Work Text:
“Edric Blight,” Hunter demanded as he rounded the corner of the trail.
In front of him, he could see the silhouette of the aforementioned green haired boy. “First of all- how did you get up to my fucking window at the palace to leave a note? Second- why? What is going on?” Hunter was still in uniform, mask and all, being that he hurried here, following the note’s orders.
Hey there Hunter.
Meet me at that one river near
the trail to town from my place.
It’s urgent !
Thanks, Goldie!~
~Edric Blight
It was dark, and the full moon was the only lightsource, though that was not much with how cloudy it was, and how densely the tree cover overhead loomed. The weather was nice at least, it was breezy, and the autumn’s sweet coolness was shifting into the air.
Rather than explaining, Edric took a deep breath, then sighed it out. He lifted his hand, which glowed, as he readied a spell.
“Hello?” Hunter stopped approaching, crossing his arms, face flushing with agitation behind his mask. “Edric?”
Edric snapped, and dozens of little light illusions floated up from the ground, illuminating the scene in warm yellows and oranges. The new light revealed Edric, with his hair neatly done in that charmingly messy way he fixes it for special occasions, and his golden dress-shirt and tie from Grom, his favorite formal outfit that he owned. The golden colors reminded him of Hunter. Edric turned around with a huge grin, obviously nervous out of his mind.
“Hunter- Goldie- Golden Guaaard-! Ah-!” He fumbled with what to do with his hands for a moment, then shoved them in his back pockets. “I-I’m sorry if I worried you, or if it was a bad time! Aghhh, I should have given a longer notice, really, I-” Edric shut up when he saw Hunter walking towards him, and he gulped. The light illusions flickered a bit, but stayed floating around them, enlightening the river and the turning-autumn leaves in the trees.
“Mm. Uh. I-” Edric stumbled through words as Hunter walked towards him, and he was sure the Golden Guard was going to deck him for making him show up here to… talk… but he stayed frozen there, his stupid sweaty hands glued in his pockets, and his eyes locked on that shiny, golden mask.
“Edric. Blight.” Hunter seemed to snap as he paused right in front of the taller boy. Edric gulped. This was a mistake. He’s not ready, he won’t ever be ready, he doesn’t even like me. Hunter took a deep breath, then reached up, and Ed closed his eyes, grimacing. When he peaked one open, he raised his brows, looking down at the other boy in wonder as he realized that he’d taken off his helmet. He was looking around, awestruck, those precious rosy eyes glistening in the twinkling lights. “What… Is all this?” Hunter’s demanding tone shifted into a dazed whisper.
Ed was a bit relieved to see that Hunter wasn’t mad, and he sighed, staring at him for a moment, at the way the light caught that loose curl of his, before he cleared his throat and tried to regain his cool disposition.
“Ah, well,” Edric chuckled. “It’s probably a bit much for the occasion, but I wanted to talk to you, Goldie, and I thought you deserved to look at something pretty for a change.” Ed explained, glancing down at the river rather than looking at him, because he knew he’d screw this up if he looked at the gorgeous being in front of him right now.
“Wha…” Hunter furrowed his brows in confusion, looking up at Edric, feeling his ears get warm and flick a little. “I what?” Deserve to look at something pretty? What does that even mean? Hunter wondered. He also wondered why this was making him so… flustered, is that it? Ew, just thinking that was embarrassing.
“You work so hard all day, for the Emperor, why not just let yourself live a little?” Ed smiled, feigning calm. “Right?”
“Mm.” Hunter thought about that, glancing down. He didn’t have time to live, he lived for the Emperor, after all.
“Right!” Ed agreed for him, giving him a stupid grin. Hunter snorted and cocked a brow.
“And… that’s why you made me come into the middle of the woods? In the dark? I deserve to see pretty lights for a moment?” Hunter looked unconvinced, tapping his foot on the ground as an idle way to keep himself still.
“Ah! No, nonono,” Ed shook his head, laughing nervously. “I thought- Um- a question- ask- uh-”
Hunter cocked a brow again.
“How about-” Ed grinned, grabbing his scroll in his pocket and clicking something. At that, soft, slow music began to play from it, and he tucked it into his breast pocket rather than his back pocket. “A dance? With me? You up for it, Goldie?”
Hunter’s face turned bright red, and his brows raised. He looked into Edric’s golden eyes, then only flushed more and quickly turned away from him.
“Ugh, Blight...” Hunter started.
“W… What is it?” Edric’s heart began to sink, but he held a hand out for Hunter.
“I… can’t dance.” Hunter explained, turning back to face him, though his head was turned to the side. He was trying to frown, but utterly failed when the corners of his mouth betrayed him in a goofy little smile. Ed’s expression blanked, then he broke into laughter, relieved that that was the problem. Hunter just flushed all over again.
“Hey! Don’t laugh at me! I-It’s not like I was raised going to school dances and formal events like you were!” Hunter pouted, hugging himself and looking down, humiliated. He gasped under his breath when he felt Edric gently grab his gloved hand and pull it forward.
“No, don’t worry, it’s okay! I can show you what I know!” Edric grinned pleasantly, blushing.
“O…” Hunter cleared his throat when his voice cracked. “Okay then.”
Edric took both his gloved hands after letting Hunter set his helmet down, then pulled his arms out, smirking. He side-stepped, then explained to Hunter that he just needed to do the same.
“Okay, step forward, step side, close-” Hunter did so. “Back, side, close.” It involved some mis-steps, and some trips, but Hunter stared down at their feet as they did what Edric had explained was the ‘Foxtrott,’ a simple formal dance.
“There you go, you’re a natural!” Edric beamed, and Hunter looked up at him, blushing and immediately tripping over his footing, having to be held up by Edric to keep them both from falling.
“No, I would definitely not say that,” Hunter snorted and pulled away, walking over to the riverside.
“Ah, noo, you’re doing fine! I-I promise, man! Don’t give up yet, it-... Hunter..?” Edric cocked his head when he noticed that Hunter wasn’t replying, just staring at the river.
“What.. are you doin’ there, bud?” Ed asked nervously, stepping over and standing beside him.
“Look…” Hunter gestured forward, and Edric looked, raising his brows. There were way more lights than he had casted, and he realized that they were fireflies, dancing with his little illuminations, swirling around and swaying to the song that was still playing from the scroll in his pocket. Edric gasped, looking at Hunter, just gasping again when he realized that they nearly bonked heads from how quickly they’d both turned to look at each other. They both turned red, but just looked at each other silently.
Finally, Edric hesitated, then reached down and lightly grazed Hunter’s hand with his own, glancing away.
“This is… so much harder than I thought it would be,” Edric chuckled nervously.
“Wh… What is?” Hunter asked, taking the touch as an error and staying stiffly in place, looking up at Edric and silently adoring the way his golden eyes paired with his outfit, and thinking about that little mole on his cheek. Damn it. Are you a child, Hunter? Stop thinking like that. Stop… LOOKING at him like that, you dumbass, snap out of it! Hunter warred with himself in his brain, but his dumbfounded, swooning side seemed to be winning.
“Asking… uh.” Ed sighed. “Asking you this.” Ed grabbed Hunter’s hand and held it to his chest.
“Do you want to see me?” Ed blurted out.
“See… you?” Hunter knew exactly what he meant, and he was humiliated by the way his heart beat so fast at the thought of what Edric was trying to say, but he needed clarity, to know that they were thinking the same thing.
“More often, I mean! I mean… Damn it!” Ed let go of his hand to throw his arms up in the air exasperatedly, giving himself a double face-palm as he turned away from Hunter. “You have duties, you are a high-ranking member of the Emperor’s Coven and you are a mega-skilled witch and fighter- you work so hard to be! You’re… UGH! You’re really handsome, endearing, and I love being around you, even before I saw your face- I- I knew I wanted to be around you all the time! Your face… don’t even get me started on how cute your face is!” Edric laughed.
Hunter’s eyes widened, and his face turned bright red. “You like my face? Ack- hey-! My face isn’t cute!” Hunter huffed.
“Really, now? That face you’re doing right now is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” Edric smirked, which made Hunter scream internally. “Ah- right, where was I? I can ramble about how cute your tooth gap is later,” Edric loved the way that comment made Hunter squeak and cover his mouth as if the tooth gap would go away, and as if he could hide that big smile that had slipped onto his face. “Hunter, Golden Guard, whatever you want me to call you… Will you-”
Edric was cut off when the shorter boy suddenly snatched his collar, yanking him down to his height and meeting him for a kiss. Hunter’s eyes were closed tightly, while Edric’s were wide with shock. It wasn’t unlike the Golden Guard to do something bold, that’s what he was known for after all, but this was the last thing he expected from Hunter. Edric let his eyes flutter closed to savor the moment, and the warmth that filled his heart.
Hunter realized what he had done and pushed Edric away, yelping. “Ah- oopsy! Was- Was that right?” Hunter laughed nervously. “I- I shouldn’t have done that- you,” Hunter cleared his throat and ran his hand over his hair to slick it back into place. “You were taking too long,” Hunter grinned nervously.
Edric’s mouth fell open in shock, then curled back into that stupid grin he always wore, that always looked so cute on him. “So that’s a yes?”
“To?” Hunter pretended to not know what he was talking about, trying to tuck that curl behind his ear, but it fell back into his face. Edric lifted his hand up to Hunter’s face and gently pushed the curl aside.
“Will you be my boyfriend?” Edric asked softly.
“I’ve… never experienced something like this…” Hunter blushed, not knowing what to do with his shaky hands at his sides. “But… yes, I think I’d like that,” He softly smiled up at the green haired boy, who smirked, then quickly pulled away to squeal and do a happy little victory dance, which made Hunter laugh. Blights, they always managed to be so charming… once you got to know them, at least.
Edric and Hunter sat in the grass of the riverbank, side-by-side. Edric reached down and held his hand out to his partner, and Hunter took it, intertwining their fingers, glancing at him, then out at the glistening river. Edric let his head lean over to rest on Hunter’s shoulder, and the two just sat there together, listening to the river flow, to the soft music play, and watching the lights dance in the moonlight on the river.