[ He thought he'd been prepared for whatever was going to come out of her mouth, but that only lasts as long as it takes for the words to actually start. And then he finds him struggling with the urge to squirm under the weight of her gaze. The feeling of being seen. For all the attention he'd always had around him, so few of those eyes had ever seen him.
She was different. Oh, maybe she hadn't been so much back in their days at the Academy, but here... everything has been different since they've come here. Been afforded opportunities they never would have had back in Fodlan. For all the troubles being in Abraxas had brought them, he could never bring himself to regret even a moment. Not when it had given him so much more than he'd ever imagined possible.
Even if he eyes that little box a little dubiously, because they both know what that looks like, and he's not sure how he feels about that. So her preface gets a short, aborted bark of laughter from him, because he might have freaked out, if his brain had been left to spiral there without her interrupting it.
And then he's too busy staring at the item within to worry about any of that.
He'd noted his earring was missing, of course he had. It was among his most precious possessions and he'd mourned it, thinking he'd somehow lost it when being dragged to the Singularity or back. He'd had it, before that strange far future, but he couldn't find it when he got back, and he'd assumed the worst. But now this...
He reaches out to brush his fingers over its smooth, delicate surface, marveling at the beauty of it. ]
[ Even though he’d just told her that he loved her minutes before, a part of her can’t help but worry a little all the same as she watches him. Her heart is practically beating out of her chest making her feel like she’s run a marathon when the only thing she’s doing is sitting still telling a man that her younger self would have never imagined in a million years believed that she could love romantically.
She had been thinking about the time that she’d told him she thought he was shallow and that she loved him but not in the way that he often tossed it around with women at Garreg Mach as of late. It’s true that she hadn’t loved him then; couldn’t even have contemplated that being a possibility. But hadn’t they both been wearing masks of their own? Hadn’t they both needed time to grow up a little?
There was something beautiful in being able to grow apart before coming back to grow together. That story hadn’t ever been told in the books she read. But maybe, they could write their own.
When he finally does speak she nods, earnest. Nervous. ]
Do you like it? I should have told you that I was taking the other earring but I wanted it to be a surprise.
[ The colour in her cheeks deepens. ]
I wanted to give it to you as a part of your birthday present but I wasn’t sure if it would be too much or you’d think that it was silly or too flashy. [ And she was certain that Claude would be able to provide a better birthday gift anyway. ] But it was important to me that you know how much you mean to Claude and I. That even if we're not with you, you'll have a physical reminder of it.
[ His voice is a little husky with emotion as he turns and leans in. His free hand cups against her cheek as he kisses her, slow and soft, before pulling back just enough to give her a smile full of fondness. ]
[ Whatever worry she had felt dispels in the next exhale, giving way to the sweetness and warmth of his kiss. When they part, the smile that she gives him mirrors the one on his face. She nods, making quick work of setting it into his ear alongside the earring that Claude had bought for him. It had bothered her in the past to see it. Pricked at her heart as a reminder of the way she had acted and all the feelings that had come with that.
And while she's reluctant to admit as much, it serves as a reminder of what she can't allow them to go back to. There were things she still wanted, things that she still hoped for her future. But she wouldn't allow herself to be that self-destructive again. Not that she now had other hearts to consider. She would protect the peace they were trying to settle into even if it meant the expense of what she wanted. Then maybe some day she'd think herself worthy of that affection.
Her fingers brush against the shell of his ear, settling it into place. ]
I don't have a mirror on me so you'll just have to trust that it looks good. If anything feels weird, we can always readjust it.
[ He catches her hand, pressing it against his cheek with a fond smile. ]
I don't need to see it to know it's perfect. Thank you, Hilda.
[ he leans in to brush a kiss against her lips, even as he gives a soft chuckle. ] Although now I feel a little silly not bringing you a gift or flowers or something. I can... make you lunch?
[ There's a playful teasing light in his eyes, because he knows that's not the point. But she's not the only one who always worries over being worthy of this. ]
[ He leans in to give her more of those kisses, then flops them both down on the swinging bed to get comfortable, tangling his legs with hers as he tucks her against his chest. ]
We can do lunch in a little while. Why don’t we just enjoy being here for a little while instead?
[ She had been lost in her own thoughts again all to worried about the feelings that swirled inside her heart. But while she had worried, the fear in her heart seems to have dissipated, replaced with such a feeling of warmth that she finds it hard to believe she felt any of claws of that fear claw at her to begin with.
Here in Sylvain's arms feels like the most natural thing in the world and she rests her head on against his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat, reassuring, constant. Her thumb brushes gently across his cheek. ]
[ A soft laugh rumbles in his chest beneath her ear as he cards his fingers through her hair, content to just lay here with her. While he had his own fair share of uncertainties, they all too often revolved around his own issues and not her. So maybe it was a little easier, at the moment, to believe her words, to believe she meant them.
And to soak in the warm contentedness they left in their wake. ]
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no subject
She was different. Oh, maybe she hadn't been so much back in their days at the Academy, but here... everything has been different since they've come here. Been afforded opportunities they never would have had back in Fodlan. For all the troubles being in Abraxas had brought them, he could never bring himself to regret even a moment. Not when it had given him so much more than he'd ever imagined possible.
Even if he eyes that little box a little dubiously, because they both know what that looks like, and he's not sure how he feels about that. So her preface gets a short, aborted bark of laughter from him, because he might have freaked out, if his brain had been left to spiral there without her interrupting it.
And then he's too busy staring at the item within to worry about any of that.
He'd noted his earring was missing, of course he had. It was among his most precious possessions and he'd mourned it, thinking he'd somehow lost it when being dragged to the Singularity or back. He'd had it, before that strange far future, but he couldn't find it when he got back, and he'd assumed the worst. But now this...
He reaches out to brush his fingers over its smooth, delicate surface, marveling at the beauty of it. ]
This... it's us?
no subject
She had been thinking about the time that she’d told him she thought he was shallow and that she loved him but not in the way that he often tossed it around with women at Garreg Mach as of late. It’s true that she hadn’t loved him then; couldn’t even have contemplated that being a possibility. But hadn’t they both been wearing masks of their own? Hadn’t they both needed time to grow up a little?
There was something beautiful in being able to grow apart before coming back to grow together. That story hadn’t ever been told in the books she read. But maybe, they could write their own.
When he finally does speak she nods, earnest. Nervous. ]
Do you like it? I should have told you that I was taking the other earring but I wanted it to be a surprise.
[ The colour in her cheeks deepens. ]
I wanted to give it to you as a part of your birthday present but I wasn’t sure if it would be too much or you’d think that it was silly or too flashy. [ And she was certain that Claude would be able to provide a better birthday gift anyway. ] But it was important to me that you know how much you mean to Claude and I. That even if we're not with you, you'll have a physical reminder of it.
no subject
[ His voice is a little husky with emotion as he turns and leans in. His free hand cups against her cheek as he kisses her, slow and soft, before pulling back just enough to give her a smile full of fondness. ]
Will you put it in for me?
no subject
And while she's reluctant to admit as much, it serves as a reminder of what she can't allow them to go back to. There were things she still wanted, things that she still hoped for her future. But she wouldn't allow herself to be that self-destructive again. Not that she now had other hearts to consider. She would protect the peace they were trying to settle into even if it meant the expense of what she wanted. Then maybe some day she'd think herself worthy of that affection.
Her fingers brush against the shell of his ear, settling it into place. ]
I don't have a mirror on me so you'll just have to trust that it looks good. If anything feels weird, we can always readjust it.
no subject
I don't need to see it to know it's perfect. Thank you, Hilda.
[ he leans in to brush a kiss against her lips, even as he gives a soft chuckle. ] Although now I feel a little silly not bringing you a gift or flowers or something. I can... make you lunch?
[ There's a playful teasing light in his eyes, because he knows that's not the point. But she's not the only one who always worries over being worthy of this. ]
no subject
Well if you're offering I would happily take all of the above.
[ She melts into his touch, hands coming to cup the sides of his face tenderly. ]
But I'd settle for more kisses. And time with you before you run off to do whatever you had planned to do before I interrupted them.
no subject
[ He leans in to give her more of those kisses, then flops them both down on the swinging bed to get comfortable, tangling his legs with hers as he tucks her against his chest. ]
We can do lunch in a little while. Why don’t we just enjoy being here for a little while instead?
no subject
[ She had been lost in her own thoughts again all to worried about the feelings that swirled inside her heart. But while she had worried, the fear in her heart seems to have dissipated, replaced with such a feeling of warmth that she finds it hard to believe she felt any of claws of that fear claw at her to begin with.
Here in Sylvain's arms feels like the most natural thing in the world and she rests her head on against his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat, reassuring, constant. Her thumb brushes gently across his cheek. ]
I love you, Sylvain.
no subject
And to soak in the warm contentedness they left in their wake. ]
I know, love. I love you, too.