Work Text:
Wind Archer woke up at the same time every day, and today was no exception. As his eyes focused, he smiled. Fire Spirit was still asleep next to him... he'd let the flame sleep a bit longer while he did his morning routine. His morning run, a shower and skincare...
He was about to head outside to water his plants when the bedroom door opened. Fire Spirit lazily hovered out, rubbing his eyes. "Whyre you up so early...."
"I'm always up early. You know that," Wind Archer said. He gave Fire Spirit a kiss on the cheek, which made him smile despite his sleepiness.
Fire Spirit rubbed his eyes again, then returned the kiss. This one he planted on Wind Archer's gem. "Yeah, yeah... I know..." he yawned out, "You gonna make breakfast?"
Wind Archer smiled. Fire Spirit was so cute when he was sleepy... "In a few minutes. I always water my plants first... you just usually sleep through that," he said. As he began to head out, he paused. "You can join me, if you'd like."
Fire Spirit followed Wind Archer outside. The flowers were still closed... but as Wind Archer began to water them, as the sun rose higher, they slowly opened. Fire Spirit watched with awe. "...woah."
"The perks of waking up early," Wind Archer said with a chuckle. He kneeled by a lavender bush, stroking the petals. "You bought this for me. Do you remember that?"
"Unfortunately..." Fire Spirit said, a bit embarrassed. When Wind Archer raised an eyebrow, he followed up with, "I mean, it was a nice memory planting it with you, but I was so... awkward! It's just embarrassing now..."
Wind Archer smiled. "I enjoyed it. It's my favorite plant," he stood and touched Fire Spirit's face with lavender scented fingertips, "Youre my favorite."
Fire Spirit scoffed, but smiled. Being vulnerable with Wind Archer was hard. Being vulnerable at all was hard. But there was something about the archer that made him want to try. "Youre my favorite too... sometimes."
That got an eye roll, but Wind Archer clearly wasn't hurt. He finished watering the plants then went inside to start cooking. He made some pancakes, this time using eggs, and served them. As Wind Archer placed the plate in front of his boyfriend, he felt something stir.
Something soft and domestic. He wanted to do this every day, every meal. It was an unfamiliar feeling... it wasn't something he had ever considered before. The idea that he could be more than just the protector of the forest...
"Hey, Windy, you okay?" Fire Spirit's voice cut through his thoughts. He was smiling up at Wind Archer, though he had an eyebrow raised and thinly veiled concern in his eyes. "You spaced out."
Wind Archer blushed, pulling at his scarf for a moment. "Sorry... I was thinking about something..." he said. He got his own plate and sat down, immediately thinking of how nice it would be to eat every meal with Fire Spirit. What was wrong with him today?!
Fire Spirit ate in silence, mostly, still tired from waking up so early. When he was done, he stood and tried to pick up his plate... Wind Archer practically jumped up, rattling the table. "Don't!" He said, a bit too loud. Embarrassed by his outburst, he pulled his scarf up more as he took both plates. "I'll... get the dishes. You sit."
"Uh huh..." Fire Spirit still seemed concerned, but he allowed it. He would never pass up the chance to let someone else do chores. Even if he often wanted to take the far too heavy load off Wind Archer's shoulders...
Wind Archer kept his scarf just over his mouth while he washed the dishes. His face felt hot, he could tell he was blushing... it wasn't like he had never considered what a closer life with Fire Spirit would look like, but he never thought of it to this degree! It was distracting him....
It only got worse when they went to train. Every time Fire Spirit helped Wind Archer up, whenever he laughed at his own mistakes, whenever he coaxed Wind Archer into taking little breaks... Wind Archer spaced out in the middle of a shot and pulled the string too far. It snapped, startling and hurting him a bit. He watched the small trickle of blood fall from the cut, eyes wide.
Fire Spirit looked over the wound. "Ah, jeez... it needs a bandaid, but it's not that bad," he said. He brought Wind Archer back to the cabin nearby, helping him clean the wound. When he patted it dry, Wind Archer winced. It gave Fire Spirit the perfect opportunity to tease. "Sorry, sorry... want me to kiss it better?"
That seemed to break something in the archer. He shoved Fire Spirit away, then dropped to the couch with his head in his hands. "I can't do this..."
Fire Spirit's eyes widened. He grabbed a bandage before sitting next to Wind Archer, resting a hand on his back far more gently than he usually was. "Hey... hey, I dunno whats wrong, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
Wind Archer shook his head. He took a deep breath and put the bandaid on, sighing. "Its not your fault, don't apologize..." he said.
"Youve been acting weird all day," Fire Spirit said. He dropped his facade completely, now showing the raw concern he had. Wind Archer wasn't okay, and Fire Spirit couldn't let him suffer. "Do you wanna... talk about it, I guess?" Even if he was being genuine, feelings still weren't his strong suit.
Wind Archer hid his face again, pulling his scarf over his mouth. "There isn't much to talk about..." he mumbled, voice muffled greatly by his scarf, "I just... think I'm in love with you," it felt weird to admit, but he couldn't deny it anymore.
Fire Spirit's eyes went wide, and his hair flared out. After a moment of stammering, cheeks flushed, he said, "O- oh! Wow! That's... not what I thought you'd say...!"
Wind Archer sighed. He hid his face even more, humiliated. He should've known better than to confess... "I'm sorry. This... is not how I should be. Please ignore my confession."
"Uh... no?" Fire Spirit took Wind Archer's hands and made him reveal his face. The archer was tearing up... Fire Spirit wiped the tears away. "I love you too," he said, kissing Wind Archer on the lips for just a second, "I have for a while, actually!"
Wind Archer smiled, but he was crying harder now. He sniffled, wiping his eyes and nose... it did little to help. He sobbed against Fire Spirit. "Why didn't you say anything...?"
"I didn't think you'd feel the same way," Fire Spirit shrugged. When Wind Archer hiccuped with his sobs, Fire Spirit added, "Cmon... please don't cry. I love you. I don't wanna see the guy I love sad!" He tried to joke.
It didn't really help. Wind Archer laughed between sobs. "I- I'm not sad. I'm happy. I'm really happy..." he said. He wiped his tears again, Fire Spirit helping him this time. "I've never felt like this before... For the longest time, my only duty was to protect the forest. I never considered... love to be an option."
Fire Spirit smiled. He wiped even more tears away, holding Wind Archer close. He wasn't like this usually, but neither was the archer. For once, they both let their shields down and just held each other. "I'm glad you changed your mind on that," he said, giving Fire Spirit a kiss on the gem.
Wind Archer half laughed, half sobbed. "Me too," he closed his eyes, his tears starting to calm, "I love you."
"I love you too," Fire Spirit said. For a long time, they just embraced. Nearly an hour where the only noise was Wind Archer's sniffling and Fire Spirit gently shushing him.
After that time, Wind Archer sat up. He took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm going to wash my face. Would you mind getting me some water...?" He asked.
Fire Spirit nodded as he stood. "Of course. You wanna snack or anything too?"
"No, I'm okay..." Wind Archer retreated to the bathroom. When he came out, face still a bit wet but less blotchy from the cold water, he took the glass of water. It was a bit warm, but it definitely helped. "Thank you..."
Fire Spirit kissed him on the lips, soft and sweet. "Anything you need," he mumbled.
Wind Archer smiled again and rubbed his burning eyes. Washing his face had definitely helped, but he was still rather disheveled. Crying had worn him out... he couldn't even remember the last time he had cried. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this... I shouldn't be like this..."
"Windy, forget your purpose and your training or whatever else for a second. I don't care what you should or shouldn't 'be like'... I care about what you are. Got it?" Fire Spirit said, serious. He held Wind Archer's face in his hand, looking over his blotchy face and reddened eyes.
Wind Archer smiled, pulling his scarf up. He leaned into the touch as he mumbled, "...youre gonna make me cry again." The two both laughed. Wind Archer closed his eyes. "I'm... worn out. I don't think I've cried like that before. I'm not entirely sure why I even cried..."
Fire Spirit laid down on the couch, pulling Wind Archer to lay on top of him. He used the flame's chest like a pillow. "Its fine. Take a nap, okay?" He stroked Wind Archer's messy hair, "I dont wanna hear any arguments. You need it. I always nap after I cry!"
"...we're gonna talk about that later because I'm slightly worried," Wind Archer said, opening an eye to give Fire Spirit a look. He soon lowered his head again, too tired to think anymore. "I'll make lunch when I'm up..."
Fire Spirit shook his head, wrapping his arms around the archer. "I'll make lunch. And I won't even use the stove!" He said.
"Youre allowed to use the stove," Wind Archer mumbled against his chest.
"I thought I was banned from the stove?"
"Go to sleep," Wind Archer mumbled, voice gruff now. He then added, "I love you."
"I love you too," Fire Spirit gave Wind Archer one more kiss before closing his eyes. Admittedly, he had wondered if this was a dream all this time up until now. He was glad to see it wasn't.
Wind Archer was asleep in seconds, exhausted from his crying. Fire Spirit smiled. Was this how Wind Archer felt when he woke up before him? He could get used to this...
He closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he fell asleep. Fire Spirit had been alive for hundreds of years, but this was the happiest day of his life. And even though he was asleep, Wind Archer felt the same.