[ Romance, surprisingly had been the last thing on Hilda's mind when they were facing down the barrel of a gun in Fodlan. Living in the moment and fighting to live another day had become paramount, making her avoidance of it easy; it had nothing to do with confronting the fact that there was more to their friendship for her than just losing the comfort of his body — why would it? Easier to keep believing the story that she had been telling herself all these years, the one where she didn't care for him as deeply as she did. She would never admit it out loud, but suddenly war seems like child's play in comparison to the feelings she's grappling with now.
Now that there is no war (or rather, a war that isn't theirs), where did that leave her? She's exposed, left without a convenient excuse to continue avoiding feelings she's denied for years. They're laid bare in front of her, daring her to look at them now that there have been developments in Claude's life. Almost as if they're forcing her to reevaluate and question where she stands. She doesn't want to admit the hurt she felt hearing about Sylvain and Petra — not to him, not to anyone, especially not to herself. Because as happy as she is for them, the seed of hurt sown in the equivalent of radio silence from him (she has yet to forget that he reached out to Petra and not her, and reason has had a hard time convincing her that it had to be the fault of muddled communication lines and not because he didn't care) had since grown. Traitorously, it now thrives on her haze of stress and worry.
But Claude's arms are a safe harbour for her; those feelings have no place here. Even the addition of new scars and wounds cannot diminish the familiarity his warmth provides. It's here that she can forget about everything else, much like she had at home. This is easy. This is what she knows. Roiling emotions are shoved roughly down as her teeth nip at his bottom lip, grasping him like he's the only thing keeping her afloat.
Her body yearns for more, devoid of him for so long, but she's mindful of where they are, his condition, and her resolve. That doesn't stop the soft, longing sound that she sighs into his mouth that hide her own thoughts. You make me feel like I can do more than I'll ever able to do to. I know I might just disappoint you, but I'll stay by your side as long as you'll let me. You don't have to care about me, just please don't forget me. She breaks apart just long enough to take a breath, pressing tender kisses to the hollow of his throat before capturing his lips in hers again. ]
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Now that there is no war (or rather, a war that isn't theirs), where did that leave her? She's exposed, left without a convenient excuse to continue avoiding feelings she's denied for years. They're laid bare in front of her, daring her to look at them now that there have been developments in Claude's life. Almost as if they're forcing her to reevaluate and question where she stands. She doesn't want to admit the hurt she felt hearing about Sylvain and Petra — not to him, not to anyone, especially not to herself. Because as happy as she is for them, the seed of hurt sown in the equivalent of radio silence from him (she has yet to forget that he reached out to Petra and not her, and reason has had a hard time convincing her that it had to be the fault of muddled communication lines and not because he didn't care) had since grown. Traitorously, it now thrives on her haze of stress and worry.
But Claude's arms are a safe harbour for her; those feelings have no place here. Even the addition of new scars and wounds cannot diminish the familiarity his warmth provides. It's here that she can forget about everything else, much like she had at home. This is easy. This is what she knows. Roiling emotions are shoved roughly down as her teeth nip at his bottom lip, grasping him like he's the only thing keeping her afloat.
Her body yearns for more, devoid of him for so long, but she's mindful of where they are, his condition, and her resolve. That doesn't stop the soft, longing sound that she sighs into his mouth that hide her own thoughts. You make me feel like I can do more than I'll ever able to do to. I know I might just disappoint you, but I'll stay by your side as long as you'll let me. You don't have to care about me, just please don't forget me. She breaks apart just long enough to take a breath, pressing tender kisses to the hollow of his throat before capturing his lips in hers again. ]