A/N: So begins a planned series of Ingway/Mercedes short stories, mostly because we all need some therapeutic fluff for this pairing since they got such a bad ending in the canon. (And because that, as of 12-21-2015, Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir's American release has been delayed to June 7th if Amazon is anything to go by. I'm still sobbing to be quite honest.)
Updates are planned to mostly be sporadic as ideas come to me, although I'll try to post at least once a week.
Held
The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how small of a thing she was.
No, wait. She wasn't a thing. She was a soul, and a beautiful one at that. In fact, he would call her the most beautiful soul he had ever put his eyes upon.
It was a bit funny, but he was absolutely worried he might snap her in half as he drew her close to him, right arm moving to hold her by the small of her back. She must have been surprised, for she let out a tiny, tiny squeak as his other hand took her free one and entwined their fingers together. Such round eyes, shimmering like rubies…
She placed her left hand on his shoulder, shyly moving closer until she was leaning against him on her toes. Cheeks dusted with pink, threads of gold making up her hair, and white flowers making up a crown just a tad too big for her head. Everything was simply delicate and soft.
To her, he must've been toned and rugged, owed to years of living in a forest much less…proper than hers. He twitched, feeling her move her hand down to his chest and over his strongly beating heart. What did she see when she looked at him? Did he appear as a Prince who stood handsome and proud before her or a sorry man who did more bad than good?
A sharp breath left him when she cupped his cheek and brushed her fingers against his messy locks. Soft to the touch, she strained herself just to reach just a bit higher and lightly press her lips to his. His eyes closed and he sighed, lips curving just slightly at the sensation of her eyelashes brushing against his cheek.
They held close to each other, fear still in his chest of breaking her, but not as prominent. The grip of their laced fingers tightened and for a moment, there was no reason for him to breathe as he gave her a grateful kiss back, lifting her until her toes no longer touched the ground.
A tiny whisper left her and he smiled, giving her his reply with full honesty.
"And I just as dearly, love."
