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The last few days traveling on the runner have been very, very cold for Will.
No matter where he seemed to go or do, the enemy always seemed to have it out for him specifically with an ice attack. Attack on the deck from a rival runner or some animals? They had blizz. Attack from the creatures in the dungeons that they stopped off at? Also blizz, with a lot more strike attacks to rip at Will's clothes and make him more cold. Invading Louis’ ship? Much worse, they had Blizza, which just made more ice. Will didn’t know what’s been happening the last few days, but he did know he had been constantly shivering and those flimsy blankets in their small sleeping quarters hadn’t been enough.
His luck seemed to only get worse, as while he was shopping in order to go to Forsaken Tower, the Port Brilehaven weather had kicked in and it started to rain. With nature somehow getting him even more cold, Will quickly (with the help of his sword) went back to the gauntlet runner after buying new weapons for everyone. But after setting course for the tower, that cold simply wouldn’t go away, even after changing into another pair of clothes.
Huddling in the break room, Will’s allies tried their best to help him. Heismay offered him some warm tea (which did help and taste good, if only for a while), Strohl gave him his coat for his own use, and Gallice used her singing magic and reading him some stories to get him warmed up. Although this was still helping, Will just couldn’t really get comfortable, his usually chipper mood dampening a bit with his constant cold. And as night fell and he returned Strohls coat; he was ready for a cold night in his small bed.
As he got up to get ready, however, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whips around and gets face to face with Hulkenberg. He had not seen her the entirety of the trip, which he guessed she spent on the back deck of the runner practicing.
“Will?” She looks down at him, concern in her eyes. “I’ve been told that the cold still bothers you. I apologize that I haven’t been here to help.” She lowers her hand down to his skin briefly, before shivering and moving it back up.
“I-it’s fine.” Will responds, still shivering. “E-everyone else tried to help, b-but it’s just a lot.” He chuckles. “I a-appreciate that you’re worried, t-though. H-hopefully it will get better tomorrow.”
“Hmm…” Hulkenberg mumbled to herself for a bit. “But tis’ a great worry for the commander to be uncomfortable. Especially after how much you have helped all of us. If you wouldn’t mind…” she looks away for a second, then looks back at him with a small blush. “I could try to warm you up.”
“O-okay. What do you have in mind?” Will looks up at her, tilting his head and wondering what else she could do.
“Well… tis’ not something I’ve ever done. But in my time as a knight, we were told that in order to get warm in blizzards and such… we would get close to share body heat.” The blush starts to spread to her ears as she looks away. “Perhaps we could do so until we warm up? If you wish, of course!” She quickly adds.
And that’s how Will and Hulkenberg ended in the same small bed tube, back to back, both curled up in the blankets from their respective beds. Will didn’t quite know what to think. On the one hand, it’s unlikely that Hulkenberg had any alternative motives with this. She’s a knight, a very practical and honest person, and Will thought her too serious in this way to do such a thing. However… part of him almost hoped she did. Maybe it was just the closeness. But he did get a warmer feeling in his chest when she was this close, and he was sure it wasn’t just body heat.
He laid next to her for a while, snuggling up against her back as close as he could and enjoying the heat. However, eventually, he felt her shifting away. Saddened a bit by the lack of contact, he flipped around to see where she went, only to end up face to face as she stared down at him, smiling. When he met her gaze, she quickly looked away and stuttered an apology.
“Sorry, commander! You just, uh, you…” she takes a deep breath, then look him in the eye again. “You’re quite… cute… when you look comfortable. Are you… are you warm?”
“That’s okay.” He smiles, matching her gaze. “I am getting warmer, but… could I get a bit closer?” He asks, suddenly feeling a bit more bold after seeing her flustered like this. Her eyes widen, but she nods. Will scoots to right near her face, putting his head into her shoulder and putting one arm around her neck.
“Commander, you’re… you’re very close.” She stutters out, but she wraps her own arms around his back and bring him closer. At that moment, and sort of cold seemed to melt away in Hulkenbergs arms. Her face seemed to scrunch up, worry seeming to fill her mind as she looked at him. After a brief silence, she lowers her voice to a whisper, tickling his ear as she speaks. “Commander, I must confess… I’m a very selfish woman.”
“Oh?” He nuzzles into her neck some more. “Why do you think so?”
“Well…” she squeezes him even closer as she carefully chooses her words. “I did want to help you with how cold you were. But I also feel… right… when I’m close like this. Whenever you pick me up off the battlefield, or when you dueled with me during our practice session with Strohl, or when we hash it out with our board games… I get this strange warm feeling in my chest.” She moves one hand from his back to her heart. “Do you get that feeling as well?”
Will was stunned for a second. Was this… was this a confession? No… that can’t be. Will thinks for a while. Does he want to take this risk that it is the confession?
“I do get that feeling.” He finally responds, putting his own free hand to his chest. He decides to probe a bit to make sure he knows what her feelings are. “Do you get that feeling with anyone else?”
“No.” She quickly responds. “I’ve never had anything like this. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” Feeling a bit vulnerable, Hulkenberg shifts her body down just a bit and puts her head against Will's chest, surprising him a bit before he puts his arms around her head.
“Tis’ ironic… I was supposed to be the one helping you.” She chuckles into his chest. “But it seems like you’re helping me again.”
“That’s not it at all! This is… mutual. It benefits both of us. Could you look at me?” Will asks. She unlodges her head from his chest and moves up to meet him head on again. “I don’t want to influence your option… but do you have a guess on what this is?”
“Well… I’ve read a few books from the shelf, and… maybe… love?” She says, both confusion and hopefulness in her voice. “At least that’s what it seems like. And if that’s what it is… I really want more of it.”
“I’m sure that’s what it is too.” Will says, tightening his embrace again. “I’m glad that you feel like this. Do you want to… get something to eat when we go back to town? Just you and me?”
“I’d like that.” She puts his face right up to his and, hesitantly, leans forward to his forehead, planting a small kiss on top of it. She quickly pulls away, almost afraid of her boldness. “Could we stay like this for the night, Will?”
Will briefly puts his hand on the spot she kisses, the feeling lingering long after it happened. Not wanting to be outdone, he leaned forward and plants a kiss on her cheek, causing her blush to spread all the way up her ears.
“Of course we can.” He responds, a very small, sheepish smile on his face. Mimicking what he just did, Hulkenberg puts a hand to her cheek, then slowly lowers her hand back to his back. A silence then strikes the two of them as they simply listen to each other breathing, the breaths slowly syncing up.
His body in the arms of Hulkenberg, Will forgets about any previous worries. Any cold, and future battles, any worries of Louis, all gone, if only briefly, in the comfort of Hulkenbergs arms. And as his consciousness starts to fade, his only hope is that this feeling lasts forever.