Alright, this is the LAST CHAPTER I have to write before I'm done with this fic. I already wrote C10 at around…C4? C5? I'm not sure.

If you ever feel like I can be doing anything better or you have any praise, don't be afraid to tell me in the comments! As a straight girl who has never been in a relationship before, I would seriously appreciate any and all feedback that would tell me things like "after that fight I was like 'BALEYGR BREAK UP WITH HIM NOW THAT'S A RED FLAG'" so I know what to improve on in the future.

Moment 9
Apologized For it All

It's only natural Baleygr was "zonked out," in Hwahee's words, throughout his entire shift. He keeps replaying the conversation over and over in his head, trying to figure out what the hell went wrong. Baleygr knows eventually, he's going to have to get it all out in the air with Taranys if he wants to recover and work through it, but right now he's really not ready for it.

He's surprised it took her five hours to notice how he's moving like a zombie, taking and fulfilling orders without really paying attention to it. Baleygr's more surprised five hours has passed since clocking in.

"Come on, you've been shuffling around all day," Hwahee urges, "Something's on your mind, isn't it?"

Baleygr dryly chuckles, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"So what's going on in there?" She leads up with. "This ain't like you at all."

"Nothing, nothing, just…" What's the best way to sum up all this, anyway?" "…Relationship troubles."

As if that wouldn't pique her interest.

"What about them?"

In any other circumstance, Baleygr wouldn't be spilling his entire life story to someone who he'd maybe consider work buddies at the most. But now he's desperate, so he takes a breath and goes through everything, from the first date to the argument. He will give her this: she listens to the entire problem, without a single laugh or judgment from her.

"What do you think?" Baleygr says once he takes a moment to breathe. "Did I really him off that badly?"

"…Wish I had some good advice to give," Hwahee says, pouring a drink and sliding it across the counter. "I've… well, I've never been in a relationship before, so take everything I say with a grain of salt."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for listening, though," He finds himself staring at all the snow falling outside again. It feels like years has passed since Taranys first came to the bar, where he looked so sleepy and cute Baleygr couldn't help but take him back home.

"Have you talked it out with him yet?"

Baleygr can't help the feeling of stupidity that washes over him as he answers, "…No, not yet. Honestly, I don't think we've even seen each other since the spat."

"Well, there's your problem," She says. "How's he supposed to know how you feel if you don't tell him?"

Memories of Katarina urging him to finally fess up his feelings after their first kiss comes to mind.

"I get that, but how do I… well, how do I broach this kind of subject with him?"

"There's no good answer for that." Hwahee picks up another glass, though he's pretty sure it's more for her to idly fiddle with than anything else. "From what I've seen, making a relationship work isn't easy. You can't just send up a hot air balloon in the air with 'I love you, Partner's Name' declared on it like in the movies. Even I know that."

"Yeah, I know…" Baleygr shakes his head. "I really do like him, y'know. He seems like a nice man."

"I've ruined it all, didn't I?" Taranys gasps almost breathlessly while staring down at his reflection in the counter, "I screwed it all up with them because I got upset about an ex of theirs."

"Hey. Hey! Calm down," Hwa holds her hands up in their air, and Taranys is glad that the coffee shop is just about ready to close. "One little spat isn't going to ruin months of friendship and dating. Probably, anyway."

She must have seen the look of terror on his face, because her next comment was "Okay, okay, that was bad of me to say, sorry, but you get my point."

"And I know, Hwa – I know I caused it all by throwing a hissy fit, but – oh, god, how do I even fix this? Can I even fix this?"

Try as he might to act like he's got this all under control, Taranys knows what he is – an insecure, awkward dork who has never been in a relationship before Baleygr came along. It only took Hwa asking some vague 'are you okay' question before Taranys all but had a nervous breakdown.

"Hey, it's not that hard to apologize!" Hwa insists, her thick voice cutting through Taranys's panic. "Arrange a meet-up with them. Bring flowers or something, something they like. Just say something like 'I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to have such a fit,' and don't invalidate anything they say by being all like 'well it's your fault I got mad.' They really just want to be heard and have their side explained."

"But when would be a good time for that?"

"There's never a perfect time for anything. You just gotta… I dunno. Seize the moment? Things like that. If you want a good moment, you need to make a good moment."

Somehow, her words bring comfort to Tarnays in his time of panic (god, when is he not panicking these days?).

"…Thank you, Hwa."

"Anytime," She says as she pulls up her hair tie up even higher on her head. "And hey, if you two like each other as much as you say you do, you'll be fine. Every relationship, no matter how healthy, will have its fair share of arguments."

"Baleygr, I'm sorry for getting so upset, I was wrong…" Taranys mumbles to himself over and over again under his breath. He turns it over and over again in his hands, before shoving it down into a pocket in his coat. No use fiddling with it now. He'll probably screw it up by the time he's ready to give it to Baleygr.

Everything's going to be completely fine. Of course it is. Why would he think otherwise? Baleygr says he liked him, and who was he to call Baleygr a liar? Hell, he's probably thinking of a way to apologize, too.

Hwa's advice rings in Taranys's head, about how he just needs to own up to how he wrong and have some humility. Baleygr will probably understand if he just talks about how insecure he is and worried he'll never be as good as Tesarion… right? Oh, Taranys doesn't even know anymore.

He's standing there in the lobby room of the Guild Wars, patiently waiting for his team's turn to start while reciting what he's going to say for about the fiftieth time when none other than Baleygr crashes into him on his way to his battle. Amelia is off, taking care of some injuries on Perna at the last minute, so it's just the two of them.

"¡Maldito sea!" Baleygr groans, holding his shoulder.

Oh, he's mad. Definitely mad. Might as well kiss the relationship goodbye, sucker.

By the time Baleygr realizes who it is, though, the tone in his voice changes all of a sudden. "Oh, Taranys!"

"B- Baleygr!" Taranys stammers, and everything that he's been practicing leaves his mind in an instant.

"I, uh, I… didn't expect to see you here," He admits, slowly reaching up and touching the back of his neck.

"Well, I mean, today's our rotation in Guild Wars, so…" Taranys trails off, wishing he knew what to say.

It's just like when they first met now. Worse, even. At least before, their interactions felt natural and happy; just downright real. Now they're going to spend the rest of their days, having stilted small talk while looking for a perfect time to apologize.

Taranys can't have that.

"…Hey, are you free to talk?" He asks, cringing at how it came out. "I- I mean, later today, or now if –"

"Yeah, I think I got some time now, actually." Baleygr cuts him off, albeit unintentionally (he presumes, anyway). "Is this about –"

"I'm sorry."

Oh, there they go again, cutting each other off.

Baleygr breaks the awkward silence first. "…Hm?"

"I- …I said I'm sorry, for having such a fit over… well, you and Tesarion." It's not easy for Taranys to admit, not in the slightest. "Perhaps it's because you're my first relationship, or I'm really just insecure, but I got so upset and nervous, thinking I would never be as good as he was."

Taranys is rather taken aback when Baleygr then insists, "Wh- no, no, it's not your fault."

"But I'm the one who started this mess…"

"Sure, but it's not like I'm not the only one who stays friends with their exes after breakups, y'know?" Baleygr says, "I'm the only I know who doesn't hate their ex, actually. But, if you want me to stop talking to him, I –"

"Oh, no, no, no, I would never ask you to do that!" Taranys gasps, holding his hands up in the air, "I'd never want you to stop talking to someone just to be with me."

"Well, then what do you want?" Baleygr says, "Because – and I mean this in the gentlest way possible, I really do – it kind of sounded like you didn't want me to be with him."

And there's the million-dollar question.

"…I don't know." Taranys finally admits, "I just… don't know what to do with my feelings. I don't want to get upset when I see you hanging out with a guy you used to date, but at the same time I… Oh, I'm sorry, I must sound like I'm going around in circles."

"Feelings are tricky things, hun." Baleygr offers up a sad smile tacked on at the end of his statement.

At least Taranys is back into "hun" territory. He really does like the way Baleygr almost rasps the syllable of affection in his ear.

"If it helps any, we can go together the next time Tesarion invites me. You'll see that we're really just chatting or something." Baleygr shrugs, "I know it's not a lot, but I guess it could help ease your mind a little."

Somehow, the simple gesture is enough to make Taranys smile. Baleygr really does care about his feelings.

"Well, it's a start," Taranys hums softly, "But… I don't want to argue anymore. I hate feeling like I've hurt you in ways words can't describe."

"Yeah, me neither." Baleygr looks down at his feet, suddenly unable to make eye contact anymore. "…And, hun?"

"Hm?"

"If you ever feel this way again, let me know, alright? We'll work a solution out together, so we don't… y'know."

Oh, Baleygr still wants to stay with him! That's lovely! A rock formed in his stomach from the hours of anxiety Taranys suffered disappears at least.

"Oh! That reminds me, um…" Now that he's about to say it out loud, it sounds a lot more stupid, but Taranys bites the bullet and goes on. "…My coworker, Hwa, said that when I'm making it up to you, I should… get you flowers or something? I'm sorry, that sounds dumb, but… I did finish this for you."

He reaches back into his coat, pulling out the vine crown he's been working on almost nonstop. Blue bellflowers adorn the vines, bursting with as much life and love as Taranys could put in it.

"I know they're not roses, I'm still working on that, but…" Taranys chuckles, "I hoped the gesture would be enough."

Taranys barely even has time to finish his sentence before Baleygr has his lips on his. Seconds of time seem to slow into minutes, hours even, for Taranys. Nimble hands press down on his shoulders, and Taranys can barely think enough to reciprocate on Baleygr.

He doesn't even hear when the Summoner announces Guild Battles will be starting in one minute, or Amelia hysterically crying on the ground. Sure, it isn't in the most romantic place, he could make up with him in a fancy restaurant or something, but… that's just not him.

This feels so right.