Work Text:
“Saber…are you sure this is the best way?”
“According to the knowledge the Grail has given me upon being summoned, yes. Intimacy is the ideal way for a master to transfer mana to their servant; apparently it is the most effective.”
Ayaka sat rigidly on the far corner of one of the many beds in the swamp mansion, an embarrassed flush creeping over her face. Saber, in his casual clothes, stood facing away from her with an obviously forced nonchalant air about him.
This is such a terrible system! Ayaka thought. What if the master was a young adult and the servant was an old geezer? What then?
“Listen, Ayaka,” Richard started in a rush, waving his arms at the wall he was adamantly staring at. “We don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I can fight the war just fine with the mana I currentl-”
“No.” Ayaka balled up her fists and set her resolve. “Back in that illusion, I accepted becoming your master–the master of Saber in this holy grail war. You’ve been protecting me even before we officially made the contract, it would be unfitting of my role to handicap you further.”
…Plus, I can’t say that I’m much opposed to the idea. Ayaka let her gaze trail on the heroic spirit, and eventually lifted her eyes to the oh-so-tuggable braid Saber sported. Although she couldn’t see his face now as he was turned away, she knew that she would be greeted with the same warm red eyes that had accompanied her ever since that night at the opera.
“...Well, if my master has no objections, then I’ll happily oblige.” Contrary to his confident words, Saber hesitantly turned to face Ayaka with a face as red as her own. In fact, Ayaka noticed, his blushing may have been even worse than hers, extending to the tips of his ears.
Ayaka took a deep breath, then got up and locked the door to the room.
“Hmm? Ayaka?”
“W-we’re still waiting on Sigma and Assassin to regroup here. Who knows when they’ll come back?” She stammered, a little lightheaded.
Holy shit, this is happening. This ritual is crazy. Am I really about to get freaky with Richard the Lionheart???
“So, uh…is it just…normal…sex?” Ayaka busied herself with wiping her glasses, avoiding eye contact with her servant.
“Oh! W-well, we don’t have to go that far…I don’t know how to describe it, but I’ll feel it when the transfer is successful. Just…intimacy, perhaps?”
Ayaka was somewhat glad that Saber seemed as unknowledgeable as she was concerning these matters. Counterintuitively, in seeing the usually proud and headstrong warrior trip over his words, it made her more confident and resolute in her actions.
“Let’s take it slow then. Um, how about just lying down together for now?” Ayaka then suddenly remembered something. “Oh wait, what about your retinue?”
“Don’t worry about them–I sent them away as soon as this topic came up.” Saber sat down lightly on the opposite side of the bed, fingers drumming against the mattress. He was seemingly psyching himself up for a few seconds before falling back onto the bed, shoes still on.
“WTF man, take off your shoes!” Ayaka sternly reprimanded him as she unbuckled her own footwear and swung her lower body onto the bed, scooting towards the headboard.
Saber fumbled, kicking off his shoes and placing them by the bed. “Ah, sorry. I forgot.”
Ayaka shook her head with amusement and resignation before allowing her head to sink into the softness of a pillow, sighing softly. Beside her, she could feel Saber do the same, the mattress shifting underneath his weight as he searched for a comfortable position.
A few minutes passed like this, with the pair not moving a single inch and staring up at the decrepit ceiling.
“...It’s not working,” Saber broke the silence.
“What? Why?” Ayaka, still as a statue, asked.
“I think we have to have a physical connection.” Saber turned on his side so that he was facing Ayaka, a flustered look of excitement in his eyes. “Would you like to hold hands?”
Feeling him shift on the bed, Ayaka turned to look at him as well. My god, he looks amazing. His blonde red-streaked hair, although a bit ruffled from lying down, still perfectly framed his face. His eyes sparkled with a happiness that Ayaka could only hope to truly feel one day. And as always, his braid hung over his shoulder, taunting her to grab it as she did in the forest.
“Sure,” she replied to Saber’s suggestion. A moment of silence ensued as they both searched for the other’s hand underneath the covers. Eventually, the warmth of Saber’s hand found hers, and an undeniable feeling of safeness enveloped Ayaka wholly. Worries of the white woman, the red-hooded girl, and her foggy memories seemed to stop being so imposing as she gazed into Saber’s ruby colored eyes.
As she watched, his gaze jumped from one feature on her face to another, so quickly that she found it hard to track his eye movement. “This is quite nice. Are you comfortable, Ayaka?” His hand gave an almost imperceptible squeeze to hers, making the edge of her mouth lift slightly in a smile.
“Very comfortable. Honestly, this might be the most relaxed I’ve been since this grail war started.” Between fearing for her life, multiple risky encounters with other factions, and the haunting hallucinations following her, the war in Snowfield has not been great for Ayaka’s health. “In all this chaos, I kinda needed a moment to breathe to keep me grounded, I suppose.”
Saber gave an uncharacteristically soft chuckle at her words. His fingers, intertwined with Ayaka’s, relaxed then gently tightened once more in a repeating pattern, sometimes seemingly unconsciously tracing her command spell. I guess even his handholding must be unique and active, to fit his personality. “These past few days must have been tiring for you, with me dragging you along to opposite ends of the city. For that, I apologize.”
“Haven’t you already apologized for that? There’s no need to say it once again…”
Saber shifted, bringing their connected hands up to where his heart would be while his expression morphed into a serious look. “It’s not just that. I’ve made a lot of trouble for you ever since I manifested, and although you’ve accepted becoming my master now, that doesn’t make my selfishness disappear. I was careless when I fought against the golden king, and I was reckless against the monsters of the dream world.” He closed his eyes, then continued on. “I’ve already knocked you out once, using your mana to heal myself after the battle outside the hospital–and now, my frankly egregious mana consumption has led us to undertake this…peculiar method.”
Ayaka stayed quiet, listening intently to the heroic spirit yapping in front of her. At some point, she started comfortingly brushing her thumb across his in their handheld position, reciprocating his own tendencies.
“This may just be my own unfounded internal conflict, but as a servant, I can’t say I’ve been doing a very good job. It worries me, as my decisions could cost you your life.” Saber fell silent, waiting for Ayaka’s response. Instead, he was slightly startled to feel a light weight against his chest.
Ayaka had let go of his hand, opting to instead hit a SASAGEYO! pose from Attack On Titan as her fist gently settled against Saber’s chest. She locked their eyes with a surprisingly resolute look as she prepared her answer.
“We’re a team, Saber: master and servant, mage(?) and heroic spirit, Ayaka and Richard–no matter how it’s described, it’s just like what you said in the police station. ‘Our fates are intertwined’; you said something like that. So…so don’t worry over me so much! I promised I’d get tougher, and you promised you’d be more careful!” She offered a small, hesitant smile to him. “As long as we make good on our vows, there won’t be any regrets.”
Am I really qualified to be saying this?
“...and for what it’s worth, you’re the best Saber I’ve ever met. My…favorite.”
“But I’m the only Saber you’ve ever…ah, nevermind that. It’s rare hearing such sentiments from you, and such momentous occasions must be properly admired.” His crimson eyes once again sparkled with a teasing glint as he took her hand and gently lifted it up to his lips. As Ayaka watched with a dazed expression, he slowly shut his eyes and left a light kiss on the back of her hand.
Oh wow.
10/10, no words.
He then had the nerve to open his eyes unreasonably slowly and glance up at her a little bashfully, all with a cheeky edge to his demeanor. “Forgive me for surprising you. I assumed it would be an appropriate next step, seeing as how handholding was not having an effect. If you disliked it, feel free to yank my hair as much as you’d like, although even then it may not be sufficient punishment for disarming a lady such as yourself.”
Ayaka stared at him, stunned to silence even though her brain was beginning to freak out. “I…um. Y-yes, it’s as you say–we are doing this for the mana transfer after all…”
Her feelings of shock(happiness), although powerful, soon gave way to a more familiar sensation: a light tingling of her skin that originated from the command spells marked on her body–a sign that mana was stirring within her.
Saber widened his eyes, his hand momentarily clenching around Ayaka’s in surprise at the foreign sensation of mana transfer. “Ayaka, is it–?” Upon seeing her nod in confirmation, Saber’s entire countenance seemed to light up, and she swore she could’ve seen anime sparkles in his eyes if she tried.
“I’m happy my intuition was right, back then at the underground music place! I knew you were the right master for me!” His gaze then softened to something more intimate, a look that had Ayaka hoping she would be the only person to ever see it. “I’m…very grateful to have met you, Ayaka. Even more so that we are partners in this grail war.”
No, Saber, you’re got it backwards. Ayaka smiled gingerly and placed her hand on his cheek, cupping it lightly and admiring his small exhale of surprise and the way he leaned into her touch, chasing the warmth of her hand.
It’s me that’s the lucky one.
.
.
.
...In the end, I wasn't able to get freaky with Saber. What a shame.