A/N: I'm Pineapple Death Match, and I'm a sucker for pining!Alfonse
This was one of like seven oneshots involving Alfonse and my Summoner OC, Reanna, but I'm posting this one because it's the most finished (actually the only one finished) and also it's my favorite.
She didn't talk much. At first, Alfonse assumed the Summoner was just in a mild state of shock – plenty of summoned heroes could take a little while to orient themselves to Askr, especially depending on the state their world was in. She stood around, listening as the small but rapidly-expanding group of Heroes chattered away in the main hall, but never really said much. Occasionally, she'd catch him staring at her, and gave him a little two-fingered salute; a small, private smile on her face. Perhaps… she was just shy?
In the beginning of her second week in Askr, he finally approached her for more than a passing hello, or calling her to the war room. She was sitting alone, in the library, pouring over some ancient text or another, curled up in a little seating area right up against a window. As was usually the case with mornings, she appeared to be chugging enough coffee to kill a large man.
"Uh." Alfonse took a seat at the other end of the reading nook. She moved from a half-lying position on the mat to sitting, swinging her legs over to make more room. "Good morning… Summoner." He cursed at himself. Gods, had he really forgotten her name so quickly..?
"Mornin', Prince Alfonse." Her voice was rich, like chocolate. It filled the air between them with a gentle hum, and then it was gone. She turned the page in her book. "We havin' another war council today?"
Although there were plenty of perfectly logical arguments against befriending heroes, this. This was the real reason. Alfonse had no idea how to engage in small talk – as crown prince, it usually wasn't necessary. Not one-on-one, that is. The summoner took another sip of her coffee, completely at ease.
Alfonse drummed his fingers on his thigh. "Oh, no, I was just…" Think, Alfonse. She's from a world normally beyond the reach of Askr. She's quiet, but a talented strategist. Say something, dammit! "I just wanted…to speak with you. If you're all right with that, of course."
Her response was a noncommittal hum, which…didn't help with the churning in his stomach. She finished off what he was sure was the sixth coffee of the day, and put the mug aside. "Well…we're speaking now."
"Yes." Alfonse replied, probably too quickly. "Yes, I… suppose we are?" He wished he could open a portal to hell right there. Surely never-ending eternal torture was a better alternative to making small talk.
She was smiling, although he wasn't sure if it was at the book or at him. "Do you have something in particular you would like to speak about?"
A wide variety of perfectly acceptable questions flashed through his mind – have you gotten settled? What do you think of Askr? Do you have plans to summon another batch of heroes today? – but what came out of his mouth was "What was your name? S-sorry, I forgot."
She put the book down, and let out a chuckle. Her face was split into a toothy half-grin, like all this was just some joke. "Well, at least you're honest about it." She remarked, her tone dry but still jovial. Her hood was down, so he could see her light brown hair cascading around her face. Her eyes were silver, and always gave him the impression of the stars. She extended a hand towards him, a strand of hair falling into her face. She blew it off. "Nice to meet you, Prince Alfonse. I am you summoner, Reanna."
Her hand was…soft. Very soft. There were a few splotches of dried ink here or there, but he didn't mind. "Nice to meet you, Reanna. The pleasure is all mine." He raised the back of her hand to his face and gently kissed it.
Meeting up in the library and having a chat with Reanna rapidly became a rather important part of the Askerian prince's morning routine. She was… witty. Oddly talkative, when it was just the two of them. Reanna had this uncanny habit of saying something rather dark or serious and following it up with something light-hearted and ridiculous, like they were the same thing.
When Reanna started spending more time with her summoned Heroes, Alfonse didn't mind. If nothing else, both she and the Heroes shared other-worldly origins due to being summoned…it would be an easy thing to bond over, and bonds between Heroes were important in a war. He was glad she was interacting with more people than him and his sister, at least. He was happy to see her joking with Henry, or comforting Sakura after a particularly rough battle. Sometimes Alfonse caught her walking through the castle walls in the evening, listening to Marth recall some battle from long ago in a respectful silence. He felt an uncomfortable tightening in the chest when she finally accepted Virion's request for tea - although she admitted to not being overly fond of tea in general - but it was all pure-intentioned and friendly.
When Alfonse caught Roy teaching Reanna how to spar, it caused that uncomfortable feeling building in his chest to sting. If she wished to wield a blade…she could have just asked him, right? They were sparring from far enough away he couldn't catch their words, but by the young lion's stance he could tell the air was filled not with the clash of blades, but friendly banter. Roy said something, and she lightly smacked him in the arm before tossing him a training sword. It was… uncomfortably easy to tell it wasn't genuine swordplay as much as it was two over-grown children goofing off, and Alfonse left.
Still, he always had his quiet mornings with her in the library, and occasionally he'd ask if she'd care to talk strategy over lunch. One time, she seemed to be lost in her head again. It seemed to be her default state whenever she wasn't talking to somebody, or on some days when she seemed more withdrawn. Reanna idly pushed her food around her plate, eyes staring off into the far distance.
"Is…everything all right, Reanna?" Alfonse asked, not feeling particularly like eating either. She had gotten almost completely out of her shell by then – a young woman whose wit was sharper than any blade, but cared deeply for others. After Bartre had attempted an extremely risky strategy and had gotten KO'd in one battle, she had berated him thoroughly, although… her words lacked bite when she was constantly cutting herself off to ask if he was truly okay.
At his words, she seemed to snap back into herself. Her food left abandoned, she turned to face him, blinking owlishly. It was as if she wasn't even aware he was there, which stung more than he'd dare to admit. "Oh! Yeah, um, I'm okay. Just…thinking, I guess." She shoved some food into her mouth, as if to keep her from saying anything more.
"Would you care to share your thoughts with me? We are friends, after all." He hoped that pushing his own food around might fool her into thinking he had some semblance of appetite, even if he knew it wouldn't work. If she was paying him any attention, that is.
Reanna swallowed, and cupped her cheek in her utensil-free hand. The reason small splatters of ink had a tendency to cover her hands, he discovered, was because she was as avid a writer as she was a reader, and among over things was writing an account of her time in Askr in a state of fervent fixation. She was also left-handed, and loved dragons. She was so ecstatic every time she summoned a manakete or wyvern rider that she was in a perpetual state of smiling for several days afterwards. Her happiness was infectious – he caught himself smiling at her, too.
"Oh, a few of the Heroes have this sort of…thing, with being summoned. Even though we're fighting a war and everything, it's almost as if they're treating being summoned as some sort of vacation from their homes…and responsibilities." Reanna focused on him again, offering him that same small smile she had when Anna first summoned her to Askr. Perhaps it was selfish of him, but Alfonse had grown to consider that smile something special, just for him to see. "It reminded me of one of the sayings back home – about a city well-renowned for gambling and wild lifestyles. 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.' I dunno, maybe I'm just…seeing home in everything."
"As long as they don't act frivolously on the battlefield, I see nothing wrong with the Heroes taking some rest and relaxation in their off-time – they've well-earned it, don't you think?" Alfonse rubbed the back of his neck. "And…it's understandable if you're feeling homesick. Remember that you always have me – and my sister – to lean on."
Reanna chuckled again. "Yeah, I get that. Hey, after this next big battle, we should have a movie night. Make popcorn and stuff. That'll be fun, don't you think?"
"Er…what's a movie?"
A few months passed. Reanna slimmed down considerably, to the point she and a few of the other girls had to make a quick shopping trip to pick up some new clothes. They returned with her wearing the same summoner's outfit, just a couple sizes smaller. It looked rather flattering, and every time a Hero or two turned their heads her way Alfonse felt a particularly dark feeling in his heart he tried to push down.
"You really need to be more careful out there." Reanna chastised him, wrapping a cloth bandage around his arm. Alfonse had noticed a spearman attempting to charge her, and he interceded, only to get hit with a particularly nasty stab in the stomach and arm. As he was no Hero, he would need to be attended to by a staff-user after getting wounded in battle. Until then, Reanna had picked up a habit of patching him, Sharena, and Anna up as best she could before then. "I don't think I can just summon you again if you die, you know."
The room was empty except for the two of them – Heroes recovered their wounds shortly after the battle was over, so there was little to no need for a medical wing. It was kept for the actual army; still fighting on the front lines, if the reports were accurate. "Reanna, that spear-fighter would have killed you had I not interceded." Alfonse smiled, although she was too focused on her task to notice. "It's a sacrifice I would be more than glad to make."
"You might be ready to die like some valiant chump, but I don't think Askr is ready to lose their prince." Reanna pinned the bandage and carefully grabbed his arm, gently twisting it this way and that to see if the bandage would hold. His stomach had already received a similar treatment – as embarrassing as it was, Alfonse still hadn't put his shirt back on. "Well, it'll last until a staff-user comes around, at least." Her eyes…it still caused him some shock to look into them. They were just so very silver, like the moon. Did everyone from her world have such eyes?
He could kiss her, Alfonse realized. He could kiss her right now and nobody else would know. It would be their own little secret – something he had to leverage against all the in-jokes. He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek – she was warm, and soft, like always. "Reanna?"
"Yeah?" Her right eyebrow lifted, but beyond that she didn't move – her expression painfully blank. Alfonse swallowed. He – he really could just, kiss her right? His heart thundered in his chest. He leaned forward, and…
…and the door opened. Alfonse jumped back, avoiding Reanna's eyes. Wrys walked in, using his mend staff to assist him in walking.
"Ah, I see you've already bandaged the young prince's wounds, summoner. I see my lessons have not been in vain." The elderly man lifted a hand to pat her head, and Reanna let out a chuckle.
"You've taught me well, but go ahead and do your staff thing anyways." She walked out, towards the doorway. Before she left, she turned back to face Alfonse completely nonplussed. Could nothing shake this woman? "See you around, Prince Alfonse."
Alfonse felt his face grow warm, but by the time his mind figured out a reply, she was gone.