Happy (belated) Birthday to @smolsarcasticraspberry whose “love lies bleeding” is killing us all! I commissioned the amazingly-talented @duckydrawsart to draw a scene from this amazing fic. She went with this one:
“How does it look?” She turns around for Shiro’s opinion.
“You look– uh, I mean,” he starts again, “it looks nice. The scarf. Do you like it?”
He gazes at her apprehensively, and Allura senses the tension behind his eyes, as if he’s still unsure of the gift or the appropriateness of it. Worry hangs off him, as if he is afraid she will reject it - or him.
She can’t seem to find the words to tell him how much she appreciates the gift, and the thought behind it. Instead, she wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
The sudden movement takes him by surprise, and he hesitates for a moment, his body tense beneath her touch. But then he embraces her carefully, his hands just lightly pressed to her back.
“Thank you for everything,” she goes on. “For keeping me safe all this time.”
She tucks her head into his neck and waits for him to say what he usually says: that it is his duty to guard her and protect her, that he promised her mother he would keep her safe, that he is a soldier and she is his Princess. She stands and waits for him to put the distance back between them. But instead his arms tighten around her, and he exhales against her cheek.
“You know I would do anything for you,” he whispers.
Standing in the circle of his embrace, she believes it. But the admission still catches her by surprise. When she pulls back to look at Shiro, he seems surprised too - as if he did not mean to let the words slip out.
“I know,” she says softly. He stands there with his hands on her waist, his eyes wide and bright, and they look at each other in breathless stillness.
I hope your birthday was wonderful, Berry, and that the next year of your life brings you as much joy and wonder and happiness as you and your fics give to us!
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