#hapi (fe16)

Hapi would be lying if she said she'd known what she was doing when she set out to get Coco a bouquet of flowers, but she'd seen enough people doing it for their girlfriends that she figured she should too.

She'd enlisted Dedue and Freckles' help, asking them for the best flowers to get for Constance. Dedue had supplied her a short list, and Freckles had offered to come with her to the market to help her make sure she got the right ones for a good price.

And so here she was, walking into Abyss with a bouquet of lilacs and red tulips and pink peonies and a whole assortment of other flowers that she'd quickly forgotten the names of, all for a price she had watched Freckles' barter over until she'd gotten over half off the initial price.

She passed Yuri on the way to the dorms, where she figured Constance would be, and responded to his snickering with an eyeroll and a light kick in his general direction. She continued down the hallway, even as she heard him following her.

"Well, what's the occasion?" Yuri asked from behind her, voice light.

"There isn't one," she answered. "Just thought I'd get Coco something she'd enjoy."

"How sweet," Yuri said, and he seemed genuine this time. He was still smiling, but the edges seemed softer now. Hapi felt a heat crawling up her neck and turned away from him.

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna go give this to her now. See you around, Yuribird," she said, walking briskly off. She felt his eyes on her until she turned the corner, and she hoped he wasn't making fun of her.

She pushed the door to the dormitories open, smiling when she saw Constance bent over the desk, mumbling to herself with a quill clutched in her hand. Her usually pristine curls were frizzing together, likely from running her hands through them in frustration, and yet Hapi still thought she was the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen.

She hid the flowers behind her back. "Coco?"

Constance turned around, brightening when she saw Hapi. "Hello, dearest!" She stood, walking over to Hapi and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. She then noticed that Hapi's hands were behind her back, and her eyebrows furrowed. "What are you hiding?"

"I got these for you," Hapi said in a rush, holding them out to her and looking down. The heat from earlier was back, stronger than before and taking a determined residence in her cheeks.

Constance gasped, taking the bouquet from her hands. Hapi looked up to see her smiling brightly, eyes shining as she held the bouquet in her hands.

"It's beautiful," Constance said, practically vibrating in her excitement as she turned it in her hands, touching the petals reverently. Hapi found herself smiling as well. She leaned forward, wrapping Constance in a hug and kissing her cheek.

"I'm glad you like it," she said.

"I love it," Constance said. "Just as I love you."

The stars were shining especially bright that night, as though attempting to keep Shez company. He could identify some of the constellations by name now, though he hadn't retained most of the lessons Hapi had given him. He was usually too focused on the way her eyes lit up whenever she spoke about them, too focused on her voice and how freely she spoke, deep within the recesses of the night and far enough away from camp that they didn't risk anyone overhearing them.

Private, stolen moments. The ones that brought him the most amount of joy in this bleak, endless war.

He sat in a clearing somewhere in south Adrestia, watching lights flicker from camp across the river. He sat, waiting patiently for Hapi, listening to the sounds of the crickets and the wind rustling in the leaves.

It felt like both a second and an eternity passed before she was sitting next to him, smiling in a gentle way, a way that was seen so rarely by anyone but him. It blew him away every time, smiling brightly back up at her.

"Hello, my love," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she leaned in to give him a quick peck to the cheek. She snuggled closer into him, taking comfort in his presence.

"I'm glad the skirmish went okay," she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder.

"We had it handled," Shez assured her. "It was only some bandits."

"Still," she said. "I don't like the idea of losing you. Especially if I'm not there to at least try to help."

"I know," Shez said. He hoped he could convey just how much he meant it.

"I just..." She trailed off, thinking her words through. "It's like I look at you and- and suddenly everything is okay. I haven't felt that in years. I don't want to lose that."

"You won't," Shez murmured. "I promise."

"I better not." The words were vaguely threatening, yet the vulnerability in her tone and the way she snuggled into him made it all the more special to Shez.

She was special to Shez.

"I love you," he said, loud in the quiet of the night.

Constance was in a predicament.

She loved Hapi, she really did. She was beautiful and smart and witty. Sure, she wasn't noble, per se, but Constance had been won over long ago and stopped trying to logic her way out of loving her.

And if she were honest with herself - an admittedly rare occurence - she was the happiest she'd ever been with Hapi.

However, her snoring may just do it in.

It was loud and aggressive and almost wild in nature, causing Constance's eye to twitch at every intake of breath. And it was constant, as well - it hadn't ceased at any point in the several hours she had been asleep. It may have impressed Constance had it not been such a consistent bother, preventing her from getting any sleep at all.

She twisted a lock of Hapi's hair around her finger, trying to focus on something other than the incessant sound of her snoring. The beauty of her smile, the feeling of her arms holding Constance loosely, the softness of the hair around her finger, anything. But the snoring was still so unbelievably loud.

Was this really what she was going to spend her life doing? Hapi was, of course, the love of Constance's life and the woman she would fight tooth and nail to marry, but she really could do without the snoring.

The bells began to toll yet again, chiming to four before stopping. Constance heaved a heavy sigh, debating getting up and starting her day early. She glanced back at Hapi, admiring her until she interrupted the moment of peace with another snore.

Constance's hands were shaking.

Why were her hands shaking? Nothing had happened.

Right?

She couldn't look up. She was indoors; why couldn't she look up?

This didn't make sense. This didn't-

"Coco?"

She tried to say that she was here, but all that came out was a hum of affirmation. Why couldn't she speak? It was like she was frozen, unable to do anything at all.

The door opened. Where was she again?

"Coco, what's wrong?"

Constance shrugged. Nothing was wrong, and yet she was frozen. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move. What was going on?

Hapi moved, crouching beside Constance with a slight furrow to her brow. "Can I touch you?"

Constance hesitated, then nodded. It surely wouldn't hurt, right?

Hapi hugged her, and Constance let out a weak sob. Why was she crying?

Hapi gently carded her hands through Contance's hair, humming some sweet lullaby she had never heard. Constance just continued to sob, each one getting stronger until they wracked her body.

"It's okay," Hapi murmured. "I'm here. I'm right here. I'm not leaving."

That made Constance cry harder. She knew Hapi wasn't one to make empty promises, but she also knew she wasn't one to willingly stay in one place for to long. The amount of trust Hapi put in her, to say that... it was terrifying.

"I'm right here," Hapi murmured again.

"Why do you trust me?" Constance choked out. "What have I done to be deserving of it?"

Hapi was silent for a moment, hands stilling in Constances hair. "Oh, Coco..."

Constance went to pull away, fearing that she had said something wrong. Hapi just pulled her closer.

"You've always been here for me," Hapi began. "Sure, you have radical ideas. Sure, you spend more time experimenting with the dangerous unknowns of magic than you spend on anything else. But you're reliable. You're always, always there when we need you. You're powerful, you're strong, you're determined. You're caring and hardworking and so, so smart. But most importantly of all? I know you would drop everything if it meant staying with me for just a little while longer. I've seen Faerghan the Faerghan address books with names crossed out. I've seen the lists of angry nobles with amounts next to their names. I've seen the scrolls on beasts and their calls, I've seen the dark magic tomes on your desk. I know that despite your goals, you're willing to push off achieving them for a little while longer if it means establishing something better for your friends. For me."

Constance choked on her tears once again and clung to Hapi even tighter. Hapi tightened her grip in response.