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“I…I have something for you.”
Azura looked up from the hair she was idly toying with, and met with her husband staring down at her. She was sitting beneath a tree, enjoying the cool touch of the grass under her feet. As she took in Ryoma’s image, a gentle breeze tousled his already wild mane. He had his arms behind his back, concealing something. As she opened her mouth, she realized he looked… bashful? How strange. She'd be more concerned if he didn’t look so cute when he was embarrassed. If only for the sake of his ego, she’d refrain from calling him that.
“Mm? And what exactly is that, love?” She asked sweetly, smiling at how his blush deepened. Despite his affectionate names for her: ‘love’, ‘dear’, ‘darling’- his cheeks would get redder than his armor when Azura would use the same on him. Then again, she did the same when he did as well.
He floundered for a moment, eyes darting to the side as he briefly composed himself. Taking in a breath and setting his shoulders, the samurai tried again.
“It has occurred to me that there is a special Nohrian holiday…Val..en.t..” He paused for a moment, thinking out the word. His attempts at trying to learn Nohrian culture- if only for his wife- were enduring. Even if he ended up butchering the vocabulary most of the time.
“Valentine’s.” Azura added, steering him back on course. His mouth opened and shut a few times before he continued. Despite seeing the end goal a mile away, the songstress could feel her cheeks blushing in anticipation. Even now married with two children, they both still managed to reduce each other to mush.
“Yes, that. It was brought to my attention by your sisters that it is of great importance to couples. Princess Elise was quite insistent that I find you something…” Azura gave a sheepish little laugh behind the back of her hand. Of course Elise would be pulling strings. Azura should have figured Ryoma would be her next target after her little sister had tracked down Xander and made him go all out for Charlotte. Corrin was probably next.
Azura tilted her head, curiosity gleaming in her eyes, a silent signal for Ryoma to continue. Taking a breath, she watched as her husband brought the item from behind him, placing it in her hands.
It was actually two items- one an obvious box of chocolate, and the other a wrapped gift.
Threats of more laughter bubbled in her throat- envisioning Ryoma trying to buy something such as chocolate for Valentine’s was an image she’d keep for a long time. That, and the look on his face now. The man looked as if he was watching Saizo try and deactivate a bomb, rather than give his wife a gift. Everything he did, he did with one-hundred and ten percent. As she smiled at the sweets box, her husband sat beside her, leaning up against the tree and quiet in anticipation for the second present. She gave him a small side-eye, the grin now plastered to her features.
Pulling at the (truth be told, poorly) tied bow, Azura began to gingerly tear at the wrapping. When it fell away, she audibly gasped.
There were two compendiums- one Nohrian and one Hoshidan. Each covered a brief history of each countries’ music and had a small collection of scores. Sticking out from one of the pages, a thick envelope rested in the fold. As her fingers grabbed the manilla package, she felt her husband place a gentle hand on her wrist.
“I, uh, wish for you to read that later…” She glanced over to him, his shyness in full force. She let out a little ‘oh’, a smile returning to her face as she leaned into his side. His letters were so sweet, so personable, it would be rough waiting until she could open it.
“Hmm, alright… But thank you for the gifts. I very much treasure them both.” Taking in a gulp and feeling her face practically ignite, she placed both her hands on Ryoma’s equally hot cheeks.
“But not so much as I treasure you, Ryoma.” She felt her mouth go numb, somewhat mortified she said something so sappy, but it was too late to turn back now. How serial flirts such as Niles said such things- and worse- without batting an eye was beyond her. But at least she could take solace that she was not the only one melting right now. If it were even possible, she felt her husband’s cheeks warm even more.
“I, ah, er…” Ryoma blabbered, and Azura thought she could see his brain short circuiting. Using whatever confidence she had from her actions before, Azura used the moment to lean in for a kiss.
Recognizing the motion, Ryoma’s eyes lit in understanding, the man more than willing to comply. When their lips met, another breeze wandered by, cooling the couple’s skin. With the softness of the grass beneath them, the gentle chill of the wind around them, and the loving warmth of Ryoma’s lips, Azura couldn’t find anything sweeter.
Sweeter… her mind wandered to the chocolates he gave her. Despite the fact the air had cooled down her flaming skin, Azura was pretty sure her cheeks had reignited. Images she’d known from overly mushy romance novels filled her brain, and something within her wanted to try the idea forming.
Pulling away from her husband, Azura felt for the box of confectionaries at her side. Grasping at the heart shaped box, she placed it in her lap, aware of the curious gaze the swordmaster beside her was wearing.
Opening the box, both were met with the rich smell of chocolate. She could hear her husband give a noise of interest, only to smother it with a cough. Something only she knew was his weakness for sugar. The times she’d caught him sneaking some of Sakura’s stash were enough to make her smile.
“These are high quality…” Azura observed, picking one up to examine it. The ‘guide’ on the lid told her it was cheesecake dipped in chocolate. There were two of them, perfect for what Azura had in mind.
Turning to face Ryoma, she kept her eyes down as she put forth her request. If she looked him in the eye when she asked, she’d most certainly die.
“Ah, um, do you know another thing that Nohrian couples like to do?” Gods, she could practically burst into flame right there. “S-Share the ch…chocolates they buy each other.” Placing gentle fingers under Ryoma’s chin, Azura angled the treat towards her husband’s lips. “C-Can I…” She trailed, unable to complete her sentence. He should be able to understand what she was asking, and to Azura, that was all that she was going to get out. For a moment, he seemed just as shocked as she at the request, staring wide eyed at her. He blinked, processing the scene in front of him.
Instead of getting an answer, she watched in somewhat disbelief as he then leaned further into her touch, lips open as she then slipped the sugary bite into his mouth. He chewed for a moment, a sound of approval escaping his throat. His tongue then raked over his lips, cleaning off any crumbs. With her hand under his chin, she could feel the movement of his Adam’s apple.
Straightening his back, he moved his jaw from her digits, grabbing another one of the sweets from the box- its tiny shape in his large, calloused fingers was amusing in of itself. He shuffled closer yet again, gingerly squeezing her hand.
“May…may I try…?” He queried, voice gentle and low. She shyly nodded, letting him press the treat onto her tongue. When she closed her mouth, she couldn’t help but close her eyes in contentment- the taste was extraordinary. So rich, but not overpowering. It was- her observations got cut off by a familiar set of lips pressing against hers. She cracked open her eyes, met with her husband stealing another kiss. As the chocolate slowly melted away, she let herself get wrapped in the tenderness of their embrace. His scent, his warmth, the love in the moment. Truly, Azura felt her heart couldn’t get any lighter. After they broke apart, she snuggled into his broad chest, earning a rumble from Ryoma. As she opened her mouth to say something, another voice beat her to it.
“Ugh! Get a rooooooom!” She felt her lips quirk in amusement as she recognized the approaching party. She gave a short chortle as she felt Ryoma’s chest expand before he talked.
“Shiro-!” Azura felt her husband tighten in embarrassment, looking over to watch as Shigure desperately tried to explain that they had not been watching the whole time, while Shiro faux gagged.
As her husband tried to gain some of his dignity back, giving many huffs of embarrassment, the songstress could hear their oldest son lightly mocking them and their youngest slightly mortified at walking in on such an intimate scene.
A new flavor entered Azura’s mouth: glee.
So long as she had her boys, surely the taste of sugar would always linger.