Against The Cold ~ Alberose

Chapter 16

Candles.

Fresh parchment.

Ink.

Someone holding her hand; clutching it, sometimes feeling lips on the back of her palm, other times feeling tears fall onto her fingers.

Hair. Chalky hair brushed against her wrist, her cheek, her arm.

Someone begging, pleading, "Please come back, Sucrose, I'll do anything . . . By the Seven, you promised!"

Angry, upset, desperate fists curling up her shirt.

Pale hands, soft breaths, bloodstained clothes.

Albedo.

Sucrose felt numb with pain. Her eyes barely opened, but it was apparently enough for Albedo to see.

He sat, breathless and shocked until Sucrose let out a raspy sigh that left her whole body shaking with pain. "You're- Archons, you're- You're awake- Holy hell, Sucrose, oh my gods above-" Albedo breathed.

Sucrose tried to sit up, but her pain was keeping her chained to the bed. She cleared her throat and said hoarsely, "You're here."

"Yes, of course I am," Albedo said hoarsely, gently stroking her hair. "You have no idea how relieved I am, I thought you died, I thought . . . Archons, Sucrose . . . ."

It was then that Sucrose realized it. It was as though a cloud of fog had suddenly cleared, allowing her to see Albedo for the first time. It was like everything around her suddenly clicked into place, everything made sense for the first time.

She loved him.

There was no one else she was looking for, no more wishing for a knight in shining armor, or a prince carrying her off into the sunset, no more waiting for a fairytale to come true. There'd be no more searching.

She loved Albedo with everything she was and everything she could be and nothing less.

With that in mind, Sucrose sat up and kissed Albedo with everything she could muster. After getting over his initial shock, his arms wove around her, firm, comforting, and Sucrose leaned against him, her hands splayed across his chest. She traced his neck all the way up to his face, which she cupped in her hands, tilting his head to deepen their kiss. His hands found their way to her hair, combing through her teal strands lovingly.

Only Celestia knows how long they stayed like that, alone in their own little corner of the medical tent, deeply enthralled with one another, never daring to break away. It was as if they were made to love one another, the way they moved together, hearts beating with the same gentle intensity.

Albedo pulled back slightly, just for a moment. He tucked Sucrose's hair behind her ear and held her face in his hand. "You have no idea how much you mean to me," he whispered, his breath light on her tingling lips. "If you died . . . I think I would have, too."

"Well, I'm certainly not dead yet," Sucrose replied, her voice soft and loving.

Albedo grinned and kissed her again, leaving Sucrose happier than she'd ever been, despite all the pain. Her heart thrummed. Sucrose was, for the first time in a while, loving and well-loved in return by the person she cared about most.

"On a more serious note," Albedo said, taking hold of her shoulder, tilting her head up so she was forced to lock eyes with him. "What the hell were you thinking when you jumped in front of me?"

Stunned and confused, Sucrose shook her head and let out a sob. "W-When I saw you, lying on the ground, and he was about to kill you I- Gods, I had t-to do something."