Vierapril 2025 Day 17

[gaiages]

Vierapril Day 17 - Heart
Meal

It's not about the reward.

Rating: General Audiences

588 words
Relationship(s) / Characters: OC x OC
Tags: Post-Endwalker (no spoilers) ; fluff ; cooking ; injury recovery
CWs: none

Kris might be a gremlin and sometimes frustrating man to deal with, but he's always aware of how he may affect those around him... even if sometimes he interprets it in a more negative way than he should, lol.

Other links: Tumblr | AO3

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"My love! There you are."

Laurent lifts his gaze from the botany text to find Kris beaming down at him. "…Here I am. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Kris's smile fades to a look of annoyance. "I give you a loving smile, and that's how you respond? What do you think me to be?"

"A troublemaker."

"Well then, let me trouble you for your attention." Kris grabs Laurent's arm and yanks him up.

"Hey, I was reading—"

"By the gods, you can bring the book with you. Come on!" He continues tugging on Laurent's arm until he gives up and lets Kris drag him back to the annex.

** **

"See? Looks great, doesn't it?"

Laurent's eyes widen at the food laid out on the long table. "This is… quite the spread, Eir. What's the occasion?"

"Does there need to be an occasion for me to cook something for you? Let's enjoy a meal together! It's been a while, what with you at the Studium and me doing odd jobs for Krile."

"…That is true. I have missed your cooking, as well…"

"Really?"

Kris's eyes nearly sparkle at the second-hand compliment, and Laurent chuckles before pecking him on the cheek. "Come now, you know how much I love the food you make."

"Perhaps, but it's always nice to hear. Oh, one more thing!" Kris ducks behind the divider and quickly comes back with a plate of sweets, a slight blush on his freckled cheeks. "I made you some dessert! Though perhaps you should eat dinner before you have them."

"O-oh…" Laurent looks down at the sweets. A half-dozen small cakes lined it, carefully cut into hearts. Each had icing poured deliberately over it to add color while not hiding the flavors of the cakes themselves, and they were topped with fruit to match their flavors. Had he not known better, Laurent would have thought they were from a high-class bakery.

"These are beautiful… So beautiful I almost don't want to eat them."

Kris huffs at the remark, though the blush on his cheeks deepens with the praise. "I hope you do, I wouldn't want my effort to go to waste. Granted…"

Suddenly, Laurent's fiance loses all of his bluster, looking down with a sullen expression. "…This isn't even near the amount of effort you put into caring for me these last few months. I know it wasn't easy. But I… just wanted to show my appreciation in some way. Even if it doesn't compare."

"Is that what this is about?" Laurent laughs lightly under his breath, then pulls Kris into an embrace. "Eir, you don't need to show your appreciation to me for anything—I didn't care for you for a reward. I did it because I love you."

"…I love you too, Reyna." Kris looks back to Laurent with a small smile, the sullen mood dispersing a bit. "It really has been too long since we've shared a real meal together, though. So even if you don't want to think of it as a reward… perhaps just think of it as a date."

"A date…" Laurent smiles and pushes a few stray hairs out of Kris's face. "That sounds nice."

"Great!" Kris beams at Laurent again, then gently guides him to one of the chairs. "Let's eat before it gets cold. You can tell me about what you were reading outside."

Laurent frowns slightly. "Are you sure? I imagine it'd be a bit… boring."

"My love, nothing's boring if you're the one telling me about it."

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