╰┈➤ ❝ Relentlessness is one of the most defining traits of humanity. To persevere even in the face of adversity. To thrive in even the harshest environments and succeed despite the failures of the past and against the expectations of others. To suff...
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His lips tasted like salvation. Like you've been waiting to kiss him for an eternity and finally your prayers had been heard. His kiss was light like a feather. Careful. Why? You couldn't exactly pinpoint it. Maybe he was afraid if he let himself fall he'd spiral down into something he'd regret. Maybe he was just unsure what to do or to feel. Or maybe it was a mixture of all of these doubts.
Either way, you had harbored deep feelings for the Wanderer for quite a while now. Ever since his fall from grace when you caught him after being defeated and he'd lay there, unconscious in your arms with tears still on his cheek, you had looked at the Balladeer with different eyes. Hatred turned into pity and pity turned into the desire to support him on his journey to find a new path for himself. And the more time you spent with him, the more you realized you were slowly falling for him.
And now, you had finally kissed him. The topic of relationships and affection had come up in your conversations about human behaviors and emotions. You had learnt that he had never kissed anyone but that he had seen many fall in love and fall apart as a result of it. That he wondered what it felt like.
"I mean, we can try, if you want to know", was a suggestion you would have slapped yourself for if it hadn't turned out as well as it did.
You weren't sure if he did it purely out of curiosity, but his kiss was incredibly tender and gentle. It was obvious that he had never done this before, yet the kiss had you craving for more. So you leaned in for another kiss, gently running your fingers through his dark hair.
When you parted, you smiled at him fondly, without even noticing.
"What's got you smiling like this? Don't tell me you have a crush on me or something?", he asked with his typical mocking voice.
"I have had one for a while now, but thank you for noticing", you said dryly, which made his cocky expression drop immediately. He was used to people using him for their own gains, tolerating him; some of them hating him. But never has someone so casually admitted to feel love for him.
He stared at you blankly for a moment, at a loss for words. He looked down at his hands after pulling his hat into his face a little more.
"You know, you're pretty stupid for that right?", he then replied, hissing under his breath. But from his tone you could tell how unsure he felt. "I'm a puppet. I don't even have a heart. You know it's pointless to love me, right? I couldn't return your feelings."
You didn't know whether it was your imagination, but his voice sounded a little shaky at the last sentence. You shrugged. "I think love is never pointless. Even if it doesn't work out, we always learn and grow from loving others; whether it's a partner, a friend or family. If you don't feel the same, that's okay. I can accept that", you paused for a moment, "but that's for you to decide. If not having a heart is the only thing convincing you that you couldn't love me back, then I can tell you that that's not true. I've seen how you cared about the friends you had. You've loved and you grieved the ones you lost."
You took his hand in yours and started to gently massage his knuckles with your thumb. He looked up at you. Hated, how you were still smiling with such kindness at him. Hated, how it made him feel. But simultaneously it made him feel something he had yearned for for a long time. Was it love?
"You have a heart in every way that matters", you cupped his cheek.
You could see a light blush dusting his cheeks. He didn't want to admit it, but your words touched him. They were something raw and incredibly precious to him from the second they left your lips. He knew he'd remember them for centuries.
"Archons, do you have to get all sappy on me?", he mumbled and crossed his arms.
"You're into that."
"I'm NOT into that-", the way he was visibly flustered told you he was lying. "Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?", he asked before pressing his lips to yours once again in an attempt to kiss his frustrations and confusion away. You indulged him, gently pulling him into your lap and wrapping your arms around him. To your surprise, he didn't protest or give you a snarky comment like he usually would. You mused that he was enjoying this a lot.
You pressed a kiss to his cheek. Neither of you talked for a while.
"Besides", he raised his voice eventually, "isn't what humans call love just a series of chance encounters? If your memory was never restored after I erased myself from Irminsul, you'd just fall in love with someone else and it would be like I never existed in your life to begin with. Maybe that would have saved you some trouble."
You shook your head. "When it dawned on us what you were about to do, I wrote a small poem on a piece of paper in an attempt to preserve some of my memory. It didn't work the way I intended, but it did make me remember how you made me feel. It made me remember that whoever you were, I loved you and cared about you. When the Traveler told me about you, I thought that day I had lost someone who was very dear to me", you started to tear up, remembering how hopeless and confused you had felt, "I may not have remembered who you were, but I missed you. I wished I'd have more to remember you by. You may not have a heart but you touched the hearts of others. Even if they forget you, the fact that you left your mark on this world and the way you made others feel never really fades."
"I told you not to be so sappy", he rolled his eyes but pulled you close, whispering his next words quietly, "stop crying, idiot. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
He spoke softly and affectionate, making your heart skip a beat.
"Likewise."
He let out a sigh of relief. Of course, knowing betrayal as well as he did, there was a chance your words were simply another empty promise. But the prospect of you sticking around gave him hope and it made him feel a long-forgotten but familiar warmth. Perhaps you were right, he thought, perhaps the way we feel about each other really remains even if all else crumbles.
"I suppose we can try", he mumbled, resting his head on your shoulder. "Mmh?", you asked. "I feel something. I'm not sure if I can love someone....to be honest I'm not even sure what love is supposed to feel like....but I suppose we could figure out together. And if you ever make me say something as cheesy as this again I will push you into a lake."
You chuckled and kissed his lips again. He kissed back more confidently this time, having decided to give love a chance.
You looked into his eyes after the kiss had ended, taking his hands in yours as a silent promise that you would stay by his side. Your touch felt comforting and healing for him in this moment. When you spoke again, for just a second, he had no doubts about loving you. Your next words made his lips quiver and smile like he hadn't in a long time; peacefully and with a feeling of hope:
"You have a heart in every way that matters. And I don't care if you don't have an actual heartbeat. Mine can beat for both of us."
