Blooming Together

There was a knock at his door, and Dedue promptly answered it. He was met by Ashe, and the shorter man smiled and held up the book in his arms.

"Ah, Dedue, I just wanted to bring this back," he said. "I finished reading it yesterday, so..."

"Of course. You may come in, if you like."

Dedue nodded and stepped aside, letting Ashe enter. After setting the book (a seasonal crop guide) down on Dedue's desk, Ashe idly brushed some of his hair aside and glanced around. He looked back at Dedue, another smile on his face, though this one was a bit hesitant.

"Well, um, I was going to go to the greenhouse soon to check on my plants," he said hopefully. "Do you want to come with me? I know you planted something the other day, so..."

Dedue raised an eyebrow. "I went earlier, actually. But if you would like me to come with you, I would not mind."

"Oh, no, don't feel pressured!" Ashe replied hastily. "If you don't want to, then..."

"No, it is no problem, Ashe. I would like to see how they are coming along. But if you changed your mind, then I do not have to."

Ashe took a deep breath, and Dedue blinked. It was unusual for him to get so flustered like this... Perhaps something was wrong? Fortunately, Ashe kept going soon enough.

"Ah, sorry, I just..." Ashe laughed. "I know I've been kind of asking a lot of you lately. So I was just hoping I wasn't bothering you, you know?"

It was true that Ashe had come by to borrow and return books and pamphlets on gardening and cooking from Dedue often lately. They'd also spent a lot of time at the greenhouse together, and they'd gotten meals together often, too. Of course, Dedue very much did enjoy Ashe's presence, so it had been nice, but it was true that they'd been spending more and more time together.

Dedue shrugged. "Do not worry, Ashe. I do enjoy spending time with you. Though I suppose I am a bit curious, now that you point it out."

Of course, it wasn't like they hadn't done things together before. Once Ashe had gotten comfortable around him back in their school days, they'd spent a lot of time back then discussing cooking and gardening. And even now, once Dedue had returned to Dimitri's side, they were still good friends. But now that he thought about it, Dedue was spending almost as much time with Ashe as he was with Dimitri himself, if not slightly more.

"Well..." Ashe's cheeks were faintly dusted with pink now. "Actually... Never mind; I probably can't say it, anyway."

"Please, do not be embarrassed to say it. I am sure it cannot be anything too bad."

Ashe took another deep breath. "It's just... I know you have your duties to His Highness and all, so you'd probably be too busy to do much more with me than you already do, but... I think I might have..." He swallowed. "Started getting... feelings for you, Dedue."

Ah. Suddenly, a lot of things were falling into place. The earlier subject change. The fact that this was the third time this month Ashe had borrowed that specific book. The way Ashe stared at him sometimes when they were cooking or tending to the flowers together.

And to be honest, Dedue had felt more and more comfortable with Ashe in a deeper way than he had before. He hadn't really thought much about it or tried to put a name to it before now, though. Dedue certainly wasn't as stoic as some of the others thought, but he still wasn't always the best at actually describing his feelings. But now, things were making more sense for him, too.

"Ashe," he replied slowly. "It is true that His Highness is important to me, and that I want to help him change Faerghus so he can then help Duscur. But he would never keep me away from other things I care about. That is why I respect him so much, because I know how much he cares about me."

Ashe's eyes widened, and his expression was, Dedue silently admitted, almost cute.

"So then... does that mean that..."

"Yes." Dedue nodded. "I care about you as well. So if you would like to try..."

At first, Ashe's response was to laugh again and throw his arms around Dedue's shoulders. Somehow, the gesture caught him off guard, and Dedue stumbled as he returned the hug. Still, he smiled as he straightened up, and Ashe was almost giddy when he pulled back slightly to look up at him.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Dedue," Ashe rushed out. "I'm just... really relieved, you know? And are you blushing? That's kind of adorable, actually!"

Dedue's face was slightly warm, and he glanced away as he replied. Somehow, having attention called to it made his face heat further.

"I... do not think 'adorable' is the right word to describe me," he muttered. "It is better for you."

Ashe flushed as well. "Ah... really?"

Dedue looked back at him, closely examining his face. Ashe was quite red now, but he was still grinning, and his eyes were expectant yet hopeful. He really was cute like that, and Dedue couldn't help the small grin on his face as he nodded.

Then, Dedue slowly stepped towards his bed, gesturing for Ashe to sit beside him. Ashe eagerly sat down, reaching for his hand with another sudden bout of shyness. Dedue took it, carefully turning their hands around as their fingers shifted. Ashe's hand felt very small within his own, and it was warm despite being slightly calloused from all his gardening and bow training.

"There's... one more thing I want to ask, actually," Ashe said bashfully, glancing down at his lap. "Do you mind if I... kiss you, Dedue?"

Dedue slowly reached for Ashe's chin, tilting it upwards so they were looking at each other again. He was faintly nervous himself, having very little experience with this kind of thing. Honestly, Dedue felt ridiculous for it; despite finding Ashe's shyness cute, he felt like a silly school child with his own hesitating. But the fluttering in his chest was also enjoyable, he had to admit.

"You may," he replied softly.

Ashe slowly leaned up the rest of the way, and their lips brushed together briefly. He pulled back slightly, but then, abruptly, leaned back up again. Dedue shifted his hand slightly, hoping that keeping it on Ashe's cheek encouraged him to stay. He returned the kiss gently, enjoying the softness and warmth of Ashe's lips. They were almost delicate, fine and pliant against his own.

They were both breathless by the time they separated, and Dedue was sure he was almost as red in the face as Ashe was now. Dedue wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what. Instead, he settled for leaning in once more.

Their hands tightened around each other, fingers entwined, as their lips met again and again.