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Will was bored.
Granted, that was because there was only so much he could do on the runner. But he had exhausted all those things. He took care of the laundry for at least the next month, he sparred with Hulkenberg and Strohl so much that they would need at least a dozen new practice swords, he could probably become a ninja from how much he’s learned from Heismay, and he could definitely tell anyone the exact workings of a runner's core with how much he listened to Neuras talk about it. He even cooked basically every recipe he could find in the kitchen (While also almost seeing God a few times while eating, thanks to Hulkenbergs cooking).
So, with almost nothing else to do, he decided to go to an old pastime: reading. A good book can make a journey a lot shorter. Problem is, he had also read all the impactful books in the library about a week ago. Not that the rest of the books he had were useless… but they weren't really what he called quality reading. Most of them were just sappy love stories. Which were decent in small doses, but not when it was his only option.
Despite this, he did actually find one book that he didn’t mind. It was about a Clemar and a Eugief falling in love. However, what was so different about this book is that it went into all aspects of that sort of relationship. Not only the social discrimination aspect, but things like differences in dating, social norms, and what issues the physical tribe differences could cause for the couple. It was very eye opening to Will in ways he didn’t expect.
So, when his party was off to yet another dungeon for a bounty, Will picked up the book and moved to the front deck to lay down and read a bit. It was a nice change of pace from reading inside, and he would also get away from prying eyes who would wonder what he’s reading. It’s not like he was embarrassed about reading some super sappy love story or anything.
…well okay, maybe a bit.
But there was one person that he just wouldn’t be able to get away from no matter what.
“Will!” Gallica yells as she flies through a small gap in the door to get outside. “How are you always so fast… what are you doing out here?”
“I was just trying to read a book in private.” Will says, giving her a gentle poke with his pinky. “Someone is interrupting me though.” Gallica giggles at his teasing.
“Well, someone’s gotta make sure you aren’t reading anything dirty.” She grins and flies over to his shoulder. “What’s this book? I don’t think I’ve seen it on the bookshelf.”
“Well, it’s-“ before Will can say anything in defense, Gallica quickly flies to the front cover.
“‘The Noble and the Bat’… ah-ha! Will, I didn’t know you were this type of person!” Her grin widens as she flies to the back of the book. “‘When Chris, a noble Clemar sees an eye-catching Eugief named Shiragami in a village, he can’t help but fall head over heels for her’… I thought you read better books than this.” She looks up at Will, her face smug, but Will notices that her eyes are filled with curiosity.
“Well… it goes deeper than that. Come here…” Will gently cups her with his hand and puts her on his shoulder. “The previous chapter they talked about how their dating culture was different. The Clemar wanted to take her out on a dinner date, but the Eugief wanted to stay in her village and hunt animals for their date. And they compromised by doing both.”
“Oh, so it’s a bit deeper than these books usually go into.” Gallica says, tilting her head to the side. “Misleading title and blurb though. I thought it was just some romance slop. Maybe that was to get around censorship of the church?”
“That’s probably why. I was really surprised when I first picked it up. I’m about to read the next chapter… it’s about a lot of physical tribe differences.”
“Ooo, alright. Let’s see what the author has to say.” Gallica stretches her legs so they dangle off of Will’s shoulder, then rests her head on her hands as she leans in to read.
The chapter starts off with them talking about what they think is different about each other, which is how it usually goes. Then it transitions to them actually figuring things out. It starts with sillier things, such as Shiragami thinking her partner's horns were really sensitive, or Chris thinking the wings would get in the way of any sort of cuddling.
As the chapter continues, it shows some of the actual problems. Shiragami’s grip strength is too tight, so she hurts her partner if she isn’t careful. Chris doesn’t understand how much his horns extend out, so he tends to accidentally bump her when leaning in for a kiss.
“I can see why you read this far…” Gallica mumbles in his ear as she leans closer. “I’ve never met these characters before this chapter and now I want them to have kids.”
As the chapter progressed, Will noticed that it started to focus more and more on their size difference. Shiragami often had to climb trees to look at Chris, or he had to crouch down and look at her. And more differences appeared as the chapter went on.
“‘Chris worried for Shiragami’s safety whenever his arms wrapped around her.’” Will read out loud. “‘With her size, how could he be sure that she wouldn’t be crushed if he hugged her too tight? Or worse, accidentally crushed her with his body weight? The thought was something that kept him up for many moons.’ I can see how that would be worrying.”
“Yeah, yeah I… I can see that too.” Gallica whispers. Will looked over to her. She seems much more deflated now. Her usual confidence was shot, the teasing look in her eyes replaced with something… sad?. Will was confused, but shook his head. He was probably overthinking it.
“‘This issue was solved with communication, like most. Shiragami simply told Chris when he was hurting her, and he stopped according to these needs. Eventually, he learned what was comfortable to her and what wasn’t.’ That was… a much simpler solution than I thought. But I’m glad they worked it out.”
“I am too… but I’m glad she wasn’t any smaller than a Eugief. If she was, her partner would probably be too worried to try anything with her. Might cause her permanent damage, you know?” Gallica laughed, but it rang hollow in Will’s ears.
“Are you okay, Gallica? You seem… a lot less energetic than usual.” Will asked, giving Gallica a little poke on the back.
“Me? Yeah, I’m fine.” Gallica said, her voice doing little to convince Will. “Come on, let’s finish this chapter then go back in the runner to make some dinner.” Her voice seemed… rushed. Like she just wanted to get this over as soon as possible.
“‘Okay. Just one more page.” Will clears his throat and begins to read aloud again. “‘But the biggest worry that Chris had was if Shiragami would one day be able to have kids with him. With such a big difference in the tribe, and with little research being done, what was the Clemar to do but simply hope? If they got through all the barriers of this relationship, would they be able to start a family together as hoped?’ That’s a cliffhanger to-”
Will looks over at Gallica as he speaks, and sees her nuzzling her body into his neck. He quickly goes quiet. Her usually calm breaths have turned into sharp inhales and quick breaths, and Will can feel a small drop of water hit his skin. That… that’s not good. He gently puts his finger on her head. “Gallica?”
She doesn’t respond. She just curls up into a ball and nuzzles even harder into Will’s neck. Getting worried but not knowing what to do, he moves his arm just a bit more upwards so she can cuddle into him more. He then takes his other hand and cups it around her to shield her.
“I’ll stay here as long as you want, okay?” Will says. He feels Gallica nod on his shoulder, then curl back into it. A long silence follows soon after, only broken up by Gallica occasionally sniffling. Will just stands as still as possible, not daring to move an inch. After what feels like hours, Will feels her stand back up on his shoulder and give his face a little tap.
“I’m… I’m okay now.” Gallica manages to get out. “I… can we talk?”
“Of course we can.” Will lifts her off his shoulder and puts her in his hands, then lifts her up so he can look her in the eyes. “Was there something in the book that caused that? Was it something I did?”
“No, it's… well, the book didn't help, but…” Gallice takes a deep breath before continuing. “I… Will, I love you.”
“You… love me?”
“Ever since we partnered up in the village…” Gallice starts. “Every time we go anywhere, and I see you interact with everyone… I see how kind you are to everyone you talk to, and how much you like reading, and spending time with me, and… and you just make me happy.”
Tears slowly to form in her eyes again. “But I know… we can’t do anything. It would be dangerous for you to just try to hug me. Let alone anything else. It’s… it’s the problems the book mentioned, but just made much, much worse. And… we couldn’t do anything like have kids. It would just be a waste for you to be with me.”
They both go silent for a second after Gallica’s confession, the air filled with tension. Then, slowly, Will lifts up his hands to move Gallica closer to his face. Gently, he leans forward and gives her a kiss on the forehead.
“I love you too.” Will responds, smiling.
“D-did you hear what I said?” Gallica says, putting a hand on the spot Will kissed. “That would be such a waste-“
“I don’t think so. If we both love each other, we can make it work for sure.” Will moves his fingers around Gallica’s body, making a small circle with them around her stomach. “See? That can be our hug. We don’t need to do anything big.”
Gallica sits in shock for a second at Will’s response. Then, slowly, she moves her arms around Will’s fingers to return the hug.
“Okay… if you’re sure…” Gallica mumbles, bushing. “But no take backs! You’re stuck with me now! And I want to have a real kiss! Move me up to your mouth!” She demands.
Will obliges, slowly moving her up to his mouth. Carefully, he moves her mouth close to his, and both of their mouths part open. Will fully brings his lips to hers, and they meet together in their first kiss.
Hopefully, the first kiss of many.