Chapter Text
“I love you.” Yor stood in the entry to the kitchen, clinging to the hem of her sweater. Her face burned and her heart was beating so fast it hurt. Loid stopped stirring the bubbling pot on the stove, and, for a moment, everything was silent.
“I love you too.” He didn’t look up at her, but she could see the tips of his ears redden.
“I mean I’m in love with you Loid.”
“Yes.” He started stirring again. “I’m in love with you too.”
“Oh.” Yor stood still for a moment, watching him. Neither of them budged. “Okay.” She turned and left the kitchen. Her mind was racing and a scream of either excitement or frustration, she couldn’t be sure, caught in her throat.
Okay? What was wrong with her? Why would she say that? What was wrong with him? Who acts like that when someone just confessed their love to them?
Neither of them spoke until dinner was set on the table. Loid asked Anya about her day and she rambled on about something Becky had done at school, but Yor couldn’t pay attention. She was too busy staring at Loid. Who was too busy not staring at her.
“Mama and Papa are acting weird today,” Anya whispered to Bond when she realized neither of them were listening.
“Borf.”
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“I love you.” He panicked. Did she really just say she loved him? Was he dreaming? No, if he was dreaming she wouldn’t be wearing the leggings.
“I love you too.” He had thought about saying it every single time he looked at her for the past three months.
“I mean I’m in love with you Loid.” His heart nearly beat out of his chest. She was in love with him. The kindest, strongest, prettiest woman he had ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on was in love with him.
“Yes.” Don’t scare her. “I’m in love with you too.”
“Oh.” She was just standing there. What should he do? He needed to let her take the lead. “Okay.” She turned and walked out of the kitchen. Shit.
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Yor stood in the middle of her room, staring vacantly out the window and tugging on the ribbon on the front of her nightgown. He didn’t say anything to her, even after dinner. He just washed the dishes and helped Anya get ready for bed, then disappeared into his room. She shouldn’t have said anything. She ruined everything. She needed to go apologize. He had probably only said he loved her too because he didn’t know what else to say. He was just being polite.
She glanced in the mirror. Her hair was down and free, silky smooth after she brushed it. She poked at her cheeks. Maybe she should put her makeup back on. No, that was silly. She needed to go talk to Loid. Anya had noticed something was wrong at dinner. She needed to be brave for Anya. Just for Anya. She gathered her courage and before she could back out, she stomped to his bedroom, knocking hard on the door.
“Yes?” He looked a bit frantic. He had answered the door right away, but he was clearly getting ready for a shower. His shirt was halfway unbuttoned. “Yor, is everything okay?” He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer, his eyes scanning the hallway behind her.
“Y-yes,” she stammered, staring at his bare chest, only inches away. “Everything is fine.”
“Oh, good.” He released her and backed away, a light blush creeping onto his cheeks as he started to rebutton his shirt.
“Wait, no.” Yor stepped forward. He stepped back. “Everything is not fine.” She took another step into his room. He backed into the bed, catching his knees and falling back onto the mattress. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier, I didn’t mean to make you upset.” She fiddled with one long lock of hair. “I mean, it seems we’ve had a misunderstanding.” He looked up at her with an earnest sort of sadness she had never seen in his eyes before.
“We have?”
“Um –” she faltered.
“Which part?” he asked, downtrodden. “The part where you said you loved me?”
“Well –” she started, gripping a lock of hair on each side of her face. “Yes. I mean,” she hesitated. “No.”
“Well, which is it?” He rose from the bed, stepping towards her. He stopped a few inches away, his hands glued to his sides. “Do you love me or not?”
“I mean – I – I do,” she stammered, unable to meet his eyes, “but I don’t, if you don’t want me to.” He let a strand of her hair slip across his fingers.
“And if I want you to?”
“Do you?” she squeaked. His hand was still hovering next to her. It was so pretty. He moved it to her chin, guiding gently her to look into his eyes.
“Yes.” He released her. “I do.”
“Why did you act like that earlier?” She was a blushing mess, but for the first time, she didn’t want to move away. She held his gaze, despite the embarrassment.
“I was waiting for you.” His hand rested at his side. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” He gave her a soft smile. “I’ll keep waiting for you as long as you want.” He tucked his hands behind his back. “I do love you Yor. There are a lot of things I want to do with you.” His smile turned into a half-smirk. “But I want to do things at your pace. Even if you want me to wait forever.”
“I see.” Yor stared down at the floor. He was so considerate. She glanced back up at his still smiling face. “I don’t know anything about being in love.”
“That’s okay.” He pushed a stray hair out of his face. “We can learn together.”
“Can you teach me?” She took a tiny step forward.
“I’d be happy to.” He leaned in ever so slightly. “Anything you ask.” She took another tiny step. Their faces hovered little more than an inch away from each other. Blood was rushing in her ears and her face burned so hot she was sure he could feel it radiating off her.
“Could you,” she breathed, “teach me how to kiss you?”
“Close your eyes.”
“Like this?” She could feel his breath on her cheek. He smelled like peppermint. He must have brushed his teeth after dinner. His hands cupped her face. She could feel his fingers resting on the back of her neck.
“Just like that.” Something unfamiliar pressed against her lips. Something warm, soft, and a little damp. Then, it was gone.
“Can you do it again?” she asked softly, eyes still closed. “I wasn’t paying attention.” He laughed.
“Of course.” This time, she stepped into it, resting her hands on his chest. His lips moved against hers and, to her surprise, she knew what to do. Her movements were timid, but she returned his kiss. As she gained confidence, she snaked her arms around his neck and pulled his body closer. She pressed herself against him, lost in the softness of his lips. “Okay, that’s enough for tonight.” He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back away from him. He ran a hand over her hair, smoothing it. “I still need to shower.”
“Oh, okay.” Yor nodded, trying to tamp down her disappointment. She stared at him for a long moment, motionless.
“Goodnight Yor,” he said gently. “Sleep well.”
“Right,” she nodded, making her way back to the doorway. “Goodnight Loid.”