Work Text:
Yusuf looked up from the map, he and Andromache were looking at, when a soldier entered the tent.
Soldier: "General, a letter for you."
Yusuf took the letter.
Yusuf: "Thanks."
Yusuf made a sign that the soldier should leave before he opened the letter.
Andromache: "By the look on your face, I say it is from Nicolò."
Yusuf just nodded with a big smile as he reread the letter.
Andromache: "I guess it's only good news."
Yusuf: "Yes, Nicolò has written me a love letter. And it's beautiful."
Andromache: "I will leave you alone with your love letter. Should I bring you anything?"
Yusuf: "Something to eat would be nice."
Andromache left while Yusuf sat down and kept reading the love letter from Nicolò until he had to go back to the mission at hand.
Dear Yusuf, no, that's not good. My Love... Yes, that works. My Love, I miss you, you know that. I'm terrible at writing a love letter to you. Okay, here is my love letter to you: My Love, please hurry home to me, my bed misses you no, great, now I'm out of space on the parchment. Just get home to me in one piece, miss you, love you, Nicolò.
For years to come, whenever Yusuf and Nicolò were apart due to missions and other things, Yusuf would put Nicolò's first love letter under his shirt near his heart until the day the love letter started to become frail. That day, Yusuf put the love letter next to the first poem he had written to Nicolò, but the words in the love letter never left Yusuf's heart. And that was yet a reason why Nicolò called Yusuf an incurable romantic.