Title: Moral Support
Author: Scarbie
Fandom/Couple: Louie the Rune Soldier/LouiexIla
Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own Louie the Rune Soldier. I wish…

Ila had to laugh. It was sort of funny sitting next to her dearest friend in the same park that just months earlier she searched for him high and low with a butterfly net. Someone might think how could a man over six feet tall be caught with a butterfly net? Well at the time, Louie was a frog. Apparently that was one of the risks of being best friends with the Magic Guild's resident rare magical items connoisseur.

It was so nice and peaceful. They were sitting so close that their legs touched and they were comfortable enough with each other that there were no efforts to move away. Ila was tempted to sigh regretfully. She was one of the only girls that Louie could be this close to without trying to hit on them. Others that she could think of were his three adventuring companions, Merrill, Melissa, and Genie. But maybe that situation had changed.

Louie and his adventuring friends had high-tailed it out of Ohfun after saving the kingdom seven months ago. They had just returned or rather snuck back in recently. Recently being today. Ila wasn't the adventuring type so she hadn't seen Louie for quite some time. She wondered if his camaraderie with the other women had grown into true friendship while they were away or did it go even deeper. She wondered about the changes in his relationship with the Mylee priestess in particular but now wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

"I really missed you while you were gone, Louie."

"I missed you too, Ila," he smiled at the bespectacled girl. She was the first person he talked to since returning. "How's Gramps doing?"

She chuckled. "He was worried sick about you. Wondering if, 'That Louie was doing something stupid!'"

Louie laughed his loud brash laugh. Hearing that sound again made Ila extremely happy. Most of her other acquaintances were so low-key and reserved. She didn't know anyone else as vibrant as Louie.

"That sounds just like my old man!"

"When we didn't hear about buildings exploding or towns catching on fire, we figured that you were okay… or dead!" she said with a smirk. She cocked one of her eyebrows.

Louie crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

Ila looked at him out the corner of her eye when she said, "Strange feeling to be caught up with dread one minute and relief the next. Very stressful business." She shook her head.

"Ha ha," Louie said sarcastically, "I'll have you know that while I was gone I learned how to use my magic more effectively and my swordsmanship has improved ex… exponentially!" He stood up and started posing and Ila reached for one of his pants' pockets and pulled him back down.

She had to smile at how he puffed up more and more with each word. Sometimes Louie could be a real showoff but he exuded such boyish excitement that one could hardly hold it against him. Especially not her.

Ila patted his thigh. "I've been keeping track of the good things that you and the girls have done."

Louie's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're really making a name for yourself, Louie. I knew you could!" she said and gave him a bright smile.

When she started to remove her hand, Louie placed his larger one on hers. She looked up from their hands and into Louie's earnest blue eyes.

"Thanks, Ila. Thanks for everything, especially believing in me. You know me better than anyone and know how I can goof things up." He looked down and lightly kicked a stray pebble.

The carrot-topped young woman shifted her body so she could look at him easier. It broke the line of contact of their bodies but now it was easier to block out the people coming and going around them.

"Louie, you don't 'goof up.' You just approach situations in a different way. Your way. Sure it can be extremely frustrating at times," she said and furrowed her brows, "and sometimes it doesn't work out…"

Louie was about to cut in but she raised her hand to hush him.

"…but usually it turns out okay, if not for the best." She looked down and it felt like her cheeks were on fire. She had said too much.

Ila's words meant quite a bit to Louie and he remained quiet for a long while. When he felt like he could speak again without his voice betraying his emotions he pulled something out of his pocket.

"Oh yeah! I have something for you!" Louie announced.

"Really!" Ila's green eyes lit up. She loved gifts.

"Why're you acting so surprised? I told you I was gonna get you a souvenir." He handed her the small box.

As she hefted it up to test its weight and possibly identify what it was, Louie started giving a description of why he picked the mystery gift.

"I know you like rare things and in my travels, I've come across all kinds of weird stuff." Louie stopped talking and watched the girl balance the small box on her forehead while moving her head back and forth.

"Weird stuff, huh?"

Louie nodded and sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, would you open it already!"

Ila moved the box from her forehead and placed it in the palm of her hand. "Usually it's the gift receiver that should be impatient, Louie."

"Well you know me. Have to be different," Louie drawled.

Ila opened up the small box and it revealed a jewelry box. This really piqued her interest. Was it a necklace, a pin, earrings?

She opened the box and gasped. It was a ring!

"I found this ring during one of our adventures. Merrill kept trying to take it from me. I had to put it someplace she wouldn't wanna go."

Ila was so busy looking at the rose gold ring with the fashionably large green stones that she didn't register the implications of Louie's last statement. Even if she did, Louie would have assured her that it had been cleaned afterwards by a jeweler. The band was thicker than what she would've picked out for herself but it was lovely.

"I took it in to be identified and they said that the ring crafted by dwarves and it symbolizes friendship, trust, and good luck. And it was pretty. I thought of you immediately."

Louie was barely able to finish his sentence when he found Ila's arms wrapped tightly around him. He immediately returned her enthusiastic hug. He stroked her long hair and said, "I take it you like it?"

She loosened her hold and said, "I more than like it. I love it."

"And I love you, Louie," she added silently and hugged him tightly again.

They stayed locked in their embrace for a while but Louie knew that he couldn't stay there forever.

"I guess I better go get yelled at by Gramps," he said none too happy. He looked down at her. "You wanna walk me to my death?"

She leaned her head against his chest. "You want me to be your moral support?" She felt him nod his head.

"Yeah, why stop now?"

THE END

A/N: I originally wrote this story for the 15hugs community on livejournal. The theme was "Glomp!" I hope you enjoyed it!