To Subaru Natsuki, she was his world, the only constant thing he had had in the past two years since the Battle of Priestella, since the world had forgotten him, since he had suffered over and over again in the pits of despair. She was his saving grace as he wandered alone through the world he had been forcefully relocated to. She was everything to him, and all he wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her. He would finally tell her how he felt.
His plan was simple enough, confess when she returned from her scouting. They would first enjoy a nice dinner in the hotel room they were hiding out in, maybe some desert if they felt like it, and then he would say the words he had wanted to for the past two months. Subaru didn't care if she felt the same, come to think of it, she probably didn't, but he needed to do this.
He needed to let her know how much she meant to him. How much she had given him since they met, on that road to Outou four months after he had made his escape from Lugnicia.
===Flashback 1 Year, 6 Months Ago, Road to Outou, Karagai===
"To think you put up such a fight when you are truly so worthless," the voice of Pandora murmured as she stalked forward towards Subaru's fallen form. Standing before him, she gestured for her lone follower, hooded in black robes to take her place beside her. The cultist obeyed wordlessly, keeping the great sword within its hand level as it prepared to finish off the nasty-eyed boy.
"Such a pity things must end this way; you could have been great under my tutelage."
Subaru looked up, sputtering blood as he prepared for the next reset before him. He had tried so hard to survive this encounter. Over and over, he had faced her, attempting everything to leave with his life, from running away to fighting, but none worked.
The only option left was giving in to her, but he would never stoop so low, and thus he would die again. There was no escaping this loop.
"Finish him," the witch said, a cruel smile appearing on her pale face as she turned away walking off so as to not stain her dress with his blood.
The cultisit raised its sword, holding it high above its head, prepared to wordlessly obey the will of its master.
In a final attempt to stave off the inevitable, Subaru spoke, letting his tears of hopelessness fall.
"Please."
The sword hesitated. It stayed raised. Subaru continued to stare at his executioner.
Then, after an eternity of waiting, the sword fell, clanging harmlessly on the ground, and the cultist fell with it, collapsing on the ground gripping its head. He could hear it whisper to itself as it spasmed uncontrollably before letting out a glass shattering scream.
Pandora suddenly reappeared beside the cultist.
"How peculiar, after all these years you have…" The witch never finished her sentence, being flung like a ragdoll twenty feet away, courtesy of the downed cultist's fist.
Silence settled, and Subaru watched in awe as the cultist rose to its feet, and for probably the first time in years removed its hood.
Strawberry red hair gleamed in the sunlight twinkling between the trees, and a face of pure beauty, with eyes as blue as an ocean and skin of regal light peach, stared down at him. The woman offered her hand to him. Subaru accepted it without any hesitation.
"I am a slave to you know more," the woman spoke, picking her sword up off the ground and pointing it directly at the now standing Pandora.
"I am Theresia Van Astrea, Sword Saint of Lugnicia, and you will feel my wrath."
Subaru could only watch in awe as his savior went to battle, like a true hero from the fairy tales of his youth.
===End Flashback===
In his opinion, that single act had been what started his spiral into love. When nobody would save him, Theresia did. Whether it be pity or a sense of honor, he did not care. She still saved his life and offered him a chance to live. She had even gone so far as to place herself in his debt for freeing her from whatever curse she had been under.
Subaru didn't think he did anything worthy of her servitude; honestly, all he did was fail, but apparently that was worth something to her.
If anything, he should be the one in her debt, which was more or less what he had done. He knew exactly who she was from Wilhelm's many stories about his wife, and in a strange sense of duty, he had vowed to reunite them. Even though he owed absolutely nothing to the people he had previously called friends, he did owe Theresia for saving his life, so they had set out back to Lugnicia
Despite his fears about being caught again, Subaru knew he would finally be able to keep one of the promises he made, and that was something worth fighting for.
Throughout the journey, this idea had contented him, gave him a reason to wake up in the morning, and it had allowed him to get to know Theresia. In hindsight, the last reason was the only he would eventually ever really care about.
===Flashback 1 year ago, Port Town, Karagai-Vollachia Border ===
"So, in short, you're pretty much God with a sword?" Subaru asked incredulously after hearing some of his companion's stories from the Human Demi War. Currently, the former knight and Sword Saint were enjoying a drink at a local inn as they readied themselves for the descent into Vollachia. Tomorrow, the next leg of their journey would begin, and as a way to pass the time, they had decided to swap some stories before heading off to their rooms for some sleep.
"I mean, I'm not wrong, am I?"
The only response he got was a blush, which if he was wholeheartedly honest, he rather enjoyed seeing. Not that he would admit that, though.
"I think you're exaggerating a bit," Theresia replied, shaking her head as a means of hiding the red upon her face.
"How can I be slightly exaggerating when you literally single handedly won a war! This is the type of thing Gods would do. Not to mention after all these years, you still look so young!"
"Keep your voice down, Subaru, you'll attract unwanted attention."
"Sorry, Theresia-tan, but you're undervaluing your skill here, no normal person, let alone most of the Knights, could do what you've done."
"That still doesn't make me a God."
"Well, I don't care, you're still a Sword Goddess to me, and let it be noted I have irrefutable proof from the fight with Pandora."
Theresia sighed, quickly realizing there was no dissuading Subaru in his opinions, and thus choosing to simple accept another one of his oddities, which she found oddly endearing. Besides, it was nice to see him acting so lighthearted after hearing some of what he had endured in Lugnicia.
If it wasn't for his insistence on getting her back, she would have happily escorted him to his original destination of Outou back in Karagai, but instead he chose to help her, to continue to aid her in her journey home.
He really was something special, beneath his sometimes-weird nature, and Theresia agreed that whoever fell in love with Subaru would be a very lucky woman.
"Well, Theresia-tan, I think I'm gonna go get some shut eye, you heading to bed?"
"I think I'll stay up for a little longer."
"Looks like I'll be staying a little bit more then."
Theresia stared questioningly at Subaru after hearing his prompt reply.
"It would be ungentlemanly of me to leave you here by yourself."
"You do remember I am more than capable of handling myself."
"Of course, but nobody should be alone, and I think you've been alone for long enough with that crazy witch Pandora. So, I'll be staying."
For the second time that night, a blush coated Theresia's cheeks in heat as words failed her.
"Something special, indeed," She whispered to herself after regaining her composure.
===Flashback end===
The journey into Vollachia had been a cinch, the two of them facing no opposition from either the Witch's Cult or any money grabbing thieves as they made their way along. It had been surprisingly peaceful, and within two months, they had arrived in Lugnicia, ready for the final stage of the journey.
The last portion was by far the most difficult, where keeping a low profile was their main concern, seeing as a previously dead hero and a supposed cultist would spell disaster, and that was the last thing they wanted. So, they concealed themselves, using enchanted cloaks and various lesser travelled routes to reach their end destination, Priestella.
Due to the mass amounts of damage the city had suffered, it had yet to fully recover, and as such, all the Royal Candidates had remained in the Watergate City in order to oversee its restoration. With a commendable amount of will and mental fortitude, Subaru had stayed with Theresia despite all the bad memories the city held for him.
He needed to keep this promise; it was now his reason for continuing on in life. He may not be able to achieve happiness, but Theresia could.
And as God as his witness, she would.
But fate rarely bends to the human will, and things quickly came crashing down.
===Flashback 8 Months Ago, Priestella===
Subaru had finally done it. He had kept his promise, and at last, Theresia and Wilhelm were reunited. From his spot in a nearby alley, he could see the two staring at each other, shock written all across Wilhelm's face as his wife stood directly in front of him.
"Welp, looks like my job here is done," Subaru said, allowing a smile to grace his lips, as he withdrew further into the alley, quickly fading into the crowd. Though it hurt to see a close friend go, he was happy; he had kept one promise out of all the broken ones he had screwed up. He had done something worthwhile with his life, and now he could rest easy.
That is until he heard a sword being drawn and shouting.
"Oh shit! I can't catch a break, can I?" Subaru muttered, rushing back to the street where Wilhelm and Theresia were, only to find the former pointing a sword at his wife and keeping his distance.
"Wilhelm? It's me…Please put down the sword."
"How can this be! You're dead! I buried you! This has to be a trick, a cruel trick!"
Wilhelm moved forward now, cautiously approaching, as a crowd began to gather around the two. The onlookers shamelessly cheered for him to strike down the villain that would dare impersonate the former Sword Saint.
"Please…"
"You aren't her," Wilhelm whispered, as he steeled himself and levelled his sword. Within moments he was directly in front of her, the blade centimeters from her chest. Theresia made no attempt to stop him, continuing to beg her husband to listen to her as her own tears fell.
It was in that moment that Subaru leapt into action, quickly placing himself between older man's sword and Theresia's unguarded chest. With as much courage as he could muster, he stared down the older man, attempting to pull off a scowl or some sort of tough guy look. Nobody would hurt his only remaining friend in this world, not without killing him first.
"I know you," Wilhelm spoke, venom lacing ever word, "you're the cultist who escaped from the dungeons. You're the one who refused to return Lady Crusch's memories! You would dare use my wife for your twisted games!"
Before Subaru even had a chance to defend himself, Wilhelm's sword was in the air, ready to descend upon his unprotected head. He barely even saw it raise, simply witnessing a blur of silver still too quick for his eyes to fully register. He was a goner, a dead man, but in the next loop, he would somehow set things right. Subaru didn't know how with these mere milliseconds left to live, but he would.
He had promised to reunite her with her husband, and that was exactly what he would do. Without hesitation he closed his eyes.
However, instead of feeling the momentary explosion of pain from blade piercing his head, he felt the cold hard tile crashing against the entire side of his body.
Subaru's eyes opened, only to find himself lying on the ground and still very much alive. Within seconds, he was yanked to his feet, coming face to face with a very much frantic Theresia.
"Run!" she screamed, shoving him away, not noticing the still present Wilhelm charging for her back. His hand instantly wrapped around hers, yanking her out of the arc of Wilhelm's sword, and in the process dragging her into the crowd of onlookers, whom he punched and pushed out of their way.
As they weaved their way through the streets, dodging civilians and now hunting Royal knights, Subaru came to the brutal realization that he had fucked this all up. Their current situation was all his fault. In his mind, his intervention was what spurred Wilhelm to attack.
If he had just stayed away, Theresia would have probably been able to convince her husband to listen to her.
It was all his fault. He just couldn't help but always fuck things up; it was the only thing he was good for.
===End Flashback===
The escape from Priestella proved to be an utter mess, both figuratively and literally. Once they had ducked away into the crowd, the Royal Knights had sealed off the city, closing its gates and putting its military personnel on high alert. More than once, Theresia and he had had to fight their way through Royal Knights in order to continue to evade capture and death.
Only by pure luck had they been able to leave the city, happening across an unattended entrance to Priestella's sewer system deep within the heart of the city. After hours of navigating the filth they had emerged free from the labyrinth of tunnels and rivers of muck.
When they left, things were irrevocably different. For Subaru, his depression and self-loathing went spiraling up like fireworks, but it was no shock for him. Failure was his talent.
In Theresia, however, something had broken. The light he usually saw in her eyes had dimmed and her health plummeted. She barely ate, barely slept, and barely talked.
What happened to her hurt more than anything Subaru had endured, just before entering the city, she had been so happy, so joyful to finally be with her beloved again, only to have that dream crushed by his own idiocies.
He had to make it up to her, and that was exactly what he set about to do.
===Flashback 6 Months Ago, Lugnicia-Vollachia Border===
Wordlessly, Subaru carried the tray of foods up to Theresia's room, immediately dispelling all the negative and self-loathing thoughts within his head as he climbed the flight of stairs leading to her chambers. Currently, they were hiding out in a small city at Vollachia's border with Lugnicia, as a means of recovering from the shitshow that was the events of Priestella.
Theresia's health was rapidly declining after the confrontation with Wilhelm, and all Subaru could do was attempt to bring her back. Each day, he did the same thing, bring her meals, talk to her, try to comfort her to the best of his ability, and overall, just be there.
His efforts had yielded little progress, but with all the optimism he could muster, he persisted.
Today, Subaru hoped to finally break through to her, bring at least part of her back. If he didn't with what he planned after breakfast, his overall chances were going to drastically decrease.
Putting on the best smile he could muster, Subaru entered her room.
"Morning Theresia-tan!" he exclaimed as was his custom for the past two weeks of attempted therapy.
"How'd you sleep?"
All he got was silence, as Theresia continued to lay in her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Gently setting down the tray in his hand, he walked over to her side, lightly placing his hand upon her forehead, just to check if there was anything medically wrong with her. His efforts yielded no results, still no sickness. Removing his hand from her head, he eased it down her back, bringing her into a sitting position as he prepared to feed her breakfast.
Subaru had learned very early on that if he didn't help her eat, she would not, foregoing any sustenance and allowing starvation to gradually destroy her.
"Come on now, Theresia-tan, up we get…And there you are, ready to eat!"
Taking the tray in hand, he situated it atop the general area of her lap before going over to the corner of the room to procure a chair for himself. Now sitting beside her, he took the spoon from atop the breakfast plate, and placed it in her closest hand. Theresia silently prodded the plate before her. Subaru smiled. Usually, the former Sword Saint would continue to stare at the food before her, never eating it until he intervened. Now, she was at least poking it, almost like a spoiled child faced with vegetables. Though small, it was progress towards bringing her back.
"Better eat up quick, I got something special planned for today!"
Her eyes shifted away from the plate towards him.
"Ah ah ah. I can't tell you what it is. It's a secret, but don't worry, I think you'll like it."
Her eye left his and returned to her food. Tentatively, she began to eat, small portions, and in the end leaving well over half of her meal unfinished, but she still ate, and that was all that mattered.
===Later That Day===
After leaving Theresia's room and allowing her some privacy to change, Subaru cheerfully escorted her out of the hotel for the first time during their stay, guiding her through the various streets and markets of the city, until finally reaching his intended destination.
"A while back, I heard that you liked flowers, so I thought today we'd maybe spend some time at this public garden. What do you think? You like it?"
Theresia stared at the entrance of the public gardens, still silent and emotionless, but for a brief moment, Subaru thought he saw her lips quirk up ever so slightly. He had struck gold.
"Come on, let's enjoy the day, eh?"
Taking her hand, he led her into gardens, quickly purchasing tickets for themselves, and allowing Theresia to lead him throughout this palace of flora and fauna. Even though she had yet to speak a word, he watched as for the first time in two months, the light began to reappear in her eyes. He saw her happy again, and though he knew it would likely end when they left the gardens, he was glad to see it.
For hours on end, they marveled at the plant life displayed within, shifting from bush to bush and display to display. All too soon, they reached the final one, a great collection of roses of varying colors, just before the exit. The moment he laid eyes upon those flowers; Subaru had an idea.
At the edge of the display, a single bush of red roses extended out, bearing forth its multitude of eye-fruit in great patterns and twirls. The moment Theresia turned away from the roses, Subaru acted, quickly grabbing one of the fauna, and stashing it within his pocket. He would give it to her later, a nice memento of the day they spent together, once they were well away from the public garden. Afterall, Subaru was pretty sure that what he just did was more than likely against the rules, but he knew the risk was worth the reward.
It was evening by the time Theresia and Subaru arrived back at their hotel. The sun was continuing its descent past the horizon, bathing the world before it in an orange amber glow.
Deciding to enjoy the oncoming night, the two forwent heading to their respective rooms, instead favoring the rooftop of the building. They sat together quietly, letting their feet dangle over the balcony as they witnessed the end of the day and the coming of night.
"So, did you enjoy yourself today Theresia-tan?"
The former Sword Saint nodded, still carrying the small grin he had witnessed manifest throughout the day.
"Glad you liked it. I had fun too, if you're wondering, and maybe we should do this more often? What do you think?"
Again, she nodded.
"You know, I got one final thing for you today. Hang on a sec'."
Unceremoniously, Subaru produced forth the rose he had plucked, taking care to not break it as he presented it to her. Theresia gently took it in her hands, whilst Subaru sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"I hope you like it…I wanted to get you a souvenir of sorts for today, and I thought this would be really nice. It…it reminded me of you, it's the same color of your hair, and…I thought you'd like it."
In all honesty, Subaru had not really thought about what reaction he would get from his friend when he presented her the rose, but he would guess it would be something along the lines of silent thanks.
He was unprepared for her actual reaction. In mere seconds, she had latched onto him, holding him tightly against her as her head rested in the crook of his neck. He could feel the wetness of now present tears sliding down her face, soaking themselves in his shirt.
"Woah, Theresia-tan, you okay? What's wrong?"
"Thank you," she shakily replied, gripping onto him tighter.
"Thank you so much…for everything."
Subaru felt heat rush to his cheeks as a smile formed on his face. Rubbing his hand along her back, he brought the woman in his arms closer to him as she continued to cry and thank him.
He didn't leave her embrace for the rest of the night.
===End flashback===
When Subaru looked back on that moment, he was filled with nothing but pride. He had managed to help the person he loved most through their darkest moments, simply by being there and just trying to help. He had done an absolute good, which he considered to be one of his finest hours.
From that day on, Theresia began her recovery from the events of Priestella. Unsurprisingly, it had been a rather quick process, starting with her sociability returning, with sleep following shortly after. Her appetite, however, had taken its sweet time to return, but within a month, she was eating like normal and in peak health condition.
Of course, now that her mental problems were out of the way, Subaru's began to make themselves known. During Theresia's dark days, the nasty-eyed teenager had been able to push aside his self-loathing and depression in order to fully commit himself to caring for her, but with that service no longer needing to be done, the issues returned with a vengeance.
He hated himself, that was nothing new, but now he had a completely legitimate reason to feel that way about himself, or so he thought. He continued to believe that it was his fault for the reunion with Wilhelm going straight to hell.
He also continued to be haunted by the moment everyone forgot him—Beatrice shattering their contract and attempting to kill him, the things that Julius and Felix did to him in the dungeons, Emilia, sweet Emilia, saying she would never love a monster like him.
And last, but certainly not least, his self-harming tendencies, his vile addiction to the razor blade and cuts.
But these problems were not to last long. True friends pick up on the small signals that something was wrong, and Theresia almost instantly noticed them. It didn't take long for her to finally confront him about them.
===Flashback 3 Months Ago, Port Town, Karagai-Vollachia Border===
Subaru was alone. Completely alone. Theresia had gone out to peruse the markets, whilst he had elected to stay in his room. The week had been…rough for him, to say the least.
Firstly, he had been holding out on his razor escapades for some time now after Theresia noticed a small cut on his wrist. With seasoned excuse, he casually shrugged it off as his own idiocy with a knife and an inability to properly cut an appa. Though he was certain the lie had worked, he had the uneasy feeling that his companion was suspicious, and the last thing he wanted in the world was for her to see how truly broken he was deep inside. Since then, he had restrained himself, but today, the need to cut was driving him mad. All morning he had felt the pressure crawling up the veins in his arm, like a twisted insect buried in his skin, trying to break free.
Secondly, the two were rapidly approaching the parting of ways. Though it had not been explicitly stated, Subaru could tell that once they reached Outou, they were more than likely going their separate ways. He was unable to face that cold reality. He didn't want to lose her; Theresia had been the only person who still cared about him after all this time and he didn't want to lose that.
He didn't want to be alone.
Lastly, the nightmares had grown increasingly more frequent and vivid for him. For the past month, he had relived every death, every failed loop in excruciating detail, over and over again, witnessing his failures as if they were some horror film.
All in all, these things came crashing down on him like the weight of the world, widening the cracks in his fractured existence. To make matters worse, he was incapable of talking about any of these problems, the first two being a result of his own fears of Theresia's reactions, and the last being him literally incapable of speaking about the forbidden Return By Death, courtesy of a psychopathic witch factor.
What he wanted to do most, he couldn't, and it hurt him. He wanted peace but couldn't have it. He wanted happiness but couldn't have it.
Subaru needed relief, so he sook out the only relief he knew. New lines appeared on his already striped arms and wrist, one by one, over and over, painting a disgusting mosaic of pain along his limb.
"Subaru? You in there?"
Subaru's face dropped. No, no, no! Theresia was supposed to be out, she wasn't supposed to be at his room's door!
"Look, I know you've been down recently, so I bought you some sweets to cheer you up."
Subaru stayed silent.
"Subaru? You okay?
"Subaru, I'm coming in."
"Wait no, don't!"
It was already too late; the door was opened and there she stood looking at him.
The moment her eyes fell upon his tattered, bloody arm, the bag she was holding fell from her grasp. Subaru could not meet her gaze.
"Why, Subaru? Why?"
He couldn't answer; he was a disgrace and a failure.
"How long have you been dealing with this?"
Subaru still remained silent. Theresia took a step towards him.
"Why? Please tell me why?"
Words failed him, and he broke down. She was at his side immediately, holding him in her arms. He wanted to speak but couldn't. He needed to speak but couldn't. She deserved nothing but the truth, yet he couldn't give it to her.
"It's okay…It's okay…" Theresia whispered to him, over and over again, and she continued to hold him tight.
"I can't help you Subaru if you don't tell me what the problem is."
His tears continued to flow. He would never be able to tell her, and that fact further fractured him.
Time slowed as Theresia continued to hold him in arms, her words gradually fading from his notice as silence settled. Shadows spread across the room, and before long, he was surrounded in darkness.
"Be free, my love. Speak," the voice of a witch spoke in the darkness before the shadows faded as fast as they had appeared.
"Subaru please. I need to know," Theresia said, raising Subaru's face so it would look at her. Lightly, her fingers wiped the tears from his eyes and cheeks and kept his face in place.
"Please."
He told her everything, from his time back home in Japan to his countless deaths in this world. As he spoke, Theresia treated his wounds, carefully healing them and wrapping them up, until finally the last one had been dealt with.
Once his story was finished, she looked him straight in the eye and said one thing, and one thing only.
"You will never be alone again."
After that, she easily picked him up and placed him on the bed, carefully tucking him in and bidding him rest. Just before rest took him, Subaru felt her crawl in with him, wrapping her arms around his waist, effectively spooning him.
He had never slept so soundly.
===End Flashback===
That was the moment that Subaru realized he loved Theresia. He knew, from the moment that she said those words, he loved her with everything he had. She was his savior in all senses of the word. She was a literal angel to him. A perfect angel like no other, and he loved her all the more for it.
Recovery had been slow for him. Getting depression and self-loathing to hit the curb was no easy feat, but with the steadfast reliability of the Sword Saint/Sword Goddess, Subaru had persevered.
For the first time in a long time, he was at peace with himself.
And now we come to his current situation: waiting for Theresia to return. For the past hours he had been trying to figure out how to best say it, but his mind was drawing up blanks. He couldn't just simply say 'I love you' out of the blue, he had to build up to it, but he couldn't figure out how to. How exactly was he supposed to bring up such a topic over dinner?
No matter how hard he tried, he continued to draw up blanks.
"Subaru, I'm back."
The nasty-eyed teenager was snapped out of his thoughts the moment he heard that familiar, angelic voice. Within moments, Theresia was standing before him, surveying the little spread he had created for them. In the middle of the room was a simple table, unadorned save for a single vase carrying a collection of red roses. On the desk nearby rested their dinner, along with dessert and a bottle of wine.
"My my, Subaru, this looks wonderful. You plan this out?"
Subaru nodded.
"I thought it would make a nice change, you know. A nice little stay at home fancy dinner."
Theresia quickly took her seat, smiling up at him and gesturing for him to take his seat. With a bow Subaru grabbed their plates and bottle of wine, and thus their dinner began.
"So, how's the area look?" Subaru asked as he handed out the appetizers for them to share, hoping that light conversation could encourage him to bring up the important information he hoped to share.
"Well, we're safe as usual, and should be all set to head to Outou tomorrow. My guess, it'll be a couple days to get there, maybe a little over a week if we stick to the lesser-known roads."
Subaru nodded, smiling knowing that very soon, he'd be able to enjoy a nice, quiet, peaceful life far away from Lugnicia and all of its innumerable problems.
"So, what do you think you'll do once we get there, Theresia-tan?"
Theresia took a moment to think, twiddling her fingers across her chin.
"I don't know. I really don't. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. What about you?"
Subaru realized now was his chance.
"I'm not sure either, to be completely honest, but I do know one thing. Whatever happens next, I want you by my side."
Subaru hesitated, taking a moment to look at Theresia before he would continue. All he saw was her face as red as her hair.
"Theresia-tan, you mean so much for me; you've been the only constant thing in my life for these past two years, and I don't want to lose you. You've done so much for me, freeing me from my despair, showing me that I have a chance at happiness in life…The truth is…I love you. You're my world Theresia-tan, my reason to wake up in the morning, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you're willing to let me."
Silence settled at the table, as the occupants took in what was just said. For the briefest of moments, Subaru thought he had just fucked everything up, until he saw Theresia stand and walk over to his side of the table.
She looked down at him, seriously and still very much red in the face.
"Do you mean it?"
He was silent for a moment, knowing full well where this was going thanks to the manga he used to read back in Japan. Hesitating no more he answered.
"Yes."
With nothing else said, Theresia lowered her face down to Subaru's as one of her hands, gently caressed his cheek. After what felt like forever their lips finally met. Pure bliss overtook him as he felt her blossom against him, growing closer to him as his arms wrapped around waist.
"I love you, Subaru," Theresia whispered once they separated, panting and holding her forehead against Subaru's. His response to her was contented smile which she quickly joined him in.
Subaru did not know what the future held for him; it still was very much out of his perception and inevitably it would bring with it its own share of problems to deal with, but he would not face them alone. He had someone to stand by his side, be his oasis in the desert of trial. He had love to keep him going.
Subaru Natsuki had Theresia Van astrea, and he would never let her go.
And that is a wrap. My first foray into Re:zero fanfiction is finito, and god damn am I proud of it. For those he enjoyed, fear not, more shall come eventually in the form of interconnected drabbles for you viewing enjoyment.
Like it, love it, hate it, I don't care. I had fun writing this, so don't go bitching and moaning about out of character crap or any of that type of shit. Save your breath; this fanfic was for my own enjoyment, and anyone else who wants more Theresia X Subaru goodness.