The Pond Behind the Kitchen [Ashe x Dedue]

A Moon Lit Confession

Ashe stood out on the dock on the pond, waiting as the night drew on. The air was cold, for it was early in the year, however the fear of talking to Dedue kept his body warm. He pulled his jacket closer as he looked up at the sky, hoping he wasn't stood up or forgotten about..

"Oh goddess, if you can hear me, please grant me courage," he whispered into the wind.

"Ashe?"

Ashe turned around and saw Dedue standing there, on the other side of the dock, the moonlight behind him. He planned to stay calm and collected, but the moment he saw his former classmate alive after being presumed dead, Ashe lost it. Tears were rushing down his face as he ran up to Dedue and nearly jumped on him, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"I thought you died!" He cried into Dedue's shoulder. "I thought I was never going to see you again, that the day five years ago was it!"

Dedue gently wrapped his arms around Ashe, returning the hug. "I'm sorry, but I'm here now."

"Don't die on me again, please." Ashe couldn't see his reaction, but he felt Dedue move, and he was hoping it was because he nodded. After standing there for a moment, savoring the warm embrace, Ashe pulled away and wiped his eyes. "I cried on your shirt... I'm so sorry."

Dedue smiled slightly. "A minor inconvenience. Sit." He gestured back towards the end of the dock. The two of them sat down, shoulder to shoulder.

"Dedue... Where were you? We all thought you were dead." Ashe asked after a moment of silence.

"So Dimitri has told you his side of the story? We fought together until the Empire caught us. For all he knew, I died in his place as he managed to escape back to the Kingdom. However, I had help from some Duscur soldiers, the same ones we helped years ago. They got me out before I was killed." Dedue looked at his hands, calloused from fighting.

"How did you know where to find us? During the recent battle I mean."

"Word travels fast in war, whether we want it to or not."

Ashe nodded gently, "That makes sense..."

"What about you though?"

"Me?!"

"What have you done these past five years?"

Ashe shrugged and looked at the sky. "Not much."

"I find that hard to believe."

Ashe turned and saw Dedue looking at him, a soft gaze on his face. A look that he had only seen a few times, a look that he had missed every day the past five years. Ashe sighed and pulled his knees to his chest. "Really, not much. I couldn't go home one the war broke out, so I went with Gilbert. He trained me until a couple months ago when we all decided to meet up here, like we promised all those years ago."

"The millennium celebration..."

Ashe nodded. "We all forgot about it because of the war, but for some reason we all still came back on that day. It was as if fate brought us back here."

Dedue nodded, "I wasn't there to celebrate, but I'm here now."

"And thank the goddess you are! As much as some of them don't want to admit it, the house just didn't feel the same without you. You never talked much, but you were like a morale booster. Tonight was the first time everyone felt like their old selves, if even for a minute."

The two of them were silent for a minute, listening to the trees shake in the wind, the water rippling as winter fish swam around. The sound of small gravel being pushed along the ground behind them. It was peace in the middle of a war.

"Ashe?"

"Yes Dedue?"

"When you asked me to meet you out here, your cheeks were red. It was as if you were holding back a thought. Was there something you wanted to say then, but didn't?"

Ashe felt his cheeks warm up again as he hid his face in his hands. "I-I mean... not then, but... now."

"Is everything alright?"

Ashe felt a hand on his back and peaked through his fingers at Dedue. Even though his expression was hard to read, it was clear he was concerned, which didn't help Ashe at all.

"It's nothing bad it's just! I just thought- You just- It's just-"

"Breathe, Ashe," Dedue spoke softly.

Ashe took a deep breath, feeling his blush and nerves at an all time high. He let out a sigh and looked out at the water, refusing to look at Dedue. "When we were told you died I- I cried. All those memories we had shared, the wishes and promises we made, they had no closure. I realized that I had so many things I wanted to tell you..."

"Such as?"

"I... I always thought I knew pain, especially when Lonato died but-" he hesitated. "But nothing hurt more than when I heard you died. It made me realize that... that maybe I saw you as more than a friend. Like family, but not as a brother... "

There was a moment of silence after he said that, however that was all Ashe needed to hear.

"Forget I said it! I knew it wasn't going to work out, that'd it'd be uncomfortable for you, please forget I said anything-"

"I'd say the feeling is mutual."

"I knew it, you hate- Wait, what?" He turned to look at Dedue.

Dedue was looking at the water, holding his hands together. "I'd say it's mutual. When I was in the empire, before I got away, I kept thinking of a few things. My family, wondering what happened to them. His Highness, hoping he was safe back in the kingdom. And you, wondering where you were at that time." He looked over at Ashe. "I couldn't die without knowing you were alive."

Ashe sat there quietly before tearing up. "Dedue I-"

"May I kiss you?"

"Pardon?!"

"May I kiss you, Ashe? It's okay if you're not comfortable with it."

Ashe searched his face, wondering if there was a hidden motive in his words. But his gaze was gentle and sincere. He nodded, scotting closer to Dedue. "I don't see why not, it's a sense of reality," he whispered.

They leaned in towards each other, only to bonk heads the first time. After quiet chuckles and apologies, they both leaned in again and gently kissed under the moonlight. As if congratulating them, the wind got louder, causing the trees to sound like a dull nature applause. Ashe gently put his hand on Dedue's cheek and felt the heat of blush. He pulled away after a minute, a laugh surfacing on his lips.

"Did I do something wrong?" Dedue asked, a smile breaking onto his face.

"No it's just!" He laughed a bit more, "I was so afraid of this moment ever since I saw you at the bridge. But it's as though I worried for nothing."

"I could have said no."

"Well, yes, I suppose I worried about that, but you didn't. So it worked out!"

Dedue laughed quietly and stood up, holding a hand out for Ashe to help pull him to his feet. "It's getting late, shall we walk back to our rooms?"

He gently took Dedue's hand and stood up, "Yeah, lets."

As they headed back to their room's, side by side, Ashe looked back at the dining hall. For a moment, he felt as if he had eyes on him, as if someone was watching him.

"Is everything alright Ashe?"

"Ah, yes. I just thought I heard something," he smiled softly at Dedue, gently reaching for his hand and holding it with his own.

"Would you like to meet for breakfast tomorrow?" Dedue gently squeezed Ashe's hand.

"That sounds lovely," Ashe chuckled as they walked back to their rooms together under the moonlight.