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“You’re not nervous, are you?” Lucia asked him when she saw how Aymeric paced in his office. “You’ll wear down the carpet.”
“It would be a lie to say I’m not,” Aymeric admitted. His gaze went back to the small box of chocolates that was sitting on his desk; wrapped in a beautiful blue bow. He had agonized for bells at the sweets shop trying to pick the perfect set of flavors. He hadn't realized just how many different kinds there were between milk and dark, creme filling or nuts, mint or fruity. “What if she doesn’t like these chocolates?”
Lucia raised an eyebrow. Despite having seen the man stare down dragons, the heads of each House, and frustrated crowds of citizens, she had never seen him in such an anxious state. “Is it really the chocolates you are worried about?”
“No.” There was a blush creeping over his face as Lucia so directly asked him the question.
“Aymeric, I’ve seen the way she looks at you. It mirrors the way you look at her. She will not turn down your advances." Lucia crossed the distance between them as he hesitated still, reaching past him to pick up the box and put it into his hands. "Now go, she's waiting for you outside and you wouldn't want to be late after all that you planned."
Nodding a silent thanks at Lucia, Aymeric pocketed the chocolates and headed outside where the Warrior was already waiting for him.
“Aymeric,” she greeted him with a warm smile. Aymeric. Not Lord Commander. It still made his heart skip a beat whenever she did that.
Her name on his lips, he returned her smile and held out his arm for her to take. “I do hope you like venison.” He had gotten up early that day to prepare the meat he had seasoned the night before and the precise instructions for his housekeeper on how to cook it along with the sides. While he would’ve preferred to cook everything himself, the current affairs in Ishgard barely allowed him time to eat as it was. It was a miracle that he had managed to get the evening of Valentione’s Day off to treat the Warrior to this meal - and to have both their schedules match, to boot.
“I do,” she replied as she took his arm. “But you really didn’t have to do anything special, Aymeric,” she insisted. “A simple meal at the Forgotten Knight would have sufficed.”
“We can still go there if you don’t like my offering,” he promised.
“I doubt that will be necessary,” the Warrior reassured him. “I don’t think you could ever disappoint.”
It was those words that all but made Aymeric blush. It was those words that gave him confidence that Lucia was right; that his feelings were not entirely one sided.
~~**~~**~~
“So this is how the Lord Commander lives,” the Warrior commented as Aymeric opened the door and led her into his mansion.
“I have my parents to thank for it,” he replied. “I have done nothing myself to earn such a place.”
“Maybe. But you do deserve it. You’ve already done more for Ishgard than the former Archbishop had ever accomplished. The city will-” Before the Warrior could continue her praise, a black cat appeared from around the corner. It rubbed itself against Aymeric’s legs before it curiously eyed the newcomer. “You have a cat?”
“You don’t mind cats, do you?”
“No,” the Mi’qote laughed. “Not at all. How could I? What’s its name?”
“Bartholomew,” Aymeric replied as he scooped the cat up in his arms to pet him. “I think he likes you. He usually doesn’t greet strangers that readily.”
Carefully, the Warrior reached out to give Bartholomew chin scratches, which the cat accepted with a content purr. “He seems very sweet.”
“That’s deceptive. He can be quite a handful. But I love him all the same. He’s been with me for the better part of ten summers at this point.”
“Ten summers. He must know he’s loved if he’s stayed for that long.”
While they were talking, Aymeric led the way to the dining room, where the dinner was already set out. A hearty meal of venison, potatoes and root vegetables. The fragrant smell of the food filled the air. He set Bartholomew down again who, after a mew of protest, made his way over to his own bowl filled with bland, cooked venison.
“When did you find the time to cook all this?” The Warrior knew full well that Aymeric had spent most of the day in his office, safe for an afternoon sparring session with Estinien.
“Truth to be told, I prepared the meat ahead of time and left the sides with instructions to my housekeeper.”
There was a moment of hesitation on the Warrior’s face when she processed the words. She couldn’t imagine having a housekeeper, nor had she ever entertained the thought of Aymeric having one. Though she supposed it made sense for him.
Before she could pull the chair back to take a seat, Aymeric was already by her side, a hand placed gently on her right shoulder.
“There’s one more thing,” he started.
When she looked up at him, she noticed the blush on his face. “What is it?”
“I…” he reached into one of his pockets as he stalled, looking for the right words. As well as the evening has gone so far, there was still doubt in his mind that she would welcome his advances. “I got these for you. You… you don’t have to accept them, of course, though I hope you will.” He held the wrapped box of Valentione’s chocolates out to her.
“Are these…?”
“Traditional Valentione’s chocolates, yes. I was hoping…”
His explanation was stopped by the Warrior moving in to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. “Yes,” she whispered in reply to the unspoken question. “Yes.”
~~**~~**~~
The following years, they were both out of luck on Valentione’s Day - with the Warrior always out of town just around that time and Aymeric too busy to come to her. Even so, he had never forgotten to send her the chocolates with the rich nougat filling she liked so much. One year, they were delivered to her by Estinien. The careful packaging slightly dented - but not any less appreciated. Another year they arrived by moogle mail in a much better shape.
This year, though, Aymeric had put everything in motion to make sure he’d be there in person.
“I am sure she will be very happy to see you,” Lucia commented as she sat across Aymeric at the table. “And just in time for Valentione’s Day, if the journey goes as planned.”
“I, for one, will be over the moon,” Aymeric replied, a warm smile on his face. “And not just because I get to escape the cold of Ishgard for a bit. Judging from Estinien’s letters, Tural is unlike any other place I have been to before.” And for once, he would be entirely unknown, which was something else he was looking forward to. There was now just the matter of leaving Ishgard’s affairs in the hands of Lucia. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her - to the contrary - but he hadn’t left his responsibilities with someone else for more than a few days at a time ever since he started rebuilding the city.
“You do know that Ishgard will still be standing when you get back?” Lucia teased him as she noticed his reluctance.
“I know. It’s just that I haven’t been away for that long since I took office and…”
“It will be fine,” she cut him off. “You gave me clear instructions. I have all the paperwork I need and I’ve been helping you run everything for a while now.”
“I know,” he conceded. He knew, after all, that she was right. And if he wanted to spend Valentione’s with the Warrior this year, he would have to leave with the next ship to Tural.
“Then, with all due respect, Lord Commander, please. Leave the office to me while you are gone. Go get your things and make sure you don’t miss your ship.”
“Thank you,” he simply said with a slight nod of his head. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“I know.”
~~**~~**~~
“Aymeric!” It was the first thing he heard after he stepped off the ship and set foot on land again. The first thing he noticed, before he even had time to take in the colours that Tulliyollal had to offer.
Even now, after so much time had passed, his name on her lips still made him pause. Still made him smile. It felt almost too unreal, as though he didn’t quite deserve this.
His eyes scanned the harbour for the familiar sight of his Warrior - lighting up when he saw the Miqo’te all but running towards him. “My love,” he greeted her with a kiss that was chaste but held promises of so much more.
“I hope your journey was calm?”
“As calm as the sea can be. But I am sure glad to be back on solid ground.” In fact, even now, the ground still seemed to sway underneath his feet and he briefly had to lean on the Warrior’s shoulder as a particularly strong wave of nausea hit him.
“Steady,...” she whispered, looking up at him to assure herself that he was okay. It was almost cute how he tried to put up a brave face - if it weren’t for how pale he was around his nose. “The inn is nearby. Let’s get you settled first and then we’ll explore, yes?”
“No,” he shook his head. “There’s something else I need to do first.” He smiled at the slightly confused look she gave him. “Something I’ve been thinking about all the time on the journey here. Something I’ve been thinking about ever since you left for Tural.”
Before she could ask any questions, he cupped her face in his hands and leaned down, ignoring the world still spinning around him. How he had missed how her skin felt against his own. How he had missed her scent. How he had missed her taste. “I love you,” he whispered against her lips before he pressed his against hers. It was a challenge of will to keep the kiss chaste and not just devour her right here in the open.
“I love you,” she reciprocated once they broke their kiss. “You have no idea how happy I am to have you here. Today.”
“After we had to miss the last few Valentione’s, nothing in the world could have stopped me.” Aymeric brushed his fingers down the side of her face before reaching into a pocket. “Remember these?” He held out a small box to the Warrior that was decorated with the same bow that he had used all those summers ago.
“How could I not?” She didn’t even have to open the box to know what was inside. “My favourite chocolates. They have been ever since you first gave them to me.”