Both

. . .

The party was a success, to say the very least. Decorations were set up in the common room, confetti stuck to virtually every surface in the room thanks to Zeke, the cake provided was bigger than any Hugo or Luca had ever seen with their own two eyes but most important of all; Phym was smiling. She was smiling brighter than she ever did, genuine happiness and awe filling out her face.

"Zeke really outdid himself here, didn't he," Luca said quietly, leaning slightly into Hugo's space as to not be overheard.

"I'd say going overboard would be the more accurate statement here", came the equally quiet reply.

Luca shot him a pointed look. "When does Zeke not go overboard?"

They both shared a quiet laugh, heads still slightly leaned towards each other to savour the private moment.

"HEY, lovebirds," Zeke yelled as he came shuffling over to them with two plates of cake dangerously balanced on one of his hands, waving at them with the other.

They both froze simultaneously, immediately backing away from each other slightly. Out of the corner of her eyes Luca could see the tips of Hugo's ears turning red and had to suppress a small chuckle. Hugo, fearless leader of the Hounds, fighting terrifying monsters 80 times the size of him every day, gets embarrassed over comments pertaining his love life. Noted.

This could come in handy, she thought grinning to herself, not even trying to hide her amusement anymore when Hugo looked at her with slight annoyance, clearly having figured out she was silently laughing at him.

Zeke handed them a plate with a generously sized slice of cake each, looking around the room and then back to them. "Pretty neat, huh? What we pulled off in just a few short hours, I mean. You like it, right? Right?"

"We do-" they both said at the same time and stopped themselves, earning a raised eyebrow from Zeke.

Hugo cleared his throat before continuing. "We do like it, it's incredible Zeke. Thank you. This seems to be exactly what Phym and, to be truthful, all of us seemed to have needed."

All three of them looked over to Phym who was standing on the other side of the room next to Lulu, who tried to show her how to use a party horn. The way the little girl's eyes lit up whenever Lulu blew the horn and made it extend was heart-warming to the point it caused Hugo's heart to ache.

His expression apparently did not go unnoticed as Luca's elbow suddenly touched his own. Just slightly, just so. The small gesture and point of contact was enough to ground him in reality again and banish the dark thoughts of the previous events from his mind.

He shot her a small but grateful smile and shifted his attention back to Zeke who was eyeing them again.

"What? Something on my face?"

"You guys…", Zeke began, and Luca could feel the nervousness spreading throughout Hugo at Zeke's tone of voice.

He sounded suspicious.

Zeke does not do suspicious.

"Did something … happen between you two?"

Now it was Luca who stiffened. "Happen? What- What do you mean?" she asked feigning ignorance and cringed at the nervous chuckle that accompanied her words.

Zeke looked between them once, twice, then regarded Hugo with a knowing look.

That's it. He knew. He definitely saw them making out in the women's quarter earlier when-

"She gave you another lecture, didn't she?"

What.

"What?" Hugo voiced her thoughts and looked at Zeke just as confused as Luca felt.

"Well, considering how you went after her when we all got back and the fact she didn't let you live down your reckless solo mission plan last month for over a week, I can only assume she gave you a proper earful for putting yourself in danger again."

She stared.

….

And then she started laughing. Full on stomach holding, bending down laughing. Tears appeared at the corners of her eyes, and she categorised this moment as one of the funniest to ever happen to her.

Zeke started grinning proudly, seemingly taking her reaction as confirmation to his masterful deduction.

"R-Right", Hugo started, still slightly bewildered at the absurdity of the entire situation. "You're, uh, you're right. She did lay into me pretty hard." A small chuckle. "But I guess I deserved it."

Awkwardly scratching the back of his neck Hugo turned to Luca who was just now starting to calm down from her fit, wiping the corners of her eyes with her free hand.

"Good job as always Luca. If not for you, this guy probably would have been dead ten times over."

"I try my best", she replied, breathing still a bit ragged but smiling big and wide, the remnants of her laughter still evident in her face.

Zeke left them soon after to help himself to more cake while Luca and Hugo went their separate ways, spending time with their teammates for the first time after the rescue mission.

While Hugo conversed with Hilda about possible future scenarios now that Phym was back with them, Luca sat next to Claire, discussing the various colours and shapes of decorations Zeke had put up with her help and how this was the first proper party either of them ever participated in.

The evening went on without any notable occurrences. The cake had been demolished, Amy discreetly excused herself after the first balloon popped and almost gave her a heart attack, Zeke tried to convince Hilda to open that one bottle of-age old wine in her cupboard and Phym was silently snoring in Lulu's arms.

"I'll bring her to bed", Lulu mouthed in Luca's direction who nodded and returned her attention to the heated exchange between Hilda and Zeke.

"Stubborn idiot", came a voice beside her, identifying itself as Keith as Luca turned her head.

"Does he not know how dangerous it'd be to get drunk now? What if we get attacked by an Aragami? What if an Ash Storm appears?"

Keith shook his head as he leaned against the wall next to her, eyeing his older brother with a mixture of exasperation and pity.

"Don't worry, Hilda isn't one to give in that easily", Hugo chimed in when he sauntered over to them, taking a seat next to Luca.

"You sure about that?" Luca asked amused, nodding towards Hilda who heaved a big sigh and let her shoulders sink in what could only be described in defeat, turning around and leaving the room with pointed steps, Zeke following behind her with a shit eating grin adorning his features.

"Unbelievable. I'm out", muttered Keith. "Not dealing with this today." He pushed himself off the wall, said his goodbyes to Hugo and Luca and made them promise to not let Zeke drink himself into oblivion.

"It's just one bottle.." Luca mumbled, silently judging Keith's reaction a little. "I think everyone deserves to let loose a little tonight, especially after we have almost literally been chewed and spit out by the world around us."

Hugo smiled at that.

"Have you ever drank alcohol?"

"Not really. I've had a sip of Ricardo's prized whiskey once, which is apparently what he spends most of the money he makes on the Chrysanthemum on."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow

"Seriously, that stuff was vile. I can't believe anyone would want to spend their entire pay on something so-" She paused. "What? Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"So you've never actually drank alcohol. How quickly do you think you'd get drunk, drinking properly for the first time? How quickly do you think Zeke would get drunk?"

The emphasis he put on Zeke's name made Luca's eyes widen in realisation of the point he was trying to make, and she couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. Zeke drunk... she could perfectly see now why Keith would be concerned. Uncoordinated and clumsy at the best of times, a disaster waiting to happen when even the slightest bit tired or disoriented... Yeah, it would probably be in their collective safety's best interest not to let Zeke have any alcohol tonight. Or ever.

As if on cue, the man himself walked back with a triumphant smile, holding a medium sized bottle with dark liquid in his hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen", he began, "Miss Hilda Enriquez has been so kind as to-"

He was cut off abruptly by Hilda appearing behind him and plucking the bottle from his outstretched hands, taking a stance next to him. She surveyed the room that was presently occupied by Luca, Hugo, Ricardo, Claire, Zeke and Hilda herself.

"This is a bottle of red wine, produced at Port Chrysanthemum", she announced to the room. "As you know, resources are rare. Fruits and vegetables even more so. That is why we only ever produce one bottle a year, if even that. This is last year's bottle. I wanted to save it for a special occasion", she paused. "And this seems to be as good a time as any."

When Hilda made clear she would be the one distributing the alcohol and walked around the room, handing everyone a glass, Claire furrowed her brows a little and declined the glass offered to her politely, whereas the two boys were eager as any to get their hands on the rich, dark liquid. When she came to a stop in front of Luca and Hugo, still sitting next to each other towards the back of the room, they quickly looked at each other and then accepted Hilda's offer with a grateful nod.

Instead of wine, Claire was supplied with a glass of water mixed with a type of sweet syrup which, according to its description, was supposed to resemble the taste of a popular fruit back in the old times called "raspberry", whatever that was. She carefully took a small sip and decided she liked the mixture of sour and sweet, creating a unique taste she never came across before.

Hilda moved back to the middle of the room and raised her glass, looking at everyone in the room for a few seconds before speaking.

"This has undoubtedly been a difficult time for all of us. But we pulled through and, as far as I am concerned, came out stronger than ever before. We are back together, safe and sound, at least for the moment. That deserves some well earned praise. All of you deserve some well earned praise."

"To us!", she exclaimed, and everyone clinked their glasses with the person closest to them.

"To us", Hugo repeated quietly when he raised his glass against Luca's, giving her a look that made her feel warm inside.

"To us." She returned the smile he gave her with one of her own, her eyes crinkling, and gently brought the rims of their glasses together.

It took about three sips until Zeke started slurring his words and three quarters of a glass for him to stumble back to the boy's room, slurring something along the lines of "H-Hilda … 's was a … a good … a good party… bed."

Claire made her leave not long after, clearly exhausted, and thanked Hilda for her hospitality once again.

Ricardo had been asleep on one of the sofas for the past half hour, apparently having been drinking parts of his own whiskey secretly during the entire celebration already.

The only ones left awake were Luca, Hugo and Hilda.

With a slight "clank" Hilda finished her glass and put it down on the table next to the still half full bottle of wine. "Right, it's time for me to call it a night too. Apart from the fact I am responsible for this Ash Crawler, I doubt that this peace will last long, considering everything that has happened."

She smiled softly at Luca and Hugo, still sitting next to each other on one of the benches near the back of the room.

"Don't stay up too long you two. And..", she nodded towards the bottle on the table. "Don't overdo it."

With that she stood up and quietly exited the room, dragging the half conscious Ricardo behind her and giving them one last wave before letting the door fall shut behind her.

The room was silent, safe for the slight hum of the jukebox on the other side of the room. Hugo let his head fall back slightly and let out a sigh. Next to him Luca turned her head slightly to look at him and studied his face and closed eyes with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you're already buzzed?"

He smiled at that. "No, I'm not. I don't want to sound ungrateful."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed again and repositioned his head slightly so he could look at her.

"I'm… kind of glad the party is over." He paused, trying to find the right words. Luca gently nudged his leg with her own, signalling to him that he didn't have to overthink when with her. Hesitating for a moment, he continued. "It is ... exhausting. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed myself and am beyond grateful for what everyone has put together tonight. Especially for Phym's sake. But lately, I just can't seem to shake the thoughts of what happens after."

He shifted his body slightly and lifted his right hand, carefully touching Luca's cheek and letting his thumb stroke featherlight patterns over it. Luca's breath caught in her throat and she stared at Hugo, waiting for him to continue and trying to ignore the nervous lump that started to form in the pit of her stomach.

"What would happen if we lost one of us? What would happen if Phym got taken from us again?" His expression became pained, a sharp line appearing in between his eyebrows. When his eyes found hers again, he continued with a shaky breath; "What would happen if I lost you?"

The look in his eyes said all the things he couldn't bring himself to speak out loud and Luca's heart ached. It ached for the man in front of her, for the burden he… they all… had to carry, it ached for the pain and fear she could see in him. So when his hand began to slowly slip from her cheek, she raised her own to keep it right where it was, pressed against her face, leaning into his touch and closing her eyes for a split second. When she opened her eyes again she looked at Hugo; looked at his eyes, the messy strands of his dark hair falling over his forehead, his nose, his cheekbones, his lips.. She looked at all of it, not saying a word. Then, she leaned in.

Slowly, she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips gently against Hugo's, her hand still holding his own against her cheek. She kissed him once. Twice. A third time. When she pulled back enough to look at him, the most obvious traces of worry were gone from his face. But the fear, it was still there, just there behind his eyes.

"You won't lose me", she said quietly. "You won't ever lose me. We're together in this. Always have been, always will be. I will always be by your side. If we go down, we'll go down together."

The last part of her sentence clearly displeased Hugo to an extent but he decided against commenting on it and instead heaved a sigh and let his head fall forward until his forehead rested against Luca's.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. All of us are scared. No one is completely indifferent to the situation we're in. No one expects you to be either."

"I know, I just" He stopped and took a shuddering breath. "This?" He waved his free hand between the two of them. "This just makes everything so much worse."

Luca stiffened at that. Realising how his words might have come across, Hugo quickly explained. "No, no. That's not what I meant. Luca, you…" He used the hand that was still held against her cheek by her own to tilt her face up just slightly, bringing her on eye level with him. "I love you."

Her heart stopped.

"I love you so much. I think I have loved you ever since we were kids. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me in this sorry excuse for a world. Without you, I would never have gotten as far as I did. I never would have survived Pennywort if I didn't have you by my side. I love you, Luca. I love you so much it makes my heart hurt when I think about losing you. I'm tired of pretending I don't. I'm tired of pretending I don't want to hold you, be close to you, feel your lips against mine, when all that is waiting for us out there is almost certain death."

He moved his hand to the back of her head and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and burying his face in the soft of her hair.

"I don't regret being selfish and giving into the desires of what I have wanted to do for so long earlier today", he said into her hair. "But now that I know what it's like to be with you, it feels like my entire world has shifted upside down. I'm afraid. For the first time, I am truly afraid."

Several seconds ticked by while Luca still sat there unmoving, trying to process what Hugo had just told her. Just as Hugo was about to lift his head off her shoulder, her arms shot up and buried themselves in the back of his jacket, pressing him against her with all the force she could muster at that moment.

"I love you too", she said, laughing or crying, she wasn't even sure herself anymore. "I've loved you for as long as I can remember." Her grip on him tightened even more, her heart beating wildly in her chest. "I was so worried when you went off on that mission against the Ash Aragami alone. I didn't know what to do with myself while you were out there. The thought of you not coming back terrified me!"

She leaned back a little now, loosening her arms around him and taking his face into her hands.

"I promise you. I won't die. I won't leave you, Hugo." Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes but despite that she gave him a smile so full of love and adoration, it almost made his heart burst. "Promise you'll do the same", she whispered then.

Hugo pulled her towards him once more but this time he kissed her, hard. Warm lips moving against each other, his hands tangled in her silver hair while her own clutched at the collar of his T-Shirt. She sighed into the kiss and he took that opportunity to capture her bottom lip, sucking on it gently, drawing a low, sweet noise out of the back of her throat. When she parted her lips further, he slipped his tongue inside her mouth and pulled her closer to him. His mouth was relentless, meeting her own over and over again with such urgency and such fervour it left them both breathless. When he finally pulled back mere inches, he rested his forehead against her once again and gently stroked the back of her hair.

"I promise", he said and kissed her again.