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the weather in okhema was so pleasant, just like always. a few clouds pass by slowly while a soothing, gentle breeze blows against you.
it was like… nothing had happened. that everything was okay, and will continue to be. thats what you hope for, at least. after all that, you finally want to relax, to get lost in reveries. but first, you wanted to go on a walk to clear your mind.
the sounds of various footwear hitting the ground below paired with the nearby chatter of other people filled your ears. the scenery of the eternal city never failed to set you at ease.
kephale plaza stretches out before you, the calming sights making you feel like you’ve stepped into a dream world… and that everything else was merely a nightmare that has finally come to an end.
a pleasant day today was, really. and yet… something felt off. you felt…
lonely. empty.
before you could take a moment to think and figure out why, you heard a pair of footsteps behind you, approaching excitedly. you turn back to see…
hyacine. and her little pegasus, ica. her round, cyan orbs filled with kindness as she looked at you. there was excitement written all over her face as she seemed to be holding two plushies.
“there you are!” she chirps. “i wanted to show you something.”
she proceeds to show you two little plushies that resemble the servant of death, castorice and the trailblazer, caelus.
“i’ve been practicing sewing lately and tried to make some plushies! look, don’t these look like cassie and grayie?”
you couldn’t help but smile and let out a small laugh upon seeing the adorable plushies, paired with how excited she was.
“they’re absolutely adorable,” you said. “and pretty well made for someone who’s only begun plushie-making.”
“doot-doot!” ica lets out noises of agreement, its wings continuing to flutter.
hyacine, still smiling warmly, shakes her head.
“hehe, thank you both! i showed grayie and cassie, and they thought so too, but i don’t think they’re that well made. i’m still rather new to this.”
she looks down at the plushies in her hand for a short moment, lost in thought before her gaze returns to you.
“who do you think i should try next?” she asks. “there’s many of our companions i could try, but for now, i think its better to focus on one at a time. but… i can’t decide…”
it came to you quickly. his name immediately popped into your head as soon as she asked for a suggestion.
phainon.
a familiar feeling of warmth filled your heart at the mere thought of his name…
“how about… phainon?” you suggested, your voice lowered to a softer, more gentle tone as his name escapes your lips.
“lord phainon? sure, i could try!” she replies, her cheerful demeanor not fading. “thank you for the idea!”
“doot doot? doot?”
hyacine looks over at her pegasus, who looks at her questioningly.
“little ica wonders when i’ll make a plushie of them, too,” she giggles. “soon, i promise!”
“doot!”
she then happily walks off, ica flying behind her.
a plushie of phainon… you can imagine it so easily.
small, but not too small. just the right size, the same as the ones you were shown earlier. soft, snuggly… you could hold him close, fall asleep with him in your arms, talk to him…
you close your eyes as you sigh dreamily.
it’d take some time, you were aware. hyacine only began plushie making, not to mention her duties and that phainon’s outfit is rather difficult. but no matter. you’d wait gladly and patiently.
hyacine has been working tirelessly on the plushie of the aedes elysiaen warrior, with ica providing little doot’s of encouragement.
its been some time since then, around a few weeks. you found yourself in kephale plaza once more. this time, you were completely at ease. calm. not anxious. mind not racing. perfect timing for slipping into daydreams… imagining yourself feeling the warmth of his hand, listening to his gentle voice —
you were immediately shaken out of your little reverie as you heard footsteps approaching you again. you turn back, curious, being met with the healer of light once more.
“i apologize for the wait, but here he is!” she says happily, showing you the plushie phainon she held before offering it for you to hold.
soft, snuggleable… just like how you imagined.
“he looks so adorable,” you murmur, not resisting the smile that grew on your lips as soon as your eyes laid on him. “just like the real thing.”
your voice dropped down to a whisper as you spoke that last part.
“you can keep him if you’d like,” says hyacine, taking note of your fondness for the plushie… or was it for phainon? either way, she didn’t seem to mind.
your eyes immediately light up as soon as you hear that.
“really…?” you ask, trying to remain calm. yet on the inside, one could say that… you were elated.
hyacine nods, giggling. “of course!”
“t—thank you so much…!” you speak, your voice a bit shaky with excitement.
once she and ica leave, you head to a more secluded area, and hold the plushie close to you, embracing it.
“i may never be able to tell the real you how i truly feel,” you murmur. “but at least i have this… right?”
you continue to embrace it, speaking of your gentle, wholesome daydreams to it. no one else would be passing by and hear you, right?
“sometimes… i imagine you and i together… you’re holding my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze…”
you’re completely distracted by your confessing that you hadn’t heard the sounds of boots hitting the ground behind you…
“little moonlight?”
that voice… you recognized it instantly.
startled, plushie in arms, you look back to be met with none other than the gentle, cheerful phainon.
you turn to face him fully as you quickly hide the plushie behind your back, hoping he didn’t see it.
“p—phai…?” is all you manage to say.
“sorry, i didn’t mean to scare you, haha,” he apologizes, approaching you with a gentle smile. “but may i ask what you’re doing here all by yourself?”
he stares at you curiously, warmth behind his bright blue eyes.
“i… uhm…” you feel your face heat up a bit, shyness overcoming you. what to do, what to say…
“i was just… gathering my thoughts…” your hands remained behind your back. you look back up at him.
even after everything… those blue orbs still held tenderness.
“little moonlight…” he murmurs. “if there’s something on your mind, i’ll be glad to listen.”
that nickname again… come to think of it, he’s called you that for as long as you can remember. but why…? you never got the chance to ask. maybe today’s the day?
you never thought much of it, but thought it sounded nice. yet at the end of the day, you never thought he’d love you back. better to keep your hopes low than to be disappointed later.
you shake your head, feeling nervous under his gaze. phainon steps closer and takes note of how you have your hands behind your back…
“hmm? little moonlight, behind you…” he says curiously, tilting his head to the side slightly.
“i-its nothing, phainon…!” you squeak. “really…”
phainon, however, didn’t buy it. still smiling, he shakes his head. “you don’t have to hide from me.”
he then proceeds to try walk over behind you. you quickly try to face him, preventing him from looking, but unfortunately fail.
he sees it.
the plushie. behind you. in your hands.
phainon’s smile fades. he doesn’t frown, nor is his expression one of anger or seriousness. he just wonders…
why? why would someone love someone like him, enough to have a plushie of him? why would someone… make one…?
“i’m sorry…” you whisper. should’ve been more careful, should’ve headed home instead, shouldn’t have been outside with it…
phainon’s expression softened. you begin explaining yourself.
“h—hyacine has been getting into sewing and tried plushie making… she asked for a suggestion, so i…”
once more, you look away from him, no longer hiding the plushie behind you. he’s already seen it. no use in hiding it anymore.
phainon listens carefully to your explanation.
and then…
he laughs.
not a scary one, not one of scorn or mockery. but a sweet, gentle one.
“you told her to make a plushie of… me of all people?” he says as his tender smile returns. “why not someone else?”
you try to look up at him, but you just… can’t. your heart is racing, as if it would just get out and run off.
its now or never, even if its a hard no,
“because… when i’m with you, i get this warm, fuzzy feeling… it feels as if butterflies are fluttering in my stomach… i like you, phainon… a lot…”
wait, what…? phainon just stands there in shock for a good few seconds as he mentally puts the pieces together…
so thats why you acted differently around him compared to the others? it all makes sense to him now. with his duties, considering himself unlovable, phainon never thought that… you felt what he, too, felt for you. that warm feeling, the feeling of butterflies dancing…
judging by your tone, expression… you couldn’t be pulling his leg about this.
“and…” you continued. “sometimes, when we’re away from each other, i miss you but… i don’t want to be clingy…”
you look down at the soft plushie in your hands.
“when you’re not around, now i at least have something to remind you of me. so i feel a bit better…”
a shade of pink appears across his face. without a word, phainon pulls you close to him, into a tight embrace, just as you were doing earlier with the plushie.
“i don’t know what i did to deserve your affection,” he speaks gently. “but towards you… i feel it too.”
wait, he… he feels it too? he really does…? you didn’t think…
silence falls between the two of you as the swordsman continues to hold you close.
until…
“have you ever wondered…” he speaks suddenly, breaking the silence. “why do i refer to you as ‘little moonlight’?”
you look up at him and nod eyes filled with curiosity.
“its because…”
phainon closes his eyes, the shade of pink across his face darkening slightly.
“if i am the dawn’s blazing sun, then… i think of you as the illuminating moonlight. a quiet light in the dark… the moon to my sun.”
a short pause before he continues.
“ha… sounds corny i know,” he says as he begins to gently stroke your head, chuckling at his own words.
“but its true. the battlefield is loud, and you remind me of the gentle, illuminating moonlight. the stillness nighttime brings.”
so thats the reason…! you always thought that it was just a little nickname and nothing more.
he places a small kiss on the top of your head.
“i love you, little moonlight…”
you giggle, that warm fuzzy feeling not leaving you.
“i love you too, phai.”