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Cherri stood inside their house, contemplating. She'd been avoiding Apo for the last few days, honestly, she was unsure why. That night after the masquerade had been playing on repeat in her head. And she needed to think things through again. To be honest, before that moment, she didn't know what these feelings were that she was experiencing. Her heart fluttered whenever she was around Apo, she just seemed to be happier around them. She wanted to see them smile at her the way they did when she was in the gardens with them
She wanted to see all of them their highs and lows, their demeanor when the mask of being her knight dropped and they were just Apo Kuna, a girl who loved fishing, building, and hanging out with other members of the kingdom.
Sure, Cherri has had plenty of suitors in the past, mostly elites or nobility from other kingdoms seeking her hand as some sort of political diplomacy, but she'd never felt anything towards any of them. She'd never experienced that "spark" that people say comes with love, that "warm feeling" in her chest. Well, that was until a few days ago.
Honestly, she didn't know what she was expecting when Apo revealed herself after the masquerade. The masks did a well enough job concealing people's faces, causing temporary memory loss regarding names. However, something about The Moon seemed familiar and there was a gravitational pull towards them, nothing like she'd ever felt before.
The desire to be next to them, to talk and dance with them was so great, however she knew she had things to do, she waited until after they had finished the mission, igniting the fireworks at the end of the night.
The majority of the others had stumbled outside, heading home for the night to sleep off the mead and exhaustion from dancing. However, Cherri knew there was someone she was waiting for. Stepping out onto the bridge, she removed her own mask The Moon walked past them, not noticing that they'd removed it until the end of the bridge. Once both had reached the end The Moon had turned, most of their face was still obscured by the magic of the mask, but their audible gasp and "Whoa? Oh, you. Oh wow." was enough to confirm Cherri's suspicion as to who it was
Sure enough, The Moon removed their mask and it was Apo who stood before Cherri. She'd talked with them before, and thoroughly enjoyed their company but somehow knowing that it was Apo all along made it all the better. "Hi, I'm tired, let's go home"
They have a brief conversation on the way back, and when Apo tells them that she liked what she saw with and without the mask, all Cherri can do is run away. Trying to ignore the warm sensation in her chest after Apo's comment and the implications of it they run into their house, climb up the ladder to their bedroom upstairs and gulp down a bottle of mead, one of many that they'd managed to sneak out of the event.
However, the gods must've been exceptionally cruel because whatever things she'd been running from weren't able to be escaped for long, as Apo followed behind her up the ladder into their shared bedroom.
The two of them were both drunk, Cherri doesn't know how much Apo had–definitely not as much as Shan– but they must've drank enough so that they no longer thought before speaking. It was kinda funny seeing Apo all like this, all drunk and flustered at seemingly nothing. However, her confidence levels are the highest Cherri's ever seen them be. It must've been the alcohol taking over Apo's brain but she spoke again, making eye contact with them before saying something that makes Cherri's heart stop "listen all I'm saying is it was very damn weird seeing you walk up and me feeling things"
And before anything she's thinking about saying can be said all thoughts leave her brain as Apo leans down and kisses her, It's short as her shock causes her to pull back and stare at them as Apo explains that they're going to bed, and wishes her a good night!
Cherri is snapped out of her spiral of thinking things through by none other than Apo walking through the door. They enter and walk across the room to where Cherri is standing and look her dead in the eyes "Do you have a minute? We need to talk"
"Yeah? Why?"
"Just follow me, I know a place" And with that, Apo steps outside. Cherri follows them tentatively as they walk through the red kingdom and over towards where the circus tent is located. They pass it, and head towards the nearby fishing doc on the other side.
They banter back and forth about fishing for a while, Cherri trying her best to tease Apo about how oddly obsessed with it she is and Apo clapping back that surely Cherri doesn't hate it that much before the banter is interrupted again by Apo "About the other night, the masquerade?"
"Oh. Oh so we're having this conversation."
"I honestly thought you wouldn't remember. You drank quite a bit"
"Well, for a second, I thought it was a dream. That's why it's taken me a bit to.. speak to you about it?" Cherri nods in agreement,
"But I want to speak to you about it. Because I feel like my feelings remain true. What I felt that night, it's continued. It's blossomed."
"I don't know how to approach this situation with grace…" Apo's gaze drifts back down to the water. Oh no. Cherri has to remedy this fast, otherwise they will get wrong assumptions
"It's I–I like you. Okay?" Apo's face turns from one of somewhat disappointment to one of shock
"Growing up a princess love is usually not it's traditionally it's your hand is more a political tool… My father is different. He has never expected this of me. But it is hard. It is hard not to think that way that your your affections and your time is nothing more than a tool for power."
Apo sighs, looking down at the dock below them, "I mean, I won't lie. I've thought that, too. I've thought about being from Thornhelm and enjoying the company of the Solunian princess, and wondering if that's nothing more than just some sort of game my mind is playing with me. I've thought–is this what I want or is this just a way to move up in the ranks?"
"I've many a suitor before approach me for my my hand in search of more power or an upper hand. Honestly, I have never felt this way about someone else before, I still don't know how to what to do with it, how to handle it. I do not know what to do."
Apo turns her gaze from the water once again towards Cherri "At the masquerade where everyone's titles were concealed? The only thing you could really put up was your true self. And I started falling for that, your true self. I think the conversation we had was the best one I had all night."
"And when you took off that mask?" Apo turned to face her, grabbing her chin and lifting it to force her to make eye contact with them. "God, Cherri. You were–" She struggles for a second to regain her words, before speaking again "I felt the same thing I felt when you had that mask on you. You could be anyone in the world and I would still love you for who you are."
"I still don't know how to how to move forward with all of this or how I feel." She looks down at the water again, counting the ripples across the surface made from the breeze "We don't have to, but I would like to try. "Yes, I would love to try as well."
Cherri's eyes subconsciously flicker down to Apo's lips, and she looks up again to see them staring at her, their own eyes doing the same thing "Now, the last time… Last time I was a little intoxicated, but I want to try again" Cherri nods, the silent permission given and Apo leans down and Apo's kissing her, Apo's kissing her and it's all she could've asked for. Apo's lips are chapped from the wind, but she's so gentle, so kind, so loving, Cherri can't complain. They can feel Apo's mouth smiling against their own and reach up to wrap their arms around her neck.
They break apart moments later, both giggling, foreheads touching and staring at the other in complete adoration. "That was so much better than before, I never want to kiss you drunk again" Cherri giggles again, "yeah you were pretty dunk last time huh"
They sit in silence on the edge of the dock for a few moments, Cherri's head resting on Apo's shoulder before Apo speaks again "Hey Cherri? Could you take off that crown of yours for a moment. " She obliges, removing it and setting it next to them. "You're still the same to me, I care for you all the same"
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