[ As though conditioned by months of unrelenting affections, he leans into her touch as he often does, eyes closed and an easy smile playing on his lips; right there, with his face held between the hands of a former enemy, is where he feels safest. ]
We cannot escape loss entirely. [ A harsh truth, one that he knows she understands as well as him, though one he yet hopes to soothe with his large hands dwarfing hers. ] But knowing I will not lose you to this island nor to war... That alone fills me with such joy and strength that I can face whatever comes my way.
[ And should she one day depart before him as she so fears, he still means everything he said when she told him of hers concerns: he would not trade a day of such sublime happiness by her side for a longevously lukewarm lifetime by anyone else's.
But again, he doesn't want to dwell in such doom and gloom, and she is so kind as to take his hand and lead his steps and his thoughts away from the dark. Oh, and how far she has come: once terrified of the ocean at night, now she moves with him in the pale moonlight, saltwater licking at their ankles as they waltz without song-- and if it looks as though she has also conditioned his rhythm to match hers, if their one-two-three is timed to perfection, it's because this is where they have always belonged: right in each other's arms, dancing past every sunset and sunrise alike. ]
I must say, I'm not as confident to think you would not have blamed me-- [ Not entirely a lie, though his smile is mostly playful. ] Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say you would have resented me for it. I was little more than a temporary ally at the time, and only out of necessity.
[ And that, she thinks, is one of the best feelings in the world. Drawing strength from someone while they draw strength from you. It's all the sweeter because their lives aren't (currently) being threatened; they help each other just by existing, being near, being a lover and a friend and a reliable partner.
She wasn't wrong when she thought he would make a fine partner for someone. She hadn't expected this outcome at the time but some surprises are very good.
Soft wet sand clings between her toes as they dance, their feet leaving prints in the sand that the waves immediately smooth. Did she... compliment Dimitri on his dancing when they first met here? How little she knew. ]
I was the one who impulsively threw it to you, fully aware that you may not hear me call out or manage to catch it. I would not have blamed you for my choice.
But [ A corner of her smile twitches, threatening to grow wider. He isn't wrong. He knows her. ] that isn't to say that I wouldn't have resented losing it or that I would not have scolded myself bitterly later for losing my precious dagger while trying to save an enemy who was almost certainly going to drown to death if the strength of the tentacle didn't crush him first.
[ She doesn't know what it was like to be grabbed like that by the half-hidden creature, to be swung over the shoreline. Witnessing it was enough of a nightmare. ]
But we needed each other that day.
[ Her hand squeezes his. She can meet his eyes when she says it. The need was mutual. ]
And any resentment I held over losing the dagger for your sake would have been challenged by the revelation that you are the one who gave it to me, don't you think? [ Now her smile really does broaden - and sharpen, playful. ] I thought of the boy who gave me the dagger as my first love.
[ They needed each other that day, she says, and he has to employ all of his strength not to immediately retort that they still need each other now. Not for mere survival, but for a happy and fulfilling life they both once thought beyond their reach.
And while she can meet his eyes as she admits to that mutual need, he can return the gentle squeeze of her hand with a confession of his own. ]
If such revelation had come to pass as it did, yes. I was such a fool to keep it from you for as long as I did, and without the island's influence, I often wonder whether I would have told you of my own accord...
[ It's hard to keep the self-chastising from slipping into his tone, hard not to bemoan his own incapability to be more straightforward with her despite proof after proof of how well they could work together-- on that dance floor, in her bedroom, on this very beach turned battlefield, a perfect match in every way, a joint force to defeat all odds. ]
Perhaps... across those infinite timelines, there can be a Dimitri who is wiser than I. [ Less stubborn? No. Just wise enough to seize his chance when he sees it. ] One who will reach for your hand without hesitation, just like that boy who once helped a little girl stand on her feet again.
[ Back then, she was a lot more trusting, enough to reach back without little thought as to whether she could or should. He doesn't think any Edelgard who has been put through the same ordeal as his El would ever be quite like that again, but he was at least wise -- and stubborn -- enough to keep trying. ]
Regardless-- [ His smile regains strength-- he draws it from her, always. ] --I may no longer be that boy, but I feel rather confident to gift you more daggers now, perhaps to mark our every anniversary forthcoming?
[ Forgive him if it's not a standard move in a dance, but he feels the need to lean in closer, his smile ever widening. ]
How would you like that? A new blade for every year spent with my first and only true love.
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We cannot escape loss entirely. [ A harsh truth, one that he knows she understands as well as him, though one he yet hopes to soothe with his large hands dwarfing hers. ] But knowing I will not lose you to this island nor to war... That alone fills me with such joy and strength that I can face whatever comes my way.
[ And should she one day depart before him as she so fears, he still means everything he said when she told him of hers concerns: he would not trade a day of such sublime happiness by her side for a longevously lukewarm lifetime by anyone else's.
But again, he doesn't want to dwell in such doom and gloom, and she is so kind as to take his hand and lead his steps and his thoughts away from the dark. Oh, and how far she has come: once terrified of the ocean at night, now she moves with him in the pale moonlight, saltwater licking at their ankles as they waltz without song-- and if it looks as though she has also conditioned his rhythm to match hers, if their one-two-three is timed to perfection, it's because this is where they have always belonged: right in each other's arms, dancing past every sunset and sunrise alike. ]
I must say, I'm not as confident to think you would not have blamed me-- [ Not entirely a lie, though his smile is mostly playful. ] Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say you would have resented me for it. I was little more than a temporary ally at the time, and only out of necessity.
no subject
She wasn't wrong when she thought he would make a fine partner for someone. She hadn't expected this outcome at the time but some surprises are very good.
Soft wet sand clings between her toes as they dance, their feet leaving prints in the sand that the waves immediately smooth. Did she... compliment Dimitri on his dancing when they first met here? How little she knew. ]
I was the one who impulsively threw it to you, fully aware that you may not hear me call out or manage to catch it. I would not have blamed you for my choice.
But [ A corner of her smile twitches, threatening to grow wider. He isn't wrong. He knows her. ] that isn't to say that I wouldn't have resented losing it or that I would not have scolded myself bitterly later for losing my precious dagger while trying to save an enemy who was almost certainly going to drown to death if the strength of the tentacle didn't crush him first.
[ She doesn't know what it was like to be grabbed like that by the half-hidden creature, to be swung over the shoreline. Witnessing it was enough of a nightmare. ]
But we needed each other that day.
[ Her hand squeezes his. She can meet his eyes when she says it. The need was mutual. ]
And any resentment I held over losing the dagger for your sake would have been challenged by the revelation that you are the one who gave it to me, don't you think? [ Now her smile really does broaden - and sharpen, playful. ] I thought of the boy who gave me the dagger as my first love.
no subject
And while she can meet his eyes as she admits to that mutual need, he can return the gentle squeeze of her hand with a confession of his own. ]
If such revelation had come to pass as it did, yes. I was such a fool to keep it from you for as long as I did, and without the island's influence, I often wonder whether I would have told you of my own accord...
[ It's hard to keep the self-chastising from slipping into his tone, hard not to bemoan his own incapability to be more straightforward with her despite proof after proof of how well they could work together-- on that dance floor, in her bedroom, on this very beach turned battlefield, a perfect match in every way, a joint force to defeat all odds. ]
Perhaps... across those infinite timelines, there can be a Dimitri who is wiser than I. [ Less stubborn? No. Just wise enough to seize his chance when he sees it. ] One who will reach for your hand without hesitation, just like that boy who once helped a little girl stand on her feet again.
[ Back then, she was a lot more trusting, enough to reach back without little thought as to whether she could or should. He doesn't think any Edelgard who has been put through the same ordeal as his El would ever be quite like that again, but he was at least wise -- and stubborn -- enough to keep trying. ]
Regardless-- [ His smile regains strength-- he draws it from her, always. ] --I may no longer be that boy, but I feel rather confident to gift you more daggers now, perhaps to mark our every anniversary forthcoming?
[ Forgive him if it's not a standard move in a dance, but he feels the need to lean in closer, his smile ever widening. ]
How would you like that? A new blade for every year spent with my first and only true love.