December 30th, 1205

3:43 pm

"Hello- Oh!" Fiona said as she opened the door and saw who stood upon her stoop. A hospitable smile settled upon her face. "Fie!"

Fie nodded.

"It's good to see you again. Please, come in." She opened the door wider and motioned her into her home.

"Ditto. Thank you," said Fie as she stepped inside the warm house, loosening her scarf as the door shut behind her. "Sara will be here in a little bit, she wanted to unpack first."

Fiona noticed how the young woman's eyes darted around the room. "Elliot's still at school," she said.

"Oh."

"He's going to be let out soon. You can wait for him, if you'd like."

Fie shook her head. "Thanks, but I wouldn't wanna bug you."

Fiona waved her hand dismissively. "You wouldn't. Besides, I could use some help getting tonight's dinner ready. Wouldn't want to tire myself out before everything I need to do tomorrow. Could you lend me a hand?"

Fie nodded. "What do you need done?"

"Nothing fancy, just dicing and grating some vegetables to throw in a quick soup. Which would you rather do?"

"I'm pretty good with a knife."

"Great," Fiona said as she headed to the kitchen. "Let me just get the things for you."

Fie nodded even though Fiona couldn't see her, crouching as she was in front of the cabinets under the kitchen countertop.

"So Fie," Fiona said as she started putting equipment and small bags of vegetables on the granite counter above her head. "How did you and my little brother start dating?"

"He asked me out for lunch one day during class."

Fiona tsked. "If I know Elliot, that can't have been the start. What happened before that?"

Fie knew what she considered the start of things; the late night meal during their first night at Thors. It hadn't meant much at the time but in retrospect it felt like it meant everything. But Fie didn't feel like sharing that memory; she'd rather it stayed a moment between her and Elliot. "I was having trouble sleeping one night and heard him playing. I asked if I could listen while he practiced."

"Aww," Fiona cooed as she straightened up. "I'd love to hear more but we should get started on dinner." She handed Fie a peeler. "Could you handle the potatoes? I'm using those last so they're going in the back of the fridge. The red bowl should be big enough."

Fie nodded as she took the utensil. "How big do you need them?"

"Just a cubic rege should be fine." Fiona went over to the kitchen table and started peeling some carrots. Fie stood in front of the sink and did the same to a potato. She had only shaved off a few ribbons when she was interrupted.

"Oh, please don't peel into the sink," said Fiona. "The starch clogs the garbage disposal. Just put the peels into the bag the potatoes came from."

"My bad," said Fie as she scooped up the peels and transplanted them from stainless steel to paper. The bag was just a bit too tall for Fie to comfortably peel into with it sitting atop the counter, making her work at just below eye level and keep her arms at an uncomfortable angle to hold the vegetable over its opening.

"Elliot told me you're a bracer?"

"Yeah," Fie replied. "Junior bracer for now."

"That sounds really dangerous."

Fie tried to shrug, but her shoulders were already raised to their maximum height due to the awkward peeling position. "It's nothing I can't handle."

Fiona sighed. "That's how it always is. Until you run into something you can't handle and pay the price for it."

Fie made another failed attempt at a shrug. There wasn't really anything she could say in retort; it was just the unfortunate reality of the job. The unfamiliar position was starting to make her shoulders ache.

She sped up and finished the last potato, putting the waste bag to the side and setting the tubers on a cutting board to being dicing them. She didn't get through more than half of a single potato before being interrupted again.

"Could you please keep the cubes underwater?" asked Fiona as she grated the carrots. "It keeps them from going brown before they go in the soup."

Fie paused her dicing to put water in the red bowl, then continued. The potatoes kept sticking to her knife as she cut, making it hard to develop a smooth rhythm. Fiona's questions didn't help.

"Do you think you'll stick with it as a career? It's a lot of danger. And a lot of travel. Can't be an easy life."

"It's not for everyone," said Fie as she tried to focus on her work.

"It's not very healthy for personal affairs either, at least from what Sara told me-"

Knock Knock

"Ah, that must be her." Fiona started to put the grater and carrot down but Fie was faster.

"I'll get it," she said, already halfway out the kitchen.

"Hey, Fiona, is Fie here- Oh. Yes you are," said Sara as the door opened.

"Sure am," replied Fie, rolling her shoulders to try and get the stiffness out. Sara frowned and opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a voice from the kitchen.

"Sara? I'm in here," called Fiona.

"Elliot in there too?" Sara asked as she entered.

"No, just us two. Fie was helping me get things ready for dinner and telling me about how hard it is being a Bracer."

"Oh was she?" Sara said, looking at Fie with a raised eyebrow.

"And about how her and Elliot got together. Have you heard that story? It's really cute."

"Sure haven't." Sara glanced between her friend and Fie before letting out a small sigh. "Fie, I'll help out with the rest of this. You go and get Elliot, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."

Fie felt that with how much they had been talking, there was very little to cover but she took the out she was given and left.

Sara took up her spot at the dicing. The pair prepared the food in silence, working quickly and efficiently until all the ingredients were ready and put away.

"Would you like a drink?" Fiona asked before she closed the fridge.

"Always."

"I meant juice."

Sara let out an over-dramatic sigh as she pulled a pair of cups out of a cabinet. "It'll have to do."

Fiona tittered at her friend's antics before filling up both cups with grape juice and putting the bottle away.

"So," Sara said as she lifted the cup to her lips. "What did I actually walk in on?"

"I was just trying to get to know her," Fiona said between sips.

"Mmm." Sara wiped her lips with the back of her hand and set her empty cup on the table. "Pull the other one."

"She's so young and already a Bracer, one of the most dangerous jobs around. I wanted to see how she was able to handle it all."

"Mm-hmm. Keep going."

Fiona sighed and hung her head. "I'm worried about how it'll effect Elliot. Not just being with someone who's always so far away but also constantly in danger."

"Hasn't he shown by now he can handle that?" Sara asked. "With your dad and all."

Fiona shook her head. "It's not the same. Not at all. With dad… I know I'm gonna have to say goodbye to him someday. Hopefully not for another fifty, sixty years, but still. That's not all of it either. I like it when dad's around and I miss him when he's gone but I don't need him."

Sara nodded. "I know what you mean." Her gaze went from her friend's face to the bottom of her empty glass. If only it was full.

"You're right; you do. But…" Fiona sighed again. "You don't. You've never been the one left at home, always with that fear in the back of your head of checking the mail one morning and finding an envelope marked with the imperial seal. Not that I'd even get that," she muttered.

Sara scooted her chair around the table to sit next to her, putting an arm around Fiona. "They're tough. And smart."

"But how lucky are they? And for how long? Mine spends his days mostly behind a desk, Fie is out in the field. That's another thing; how long will Elliot have to handle it? The fear, the loneliness."

Fiona sighed and slumped against her friend. "I love Gerhard. With all my soul. But if I didn't know that his service had a hard time limit, I don't know if I'd be able to do it. Bracer's don't have that, right? No path to retirement or a safe desk job or someone to tell them they have to stop."

"There's the Bracer retirement fund that works as a pension, but no," said Sara. "We decide when we quit. Some of us never do."

Fiona slumped harder.

"But you don't have to worry about that with Fie. She's got such a spark inside of her. Everywhere we go, she's learning about the local plants or picking up games or finding the best places to sleep and relax. It's just a job for her; not her life. When the time comes, she'll see it for what it is and make the right choice. She could stop tomorrow and be fine. There's… honestly a lot I could learn from her."

Fiona straightened up, looking at her friend with interest. "What do you mean?" Sara's comforting hold on her had slackened and she took it as a sign to offer her some comfort of her own, giving her a stable place to hold on to.

"I taught at Thors for a year. I was good at it, all the kids said so, my boss said so, even your boyfriend had to admit I did my job well. But I was never Instructor Valestein. I tried so hard for so long to think of myself that way and it always felt like a costume. After I resigned, I walked into a bracer hall and I felt right for the first time in over a year.

"Even being here; as your friend, as Fie's family, two titles I value more than anything, all I can think about is going back to work. When my time comes, I don't know if I'll be able to stop. I don't even know how. I am a Bracer. If I'm not, then what am I? A drunk?" Sara scoffed. "I don't have any hobbies that aren't slowly killing me."

"Sara, no one has their future planned out," said Fiona, rubbing Sara's back. "It's okay to not know what you want to do."

"It is. But let me tell you, the time between the shutdown and me working at Thors? Was the most scared I've ever been in my entire life. I can't imagine going back to that willingly."

A silence fell over the room, Fiona trying to give as much comfort as she could while Sara stared at the bottom of her glass, slowly turning it.

"But anyways!" Sara suddenly loudly said. "That's a worry for thirty years in the future; and not one you have to worry about Fie going through."

"Right," Fiona said, trying to do her part to raise the mood. "And you know when it does happen, I'll support you however I can, right?"

Sara chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But in happier topics, what do you think of my hair?" Sara tilted her head back and forth to let Fiona see as much of it as possible.

"I like it! Why'd you start wearing it down?"

"Well, Fie let a stray cat into our room one night..."

The tension slowly leaked out of the kitchen as the old friends caught up properly, one glancing out the window for her little brother; the other for her little sister.

4:02 pm

Today had easily been the least productive of all of Elliot's time at the Heimdallr Music Academy. Luckily, no one else seemed to be trying that hard either. Everyone, including the teachers, just wanted to get home and begin their New Year's vacation.

The bell rang and Elliot's ARCUS was out of his pocket before his papers were in their folders. No message from Fie since the one she had sent that morning about getting on the train. His excitement was undiminished. If she wasn't here yet, that just meant he had time to get home and prepare for her arrival. He was so caught up in thinking about what he could do, bathe of course, maybe make some snacks, get the grand rose bush ready to show her how well he had taken care of it, that he nearly missed the flash of white hair out the corner of his eye.

White hair, green scarf, and a face he had spent the last year dreaming about. "Fie!" he called out as he rushed over to her.

It was rare that Elliot saw a look of surprise cross Fie's face, but he was so happy he didn't even dwell on it, embracing her tightly. He leaned down and kissed her as passionately as was acceptable to do in public. Surprised or not, Fie was happy to reciprocate.

If anything, the smile on Elliot's lips was even bigger when they pulled apart. "I've missed you," he said, straightening back up.

"Same here." Fie leaned up to try and kiss him again, but couldn't quite reach. "You're taller," she said with a pout.

Elliot chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, a little." He started to lean down to close the distance, but Fie put a finger to his lips.

"Wait." Fie thought for a moment and then put her hands on his shoulders. Putting most of her weight onto him, almost like she was trying to do a pullup, she carefully stood on his feet to get the slight extra height she needed to be able to reach his lips without him bending down.

The little self-satisfied smile on her lips as she pulled back made Elliot's heart flutter in his chest. "I love you so much," he said. In return he got a quick peck before Fie stepped off of his shoes and slipped her hand into his like it had never left.

"I didn't recognize you," said Fie as they walked to the bus stop. "Your hair's gotten longer, along with the rest of you."

"What do you think? I usually have it in a ponytail but I was so excited this morning that I kinda forgot," Elliot sheepishly admitted as he self-consciously ran a hand through his hair. A gentle blush dusted his cheeks.

"I like it," Fie said as she brought her hand up to join his in playing with his locks. "It suits you. What do you think of mine?" she asked as she took his hand and moved it from his hair to hers.

"It's really soft," he said as he ran his fingers through it from top to bottom.

"Sara got me some really nice conditioner once it reached my shoulders."

"I think I remember you mentioning that, yeah."

"Speaking of things I mentioned," Fie said as she smiled a playful, faintly mischievous smile. "Think it'll serve its purpose?"

Elliot's blush went from nearly completely faded to brighter than before. "Is that really why you grew it out?"

"No," Fie admitted. "I just wanted to know how I'd look. It's a nice bonus though."

"It is," he agreed. Despite his blush, Elliot couldn't help himself. He wound a lock of her hair around his finger and gave it a gentle tug, making Fie smile. "Oh, where's your luggage?"

"I put it in the old guild hall when I got here. Thought it might be awkward to bring it to your place if you weren't there, so I checked first. Ended up helping Fiona get things ready for dinner."

"That was nice of you."

Fie shrugged. "Sara took over for me before I was finished. She and Fiona are probably still hanging out at your place," she hinted as the bus pulled up in front of them.

"Oh. Wanna go to the hall and get your luggage?" Elliot asked as they boarded.

"No, but it'll be a nice bonus."

5:54 pm

Fie and Elliot had been dressed and ready to leave the Bracer building for almost fifteen minutes, but neither wanted to follow through on the idea. It had been so long since they'd gotten to be in their own little world together.

The decision was taken out of their hands by a knock on the door. "That's probably Sara," said Fie, eyes closed as she basked in the last straining rays of the evening sun streaming onto the couch from the window. Since she was laying down and Elliot was sitting, he decided he would be the one to answer the door.

Rather than fuschia and a fond reunion, Elliot found blonde and black and the sudden realization of what he had forgotten 27 days ago. "Fie," he called behind him. "Your brothers are here."

Fie's eyes shot open. She went to the door, almost not believing him. But her eyes supported his story. Brunet brother and blond brother, each carrying a beaten up duffel bag that had been through hell alongside their owners.

"Hello Fie," said Leonidas, warmth in his voice. "It is good to see you well."

"We just got off the train," explained Xeno. "Figured we'd stop by and say hello before we checked in."

"Hi," said Fie.

Elliot was no highly trained jaeger, but he could feel something in the air that made him feel like he was intruding on them. He mumbled something about getting Fie's bag and tried to head back into the house, but a soft tug stopped him. Fie had subtly taken his sleeve between her thumb and forefinger as he passed by her. When he stopped moving, she quickly squeezed his hand.

"You found them," she said to him, her voice artificially level.

Elliot gave her an apologetic smile. "Yeah, sort of." I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry.

"More like he got us to find him," said Xeno.

"He is quite clever," added Leonidas.

"Yeah," said Fie. "I know." The surprise was slowly starting to wear off. "I'm glad you're both still alive."

"It is nothing short of a minor miracle," said Leonidas. "We heard you had become a bracer. Are you enjoying it?"

"It's fine."

"Grapevine says you're leaving all the other juniors in the dust," Xeno said with a proud smile.

Fie shrugged. "Sara and Toval are good teachers. And the sooner I become a senior bracer the sooner I can find answers."

"The boss will be very proud of you," Leonidas said. "As are we."

A brief smile crossed Fie lips, the first since their appearance. "Thanks."

"Well, we should get going and check into our hotel before the traffic picks up again," said Xeno.

Leonidas nodded. "Indeed. But first, I believe the woman who keeps peeking around the corner would like to speak with us." He turned and looked at the person in question. Elliot followed his gaze and frowned with confusion.

"Sis?" he called.

Fiona emerged from the corner with an entirely unapologetic smile and Sara in tow. "Hello," she brightly said as she walked up to them. "I'm sorry, I saw you from the house and wanted to introduce myself but not interrupt the reunion. You're Fie's older brothers right? I'm Fiona." She held out a hand to them.

"Leonidas," said Leonidas, shaking her hand. "A pleasure."

Xeno did the same. "Xeno. Judging by that hair, you must be our gracious hostess."

"Thank you for the invitation."

"Oh, I'm happy to have you," Fiona said with a smile. "It's good to meet the rest of Fie's family."

Xeno's eyebrow quirked up. His eyes landed on Sara. "Ah," he said with a self-satisfied smile as he figured it out. "The Purple Lightning. It'll be interesting talking to you without trying to kill each other."

Sara's eyes narrowed slightly. "We'll see about that. Business or no, you did attack my students. Twice."

"Yep, we sure did."

Fiona unsubtly side-stepped to put herself between Xeno and Sara. "Sara and I were actually thinking of going out for drinks tonight to catch up. We'd love to have you along."

Sara gave her friend a frown that showed it was the first she'd heard of the event or the desire.

Xeno let out a short laugh. "So that's where the little guy gets it from."

"We'd be honored," said Leonidas.

"Great," Fiona said with a smile. "Does 8pm at Lost Eden work for you? Oh, that's in the Leica District, near the racecourse."

"We met a client there once, right?" Xeno asked Leonidas. "A couple years ago."

Leonidas nodded.

"It's a nice bar," Xeno said. "Sounds great. We'll be there."

"Unfortunately, we really must be going though," said Leonidas.

"Oh, of course," Fiona said. "Sorry for delaying you."

"Eh, it's all good," Xeno said, turning back to Fie. "Here's the hotel we're staying at if you need anything." He handed her a business card. "Room 235. See you tomorrow?"

Fie nodded. "Yeah."

"C'mon, let's not miss the bus," Xeno said to Leonidas.

Leonidas nodded. "It was a pleasure meeting you," he said to Fiona.

"Likewise. See you soon."

The two Jaegers left and Fiona turned to the teens. "Dinner's ready."

"Dinner's been ready, she means," said Sara.

Elliot blushed and nervously chuckled. "Sorry."

"I'm not," said Fie.

Sara rolled her eyes but couldn't keep down her smile. "Get your suitcase and let's go eat."

7:37 pm

What do you say to your secret girlfriend's brother's girlfriend who is also your former student? Neithardt prided himself on his quick thinking in the face of the unexpected, one of his numerous skills that had garnered him a decent level of acclaim in the armed forces. The honed talent went into overdrive when he was greeted at the door of the Craig household by a shock of white hair in clothing that could be perhaps called unsuited to the temperature.

"Good evening, Claussell." Nailed it.

"Sup," said Fie. "Whose are those?" she asked, referring to the pair of colorfully wrapped boxes he held.

"The general's."

She raised an eyebrow. "You got your boss two New Year's presents?"

"They are from the general to his children. He requested I pick them up for him since he will not be coming home until late. May I come in?"

"Sure." Fie left the doorway and returned to the couch she was laying on.

Neithardt entered and put the presents down on the table. He stood next to it and looked around the ground floor. The faint sounds of ceramic on steel and scrubbing were coming from the kitchen. He started heading towards it when Fie spoke up.

"Elliot's in the kitchen. If you're looking for Fiona, she's getting ready upstairs."

"Thank you, Claussell," he said. She nodded and closed her eyes.

Neithardt wondered if he should remain standing or take a seat. He hadn't been invited to sit and so propriety would dictate he stood, but Claussell was laying down and the vast gulf in formality made him wonder if perhaps it was an implicit invitation. Should he ask if he could sit? But she was a guest like he was; a guest asking another guest if they could make themselves comfortable would be awkward. Perhaps that was why she didn't extend the invitation to sit in the first place, it was not hers to extend.

"I've never seen you in civilian clothes before," Fie said, saving Neithardt from his musings.

"It is improper to wear a uniform while off-duty."

"Thank you for answering the door, Fie," said Fiona as she came downstairs. She saw Neithardt and gave him a smile. "Hello, Neithardt."

"Good evening, Fiona," he said, his expression softening.

"Oh, please, have a seat," she said with a gesture towards an armchair. He accepted her offer and made himself comfortable.

"You look-" Radiant. Beautiful. I love you. "Nice."

"Thank you," she politely said. "Sara and I were going to go out for drinks with Fie's older brothers soon, would you care to join us?"

"I would."

Fie stood up from the couch and stretched out. "Ima go help Elliot in the kitchen," she said as she left the room. They heard the kitchen door open.

Fiona was in Neithardt's lap and on his lips as soon as it clicked closed. There was no time for words. Everything, every sense of his that she was setting ablaze, had to take in as much as possible while it had the chance.

It felt like it was over as soon as it started, the end signaled by a knock.

"That'll be Sara," Fiona said as she pulled back, nowhere near as breathless as she would have liked to be. Even here, in the comfort of her own home, she still had to be careful. Nothing that would take too long to recover from. She got out of his lap and tried to head for the door, only to be stopped by his hand grasping hers.

"I love you," he softly said as he stood up.

"I love you too," she replied, gently squeezing his hand. They walked to the front door together, extending the moment as long as possible, even if it was just a half-second more.

She released his hand as she opened the door.

Back to reality.

Back to pretending.

Drinks sounded pretty good right now.

A/N: Should I make a note at the start of each chapter saying what interactions will be in the chapter and labeling them so people can find them? What do y'all think?