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“You are wanting… to know more about my future husband?”
“Yup! Down to the last detail!”
Petra’s brows furrow, causing Claude to chuckle. Today, they had a rare moment of peace. Of course, there were still things to do in order to keep the army running properly, but today had blessed them with little to no excitement. So together they sat, maintaining the weapons they had in storage. It wasn't quite relaxation, but it was mindless enough that they could still entertain a conversation while they busied themselves.
“Why are you wanting to know?” Petra asks, eyes narrowed. “Are you having a concern?”
“Not really.” He gives her a smirk, causing her scrutinizing expression to melt away into confusion. “I know you. You’re careful about your company.”
Her mouth quirks upwards into a smirk. “Then why?”
“What do you mean why? Because I’m curious!” He places the sword he was cleaning down, turning his body more towards her. “You went and found a husband right under my nose! A husband! We’re friends, aren’t we Petra?”
She chuckles with a roll of the eyes. “Yes, Claude. We are friends.”
“So is it really that strange I want to know?”
“I suppose it is not.” Petra turns the lance in her hand over, examining its grip. “Fine. I will be telling you about him.”
Before Claude could reply, she turns to him and pokes his chest. “But you are having much curiosity. Too much for your own good. Please be keeping your questions few."
He blinks, the easy smile never fading from his face. Of course she was going to act guarded about the object of her affection. There were few people who would confidently disclose information about their crush. Fortunately for Claude, he hadn’t planned on asking many questions to begin with.
He felt that he knew himself better than anyone.
Claude takes her hand in his, gently shaking it with a wink. “You got it. I’ll keep my mouth shut… mostly.”
“That is good enough.” Petra smirks, taking her hand back and placing the lance in a pile beside her. “I am knowing better than to try and stop all of your questions. You cannot assist… ah… you cannot help yourself. No control.”
“Why, Petra! You wound me.” He holds his hand over his chest in mock offense before picking the discarded sword back up. “Even so, I’m still curious about your mystery groom to be. Why don’t you start telling me about him?”
She scoffs playfully and shakes her head, grabbing another lance and beginning to polish it. “He has much mischievousness. Ever since our youth, he would be bringing trouble to himself with his pranking. He would get his classmates to join him in them at times, too!” She smiles fondly. “He was never asking me to join him, but I wish I had been. Him, his classmates… they always seemed to be having a lot of enjoyment.”
“A mischievous guy? Now I’m worried,” Claude jokes. “Has he grown out of it?”
“No.” Petra’s smile widens, as if she’s about to laugh. “In fact, I am thinking he is worse now.”
He laughs. “He’s worse?”
“Yes! He is making moves in battle that have little sense.” She shakes her head, small giggles falling from her lips. “But I cannot help but hold them with admiration. They have cleverness.”
He almost couldn’t help his grin. The complement wasn’t particularly unique. A lot of people have called him clever. She’s called him clever. But still, he liked hearing it, especially from her. And he’s smart enough to know what that means, but is he willing to unpack all of it? Not currently.
“So he’s clever, huh? I’m starting to like the guy.” Claude’s lips curl upwards into a mischievous grin. “What about looks? Is he handsome?”
“Handsome?” She parrots. He can see her work through the question in her head, cheeks beginning to redden as she reaches her conclusion. “... Very much so.”
Petra shifts slightly, her sights turning away from him. He pauses his work and glances over to her, tilting his head to see if he could catch more of her face. He felt a little guilty for wanting to stare, but it was rare to see her embarrassed. Hell, even when she gave her roundabout confession she remained collected as always!
“Admitting this with such casualness… I have embarrassment,” she mumbles.
“It’s just me. You don’t have to be embarrassed,” Claude assures, the sword now in his lap.
“I have embarrassment because it is you,” she retorts with a shake of her head. “You enjoy teasing others. You will be teasing me if I continue.”
“What? That’s what you’re worried about?” He smiles coolly, straightening his posture to put his free hand over his chest. The other is raised in the air. “I promise not to tease you.”
She glances towards him with an uncertain gaze and goddess, she was cute. He wishes he could tell her as such. He wants to drop the pretense, if only for a second. But he still doesn’t know what he wants with these feelings, so instead he bows his head slightly to convince her of his sincerity.
After another pause he hears her sigh, followed by an amused, “Raise your head, Claude. I am believing you.”
He obeys, lifting his head only to find she was smiling at him affectionately. It makes something in him wiggle in excitement, and he curses his traitorous lips for the matching smile they pull themselves into at the sight.
“Are you truly having such happiness to be hearing about my life of… no, my love life?” Petra teases, pointing to his face. “You are smiling with wideness.”
He’s quick to clear his throat, laughing off the lingering embarrassment. “Perhaps. I told you, I am curious.”
“I am not knowing what else to tell you about him.” She places the lance in the pile, and pulls another one out from the rack. “He has cleverness, mischievousness, and handsomeness… oh! And something else”
“Something else?”
“Yes, what was it…” She sets the lance on the ground beside her, folding her arms in thought. “It is two things. Both beginning with c.”
“Yeah?” Claude scratches the back of his head. “You’re not giving me much to go off of.”
Petra hums in thought, her hand coming up to stroke her chin. “C and h… Charm? I think one was.”
“Charm? Like charisma?” Claude offers.
“Yes! Charisma!” Petra nods. “And the other… the word when you are full of cheek.”
He snickers. “Cheeky?”
“That is it!” Petra exclaims, eyes bright. “He has all of these things. It is why I am loving him very much.”
At that, Claude finds his voice suddenly caught in his throat. He thinks it’s silly. She’s literally confessed to wanting to marry him before all of this, but for some reason, a declaration of love is what scrambles his thoughts.
Well, a declaration of love is a lot more powerful than a declaration of marriage, he supposes.
She’s looking at him now, and for some reason, it makes him nervous. Her eyes are almost expectant and, in his slight panic, he puts on a practiced smile to respond with. “He sounds like a catch. Match made in heaven, huh?”
Petra smiles at that, but he could swear there was something else behind it.
“There is one thing,” she says. “One thing that has been bothering me with him.”
“Oh?” His smile tightens, and he realizes he’s actually a lot more nervous than he thought. “What’s that?”
Petra leans forward slightly, resting her elbow on her leg to prop up her chin. She chuckles, and despite his nerves, he can’t help but be soothed by how lovely it sounds.
“He is always asking me things he is already knowing the answer to,” she explains, her smile growing. “Just today, he was asking me to talk about him.”
Claude blinks.
Then, despite his best efforts, he grins.
“Did he?” He asks, feeling heat bloom across his face. “I wonder why he did that.”
“I do not know. I am thinking he already knows how I feel about him. But he is being cheeky, as is usual.” There’s an overwhelming amount of fondness in her tone now. “He is thinking I do not know because of how I was proposing to him. But I know a confession like that is very obvious to him.”
He grins wider. “You think so?”
Petra giggles. “I am thinking he is wanting something.”
“And what’s that?”
“I am thinking he is wanting praise from me. He is liking when I do it, more so than with others.”
Claude can’t help the giddy laughter that follows. His hand comes over his face in a desperate bid to suppress it (and maybe cover his blush as well), but it does a poor job at both. He;s finally able to place the playful glimmer in her eyes, and it brings forth a revelation he hadn’t even considered until now.
Petra had said she loved him with the intention to fluster him.
He’s impressed, in all honesty. He thought he was better than this. He didn’t think it’d take so little to make him light up like a candle. But under her gaze and in the wake of those words, he felt more than a little embarrassed.
He was also hopelessly in love, but wasn’t going to admit that very easily.
“I think that might be it, Petra,” he says, moving his hands from his face. He's already gotten this red, why try to hide it any longer? “Sounds really likely.”
“I was thinking so.” She's grinning now, and by the goddess, even with the pretenses almost entirely dropped he can’t find the words to tell her how cute she is. “I am thinking I should be telling him to be more honest with me from now on. Do you think it would be acceptable to him?”
“He’ll think it’s fine,” he mimics her position, leaning forward and propping his chin in his hand. “But he’ll also think you should start first.”