Written because Flynn has glasses in his school uniform costume and that's cute, and there isn't enough Flynn/Estelle in the world.

Clear Sight

Flynn was at his desk when Estelle entered the study. She wasn't surprised, but she was disappointed. Her irritation waned when she saw that he was hunched over with his head buried in his hands. She could scold him for staying up too late tomorrow; for now, he was obviously miserable enough.

"Flynn, it's almost midnight."

He startled and jerked his head up. "Oh! Estellise, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." He rubbed his eyes and twisted around in the chair. "Do you need something?"

She had gone to bed two hours ago, after kissing Flynn on the cheek and being reassured that he'd follow her in just a few minutes. She wasn't sure what had woken her up, but when she felt a conspicuously cold bed beside her, she'd gone to fetch him. The study was the first place she checked. "You need to come to bed, Flynn. It's late." They really needed to get rid of the study. It was bad enough that his office was in the same building, but having a study at home made him feel like he could keep working even after clocking out for the day.

"I will." He yawned and covered his mouth. "I'm sorry, I promise I won't be too much later. It's this report, though. I need to finish reading it before tomorrow's meeting."

She crossed the room swiftly and rested her hands on his shoulders. "Then you can read it tomorrow morning. You're obviously exhausted, Flynn. WHen I came in, I thought you'd fallen asleep at your desk."

"No, no, I'm fine." He rubbed his forehead. "I always get a headache when I read for a while, it's nothing."

Estelle frowned. This was the first she was hearing of this. "You do? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Don't most people?" He blinked a few times to clear his eyes.

"No. At least, I don't, and I read more than you."

Flynn actually seemed surprised at that. "Is that so? I always marvelled that your dedication to literature let you read for so long despite the strain."

She tilted her head a little, still frowning. "Reading doesn't cause me any strain. Does it for you?"

"Well… just the normal strain and headaches."

"There is no 'normal' strain and headaches, Flynn." Her own eyes drooped. It was too late for this, but she didn't want to drop the subject now that it had been raised. "Why would you think it's normal to get a headache from reading?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it? Putting my arm muscles to work for hours leads to a sore arm, so putting my eyes to work for a few hours leads to sore eyes."

He looked so thoughtful as he rationalized this and in her weariness, Estelle almost didn't have the strength to stop herself from squeezing his cheeks and telling him how adorable it was that he thought this way. "Flynn… that's not how it works. It j-just…" she covered her mouth and yawned. "Reading shouldn't strain your eyes. It's just… looking at things. Why would that take physical effort?"

Now it was Flynn's turn to look confused and baffled. "What… what do you mean it takes no effort? It's strenuous to decipher all the letters since you can only read things when they're close enough to be in the blurry part of your vision."

She stared at him as understanding dragged itself across her sleepy brain. "Oh. Oh, Flynn…." She leaned down and wrapped her arms around him. "You poor dumbo," she mumbled into his neck. "Why didn't you ever tell me you needed glasses?"

Flynn, who was not displeased with the affection but clearly still confused, wrapped an arm around her back. "Glasses? No, I don't need glasses. I passed the eye exam in the Knights perfectly."

She shook her head. "That only tests if you can read the chart across the wall. You need the other kind of glasses. The ones that let you read without squinting and getting headaches." She let out a long sigh. "You're farsighted, Flynn. Now come to bed and tomorrow you can set up an appointment with an eye-doctor."

"All right." He patted her shoulder. "I'll just finish reading this page and then-"

Estelle plopped onto his lap, her pale blue nightgown draping across his knees. "Mmmm, I'm too sleepy to walk back to bed."

"Estellise…."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Carry me."

"Heh. Fine, you win." He slipped an arm under her knees and scooped her up. Flynn carried her bridal-style across their apartment to the bedroom.

"Careful," she mumbled into his shoulder as they entered the room. "Make sure you know where the doorframe is."

"I can see it," he whined.

"So you say." She slightly punched his chest. "All this time you've secretly been blind."

"I can see you just fine." He laid her down on the bed and then quickly changed into his pyjamas.

"Hmmm…" she pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Is not being able to see where your half ends your excuse for hogging my side?"

Flynn slid under the blanket and scooted toward her. "Maybe I just like being near you."

Estelle kicked his shin. "Bed hog." But she would sleep much more soundly now that the space on the other half of the bed was filled.

The next afternoon, Estelle sat next to Flynn in a doctor's office. She went with him because she knew he was still skeptical that there was even a problem and he wouldn't be keen to leave his office for what he saw as a minor concern. Most people wouldn't be able to get an appointment with the doctor with so little notice, but most people were not a princess and a commandant.

After giving Flynn a series of papers to read at various distances and sizes, the doctor stood before him with a clipboard. "Ok, sir, I can say that Princess Estellise is correct. You're definitely farsighted."

Estelle gave Flynn a stern look.

"Am I really? I had no idea."

Estelle took a moment to consider what the state of literacy must be like in the lower quarter if Flynn had grown up having no idea that it wasn't normal to hold books as far away from your face as possible in order to read them.

"Is it really serious enough to need corrective eyewear?"

The doctor held out a pair of glasses. "Try them on and you tell me."

As Flynn put them on, the doctor held up a sheet of paper covered in letters. When Flynn looked back, he gasped. "It's - wow. They're so crisp and... " He turned to Estelle. "Do you mean this is how everyone sees?"

Estelle gave him an amused smile and patted his knee. "I did tell you."

Flynn took the paper from the doctor and stared at the words in awe. Estelle couldn't imagine what it would feel like to realize she'd been seeing the world incorrectly for her entire life.

"I take it you agree with the diagnosis, sir?" the doctor said.

"Yes." Flynn didn't look up from the paper. "I'm sorry for doubting you. I had no idea things could be so solid and clear this close to my face."

Estelle giggled and pulled Flynn's arm to get him to stop staring at the paper in rapture. She hoped that making reading easier would let him get through paperwork quicker, or at least let him get through it without a headache.

Flynn took the glasses off after paying the doctor and leaving, tucking them carefully into a case he'd bought with them and then into his pocket. "I don't think I need to wear them all the time," he said as he slipped his hand around hers and they headed back to the castle. "Really, I'm not blind. I can see the world perfectly well as long as it's a yard from my face."

"I can't believe you never realized there was a problem, or that no one else has pointed it out before."

Flynn shrugged. "I suppose it's never come up before. Until I got a desk job, I never looked at much paperwork beyond a few letters and reports here and there. It never occurred to me that the words weren't blurry for everyone. I just thought… this was how vision worked. And then with physical things, it wasn't an issue. I can see a sword coming at my face perfectly well. A monster's face may be blurry when it lunges at me, but I don't need to pick out individual hairs in order to kill it."

"Does this mean you're less impressed with me?" Estelle pouted. "Since you now know there's no great physical effort to reading a lot."

Flynn was still grinning the grin he'd worn ever since he put on the glasses. "Of course I'm still impressed with you. Just… maybe for different reasons."

Later that evening, Flynn came home from work and immediately joined Estelle on the couch. In fact, he kicked off his shoes and stretched out so his head rested on her lap, eyes closed.

"Hello." She lifted the book she'd been reading. "You look tired."

"Busy day." He opened his eyes. "But you know? I've had a constant headache for months that I barely noticed because I got used to it. It's gone now, though. I got through things almost twice as fast, too. It's amazing. I can read words on a paper on my desk as easily as if it were on a sign across the room."

Estelle tucked a bookmark into her book and set it beside the couch. She smoothed hair away from his face and said, "I'm glad your life is easier."

"I can't thank you enough. I might have gone years before someone else pointed out my problem."

"I just hope it means you won't be staying up to midnight so often anymore."

"I'll do my best." He smiled. "Hang on, I want to see something." He reached for his pocket and pulled out his glasses, than put them on while still leaning back in her lap.

Estelle thought Flynn looked quite smart in them. They made him look a little older and a little more dignified. She could already guess that Yuri would find this whole situation hilarious, but until he got back to Zaphias to discover he had a new source to tease Flynn about, she could appreciate them in peace.

Flynn stared up at her with a dreamy expression.

"What?" she asked. "What is it?"

"It's just… I've never seen your face so clearly. You have flecks of brown in your eyes."

"Yes… I know."

"I've never seen them before. I knew you had green eyes, but from a distance you can't make out colour and when you get close enough, they're just a blur. But now I see what they really look like and I can't get over how beautiful they are."

"Oh. Um." She hunched her shoulders a little. "Your eyes are pretty cute too, you know."

"Whenever you get close to me… your face blurs. I always accepted that as the way of the world." His hand reached up and rested on the side of her cheek. "I'm seeing you in detail for the first time."

"And do you like what you see?"

He smiled so much she wondered if he could even still see her. "I love it."