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Harsher than Lostbelt Russia’s cold, and darker compared to its nights, Kadoc cursed under his breath, his teeth violently chattering as he ran full speed towards the nearest hill and into the cave where Geronimo had pointed to them before coming to attack the shadow Servant to give them a chance to escape.
The whole situation was just shitty, to say the least.
This kind of cold went beyond what he was used to, and he’s got some minor injuries as well.
But in his arms, Ritsuka, wrapped in Kadoc’s coat and shivering uncontrollably, has it far worse.
Not too long ago, the environment was simply a forest with nothing more than low level beasts that could be dealt with in one slash. But they were in a reconnaissance mission to survey the area first before the Border could proceed as there was an anomaly that kept alerting the ship’s detectors.
Not too long into their trip, just a Master, an Acting Master, and a couple of Servants, a reality marble had engulfed the entire area and instantly changed the environment into nothing more than a blizzard intense enough that it nearly blew them away on their way here.
“Don’t you dare sleep just yet, Fujimaru!” Kadoc growled out to her as he gently laid her flat on the ground without the most snow and water.
No. It did blow them away the first time, with Kadoc hitting his back against a tree while Fujimaru landed on the lake’s ice cold waters.
With the raging snowstorm freezing the body of water almost in an instant, it didn't take him long to deduce that the idiot was suffering from hypothermia as soon as they met each other at the shore while Geronimo and Cu Chulainn fought the shadow Servant.
Even though she claimed she could fight, her slurring and stumbling steps didn’t convince him one bit and had opted to retreat.
Just as their fucking luck has it, they were cut off from the Border at the same time as the assault. Which led to them resorting to take shelter in the nearest cave while they waited for the opponent to disappear along with the storm.
“-doc…Ka-... doc,” Ritsuka’s eyes were half lidded with her lips almost turning blue.
He swallowed before focusing once more.
Now wasn’t the time to blame himself for something he clearly didn’t do yet the guilt persisted.
Cupping her cheek, he spoke firmly but not unkindly, “I’m taking off most of your outer garments but I won’t touch the rest, hear me? I want you to be warm as soon as possible.”
Whether or not Ritsuka heard just a fraction of what he said or none at all, her shaky nod satisfied him.
He was careful in undressing her from the mystic code, to her boots, and shirt, which led to her last pieces of clothing being a bra and shorts. Which, as promised, were ones he didn’t touch. He made quick work of folding them to the side before draping her once more with his jacket. (Of course, he hesitated. He had never undressed a girl, after all. And doing this knowing it was the right thing, unless he wants Fujimaru to die, still made him feel embarrassed.)
Kadoc only took basic first aid but he hoped his memory didn’t fail him when it comes to dealing with hypothermia.
As soon as he got up, he approached the entrance once more and gritted his teeth from the cold. He sealed the cave with a barrier that protected them from the frigid storm but also camouflaged them from keen sight.
He would add an anti-beast rune along with it, but he had so few left after he threw a lot of them from the pack of wolves and boars that chased them down as he headed here. Still, he makes sure to cast a camouflage spell to hide both them and the light of their bonfire for the first couple of hours. It's going to be doubly hard for Chaldea to find them but as long as they have active vital signs and magical energy signatures, their backup would find them no matter what.
So it wouldn’t be a problem so long as he stood on guard while Ritsuk- Fujimaru recovered.
With the entrance now as secure as it can be, he gathered the sticks and stones scattered around the area and began making a fire. And once the flame was lit to life, it flickered and crackled in place, coaxing a tired sigh from the mage as he sat down beside the shivering Master.
Kadoc had insulated themselves as best as he could, given the current conditions, but he could only hope this wasn’t a troublesome storm with lasting effects. If it did, he could only hope Chaldea would reach them or her poison immunity blocked off whatever affected- was going to affect her.
“-doc…”
At that, he perked up and scooted to her closer, scrunching his eyebrows in concern, “Hey, what’s wrong? Stay awake for a little while longer. Don’t sleep just yet, Fujimaru.”
He can’t have her dying on him now. To die here was just… This isn’t the kind of death she deserves. She’s not going to die here.
Even in her current state, Ritsuka smiled and nodded.
And as things went quiet, he let out a sigh of relief.
—
He woke up with a start.
First of all, Kadoc wasn’t supposed to be sleeping. They were… they were still trapped in this unpredictable singularity! Their comms weren’t working, the Servants with them haven’t found them yet, and Ritsuka-
The mage froze and realized something. It was oddly… warm. He was holding onto something- and another thing was draped around his shoulders-
“Kadoc?” A voice below - Ritsuka called out to him.
Wait. She’s in between his legs while his arms were around her wais-
“Gah!” Immediately, he let go and flinched back, “O-Oi! We shouldn’t be this close idiot!”
Ritsuka caught his arms and firmly had them remain in place. She leaned back so she could get a better view of his face without turning, “But it’s getting colder, Kadoc. Even with the fire, sharing body heat is the best-” She was cut off by her momentary shudder from the cold, “-thing we can do for now.”
He hated to admit it, but she was right.
Getting sick from the singularity without alerting Chaldea about their status was the last thing he’d ever want in this shitty situation. One of them was already weakened enough. They don’t need both of them incapacitated in the event that something worse than this happens. So he… relaxes against her, reluctantly following her advice even as their current position made his cheeks burn. This- It's such a pain in the ass…
He mutters under his breath, “I- Fine…” And leaves it at that. He doesn’t want to make it more of a fuss than it already is. Besides, if it helped him survive, he’s got to do it even if it was at the cost of his practically nonexistent dignity.
Silence dominates the air around them. Though the storm still raged outside and their fire crackled from time to time, his nerves struggled to stay high on alert. Even with this… position, the cold still persisted, but the huge contrast of Fujimaru being warm was enough to abate it. Enough that…he thinks that it's not bad to be where he is right now.
Wait. Hold up. Why is he even thinking that way? He groans internally, grimacing as he forces himself to ignore the sweet scent of her citrus scented shampoo he was suddenly hyper aware of. Even though he should have let go of her when he woke up, Kadoc found that he couldn’t. Horrifyingly, not anymore. In a way that his own body was betraying him and that Ritsuka was holding onto him, her hands cupped against his arms.
Is holding her like this still within the excuse of warming themselves up? There’s no way she’d enjoy this kind of thing, right? As if reading his thoughts, she snuggled further into him, burying herself in the embrace with the satisfied smile of a cat.
His mind blanks out at the sight, staring at her for who knows how long.
Is his mind seriously playing tricks on him? Did he trip a mind-trapping spell on the way here or did they encounter another mage that put them under it? Or, it could be simply one of those situations Fujimaru was commonly in it–according to the near countless reports he definitely did not stay up late just to know what the hell was happening to this idiot–where her soul is straight up sucked into whatever vortex of bullshit Alaya needed resolving, either through dream or–
“Do you still feel cold, Kadoc?” Below him, Ritsuka quietly asked, amber eyes shining in worry. Just at the sight of her wrapped in his arms, faint sweet scent invading his nostrils, her quiet breaths exhaled against his bare neck has him nearly wanting to stuff his handkerchief into his mouth just to scream. He’s totally not red, by the way. Absolutely not dying and absolutely hates the way she feels under his grasp where she fits like a missing puzzle piece in his arms. He doesn’t tighten his arms around her or anything to bring her further closer to him. Nope. Not at all.
But he’s fine. Everything’s fine– er, much as it could be given where they are right now. As a mage, he’s been through far worse, especially when he was training to inherit his family’s magecraft while trying to climb the Clocktower’s ranks.
He coughs into a fist, intently looking at the tiny bonfire near them. “...A little.”
Huh? Ah. Wai–
She owlishly blinked, “Oh.”
Yet his stupid mouth was just as much of a traitor as him. Again, t-that was not what he wanted to say! He was- he was fine with their current position! There’s no need for Fujimaru to do anything more than necessary! Wait. Did he seriously just admit he liked what they have right fucking now? Stupid. Stupid. Now she’s gonna think he was just one of those perverted and hormonal teenage guys instead of the cold and indifferent mage he declares himself to be. Ugh. Granted, he’s at that age but he’s supposed to be above that.
Just as he was about to backtrack, Ritsuka turned to face him directly. Right now, Kadoc really really wishes they weren’t so close right now because he swears that the thumping of his heart could be heard loud and clear in the entire cave right now.
The edges of her lips lifted just slightly, giving him a soft smile–a gesture that made his treacherous heart skip a beat, “Then let’s fix that. It wouldn’t be fair if I’m the only one you’re keeping warm, Kadoc-kun.”
But once again, this girl defies all expectations. She wrapped her arms around his body next, taking care not to let his jacket fall from its drape around them, before nuzzling her nose against the crook of his neck.
See here. Kadoc is slowly but surely getting used to all the batshit insane things Novum Chaldea attracts. Whether it's because of circumstance or simply by virtue of existing, he’s had his own fair share of getting sent to the infirmary and fearing for his life there than at the battlefield as well as those times he’s shared tired expressions with Elron or Meuniere.
Kadoc really shouldn’t be…stressing out something as simple as skin contact, to be honest. He’s gone through much worse, in particular, that shitty stabbing in Olympus and the time he actually died in the Coffin. At least in those times, he was unconscious to even fully experience them. Where he was right now was a sensory overload that he feels like passing out.
“Ritsuka,” He calls her this time by her first name this time, the word rolling off his tongue carefully as he tries not to tremble under her touch, to the way where her lips now ghost over his neck and left a trail of tingling heat in its wake. “Don’t… push yourself into doing this.” He was quiet in exhaling a breath out so as not to choke, Adam's apple bobbing up and down as her lithe hands now roamed on his skin tight shirt.
“‘m not pushing myself,” She whispered against his skin, quietly inhaling his scent, the flutter of her eyelashes against his jaw hitching his breath, “I’m doing this to keep ourselves warm while we wait for backup…”
Kadoc has never heard of this kind of method apart from skin contact…so if she knew a way that’d be helpful in allowing them to survive without expending much on magical energy, he’s gonna take it. But he could feel her lips more and more against what skin he had exposed in the open, which strangely led to him being so pliant in her hold, closing his eyes, letting her do what she wanted as she played with his hair, and overwhelmed him with her sweet, calming scent–
Then Kadoc realizes a second too late how he was breathless. With his eyes slightly cracking open, he saw how his lips were captured into a kiss. With Ritsuka’s hands cupping both sides of his face to hold him in place, it was impossible for him to pull away. But didn’t she say that she was doing this to warm them both up? He could tell she wasn’t lying– but that didn’t feel like the entire truth either.
…Yet with the way this girl moved, it didn’t take a genius to know just how much she wanted this.
Apart from half of his face burning bright red, it’s not…entirely bad. In fact, he’s starting to want it too. Not that he’d ever admit that out loud.
He hesitates for a second–assessing just how honest she was. If she truly wanted this, and if this wasn’t some sick illusion copied off of one of his dreams he’s been trying and failing to forget. But each second spent like this was undeniable. Her movements oozed with yearning, quiet but passionate and her touch sparked in a way that fed into his own desires.
A mage could tell many things at once by simply glancing at the hands of the other party. Sight alone already gives substantial premonition, but touch was a different thing entirely.
So he gives in. Kadoc closes his eyes and begins to reciprocate, opening his mouth to lick her lips–eliciting a small sound of pleasant surprise from her–before she dived back down on his own with renewed passion. He tilts his head better to give her more access, as her tongue intertwined with his and locked them both in a dance. Deep down, some part of him must have wanted this badly. To the point where his hands were pressing against her waist, to have her sit on his lap and have her sink into his embrace. Along with this maddening kiss, each inch of her body reminded him that she is a woman and he, a man.
As soon as she parts for air, panting, just as flushed as him, he chases her lips as if it was his own oxygen, his own air to breathe after holding his breath for so long. With one of his hands now cupping the back of her head, Kadoc nips at her bottom lip and seizes the chance to be the one to overwhelm her with a kiss.
For all that she said that she was nothing more than a plain girl, Kadoc wanted nothing more than to shake her for what she believed to be fact. Seriously, Ritsuka has no business being this cute . Being so beautiful and radiant every damn moment that he constantly had to look away from her each time he stared at her a little too long.
Even when he kissed her without holding back, she met his lips with equal intensity, with equal need that drove him mad. Why the hell did she even want to kiss him? Twice a traitor not only to the human order and Chaldea, but to Team A too. He doesn’t know what he did to even deserve this. But like a beast that hungered for so long, all he could think of was her and her alone.
Faintly, he could feel their slow descent, where Ritsuka pushed him backwards on the ground, where he felt something soft cushion his head–and by the scent and feel of it, was most likely the prototype blanket that could shrink into a handkerchief that Da Vinci was working on. He didn’t think she would bring it to this mission, but now, he was glad she did.
Kadoc presses her further against him as they kiss. He wrapped an arm around her waist and his hand dug into her soft orange locks, all to fit her perfectly against him, to better kiss her as this addicting heat grew.
And he wasn’t one for sweets, but it was this woman’s taste and touch alone that has Kadoc melting underneath her, moaning softly from each time she sucked on his tongue, to each breathy whisper of his name. She was going to give him a damn addiction the longer this went on. Yet he couldn’t even find the strength to push her away. Whether it was by doing the most batshit insane plans that compromised her safety or the fleeting brushes of her hands against his own, all that he found was that sensation of warmth he never got used to was found in this woman that constantly gave him mini-heart attacks.
He doesn’t know how much time passed, but he was more than warm by now. Embarrassingly a little turned on much to his mortification, yet still wanting more. And Fujimaru reciprocated that feeling; a reminder that they were the same age–teenagers barely out of highschool, pushed into this magi business. Still, their circumstances differed no matter which way he put it. Plus–
“...Shouldn’t you just be only doing this to the people you like?” After a long and slow… warm-up session to stave off the cold, he asked with a flush he was sure that was permanent on his face at this point. Like she said, this was just to keep them from freezing in this blizzard. There was no way in hell that kiss meant anything more than that, right?
For a few seconds, Ritsuka stared at him with eyes wide in disbelief. Now he has no idea what in the world is in her mind right now because everytime she did something, it always went beyond his expectations. Especially when it came to their missions.
But then she snorted into her hand, as if holding back her laughter with her shoulders shaking, and eventually, she gave up and just laughed while nuzzling the crook of his neck.
Okay maybe cuddling was a bad idea. Ugh, it was a good thing their communicators are down or else the entirety of Chaldea will never live it down. Again, just looking at her made him feel this uncomfortable squeezing sensation. It wasn’t chest pain or anything but–
Kadoc finally pinches her cheek and silences her with another kiss. He felt her tense up for a moment, a sign that he caught her off guard when she least expected it.
“What the hell are you laughing for, idiot?” He gave her an unamused expression, the pink tips of his ears betraying what was supposed to be him being serious with her.
But Fujimaru Ritsuka, ever the girl who constantly gave him migraines and frequent tachycardia, only smiled again and replied, “Nothing.” She giggled quietly before wrapping her arms around his torso and kissing that weak spot of his on his jaw. “Just that I like you, Kadoc. I like you a lot. ”
…
The mage closed his eyes with an expression of defeat.
Shit. She probably just meant that as friends. Or worse, co-workers. After all, why the hell would she ever like him ‘ that way’ when there were hundreds of Servants far superior than him that were vying for her attention? Ritsuka treated everyone equally. So he wasn’t special as much as those that she befriended with and still only maintained her bonds with them. Never going too far beyond what suited her relationship with them.
Ritsuka somehow saw something on his face and laughed. “Yup. I like you so much that I gave you my first kiss!”
Her what now–!?
But he was answered with what she mentioned. A soft pair on his mouth that has him melting almost in an instant, his eyes fluttering shut as his fingers dug into her thighs for more.
There was no way in hell this was her first kiss considering how damn good she was at it, but he could tell she wasn’t lying. She was honest and she looked a little bashful about it. Didn’t- Didn’t this cute idiot say at one point she’ll only give her firsts to that person she loves??
But her kiss was just distracting him from the thoughts that suddenly hit him in the fraction of a second after she confessed. He’ll think about the implications of that later and just… focus on making sure they survived past this snow storm.
It wasn’t fair that Ritsuka was the only one who kept making him lose control from her kisses… so Kadoc flips them over, cushioning her head with his hand on the blanket beneath them. With that, he makes sure she got a taste of her own medicine by being the one who felt warm all over first .
Omake:
“Uh, you think they’ll notice us by now?” Cu Chulainn leaned against his spear, grimacing at the thought of having to watch over these lovebirds until they finally realize the storm had died a while ago.
The ice covering the land was melting fast, giving way to greenery and bright blue skies that should at least be obvious by their peripheral vision–
“Let them have their moment, damnit!” Da Vinci cursed under her breath, leaning forwards into her binoculars as they literally just sat in front of the cave’s entrance half a mile away. “They’ve been dancing around each other’s feelings for more than a year. And for all of Fujimaru’s efforts to hint him about how she feels, Kadoc is as dense as a rock . They better have confessed to each other by now, I swear.”
Yeah, it was pretty agonizing to see the Zemlupus guy unknowingly pine for her and then refuse to believe that him receiving special chocolate from her on valentine’s, sometimes sleeping in his room, and those fleeting touches a woman in love can only make…were just something she does to everybody else.
Even though that storm was unprecedented, it was more than favorable in bringing those two closer.
But judging by the way the dude above Fujimaru held her tight yet still hesitated… even after a long and passionate make-out session the Lancer was forced to watch for an hour while guarding them–
Yeah, Da Vinci isn’t going to win that QP betting pool about that confession.