"I can't believe I've been reduced to this…"
Leo scowled as he read over the spell for the umpteenth time. Why was he doing this? He was a prince, desired by many females throughout the kingdom of Nohr. However, he did not want those women. Only one held his heart and he wished to express those feelings to her.
If only she felt the same.
That was why he was here. Corrin was his sister even if they weren't related by blood. She was their aspiring leader, trying to save both Nohr and Hoshido from some unknown enemy. The moment the skies over the kingdoms changed, she would show them the way to their true foe. She was prepared to give up her life—both families—because she couldn't bear the thought of turning against her siblings, blood-related or otherwise. She was sweet, kind, and always supportive, if a bit stupid. She had been coming to him in an effort to improve her tactical strategies and she had been excelling under his tutelage. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized that he felt something more for his dear sister. He wanted to be by her side; not as her brother, but as her husband. He needed to prove that to her.
But she was so oblivious that he wanted to tear his hair out. She was their leader and therefore spent a lot of time with everyone. Once his lessons with her had died down, she had been spending more time with her real brother by trying to learn how to use a bow. Leo scowled at the thought of the Hoshidan prince. Takumi was a disdainful little snot. He treated her with such undeserved spite and Leo wanted to punish him for having such an attitude towards Corrin.
He once again went over the lines before him, channeling the power through his arm and forming it into a sphere of red. He eyed the shape, his brow creasing. He was sinking real low and he knew that. Corrin was a female. She was surrounded by many handsome men and no doubt she would choose one to marry before long. He was being selfish. He couldn't bear losing her to anyone.
That was why he had been trying to perfect an old Nohrian love spell he had been researching recently. He didn't want an immediate reaction and gushy, lovey-dovey nonsense. That would immediately raise suspicion to foul play. Perhaps it was his sister's interest in the Hoshidan prince or her apparent fascination with Xander and his achievements, but he did not want to lose to either of them. With the way he had modified it, he would insert an interest and then the spell would do the rest by bringing up a desire in her to spend more time with him. From there, the emotion of "love" would appear and she would probably confess to him if he confessed to her first. At least, that was what he had intended it for it to do. The spell was fickle because love was such a complex emotion to deal with. Who knows what it would do once it actually took effect.
He just wanted a chance to show her what she meant to him.
The red sphere dissipated and Leo clenched his hand a few times, looking at it. He was successfully able to conjure it and give it form. Now all that was left was to find the perfect opportunity to use it on Corrin. She had been training with her bow, so she was probably practicing on the trees available on the astral plane. He took the crafted tome in hand, took a quick look outside his tent, and snuck out. It was a beautiful night on the astral plane. The full moon shone down on him, its gentle light illuminating the sakura trees and making their falling petals seem more majestic. Leo oftentimes wondered if it was the same moon from the mortal plane. Probably not, but it was a nice thing to see when Nohr was perpetually shrouded in darkness. Leo didn't realize moonlight could be so mesmerizing.
As he made his way past sakura trees, he spotted her sitting on the ground and polishing her bow. He narrowed his eyes when he saw her hand covered in bandages instead of a black glove that was usually there. Did she get hurt recently?
"Hey, what are you doing out here so late?"
Leo gritted his teeth as he saw the Hoshidan prince walk over to her. She smiled, looking up at him innocently.
"Nothing. Don't worry so much. I'm not practicing," Corrin answered. "I'm just polishing it and adjusting the tension. After all, you said no more bow practice until my hand heals."
"I…didn't think you'd be so interested."
"Well, I know you still don't think highly of me. I want to prove to you that you can rely on me. Archery is hard, but you've been really patient and helpful with me. I hope I'm living up to your standards. I'd like to continue practicing with you in the future, if that's alright."
"Corrin…" Takumi sighed. "Look. I wanted to…apologize."
Corrin blinked in confusion. "What for?"
"For treating you so harshly at first. Not once have you shown any indication of betraying us. It was wrong of me."
"Is that all you're worried about?" she giggled. "Takumi, even if you hate me, I will always love you. I know Nohr has done horrible things to Hoshido, but I plan on changing things for the better so that we can all get along. I'd like to sit at a table and eat dinner with ALL my siblings. I think you and Leo would get along swimmingly."
Takumi scoffed. "Over my dead body would I ever associate with that Nohrian mage."
"You know, I think Leo would say the same thing about you if he were standing there in your place. You two are peas in a pod!"
"WE ARE NOT!"
Corrin continued laughing at him while Takumi pouted at her. He hated being teased like that and Corrin knew it. He crossed his arms and huffed, walking away from her as she went back to her business. He was planning on giving her a salve to help with her hand, but now he kinda wanted to chuck the container at her head. Childish, but it would make him feel better. He sighed, knowing that he wouldn't follow through with that thought.
It was an older sibling's job to tease the younger ones. It was just another way to show that they cared. He briefly wondered if Corrin did the same thing to her Nohrian brother and felt a pang of jealousy. He didn't have the chance to spend time with Corrin in his childhood as he should have. The Nohrians took that from him and he was still bitter about that. Takumi held a special loathing for Prince Leo specifically because Corrin probably loved her Nohrian brother more than him. It was only natural since they had grown up together, not to mention he had treated her so cruelly at first since he thought she had become just like the rest of the Nohrian scum. He was wrong; so wrong and it hurt to know that she didn't deserve the hateful words he had spat at her.
He touched the container, sitting idly in his pocket. He sighed once more, rushing back to where she was. She had stood up, prepared to leave to her private quarters for the night. She seemed surprised to see him again, but she greeted him with that kind and caring smile he had grown quite fond of. It was the same kind of smile that Ryoma would give him when he was proud of what Takumi had accomplished.
"Forgot something?" she teased.
"Actually, yes," he answered sheepishly, pulling out the salve and handing it to her. "I meant to give it to you earlier. It'll help with your hand."
"Thank you, Takumi."
"Uh, don't mention—"
He was cut off when something hard rammed into his back and exploded in a red poof. He vaguely heard a curse off in the distance and the sound of running boots clicking in the grass. He felt his body go limp, falling to his knees before hitting the ground. Black encased him and he knew no more.
"Takumi! Wake up!"
He strained to open his eyes. His eyelids fought with him for a good few minutes before they allowed his wish. When he did, he was greeted by the concerned faces of his siblings and the unusually worried expression on the youngest Nohrian prince. He found himself staring at Leo longer than he would have liked to admit, simply taking in the other prince's features. He never noticed it before, but Leo was…handsome. As soon as the word passed his mind, the trance shattered and Takumi was brought back into reality. He realized Leo was the one holding him in his arms, his face unnaturally close to Takumi's. Takumi's face flared red, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Blind instinct took over rational thought as he shoved the other prince away as hard as he could.
"NOHRIAN SCUM!" Takumi yelled, more so out of embarrassment than anger. "GET OFF OF ME!"
"You ungrateful little—!" Leo stopped himself, taking a deep breath and regaining his composure. "No. This is a good thing. You seem to be alright if that reaction was anything to go by."
"Don't you ever lay your filthy hands on me again!" Takumi hissed, his heart still threatening to burst from his chest. "What did you do to me!?"
"It was a misfired spell and you were the unintentional victim," Leo answered calmly. "I didn't think I'd find anyone else out here while I was practicing with my magic. That was entirely my fault and I apologize."
"You…" Takumi growled, holding his arms and unconsciously grabbing the places where Leo's hands had touched him. "Be more careful next time then."
"Oh? You're handling a situation maturely for once?" Leo taunted. "The world will truly end now."
Takumi turned his head away, his face still bright red. "You're lucky that I'm deciding not to turn you into a pincushion for my bow."
"Perhaps you should be more aware of your surroundings, Hoshidan prince. If that had been a true threat and not an accident on my part, you'd be dead long before you hit the ground."
"Shut up."
"Duly noted," Leo sarcastically replied. "Now Corrin, if you don't mind, I think I'll take my leave. My business here is done."
Takumi frowned at the retreating back of the Nohrian prince. He mechanically answered the prodding questions his siblings were giving him, Hinoka being especially worried about her younger brother. Once he had finally convinced them he was fine, he was left alone once more. Even if it was annoying at times, he cherished the few times when his elder siblings actually gave him some attention. It made him feel less like the unwanted, moody teenager he was convinced everyone thought him as.
He could still feel the heat radiating in his cheeks and the thumping of his heart against his ribcage. He placed his hands over the area, trying to calm it down. He wasn't sure why he was reacting in such a way. He was thoroughly convinced that Leo had something to him deliberately and it wasn't an accident like the prince said it was. Despite that, he couldn't find it in himself to stay angry at the other prince.
"What's wrong with me?"
Meanwhile, Leo was muttering those same words under his breath as he pulled on his hair in frustration. Of all the possible things that could go wrong, hitting the wrong person of the wrong gender with his love spell was the absolute worst case scenario. It must've been the gods' punishment for trying to mess with the natural process of love. Leo cursed when the fact that Takumi—the one person most likely to set his tent on fire in the middle of the night—was the one hit by the spell came to mind once again. So far it looked like the Hoshidan still hated his guts, which was a good sign. He hoped whatever "interest" that spawned would be quashed by the intense hatred the man had for Nohrians, especially the Nohrian royal family. As soon as the effects wore off, they'd go back to being acquaintances with a mutual hatred for each other.
If only he realized how wrong he was.
These two nerds have the greatest bromance, I swear. Because of that, I have become another Leokumi shipper. I regret nothing. I hope you enjoy it!