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lovehugsandcandy · 3 months

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I read this on AO3 and I read this again here and I am just speechless and in pain and....

You pull back to look at Aerin. “…Will you come back to me?” Aerin reaches for your hand, pulling it to his lips to kiss the signet ring on your finger. “Always. I promise.” You pull Aerin close to you, trying to memorize the warmth of his body and the sound of his heartbeat. You kiss him passionately. He kisses you back and you feel how deeply he cares for you, threatening to sweep you both away. You finally pull back…and let him go.

MC lets him go. MC LETS HIM GO.

my freaking heart cannot take this, i stg.

Amazing. This is just.

I know that I say I want to feel things. When I read something or look at an image or hear a song, I want to FEEL things.

....

I am feeling things and I am feeling so much things that I think I need a break from feeling things rn.

MC LETS HIM GO. MC WANTS TO MEMORIZE HIM AND THEN LETS. HIM. GO.

I just...

I don't want to feel things, you brooooke me.

A Proper Goodbye

Enjoy a fanfic of Aerin leaving in chapter 8, but this time you actually get to have a conversation about it. (This has been on AO3 for a while, so don't get excited if you're constantly scanning it for content like I am.)

I recommend the very encouraging song “Set Yourself Free” from the Tangled tv show as a compliment to this fic. “Bound up by your worries, trapped by your mistakes, forced to play a role you never chose. Why not test your limits? You've got what it takes.”

Many toasts from the people of Riverbend later, your eyes are heavy after all the excitement of the day. You head back to your tent to get some rest.

…But as you make your way there, stumbling just a bit, you find your feet have brought you to Aerin’s tent instead.

You go to knock, before giggling when you remember there’s no door. You opt instead to move inside and whisper “Aerin?”

By the time your eyes adjust to the darkness, he’s already out of bed and moving toward you. “Are you alright?”

You nod, hugging him close as he gets in arm’s reach.

“Are you drunk?” You hear a smile in his voice.

“Mmmmm… tipsy.”

“Heh. Sure.”

“I wanna stay with you.” You mumble into his neck.

You can’t tell if Aerin pauses or it’s your slowed reflexes playing tricks on you. “Okay. Let’s get you to bed.”

You start to fumble with your armor before Aerin gently unfastens the various straps and buckles separating you from a night’s rest.

Once he’s done, you inelegantly drop the rest of your clothing in a pile on the floor before climbing under the sheets, pulling Aerin along with you.

You smile. “I had so much fun today.”

“Today was… good.”

“Just good?” You teasingly poke at Aerin’s side.

Aerin gives you a brilliant smile. “I don’t know about the rest of it… but you were perfect.”

You pat his face lightly as he lets out a quiet snort of laughter until you find his lips to kiss him.

Aerin kisses you back. You curl up against him and quickly drifting off to sleep.

---

You wake up in the dimmest dawn, the sun barely beginning to arrive.

Aerin stands perfectly still, already dressed, staring at something in his hand. He startles as you stir.

You call out sleepily. “Aerin? You okay?”

He doesn’t respond immediately, shoving whatever he was looking at in his pocket. “It’s early. You can go back to sleep.”

“What’s wrong?”

Aerin hesitates. He won’t meet your eyes and your heart begins to race as you reach for him. “Aerin. Please just tell me. Whatever it is, I can handle it, as long as you don’t keep things from me again. Please. I can't-”

Aerin quickly sits down next to you. You notice you’re shaking when he grabs your outstretched hand in both of his.

“Take a deep breath. It’s alright. I just… need a moment.” You squeeze his hand, remind yourself to breathe, and wait.

“…You asked me last night about the choice the fortune teller mentioned.”

“I remember. You wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

“I… I spent a year staring at the same four walls, wondering how I had fallen so far that you wouldn’t even come to berate me. Then you came back and you asked for my help and I want to but…”

Aerin pauses and you force your own response down. You worry that this moment could be shattered far too easily.

Aerin removes a letter from his pocket and hands it to you. “Here. I’ve been trying to decide if I can really go for so long, you may well just read it.”

You take the letter and begin to read the neatly written words in the dim light.

I apologize for leaving so abruptly, especially without saying goodbye. I know you will have questions.

First off… Last night meant everything to me. It was something I desperately longed for and never thought I would have. I never thought I could be worthy of someone like you.

Because I am not.

I have a great deal to ponder. The actions of my past and my future. What I was… and what I wish to be now.

How to become worthy.

As much as I wish I could continue on with you, I’m afraid that until I figure this out, I would only be in your way.

I know if anyone can beat the Ash Empire and save the Realm, it’s you. But once I’ve learned who I’m meant to be, if for some reason you do wind up needing my help…

I will always be there for you.

Always.

Aerin

You feel tears prick your eyes at the regret in his words. You look to Aerin, who gazes at you so sincerely, tension clear in every line of his body as he waits for your reaction.

There’s only one thing you can say. “Okay.”

Aerin’s eyes widen. “Okay?”

“I trust you. If this will bring you comfort or peace, or make you happy… then you should do it.”

“Just like that? You’re not upset that I’ve thought about leaving?”

You smile. “I do want you back at some point. But…you’ve been through a lot in the last year. It makes sense that you need some time to think.”

Aerin blinks at you in disbelief for a moment, before pressing his forehead to yours. “I will work to be worthy of your faith in me. I swear it.”

“Give yourself some credit. You’ve already help us do a lot of good.”

“I suppose we’ll see if I can keep that up without your assistance.”

You pull back to look at Aerin. “…Will you come back to me?”

Aerin reaches for your hand, pulling it to his lips to kiss the signet ring on your finger. “Always. I promise.”

You pull Aerin close to you, trying to memorize the warmth of his body and the sound of his heartbeat.

You kiss him passionately. He kisses you back and you feel how deeply he cares for you, threatening to sweep you both away.

You finally pull back…and let him go.

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lovehugsandcandy · 3 months

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YESSSSSSS I wanted a happy fic and this happy fic DELIVERED!!!

I love Finch and I love Aerin and I love them together and omgggggg

"It seemed as though everyone was competing to get him to pay attention to their personal gripes and grievances, and he only had the time and energy for so many of them." Why does Finch have to deal with this??? I am upset on his behalf. The hero of the realm has no time for your petty grievances!

And OOOOOOH he's been spending time in the Whimsywood, has he? Wonder why?!?!? (This is why "It had been proven to him time and time again that he could find happiness anywhere they could be together." omg I am SOFT)

AND THEY VISIT FINCH'S HOMETOWN OMG. It's like a hometown date.

OH NO I AM SO SOOOOOFT

“If anything, they were trying to get me to make a fool of myself in front of you. Kind of like what Mal does to Tyril all the time. Luckily, you love me too much to be embarrassed of me, even if I am a terrible storyteller.” He gave Aerin an exaggerated kiss on the cheek.

And oh....

Oh no.

His hand laid flat on Aerin's chest, and if he focused on it, he could feel the indent about the size of his palm where Aerin's scar was.

Oh. No.

Every so often, when he got really wrapped up in thinking about the stone, he would start gently tracing the outline of the scar with his fingertips.

OH NO I AM SCREAMING

“I decided to take the stone out after you came to see me. All it took was that one time, and I... I knew it wasn't worth it anymore.”

ASDFHBODSNVFKLSNDFKLSDNFLKSDNLKDSDSF HE TOOK OUT THE STONE FOR FINCH I AM DYING

And they talk. About that night. And then... and then...

“I love you,” he whispered. “I love you too,” Aerin replied, as Finch knew he would. Finch was well aware that there would be more problems for him to fix eventually, whether it was a simple favor for a friendly stranger or a new foe for him to save the world from. It seemed unavoidable at that point. But right now, he was safe at home, in bed next to the best, smartest, most breathtaking person he'd ever known. There wasn't anywhere else he'd rather be. Things were difficult at times, and would be again. But for the moment, all was well in the world.

OMG I AM SCREAMING. This is everything. Amazing.. Thank you so much for delivering such a touching, sweet, kind happy ending to the emotional pain of the prior two. Love it!!!

Here you all go, the happy part 3 you all were promised.

And I know that for the last part it was just a suggestion to read the previous part, but for this one I'm going to go ahead and say you have to have read the previous part in this series in order for major scenes in this fic to make any sense to you. You have been warned!

(Also I was told that I should tag @choicesficwriterscreations ! Thank you to @lovehugsandcandy for telling me this!)

Relationship: Finch Parnassus (MC) x Aerin Valleros

Warnings: Minor angst. With a happy ending I promise! And as I said in a post I made a while back, it's mostly very soft emotional stuff, nothing too serious.

Word Count: 3,007

Summary: Finch and Aerin take a trip to Riverbend.

Since the end of the battle with the Ash Empress, and the decision to keep the portals open, Finch had been busier than ever. It seemed as though everyone was competing to get him to pay attention to their personal gripes and grievances, and he only had the time and energy for so many of them. Most of the time he ended up directing them to someone who could actually help, because his reputation often gave people the false idea that he had endless talents, which simply wasn't true. Often, there was no way he could properly accomplish the tasks they gave to him.

Luckily, he'd been spending most of his time with the goblins in the Whimsywood, which was far enough away from the bustling environment of Whitetower for his liking. Evidently, and a bit to his surprise, he had a much higher tolerance for handling people's requests when he was in the middle of the woods. Of course, that wasn't the only part of living in the Whimsywood that he was especially fond of.

He'd moved into one of the houses that had already been built into the trees. It was a more permanent residence, more than his room in the castle had been at least, and he was content with it. Truthfully, he would've been happy to start living anywhere, given that he'd be living with Aerin. It had been proven to him time and time again that he could find happiness anywhere they could be together.

After they'd settled in, they actually hadn't had time to do much other than help rebuild. There wasn't much destruction, and Finch was grateful every day that he'd made the right choices in order to keep it that way. Most of what he'd been doing was diplomacy, sorting out conflicts between people passing between realms. It did settle down after a while, though. The hectic nature of his environment persisted for a few weeks at the most, and after that it was over. Everything became sort of… normal. He hadn't experienced that in kind of a long time, longer than he'd realized. He wanted to take advantage of it while he could, because he knew that eventually something would arrive to stir things up again.

And so, Finch and Aerin had decided to take a trip. Not a big or extravagant one, but a well-needed one nonetheless. It was kind of like a little vacation. Finch had realized that Aerin had never actually been to Riverbend, which he knew needed to be rectified. The destination was agreed upon very quickly, partially because it would provide the relatively stress-free break that they both needed, but Finch knew it was also because Aerin had been able to tell how important it was to him.

The trip from the freshly revived Whimsywood all the way to Riverbend had been a long one. Finch loved visiting home, he did, he simply wished that his Realmwalking abilities provided some method of faster travel. He was sure they might, to someone older or more experienced, but for the time being he was stuck traveling mainly on foot. Besides, he wasn't entirely confident that he'd be able to bring anyone else with him that way anyway, which happened to be fairly necessary for this trip.

Given how tiring it had been to make it to the town, all they'd really been able to do on their first day there was sleep. Kade was still working in Whitetower, but the place they'd lived in together was still available to them whenever they wanted it. That was one upside to having grown up in such a small village: it was almost like everyone was family. Even if he weren't the Savior of the Realm - which would never stop being strange to hear - he was sure he and Kade would still have their room above the local tavern, because that was how things worked in Riverbend. People always did favors for each other.

The second day in Riverbend, though, they were actually able to explore a bit. They went to the river, the town's namesake, where Aerin had been able to do some drawing while Finch chatted away beside him. After that, they'd gone to a couple of Finch's personal favorite places, like a bakery he and Kade had been going to since they were kids, and a really old archery range someone had set up in the woods where Finch had practiced with a rudimentary bow in his younger teen years.

By the time evening was rolling around, they'd made their way back to the tavern. Their plan had originally been to retire back upstairs, but the tavern was much more populated by then, and naturally there were demands for the two of them to stay for a round.

“Why don't you tell us something, Finch?” One patron suggested, gesturing with the pint in his hand as he spoke.

“Ah, you all know I'm no good at it,” Finch waved him off. “Just wait for Kade to come back around, I'm sure he'll have something great for you when he does.”

“Come on, just one new story, and then we'll leave you be,” a girl standing nearby attempted to barter. “Why don't you tell us about… a beast you fought?” she suggested.

“I'm sure Kade's told you all about those a million times over, because I'd bet all of you that you've done this exact thing to him before.”

“We don't have to bug him, he just does it!” Someone called out from the back of the bar. Everyone laughed, and it did make Finch wish his brother were here, but he knew they'd be back in Riverbend together eventually.

Finch leaned over to speak to Aerin, lowering his voice so only he could hear. “What do you think? Should I throw them a bone?”

“Personally, I'd really like to hear which one of your escapades you think is entertaining enough to please a room full of mildly drunk people,” Aerin muttered back. “Especially with the way you tell stories.”

Finch laughed, bumping his shoulder against Aerin's. “Don't pretend you don't listen to them every time.”

“Go ahead then.” Aerin gestured to the rest of the room with a nod of his head. “Prove me wrong.”

Aerin had always been quite good at getting Finch to do practically anything. Finch left his spot leaning against the wall and went to take up an empty stool along the bar, which was more central to the room. Then he started telling the story. He'd chosen to tell them about the time he and Mal had met a mermaid near the Shimmering Isles, because he knew that one had a good enough balance of action and glamor to hold just about everyone's attention, no matter what sort of story they favored.

Truthfully, he was a rather terrible storyteller. Kade could tell a story as if it were happening in real time, always getting the details just right with perfect timing and impeccable vocabulary. Meanwhile, Finch frequently had to backtrack to include details he'd forgotten to mention, and he often forgot what he had and hadn't already said. He was lucky he at least had charisma. Even still, every time he'd glance over at Aerin, he'd be looking back, intently listening as he always did.

When he finished the story, a few people did request another, but that time Finch was adamant about his refusal. It was already further into the night than he'd been planning on staying out. He did receive a few playful jabs about the fact that he was turning in early, but he'd been expecting them. Most of the patrons of the tavern had a slightly warped view of what ‘early’ meant anyway.

So he and Aerin went upstairs, back to the room they were staying in. It wasn't very large, and it was barely furnished. All that was really in the room was a small, tattered rug on the ground, a nightstand with a single lamp on top of it, and the two beds he and Kade had slept in since they were much younger. But, despite the fact that he'd lived in much more lavish places since leaving Riverbend, Finch still thought of this room as home. Aerin didn't seem to mind it either. Finch knew he'd never been suited to the extravagance of the castle.

“Do they ask you to do that a lot?” Aerin asked, already in bed after having gotten ready.

“What, tell stories? No, not usually.” Finch pulled his shirt off over his head and put on the pajama pants he'd brought. “I'd say I'm pretty low on the list, even without Kade here. Honestly I think it's just because you were there.”

“What do you mean?” Aerin moved over on the bed a bit as Finch settled in beside him. It was really only meant for one person, but that didn't matter. Even though they'd never discussed it, Finch had a feeling that Aerin didn't like sleeping alone. Not after all those nights in the cell. “Were they trying to make you seem impressive or something?”

“No, not quite,” Finch laughed. “If anything, they were trying to get me to make a fool of myself in front of you. Kind of like what Mal does to Tyril all the time. Luckily, you love me too much to be embarrassed of me, even if I am a terrible storyteller.” He gave Aerin an exaggerated kiss on the cheek.

Aerin held back a smile and reached over to turn off the lamp, making the only light in the room the moonlight coming in through the window on the wall above the bed. “We've both done stupid things in front of each other enough times that it doesn't matter anymore.”

“It's probably best that we don't keep count.”

Finch closed his eyes as peaceful silence fell over the room. He was lying with his cheek resting on Aerin's shoulder, his forehead pressed lightly against the side of his neck. His hand laid flat on Aerin's chest, and if he focused on it, he could feel the indent about the size of his palm where Aerin's scar was.

He'd only ever seen the Nerada Stone once, but he remembered it vividly. He could still recall the precise details of how it had looked, and the terror it had brought on when he'd seen it. He still didn't know what had caused Aerin to decide to take it out, in the end. Finch couldn't imagine what someone would have to feel to put themselves through that kind of pain. At times he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

“Finch,” he heard Aerin whisper, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Hm?” he hummed in response. He felt Aerin's hand cover his own.

“You were doing that thing again.”

It wasn't the first time he'd done it. Every so often, when he got really wrapped up in thinking about the stone, he would start gently tracing the outline of the scar with his fingertips. He never knew he was doing it until Aerin inevitably pointed it out to him.

“Sorry. I didn't notice.”

“It's okay. I don't mind it. I just want to remind you that you don't have to worry about what I can tell you're worrying about right now.”

“I know, I know, it's just…” Finch shifted in place, propping himself up slightly with his elbow on the mattress so he could see Aerin's face. He had a habit of wanting to be able to look at Aerin when he started talking about something he was deeply invested in. He did it with everyone, but especially Aerin. “I wish there was something I could've done. I'm sure we could've found some other way, if I had known that was what you were trying to do.”

“You not being there didn't have anything to do with what I did. I didn't even know you were gone. Your friends stopped visiting eventually, and no one else seemed to think I should know. So my point is, even if you had still been around, I probably would've done the same thing.” Aerin lifted his hand to run it slowly through Finch's hair a couple times, and Finch leaned into the touch.

“I guess I just want to know why. That's the one part of it I've never been able to figure out,” Finch admitted. “And you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to, but…”

“Do you think it would help?” Aerin's brow furrowed. “Because I don't want to do anything that would hurt you. And don't say it would help just because you want to know.”

Finch considered it for a moment. “I think that… I'd probably think about it a lot at first. But knowing would definitely make it easier to come to terms with.”

Aerin took a deep breath, and sighed it out. “Okay. The truth is…” He looked away, into the wider room, almost as if he was embarrassed. “I decided to take the stone out after you came to see me. All it took was that one time, and I... I knew it wasn't worth it anymore.”

Finch's eyes grew distant as the memories of that night came back to him. He'd forgotten. So much had happened since then that he'd completely forgotten it. That was a terrible thing to have forgotten, what kind of an idiot forgot about something like that? He remembered it now, of course, but he had no idea how it had ever slipped his mind in the first place.

“Hey.” Aerin tapped gently on Finch's cheek with his knuckle, the way someone might knock on a door if they suspected someone was asleep on the other side. “You're beating yourself up over something right now. Tell me what it is, so I can help. I'm not just letting you sit here and stew in whatever you're thinking about.”

It took Finch another few moments to say anything in response, but Aerin allowed him to work through it for as long as he needed to. “I really shouldn't have done that to you,” he muttered. It wasn't exactly what he'd been thinking about, but it was what those thoughts had led him to. “Not the visit, but the fact that I just left. I got scared and I ran, I didn't even try to talk to you about it. I was a real jerk for that, wasn't I.”

“I… can admit that it's not my favorite thing you've ever done. But I've forgiven you by now, which means you should forgive yourself too, because honestly it was probably the best thing you could've done.” Aerin placed both of his hands on Finch's cheeks. “If you hadn't come to see me, and you hadn't done what you did, we probably wouldn't be here right now.”

“I still think I could've handled things better. I didn't think it through. Any of it. Even just a little more planning would've stopped it from going so poorly.”

“Finch, it didn't go poorly,” Aerin insisted. “Maybe in the moment it did, sure. But seeing you that night, talking to you, the way you kissed me, it all reminded me how much I needed you. Then you left, and I realized that before I could get that life back, I needed to become a better person again. I couldn't go on the way I was if I ever wanted to have something good again. That was why I took out the stone.”

“But it must've hurt you,” Finch shook his head, still catching up with everything Aerin was telling him. “To take it out, I mean.”

“Of course it did. It hurt me to have it, too,” Aerin reminded him. Finch did remember that, from when he'd first seen the stone. “But I was betting on the hope that those last few minutes of pain would pay off with more happiness than I knew what to do with. It was either that, or keep hurting other people for the rest of my life. I didn't know what would happen, but I knew I had to try.”

“And… did it work?” Finch asked, speaking hesitantly.

“Yes,” Aerin nodded, possibly sounding more certain than Finch had ever heard him before. He lifted his head a bit and gently brought Finch down to meet him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I'd say that it did.”

A small smile crossed Finch's face, which almost always happened when Aerin kissed him. “Good.” He settled back into his place on the bed, lying down the way he'd been before. He felt Aerin's arms wrap around him, warm and familiar against his skin.

He was finally satisfied with the knowledge he had. He hadn't wanted to push too hard on the matter of Aerin’s scar and how he'd gotten it, because he knew that at times the idea of it upset both of them. It was a big sore spot that neither of them wanted to get close to. But he'd always known they'd have to talk about it at some point, and if it was going to happen somehow, he believed this was one of the best ways it could've been. The room felt much more peaceful then. His thoughts weren't quite so loud anymore. Well, aside from one of them.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” Aerin replied, as Finch knew he would.

Finch was well aware that there would be more problems for him to fix eventually, whether it was a simple favor for a friendly stranger or a new foe for him to save the world from. It seemed unavoidable at that point. But right now, he was safe at home, in bed next to the best, smartest, most breathtaking person he'd ever known. There wasn't anywhere else he'd rather be. Things were difficult at times, and would be again. But for the moment, all was well in the world.

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lovehugsandcandy · 3 months

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WIP: Aerin Valleros

As voted by you, Book 2 Aerin is my next subject! 190 shapes currently! Hoping to finish it sometime this week but for now, enjoy this WIP!

[Geometric Art Masterlist]

#wow #this is just stunning!#amazing amazing amazing!

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lovehugsandcandy · 3 months

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Like branches of a tree, we grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one

Longclaw x Radiance (The cursed Heart 2)

#omg so cute #i admit i have not read TCH2 #but more longclaw content makes me want tooooooo #love it!

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lovehugsandcandy · 3 months

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omg AIEEEEEEEEEEE

Yes. Like, why are we denied the comfort of our LI recognizing the many, many traumas that have been inflicted? I want LI comfort! I WANT THIS! THIS IS AMAZING!

Like. OMG. It's understated and in-character and touching and YESSSSSS "Aerin’s eyes tighten with concern, though he covers it passably well. “Telling me you’ve been in incredible danger is hardly the way to get me to leave. And I did not come all this way to back out now.”

And yikes --> "The Blade brought her back, but it was an absolute miracle. I don’t know that we’ll get another one of those." <-- like, true and valid but YIKES. Miracles are few and far between, Raine should know this.

And these 2 lines? "I will be with you. For as long as you’ll have me.” OMGGGGGG I'M DYING. I'M DYING. ...I'm dead.

So goood. I now live here in this world, tysm. This is amazing!

Aerin Diamond Scene Rewrite Fic

Very glad Kade pushes your character on their trauma from being kidnapped. However, I would love for a LI to comfort your character about the fact that they keep almost dying. (Shoutout to Imtura for briefly comforting MC about the upcoming life-or-death battle, but I want more.) Relationships are a 2-way street! So here’s a little rewrite of the beginning of Aerin’s pre-battle diamond scene. Enjoy!

To accompany this, I recommend the slow and sweet “You Matter to Me” from the musical Waitress. “Come out of hiding, I'm right here beside you. And I'll stay there as long as you'll let me.”

(I don't think there are any warnings to be given other than discussion of possible death.)

It takes some looking, but you eventually find Aerin in a room on one of the ships, pacing with such focus that he doesn’t notice you as you enter. It’s kind of cute how intensely he’s thinking. You speak up, hoping you don’t startle him too badly. “How did you end up here of all places?”

Aerin’s head suddenly turns in your direction, eyes wide. “Oh! I… I wasn’t expecting you.” His surprised expression disappears almost at once, replaced by one of relief. “Imtura offered me this cabin, as a matter of fact.”

“Really?”

“I thought she was going to punch me. But she said that if I was brave enough to come back, I deserved a good place to sleep.” Aerin grins at you sarcastically. “I suppose tripping is a form of affection.”

His brief smile fades as he waves you into the cabin, then resumes his pacing.

You bite the inside of your lip. He looks so nervous. You can hardly blame him for that. “Are you having second thoughts about coming back? Because you… you don’t have to stay.”

Aerin stops moving, turning to give you a searching look. “You would let me leave so easily, then? Even on the eve of battle?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you again. Happy you’re here to help. But… things have been exceptionally dangerous since you left. I-” You take a shaky breath in. “I almost died. More than once. In those moments, I really wanted to see you again. But at the same time, I was relieved you were somewhere safer. And now that you’re here, I’m worried you’ll…” The thought hurts to even acknowledge.

Aerin’s eyes tighten with concern, though he covers it passably well. “Telling me you’ve been in incredible danger is hardly the way to get me to leave. And I did not come all this way to back out now.”

You suddenly feel desperate as the fear you’ve struggled to keep at bay forces itself to the front of your mind. “…Aren’t you scared?”

Aerin looks at you for a long moment, his gaze soft. “I’m not. Honestly, I expected to be frightened out of my wits. But for the first time, I actually feel prepared for battle. I trained all throughout my youth, but I never had a good cause to put it to. Just…” He frowns, looking toward the floor. “Baldur’s hunting misadventures. And then my misadventures.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t…” You close your eyes, trying to collect your thoughts. When you open them, Aerin is right in front of you. Close enough to touch. “Nia died last time. The Blade brought her back, but it was an absolute miracle. I don’t know that we’ll get another one of those. I never used to worry about any of us like this, but we keep getting so close to everything just being over and I can’t…” You choke back a sob. As you struggle vainly to hold back a flood of tears, Aerin hesitantly puts his arms around you, slowly pulling you into a warm embrace. You cling to him tightly as you cry, like he’s the only real thing in the world. Your next words come out in a frantic rush. “I can’t lose you again. Any of you. I can’t be all alone again.”

Aerin doesn’t respond for a moment, just cradling your shaky frame and unconsciously running his thumb in a soothing path along your back. “I wish I could tell you what will happen tomorrow. But I don’t know. There is a possibility this will be our last night alive.” It’s a terrible thing to hear, but… a relief for someone else to finally acknowledge it. “But you won’t be alone. All of your incredibly capable and persistent friends will be with you. I will be with you. For as long as you’ll have me.”

It does help to be reminded that you’re not in this alone. None of you are.

You focus on breathing deeply until you’re calm enough to pull back and look at Aerin again. “How are you so relaxed about the fact that we could all die tomorrow?”

His face melts into a smile, fond and affectionate. “Because I’m fighting for our city and our people. For you.” He brings a hand to cup your cheek, forcing you to meet his suddenly serious gaze. “I’m not going anywhere.”

You smile at that, wiping the last of the tears from your eyes. “Thank you. For being honest with me about…” You take a deep breath. “What might happen tomorrow. And for standing by me.”

“Always.” Aerin gazes deeply into your eyes and, for just a moment, you forget that there exists a world outside this room. Then he blinks, a faint blush rising in his cheeks, and he pulls away. He gestures for you to take a seat on the edge of the bed.

Once you’re seated, Aerin sits next to you, close enough that your arms can’t help but brush. “I suppose I still owe you an explanation for running off the way I did…”

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