Happy Valentine's day, y'all! I wrote this a week ago and had to restrain myself from posting this early lol Anyway, this is really dumb but this idea was stuck in my head ever since I started The Scholar and The Huntress, so I used V-Day as an excuse to finally write it. Enjoy!

"This ist not funny."

"Pft! S-sorry..."

If looks could kill, Cyrus would have been turned into dust by the incredibly venomous glare that H'aanit was giving him. Instead, he was trying and failing to stifle his laughter at the predicament that she had gotten herself into.

H'aanit continued to glower down at her lover, wishing that she could just erase herself from existence instead of having to endure this embarrassment. She was currently hanging upside down, suspended from a rope that was wrapped securely around her ankles, with the other end thrown over a tree branch and wrapped around the base of the same tree, keeping her securely swaying in the air.

Well, this was certainly a first for her, getting caught in one of her own animal traps. When she had been about to leave the camp to check if the traps had been tripped overnight, Cyrus had eagerly asked to accompany her, and he had lectured the entire walk through the woods about the various hunting practices that he had studied, taking notes when H'aanit interjected with her own firsthand knowledge. Unfortunately for her, she had been so distracted by Cyrus' stupidly alluring charm that she failed to notice when they arrived at her traps, and she had stepped right into one of them, leading to her current awkward position.

"I must say, this is a rather unforeseen turn of events. Perhaps I should take detailed notes of the occasion. What do you think, Linde?" Cyrus said, laughing again as he turned to the snow leopard, who was sitting beside him and licking her paw. She purred and then looked up at H'aanit, tilting her head.

"Thou ist enjoying this too much. Maybe thou wouldst liken to sleep outside tonight?" H'aanit grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as she glowered down at Cyrus.

"I am truly sorry, my dear. It's just that, normally I'm the one who ends up in these kinds of silly situations and you have to rescue me. Oh, how the tables have turned." Cyrus said, clearing his throat to keep himself from laughing again, "I must take advantage of this rare occurrence while I can." H'aanit just rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Can thou getten me down now, if thou ist done making fun of me." she said, her annoyance subsiding a bit as he smiled up at her. She had to admit, he was right. Normally it was her saving him from his own clumsiness, like when he had somehow set fire to the meat he had tried to cook the other night, or when he was so engrossed in a book he was reading one day that he almost walked right off of a bridge and into a raging river. She would let him have this moment.

"Alright, no need to worry. I will have you out of there shortly." Cyrus said, looking around the base of the tree. "Ah, there's the end of the rope, I'll just go over there and-"

"Cyrus, wait! Doest not walken there-" H'aanit tried to warn him, but she was too late, and she could only watch helplessly as Cyrus stepped right into another trap. He yelped as the trap triggered and the rope snapped tight around his legs, yanking him up into the air. He struggled about frantically, trying to free himself, but H'aanit was apparently too good at making traps, and he only succeeded in getting himself tangled in his coat. When he swung close enough to her, she reached out and grabbed him so that he stopped flailing about. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and then his eyes met H'aanit's, and he could only chuckle nervously as her unamused gaze bore into him.

"Whaten was thou juste saying about turned tables?" H'aanit asked as she tugged on his coat to make sure it wasn't wrapped around his neck. Cyrus' face flushed as he averted his gaze.

"Ah, well, it was amusing while it lasted?" Cyrus said lamely, sighing as he let his arms drop over his head in defeat. H'aanit stared at him for a few moments, and she smiled before bursting into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Cyrus quickly grabbed her arms to steady her as her grip on him loosened, and his own laughter soon joined hers. When she managed to compose herself, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, until their noses were barely touching, and she grinned as Cyrus' face flushed.

"Thou ist hopeless, Cyrus. Howen ist someone as intelligent as you so ditsy at the same time?" she teased, and he just chuckled and nuzzled his nose against hers.

"I'm not sure, my dear. The gods must have put too much emphasis on my charisma and intelligence and not enough on my common sense." he said as he cupped her cheek with his hand. "It is why you are a good match for me, my darling H'aanit. You have enough common sense for the both of us. Well, most of the time anyway." H'aanit playfully swatted at him, and they both dissolved into laughter again. Her green eyes met his dark ones and they slowly moved their faces closer and closer, until their lips met. H'aanit never imagined that she would ever be kissing Cyrus while suspended upside down, but she decided it wasn't too bad. She was starting to get a little lightheaded though...

"You two look a little busy up there. Should I come back later?"

Cyrus and H'aanit quickly pulled apart, blushing as they looked down at Olberic, a knowing smile on his face. Linde was standing next to him, gazing up at her partner. H'aanit didn't even notice that Linde had left to find help.

"Please getten us down." H'aanit said, and soon she and Cyrus were finally back upright and on solid ground. Cyrus stretched and sighed with relief.

"Thank you Olberic. And you two, Linde. What would we do without such a smart feline like you watching over us?" Cyrus said, chuckling as he scratched Linde behind her ears. Purring happily, the snow leopard rubbed up against Cyrus' legs, and then against H'aanit's.

"Well, shall we head back to camp then? Everyone else has lunch set up already." Olberic said as he turned and started walking back towards the camp. H'aanit nodded and looked at Cyrus, who smiled and held out his hand. Without a moment of hesitation, she placed her hand in his and their fingers entwined automatically. They moved to follow Olberic, with Linde following close behind.

"H'aanit?" Cyrus asked, and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes?" Cyrus leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek, and she turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

"I love you, my dear." he whispered, and H'aanit's breath caught in her throat at the immense admiration glimmering in his eyes as he looked at her. "And thank you for always putting up with my blunders." H'aanit smiled as she cocked her head at him.

"I loveth you too. Thou puts up withen my blunders as well, so letten us call it even." she said, giving his hand a squeeze. He chuckled, lifting her hand to his lips so that he could place a light kiss on her knuckles.

"Of course, my dear."