We meet again my lovelies! It took some time and a whole lot of rewriting, but now, I proudly present the second chapter for the story, it may come up short in a few parts, but I certainly tried my best in writing it, so I hope that it's at the very least satisfactory to you guys! Also, I'd like to address some comments the story has gotten so far, which I'm incredibly thankful for... @RegulusCetus, I'll try to do better next time, I promise!, @The Quotable Patella, I understand, I'll try to limit the use of modern terminology and jargon, but I was thinking of their own version of our modern medical paraphernalia, but I'll take your word and try to make the story as true to its setting as I possibly can... , @Xaez, This story will only be a few chapters long, with lots of fluff! , @dzimgo, thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement, I'll try not to disappoint! , @Guest, I'll try to be more wary of spelling and grammatical mistakes, I don't fret too much over spelling errors since I have autocorrect, but thank you still! I hope you enjoy the story!
Also, I might work on some more Danmachi fluff projects involving different characters after this, it'll be Danmachi for now since I'm still hella hooked into the story, but I might do other series as well, depends... I need ideas!
Now then, without further ado, on with the story!
I do not own Danmachi, the franchise is rightly owned by Fujino Ōmori
A fortnight later...
Stepping foot outside of the Dian Cecht Familia's medical facility ever since being admitted two weeks ago, Bell Cranel beamed like an idiot as he took in a deep lungful of air, enjoying the smell of a refreshing autumn morning. It was the morning he was to be officially discharged from Dian Cecht Familia's care, ever since regaining consciousness, he had been looking forward to getting back up on his two feet and walk the streets of Orario once again after lingering within the dungeon for an extended period of time.
Stretching his good arm, he closed his eyes as he enjoyed the cool morning breeze
'Ahhh... I've missed this...'
He thought to himself
"Isn't it great to be up and about once more, Bell-kun?"
The goddess of the heart beside him voiced out her thoughts to her Familia's captain, she had made sure to work her butt off the past two weeks so that she could get a few days off when Bell gets discharged
"Indeed it is goddess... I've missed this so much..."
He admitted to her, which made her smile all the more
"Well... Lili can't blame you since it's been nearly a month since Bell-sama actually enjoyed being back up here again..."
Lili chimed in, appearing beside the elated goddess of the heart, she had finalized her Familia's report of their expedition to the guild, they decided to keep silent about the walking calamity known as the Juggernaut and had simply concluded that there had been a massive monster pass parade, which had led them lower than their target floor, without the target objectives being completed, their party being more-or-less in one piece, and further corroborating evidence that suggests the expedition had lost more than they have gained, the guild had no other choice but to conclude that the Hestia Familia's first expedition had been a failure, as if that wasn't dispiriting already... the guild decided to rub salt onto their wounds by penalizing them, because there's a rule at the guild that was being upheld, it pertains to sanctions and penalties being doled out whenever a Familia, or an expedition in particular, fails to fulfill their expected objectives, or those who have provided less-than-satisfactory results. All in all, the Hestia had been penalized of having to pay the guild one hundred thousand valis and they will have to take five mandatory quests that will be issued by the guild at a later date.
"Yeah... it's good to be back up here"
"Glad to have you back buddy! It was kind of getting lonely there... with me being the only guy in the mansion the past two weeks..."
Welf grinned at the white haired boy who shot back at him with his own
"Indeed, Welf-dono has been moping all the time, he kept on mumbling something about coming back soon because he was quickly becoming uncomfortable being the only guy in a house full of women"
Mikoto was quick to inject herself into the conversation, teasing the poor blacksmith, who blushed in embarrassment as he denied her statement
"D-Don't say it like that Mikoto! You'll give the wrong idea!"
Welf whined at the raven-haired woman, who simply cocked an eyebrow at the red-haired smith in confusion
"I'm so happy that you're back Master Bell"
Haruhime smiled beautifully at the boy, Bell met her emerald-green irises with his rubelite ones and returned her glee
"I have a lot to talk with you guys about once we get home!"
"Mister Cranel"
A sharp voice cut through the amalgam of different voices from the Hestia Familia, finding out who it came from, Bell's smile grew brighter
"Miss Airmid! Did you came to see me off?"
The Dea Saint stopped an arm's length from the boy, she had to take care of a few things first before rushing out and seeing the boy off
"Yes I did"
She confirmed, a small, nigh-imperceptible smile lifting the corners of her lips
"I know that I've said this before, but I'll say it again... Miss Airmid... thank you so much for taking care of me these past few days, I really enjoyed the time we've spent together, whether it was you scolding me for being stubborn, or just us talking about how our day went... they were simple yet incredibly blessed moments"
The boy spoke his heart out, which took her off guard, she had expected a simple repeat of the countless instances where he had thanked her for her help profusely, and she was just about to wave it off with her usual reply that it was her job... but she did not see this coming from the boy, not by a long shot, seeing as her usual reply would be quite rude... she had been forced to deliberately think of how to best reply to the boy.
"I as well, Mister Cranel... I truly enjoyed talking with and getting to know you these past two weeks"
With a small smile gracing her face, she replied to the boy
She didn't force herself to say that... no, she truly did enjoy holding idle conversations with the boy for the duration of his stay, every time she came up to check on his condition, the boy would inquire about her day and she would respond in such a way that seemed like it was the most natural thing in the world, seemingly because she needed to get the stress of her work off of her chest, she'd go on for some time about how her god really should acquire more members; else, hire more staff instead, but refuses to and dumps all the stress on the three only members of the Familia. This would happen between the two every time she came to check upon the boy, which provided her a much needed outlet and for the boy to get to know Airmid Teasanare better.
"I promise that I'll come visit whenever I have time"
Bell smiled congenially at the Dea Saint, which made her heart skip a beat, weird...
Nevertheless, she returned his enthusiasm
"I'll be looking forward to them then, Mister Cranel"
She replied, making solid eye contact with the boy
"Master Bell! Stop flirting with her already and let's go home!"
An annoyed Lili shouted over to him, forcing him to bid farewell to Airmid, promising to visit her sometime
The Dea Saint kept her amethyst-colored orbs fixated on the gradually receding form of the boy, she had the sudden weird urge to reach over her hand out to him as if to call him back to her, but she pushed the urge away
'What is up with me today...?'
Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she returned to her duties once more
Two days later...
It was late afternoon and the sun began to set, painting the sky in an awe-inspiring combination of red, orange, and yellow, creating a brilliant explosion of different hues, Bell stopped for a second to appreciate the beauty of the canvas splayed with color that is the afternoon sky, before continuing on his journey towards the Dian Cecht Familia's medical facility, the boy hoped that he could catch the Dea Saint before she called it a day and headed home, learning from her that she held the day-shift for the current month and the next. He wanted to seize the opportunity and thank her for all she had done for him.
He had initially wanted to visit the Dian Cecht Familia's pharmacy the very next day, but had to take care of a few things first, namely catch up with life on the surface. He had met up with Ryu in Amor Square that day, they had both been discharged on the same morning, but Ryu had already went on ahead to take care of a few things, namely apologize to everyone for the trouble she had caused them, but they just shrugged her off saying not to think too much of it.
His left arm was already starting to get better already due to his accelerated recovery as a high-leveled adventurer, perhaps within a few days Airmid will finally take the cast off.
He jogged towards the pharmacy just in time to see the Dea Saint herself exit the building in civilian clothing, her uniform discarded
Bell took a second to take in the sight in front of him, then with a warm smile, he made his way towards her
"Miss Airmid! Good afternoon!"
The Dea Saint perked up upon hearing her name being called out and turned towards the quickly approaching source of the voice
"Oh, Mister Cranel... good afternoon"
She politely returned his warm greeting with a nod of acknowledgement
The boy came to a halt two meters in front of the woman
Being a hopelessly naive and innocent young boy at heart, he uttered the first thing that came to his mind
"You look absolutely stunning Miss Airmid!"
He commented, which made the Dea Saint flush from the unexpected compliment
"Th-thank you Mister Cranel... y-you don't look too shabby yourself"
She barely managed to compliment him, it wasn't that she was bad at receiving compliments; as she gets those all the time, but responding to them was an entirely different matter.
"How have you been Miss Airmid?"
He inquired, which amused her a bit
'It's only been two days... and yet, he asks me that as if he hasn't seen me in a long time'
Humoring the thought for a bit before quickly disregarding it, she replied
"The usual... it's been a pretty hectic day and I would love to get some rest already"
She ended her sentence with a weary sigh, hinting at just how stressful the day had been for her
"Ahm... if you don't mind... I'd like to treat you for dinner, as thanks for what you've done for me"
He told her with a shy smile
Once again, Airmid had been tempted to respond with her usual reply that it was her duty to take care of people, but she held it in because she could really go for a bite to eat and to unwind right now, so she stopped herself just before she blurted out her usual reply, and then just showed the boy a beautiful smile instead.
"I'll gratefully accept your offer, if you don't mind Mister Cranel"
Bell beamed, ecstatic at his offer being accepted
He might have been a bit too over-excited, as he suddenly took his hand in hers as he led her towards the best place to grab a bite to eat, the Hostess of Fertility
The Dea Saint cutely squeaked at her hand suddenly being enveloped by the boy's warm right hand
Hearing her sudden exclamation, the boy quickly let go of her hand and apologized to her for overstepping his boundaries
"I-I'm so sorry Miss Airmid! I got a bit too excited over there!"
He repeatedly bowed in front of the Dea Saint
But to his surprise, she did not admonish him for his sudden act, instead... she caught him off guard with her reply
"I-It's fine... I didn't dislike it..."
The blood rising towards her face became visible as she flushed from her bold reply, even she was surprised that she was not averse to the boy's touch
Bell couldn't find his words at the moment, as if he wasn't already stunned silent from the woman's unexpected response to his apology, the sight of her cutely blushing was just too much for the boy's poor heart to handle
"I... ahm..."
He pathetically muttered out, unable to give an intelligible response
"Ahaha... shall we get going then?"
He coughed out, which she agreed to
They then proceeded towards their destination, this time keeping a bit of space between them so as to not give others the wrong idea
Both kept silent, their thoughts raging in their heads, the boy continually scolded himself internally for being an idiot and acting without thinking first, while Airmid simply stared down at the ground, her thoughts were all over the place
'Weird... I don't dislike his touch, I found it to be warm... comfortable even, as if I were being embraced, I forgot what it feels like to embrace someone... why is my heart beating so fast?'
She mentally noted the irregularity as they made their way to the pub together
There were a few stares directed towards the duo as they continued onwards, with different feelings behind each stare, surprise, shock, disbelief, and even jealousy were all directed at the two, while Bell was blissfully unaware of this due to getting too caught up in his mind, Airmid was all too cognizant of the stares they were getting, despite that... she ignored them and simply continued to follow the boy to their destination, which wasn't far now
A bit more of walking and awkward silence, and they have finally arrived at their destination, surprisingly... the Hostess of Fertility had very few customers this evening
Airmid, after seeing the pub, looked at Bell with a raised eyebrow as if she were saying to him: "Really? you invited me to dinner and this was what you had in mind?"
Noticing the woman's cocked eyebrow, he immediately reassured her
"P-please trust me! The food is really good here!"
She didn't seem entirely convinced, but wouldn't complain since it was his treat
He then led her into the pub, and they were immediately greeted by a certain cat-person waitress
"Nya! Welcome to the Host- White hair and Dea Saint nya?!"
Anya screeched out her surprise, which got the others' attention
"Miss Dea Saint? What are you doing here with Bell?"
A wild Syr Flover suddenly appeared and eyed the two, the smile on her face seemed strained
Before Airmid could speak, Bell beat her to the punch, attempting to clear up any misunderstandings
"I-I invited Miss Airmid for a bite to eat, as thanks for all her help!"
Bell told them, but they didn't buy it
"Hehhh... are you sure that's it, or is this a date in disguise?"
Syr insinuated, which caused both of them to blush, one more than the other
"T-Th-That's not true!!! Argh! Miss Syr... please stop teasing me!"
Bell cried out, the blood rushing towards his face made him glow a hue of red that would make even tomatoes jealous
Syr eyed him for a bit more, before deciding to let it go
"So... a couple's table I assume?"
Though, she couldn't resist one last jab at them
...
After getting situated on their table and giving their orders to smirking Chloe, who left to take care of their orders but not before one last remark about how lucky Airmid was to get Bell's cute butt all for herself, leaving the blushing pair on an awkward note.
"Should I even?"
Airmid asked, still lightly blushing from the cat-girl's suggestive remark
Bell nearly jumped out of his seat in outrage
"I-it's not what you think Miss Airmid! S-she just calls me that for some reason!"
Bell barely shouted out his response, to which Airmid simply responded by glancing weirdly at the boy
"Well... whatever you're doing with your life is none of my business... unless you go off and hurt yourself again"
The Dea Saint ended her response with a sharp glare at the boy, who simply laughed nervously
Whenever Airmid scolded him for being so reckless, she always had this overwhelmingly powerful pressure emanating off of her, which threatened to consume the boy, and henceforth, the boy was now much more afraid of invoking the Dea Saint's wrath rather than the horrors within the depths of the dungeon.
She eyed him for a moment longer before sighing and continuing
"I know that you're being careful... but please, try to bite off more than you can chew Mister Cranel, it's not that I don't like seeing you... but I would prefer that you aren't being wheeled into my Familia's facility every few weeks"
She told the boy, making him smile brightly at her
"Yes, I'll try my best to be more careful from now on!"
One would always be on their toes whenever they talked with the Dea Saint, but Bell knew that his answer was the correct one, judging by the blossoming smile on her face, a far cry from the usual apathetic expression that she regularly wore
"Indeed, if you don't..."
Her beautiful smile turned into a twisted one
"You'll consider the dungeon monsters to be more gentle to you than how I'll be..."
The boy went as white as a sheet of paper
"I-I PROMISE!"
.
"Hey Ryu... could you carry this tray over to them real quick? I need to use the bathroom"
Lunoire handed Ryu the tray containing their orders and pointed towards the table where Bell and Airmid were situated
"I... ahm..."
The elf was uncharacteristically flustered for some reason, blushing whilst furtively stealing glances at the white-haired boy
Lunoire noticed her odd behavior and raised an eyebrow at her
"Alright, what's up with you today Ryu? You've been acting like a shy girl with a crush since the boy and Dea Saint entered the pub"
Lunoire teased her, connecting two and two together... one could easily know why the elf was behaving so oddly
"N-N-No! Y-y-you're mistaken Lunoire!"
She squeaked out at having been found out, burying her face in her hands
Lunoire walked up to her and patted her on the back encouragingly, snapping the elf out of her nervous daze
"We'll talk about it later if you want to... for now, just do me a favor and take these to them... I can't hold it in any longer"
The fellow waitress briefly smiled at the elf before dashing out of the kitchen and into a nearby comfort room
Ryu, looking at the tray filled with the pair's orders, took a deep breath, sighed and steeled herself for the task ahead
"I- I can do this..."
Her eyes betray her and fleetingly glance at the white-haired boy, who was currently laughing along with the Dea Saint, and her newfound confidence quickly took a nosedive... but nevertheless she forced her shaking legs to move
.
"And that's why I found my grandfather covered in chicken dung that evening..."
Bell couldn't help but smirk at the memory, as Airmid barely managed to hold in a chuckle from the sheer absurdity of the story
"Well... I have to say Mister Cranel... your grandfather is quite... an eccentric character"
She struggled to find the words that could aptly describe such a mischievous person
"Hehe... yeah, I may have heard him being called that once or twice..."
Bell sheepishly smiled as he rubbed the back of his head
The pair smoothly flowed from one topic onto another, sharing personal tales, memories, throes, laughter and woes, both getting to know the other much more than before.
"But I'm curious Mister Cranel..."
"Bell"
The boy corrected her, which confused her
"I'm sorry?"
She asked for clarification
"Please, just call me Bell Miss Airmid... no need to be so formal with me, and also... 'Mister Cranel' is a bit of a mouthful wouldn't you say?"
He smiled congenially at the woman, who was taken aback for a little bit before closing her eyes and gracing the boy with a smile of her own
"Okay then Bell... I'm curious, what made you want to be an adventurer in the first place?"
Her question made the boy blush in embarrassment
"Well... it's because-"
"H-Here is your food..."
A barely audible voice got their attention, Ryu was right beside their table carrying the tray with their orders, placing their meals down on the table in a hurried manner, as if she wanted to get it over with and get away as soon as possible
She was making a conscious effort not to look at the white-haired boy, and he sensed that... so he decided to break the ice with a greeting directed towards the elf
"Miss Ryu, Good evening! I'm sorry for whatever I did that made you run away yesterday..."
Neither his greet nor his apology did not earn the elf's attention, not even sparing as much as a glance at the boy, she completely ignored him and simply continued to place their orders down on the table
The Dea Saint decided that she should start a conversation with the elf not to make it seem awkward
"Good evening Miss Lion, are your injuries healing well?"
She inquired, which the elf did respond to... surprising Bell and her
"T-they've been h-healing quite nicely Miss Teasanare... you have my gratitude..."
The two of them managed to hold eye contact for a while before the elf unceremoniously excused herself with a curt nod
To say that Bell was hurt that Ryu would ignore his presence completely would be an understatement... he was utterly shell-shocked
"W-why would she ignore me like that... did I do something wrong?"
His soliloquy did not go unheard by the Dea Saint as she grabbed her utensils
"Whatever it was that you did to her, it really made her upset... I suggest you keep your distance for now and try to talk it out with her another time..."
Airmid offered her two cents as she started to cut her steak into smaller pieces
Bell felt his stomach become upset at the thought of the elf that he had experienced many trials and ordeals with suddenly hold contempt for him, especially because the boy didn't know what had caused her to hate him, or so he thought.
Because it wasn't the case that the elf holds hatred in her heart for the boy, but a completely different feeling... which was love.
Indeed, Ryu Lion now loved the boy, and quite profoundly, down in the deep floors when she had completely given up on living and had fully resigned herself to death as guilt from her past sins ate away at her being, the boy came back, smashed through that illusion of hers and gave her a reason to keep on living. He had saved her from the physical dangers of the dungeon and also from her inner turmoil, he was her hero and how could she not help but fall in love with her hero.
But, the problem was that the elf doesn't understand her newfound feelings for the boy, much less know what to do with and how to deal with them, it was a completely novel experience for her since she had never shown any interest in the opposite sex thus far, and had very few interactions with them, outside of violent ones where they accidentally or intentionally upset her in some way.
Despite the unpleasant taste left in his stomach by the one-sided interaction, Bell deeply sighed and proceeded to consume his food, pushing those thoughts away for the future Bell to worry over and take care of
...
"Come back again nya!"
Anya waved off the pair as they egressed Mama Mia's fine establishment and took a stroll through the modestly lit streets of a night-time Orario, they got a bit too engrossed in their lengthy discourses that they completely forgot about the time.
And so, Bell, being the gentleman he is... escorted Airmid towards her Familia's place of residence, which wasn't that far from the pub.
They walked in blissful silence, not an awkward one... having little to discuss after talking about anything and everything earlier, they simply enjoyed each other's company
Bell couldn't help but furtively steal a glance at the woman walking beside him, her soft, feminine features being illuminated by the faint moonlight shining above them, accentuating her already breathtaking beauty by leaps and bounds.
His heart started to loudly throb in his chest, a warm, flowery feeling enveloping his body, he had recognized these sensations before... since he had also felt them when Ais Wallenstein first saved him from the Minotaur all those months ago, but now found himself thinking less and less about the blonde haired woman and more about Airmid Teasanare. He was too busy admiring her that his eyes were now pretty much glued to the woman beside him at this point, discretion be damned.
'D-Do I...?'
Bell started to seriously consider the prospect, but his internal monologue was cut off by the Dea Saint's silky smooth voice asking him a question, snapping him out of his trance
"Is there something on my face?"
She asked with a cocked eyebrow, she had felt his gaze on her for a bit now, so she turned and came face to face with the boy fixated on her, seemingly staring a hole into her
"Oh! Uhm... no, that's not it Miss Airmid! I was just thinking about something!"
Bell quickly replied, hoping to clear the misunderstanding at once lest she think of him as a creep
"Bell... once again, I told you... no need to e so formal with me as well..."
She corrected him, she had actually demanded he address her by her name only when he had also asked her that himself during dinner, but you know what they say... old habits die hard
"Ah... I'm sorry, Airmid"
He immediately corrected himself
She sighed, then continued her question
"Well... is it something you want to talk about? What was on your mind that is"
She offered, which the boy shook his head to
"No, it's nothing... I was just thinking you look absolutely stunning under the moonlight... the moon is lovely tonight is it?"
Being the absent-minded boy he was, he lackadaisically blurted out what was on his mind without thinking of the implications of his words, which was instantaneously felt...
Her heartbeat, as well as her breathing had sped up to the point that her chest actually started to hurt, and she felt butterflies in her stomach, a rosy blush painting her face, giving it a crimson hue.
She had to look away, unable to meet the boy's worried glance
'D-did he just...?'
She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought, still in disbelief that the boy suddenly got the courage to confess to her, or so she had thought... because Bell was just that much of a lovable, naive idiot
Bell was now looking deeply worried at the Dea Saint, who had suddenly become incredibly nervous and timid, and was deliberately trying not to look at his general direction
Then it hit him...
'D-did I perhaps... offend her in some way? I knew I should've just kept my comment about her to myself!'
While he was mentally berating himself, the Dea Saint attempted to organize her thoughts, as not responding would be incredibly rude and inconsiderate to the boy
With a deep breath, she sighed and shot her question with a shy voice
"Did you mean it...? What you said?"
She forced herself to look at him, deciding that now was the time to take her own feelings off her chest as well, lest she lose the courage
Bel suddenly perked up from her question, sighing in relief that she did not take offense to what he had said earlier... he smiled at her
"Of course I did Miss Airmid, it's true, the moonlight really highlights your beauty!"
He admitted, which caught Airmid off guard
'Wait...'
Apparently, it was all just a misunderstanding on her part... she mistook the boy's words for a sincere confession of his feelings, but it was just a comment about her beauty and nothing more
A thought immediately came into her mind, a thought that the boy might have just been toying with her feelings... but immediately discarded the thought as soon as it came after she thought about the kind of person Bell was, he wasn't the kind of person to do such a cruel and dishonest thing
To be completely honest, Airmid was relieved that she had not yet been forced into such an awkward situation, but deep down, there was a lingering feeling of... disappointment?
'I-It seems I misconstrued his question... why do I feel so disappointed?'
She was about to comment, but had noticed that they were right at the front gate of the Dian Cecht Familia's residence
"Oh, this is my stop"
She told the boy, who nodded at her
"It's been a wonderful evening Bell... thank you so much for treating me to dinner tonight, I truly appreciate the gesture, even if it was to "thank me""
She smiled at him, it was a small, yet loving one, which he quickly found endearing... another thing that he had found to like about the woman
"Me too Airmid, I really liked having dinner with you, I hope we can do this again some other time..."
He insinuated, implying that he was planning on inviting her again, to which she took the bait
"Indeed... some other time again..."
Suddenly, she enveloped him in a hug, surprising the boy as the scent of lavender inundated his olfactory sense
"Indeed, let's do this again another time..."
Before the boy could respond, she pulled away from the hug, leaving him bereft and yearning for the feeling of her soft and warm body pressed against his own
"Goodnight Bell, have a nice rest of the evening... and please be careful going home"
She bid him goodbye as she opened the gates to her Familia's residence and slipped inside
The boy snapped out of the hug-induced trance, smiled dumbly and bid her a good night as he turned around and started to walk towards the Hestia Manor
Waving at the boy, she watched as his body slowly receded into the night until he was no longer in sight
Now that she was alone, she let out a sigh that she had unknowingly held in
"Dear gods... why does he have to be such an idiot?"
She mumbled to herself as she entered her living quarters
...
'Gods, I'm such a coward! I had my chance right there and I blew it!'
The boy grit his teeth as he scolded himself, it turns out that the boy had indeed insinuated that he liked Airmid more than a friend, but had played it off due to his cowardice, backing out at the very last second before something would irrevocably change between them
Perhaps it was for the best that the boy did not confess his recent feelings for her yet, they had only been friends for around three weeks or so, which meant that it was still much too soon for such a move...
'The heavens probably decided that now isn't the time to tell her... I'll trust in that'
Indeed, the boy would bide his time with the matter at hand
Still bubbly from the hug he received, he smiled like an idiot the entire trip back to the Hestia Manor
-Fin-
The progression was kinda awkward and some parts certainly could've been written better... but this is as good as I can make it without spending an exorbitant amount of time plotting, writing, rewriting and other various things... so I'm truly sorry if the chapter came up quite short. Once again, please leave a comment if you have something to say about the story! Feedback is always appreciated, but even just by simply giving my story the time of day, I am thankful to you guys for! Anyway, that's all for now! See you in the next one!