"Well, this isn't what we had planned today." The traveling hero of five nations, Aether, said as he wiped some off his blond hair.
Sitting in a cave in Dragonspine, he was witnessing the intense snowstorm that made him retreat to this cave with only a small fire to keep him warm.
"Nothing ever does go the way we want it, huh." A voice sarcastically said, which got Aether's attention to sitting near the fire was Eula Lawrence, the Spindrift Knight and captain of the Knights of Favonius' Reconnaissance Company, also happens to be the outcast of the disgraced Lawrence Clan, which made her equally hated by both her own clan and (to a lesser degree)
Aether chuckled, remembering he brought only Eula along for a commission to take care of some Hilichurls that are causing trouble in Dragonspine. Paimon couldn't come for the ride, so she stayed in Mondstadt to hang out with Amber and Noelle.
But things didn't go as planned when snowstorm came out of nowhere, forcing the two to take shelter in the cave they are in now.
"Guess nothing ever does, Eula." Aether commented.
"This storm is still annoying. But vengeance will be mine." Eula warned, which made Aether hold his laughter.
"You can't claim vengeance on a snowstorm, Eula." Aether said.
"I meant you for dragging us out here, not knowing this was going to happen." Eula said.
"Yeah, yeah. You always do say that." Aether commented.
Eula became dissatisfied and turned her head with a huff, maintaining her tough exterior. But the tiny pink blush on her cheeks speak otherwise.
Aside from Amber, Aether became one of Eula's closest friends, who treat her more like a person than an outsider. The first time they met got off to a rocky start, but as time passes, the two sword wielders became better companions and can understand each other's quirks well.
In time, Eula began to develop feelings for the Honorary Knight but didn't want to admit them because of both her pride and fear of what would happen to the two of them if all of Mondstadt plus the Lawrence Clan would react.
Eula's train of thought were suddenly interrupted when she felt a strange yet warm embrace on her right side, looking to see Aether hugging her. She blushed heavily and shrieked.
"W-W-What are you-" Eula tried to snap back but Aether calmly put a finger on her lips.
"One: to keep us a little extra warm in case the fire goes out too early." Aether explained.
"Two: I know you're thinking about your family again and told you before to not let them get to you." Aether added.
"Not like they ever could." Eula thought, not arguing about not being depressed by what the Lawrence Clan thinks of her.
"And three: if we don't get out of this storm, I just want to say that-" Aether was about to finish his sentence, before he got his lips silenced by a finger from Eula, along with his finger moved aside.
"You know it's rude to say what a lady is feeling." Eula said, and without any hesitation, Eula removed her finger and gave Aether a kiss on the lips.
Now Aether is shocked to see the Spindrift Knight take the initiative. It's almost as if she's reading his mind.
"To think you'd made me fall in love with you. That's another added to my long list of vengeance against you." Eula teased.
Aether regained his bearings and chuckled.
"You can be a sore loser sometimes. But you care for others more than you would admit." Aether commented.
Eula huffed before embracing Aether in her arms, taking in his warmth to mix with her own.
"This feels… nice." Eula thought, thinking of only her time with Aether and nothing else, smiling with her closed eyes and relaxing her body.
Aether smiled with his eyes and tighten the embrace.
The two together in a cave from the snowstorm is quite the loving moment.
It is here that Eula's once frozen heart has been thawed out by Aether's love for cave.
XXX
A good few hours later, Paimon raced to Dragonspine with Amber and Barbara to find Aether and Eula with hoping the two haven't frozen to death. Thankfully, the storm died down which made it safe to travel through the cold environment.
They searched hard until they noticed footprints that led to the cave and the three girls squeaked at seeing Aether and Eula sleeping together with a blanket around them, since their fire died out.
Paimon, Amber and Barbara decided to give the two a moment to enjoy their love nap before tending to them.
Seems that it took a Dragonspine snowstorm to bring these two together.
Eula sure can be stubborn and cool all the time, but when paired with Aether, her frozen heart starts to be more open. Such a fun ship and find it very adorable.
I would like to take a moment to honor the passing of Rachael Lillis (1978-2024), who recently died of breast cancer. She was the original voice of Misty and Jessie in the first 8 seasons of the Pokémon anime. She was phenomenal and a proud voice actress that will be dearly missed. Thank you Rachael for being part of the Pokémon world for as long as we can remember! R.I.P.