being treated condescendingly. Thankfully though, she simply nodded most of the time, even a few glimpses of a glimpse that you noticed from the corner of your eye.
“That looks… rather nice.” Baal spoke finally, after minutes of silence.
“Well, it’s your turn now!”
You said it energetically, placing the peeler in your wife’s open hands as her eyes visibly widened. She looked down, an apprehensive expression staining her face, before she diverted her eyes to look at you. Baal looked almost unsure of herself…
“I’ll guide you along the way if you get stuck.” You say reassuringly.
Your words seemed to work, because Baal put a brave face on, before walking towards the counter with a determination she rarely got to see outside of combat. You smile in admiration, as you watched on supportively from behind.
Baal then picked up a potato with one hand, and held the peeler with the other hand. She glanced at you fondly, and you looked back with just as much.
“Here.” You say before you put your hand over her own. She watched in anticipation as you moved her fingers, and rotated her hand softly so that the blade was parallel to the skin. Baal didn’t seem to resist it though, allowing you to help. “That’s how you should hold it.”
Baal stared directly at her hands, where you had placed your own above hers. She blushed faintly, which made you crimson with how pretty she looked.
“I’m ready.” Baal told you (and herself), before she slowly began to peel it. You took her hands off and watched.
She must’ve paid very close attention to you, because she seemed to be doing it flawlessly so far. You wanted to tell her so badly how happy you were, but Baal looked so focused right then, and you didn’t want to break the focus until she had finished it completely.
Your wife seemed to be noticing her own success because both hands began shaking in her own excitement and anticipation. After so long, she could finally make something, and it was all thanks to you!
A few moments later, and the potato was on the kitchen counter, the skin completely removed. The both of you stared at it, laying there in all its glory.
You couldn’t even contain your own happiness as you stared proudly at what she had done. She had been trying so hard for the last few centuries to do absolutely anything with food, and now she finally did it! You found no better way to show your own joy than wrapping your arms softly around her waist. “See, I knew you could do it!”
Surprisingly, Baal remained silent.
…
…
…
…
“Baal?” You say, after a moment of silence that was too long. “Baal? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
You carefully turned Baal around with your hands, only to see that there were hot tears flowing down her face! You would’ve assumed the worst if it wasn’t for the happiest smile she had seen in a while on her gorgeous face.
“I-I d-d-did it…” She said, stuttering on every word, as her own choked sobs cut her words. “L-Look, t-t-the potato… i-it’s…!”
Honestly, you still hadn’t fully processed how much she was crying, but the sight of it made you smile so happily; the mask that she always wore on her face broke more with every day now, to the point where she could now openly shed tears in front of you.
“I did it! I-I have been trying f-for th-thousands of years! A-And I-“
Baal looked so perfect right then, with the most beautiful smile on her face. You couldn’t control yourself anymore. Without hesitating, you placed your hands around her cheeks, wiping the tears that wouldn’t stop running down them, and silenced her, as you stared directly into those deep, purple, infatuated eyes.
“Yes, and you did all of it yourself… darling.”
Baal blushed madly, before it looked like even she couldn’t hold it in any longer. Before you had even processed her crying, your wife lunged immediately at you – you didn’t even get time to gasp in shock before you felt Baal’s lips crashing onto your own. Your eyes widened, as you watched her proclaim her love to you.
“I-I love you! I love you so much!” She was crying, and laughing, and breathing heavily as you met her lips for the second time. A euphoric feeling ran down your body, as you deepened into it, much to your wife’s liking. You could feel an arm wrapping around your head, which only pushed you closer to her rosy lips.
Sadly though, one of you didn’t have the breath control that an archon did. “Baal… that was so… hot.” was all you could say in your dazed state.
“Thank you! Thank you… so much!” was all that Baal was saying.
You found yourself embracing the archon lovingly, as you tried to calm her down. You had never seen her like this in your life, but you were also so glad that it happened.
“Baal… I love you too.”
And you really did.
~~~Timeskip~~~
A few minutes later, and Baal had returned, a wide smile on her face.
You had been sitting on the dining table for a while, with Kujou Sara opposite to you. She had wondered over why Baal looked so awfully happy when she invited her over. You promised to keep it a surprise though, so you kept your lips shut.
Baal held a dish in her hands, and Sara visibly grimaced as she glanced from side to side, possibly looking for a way out.
“Look Sara!” Baal sounded so uncontrollably happy right then, that even Sara paused her search to look incredulously at her. “Look at what I made.”
Sara (gulping nervously) looked down, to see the roasted potatoes on the plate.
“That… actually looks normal?” Sara said, the surprise obvious from her time.
“Right! I think I’m going to make this every day for all our conference meetings.” Baal was still smiling, which seemed to be contagious as you began to smile too.
Sara was still staring bewildered at the perfectly normal dish.
“How…?” Sara whispered.
And as you watched Sara’s surprise, and your wife’s happiness, you realised how lucky you were to be in such a loving relationship.
You truly did love Baal, for eternity and beyond.