Chapter Text
When she was younger, Sumia went to bed early. She was an early riser, too, and she couldn't count the number of times she'd dragged Cordelia out of bed at dawn to watch the sunrise. She could lay down and close her eyes, dreaming of a bright future and a life with her best friend in the whole wide world, Cordelia. Life was so simple, and she looked back on it fondly.
Things had changed now. She could barely make it through the night anymore. She'd dream of war, death, and Risen. Sumia would wake up breathless, a silent scream on her lips. It was a side effect of war, and she knew that well, but that didn't make it any easier (if anything, it made it so much worse, knowing that her dreams could very well be her reality the next day).
Having Cordelia back was everything she'd ever wanted (and maybe even more, if she was being totally honest). Sumia had exchanged numerous letters with her over the years, but it wasn't the same as talking to her. It wasn't the same as being able to see her whenever she wanted. They'd both grown a lot since they were kids, but still, they remained best friends. Sumia couldn't ask for anyone else by her side. Which might be why Sumia found herself outside Cordelia's tent. The day had long since passed, and the only thing lighting up the Shepherd's camp was the stars above. Sumia couldn't sleep; she closed her eyes and saw the Shepherds dying. She saw blood. So much blood (it filled her lungs, drowning her in a terror she didn't know how to handle).
When they were younger, Sumia and Cordelia shared beds often. If they were having a sleepover, chances are they'd either share the bed or fall asleep on the floor together (there had been the one occasion where they'd fallen asleep on the grass outside after the two had stayed up all night to catch the sunrise). Sumia missed that comfort, and even though they were older, she had hope that Cordelia wouldn't mind. Hopefully.
"Cordelia?" Sumia said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Sumia?" Cordelia's voice replied, and shuffling was heard from the tent. "Is something wrong?"
"Er," Sumia paused as Cordelia stepped out of her tent. "Not really, no."
Cordelia frowned. "You look... fine. You're not injured?"
"No, no, I'm..." she sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. It's nothing. I'm—I'm just gonna..."
"Sumi," she reached her hand out. "Come in."
Sumia smiled softly and took her head, letting Cordelia lead her inside the tent. the flap closed behind them, and Cordelia led her over to the bedroll.
"Talk to me," Cordelia said.
"I just—this war," Sumia mumbled, sitting down. "It's haunting me, and I can't sleep. Every time I try, I see the worst of war."
Cordelia squeezed her hand. "I know it's..." she sighed, her eyes closing. "I can't sleep either. Not after they—not after—"
Sumia wrapped her arm around Cordelia's waist and rested her head on Cordelia's shoulder. "It's okay," she whispered. "I know."
She hummed softly. "Can you—can you stay here tonight?" she mumbled. "I think maybe if I know you're safe in my arms I might sleep better."
Sumia's face tinted pink and she smiled. "Funny, I came here to ask you that."
Cordelia laughed. "So that's a yes?"
Sumia rolled her eyes and pushed Cordelia towards the bed. Cordelia groaned and pulled Sumia down so that both of them were laying down, Sumia on top of her.
"You need new tricks," Cordelia said. "You've been doing that since we were seven."
Sumia huffed and rolled off Cordelia, her back now facing the redhead. "It still works, doesn't it?"
"Only because I let it work," she replied, her arms snaking around Sumia's waist. "This okay?"
"Always."
Cordelia hummed and buried her head in Sumia's shoulder. "G'night."
Sumia smiled. "Night, Cordy."
With Cordelia pressed against her back, it didn't take long for Sumia to drift off. Her breathing evened out and she dreamed. And for the first time in a long time, she dreamed of peace. She dreamed of her, Cordelia, and a future where they didn't have to fight, and they never had to leave each other's side again.
She woke slowly in the morning. Light seeped through the tent flap, and Sumia yawned. She opened her eyes and blushed heavily. At some point in the night, she'd rolled around, and her head was now buried in Cordelia's chest. She quickly rolled over again, and Cordelia's grip on her tightened.
"Stop moving," Cordelia mumbled into Sumia's shoulder. "'s early."
"Can't be that early, I smell breakfast," Sumia replied.
"Hm."
"I'm gonna get up and eat."
Cordelia groaned, but her arms drew back from Sumia's waist. "I'll be out later."
Sumia grinned and slipped off the bedroll. Her legs cracked as she stretched before making her way to the tent flap. She rubbed her hands on her shirt then paused. She was wearing her night shirt, which was... quite torn up. She'd be cold at breakfast, not to mention she'd feel uncomfortable being around all the Shepherds wearing this. She glanced back at Cordelia, who was rolled over and facing the tent wall, her head buried in a pillow.
She wouldn't mind if Sumia stole a shirt for a day, right?
----
Gaius was having a great day. He'd slept in enough to avoid Frederick's early morning jog (every time he wasn't paying attention in the early morning, he'd usually run into Frederick and get lectured extensively about it), and Donnel was making breakfast. And if there was one thing about Donnel, it's that he made some killer breakfast potatoes, and even better chocolate chip pancakes. Gaius' stomach was aching in anticipation. It had nothing to do with the amount of candy he'd had last night, no sir.
He whistled to himself as he walked past a few of the other tents on his way to the makeshift dining area. They were camped out somewhere close-ish to the Plegia-Ylisse border, and they'd set up quickly last night, so nothing was quite as it should be. He spotted a glint in the glass and bent down to check it out, his hands running across the ground. He grinned as he deftly picked up an old ring and tossed it in the air. Today really was a great day.
He heard a rustling nearby and his head shot to his left, where he spotted Sumia leaving Cordelia's tent. He shrugged and continued to inspect the ring, trying to scope out if it was real silver or—
Wait, Sumia leaving Cordelia's tent? He shot his head back towards Sumia and squinted. That shirt was definitely Cordelia's judging by how Sumia was swimming in it. Her skin was about five shades brighter than it normally was, and she looked very happy. He gasped and started coughing, his face burning bright red. Sumia turned her head towards him and furrowed her eyebrows.
"Gaius, are you alright?" She asked, walking towards him. "Are you choking? Do you need some water?"
Gaius coughed once more before regaining his voice. "Er, I'm peachy, Stumbles," he replied. "Just, uh, y'know. Heading to eat 'n all."
Sumia hummed. "Me too," she smiled. "It’s Donnel’s day, isn’t it?”
His face brightened a little at the mention of Donnel. “Yep,” he nodded, still unable to meet her eyes. “Hope I didn’t miss the pancakes. Best part of his food.”
"He makes extra just for you; you know that."
Gaius nodded, trying to shake his mind of the scarring images it was producing. "Yeah, I forgot 'bout that," he replied. "He's a good lad."
The two walked to the dining area in silence. Gaius' mind was racing with disturbing thoughts and ideas of what the hell Sumia and Cordelia had been doing last night (for once in his life, he wished he could erase his memories of the day). The two had always been very close, so he wasn't surprised, just scarred for life.
They got their food quickly and sat down at a table with Maribelle, Gaius across from her and Sumia next to her. Maribelle eyed Sumia's shirt and glanced at Gaius with a knowing look. When Sumia was distracted, he widened his eyes at Maribelle, mouthing the words: Cordelia, tent, sex, and kill me, while dragging a finger across his neck.
"Have you had an eventful morning, Gaius?" Maribelle asked, smirking. "You look rather frazzled."
"Er, uh," Gaius glanced at Sumia. "Well, I found a nice ring on the ground 'n stuff."
"Is that what had you flustered earlier?" Sumia asked innocently.
"Flustered?" Maribelle asked, her smirk turning into a full on grin. "Whatever do you mean?"
She shrugged. "He was coughing and sputtering when I first saw him today."
"It was the ring," he winked at Maribelle. "Definitely the ring."
"Of course, it was," Maribelle scoffed. "A simple thief like you would drop everything for spoils."
Gaius grunted. "Uh-huh. Sure."
The three drifted into silence as Gaius attacked his plate of pancakes. They were the most delightfully sweet thing he'd had in days, and by the Gods, he was going to enjoy it. Chocolate chip pancakes topped with ounces of the sweetest maple syrup and whipped cream? It was pure heaven on a plate. Gaius could die happy any second now, and he wouldn't mind. When he was sent to hell, these pancakes would pull him right out.
He was drawn out of his pancakes when he heard footsteps approaching the table. He huffed and put down his fork, glancing up at whoever approached from behind Sumia. He nearly choked when he realized it was Cordelia.
"No wonder I couldn't find that shirt," Cordelia mumbled, wrapping her arms around Sumia's neck. "You stole it."
(Now that caused Gaius to choke on his pancakes, and Maribelle sent him a glare. If she wasn't watching them too, she would have started a lecture about his oh-so-dreadful table manners)
"Er, I didn't think you'd mind," Sumia replied, her face bright red.
"I don't," Cordelia retracted her arms and slid into the empty seat next to Sumia. "Looks better on you anyway."
Sumia's face grew more red. "Oh."
"Good morning, Maribelle," Cordelia said. "Morning, Gaius. You look like you've seen a ghost."
Gaius coughed once, trying to dislodge the syrupy pancake chunk that was slowly sliding itself down his throat.
"I'm alright," he grumbled, snatching the bottle of water that Maribelle offered him. "Thanks, Twinkles."
Maribelle scowled. "Don't call me that, you heathen."
He grunted. "Whatever," he replied. "You have a good morning, Cordelia?"
Cordelia hummed. "Great morning, actually," she was pressed so tightly against Sumia that they looked actually connected at the hip. "Slept the best I have in a while."
Gaius coughed into his hand. "Er, that's, uh, great," he glanced at Maribelle, sending his best 'what the fuck' face at her. "Not surprised, considering—"
Gaius yelped as a sharp kick landed right below his knee. Maribelle glared at him again, trying to get some form of message across (he had a feeling it was something along the lines of 'shut the fuck up, you fucking idiot', though it was in Maribelle's noble and proper dialect).
Cordelia stared at him in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just hurt my... uhm, foot," he said. "Nothing big just kind of stings a little sometimes."
Maribelle raised her eyebrows. "If you would like, I can take a look at it after breakfast."
"Sure, thanks," he replied. "In the healer's tent?"
"Where else, you simpleton?"
Gaius rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long day.