Title: In The Same Direction
Rating: PG-16
Characters/Pairings: Archer x Rin, Shirou x Saber
Word Count: 4,390
Summary: Valentine's Day opens more than a few eyes.
Dedication: To Fuji-nee. This fic owes its origins to your comments about emo!Shirou and his lack of Valentine's chocolate. I'm sorry this seems to have mutated into something more Archer x Rin than Shirou x Saber, but at least it's still there! -is such a bad imouto-
A/N: Ah, a F/SN Valentine's fic. I don't get to do sweet stuff that often, considering that Archer x Rin is my OTP and not really suited for that sort of thing, but I've always felt Valentine's Day kind of changes those rules, at least temporarily. I don't feel it's all that sappy though, so no WAFF warning. Obviously, this one-shot isn't set in the Road to Perdition-verse, but there were certain things I wanted to write that could be set within that continuity just yet. More notes to follow after the fic. Also: Yes, I know who Archer really is. I say he and Rin can get together anyway, and their sheer awesomeness pwns all other F/SN ships.
Cross-posted to fsn(underscore)fiction and my personal lj.
Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Though Rin had only known Saber for a relatively short amount of time, there was one look the blonde Servant had that instantly alerted Rin to the possibility of trouble. Not trouble of the life-threatening sort, that would have actually been useful.
No, the trouble this particular look got Rin on high alert for was a far more annoying one: that of awkward social conventions and the problems that naturally resulted with being over a millennium out of date with them, especially when one's standards had been rather different to begin with. Saber, Shirou, bathrooms, and a distinct lack of body shyness came to mind.
So when Rin saw Saber approaching her with that utterly unique combination of confusion and anxiety she gave a small mental sigh, gathered her resolve, and sipped the last of her tea before putting the cup down and turning to face the slender blonde.
Three…two…one…
"Rin…would you mind explaining something to me?" Saber said her right hand tightly gripping what looked like a crumpled up flyer. "During the past week I have noticed a substantial increase in advertisements for chocolate and flowers…and this came in the mail today. Is there some sort of festival coming up?"
Rin smoothed out the flyer Saber handed her, priding herself on only choking a little at the rather lurid-looking lingerie ad, complete with scantily clad model, plenty of red and pink hearts, and the words "Wow that special someone with Bikutori-ya lingerie sets! Two for one Valentine's Day Sale, now through February 14th! Teddy sets buy one, get half off the second". In the back of her mind the question of why Shirou would be getting mail like this in the first place arose only to be immediately suppressed.
"Probably not the kind you're thinking of." Rin replied, gathering together the scattered shards of her composure. "I'm guessing you never heard about Valentine's Day any of the other times you were summoned."
Saber frowned slightly-something Rin had learned to tell was a sign she was embarrassed with herself. "I wasn't in any sort of position to learn about such things. My situation this time is rather different. But what is Valentine's Day? Some sort of fertility celebration?"
"…Not as long as you're careful."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. I could go on and on about history and such, but I guess the simplest explanation is that Valentine's Day is a holiday dedicated to lovers and love." Rin leaned back in her seat, actually starting to enjoy herself. In her own defense, the look on Saber's face would have tempted a saint...something Rin was not even close to being. "People celebrate it differently all over the world, but here in Japan girls usually give chocolate to the boys they like. If the feeling is reciprocated the girl gets a gift a month later on White Day."
A beat.
"You wouldn't happen to have a reason for asking beyond simple curiosity Saber? If you were just curious you could have just asked Emiya-kun."
The frown Saber was sporting deepened slightly.
"Every time we pass a display, or a store, or an advertisement for chocolate Shirou looks really depressed. In case it was something personal I didn't wish to pain him by asking." Saber took in a deep breath before continuing, "Does…does Shirou want me to give him chocolate?"
At that Rin couldn't hold herself back any longer and snickered. "Honestly, I think he'd be thrilled if you did anything for him at all." She surreptitiously wiped a small tear of laughter out of her eye. "If you really like, I can help you make some chocolate for him. Good thing Valentine's isn't until tomorrow."
Saber's cheeks flushed in a way that would has sent Shirou into paroxysms of bliss had he been there instead of out in the courtyard bickering with Archer.
"Su-such a thing would be inappropriate as I am not Shirou's lov-" Saber managed to get out before Rin silenced her with an outstretched hand.
"Then it can just be friendly chocolate. There's nothing wrong with that, and the moral boost would do him a lot of good. So, do you want me to help you make chocolate for Shirou or not?" Rin let a mischievous smile cross her face as she took in Saber's flustered state. The petite blonde gave as tiny a nod as possible, but it was enough conformation for Rin.
"Good!" Rin said as she clapped her hands together, only a tiny hint of evil glee shining in her eyes. She walked over to the window, where what looked like a typical interaction between Archer and Shirou (Shirou rattled and on the defensive, Archer calm and collected with the just the right amount of disdain showing) was finishing up. "Before we get started there are a few things we need to have."
That made Saber look even more anxious than before. "Such as?"
"Supplies of course, ingredients, some recipes, and most of all", Rin tilted her chin in the direction of the duo currently engaged in a glaring contest (one that Archer looked like he was winning), "a home free of distractions."
Saber nodded in agreement. "I understand your reasoning, but how will you accomplish that?"
Rin smirked. "Don't worry. I have a plan. We'll get all the privacy we need and then some. And stop looking like you think it's going to fail."
"Yes Rin."
"Emiya-kun."
"Aaaaahhhh! Don't sneak up on me like that, Tohsaka!"
"It isn't sneaking up if you just weren't paying attention. Anyway, I need you to go pick up some additional books from my library. I didn't bring them over with all my other stuff, but with all the new stuff that happened lately I think they'll come in handy."
"Tohsaka, it's not like I mind or anything, but wouldn't you rather do it yourself? You'd know exactly what to get better than I would."
"That's true, Emiya-kun, but unfortunately Saber has run into a problem that only another woman can help her with. Unless you want to be the one to explain to her how to use a tamp-"
"I'll do it, I'll do it! Just don't finish that sentence, please."
"Oh, good. I'll send Archer with you to make sure nothing bad happens on the way over or back. When I'm done helping Saber I'll call so you'll know it's safe to come back."
"How kind of you to think of me. I'm sure Archer will be just thrilled to help keep me safe."
"Emiya-kun, don't use sarcasm until you get better at it. That was just pathetic."
"I have a feeling I'm going to be getting a lot of practice at it in the future."
"The amusing part is I think you actually meant that."
"You're going to need that feeling once Archer finds out what you want him to do."
"Possibly, but I doubt it."
"Archer."
"Yes Rin?"
"You're not going to like this, but I need Shirou out of the house for a while. Since you know how easily he gets into trouble, you're going to have to go with him."
"May I ask why Saber simply won't go with him in that case?"
"She needs my help with something here."
"Yare, yare. She finally noticed why Emiya looks like he wants to off himself the closer Valentine's gets?"
"…"
"You of all people should know my eyes aren't to be underestimated, Rin."
"…"
"So, are you planning on having him aimlessly wander around Fuyuki City until you and Saber are done?"
"…I made a list of books for him to pick up from the family library. Once you two are in the manor the kekkai on the grounds should be protection enough. All you need to do then is stay with him in the general area until I let him know he can come back. Three hours should be more than enough time."
"For the sake of my sanity I should hope so."
"Just go already, Archer."
"Very well."
"And…pick up more tea. You know the kind I like."
"Chinese black, fresh picked."
"That's the one. Thank you, Archer."
"Thank me once you actually have it. Is Emiya ready to leave?"
"He should be at the front gate."
"Then I'm off. And Rin…"
"Yes?"
"Good luck. You're going to need it."
Confectioner's chocolate, recipe, molds, food coloring, butter, sugar, wrapping paper, ribbons…everything seems to be in order.
A slight rustling sound broke Rin out of her train of thought. She lifted her gaze from where the ingredients were neatly laid out on the counter to find Saber struggling to tie her apron on. Her lips taking on an amused tilt, Rin walked behind the blonde.
"Let me help you with that." Rin said, hands deftly putting the apron's ties into a tight bow. "Perfect."
"Ah, thank you." Saber replied, frowning a little. "I don't understand why I was incapable of tying it myself."
Rin waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Besides," Rin flipped open the first cookbook to where she had bookmarked a good recipe for beginners, "you have something more important to concentrate on."
Saber looked doubtful, index finger lightly tracing the glossy picture opposite the recipe. "This one is simple enough for me to do?"
Rin took a closer look at the page. "It was one of the simplest ones I could find. I'm sure you can handle it, especially with me helping you."
Saber's gaze slide to the massive pile of confectioner's chocolate on the counter-far more than necessary for just one boy. "The amount of chocolate you purchased seems to indicate the opposite." Green eyes widened in sudden awareness. "Unless you were planning to make some chocolate for Archer?"
With no small amount of horror Rin could feel her face heating up to a shade that was a near perfect match for her shirt. The wickedly amused look in Saber's eyes, so at odds with her otherwise straight face, wasn't helping matters any. Rin desperately cast about for the best response she could.
"Even if I did make Archer some chocolate-which I'm not, so cut that out, Saber-he'd never accept it. Ever. I'll be making my own chocolate, but just so you have an example to follow. Now, do you want to make your chocolate sometime today or not?"
"I await your instructions then."
Meanwhile, at the Tohsaka Manor's archery range…
"Achoo!" -whangtwock-
Archer rubbed his nose, sincerely glad no one had been around when he had sneezed. While missing the target so horribly wasn't nearly as bad as, say, accidentally severing someone's jugular with an off-course arrow (always a possibility in kyudo if one wasn't careful when aiming), it certainly was more embarrassing. Especially if it happened before someone one definitely didn't want to appear the least bit vulnerable in front of.
Emiya is still in the library, thank God… at least I still think he is, Archer thought to himself. Setting down his bow (and subtly pulling out the arrow from the tree it was lodged into before anyone could see it), he walked the length of the grounds until he stood within view of one of the library's windows on the third floor. One Reinforced gaze later revealed the redhead going through a massive pile of books…interrupted by a sudden sneeze.
Archer raised an eyebrow. Is it something in the air here?
And the Tohsaka library…
"Achoo!"
Shirou's eyes watered-the force of his sneeze had dislodged dust from the books straight into the air around his face, and by extension into his eyes and mouth. Coughing, he blinked rapidly until his vision cleared.
When he saw the mess of jostled up (and doubtlessly incredibly valuable) books, Shirou wished his vision had taken longer to come back.
"Tohsaka is going to kill me if anything happened to her books!" Shirou said as he straightened the mess out as quickly and gently as possible. He sighed in relief when it appeared that no permanent damage had been done. Catching the tiniest hint of red in the distance out of the corner of his eye, Shirou looked out the window only to see a perfect green lawn. Must have imagined it. Why would Archer be looking at me anyway?
"I hope that sneeze wasn't a bad omen..."
Rin surveyed the chaotic mess that was Shirou's kitchen with a rueful eye. Needless to say, teaching a knight how to make Valentine's chocolate was more difficult that she originally anticipated. Buying all that extra chocolate truly said something about the depth of her foresight.
"Okay, Saber, lets try one more time. That last one was pretty close until it burned." Rin said, determined to get Saber to produce some acceptable chocolate no matter what. By this point it was a matter of personal pride.
One didn't have to be an expert on Saber's moods to see she wasn't at all encouraged by Rin's comment. The look on her face wouldn't have looked out of place in the midst of battle, with chocolate instead of blood streaked on her face.
"I suppose you think there is no way I could possibly mess up an eighth time, Rin? Such a thing would be unusually optimistic of you."
Rin brushed aside Saber's remark. "This time you and I are going to be working from the same batch. If you mix all the ingredients together and take care of decorating and wrapping your chocolate yourself, while I take care of anything that involves the stove and fire in general we should be fine."
"…Alright."
"Rin, why are you adding jasmine water to your chocolate?"
"…No reason in particular. And be careful when you pour the chocolate in the mold."
"Ah, right!"
When the chocolate was finally done, eirei and mage looked on with thoughtful eyes. While it was impossible to deny that Rin's chocolate looked neater than Saber's, the Servant's chocolate actually didn't look bad. There was certainly nothing wrong with the taste, and that was what counted the most in the end.
"It seems your plan worked, Rin." Saber finally said, pleased look on her face.
"No need to go out of your way to restrain your shock." Rin dryly said, actually feeling fairly pleased herself. "Besides, you still need to wrap it." She looked at the clock, noting that it had almost been three hours since they started. "We better hurry, because I'm not sure how much longer Archer and Emiya-kun can be together and resist the urge to maim each other."
"…" Went the blonde.
"…" Went the brunette.
"I can be done in five minutes."
"Excellent. I'll go make the call now."
The next day…
Emiya Shirou mindlessly swept the courtyard; the uncharacteristic aura of depression around him far more intense then it had been for the last few days. Wistful staring at the sky and anything else that happened to be a certain shade of royal blue completed the picture.
I can't imagine why I was hoping for anything. Does Saber even know what Valentine's Day is? At any rate, I guess it's too late to do anything about it now.
But still, I wish-
"Shirou." Saber said, breaking his train of thought as she tapped his shoulder. For all that Shirou had hoped some sort of miracle would happen, he was far from prepared for dealing with Saber like a normal person, and it showed.
"Saber! Um, do you need something? 'Cause really, I'm totally free to help out right now and I'm sure Tohsaka will think of something for me to do any minute, not that I've seen her at all or Archer for that matter and-"
"Happy Valentine's Day, Shirou. I…I hope you like it. I made it myself so it will probably not look like what you're used to, but it tastes good."
"No, no Saber! It looks really great, and it tastes wonderful!"
"Rin helped me a lot. But I'm glad you like it all the same."
"I love it Saber. Thank you."
"You're welcome…Shirou."
They both blushed, flustered and embarrassed and happy at the same time. Everything was alright again, or at least until White Day rolled around and the awkwardness repeated itself. Such is life.
But that was a month away, and for the moment they were just a boy and a girl and kind of in love.
Rin looked on the scene (or at least what she could see of it from the dining room window) with no small amount of exasperation. Giving up on making any sense of it, she looked away from the two blushing figures in the distance, taking a leisurely sip of her tea. As always, Archer had brewed it perfectly.
"There is a romance that will forever be at a kindergarten level." Archer commented from where he sat next to her, holding his own cup in hand.
Rin sighed in mock frustration. "I'm not going to disagree with you on that point. Those two are just far too similar for their own good. It you want something, you should go for it instead of wasting time being shy." She tried to ignore the complete hypocrisy of her last sentence. The package carefully hidden in her pocket made doing so pretty much impossible despite her efforts.
Gathering up her nerve, Rin studied Archer underneath her lashes trying to get a gauge on his mood. He actually looked like he was in a fairly good one at the moment, his amusement at Shirou and Saber's antics and pleasure with the high-grade tea evident. So much for her plan not to bother if she didn't think she had a chance.
Well, if I going to put myself out on a limb it's going to be on my terms, not someone else's.
Rin took a deep breath before pulling the package out of her pocket and sliding it over the table to Archer. The white-haired Servant's eyes widened in surprise as he realized just what was in the red-wrapped package before they carefully shifted into a more neutral look.
"For me?" Arch said, with a slightly smug look on his face Rin ached to wipe off. She certainly had more than one idea of how to go about doing it, some far more fun than others.
"I don't see anyone else here, do you? No one is forcing you to take it!" Rin snapped, irritated at her own feelings of embarrassment. She made an attempt to retrieve the object in question only to be stopped by Archer's hands (and dammit, he had wonderful hands, strong and deft and graceful) locking firmly around her wrists.
For a few long moments they stayed like that, Archer using his superior strength to keep her still and Rin trying to reign in her temper. Finally Archer loosened his grip, sliding his hands down to cover hers.
"Why would you think I wouldn't want it, Rin?" Archer asked, face completely unreadable.
"You mean besides everything I've ever observed from your personality? I can't imagine." Rin replied, the harshness of her reply undercut by the fact the she was still blushing. It was times like this she wished she had Archer's self-control.
"Normally you'd be right", Archer replied, his voice going husky and a little quieter, "but you're the one who made it."
Archer's words shocked Rin into speechlessness. No, that wasn't entirely accurate. There was also the look in his eyes, turning them from cool dark grey to subtly hot silver. Rin was so caught up in them she hadn't even noticed how close they had been getting to one another until Archer's lips were nearly brushing her own. Unfortunately, Fate intervened just as the distance between them was about to close.
Or to be more accurate, Shirou and Saber intervened. Seconds before the door slid open Archer dematerialized, leaving Rin alone in the room.
"Tohsaka, Saber and I are going out for a bit, but we'll be back in time for din…is something the matter?" Shirou said, poking his head in the dining room.
"…What could possibly be wrong? It's just me in here." Rin replied sarcastically, noting that Archer managed to take his chocolate along with some relief. There was no way she could deal with any questions that would arise over just who the red and white package was for.
"Okay, then," Shirou replied, rubbing the back of his head before shrugging, "We'll be back before it gets too dark out."
Rin gave a small noise of acknowledgement as the couple left. She stared at the two empty teacups side by side on the table and wondered what on earth she should do.
If Archer is having an easier time with this than I am I'll kill him.
As a matter of fact, Archer wasn't having an easier time of things than Rin was. The Servant was sitting on the roof, gazing at the few stars that could be seen in the twilight sky. Outwardly he was composed enough, but it did nothing to alleviate the turmoil he was feeling inside. He absently named various constellations to himself, stopping when he spotted Venus, the glow of the brightest planet unmistakable. But even the goddess of love and beauty wasn't enough to take his mind off of dark hair and sky-blue eyes and the scent of jasmine. Even the chocolate smelled like it.
I really can stop thinking about her. Damn, I was hoping I wasn't that far gone yet. What the hell am I going to do now?
The intelligent thing to do was obvious: nothing had actually happened (even if it had been a near thing), so there should have been no need to dwell on it, especially when there was the Grail to focus on.
Nonetheless, the clear reason of what Archer should do wasn't changing the fact that he still (still!) wished they hadn't been interrupted. He must be losing his mind. Still, without knowing Rin's reaction to what had nearly happened, it was impossible to choose a decent course of action.
Deep in thought as Archer was, he wasn't so oblivious that he didn't notice Rin landing quietly next to him. They sat together in silence for a few moments longer before Rin broke it.
"I thought I'd find you here. You really do like high places."
"They're good for solitude." Archer replied, already gone onto the defensive.
It would take more than that to deter Tohsaka Rin. She ignored it in favor of going straight for the heart of the matter.
"Archer…do you still want to kiss me?"
"Typically direct of you."
"I'm waiting."
"…Yes, for some insane reason."
"If I didn't think I was crazy for wanting to kiss you too, I might have been offended by that."
"No, you wouldn't have, because we both know it's a bad idea, and guaranteed to end painfully for the both of us."
"You know there is one way it wouldn't."
"Staking your hopes on the chance that is the Grail, Rin-"
"Is low, I know. But it's better than nothing." Rin turned to face the Servant, his shoulders stiff with tension. "I've been training all my life to win the Grail, but I've never had any wish in mind. So I'll wish you can stay, after the war is over."
Archer didn't say anything, but there had never been any real need for words between them. The arm he slid around her waist was more than enough. Rin leaned her head against his shoulder with a small sigh, quietly rejoicing in the feeling of comfort that came so rarely these days.
They sat on the roof together until long after the deep violet of the twilight sky faded to the velvet black of night.
Omake-
"Tohsaka, Saber and I are going out for a bit, but we'll be back in time for din…is something the matter?" Shirou asked, poking his head in the dining room.
"Actually, Shirou, why don't you two go out for dinner? And maybe dessert? Here, have 40,000 yen. With that much you can treat Saber to something really nice." Rin replied, radiating sincerity and benevolence. Handing Shirou the money, she quickly pushed the couple out the door. "Stay out as late as you like!"
Once Rin could see Shirou and Saber were safely off the Emiya grounds, she returned to the dining room, where Archer was waiting with a smirk that spoke volumes.
"Kicked him out of his own home, did you?"
"I did it in the nicest way possible," Rin replied as she dropped gracefully onto Archer's lap, "Besides, there's the matter of your return gift to discuss."
"Oh?" One hand traced the curve of her spine.
"I know it's traditionally a month from now," Rin added as she placed a kiss just beneath Archer's jaw, "but I'm not a very traditional girl, after all."
"It's one of the things I like best about you." Archer said just before his mouth slanted firmly over her own.
After that, there wasn't much said at all.
The next day...
"Shirou?"
"Yes, Saber?"
"Has the dining room table always been so...wobbly?"
"...Let's have breakfast on the engawa today. Then we're going shopping for a new table."
Owari
OOC: Jesus. At 17 pages, this is the longest thing I've ever written, one-shot or otherwise. Such is the terrifying power of Archer x Rin. The title comes from the Saint-Exupéry quote (and finding a good title was actually one of the hardest parts). Most this practically wrote itself, mainly because there were so many Valentine's Day antics that could be included. The omake was really how I would have liked to end the story, except being in character is too important to me, and it (sadly) would never happen just like that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to do my shipper ritual with my Archer and Rin mini-figurines (i.e. lecture them on the importance of improving the world's gene pool with lots of perfect, beautiful children, then leaving them alone with chocolate, romantic music, tiny candles, and a doll-house sized bed. It's a sickness, I know.) Happy (belated) Valentine's/Singles Awareness Day, everybody!