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Language:
English
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Published:
2025-02-14
Completed:
2025-02-14
Words:
1,200
Chapters:
6/6
Comments:
26
Kudos:
11
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116

Box of Chocolates

Summary:

A collection of fluffy drabbles, made to be as sweet as chocolate specially for Valentine’s Day. Includes two strict double drabbles for each ship. Each drabble can be read as a stand-alone.

Notes:

As a chronic shipper, I wanted to do something fandom related for Valentine’s Day. I couldn’t decide on just one ship, so I settled on my top three!

The chapter titles include the relevant ship to make it easier to navigate. Warnings will be included in the author’s note before the chapter, if any apply.

Most of these drabbles vaguely or explicitly take place after the Golden Ending.

Chapter 1: Dragan/Roland – Gentle Rhythm

Chapter Text

One, two, three. One, two, three…

Roland hummed a gentle rhythm beneath his breath while Dragan mentally kept count. The basic dance steps Roland had shown him had been simple enough. Then he had added rhythm, speed, and finally those darn, disorienting twirls. Dragan’s eyes darted down as he stepped forward, careful not to trample Roland’s toes.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Roland scolded him for about the dozenth time, “Keep your head straight up.”

“Easier said than done…”

Roland’s fingers brushed over Dragan’s shoulder, applying deliberate pressure. “It’s about body tension, dear. If you want to be prepared to dance in a crowd, you’ll have to keep your attention on the people around you instead of straight down.”

Dragan was stuck somewhere between a smile and a frown. It was unfair how easily the steps came to Roland, graceful and to the point like his footwork in combat. Dragan tried to mimic the way Roland shifted his weight as he went for another rotation – tripping and crashing straight into him instead.

Dragan flushed from the sudden contact and abashment both. When Roland let go of a clear, chiming laugh, gently pushing Dragan back upright, all that irritation puffed into thin air.

Chapter 2: Dragan/Roland – Meet the Family…?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was a rare moment of quiet. Roland let himself drop onto Dragan’s bed the instance he entered, stretching his arms.

“Tired?” Dragan questioned. Roland only hummed in reply, the tension draining from him.

The moment he was comfortable, a soft trill caught his attention, followed by a warm weight on his lap. A cat. The small thing didn’t seem to have any reservations, already rubbing its head against his arm.

“Don’t mind her. She’s always vying for attention,” Dragan remarked.

“Why, I wonder where she got that from…”

The mattress shifted when Dragan settled beside him to stroke the cat’s head. Her soft purr reverbed in Roland’s chest; her claws were less gentle as she pawed his trousers, though Roland couldn’t find it in himself to complain when the cute thing looked so content.

She and Dragan both, he realized. Dragan rested his weight against Roland’s side – a warm comfort Roland couldn’t resist leaning into. Dragan’s motions had lost their typical, quick edge. It was soothing, domestic in a way Roland wasn’t used to. He wondered whether they could have been like this more often had their circumstances been different.

“Something the matter?” Dragan questioned.

“No, quite the contrary.”

Notes:

This is the one drabble I can imagine taking place earlier in the timeline, though it’s very much up to interpretation. (Also, yes, for anyone who read a fic/chapter involving Snowflake before, I couldn’t resist having Roland meet her :3c)

Chapter 3: Avlora/Cordelia – Mending Touch

Notes:

Warning for (very) minor blood and injury in this one!

Chapter Text

It seemed the times of peace had dulled Avlora’s reflexes. A child thoughtlessly crashed into Cordelia, and before Avlora could think to reach out, her lady was on the ground. The boy went pale when he laid eyes on the princess, immediately bowing and apologizing profusely.

“It’s all right. Accidents happen,” Cordelia replied graciously and dismissed him. When she lifted her skirt just over her knee, Avlora finally saw the red specks that sullied fair skin and fabric. The sight was enough to unearth memories of injuries far graver than a scrapped knee, turning her stomach. Avlora remained silent, kneeling beside her lady.

Cordelia was quick to work her magic, the injury nothing but a memory and leftover stains when she lifted her hand moments later. She had always had a mending touch. Avlora, meanwhile, only knew how to break – a skill which was of little use now that the war had ended.

“Apologies, my lady. I wish I could do more.” Avlora reached for Cordelia’s hand, brushing her lips over the palm that had been split open moments ago. Cordelia smiled.

“You’re already helping.” Her soft fingers squeezed Avlora’s calloused ones. “Care to help me back on my feet?”

Chapter 4: Avlora/Cordelia – By Heart

Chapter Text

Avlora stood stiffly before Cordelia, her expression dour like she was being briefed on the next battle. There weren’t any battles on the horizon – just a simple banquet. It should have been nothing but comforting, and yet, the fine linen shirt seemed to weigh heavier on Avlora than the armor ever had.

Cordelia had to raise herself on tiptoes to wrap the cravat around Avlora’s neck. “Would you lean down, please?”

Avlora followed the instruction without comment, allowing Cordelia to tie the silken fabric into a simple knot. Cordelia barely caught the frown that crossed her lips. “Is something bothering you, my dear?”

“I look ridiculous,” Avlora said, tugging at the ornate hem of her shirt.

Cordelia breathed out a laugh. “You look quite dashing to me.”

Avlora’s eyes softened, her shoulders dropping a touch. Cordelia would have missed it if she hadn’t come to know Avlora by heart.

“If it is to your liking, I shan’t complain, my queen.” Avlora still slipped up on calling her that from time to time, though Cordelia had come to see it as a sign of her devotion. A devotion Avlora gifted her anew each and every day she spent by her side.

Chapter 5: Frederica/Serenoa – Pride and Joy

Chapter Text

Laughter rang through Wolffort town, completing an already bright day. A lively boy had brought a ball along, and now a group of children was busy chasing it across the marketplace, trying to evade the ire of shopkeepers and passersby alike. One of the children was Serenoa’s very own daughter. Her pink locks made her easy to pick out from the crowd. It was a trait that reminded him of his dear Frederica whenever he laid his eyes upon her, making his heart grow even fonder – if that was somehow possible.

Frederica stood beside him, one hand clasped firmly into the other like she oft would when she was feeling tense. “They are quite… animated, are they not?”

“That they are. I was much the same when I was their age.”

Their girl managed to outrun one of the taller children as they chased the ball, immediately turning towards them with a grin as if to ask, Did you see that?

“It’s good to see her make friends with the other children.” Especially after all the hardship her Rosellan forebears had to face, but Serenoa needn’t add that part. Frederica understood, her beaming smile mirroring the pride he felt himself.

Chapter 6: Frederica/Serenoa – Geborgenheit

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Frederica awoke to the warm tickle of the morning light and gentle purring. Except, that wasn’t quite right. She also awoke to the shifting weight of paws on her chest, making her roll to her side as they hit a particularly sensitive spot. The meow the cat gave somehow managed to sound indignant as it stumbled onto the sheets beside her.

“Sorry,” Frederica mumbled, rubbing her bleary eyes. Serenoa was right next to her, the golden light highlighting his peaceful features. His hair stuck out to all sides, but he seemed content buried deep in the sheets. More notably, he was surrounded by at least four other cats that seemed to consider him more comfortable than the mattress.

Frederica swallowed down a laugh, careful not to rouse her husband. Perhaps they had taken in one too many strays, though she couldn’t say she minded. It came to no surprise that their pets had taken a liking to him, seeing as Serenoa naturally lent his warmth to others – in every sense of the way.

Frederica shifted closer, carefully squeezing herself against her husband’s side. When Serenoa nuzzled against her with a content sigh, Frederica surrendered fully to the comfort he brought.

Notes:

The title of this chapter is a German word that’s very hard to translate to English (which regularly plagues me when writing fluff, haha.) “Geborgenheit” often gets translated to “security”, but it’s also a feeling of comfort and belonging all wrapped into one word. I wished I could have used it for this drabble, so I decided to make it the title instead :3c

Also, yes, I couldn’t resist writing a second cat-related drabble, haha. Serenoa as a cat magnet was too cute as a concept to pass up. (I also don’t currently have a cat, so I’ll vicariously live the dream through the characters I write for now :3c)