The first time Siegfried realized that Cecilia was different was when they went on their "date".
Well, okay, that was a huge lie. He'd known she was special, not just different— but unique, since the day they had met, as abrupt as that had been. Siegfried had met his fair share of beautiful women over his time as a free-spirited drifter, but none compared to Cecilia.
Siegfried honestly thought that the old man in that bar had been talking nonsense when he rambled on and on about that feeling someone could get upon seeing "the one". Now, he was sure that he was experiencing just that, every day, during every second.
The way Cecilia smiled during their trip to the arcade, the way she danced and laughed while they tried out all the machines, thoroughly destroying him in the process (his high scores were still crying, as some say), and the way she wanted to be around him made poor Ziggy's heart ache a little.
Confession time: that was also another lie. His heart ached a lot at the thought of never seeing Cecilia again. So naturally, he had to do everything he could to see her once she inevitably left. And so the grind started for Ziggy.
Wake up, go for a run, train in the mountains, eat a crapton, run some more, fight random stuff, eat, insert bathroom breaks here and there, and get sleep. It wasn't the most sophisticated training plan, but Siegfried was determined! The thought of Cecilia filled him with determination.
When it came time to confront Schicksal, Otto Apocalypse, the Overseer of Schicksal, gave Siegfried an ultimatum: defeat his Valkyries in consecutive order, and he will be allowed to see Cecilia again. Easy enough.
And it had been easy enough because, after an arduous journey, he was standing with Cecilia once again. Getting those upgrades to his bat had been so worth it. And as Siegfried held onto Cecilia, drinking in the sweet scent of her hair, he couldn't imagine being with anyone but her.
And that very thought was what led him to his current conundrum.
"Ugh, okay, so…" the little girl in front of Siegfried pinched her nose, heaving a sigh of frustration, "You need help. More specifically, you need my help."
Siegfried put his hands together, bowing, "Yes! Theresa, you know Cecilia better than I do, you've gotta help."
"Why should I help a nimrod like you?!" Theresa barked, crossing her arms sternly.
"For the benefit of Cecilia's happiness, that's why!" Siegfried bit back, then he looked away, muttering to himself, "...freaking shorty."
A loud thud signalled the entrance of Judah into the conversation, along with Theresa's shrill scream.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
Siegfried raised his hands in surrender, "Wait, wait! I'm just kidding! I really need your help!"
His placating only seemed to calm Theresa down by a small margin, "Yeah, you need my help alright, what do you even need me for? The best way to get into her pants?" She huffed, shuddering at the very thought, giving Siegfried the stink eye.
"No of course not!" Siegfried face-palmed at the ridiculousness of Theresa's claim, but okay, there was some truth to it—
No, bad Ziggy. This was a matter he had to take seriously.
"I just need your help on things Cecilia enjoys here," Siegfried pleaded, "you know, things she likes doing in her free time, what sort of food she likes eating the most, and what kind of games she likes to play…"
Theresa remained silent for a moment, "Shouldn't you know most of that? You two have been dating for a while now," she said.
He hung his head in surrender, "I know some stuff…but I don't know the things that Cecilia truly enjoys, I just feel like she's happy doing things with me, but I want to do something for her, know what I mean?"
"Hm, okay," Theresa conceded, much to Siegfried's surprise, "I'll help, I've spent enough time with Cecilia to know what makes her tick, but I'm not sharing all of my secrets! Hmph."
"Woah! Thanks, Theresa! I'm sorry for thinking you were an annoying, short brat!"
"HEY! Take that back or else!"
His clothes weren't wrinkled, check. His hair was nicely groomed, check. He ran his hand along his jawline and cheeks, clean shave done, check. An absurd amount of time before the appointed time? Double check.
So why was Cecilia here before him?
"Wow! Looks like we both came early," she giggled, trying to subtly take his hand into hers, neither of them bringing attention to that fact, "you look so dashing today, Ziggy."
He looked away bashfully, "C'mon Cecilia, you look like you came from a mural," he stared into her bright blue eyes, feeling his voice die in his throat a bit, "You just look special."
She blinked, "Special?"
"Ah, uh, yeah!" Siegfried nervously laughed, "I dunno how to describe it…"
Wow, that was smooth. Real smooth. If Siegfried could, he'd jump off this floating island right now.
Cecilia squeezed his hand, "Thank you, Ziggy, that was really sweet."
He gulped, she wasn't mad? That was good, at the very least. He hoped he would remember the stuff Theresa had said, or else he'd be the laughingstock of the century (self-proclaimed).
"Hey, why don't we get going? I've got to show you that special place," Siegfried flashed her a charming smile, and quickly led her away, knowing she was more than capable of keeping up.
"Where are we headed to, Siegfried?" Cecilia asked innocently, noticing that they were straying further away from the central hub of buildings and facilities.
"You'll see!"
Cecilia stared at the aircraft perched at the edge of Schicksal's territory, seemingly ready for use. She glanced at Siegfried, but all he did was bring a finger to his lips, that wide, goofy smile on his face.
"Somewhere special," he reiterated, helping her board the aircraft.
Cecilia shifted, "I didn't tell the Overseer about leaving HQ…"
"You'll be fine! It's just for a night," Siegfried reassured her, squeezing her hand.
Cecilia looked away, her face hot. Siegfried did tend to underestimate how strong and soothing his hands felt.
Siegfried leaned forward, exchanging quiet dialogue with the pilot, who looked quite small, all things considered. Afterwards, the aircraft took off, giving Siegfried and Cecilia a breathtaking view of the night sky.
"The moon looks huge," Siegfried whispered, "up here, it looks like you can just jump to it."
Cecilia giggled softly, "I think that part of what makes the moon so beautiful is that you can't reach it, you just have to admire it."
Siegfried paused, "Yeah…but I kind of want to just hold it in my hands, even if that light or beauty is too much for me," he looked at her, then looked away, "Well, maybe someone a bit more dignified than me could do something like that, haha…"
The pilot sitting at the front face-palmed, Siegfried you idiot.
They made small talk until the aircraft finally landed, giving Cecilia a view of an old city she was familiar with, having been dispatched to this location several times before.
"It's Kolosten!" She exclaimed, unable to peel her eyes away from the lights flickering and shining throughout the city, illuminating the valley Kolosten had been built in. Up ahead, the stars shone along with the moon, in full view from their vantage point.
Siegfried made quick work at getting their things set up, which Cecilia hadn't even known were present. He had a blanket, some food in a basket, and a bunch of other things he piled up in the corner.
"You had all of this waiting in there?" Cecilia asked, sitting down beside Siegfried.
"Caught," he raised his hands with a laugh, "it's a really nice night, kinda hot, isn't it? I figured we could spend it this way."
Cecilia nodded along, and soon the two fell into silence. Alright Siegfried, now's your time…
He moved his hand over to Cecilia's, slowly. Centimetre by centimetre, his hand came closer, silently sliding along the blanket…just a little more…
"So what kind of food did you bring?" Cecilia asked, grabbing the basket with curiosity.
This is fine, everything is fine. Just don't panic.
Siegfried took a moment to himself and then grabbed the basket from Cecilia, "I brought some baked stuff, fresh fruit from an orchard I knew," he saw the way her eyes lit up, a grin tugging at his lips, "and this…this is a secret."
The reaction was immediate, "What's inside this one?" Cecilia reached for the box, but Siegfried moved it away, eliciting a pout from her.
"Secret!" He said playfully, moving it to his side.
Cecilia eyed him carefully, raising a brow, "Hm…okay Ziggy, but I'm watching you!" She mimicked the look of binoculars with her hands, leaning forward to peer at him. The two broke into a fit of laughter afterwards.
But her face sure was pretty.
They took turns taking things from the basket, first starting with the baked food, the muffins, the artisan bread, and the macarons last. Cecilia insisted that they eat the fruit afterwards, to wash out all "bad stuff".
She definitely enjoyed the fruit more. Cecilia constantly bombarded Siegfried with questions about the various fruit he brought, the reason why the apples were so juicy or flavorful, the richness of the plums, and the method behind growing such fresh grapes. Suffice it to say, Siegfried could not keep up, at all.
However, it was a good way to distract himself from what was going to come after they were done eating.
Unfortunately, that end came all too fast. So now here was Ziggy, sitting beside his girlfriend, fiddling with the suit Theresa had chosen for him and not at all confident in just taking Cecilia's hand and—
"Ziggy, what's the matter?"
A lot, he wanted to say.
"It's nothing," he laughed off the fluttering of his stomach, "but I, uh…"
He looked at her, staring into her eyes. Cecilia gazed back, her eyes softening.
Alright, just as he rehearsed with Theresa.
"You're…ah, um," he stuttered.
Cecilia tilted her head as if beckoning him to continue.
"Just, you know…I…" Why were the words failing him now? He had this all planned out, everything he wanted to say, everything he dreamed of saying.
"I don't…" Siegfried mumbled, defeated, "I dunno…how to say it."
'I don't know what to say', is what he really wanted to just, communicate. Just tell her, that she was so beautiful to him, and not just in her looks. Her personality, her mannerisms, the fact that she liked being around him and that she was such a strong but gentle woman. He didn't know how to put it into words.
Way to go, me. Freaking blew it.
A smaller, gentler hand reached for his and laced the two together.
Siegfried cast a small glance at it.
"I don't know," came the whisper, a gentle breeze to his ears, "how to say it either. But I think we both want to say the same thing."
Staring into her eyes, maybe it was true, maybe they didn't know how to communicate those feelings. Ninjas never dug their heart out of their throat and put their feelings bare. Putting that love into words, that raw emotion that welled up from somewhere— who knows where, into specific letters and words, maybe doing that was impossible.
He suddenly remembered the box beside him and fumbled around blindly while trying to reach for it behind him.
Okay, here it was. Siegfried held it in front of Cecilia, his hands nearly trembling. What was there to be so scared about? Just say it, say what you want to say, right?
His hand reached over to the front of the box, but he hesitated. His finger was right there, right at that little notch where he could hook his finger slightly underneath the top part of the case and open it.
Cecilia's hands came forward, taking his bigger, more burly hands into their embrace. Slowly, she helped him push it open.
"I love you, Siegfried," Cecilia murmured, her voice breaking.
"I, ah…" Siegfried stuttered, just say it. Just say the words. She's said it, now it was his turn. Say what you want to say.
"Cecilia," Siegfried began, "y-you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met, you're the strongest, kindest, bestest woman ever," the words tumbled out of his mouth, everything that Theresa had advised him to say came flowing out all at once like a scrambled mess of sounds.
"Ever since I met you, I just haven't been able to get you out of my head," Siegfried breathed, his eyes darting around nervously, yet Cecilia and her radiant eyes were always in his sight, "especially those two years we were apart…they made me realize that I…"
Cecilia leaned closer, her lip trembling.
"I love you, I want to be with you forever."
"Marry me, Cecilia."
'Yes' came in the reply of Cecilia pushing her lips against Siegfried's, pushing him right to the ground in a very not-Cecilia way. He was in awe upon witnessing how aggressive she was, taking control of their intimacy by pinning him to the ground and leaving him with barely any time to breathe amongst feverish kisses.
Cecilia's firm, slender fingers ran across Siegfried's jaw, holding his face gently in place so she could melt him away with her affection. His face tilted, the tension easing from his face as Siegfried deepened their kiss.
What started as fast, breathless brushes slowly transformed into long, deep lip-locking. Cecilia let out a muffled coo once Siegfried licked at her lower lip, something he hadn't done much before, and it excited her.
"Siegfried," Cecilia breathed, cheeks red and chest-heaving, "let's do…that," she looked away, but wisps of a smile tugged at the edge of her lips.
"O-outside?" Siegfried whispered, wholeheartedly shocked.
Cecilia cupped his face, a loving yet mischievous glint in her eyes, Siegfried had never seen such want emanating from her.
"You're the one that took me here…and then proposed to me, so let's really make it count, okay?" They were far enough away from the city that it wasn't as if anyone would stop by…and Siegfried had chosen this location specifically for its closed-off nature.
She grabbed both of his hands, slowly beginning to straddle him.
"Take care of me, Siegfried," Cecilia whispered.
Siegfried nodded, "I know, I love you, Cecilia."
And love her he did. Siegfried made sure that Cecilia knew that he loved her. Every caress, every kiss, every time their bodies came together, and in every 'I love you' he was able to whisper to her.
And when Siegfried came close, there was only one name on his mind. The world around him didn't matter, because, beneath the thrill and pleasure, there was one thing he wanted to convey to the person beneath him.
And eight months later, the proof of their love came into this world. Cecilia chose the name, Kiana, after a moon goddess. Siegfried liked to tease her that there must have been 'another reason' too, but she never admitted to it.
Theresa had been able to guess it though, and maybe facing Theresa's wrath had been painful, Siegfried wouldn't trade that night with Cecilia for anything.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this, I haven't written too much fluff/romance on this level before, so I apologize if it seems cheesy xD. Anyways, thanks a ton for reading and I hope you have a good day or night!