HunnyBlooms

When he met you for the first time, he wasn’t sure if you were going to be a good partner much less a decent partner. He couldn't imagine fighting alongside you but somehow you were chosen as one of the best juggernaut pilots.

To him, you were weak and gullible. Too optimistic for the situation you were all in.

He never understood how you could sleep so peacefully, leaning against him while he stood guard.

It irritated him.

The way you trusted him so easily. The way you smile so often. Raiden didn’t want to lose his life because of a girl who still had so much happiness and kindness in her eyes and smile.

Then one night he heard you crying,

At first it was quiet. Small, stifled sounds like you were trying not to be heard. But once he noticed, he couldn’t ignore it. Before he even realized what he was doing, his arms were around you. You froze for a moment when he pulled you close, but then the sobs came harder. Your fingers clutched his shirt.

He whispered "it's alright" hoping that would help but when you finally looked up at him, something inside his chest twisted painfully.

The kindness in your eyes was gone.

In its place was sadness. Despair.

Something he knew far too well.

His shirt was soaked with your tears and snot but he didn't care. He stayed there for as long as you needed.

Shin laughed at him the next day when Raiden denied developing feelings for you, he claimed he was just looking after his partner. That was all.

He checked on you everyday.

Asking Anju and Kurena if you had gotten out of bed yet. Eventually he started waiting for you at the barracks with breakfast.

Raiden realized you weren't a morning person. So he told himself he was just doing it so that you wouldn't be late and get the both of you punished with extra drills.

That was all it was.

At least that's what he kept telling himself.

One night, while everyone sat gathered around the fire, Raiden noticed the way your eyes lit up—brighter than the stars scattered across the sky. Even in the flickering firelight, he could still see the warmth of your smile.

Without thinking, he shifted a little closer to you. He noticed the small things now—how your hand lingered on his thigh just a little longer than necessary, how your eyes softened whenever you told him good morning or good night. Sometimes, when you thought he was asleep during your guard duty, he felt your fingers gently brushing across his face.

And somewhere along the way, he realized something.

When you weren’t beside him, time seemed to crawl painfully slow. But when you were with him, the hours slipped by before he even noticed.

One afternoon the two of you found yourselves resting beneath a large oak tree at the edge of the training field.

It was one of the rare quiet days. No alarms. No drills. No orders.

Just wind moving softly through the leaves above you.

Sunlight filtered through the branches, scattering patches of gold across the grass. Some of it caught in your hair as you lay beside him, your head resting on your arm.

Raiden tried not to stare.

But it was impossible not to notice the way the breeze played with the loose strands of your hair, brushing them gently across your face.

Without thinking, he reached out and tucked one behind your ear.

Your eyes met his.

For a moment neither of you spoke.

The world seemed strangely quiet.

Your faces were close—closer than they had ever been before.

Raiden could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Your gaze softened, and he noticed the faint warmth rising to your cheeks.

“Raiden?” you whispered.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Battle buddy.

Partner.

Significant—

The word caught in his throat.

You were watching him carefully now, waiting.

“…other,” he finally finished, his voice barely above a breath.

Your eyes widened slightly.

Raiden felt like his heart might burst out of his chest.

“I don’t know when it happened,” he admitted quietly. “But somewhere along the way… I started thinking about you. Looking for you. Wanting to be beside you.”

His hand hesitated before gently touching yours.

“And now I can’t imagine not being there.”

For a moment you said nothing.

Then you smiled.

That same bright, stubborn smile he used to think was foolish.

But now it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Raiden leaned forward slowly, giving you time to pull away if you wanted to.

You didn’t.

Your lips met softly beneath the shade of the oak tree.

And in that quiet moment, Raiden realized something terrifying.

He had fallen completely in love with you.

Years passed.

Battles were fought. Missions completed. Scars earned and survived together.

But through everything, you were always there beside him.

Still smiling.

Still believing.

Still loving him.

The night he proposed, Raiden was more nervous than he had ever been in his life.

He had faced enemies, artillery fire, and death itself without flinching.

But standing in front of you with a small ring in his shaking hands was somehow far more scary.

You noticed immediately.

“Raiden…?” you said softly.

He took a deep breath.

“You remember the first night I held you while you cried?” he asked.

You nodded slowly.

“I think that’s when everything changed for me,” he continued. “I didn’t realize it yet, but… that was the moment I started caring about you more than anything else.”

His voice trembled slightly.

“You melted away every frustration I had. That smile of yours… those eyes… the way you never gave up on people, even when they didn’t deserve it.”

He swallowed hard.

“You loved me when I didn’t even know how to accept it.”

Tears were already forming in your eyes.

Raiden dropped to one knee, the small ring trembling in his hand.

“All your strengths,” he said quietly, “and even your flaws… those are the things I’d want your kids to have.”

Your hands flew to your mouth as tears began streaming down your cheeks.

“Our kids,” his voice breaking slightly.

“Will you marry me?”

For a moment you couldn’t speak.

Then you nodded quickly through your tears.

“Yes.”

Raiden barely had time to slide the ring onto your finger before you pulled him up and kissed him.

He laughed softly against your lips, overwhelmed with relief.

There had always been something special about you.

He should have known from the start.

December 1st, was the first day he met you, 

December 12th, was the day the squadron realized he started liking you,

12am, was the exact moment he first held you in his arms while you cried,

12, was the lucky number you both said in unison when Theo asked what you wanted painted on the side of your juggernauts,

And 12 years spent by your side would never feel long enough,

Because Raiden couldn’t imagine being with anyone else but you,

Which is why when Theo asked him what he rated you on a scale of 1-10 Raiden didn't hesitate,

12.

Even though he could truly never think of a number that encompasses all of you, because to him you weren't just a number.

You're his universe. His everything.

“daddy’s coming my princess” he calls out from the hallway and sits beside your daughter in her bed.

“What book you wanna read tonight?” He kisses her forehead.

“the same one but I wan daddy to read tonight.” She giggles and gives her dad a hug.

Toji laughs and embraces her in his arms. “Well good thing daddy is a mind reader and has it right here.”

Toji opens the old picture book. The pages were a little worn from years of bedtime stories.

He cleared his throat in an exaggerated storyteller voice.

“Alright,” he said. “This story begins like all the best stories.”

Your daughter’s eyes sparkled. Toji began to read.

“In a land far, far, far away, beyond the tallest mountains and across the bluest oceans, there was a tiny kingdom hidden in a forest of glowing trees. In that kingdom lived a brave little princess named Lila. But Lila wasn’t the kind of princess who liked sitting in castles all day.No, Princess Lila loved adventures. She climbed trees higher than anyone else, raced the wind across the hills, and once even tried to teach a dragon how to play hide-and-seek.”

Your daughter giggles, “Did the dragon win?” she asked.

“Oh, absolutely,” he said, turning the page. “Dragons are very good at hiding.” Toji brushes her hair out of her face.

“One day, Princess Lila discovered something strange in the forest. A tiny golden key lying on the path. It sparkled in the sunlight like it had been waiting there just for her. Lila picked it up and wondered what it might unlock. So she set off on an adventure to find the lock that matched the key.”

Your daughter's dark blue eyes, just like her daddy’s eye color, were starting to droop, but she whispered, “Did she find it?” she looks at you and you smile softly at her, Toji turns the page again.

“After crossing rivers, climbing mountains, and helping a very confused dragon find his cave, Lila finally reached the oldest tree in the forest. At the base of the tree was a small wooden door.”

“And in the door…”

your daughter tries to stay awake but she snuggles more into her dad.

“A tiny golden lock. Lila slid the key inside and turned it slowly. The door creaked open. Inside was something wonderful.”

“Not gold.” he says softly.

“Not treasure.” Toji looks at you.

“Not jewels.” he looks at your daughter, who’s giving in to her sleepiness.

“Inside was a room filled with stories—thousands of books waiting to be read. Because the greatest treasure in the kingdom… was imagination.”

Her breathing had grown slow and steady. Your daughter had fallen asleep. Toji quietly closes the book then slowly and carefully places her back in her bed, pulling the blanket over her shoulders and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“Goodnight princess.”

You bend down to give her a kiss on her forehead, tucking her favorite rabbit plushie next to her. 

“Goodnight sweetie.” 

You and Toji walk out of her room quietly and close the door.

Tomorrow would be another day to continue the tales of the kingdom in far far land.

When he met you for the first time, he wasn’t sure if you were going to be a good partner much less a decent partner. He couldn't imagine fighting alongside you but somehow you were chosen as one of the best juggernaut pilots.

To him, you were weak and gullible. Too optimistic for the situation you were all in.

He never understood how you could sleep so peacefully, leaning against him while he stood guard.

It irritated him.

The way you trusted him so easily. The way you smile so often. Raiden didn’t want to lose his life because of a girl who still had so much happiness and kindness in her eyes and smile.

Then one night he heard you crying,

At first it was quiet. Small, stifled sounds like you were trying not to be heard. But once he noticed, he couldn’t ignore it. Before he even realized what he was doing, his arms were around you. You froze for a moment when he pulled you close, but then the sobs came harder. Your fingers clutched his shirt.

He whispered "it's alright" hoping that would help but when you finally looked up at him, something inside his chest twisted painfully.

The kindness in your eyes was gone.

In its place was sadness. Despair.

Something he knew far too well.

His shirt was soaked with your tears and snot but he didn't care. He stayed there for as long as you needed.

Shin laughed at him the next day when Raiden denied developing feelings for you, he claimed he was just looking after his partner. That was all.

He checked on you everyday.

Asking Anju and Kurena if you had gotten out of bed yet. Eventually he started waiting for you at the barracks with breakfast.

Raiden realized you weren't a morning person. So he told himself he was just doing it so that you wouldn't be late and get the both of you punished with extra drills.

That was all it was.

At least that's what he kept telling himself.

One night, while everyone sat gathered around the fire, Raiden noticed the way your eyes lit up—brighter than the stars scattered across the sky. Even in the flickering firelight, he could still see the warmth of your smile.

Without thinking, he shifted a little closer to you. He noticed the small things now—how your hand lingered on his thigh just a little longer than necessary, how your eyes softened whenever you told him good morning or good night. Sometimes, when you thought he was asleep during your guard duty, he felt your fingers gently brushing across his face.

And somewhere along the way, he realized something.

When you weren’t beside him, time seemed to crawl painfully slow. But when you were with him, the hours slipped by before he even noticed.

One afternoon the two of you found yourselves resting beneath a large oak tree at the edge of the training field.

It was one of the rare quiet days. No alarms. No drills. No orders.

Just wind moving softly through the leaves above you.

Sunlight filtered through the branches, scattering patches of gold across the grass. Some of it caught in your hair as you lay beside him, your head resting on your arm.

Raiden tried not to stare.

But it was impossible not to notice the way the breeze played with the loose strands of your hair, brushing them gently across your face.

Without thinking, he reached out and tucked one behind your ear.

Your eyes met his.

For a moment neither of you spoke.

The world seemed strangely quiet.

Your faces were close—closer than they had ever been before.

Raiden could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Your gaze softened, and he noticed the faint warmth rising to your cheeks.

“Raiden?” you whispered.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Battle buddy.

Partner.

Significant—

The word caught in his throat.

You were watching him carefully now, waiting.

“…other,” he finally finished, his voice barely above a breath.

Your eyes widened slightly.

Raiden felt like his heart might burst out of his chest.

“I don’t know when it happened,” he admitted quietly. “But somewhere along the way… I started thinking about you. Looking for you. Wanting to be beside you.”

His hand hesitated before gently touching yours.

“And now I can’t imagine not being there.”

For a moment you said nothing.

Then you smiled.

That same bright, stubborn smile he used to think was foolish.

But now it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Raiden leaned forward slowly, giving you time to pull away if you wanted to.

You didn’t.

Your lips met softly beneath the shade of the oak tree.

And in that quiet moment, Raiden realized something terrifying.

He had fallen completely in love with you.

Years passed.

Battles were fought. Missions completed. Scars earned and survived together.

But through everything, you were always there beside him.

Still smiling.

Still believing.

Still loving him.

The night he proposed, Raiden was more nervous than he had ever been in his life.

He had faced enemies, artillery fire, and death itself without flinching.

But standing in front of you with a small ring in his shaking hands was somehow far more scary.

You noticed immediately.

“Raiden…?” you said softly.

He took a deep breath.

“You remember the first night I held you while you cried?” he asked.

You nodded slowly.

“I think that’s when everything changed for me,” he continued. “I didn’t realize it yet, but… that was the moment I started caring about you more than anything else.”

His voice trembled slightly.

“You melted away every frustration I had. That smile of yours… those eyes… the way you never gave up on people, even when they didn’t deserve it.”

He swallowed hard.

“You loved me when I didn’t even know how to accept it.”

Tears were already forming in your eyes.

Raiden dropped to one knee, the small ring trembling in his hand.

“All your strengths,” he said quietly, “and even your flaws… those are the things I’d want your kids to have.”

Your hands flew to your mouth as tears began streaming down your cheeks.

“Our kids,” his voice breaking slightly.

“Will you marry me?”

For a moment you couldn’t speak.

Then you nodded quickly through your tears.

“Yes.”

Raiden barely had time to slide the ring onto your finger before you pulled him up and kissed him.

He laughed softly against your lips, overwhelmed with relief.

There had always been something special about you.

He should have known from the start.

December 1st, was the first day he met you, 

December 12th, was the day the squadron realized he started liking you,

12am, was the exact moment he first held you in his arms while you cried,

12, was the lucky number you both said in unison when Theo asked what you wanted painted on the side of your juggernauts,

And 12 years spent by your side would never feel long enough,

Because Raiden couldn’t imagine being with anyone else but you,

Which is why when Theo asked him what he rated you on a scale of 1-10 Raiden didn't hesitate,

12.

Even though he could truly never think of a number that encompasses all of you, because to him you weren't just a number.

You're his universe. His everything.