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Breathing in the crisped morning air, the capital was always peaceful when the sun just reached its peak and with only a few people preparing their stores just before the place become an active bustling area. Even though this is his usual routine in guarding this specific district, he was mostly looking forward to his other routine.
“Heeey Reinhard! it’s nice to see you out and about, mind if I join?”
He moved his head to that familiar voice and melted into an easy smile. “Morning Subaru, you’re up to your usual jogs I take it?”
With an exaggerated gasp, she replied “Aah! How did you know?!”
“You do this daily Subaru.” Though that is something he does not completely mind.
“Humph!” She folded her arms and puffed her cheeks in an adorable way, continuing with her conversation, “and here I thought you appreciated my help in your watch out, you know what they say! Two pairs of eyes are better than one!”
“Though I have never heard of this saying, I can see its practicality but it doesn’t explain how your morning jogs happen to be at the same time as my knightly duties.” Saying this with a small smirk having a slight indication of what the answer is.
“Well…” as Subaru was going to continue with her speech, she strikes a pose with one of her hands by the back of her head and the other one pointing directly at him. It was like she rehearsed this in a mirror before coming here. “It isn’t a good start to a morning jog without the handsome radiance of the sun, now, is it?”
After that, there was a pregnant silence between them.
Her pose becomes less confident as she shakingly adds, “ya-you know, how the sun always nurtures the nature around them?”
…
She completely drops the pose and is now speaking quicker trying to desperately save face “YOU KNOW, like how the sun is hot and you are also hot- “
Reinhard cut her off before she could continue her tangent further before she starts panicking and having difficulty in breathing. “I thought that was lovely Subaru, and I couldn’t have appreciated it more.”
“WHAT A LATE RESPONSE, DON’T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!”
“Sorry I didn’t intend to scare you like that, I wanted to savour your praises- though I do not deserve them, your compliments, as you say are the beautiful radiant sun of my morning.”
…..
After that reply, Subaru’s face and her ears were completely red. Seeing this Reinhard asks in concern “are you alright?”
“LET’S JUST GO WALKING!!”
As promised the two walked along the capital’s streets as their normal routine, which usually starts with small talk and then complete comfortable silence. Reinhard always enjoyed this part of the day where they walk side by side with nothing but the calming morning air and found comfort in each other’s presence.
This peaceful momentum was cut abruptly.
“I don’t want us to be friends anymore.”
“What?” Reinhard wisped under his breath and turned around to face Subaru, almost breaking into a cold sweat.
“Uuuuhh, no I didn’t say this right- Ummm how do I say this?” Subaru scratched at her unruly yet soft black hair looking at the other side and not back at Reinhard.
“You see Reinhard, I like you. Well, more than like, actually.”
“Love? Subaru…” At the word of her name, Subaru’s head swung to look straight at him “come on! Don’t pretend how that isn't even possible! I wasn’t subtle at all with my advances!”
Reinhard looked at the floor pondering at her statement, thinking back, he always assumed it was her usual quirks than being something else. No, maybe you did know but the thought of them together in that way was absurd.
“I’m sorry, Subaru. But that is just not possible—” “Just hear me out for a second!”
Subaru nervously added, "Maybe not in public, but we could have something special and only the two of us will know it."
“Not only do you wish to pursue a relationship with me, but do you mean you want to keep this a secret? I don’t know, this doesn’t seem right...”
“To turn my back against Lugnica, - “
Quickly Subaru countered this statement with “what they don’t know won’t hurt them!”
“Of all things…” Reinhard looked away for a moment a hand covering his mouth and a light tinted shade of red covered his cheeks, just the thought of it…
“This isn’t right Subaru; I have responsibilities to the people of Lugnica! It would tarnish everything—"
“You don’t have to have every aspect of your life revolving around just your duties! We’re young, you’re young Reinhard! Why can’t you even have that for yourself?” As she was about to conclude her say she looked at Reinhard’s face his expression was extremely conflicted and she faltered.
“oh, oh no.”
She quickly realized her mistake and took a step back. Breathing in and out before continuing, “I’m sorry Reinhard, I shouldn’t have forced that onto you. I want us to be more than friends…but I’m also fine if that isn’t the case.”
She looked right into his clear blue eyes for the first time today, with her own eyes brightened with anticipation but also a bit guarded if rejected, “You should make that choice Reinhard, not me.”
His choice? He never even considered it, or even come to a situation where he had to choose what he wanted. Reinhard has already expected that his future endeavours in love and romance would involve the kingdom choosing a respected noblewoman to marry, simply in hopes to continue the Astrea line.
And he was fine with that, even happy with that choice!
Not once did he think of the possibility of pursuing a romantic relationship on his own terms, out of love instead of duty. If that were the case, he would much prefer admiring them from afar, as he would not ruin anything between them like he believed he would with most of his relationships.
But, of course, knowing Subaru she was built to crash that possibility unannounced and demand an answer for what he wanted.
And what did he want exactly?
Reinhard, almost without thinking, raised his arm, placing his hand's palm against the side of Subaru’s rosy cheeks, and leaned forward. Seeing this, Subaru’s eyes brightened, and she complied with his answer with the full enthusiasm of a lovestruck teen, leaning closer and closer.
Of course, they both moved at a pace faster than necessary leading them to clatter their front teeth, hard.