"You came back for me, twice. I won't ever forget that."

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[Original Posted: July 11, 2020]

July 11 is the anniversary of 'White Knight'. I wanted to write a little extra for the 6th anniversary, but I couldn't think of something good, scrapped all my ideas, and I wasn't going to write anything, but then Kuro drew me a beautiful piece for the anniversary and I got so inspired. So, this short little extra is dedicated to them, their gorgeous art, wonderful support, love, and friendship.

'White Knight' is a 15 chapter fanfiction up on my Ao3, including a 14th chapter epilogue and this extra chapter for the 6th anniversary. The fic is 94k words.

I hope you enjoy.

It had been 6 days since Ivan brought Gilbert to the sleepy coastal town of Plumeria. Gilbert was still getting used to his new life — the lazy mornings in bed, the cozy evenings drinking mulled wine, no recruits to train, no princes to protect, no need to wear armor or carry a sword. All he needed was to fall asleep in Ivan's arms and wake up in them the next morning; and despite still adjusting to it, he didn't mind the carefree life he was just beginning with Ivan, even if he did miss his armor from time to time.

One evening after a nice dinner, Ivan took Gilbert down to the ocean. They walked along the shore, dressed in their thin tunics and trousers, pants rolled up to their knees. They let the salty waves wash up to their calves and enjoyed the sun setting over the western horizon, and admired the thousands of glimmers on the water's surface. They walked hand-in-hand, letting their toes sink into the sand, leaving prints behind that were quickly washed away by the tide.

Even in the calm, surrounded by a warm breeze and the scent of salt on the air, there was a knot in Ivan's stomach. It was silly, considering all he'd been through — watching Gilbert nearly die multiple times, how Ivan himself was taken and beaten, feared for his life, and almost lost the man he loved. After everything he'd endured, today made Ivan nervous, but it was a good nervous. He was excited, scared, elated.

Ivan glanced over to Gilbert and admired the contented smile on his pink lips; how the sun made his eye sparkle and warmed his skin. For outings, they bought a less ostentatious eyepatch for Gilbert — a simple black cloth that covered the glass eye, and it seemed to make him more comfortable rather than the fancy silk one that screamed that he was a White Knight. Ivan adored him so much; he wanted to spend every moment with him.

As they walked down the beach, Ivan led him to a small peninsula dotted with rocks and sand; a small cape tucked under a looming brick lighthouse whose light had just begun to spin and beam into the distant cloud-spackled sky. He smiled at his lover and squeezed his hand tight, then watched as Gilbert pulled away from him to playfully balance on the rocks that were partially submerged in water. He stepped carefully and wobbled a little as he moved to another stone.

"Careful," Ivan cautioned but with a soft laugh as he watched, then sat down on a large boulder.

"Oh please! This is child's play!" Gilbert retorted and hopped to another rock. His body swayed and he made a shaky whoa noise before regaining his balance. Ivan shook his head and sighed in amusement.

For a moment Ivan mused in just watching Gilbert hop from rock to rock, but once the man stopped, his silhouette shadowed by the sun setting on the other side of him, Ivan's eyes widened as memories flooded his mind. The image of Gilbert standing in front of him, his white cape fluttering in the wind, the crest of the Knights embroidered into the fabric; he was gorgeous, strong, and loyal. Ivan's mind wandered back to everything — the romance, the secrets, the tension, the kidnapping, the torture, the trade, and the tense reunion they'd had. Part of him couldn't believe that Gilbert was standing there in front of him; alive, happy, healthy, his.

Gilbert stumbled again with another shout as he steadied himself, then turned to face Ivan with the brightest smile the man had ever seen and began to hop back. It made him clench his fists tight, fingers gripping around the small box in his pocket, his cheeks going pink as he watched Gilbert come back to him.

This was it. It was time, it couldn't be more perfect.

Gilbert stopped in front of Ivan and kept smiling that angelic smile, Ivan stood up and cleared his throat nervously, then shakily took Gilbert's hands. The cautious action made Gilbert's lips frown naturally and his eye blinked a few times as if silently asking what was wrong.

"I know it hasn't been that long since we got back together," Ivan started, his lavender eyes wandering to the horizon, clearly nervous. "But I've never been so happy in my life, you make me happier than I've ever been, Gilbert... And I... I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he finished and pulled out the small box from his pocket.

When Gilbert realized what it was, he too went pink and his heart pounded in his chest as every emotion turned to adrenaline. Ivan let go of Gilbert's hand and held the little box in his, just staring at it while his emotions overwhelmed him and his heart threatened to burst through his ribcage. After taking a deep breath, Ivan moved back a step, bent at the knee, and kneeled on one. He opened the box and presented it to Gilbert, who had a look of absolute shock on his face as he gazed over the slender gold ring that glimmered in the sunset. His pale cheeks were dusted so pink that it made Ivan smile as he realized that Gilbert was just as flustered about it as he was.

"Ivan..." Gilbert muttered. His hands went clammy as his mind fully assessed what Ivan was doing, what it meant, what his answer would be. Ivan simply gazed up at him, expression soft and loving.

"I love you more than anything in the world. I think about how we met, how I wish I treated you better in the beginning, wish I hadn't been such a fool. I wish I could erase the pain you went through, change how things happened..." Ivan paused to swallow, licked his dry lips nervously. "I can't change any of that now, but I can spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me."

As he finished, Gilbert was quiet and stared down at the other, not taking his eye off him while he spoke. Then, he reached forward and grabbed both sides of Ivan's face and pulled him up, forced him to stand, and then planted a firm kiss on his lips. It lasted for a few seconds and let the tingle of his kiss briefly linger on Ivan's lips, gazing into Ivan's eyes, before he pulled back.

"I told you not to think like that anymore—"

"You misunderstand, Gilbie," Ivan interrupted. "I don't— I just... I wish I could do all those things, but I know it's impossible, so I won't try anymore. From now on, I will just love you more than I ever have before and make you happy," he explained.

Gilbert inhaled as he listened, beginning to see how Ivan was thinking of it, and he understood. They both had some guilt, Ivan more than Gilbert, but Gilbert tried to move past it while Ivan seemed to struggle with it.

Finally, Gilbert sighed and looked out to the water.

"I just don't want you to feel guilty anymore. You came back for me, twice. I won't ever forget that," Gilbert said and closed his eye as he began to think about that day. However, his eye shot open just seconds later when he felt Ivan cup the left side of his face; his thumb grazed over his skin just beneath the eyepatch and drew attention to it.

"I know, and...I'm trying to be better..." Ivan said and leaned in to kiss Gilbert's lips, let the kiss draw out for a few seconds before he parted, then looked into Gilbert's bright pink eye with a smile. "So, Gilbie... Will you marry me?"

Gilbert held his breath upon finally hearing the question. While he had been expecting it, hearing it made his heart thump in his chest. He didn't have to think, he already knew. There was no option, he couldn't even pretend there was any other answer, but it still stunned him and he had to take a moment to take in the sight of Ivan blushing, expectantly waiting for his response.

"Yes," Gilbert exhaled in a breathy reply and almost seemed to chuckle. "Yes, of course I will!" he exclaimed louder. His mouth involuntarily curled up into a happy smile, cheeks rose and made his eye squint, the corner wrinkling a bit, and brows furrowed as he fought back the urge to tear up. Ivan sighed in relief, worried for just a moment that Gilbert would say no, then peppered Gilbert's cheeks and mouth with a dozen happy kisses.

"Okay... Okay—!" Ivan rambled to himself anxiously, trying to regain his composure as if he ever had it to begin with. He pulled the ring out from the little box, put the box back in his pocket, and carefully held Gilbert's left hand. Slowly, he pushed the ring over his thin finger until it stopped at the base and fit snugly. "There, a perfect fit," Ivan smiled. "How about we get married tomorrow? At sunset, right here at the lighthouse?" he suggested as he rubbed his thumb over the ring. Gilbert was so caught up in his feelings and watching Ivan that he forgot to answer right away.

"Yeah, sure, anything you want. I'd do it right now if I could!" Gilbert sounded like he was joking but he wasn't; not at all. Ivan laughed at him and kissed his fingers.

"Patience, my little snowbunny, you're so eager," Ivan teased softly and turned Gilbert's hand over; he reflected on the visible scars across his palm, remembering back to those darker times for just a brief moment, then kissed them gently. "We have all the time in the world."

Thank you for reading!
Remember to comment if you enjoyed!💕

I've said it a thousand times, but 'White Knight' has such a special place in my heart, it always feels like coming home when I step back into this fic for anything. Thank you so much to Kuro for not only drawing the amazing cover for this fanfic, but for also surprising me with this anniversary art of Gilbert. I started crying when I saw it and I'll cherish it forever.

Notes:
•I'm aware that in the epilogue chapter notes I mentioned that Ludwig was at their wedding despite being an ocean away and with no way of Gilbert informing him of the wedding. Let's pretend that Ludwig came to visit earlier in the week and is already in Plumeria so that isn't a plothole I didn't notice until after I finished this extra.
•Maybe for the 7th anniversary I'll write their actual wedding?

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