The forests of Valentina were bright in the daytime, dappled patches of shade and sunshine through the leafy canopy made for a comfortable trek Celica's party would hold as a time of their best memories together. Birds sang, a gentle breeze blew, and it was a perfect day to let one's mind wander.

Valbar wasn't sure when he started to notice Leon more. Sure, they'd been best friends for years. They were always by each other's sides, arrows and lance flying together in tandem, each the other's guardian angel.

Now he was drawn to Leon in an odder way, puzzling over him with the feeling there was just something Valbar was missing. All of Leon's vivid details popped out to him, as though Leon was a painting and he couldn't help following the artist's strokes over and over. His bright lavender hair, his laugh, everything- created someone too kind and affectionate for war. Or perhaps, such purity of heart was what drove Leon to fight. Valbar could accept that.

But the biggest most confounding mystery to Valbar was how Leon was still single.

"You're tall, you know that?"

Leon looked at Valbar with surprise. Had Leon always looked that dashing in armor? Probably. "Uh, yes? The horse helps."

Ah yes, Leon was a bow knight now. He was as striking as ever on a gilded steed, lithe and deadly. "Hmm, you're right. You're still tall anyway."

Leon laughed, playfully nudging Valbar's shoulder as they followed behind the main party. "Oh please, you're jealous I think. We'd have to find a Clydesdale to support all that dreamy brawn."

Valbar grinned. "Dreamy? Who's dreamy? Listen- I've said it before, although you brushed me off, but any lass would swoon for you."

Leon tossed his hair over his shoulder and snorted. "Oh excuuuuuse me?! Valbar PLEASE- I have no interest but my deep love for-" Leon hesitated-, "someone who doesn't love me back."

"I find it hard to believe anyone in this world couldn't love you, Leon."

Leon, usually composed and aloof, blushed brightly. "Well- it's how it is."

"Who is it?"

"Nope!" Leon forced a playful huff. "Classified information!"

Valbar hummed, folding his arms as they followed a well trodden path. He assumed they'd be coming to a village or possible hunter's campsite soon. "How about this- I find out who it is, because I bet I can, and I'll be your wingman. Deal?"

Leon sighed and gave Valbar a wistful look. It hurt his heart to be doubted like this by Leon, but he'd show him. "Valbar, my dearest friend, you'll literally never guess who."

"Challenge accepted. I'll have an answer in ten minutes."

"Oh really?"

Valbar didn't have the faintest idea, but the game was on. He scanned the group ahead and Leon huffed, as though Valbar was wrong already. Who would be so unattainable that Leon would pine so agonizingly? He tried to think of who simply couldn't marry Leon for whatever reason. "Hmmm. I got it."

Leon blanched, bracing himself. "And?"

"Princess Celica. She's royalty, so you can never have her, it must- hey! Why're you laughing?!"

Leon was almost out of his saddle, wheezing with mirth. "No! Oh my god!" Kamui, silent as a shadow in front of them, was also stifling laughter. "Not a damn word Kamui!"

Valbar chuckled himself. "Oh Kamui knows? I must be bad at this. I'll keep guessing." He'd never lost a mission in his life, and he wouldn't start now. Who could possibly resist Leon's charm? Valbar contemplated in silence, occasionally giving Leon and Kamui hard stares when they chuckled at how stumped he was.

Valbar waited until dinner, purposefully dining away from the group with Leon and Kamui. Leon had an obviously false sense of security, drinking his soup with an air of unconcerned irreverence. Valbar looked Leon in the eyes. "Alright, I got it. Sonya."

"WHAT?!" Soup sprayed out of Leon's nose and he coughed, laughing so hard he cried.

Kamui thumped Leon on the back with a smirk of his own. "Valbar, you gotta give the poor guy a warning, you trying to kill him?"

Valbar rolled his eyes. "What! You're both gorgeous, powerful people. Your hair matches! You're both just too stuck up to work out!"

Leon gagged and coughed again, finally able to breathe. "/No/, oh wow!" He held up his hands and exchanged a glance with Kamui. "Alright, alright. First of all, my hair is better, but I forgive you. I'll give you a hint, so I can survive this quest without dying on anything else." Leon gave Valbar a wink. "Your guessing pool is completely the wrong gender."

Valbar blinked. "Oh." He looked back at the party a little ways away, a self satisfied grin on his face. "Well now you've really given yourself away!"

Leon hurriedly glanced back and forth between Valbar and the rest of the band. "Valbar I- please don't let it change anything, I-"

"It's Jesse."

Leon groaned as Jesse, at the mention of his name, leaned towards them with a cheery wave and wink. "Please keep talking about me!" he shouted.

Leon gave Valbar a withering look. "While he might be objectively handsome- no."

That night in their tent the three friends laid in their own sleeping rolls, the only sounds being each other's' breathing and the chirps and whispers of the forest. Valbar had never been much of a person for riddles, but he couldn't stop thinking about who had such a hold on Leon's heart. He stared at the back of Leon's lavender head as he slept, thinking about his graceful lethal movements on the battlefield, how he was like a mystical creature whose beauty was stunning but his lightning reflexes were quick to kill his foes. Leon was one of the most brilliant archers Valbar had ever met, and yet he respected him for his radiant outlook on life as much as he did his valor in combat.

Valbar shifted in his sleeping bag, taken with an odd wave of protectiveness. Leon didn't need to be protected- half the time his nimble fingers struck enemies with arrows before Valbar even spotted them, and yet he fully realized in that moment that he'd be devastated if he ever lost Leon.

"There a spider in my hair? You're staring."

Valbar jolted, so lost in thought he hadn't noticed Leon roll over. He scanned for spiders just in case. "Nope. No. No spiders. You're good."

Leon smiled and closed his eyes again. "Good. Don't tell me you're still thinking about who I might like, that's practically obsessive at this point."

"No. Uh. I was just thinking about you." Valbar tried to find the right words to breach the depth of his feelings. "You fight good."

Kamui groaned and threw a pillow at both of them, making Valbar and Leon muffle their mirth like children trying to not be caught staying up too late. It was the purest form of being in cahoots with someone, of playful eye contact and lightheaded joy at having a bond beyond words.

Valbar's last thought before closing his eyes was that whoever had Leon's love was the luckiest man alive.

"I have another guess."

Leon rolled his eyes, overly exaggerated and fighting a fond look as they traveled side by side again. "Ready to be wrong again, Valbar?"

"Saber. Listen- LISTEN- he's got great hair, roguish charm, incredible skill in battle, an eyepatch- what's not to like?"

"Sorry- are you trying to convince yourself, perhaps? Still not the man for me."

Saber, who happened to be a few yards away, shot Leon a teasing look. "I know you're nothing like my type, but it kinda stings."

"Likewise." Leon dramatically clutched his chest, almost falling off his horse. "Oh- I'm wounded by your lack of desire for such perfection I embody!"

Valbar gave the matter some serious thought. Was it someone outside of their party? That would make sense as to why Leon thought he'd never guess. He tried to imagine if he himself had Leon's preferences. Valbar hadn't considered men to be an option for romantic or intimate partners. Would Leon want someone like himself, androgynous and slender? Perhaps opposites attracting still applied to the same gender. Valbar recalled all the times Leon complimented his muscle and brawn, how comfortable and affectionate Leon was in general, and wondered if Leon did happen to prefer guys who looked like Valbar himself.

He knew the answer. It shouldn't have been so difficult.

They camped in a clearing again, but this time Valbar caught Leon before dinner. "Leon."

Leon turned to him, blinking as he took in the serious but soft tone of Valbar's voice. His face fell. "You know, don't you?"

"Can we talk privately about this?"

Leon nodded and they slipped away, silent except for the cracking of twigs under their boots. Once they were sufficiently out of earshot Valbar carefully sat down on a fallen log, patting next to him where Leon nervously perched, eyes averted. Valbar took his rare silence as a cue to speak. "When we first met, you were stricken with grief over a boy. From what I gather, he was a fine lad- strong, capable, dear to you, and unfortunately, unlucky. While most in our barracks lose friends on a battlefield, I believe you lost something different. You loved him, didn't you?"

Leon sighed, turning to face Valbar with a bittersweet smile. "Yes, I did love him. A boyhood friend taken from this world too soon." He sighed and kicked his legs. "Valbar, was that your only guess?"

"Uh, yeah. I figured you didn't want to discuss that in front of everyone."

"Then you're only half right." Leon stood and gazed at the moon, letting the silver light hit his hair and glowing bow like an ethereal hunter, taking Valbar's breath away for a moment. "I don't know when it happened, to be honest. I'd been grieving for what felt like an eternity to my youthful heart, when someone showed me life was still worth living. Someone who'd lost so much more than me was always there to cheer me up, to be everything to me when I thought I'd never smile again. I grew up with him as a mentor, really truly learned what's important in life, and that even a broken heart can love as deeply as ever. To love, to care- that's what it means to actually live.

"Valbar, I learned all that from you." Leon's voice was clear but soft as a whisper. If Valbar wasn't mistaken, Leon's eyes were moist as he spoke, words tumbling out of him with a sniff. "I love you in every definition of the word. My best friend, my brother in arms- I want the best for you, and- and I want a life with you. I want to be at your side no matter the context. I- I couldn't say it so directly knowing what you've been through, knowing I'm so Different from most people, knowing I might jeopardize what we have. Your company is all I could ever want. Please- please-" Leon choked and dragged his sleeve across his face. Only Valbar saw him vulnerable like this. Only Valbar was trusted to not break Leon when his defenses were down. "Please don't think anything different of me."

Touch wasn't foreign to the pair. Camaraderie and affectionate arms slung around shoulders, pats on the back, and embraces were commonplace. Valbar gently laid a hand on Leon's arm and brought him close, standing up to let Leon lean on him. His large palm fit against Leon's tearstained cheek, warm and reassuring as he tucked Leon's gossamer hair behind his ear. Leon's eyes grew wide as Valbar's fingers lightly brushed his cheek, a gesture almost too tender from such a bulk of a man.

"When I look at you, I think of our years together. I yearn to see you smile and laugh, enjoying life with a contagious smirk. I want to know you're cherished and loved every day, that you will never have to weep alone." Valbar allowed himself a grin at Leon's shocked face. "And I believe that if you want something done right, you do it yourself."

"Val- I- what?!" Leon spluttered, face turning warm. "You aren't, you know, uh-"

Valbar chuckled. "I kept racking my brain for who you're so smitten for and I started to get a bit jealous of him. It's not something I ever thought about before. We've both suffered what no one should have to, Leon. We aren't able to fill holes in each other's hearts. You aren't like my wife and family- you're something different. Completely new. And if these feelings for you had to be put into only a few words, well-

"I love you too."

Leon beamed at Valbar, euphoria radiating from his face. "I- uh. God. I don't know what to do! I'm speechless! Can you believe that?" It was an odd rush of emotions, that everything had changed and yet nothing at all. He glowed with happiness and basked in it, finally not having to barely manage to hide the depth of his feelings from Valbar.

Valbar stroked Leon's hair, taking in his soft features with new wonder. "Now, I may have proven myself rather daft or oblivious from time to time-" Leon laughed, "-but I know a thing or two about romance." Valbar swept Leon off his feet and spun in a circle hard enough to steal their breaths away.

Leon hung onto Valbar's broad shoulders for dear life, yelping and giggling before they came to an abrupt stop. His eyes widened in surprise as Valbar dipped him back, the strong arms around Leon's waist supporting him easily as his booted foot barely touched the ground.

"Wow," breathed Leon, windswept and still giddy.

"Dramatic enough for a first kiss?"

Leon brought his hand to Valbar's cheek, dragging his fingertips along Valbar's jaw. His eyes were soft and lovestruck as he angled his head closer to Valbar's. "What're you waiting for?"

Their first kiss was soft and curious, as delicate as a new sprout emerging from a seed. With every slow unspoken declaration of love passing between their lips, they pressed closer and closer to becoming one. Lips melded together with soft sighs and adoring gazes, the ebb and flow of their kisses as natural as a lazy tide.

They parted only enough to talk, foreheads pressed together in a sacred moment only for the two of them. Leon trembled slightly despite his best efforts, nerves high and overwhelmed with emotion, yet anchored and calmed by Valbar's sturdy embrace. "I love you. I shall never tire of saying it."

"I love you too."

They meandered back to camp, slipping into their tent after sneaking leftovers from dinner. They knew the war would go on, their perilous march on Rigel would demand they risk their lives with every dawn until the empire fell. And yet, no matter how bleak their future seemed, there was a thread of hope for a new life of bliss they'd already had a morsel of.

Leon crawled onto his sleeping bag, giving Valbar a pout at the small distance between them. Valbar glanced at the sleeping Kamui, decided he didn't care what Kamui might think, and pulled Leon close to him with one arm. They curled up close on their sleeping rolls, nestled perfectly together.

"Thank Mila," muttered Kamui across the tent, startling them both. He splayed his limbs out and took up Leon's vacant sleeping spot with a self satisfied grin. "Free real estate."