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The first thing he does with his post-war bonus is finally pay off his debts. It's not easy, either, there's a gambling hall in Enbarr that just re-opened and he's itching to double that money. But he also knows funds have been a little tighter for the Empire after the war and with all the work Lady Edelgard's planning to do now that those slither-creeps are out of the picture.
I appreciate all of you remaining by my side throughout both wars, she'd said. I know I never needed to pay you. But I know many of you are planning to start new lives and businesses and families, and when I said these reforms were for everyone I meant it.
So he pays off his debts. The debt collectors almost look disappointed, too, like chasing him was the best part. But Balthus has plans for the rest of his life, too, and they revolve around proving himself to a certain little lady.
He's long since stopped pretending it's all about repaying her folks. Which isn't to say he's not eternally grateful to them, but sometime during the war against the Church he fell head over heels in love with their daughter. Her sharp eyes, her smile, how safe he felt with her fighting by his side. What started out as the King of Grappling protecting a tiny mage turned into that tiny mage frying the enemy from five paces behind him.
Make me a part of your family, he'd said, flustering her. They haven't talked about that conversation since, but he's been making his way to Ordelia territory for the last week. Debt-free. Still not employed beyond doing a few errands for that merchant gal so he could afford to eat, but he can think about a job once he's settled in.
He wonders if they'll recognize him. It's been years, and as he approaches the old manor he's almost worried they'll see a total stranger and try to shoo him away. But when a servant lets him through the gates, Lady Ordelia's waiting at the door with a smile.
"My daughter told me you might be paying us a visit. We were so relieved to hear you survived this war." She doesn't even bat an eyelash at his shabby travel clothes and the hair he hasn't washed in a few days. "Please, come in!"
"Thanks." The place looks better than it did last time, no Empire troops or creepy mages hanging around and it looks like they've done a little work on it. We'll never get our noble standing back, but I want my parents to be comfortable, Lysithea had said. It looks like a regular old manor, no glitzy decor but it looks like a place you'd want to live in rather than a prison cell.
The portraits of six other children don't escape his eye as they walk down the front hall, though. He bites his lip to avoid saying anything, disgusting, horrible, they were only kids. Now more than ever he's glad he helped take those slithering creeps down.
"Balthus!" Her voice comes before her footsteps, and before he knows it she's standing in front of him.
He watched her go from a teenager to a woman over the five years the professor was gone and during the war. But he's never seen her looking quite so...elegant. Simple black gown with golden and lavender accents, ends of her hair curled, her mini hair-veil replaced with silver clips, makeup.
Lady.
"Looking good," he says once his tongue unsticks from the roof of his mouth. "If I'd known you were gonna get dressed up for me I'd have stopped somewhere to get clean!" She purses her lips, studying him carefully, then shrugs.
"Lucky for you this isn't a formal visit and I warned my parents you might not be looking your best." But she's staring at him, too, he notices, only averting her eyes to the front when her dad walks into the room.
"Balthus! Good to see you, young man, glad that the life we saved back then didn't go to waste," Count Ordelia says. "We're only sorry we couldn't do more for you." He looks over his shoulder towards one of the portraits before quickly ushering them into the dining room. "You must be starving!"
"I am, but, uh..." He usually doesn't care about his looks aside from making sure everyone can see his abs and chest, but he's suddenly self-conscious about how grimy he is. "I oughta wash up first, don't you think?" If he can't look the part of a clean-cut knight or the noble he used to be, the least he can be is clean and in decent clothes.
"Oh, right, that's probably a good idea." Count Ordelia has the one remaining servant lead him to the bathing chamber, where he scrubs himself furiously and checks his spare clothes over for stains and wrinkles. He debates tying back his hair but it's too thick, so he settles for running a brush through it.
"There. Now, if I can get through dinner without spilling anything I'm in good shape."
Lysithea's parents don't judge him for how he's lived his life when he tells them what he's been up to, which is a relief once he gets past the embarrassment of admitting he became a freeloading bum living in the sewers. Even when he brings up the debt collectors they're more worried for his safety than anything.
"But that part of my life's totally over now, I swear," he says. "Paid off every last copper of my debt and what I've got left...well, I was gonna put it aside, but I was thinking-" Lady Ordelia holds up a hand, fixing him with a stern gaze.
"Don't even suggest it," she says firmly. "You repaid us by coming back alive and keeping our only remaining child safe." She casts a meaningful glance towards Lysithea, who blushes. Balthus's face goes warm as he takes a sip of his wine, pushing the food around his plate with his fork.
"Was the least I could do."
"And we'll always be grateful," Count Ordelia says. Heh, you're one to talk about being grateful. You saved me, then your daughter wormed her way into my heart and let me stay near her.
The rest of the meal goes more or less fine, but every now and then he catches Lysithea looking his way. Their hands bump against each other as they reach for something - a glass, a fork, the serving spoon for the bowl of glazed carrots (So that's how you get her to eat a carrot, huh). Lady Ordelia gazes meaningfully at one of them as she speaks to the other, Count Ordelia will make some reference to him being "like family to them."
When he'd asked her to make him a part of her family, he hadn't realized his feelings for her yet but she'd gotten flustered anyway. Was she just caught off guard, or had she read between lines that weren't even there? Many times he'd asked himself if that was when his feelings changed, but he'd given up trying to pinpoint the exact moment.
It's not like he's even lacking his own, his mother means the world to him and he's on good terms with his stepbrother no matter how hard the kid's mother tries to pit them against each other.
He wants Lysithea to meet his mother. He wants to take her back to Kupala for a visit, he wants to-
"-your mother," Lady Ordelia says. "Balthus, if she has time, perhaps she'd like to visit Ordelia? Or we could come to her." Did she read his mind? Did she even need to? He gulps down the last of his wine, relieved when his head doesn't spin from the rush.
"My mother? Er, yeah, I'm sure she'd love that! I mean, if you'd come over, I dunno how she feels about coming back here, but-"
"Let her make that call," Lysithea says, almost gently. "We have time to think about it."
In all the time he's known Lysithea von Ordelia, she's never been patient. Every time he saw her she was studying, training, gulping down her snacks, rushing through errands and tasks. Trying to pass any certification exams she took within one week of being eligible. Hell, one of her most-shouted battle cries was how she didn't have time for the enemies blocking her way.
In all the time he's known her, he never thought he'd hear her say they had time to wait on something. He watches her parents' reactions, but they barely bat an eyelash.
"I'm having a procedure done to have my Crests removed."
After they finished eating, he'd offered to help clear the table. Count and Lady Ordelia declined, and Lysithea wanted to talk to him anyway. She'd seemed pretty insistent about it, too. The second she says the words, Balthus's jaw almost drops.
"They can do that?" He remembers her telling him about her Crests and finding out what it meant once Edelgard explained more about those who slither in the dark. After that he'd tried not to think about it because who wanted to think about the person they loved having a shortened life span? "How?"
"Professor Hanneman," she says. "He's been working on this for a while now, ever since the war. I won't bore you with the details, but it'd involve me staying at the medical facility for a week and I'd have to have further treatment to make sure it works and they're out of my system entirely. But once it's done..." She smiles. "I have time n-"
He pulls her against his chest and she squeaks, but doesn't push him away. He spent so much time trying not to think about how he might not have a lot of time with her and now he will.
"Remind me to thank the old guy next time I see him. Hell, why wait? I'll write a letter." He smiles. "And don't worry, while you're recovering I'll stay here and help your parents with everything. I mean, while I'm not running errands for Anna. And I'll still wanna find a job so-"
"Balthus." She pulls away and looks up at him. "I appreciate your newfound sense of responsibility, I really do. I'm glad you finally paid off your debts, and I'm sure my parents will appreciate your help. But there's such a thing as going overboard."
Balthus, who's spent his entire adult life living with almost zero restraint, quirks a brow at her. She rolls her eyes, sighing a little.
"Remember when you first offered to support us? How you said you didn't need any payment?" She smiles. "I think that was the moment I knew someday you'd turn your life around. Now you've taken the most important step. It doesn't matter that none of us were there to see it, you're not the type to lie."
"Well..." He bites his lip. "What if I wanna go overboard for my own sake?" She shakes her head. "Yeah, I'm not a very good liar, am I."
"I know my parents and I can count on you. That's enough for them." She smiles, standing on her tiptoes and placing a hand on his cheek. "And it's more than enough for me." Her lips press against his before he can answer, soft and warm, one hand clutching his shoulder while the other threads through his hair.
Practiced. Confident. Balthus is wide-eyed and frozen on the other end for a split second before he kisses her back.
"Did you tell your parents what I said? About..."
"I did," she confesses, "and they've been dropping hints ever since. Not that they needed to." Her cheeks go pink and he feels like a flustered schoolboy again; she leans against his chest and he wraps his arm around her waist, half expecting this to be a really involved daydream. Any minute now he'll wake up staring at her, his fork stuck in a piece of meat while Count and Lady Ordelia ask him if they heard what they said.
He closes and opens his eyes, and they're still alone.
"So maybe it's a good thing I didn't have time to prepare a confession." She laughs, rolling her eyes at him.
"There you go again, trying too hard." She wraps her arms around his back, leaning more on him. "Just be you. A more responsible you, but don't go throwing away that impulsive way of yours when it's what made me fall for you in the first place!"
She kisses him again, and Balthus feels like the luckiest man in the world.