#anyaxcrow

Crow sighed deeply as he laid in the grass beside his warlock lover Anya. The two had stolen some time away from their duties to spend a night stargazing under the sky of the EDZ, a warm campfire crackling nearby as the two held hands beside one another.

"And to think I used to do this alone," Crow softly murmured in recollection. "The sky looks the same, but the company has definitely improved," he smiled adoringly over at her, gazing into her glowing blue eyes.

Even though the line was cheesy, Anya still felt her cheeks heat up as she blushed underneath his gaze. "I think Glint might have something to say to that," she playfully teased as she brushed some of her dark blue hair out of her face.

"Glint has a soft spot for you, though. Granted, he didn't always have it, but he does now. I don't think he'd be able to say your company isn't an improvement from before."

Anya grinned and leaned in so their lips were close, a breathless whisper away from touching. "That's sweet of Glint. I'll have to thank him," she softly chuckled.

Holding his face in her hands, she closed the gap between them and tenderly kissed her guardian lover. Crow wrapped his arms around her carefully, as if she would break if he held on too tightly. He pulled her closer so their bodies were right up against each other, close enough that she could comfortably lay her head on his chest when the kiss had ended.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," Anya sighed. No wars to fight, no orders to follow, just me and him and the Light burning brightly between us, she thought wistfully.

Forever. The word echoed in Crow's mind. He swallowed hard, unsure how to say what was on his mind. "I'm conflicted. About forever, not about staying like this. I could stay like this the rest of my life and not have a complaint, but... Well, on one hand I'm glad to be a guardian. I got to meet you, to play an important part in protecting the Traveler, Commander Zavala, and countless others. But if there's one thing I lament about being a guardian," he looked down at her with an earnest, loving smile on his face, "It's that we'll never truly be able to grow old together."

Anya's heart sweetly ached at the tenderness of his words. She hadn't necessarily thought about it like that; that they'd never be able to age. Of course, she'd noticed it before, but she hadn't paid it any mind when it came to her future with him. Still, it didn't change a thing for her. She reached a hand up and gently played with the white streak in his hair. "Well, I don't have to think too hard to imagine what you'd look like with gray hair," she pecked the tip of his nose in a playful kiss. "But I know what you mean. It'd be nice to someday truly settle down and live out our days together, but I guess retirement doesn't come easy for guardians. I know we can't grow old together, so how about we just grow together?"

Crow's arms wrapped around her and he gently nuzzled his face into her neck, planting soft kisses there and warmly chuckling at her hair comment. "I'd love nothing more, Icicle. For as long as you'll have me."

"And if I want you forever?" she asked in a whisper, as if sharing a secret between just the two of them under the dazzling night sky.