Series: Fire Emblem – Rekka no Ken
Genre: Fluff, slice of life, romance, shounen-ai
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, nor do I own the lyrics to Paramore's "Still Into You". Oneshot, Wil x Rath
Author's Note: So this is my first time writing a fic... Sorry if it's trash LOL I honestly can't get enough of this pairing though and I just had that momentary urge to write at 3:40 AM. Feedback appreciated!
sing a song for me
It was hard to remember the last time they weren't scrambling on the battlefield. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky above a beautiful splash of pink and orange. Clouds waltzed in the air, gently covering the sun and signaling that evening had arrived. The weather was perfect – not too warm and not too cold – something that many people in the Army weren't able to say in a very long time. Ah, yes, days like these were rare indeed. Wil couldn't help but smile; it was these kinds of days, these peaceful, beautiful, serene, and completely perfect days, that made life worth fighting for.
The young man lazily picked himself up from the pile of blankets he situated himself on top of and stretched his arms and legs, struggling to resist the urge to lay back down and return to his blissful slumber. He turned to look behind him, expecting to see his tent mate, but it seemed like Rath had already gotten up and wandered off. Wil sighed, feeling a twinge of loneliness. Sunsets like these were made to be watched with a loved one, and lord knows that he hadn't seen one as beautiful as this in ages. After roughly combing his hair with his hands and brushing stray blades of grass off his clothes, he gathered up the blankets and slowly made his way down the hill and back to the tents. As he approached the camp, the scent of roasted meat and vegetables wafted into his nose, followed by the sound of his own stomach grumbling.
"That's right, it's almost dinner time," the brunette thought aloud to himself. "I wonder what Lowen is cooking up today. It smells absolutely divine." Taking one more look at the sky, he continued, "Was I really asleep for that long? It was still bright outside when I came here..."
After haphazardly tossing the blankets into the corner of his tent, Wil was about to head to the dining area, but not before realizing that he had forgotten something VERY important: his bow. The archer raced frantically back to the hill, assuring himself that nobody would've taken it, anyways. It was impossible, he told himself. That was their special spot. Only he and Rath knew about it. So when he arrived, panting heavily, with his bow nowhere to be seen, anxiety quickly became of him.
"Maybe I dropped it on my way back here," Wil began stammering to himself in between gasps for air. "No, that's stupid. What kind of person just casually drops their weapons and doesn't notice it? But if that's not the case... Did animals take it? Well, why would they? It isn't like they have the opposable thumbs to use it, anyways. Or maybe it's still in my tent and I didn't see it earlier?"
He suddenly stopped in shock. "Oh gosh – what if it's been claimed by the enemy? What if they're actually here right now and I've just given away our location?" Wil paced back and forth, struck with horror at the realization that he might have just jeopardized his and his comrades' lives. Let it be said that he was also forgetting there were no enemies nearby to begin with, since they had already taken care of the remaining bandits the week prior He panicked for a few more minutes before deciding that the most probable case was that he had simply overlooked his bow, and that it was lying in his tent the entire time.
Still exhausted from the uphill jog, he strolled back down, catching his breath and praying to the gods that his bow was, in fact, still at the camp, when a certain sound caught his attention and stopped him entirely in his tracks. It was vaguely identifiable – a voice? But whose voice was it? Curiosity getting the best of him, the bowman took a small detour and headed instead towards the forest just west of the campsite.
"It's not a walk in the park, to love each other..."
Wil could barely make out the words. The voice of a man, singing. Smooth. Yet cool. Slightly deep. And all too familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar at the same time. The wandering teen scanned the area carefully, but to no avail, and decided to follow the sound a bit more.
"But when our fingers interlock..."
Making his way past the maze of shrubbery, Wil paused to listen to the singing once more. It was oddly comforting, and he couldn't help but feel his tension melt away as the voice tickled his ears. It had been so long since he heard a good song...
"I can't deny, can't deny that you're worth it..."
Suddenly, a tall figure emerged from the thickets. Wil's sharp eyes immediately recognized him. The pine-green hair, the brown bandana, the slightly ripped tunic, the worn leather boots – it was none other than the lone wolf himself. His boyfriend, Rath, continued to sing to himself, oblivious to his intently listening audience. It was only after Wil gave a forcibly obvious "ahem" that he turned around, and he did so quite hastily, his cheeks hot and flustered.
"I-I didn't know... you were standing there," the nomad stumbled over his own words, which was very uncharacteristic of him. Wil's lips turned a smile; seeing Rath so vulnerable was kind of cute.
"You sing beautifully," he chirped as he moved towards his tent mate, who was frozen in embarrassment. "What are you doing out here, anyways? Dinner's about to be served."
Rath held up a basket filled with field mushrooms. "Rebecca said she needed more, but the ones at the market were expensive and I knew that there were some nearby, so I volunteered." He smiled, something he didn't do often, but when he did, it was enough to make Wil's heart sprout wings and take to the sky. "By the way, you left this."
The older boy handed Wil his bow, and Wil heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it wasn't lost, he whispered to himself.
"Shall we?"
Sunset had transformed into night, and the pair made their way back to the glowing campfire, a thankful Lowen and Rebecca, and a very upset and hungry Serra.
"What took so long?!" the pink-haired girl sassed. "Some of us are STARVING here!"
But Wil and Rath paid her no mind. They were too preoccupied with something else.
The brown haired boy closed his eyes and hummed.
"'Cause after all this time..."
The nomad followed, a small grin forming on his normally expressionless face.
"I'm still into you."
Serra grumbled and rolled her eyes. "First you're late and now you're songbirds? For St. Elimine's sake, if you're going to sing, at least sing on key, Wil!" she hissed, after which Nils chuckled at her.
Turning to the young bard, she protested, "You call THIS music?"
Nils beamed.
"Don't you know?
That's what love sounds like."