Archive of Our Own

Out of all things that annoyed him at events like these, having to deal with the cape of his knight’s uniform was without a doubt one of the worse.

“Maybe I should have gone with my butler suit,” Subaru said to himself half-jokingly.

Not that he would have ever done so. This was a ball in which his liege was the one hosting, and he was her faithful knight and he wouldn’t want to be seen as anything else for all those that were attending. Especially since it had only been a month since his knighting ceremony. Still even as he was filled with pride at the thought of representing Emilia he was still acting with weariness and more than slight trepidation. Any action that wasn’t too noble or in knightly etiquette would reflect poorly on her and as much as Ram tried to drill as she called, “The most basic respect Barsu could ever hope to display,” he still didn’t even begin to understand most of it.

That’s why he was wandering on the outside of the main party. More towards the balcony and food tables than the main area where nobles traded gossip and especially away from the ballroom dance floor. Even from the other side of the grandiose room he can still clearly hear the sound of the strums of could best be described as a violin and base mashed together. That along with the piano gave the air an easy but tense feel to Subaru. As though he could enjoy it but it felt that he was one mess up away from ruining something.

“So no different from normal,” he muttered darkly to himself as he remembered all the times that he failed to save those close to himself and even to ones that still suffered even after he tried to undo everything.

“Ah, Subaru-sama I didn’t expect to see you all the way over here,” He stiffened as one those that he failed the most, calmly walked over to him.

Crusch was wearing a quite frilly, deep magenta dress with dark green accents across the top of her shoulders and down and across her sides. It contrasted nicely with her hair but Subaru’s thoughts were far from the choice of her outfit at the moment. He looked at her with a slightly surprised and guilty expression as she approached him with a kind, and gentle smile.

Realizing he hadn’t said anything back to her, he spoke, “well I must admit I’m not the best at handling delicate situations, so I figured I’d stay out of the way until I’m needed.”

He spoke with a slightly bashful tone but with a confident smile that he quickly threw up. Crusch brought a hand up to hide a giggle as she finally stopped beside him.

“From what Ferris has told me I would have expected you to ignore such things when it came to staying by Emilia-sama’s side,” she said in a slight joking tone.

He scratched the back of his head as he spoke again this time with a much more easy going voice, “well I’m confident that if Emilia-tan needs me, at her side before she can blink, but I don’t think that she needs that at the moment.”

He looked over to where Emilia was. She was talking with the host of the party as well as a few other high ranking nobles that Roswell had said were swaying to her camp's side after the rumors that their camp had defeated the great rabbit. Of course nothing as concrete as the victory over the White Whale and Sloth but this victory was theirs alone to boast. But all of that paled in comparison to the fact that Emilia seemed to be genuinely smiling and enjoying herself with people outside of her camp. He was happy for her that all their victories had finally begun to change the prejudice that she had endured. But still it left him with nothing to do but bounce between people that he barely knew how to handle and look around for those he knew that might be attending. Crusch and Felix being here due to their alliance.

Those thoughts bringing to mind the green haired duchess knight he asked, “speaking of knights in ladies though I’m more surprised Felix isn’t with you. Last time I saw him and you together, he barely took his eyes off you the whole night.”

Those words brought out a small embarrassed blush to Crusch’s face as she looked down with a slightly reserved expression.

“Yes, Ferris has been taking good care of me as I adapt back into my old self’s life,” she said with a self-reproaching, almost ashamed voice.

Subaru stared her down as he realized how he sounded like he was treating her as someone to be babysat.

The feeling of having once again let his lack of tack ruin the mood made his own shame rise just as quickly as Crusch’s, as he felt dour thoughts fill his brain, ‘Yet another way to make a pretty girl feel bad huh, Subaru?’

“But at the moment he is meeting with some royal knights that also happened to be attending so I’m myself at the moment,” she said, straightening herself up and looking him back into the eyes.

He was once again reminded of the woman who coldly stared down the White Whale as she looked him back in the eyes. But even still there was outwardly softness that her eyes now had that wasn’t necessarily not there before. Rather it was something to keep hidden only letting the briefest glimpses of it be shown when she met with someone she could trust in private. His own eyes softened after remembering a scene in which she had previously allowed him to see that brief detail of herself before.

“My apologies, I didn't mean to offend you. I was merely wondering how he was,” He spoke with a gentle tone, “you seemed to be doing quite fine by yourself Crusch-san, more than fine if I were to say.”

His face brought up a more genuine soft smile to match his tone as he watched this time Crusch’s face began to heat up again and she quickly looked away.

“You don’t have much shame in speaking your mind do you Subaru-sama,” she said with a smile once again creeping back onto her face.

He chuckled, “not when it comes to bringing a smile to the face of someone I care about.”

This time Crusch’s face fully turned to a deep rose color as she had to once again hide her face with her hand as she barely maintained eye contact with him. When she looked at him there was a slightly amused expression on his face with a hand covering his own lips to hide a giggle of his own.

“I never expected someone like you to be someone who couldn’t handle compliments well,” Subaru said with mirth coloring his voice.

This time Crusch’s lips turned into a slight pout as she lightly smacked his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t say such things to someone besides your lady, you could really play with a woman’s heart like that,” she said with false scorn as she once again crept closer to him to send the message home.

“Was anything I said a lie Crusch-san? Even if you are from another camp that doesn’t mean that the experiences we had together mean nothing to me,” he said this time with a firm, genuine tone.

But this only brought out a more solemn expression to Crusch as she once again looked down in shame.

“Yes.. I did share quite a bit of time with you didn’t I,” she spoke as if to remind herself but it did little besides further encouraging the downturn in her own mood.

This time Subaru realized that this wasn’t something he could let sit or be waved away with an apology. Just as he thought that he heard the music change from one song to another as a horrible idea sprung to mind.

“Would you mind having a dance with me Crusch-sama,” he said, reaching out a hand with as respectful a tone as he could pull from himself.

Crusch looked up a bit shocked either from the change in tone or the offer itself was a guess in of itself, but still her face once again took on a more composed look as she reached out and took his hand.

“I wouldn’t mind though I have to say I don’t think my dancing skills are as good as they once were,” she said in a calm tone, but with her voice betraying her with a wavering hint of apprehension.

“Well I’m confident that we can both learn from each other,” he said with a small smile as he led her out to the dance floor.

The music rose and fell in a calming manner as the dancers moved to either switch between partners or leave to go and discuss things in a more social area of the party. As that was going on Subaru and Crusch entered the floor with Suabru leading her to a section where there was more space for the both of them.

Crusch found herself more than a little nervous as even though both Felix and Wilhelm had shown her some of Lugunica’s most popular dances she was nowhere near proficient. Something that surprised Felix as he had said that she was quite talented when it came to learning new dance as they entered the main stream of the royal courts.

A depressive sigh quietly left her lips as she thought to herself, ‘Yet another thing I am lacking in compared to myself from before’.

But after a moment she shook her head, a feeling of determination filling her as she resolved her thoughts,’No I’ve pitied myself enough for tonight I won’t let myself sink in the rump over some dance.’

But even still there was this feeling as though her feelings of inadequacy had been amplified when she met with Subaru. As though she wanted to show that she was still the same person he had come to respect, but it had only shown her how far she truly had fallen.

All the while these thoughts plagued Crusch’s mind, Subaru watched with a careful eye. He stopped at the place where they would dance and watched as she took a second or too to even realize they had even stopped moving. An embarrassed blushed once again colored her cheeks as she struggled to keep a dignified expression as music once again picked up to signal a new dance was to begin.

“My apologies I seemed to be caught up with something,” she said as a way to deflect her absence of mind.

“It’s of no trouble I often get caught in my mind too much for my own liking as well,” he said in a more jovial manner than before.

This led Crusch to raise an eye, “really? I expect someone like you to not really care how to act out a situation in overwhelming detail. You and others always described yourself as someone who, for better or for worse, listens to their heart.”

“There can be many reasons for one’s mind to become a prison rather than a sanctuary. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I act out every eventuality. It just means there are things that plague me that I can not rid myself,” he spoke in a quite somber tone.

But right after his face brightened into a smile as he held out his hand again, “But besides that didn’t you say you would take this dance.”

Crusch was once again surprised by both the honesty and the vulnerability he had shown her. But after a second she took his hand and let him lead her into a rather basic dance as a smile she could keep down also blossomed on her face. They both let the music take them as they slowly began to move with the other around the area Subaru had picked for them. Both sometimes looked down to make sure they weren’t stepping on the other’s feet, both smiling at the other when they caught their opposite doing the same. Throughout the entire dance not once did Crusch’s mind go back to those dark and self pitying thoughts that had been at the forefront of her mind throughout the entire evening.

As the music once again changed to signal a new dance Subaru saw a chance to broach the topic that made him bring them out here.

“You seemed like you’re ashamed of something Crusch-san,” he said, striking right at the center of what he had seen throughout the evening.

Crusch's eyes widened at Subaru’s blunt acknowledgment of her own slip ups throughout the evening but nonetheless resolved herself to remain composed. She was still a royal candidate, and friend or not, she didn’t want to seem any weaker than she had allowed already.

“I was merely.. worried about how my ballroom skills were perhaps inadequate to yours, Subaru-sama,” she said in an indirect fashion.

“But I don’t think that was the only thing you’re worried about. I may not know you as well as Wilhelm-san or Felix but I do know when you’re trying to avoid or hide something,” Subaru said in a warm tone.

“It’s not like it’s something I can hide now can I,” Crusch spoke in a bitter tone, breaking eye contact to glare slightly at the floor.

The air was thick enough to where he felt one wrong move would be enough to stain any memory of this evening. Still when it came to things that were troubling people, he might not always know right away what was or how to go about it. However, he was always someone who couldn't let it sit in the chest of the people he cares about. The fact that Crusch was one of those people who he felt such a strong need to protect was not lost to him before tonight, but the intensity of the feelings that rushed through him at the thought of failing did surprise him. He wouldn’t stand to lose her or for her to remain in her current self-destructive mindset.

In the moment of silence the music changed once again. Subaru knew this was his last chance to do what he had planned since the beginning, of him bringing them both out here.

He spoke in a calm, certain tone, “You know you aren't a worse version of yourself, you know that right?”

This led Crusch's eyes to dart back to Subaru’s as she looked mildly shocked by such a statement.

“The Crusch I knew always had a soft side to her. Even if only shown in glimpses in the privacy of the people she trusted. She wasn’t this all knowing military legend, she was a person that had to show herself as an unstoppable force that no one could trick,” Subaru said as they flourished from one dance move to the other.

“I don’t see how that’s such a drastic difference. She still held the respect and love of those around her for that image. Something… something I don’t have,” she admitted as though she had lost some great battle merely in speaking those words.

“No you don’t but you have the same courage and determination as you did before, that didn’t go away. In fact you showed it as much now as you used to. Stay by the alliance when as far as you knew it had cost you everything you had for what? So boy you had a vague debt to? You didn’t have to do that but you did,” this time Subaru responded with far more conviction in voice.

“Just as you used to show off your militaristic and calculating side while hiding your softer side. Now you express how you really feel more freely while still being confident in your decisions. I know I wouldn’t have been able to as confidently take control of situations so complex after suddenly losing my memories. The fact that you did that proves to me that you are, and always have been the same person,” Subaru finished his speech with a full smile as he pulled Crusch in close for another moment.

Crusch was stunned, eyes wide and a deep blush covering her face, barely being able to keep up with the rest of the dance.

“You really weren’t lying when you said me and her were the same person. Even Felix sometimes has the wind of untruth blow when he says that,” she spoke in a stunned almost fragile voice as though even with her divine protection, she couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.

“Well that just makes me certain that I need to tell you that. Because if your knight can’t see the obvious then I’ll lay it out all for you as many times until you get it,” Subaru said in a mock smug tone, wagging a finger at her in between the steps he needed to keep his hand in hers.

“You're mad,” Crush said almost in joyous laughter as she stepped in closer to Subaru as though drawn in by him.

“If telling you something so obvious makes me mad then I’ll happily wear that label for the rest of my life, and any life after it” He told her with a proud smile still stuck on his face, after her jovial reaction.

Crush couldn’t help herself, as she burst out into laughter again as the dance between the two finally came to an end. She just felt so relieved and happy to have someone say that to her and mean it. All the nobles she had to convince to stay by her side after the whale hunt. Her once supposedly fiercely loyal men that she could barely keep in ranks now after all the losses from the archbishop’s attack. Even Felix and Wilhelm, the two that had stuck with her throughout all of it, and were the people closest to her. Couldn’t help but look at her as though she was replacing the person they actually cared about. She couldn’t help but want to embrace the feeling of being accepted by someone that cared for her so much as Subaru did for her.

“I must say, I didn’t expect to find you here Crusch-sama,” a familiar voice broke through her indulgence in the warm feelings that Subaru was radiating out to her.

As she turned to see both Emilia and Felix standing a few feet away from them, both looking rather shocked. In fact quite a few members of the party had stopped what they were doing and were looking at the knight and Royal Candidate pair, most were quietly whispering to each other as though they had seen something quite scandalous. It was then that Crusch finally realized how close she and Subaru were to each other. Chest occasionally brushing against chest, hands and fingers interwoven together, and their heads so close together that if they were again facing each other it would take but a slight tilt to be kissing. Two gigantic blushes quickly formed on both their faces as they nearly jumped away from each other. Crusch suddenly felt a wave of disappointment and loss as she moved away from Subaru. The air suddenly seemed quite chilly compared to the warmth of Subaru’s hands and smile. Still she quickly composed herself as she watched Emilia walk up to her knight.

“Subaru what were you and Crusch doing?” she asked in what seemed a near heartbroken countenance.

“Nothing, Emilia-tan! Crusch and I were just dancing. I’d be more than happy to dance with you as well,” Subaru fired off in a quick witted retort. Suddenly striking out his hand, as though offering it to Emilia to join him on the ballroom floor.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Subaru-kyn~. You and Crusch-sama danced the last few songs of the night together. A pity, I really did want to share one with Crusch-sama before the night's end,” Felix spoke that last bit quietly to himself but he was already close enough to where both Subaru and Crusch could hear it.

“Don’t worry Ferris, I'll be more than happy to offer you my first dance at the next event,” Crusch said, trying to both reassure her friend and save herself some face.

Based on the look on Felix's face she wasn’t sure if she had succeeded in either category but she drugged onto another section of the party. Primarily towards a quite bemused host, as he watched their performance along with Emilia. Before she had come up to them.

Meanwhile Crusch spied a quite angry Emilia and a cowering Subaru in the corner of her eye. It brought an oddly wistful smile to her face as she was both glad not to be anywhere near the argument but it would also likely be the last time she’d see Subaru until the next time their camps convened somewhere. Still no doubt she would have a lot of misconceptions to clear up after this so it was probably for the best that they weren’t seen in public together for a while. Even so it wasn’t until she was near enough to speak with the host of the party that she took her eyes off of him.

—————————————————————————————

“Honestly, Crusch-sama, I don't know what to do with you half the time. Getting so tied up with Subaru of all people like that. It’s no wonder so many people were asking if there was an affair,” Felix said, sighing as they finally walked out of the lord’s mansion, and out into the garden that took up a great deal of the pathway to and from the mansion entrance to where the carriages were parked.

“Technically it wouldn’t be an affair as neither Crusch-sama or Subaru-dono are married,” the dignified voice of Wilhelm said as he led both Crusch and Felix out to where their dragon carriage had been placed.

Felix shot Wilhelm a scornful look, before sarcastically remarking, “Yes you’re right not an affair, Just the talk of secret scandalous relationship between a newly knighted knight to a royal candidate and our Lady, who is also a Royal candidate.”

Crusch could only hold her head down to the floor behind the two of them, as a red embarrassed blush nearly permanently colored her face.

“I was only dancing with him,” Crusch muttered weakly as she tried desperately to explain herself in a light that wouldn’t make the situation any more shameful to herself.

Felix’s head whipped around to face her, before stating, “You can’t ever be too careful with men like Subaru-kun. They don’t know how to handle a delicate lady like you. They’re wolves that pounce on the kind smiles and words of women, then take all they can from them.” His finger wagging in the air as the words flowed out, as though lecturing her.

“Don’t be so disrespectful of Subaru-dono. He’s a faithful man to both his lady and the ones at his side. I have no doubt that he only meant for the dance to be kind and respectful,” Wilhelm coming to the defense of Subaru. Mildly annoyed by the harsh words coming out, against the man he respected so much, from his friend.

Crusch only lowered her head even more as the feelings of embarrassment and shame only intensified as she quickly felt her memories of the happy moment of being acknowledged and appreciated, being tarnished. By the words of not only her companions, but also by all the party goers asking just what is her relationship to Emilia’s new knight. She tactfully and as best she could address these concerns and put to bed any conversation of some sort of secret love affair but she could already feel it was pointless. She had no doubt already tarnished her already declining image and reputation.

‘And for what?! Me and him just enjoying dancing together!?’ Her thoughts furious on how their political positions made such a simple action blow up into something that could hurt the both of them.

It was that mix of anger, shame, and embarrassment that made her raise her head ready to defend herself again. Against the accusations made against her by her companions. In doing so she suddenly spied something that caught her attention, causing her to stop in her tracks. It took a moment for either Wilhelm or Felix to notice Crusch had stopped, as they were too busy arguing the finer details about Subaru’s fault in the incident to notice. When they did they both turned confused glances at their frozen lady. Sharing a glance for a moment before Felix decided to speak up.

“Nya~ what’s the matter, Crusch-sama?” Felix spoke worry and confusion coloring his words.

It took a moment but then suddenly Crusch’s face morphed into a determined stare as she started walking towards the direction of the thing that had caught her gaze.

“Ferris, Wilhelm go on ahead I shall meet you both at the carriage in a moment,” she said in an authoritative voice as she stepped onto a side path out into a different part of the garden.

“A-are you sure you don’t want us to come with you, Crusch-sama? What’s the matter anyway?” Felix asked after Crusch’s sudden proclamation.

“I have something to set right,” was all she said before she disappeared from view, into the paths of the thick garden walls.

Felix was about to chase after her anyway before he felt a hand on his shoulder stop him. He looked up to see Wilhelm with a conflicted expression on his face, as he looked in the direction in which Crusch had vanished.

Felix shot Wilhelm another far harsher glare as he spoke up, “why are you stopping me? Who knows what she could be up to!” Felix nearly shouted as he continued to struggle to go after Crusch.

But Wilhelm’s face remained the same as he said, “Don’t. She has something she needs to do on her own.”

Felix continued to glare at him but after seeing that Wilhelm wouldn’t let him go without a fight, he deeply sighed as he once again spoke up.

“Fine, but if something bad happens to her I’m blaming you,” he said, turning on the spot to once again start making his way down to the carriage. Occasionally looking back to see if there was an indication of Crusch suddenly appearing.

—————————————————————————————

Crusch made her way through the side path to the spot that she had spied through a small gap in the garden wall. Subaru leaning on his arms against a small fountain, head down, his face a perfect picture of someone who had made yet another mistake in a continuous string of mistakes. He had made his way here after yet another argument with Emilia in which she accused him of betraying her trust in him and potentially breaking his oath to her that he made by being swung over to Crusch’s side. It took a lot of reassurances and placations to finally calm her down, after which he needed some air and some time to himself.

“Yet another way you hurt the people around you, huh Natsuki Subaru?” He muttered quietly to himself as he remembered both the heartbreak on Emilia’s face from the perceived betrayal, and the shame and embarrassment that Crusch faced from all the nosy people at the party that wanted to see if there was anything scandalous between the two of them.

He clinched his hand into a fist as he prepared to slam into the fountain, no doubt injuring himself, as he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. Turning he was quite shocked to see Crusch walking up to him by herself, her face a determined and focused stare as she approached. She suddenly stopped just a few feet away from him as she spoke up.

“Subaru-sama, how are you doing after the party? I didn’t expect to see you out here,” Crusch said, eyes locked to his as she watched his expression.

He took a second to overcome his shock before shaking his head and then saying, “I should be the one asking you that, Crusch-san. I wasn’t the one being constantly harassed by nobles over something that doesn’t even exist.”

For a second there was a pang in Crusch’s heart at Subaru’s ending statement before she quickly shook it off. She was here to make things right and to clear up what she had seen in Subaru’s expression before coming here.

“Be as that may be, I wasn’t the one getting scolded by his lady for the same misunderstanding, nor am I the one that is most likely to be blamed for it,” she said a frustrated frown already forming on her face as she thought about the likelihood of Subaru facing a majority of the blame should the story ever get far reaching.

She was a royal candidate and as much as she faced pressure from all angles for any missteps she should take, she still was somewhat guarded by both her name and her position as a contender for the throne. Meanwhile not only was Subaru a newly appointed knight, but he was also a knight for the candidate facing the most prejudice. After so publicly proclaiming his support and love for her at the start of the Royal Selection to then being Knighted and then so quickly after being perceived to having a romantic relationship with another candidate whom he was close with. Would make it seem like even Emilia’s most loyal follower was quick to abandon her. She did not envy the person who would have to somehow manage that public relations nightmare.

But more importantly than that was the look on Subaru’s face. It was the face of someone who had only been honestly trying to help someone he cared about only to be berated for it.

The familiarity of the situation to what happened at the capital was not lost to her. Felix had told her about the last argument between Emilia and Subaru that had gone down. It was quite the ugly affair, especially for Subaru. Though she admitted with a grim face that this time the situation was far more favorable to Subaru for who had been in the right.

Deciding that she couldn’t let this go without at least trying to do what Subaru had done for her, Crusch once again spoke words of encouragement.

“I think the treatment you received was quite unfair and I personally find it distasteful that you had to hold the blame of someone else’s poor perception of you," she said in an upfront tone that showed just how angry she was on his behalf.

There was a slight flinch at that last word to come out of Crusch’s mouth as though the idea of being perceived in an incorrect light was something that had come to bite
him more than once. Still despite Crusch’s words it did
little to improve his mood or his view of events.

“Still you’re the one whose candidacy will probably hurt the most by this. It probably would have been best if we had never had that dance to begin with,” he spoke as though everything that Crusch had said had gone over his head.

“Please don’t say such a cruel thing,” a soft, fragile, almost hurt tone came out from Crusch.

Subaru looked up to see a vulnerable look on Crusch’s face, as she walked slightly closer to him. Leaving little room for him to miss the water in her eyes starting to build up.

The sight of her tears was a heavy blow to Subaru as he was reminded of the times where he had made both Rem or Emilia cry over how much of an oblivious idiot he was during important moments, ‘There you go, idiot making another girl you like cry. Wait? Like?’

That final accidental revelation his thoughts had unintentionally made would have to be quickly put to the side, as even reeling from his sudden acknowledgment of his feelings, as Crusch continued talking.

“The feeling of finally being seen as equal to who I was before, of someone who didn’t treat me like a child that needed papering, or as incompetent who lost sense of value after her memories got eaten, was the best I’ve felt since I remember waking up in this situation. I don’t regret dealing with any of the consequences of it because it made me realize I had a side of me that I could draw strength from. And that there was someone that I cared about as much as they cared about me,” Crusch finished off her speech in a soft, quiet voice that wavered when she mentioned that she cared about Subaru as much as he did her.

This time Subaru’s eyes truly widened to the size of saucers at Crusch’s statement before his eyes softened. The current look on Crusch’s face reminded him of a far different time in which he realized that he might like the women in front of him. That day was a day of triumph over an overwhelming foe and it was her confidence and determination that nearly won him over that day. Now bathed in the moonlight it was that honest declaration of her feelings and unwavering commitment to both him and herself that pushed him onto the other side. He brought a hand up Crusch’s cheek as he lifted her face to meet his. Crusch eyes widened at the sudden gesture and even more so at what came out of his mouth next.

“There was a time that I said that you could have won a place in my heart had someone else had not already been there. What I think I realize now is that you already had a piece of it. I just didn’t know it yet,” Subaru softly said as leaned closer towards Crusch, their foreheads almost touching.

Crusch brought a hand up to the one cupping her cheek as her eyes fluttered as she felt her heart begin to beat out of her chest. She looked up into his eyes as she saw no sign of deception or anything hidden behind them. Not that she had once seen the wind of untruth blow from him throughout this evening. Maybe that’s why she was so ready to say something so close to her heart as he did to her.

“I don’t know what my heart was like before I lost my memories, but I do know now that you are the one that holds the part that makes me want to do this.” And with that she pushed up and closed the distance between their lips.

Subaru was surprised for a second before pushing back and closing his eyes along with hers. Their lips soft and plush against each other as Subaru tilted his head a bit to better shape his lips to hers. The two lost themselves in each other once again as the feeling welling up inside them to continue. Despite the loud voices in the back of their heads telling them that this was the exact thing they were trying to disprove and someone could see them at any moment. It was after what felt like several minutes, but had only been one or two, that they parted slightly out of breath as they separated. The look in the other’s eyes telling them all they need to know about what they thought of the other and how they wanted this to go.

“Could I get away with saying that was my second best kiss?” Subaru asked with a giant smile unable to be stopped from overtaking his entire face.

The same smile was plastered onto Crusch’s face as she responded, “You know that’s the only lie you’ve told this entire night.”