Note: I don't know what this is, I just started Fate/Apocrypha the anime and out of all the Servants that are featured, I just had to take a liking to one Rider of Red. Then again, he's voiced by one Saitama from One Punch Man — it felt inevitable.

So, AU thing. Supported by Josh and Leo, because otherwise, I don't think I would've posted this. Think of this as another AU of an AU of Healing Over Time, where Tomoko summoned this specific guy after Archer Emiya by accident. Because there's no way she'd do it on purpose, and I'd like to think this takes place a few months to a year since Tomoko originally summoned Rider himself, and two years since she summoned Saber. So there we go. Tomoko would be 19 here, going on near 20.

More sanctuary for honorable Servants! And exploring the idea that said sanctuary leads one heart to be opened more than the others. :p

Sparkle 18: Achilles' Other Heel

"You are quite the strange person, Master."

"Hm?" The comb in my hand was steady as I lightly patted the yellow-green head lying atop my lap. "What do you mean by that, Achilles?"

The Rider-class Servant rolled his eyes, not even budging from his place on my lap pillow. All he did was simply reach up with his left hand, touching a strand of my hair. From the gesture, I had no choice but to lean into it. "You're not even a Magus, nor are you a warrior. I'd expect you to ask for a fight." The smirk on his face was obvious as he tugged at the strand, rubbing it between his fingers. It was hard to tell if the tugging was affectionate or teasing. "Instead you provide a home, food, and even your own lap. If not for knowing how sincere you are, I'd say you're spoiling me."

Yep. Teasing it is. Was I that open for it?

"Silly Rider." I gently brushed the fringe of green hair framing his cheek with my comb, finding it hard to hide the warm smile. "I like doing it and you're not objecting, so what are you complaining about?"

"Ehhhh, nothing really." Achilles closed his eyes, a content smile on his face. "Just thinking out loud. After my last few Wars…" he sighed happily once I combed out a particularly messy tangle, his breath relaxed and peaceful. "It's a nice change. To not have to fight." Achilles paused, shifting a bit so he could look up towards the sky. "Fighting was always something I loved. Hell, there aren't a lot of things I love more than combat. To rest…" he exhaled, and I couldn't help but smile down at him. "It is new."

Another customer satisfied. Hee hee. Outwardly, I teased, "How long did it take you to come to that conclusion, O Legendary Hero?"

Achilles opened one yellow eye to stare at me, unamused. "The first time you called me in with the King of Knights to have lunch post-Summoning. When you had nearly fainted from lack of energy."

Welp. The nervous giggle on my part wasn't even intentional. "Are you still holding a grudge for that, Achilles?"

"Tomoko, you are my Master. Of course I'd be more than worried to find you almost drained from accidental summonings of Heroic Spirits. Especially when you are an innocent. Someone who hasn't even seen that much battle." He sighed again, this time in exasperation. Apparently he was miffed, but still going along with the conversation. "For my first real Master, you're quite the frail one."

That last sentence made me pause. What do you mean by "first real Master"? But it didn't feel right to ask. "To be fair," I angled my comb so that it could catch another tangle in Rider's yellow-green hair, "I wasn't expecting to summon another Servant after Saber and Archer." Those two were, in a way, handfuls. Happy handfuls, but handfuls. "And Saber has quite the appetite, Rider, not to mention Archer being a mom. The first time was supposed to be the only accident."

Life never did go the way you planned it.

"Hmph." Achilles opened his other eye to stare at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking from the look in his eyes. They were at least searching. Probing. "Are you saying you don't want me here?"

"Nope." I gently brushed some of the spikes in his hair back with my comb and shook my head. That was ridiculous. Hero or not, he was my friend. "Don't say that. Now that you are here, there's no way I'd want you to leave, Achilles. You silly Rider." I put down my comb and gently poked the top of his nose. "You're a dork and a part of this messy family of mine now. So, boop."

The last part I left in my thoughts. I love you too much to let you go now, you insufferable hero.

"…Heh," he smiled, closing his eyes again. "Arturia was right."

My comb fell limp in my hands just as I picked it up to hold, my heart leaping out of my chest. Where did that come from? Better question. "About what?"

Achilles shifted again, his left cheek resting against my thighs. I couldn't help but entertain the nagging feeling that he did it so I could have a better reach over his hair. "You have far too big of a heart, Master. I don't think I've ever met such a friendly woman like you in my entire life, even back when I was alive."

Oh. This topic again. Was kindness so rare in these Heroes' time periods? I tightened the grip on my comb to reach over and start another stroke over his head. "There are firsts for everything, aren't there?" A giggle left my lips as he shifted again, opening his eyes to look up at me questioningly. "Oh, Rider. You silly Rider." I booped his nose again, and the laugh was already bubbling in my throat at the confused look on his face. In any other place, he could've taken me for my ninja friends, or the other two Servants back home. Bafflement was quite amusing to see on the famous Achilles from Greek legends. "Hee hee."

"Oi. When did this turn into a diss?" Achilles frowned, reaching up to tug at my hair again while batting my booping hand away. "Hell, Master." Another tug, this time on my hair ribbon. "What are you thinking about?"

"About you," I said honestly, not even minding my voice raising in pitch once a light pink colored Achilles's cheeks. It was the truth. And hey. The dorks always found the fastest way into my heart. The man who ran the fastest back in his legend was no different, even as a Servant. "Because y'know?" I brushed his hair again, softer. "I like being with you. Fighting or not. Resting or not." Without skipping a beat in the cheese, I booped his forehead, not even minding the heat flooding my face. There was no way I could deny my gut anyways. Or my heart. "So, Achilles?"

"Huh?"

The smile on my face was big enough to make my cheeks hurt. "I love you."

It took a single second for his face to turn a dark pink, and Achilles immediately shifted on the grass so that he was looking away.

Welp. I started this ship, so I had to sit in it.

"I hope Arturia-san told you about this too~!" I couldn't help but go in a sing-song voice, lightly patting the top of his head with my comb-free hand.

A hand covered what I could see of his face, and the response was muffled. "—Too good for the heart."

"Eh?"

"ARGH, FUCK!" Achilles sat up so fast to the point of possible whiplash, and I backed off as soon as he turned his head to glower at me. Apparently I'd gone too far in the cheese. Ack. And… wait a minute. Was he blushing? "Tomoko." He leaned in enough to bonk foreheads. Ow. "Those words are very dangerous to a man, do you know that?"

"Um," I said, caught off guard. "Sure?"

When did his voice drop a few octaves?

Achilles narrowed his eyes at me, one of his hands reaching over to cup my cheek. His own cheeks were still glowing that pink color. "You don't understand this? At all?" He scoffed under his breath, closing his eyes. "Shit. Looks like Saber was right about this too…"

I blinked. He was close. Like, really close. "What do you mean?"

His breath brushed my face as he opened his eyes to stare at me. "Tomoko. If I was any other man, any other suitor right now, what do you think this is?" It vaguely registered that his thumb started rubbing my cheek. "What do you think I'm doing right now?"

I couldn't even feel the comb in my hands. It must've gone somewhere in the confusion, maybe even fallen on the grass beneath us, and I could tell I wouldn't be able to find it in this situation. The heat was still on, making my face feel hot, and the lightbulb in my head was just as quick in heating up too. He was too close. Way too close. I could even see myself reflected in his eyes, and I didn't know what to make of it. "…What should I take this as, Achilles? Because, um. You're really close?" My voice cracked too. "Um…"

"Haaa…" With that loud sigh out of the way, my Rider Servant simply rolled his eyes, leaning in to press a kiss to my forehead. I couldn't tell if he was disgruntled or irritated, but the gesture alone made all desire to speak leave my mind. What the heck brought this on? The only people who did this kind of thing was Papa, Mama, and Saber… so why Achilles all of a sudden? Not even Archer got this close. This affectionate. "Silly Master," he muttered against my bangs, not even pulling away. "Even if a man is hitting on you, I have a feeling you'd just wrap their feelings up and hand it back to them, oblivious to what was really being said."

Muuuuu, what was that? "Hey…" I reached over to push at Achilles's armored chest in protest, even if my grip wasn't all that stable from the embarrassment. The pout was already on my lips without having to think on it. "Is this a diss towards me now? Because it feels like you just turned the tables on me."

"Ha." Instead of justifying that with a response, Achilles kissed my head again.

"Fwah…!" was the little noise that left my throat. My cheeks couldn't stay puffed in the face of that. I was honestly curious about what was going on, but the heat that was the familiar blush of embarrassment was here yet again and my voice was cracking even more. Why couldn't I just use my long hair as a cover? Right, this ridiculous Rider was pushing it back. What was Achilles even thinking? Hell. "A-Achilles…! What's this for?"

"Don't worry about it, Master," was the response, and a hand was pulling me in for a warm hug before I could say anymore. Armor was pressing against my chest, but it was hard to complain when a nose was resting against the top of my hair, breathing. "—almost like Ane-san."

Ane-san? Huh? I reached over as gently as I could, trying not to jostle his armor to lightly put a hand on his head. "Achilles?"

No answer. Achilles simply hugged me tighter, and I could feel my ribs creak. A breath brushed my hair, shaky too, and the hand resting on the back of my neck was warm even through the gloves. Desperate, if I could label it that.

I tried again, a bit gentler. "Achilles?"

"I'm sorry, Tomoko," he murmured finally, and the other hand that was draped around my waist squeezed. He used my name. Not the Master title, but my name. Something was up. "Could we stay like this for a bit?" Achilles paused, loosening his grip for a single moment before tightening it again. "After this, we can go home."

Oh. Something was definitely up.

But I could tell it wasn't the right time to ask. Especially if this hug was any indication. Achilles had his own story, outside of his old legend from that world, consisting of the things he'd experienced in previous Grail Wars. Of things I didn't know, from the time before I got to know him as my Rider Servant. It wasn't my place.

In a way, this was just like the first days I had with Saber.

I was only a civilian in the end with wacky chakra that allowed Rider to come here. That allowed Archer and Saber to be here. It was that chakra that allowed my Servants to not have to fight. And in the Narutoverse, it was a blessing.

I couldn't ask for more when my Servants allowed themselves to be vulnerable in front of me.

I adjusted my position so I wouldn't be sitting on my legs, instead relying on my knees to keep me upright. The answer was obvious, no matter what. "Aye. As long as you need to." I reached over to gently run my fingers through his green hair. It was a lot softer now thanks to all that combing, but we could brush it again later. I could already feel another tangle hit my fingers. "You're okay, Achilles."

"Thank you, my Master," was all he said, and then a cheek was pressing against the top of my head. I could hear the smile in his voice, as serious as it was. "Thank you."

I tucked my nose into the crook between his shoulder and neck, nodding. It wasn't everyday the near Immortal Hero allowed himself to be vulnerable. The least I could do was respect the moment for what it was. "Aye aye, Rider." I snuggled into him, doing my best to not jostle his orange scarf of a sash. He smelled of metal and a bit of sweat, no thanks to his armor, but it was nice to get a hug from him nonetheless. A majority of the time, I had to initiate physical contact with my Servants. Rarely did it happen the other way around. "I hope this helps."

"Heh." The hand that was on the back of my neck slipped down to my back, patting it softly through my hair. "You have no idea."

I squeezed him back with a smile. Here we go. This was the Achilles I got to know again. He was back. "Hee hee. I'm glad then."

Achilles pulled away just slightly to make eye contact, keeping his hands on my back. Even with the slightest tint of pink on his cheeks, his stare read confusion. "About what?"

I couldn't help but smile up at him. The dork. My dork. "I'm glad that I got to help you, Achilles. That's good enough for me." For emphasis, I reached up with my free hand and poked his nose. "So. Boop!"

The Rider blinked at me. "Pft." He turned his head away. "Hahahaha." Achilles laughed, closing his eyes in mirth before headbutting me in return. "You're quite the friendly Master." To my surprise, he kept his head rested against mine, and his yellow eyes were soft when staring at me. "You're amazing, Tomoko."

The blush was back on. I could tell even if I didn't have a mirror to check, not to mention how Achilles clearly meant every single word. "Says the famous hero with the chariot?"

"Oi," Achilles pinched my nose in return, eyebrow raised in good manner, "it's a good chariot. Xanthos, Balius, and Pedasos are good horses. Divine and immortal, so good horses. Xanthos can even serve as a good talking companion." He sighed, letting go of my nose before bonking my head again. Ow. "I'd summon my entire chariot to prove it, but I know you, Master. It'd be a toll on your energy and the last thing all us Servants want is for you to collapse again." He shivered with a grimace. "Saber is terrifying enough, and that's when you were asleep."

"Eh?" I blinked at him. "When did this happen?" It didn't even matter that he mentioned a talking horse. What had Saber said to him?

"Don't worry about it, Tomoko." Achilles stood up to stretch, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it."

Muuu. He was being tight-lipped. Reminded me too much of a certain Red Archer… I couldn't help but pout. "When you put it like that, I'm more inclined to worry, Achilles…"

"And I said not to worry about it." He put his right hand on his hip while offering his left to me. "Now c'mon. Let's walk home."

I looked around the grass, found the comb from before, and grabbed it before meeting his eyes again. "Aye aye, Rider," I said dutifully, putting my right hand in his left. He wasn't going to budge anyways. Once we had a grip, he immediately pulled me up, and with my comb-hand, I did what I could to smooth out the back of my dress. "You're going to be okay?"

"What sort of question is that, Master?" He smirked at me, eyebrows furrowed in that way that just screamed he was going to be trolling any second now. "I'm the ultimate Hero of all Heroes! I'm more than okay!"

"If you say so?" I agreed quietly, because it proceeded to register that he hadn't let go of my hand. Intertwined our fingers, actually. "But, Achilles?"

"Yeah?"

I tugged at his hand, feeling my face burn a bit more. "What's this all about?"

"Oh, that." Achilles turned his head away, his ears turning the slightest bit of pink. "About that…" It took a single tug for me to nearly slam my face into his shoulder. Once I caught up to him, I looked up to see him raise our intertwined fingers in the air. "Call it a bit of heroic pride." I was not expecting him to bring the back of my hand to his lips, kissing it softly. He was still making eye contact with me while doing so. "For a lowly hero to steal the heart of a lovely princess, he has to start with this, doesn't he?"

Ohmigod, he was smirking. And did he…did he actually—?

His yellow eyes were so insinuating something. And if the kisses were any indication…

Oh gosh. Oh dear gosh.

"Achilles…?" I squeaked.

Achilles lowered our hands, still smirking. The ass. The complete, insufferable, pompous ass. He was enjoying this. He was enjoying every single minute of this. "Yes, Princess?"

Aaaaand he was using my childhood nickname. Goddammit. I was probably resembling a mouse in voice and a bright cherry in cheeks. Oh joy. I tightened the grip on our hands, taking a deep breath. There was no better way to go about this but ask directly. "Are you… are you trying to court me?"

"Ohhhhh! The clueless beauty finally catches on!" Achilles threw his head back and laughed, his green fringe flopping along with the motion, but all it did was make my heart pound all the more harder. "And here I thought with your hugging Saber, Archer, and your other friends, you'd never notice."

For once, I couldn't help but wish he said no. Because god, this was a first. I liked people before, but for someone to like me first—! Ohmigosh. Ohmigosh. "A-Achilles…!" my voice was barely audible anymore as soon as he tugged me along to walk away from the grass and towards the streets. "Why me? I'm just a civilian girl…"

"Just a civilian girl? Please, Master." Even with his back turned to walk, the smirk was still obvious in his voice. And he was still tugging on my hand. "No simple civilian girl would be able to summon and maintain three Heroic Spirits. Along with keeping up an occupation that any Hero would be vying for, amongst Assassins." He turned his head back to look at me, and it took all I had to not accidentally walk into him. Why did he stop? "No mere Demigod would fall for a girl like you."

Oh.

He was serious. Absolutely serious. I didn't even have to tap into the link that was our apparent bond of Master and Servant to know that.

I did my best to focus on the intricate artwork carved into Achilles's shoulder plates, my heart running a marathon now. "O-Oh," I said slowly. "Okay." The word came out meek and, to be honest, kinda pathetic in sound, but it was all I could muster. It was not an everyday occurrence that a Servant that you considered a friend just did a roundabout confession on you.

How could I respond?

A pause followed my words, and once it ticked on about a minute, I could feel myself fidget. The gloved hand covering mine tightened its grip. Achilles was staring at me, even when I wasn't returning the stare. "Tomoko. Could you look at me?"

"I-I dunno…" I gulped. "If I do that, it feels like I'll melt."

The mirth in his voice dropped for solemn quiet. "…Why do you say that?"

Because it's you.

My reply was still meek, even when expressing my thoughts aloud. "B-Because it's you, Rider. Because I know that it's you, and with everything that's been said…" I ducked my head, doing my best to hide behind my bangs and the rest of my hair. It didn't help my heart that I probably looked like an oven had caught fire at this point. "I don't know if I can match up to you. You're Achilles, one of the heroes from the Trojan War, an amazing Rider Servant, and you fell for me…" If not for the comb in my free hand, I knew I would've covered my burning face with my palm. "I-I… I'm still reeling from that. Kinda."

The grip on my hand loosened just slightly, but a gloved thumb rubbed the back of my knuckles. "Should I take that as a sign you feel the same?"

My heart spoke first as soon as my eyes focused on the orange sash tied around his chest. Yes. A bit unsure, but yes. It could've sounded like Hisako if I didn't know any better.

Instead of spoken words, all I could do was nod, just as meek as before. It was my gut feelings. I couldn't deny that. Not as Vy, and definitely not as Tomoko.

Silence reigned for a while soon after that. I knew I couldn't look up, but the grip on my hand was unmistakable. It was only when my legs started to feel weak from standing for so long that I tried anything.

I raised my head and carefully opened my mouth. "Achilles?"

The Rider Servant fully turned around to look at me, and I blinked. His cheeks were colored a dark red, his eyebrows furrowed in clear surprise, and his right hand was covering the lower half of his face. From his expression alone, it looked like he was just as stupefied as me. "Holy fuck," was the muffled reply. "That was all it took?"

"Um," I raised my comb hand in the air to catch his attention, feeling just as flushed, "I'm sorry for being oblivious? I'm too used to physical affection and like giving it to friends and family, so there's that?"

Achilles slowly lowered his right hand to frown at me. "I was throwing hints since the day you summoned me, Master."

"Oh." Whoops.

"You could've used a Command Spell to make me talk."

What? I shook my head vigorously, even if it jostled my hair. "No way!"

Yet again, Achilles sounded taken aback. "Why?"

Because it's you.

"Because it's you!" I said again, louder. Controlling was ridiculous. No fucking way. Ever. The ninja were horrible enough with interrogation shit! "Even before this whole romance-mess-thingie, I don't know, Command Seals are out of the question! You, Saber, Archer, you're all human. Demigod, in your case," I corrected quickly once it became obvious Achilles was glowering at me, "but still! I want to respect you as an equal, not as a familiar or something Mages apparently parade around like Halloween candy!" The last part was probably unnecessary, but it still left my lips once the scowl formed on my face along with the thought. "Mages from the sounds of things suck."

A pause. Then Achilles laughed softly and tugged on my hand again, and I found myself forced to taking a few steps forward, my nose landing on his shoulder again. Huh. This time, I was facing the orange sash side. "You're not wrong on that part, but you're going to have to explain 'Halloween', Master." The smirk was obvious again in his voice. He was definitely amused. "After the next few minutes."

Eh? "After what now?"

"Ha." Once again, a breath brushed the top of my head. "After this."

Before I could ask, Achilles pulled away to kiss me.

It was, to be honest, the fastest he had ever been. The kiss itself was not even a deep press of lips together, but a light touch rivaling a peck before he pulled away and all I could see was bright yellow eyes. "After I get around to not holding back anymore," was the following murmur. His other hand was stroking my cheek, leaving sparks of something behind with each touch. Electricity was the closest I could come to describing it. Ticklish, even. "Because now that I have confirmation that this is real, I'm taking it for myself." He was smiling. "Sorry, Master."

"O-Oh." My lips tingled with warmth once the realization settled in, just as my heart started speeding up all over again. It felt soft and real. "Th-That doesn't really sound like an apology to me, Rider."

"Oi. Blame me for trying." His nose was lightly touching mine, and a giggle left my lips once he rubbed them together. It tickled. "I wasn't expecting to get results this soon. Not even Ane-san responded like you."

Ane-san again… Instead of pressing, I squeaked out a tiny, "I-I'm sorry for making you wait?"

Achilles sighed, kissing the top of my nose. Aaaah. "We're going to have to work on that confidence of yours, Tomoko. Especially if we're going to make this work." He rolled his eyes, exasperated. "You've got one big heart that doesn't include you. That's not going to help in the long run, and I'm one calling you out when I'm the Hero with the weak heel."

"A-Aye," was all I could conclude sheepishly. Nothing much else to say to that. I was going to have to get used to this. Once it registered in my head that this was real. This was actually happening. Actually happening. "But I'll be relying on you from now on?"

"Silly Master." Achilles leaned in to press another quick kiss to my lips, making me freeze. Once he pulled away, I could see the whites of his teeth as he grinned. "That's obvious. I'll be in your care from now on too." His eyes were half-lidded and focused just on me, his voice dropping another octave to whisper. "If you'll have me?"

"As long as you don't go too fast?" Another nervous giggle left my lips. They were still tingly. "I can get motion-sick easily with your speed."

"Oh," he said lowly, leaning in enough for his lips to be brushing mine again. "I don't slow down that much, but I'll try. For my small princess."

"M-Mm." He had to pull the height card. Sheesh.

"So, Princess?"

"Yes?"

Achilles grinned that shit-eating grin of his, his green hair fringe brushing my cheek. "May I kiss you again?"

I could feel myself flush red. He was definitely teasing me. Instead of voicing discontent, what came out of my mouth was an embarrassed, "Y-You do know you stole my first two kisses in this life, right?"

"Wait, what?" That was all it took for the heat to disappear from the air. Achilles blinked, lurching back a bit to stare at me in shock. And was it just me, or was I hearing joy in his voice? "I was your first?" A nervous, boistering laugh left him as he gripped my hand tightly. "I thought it would've been someone like Kei or your other friends. Even Saber or Archer."

"No!" I couldn't help but feel flabbergasted. Where the hell did he get that from? "They're family! I love them, but not to the point of kissing them! I mean," yeah, my mind was catching up with my mouth now, "sure, I say, 'I love you' a lot, I hug people a lot, but when war risks them dying almost every day, I worry. So, I say that." My voice got quiet again from the honesty. "…It's the same with you, Rider."

He got quiet too. "With me?"

I poked his chest with my comb-hand. "Heel. Fighting in the Trojan War. Recklessness. And being a Servant who likes fighting." With each statement, I poked him. "You worry me too. Even before my heart started flip-flopping like hell over you. So there." I pouted. "You silly Rider."

Before I could poke him again for final emphasis, Achilles caught my hand in his. "We're both silly, Master," he breathed, "and I'm glad I got to be your first." He squeezed my hand, not minding the comb squished between our palms. He was occupying both of my hands now. Aaaah. "I'll do my best to not make you worry then. I'll protect you as long as this contract allows me."

I did not deserve this man.

"As long as you don't throw your new life away, Achilles." I couldn't help but smile at him, even if it was a shaky one. Another dork. This time, I could say he was my dork. My main dork. "I'd rather you be happy and safe first before trying anything. It's nice that you want to live as a hero like you did before, but I'd cry if you went without saying goodbye."

"Oh, don't worry about that." He was still close enough for us to share air. "I don't plan on saying goodbye when you're the one who makes this place home." A smirk was on his face even when I could only look into his eyes. Sparkling, happy yellow eyes. "So, can I kiss you now?"

My smile felt bashful when it was focused on him. Then again, it was hard to wipe away the blush on my face. "Go ahead, Achi."

He inclined his head at me, blinking. "Achi?"

"You call me Princess," I pointed out. "A nickname for you now is fair game, isn't it?"

Achilles grinned. "Hoh, so we're on that level now, aren't we?"

"Aye!"

"Pft. C'mere, you teasing princess." He just had to tug me once to close the distance. This time, I'm glad it lasted longer. Achi tasted of spearmint.

"So," Archer said dully, wet dish and towel in hand, "what were you two up to when you were gone?"

Achilles could not stop grinning. Even when walking home, he never let go. Right now, he was still holding onto my comb-free hand, and it took all I had to not look away from Archer's questioning stare. "Getting together?" I squeaked.

Saber poked her head out from the hallway to stare incredulously. "…Apologies, Milady, but could you please repeat that?"

"Uh." That's really hard. Achi…!

If Rider caught onto my mental plea for help, he didn't seem to signal it. Instead, his grin widened. "I won our bet, Archer!" Achi cheered, raising our intertwined fingers all the while, and I could feel my face flush as Archer blinked. "You owe us a full-course dinner!"

"Wait, wait, wait, youbetonus?!"

"To be more precise, Tomoko," Archer interjected with a raised hand, "it was a bet around whether you would notice Achilles flirting with you. If he won, I'd make dinner. If I won, he'd be washing dishes for an entire month." He paused before adding a careful, "I guessed you'd take a year."

"I hoped by today you'd make it, Master!" Achi was humming while swinging our hands together. "And here we are!"

"What." I turned my head to face the other Servant nearby. "Saber?"

She was apparently glaring daggers at Achilles before turning to meet my eyes with a softer yet curter gaze. "I had no idea there was even a bet," she grumbled before stepping out of the hallway, arms crossed. "Rider."

Achilles stood to attention in spite of the massive shit-eating grin on his face. "Yes, Saber?"

Arturia-san tapped her foot, eyebrow raised at him. "Allow me to ask you one thing." The entire area seemed to get colder with the announcement, and I couldn't help but gulp. Thankfully, the paranoia was unneeded. Saber's expression evened out as understanding shined in her emerald eyes. "Do you plan to make our Master happy?"

Rider blinked before tugging on my hand and I couldn't help but yelp once my cheek landed on his armored chest. An arm was draped around my shoulders, and I could feel more than hear his proud reply through the vibrations. "The happiest she could ever be. More than even my father and mother could grant."

Holy shit.

Archer whistled in approval as he took a few steps back towards the kitchen, the dish in his hands fully dry now. "More than the sea goddess Thetis and your hero of a father Peleus? That's a tall order, Rider."

"Hey," Achilles squeezed me to him, and the heat dial could've been turned up to eleven with the tight grip he was bringing along. The slight inflection of seriousness in his voice didn't help anything. "For such a selfless and hardworking Master, she deserves the world, doesn't she?"

Yep. I didn't need a mirror to know my face was red. "A-Achi!"

Rider simply inclined his head in my direction, smiling while meeting my stare. "It's the truth, Tomoko."

"Heh," Archer smirked too as he finally reached the kitchen, turning around to face the sink and the small pile of dishes under his now free hands. "You're not wrong."

The first time that afternoon, Saber smiled. "Indeed," she said cordially, closing her eyes in agreement. "Although, Rider, if you ever hurt Tomoko in any way…" Her feet were already tensing in a far too familiar swords stance. Ack. "You know what is to come, do you not?"

"I have first dibs, Saber," Archer interrupted, sounding fierce even with his back turned. It was still kinda scary, even when he was holding a simple sponge and soap bottle. "Don't start making threats before me."

"You both have the first chance to kill me if I do anything at all," Achilles interjected dryly, raising his free hand in the air to make his point. A pause followed, then he added a small, "Aside from our Master's family and Assassin friends. Don't want to make enemies out of them." He shivered for a second, but held me tighter to him. "I don't plan to hurt her, and even if I do, you two can set me straight."

Saber relaxed her stance. "That is sufficient," she finally relented, before giving me a glance. "Tomoko?"

"Y-Yes?" my voice was still in a squeak.

Saber smiled again. This time, the gesture looked real and Saber-like. "I wish you happiness. Congratulations."

Archer snorted fondly under his breath following Saber's words, not saying anything else, but the sentiment was there.

If not for the current position I was in and the situation at hand, I was tempted to cry and hug both Saber and Archer right then and there. After everything Vy had to deal with when it came to familial flack and special others, it felt nice to have acceptance right off the bat. I could never take things like this for granted ever again. "Th-Thank you both," I said gratefully instead, bowing my head. "Just, thank you."

I love you all so much.

It didn't have to be said aloud. Our thoughts were shared, and I didn't have to raise my head to know all my Servants were smiling.

"Now then!" A hand was touching the underside of my knees and a yelp left me once there was a sweep and I was looking up at the proud smile of my Rider. "If you'll excuse us, Saber, Archer, I have to go appreciate our Princess!"

Holy shit, he was carrying me. Bridal-style. Holy shit. "E-Eh?! What's this about?!"

Saber was rolling her eyes. "As long as our Master can still stand on her own two feet by tomorrow morning, Rider. I can handle breaking the news to everyone else in the meantime."

"Be sure to carry protection, Achilles!" Archer called after us.

The fuck are they insinuating?! "Eh?!"

Achilles was still wearing that proud grin of his. "Got it!"

"Ehhh?!" I had to hold back my squeal of surprise once my Rider of a boyfriend started sprinting. "Achiiiiii! No running in the house!"

All I could hear past that was Achilles and Shirou's shared laughter. "Just run with it, Master!"

"I worry more because of that! And that was a horrible pun!"

"Oh, it's fine!" Achilles was humming, even when nearly crashing through the doorway of my room. "Besides." Once my feet could find refuge in the ground, a hand was slamming itself near my head against the nearest wall. My heart leapt out of my ribcage once my stomach reoriented itself after a few seconds. Achilles was leaning down towards me, still smiling. His voice had dropped a few octaves, his breath brushing my face. "I have you all to myself for now, Master. I'm going to enjoy this as much as I can."

"A-Achi—"

A gloved hand brushed some stray hairs away from my face, and that was the last bit of peace I got. His lips easily pressed against mine once the latch of the door settled in, and that was it.

The rest? Let's just say it could stay behind the closed door of my room.

We didn't need protection because thankfully, Rider still knew when limits were hit and when "no" meant no.

"Hey, Archer?"

The man formerly known as Emiya Shirou grunted, not even pausing in his work of cooking stew. "Yes, Rider?"

"You're okay with this? Cooking dinner?"

Archer smirked, throwing his head back to meet Rider's yellow eyes. "I lost the bet. So I have to uphold the conditions we agreed on. Or are you backing out now?"

Rider grinned back, arms crossed over his T-shirt as he shook his head. "Nah. It was a good bet. And hey."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For supporting Master and I."

Archer smiled. "Least I can do. You make Tomoko happy. Besides," he cut some onions, being careful of not letting any bits of it fly into his eyes. "I'm not the one you have to worry about."

"Huh? Who am I supposed to worry about then?"

He rolled his eyes while putting the cut onion away, gently grabbing the nearest slab of chicken breast to start cutting into bite-size pieces. "Tomoko's parents and friends." He hid a snicker at the thought. "Some ninja would probably like to interrogate you for charming their pianist."

Achilles faltered for the first time that day, nearly tripping over himself while leaning against the wall. "Well, shit."

Archer threw his head back and laughed.