Hi!! For the rare pair prompt, how about Berniedue + grabbing the others hand to show them something???❤️❤️❤️
Hi hi! Please enjoy!
(Currently accepting rare ships! Click here for an UPDATED info post!)
--
Dedue had joined the Kingdom army almost a week ago, but he hadn't seen Bernadetta until just this moment. He wasn't sure he was supposed to have seen her yet-- currently she was lingering in the church's westward entrance, peeking around the corner when she thought Dedue wasn't looking.
It was amusing. Few things had been amusing since his return-- Dimitri's mental health concerned Dedue a great deal, as did the damage to Garreg Mach and the morale of the other Lions-- but he spared a smile thinking of the tiny purple dot just past his line of sight.
Bernadetta had stuck close to Dedue when she first joined the Blue Lion class. Gods knew why. He had tried to ward her away by reminding her people might act aggressively towards her if she was seen with someone like him. But apparently she had found him comforting. "And besides," she had explained one day as she sat beside him in the greenhouse, "not a lot of people talk to you. So if I'm with you, not a lot of people will talk to me! M-Makes sense when you think about it, right?"
As Bernadetta's meek footsteps echoed around the church, Dedue wondered if she was interested in picking up the habit again. Perhaps that was what this sneaking around business was about. Truth be told, he had missed her quiet company these past five years. He would welcome her back into his shadow if she asked.
"Um, D-Dedue?"
He turned to her. Bernadetta had certainly grown, but the timid edge to her voice remained. He smiled kindly. "Bernadetta. It's good to see you again."
Something in his words or his smile emboldened her, and she smiled back, holding out her hand. "Can you come with me? I want to show you something."
Dedue glanced across the atrium to where Felix stood with his back against the wall. They held eye contact for a moment before Felix shrugged a shoulder and looked away, which Dedue took as Felix speech for assurance that he would watch Dimitri while Dedue was gone.
"Lead the way," Dedue said, taking Bernadetta's offered hand.
In short order, the pair were crossing the bridge leading away from the church, the spring air stirring Bernadetta's hair as she pulled him along.
"It's good to see you too, by the way," Bernadetta said suddenly. "I would have come looking for you sooner but, well, I've sort of gotten into the habit of hiding in my room for a few days when we come back from battles like that."
"I understand. You used to do the same thing in school."
She gave an uneasy laugh. "I-I guess I did, huh?"
Dedue chuckled. "It is good to know some things haven't changed."
They left the reception hall and turned right into the courtyard by the old classrooms. He thought she would take them into the Blue Lion's classroom where he could see Ashe and Sylvain talking-- but instead she continued on towards the training grounds.
Dedue was about to ask if she needed his help lifting weapons, but then Bernadetta spoke up again. "We all thought you were dead."
Her voice was so quiet. Dedue squeezed her hand. "I know. I am sorry I did not make it back sooner. I meant to."
"I was really looking forward to coming back here and finding you with everyone else. It didn't feel like a real reunion without you."
"I'm sorry, Bernadetta. Truly."
"I know." She sniffed. "When Dimitri told us what happened to you... It made me wish I had followed you after Garreg Mach fell."
"It's good you did not," Dedue said bitterly. Freeing his Highness, how close to death Dedue had come-- he wouldn't have wanted Bernadetta anywhere near all that.
Bernadetta lead them down towards the stock pond. Dedue was sure she was going to show him something in the greenhouse, as they had planted a great many seeds and plants together there. He wondered how many still lived.
"I'm glad you made it back here," Dedue found himself saying.
Turning left towards the market, Bernadetta looked up at him. "I didn't have many other places to go, really," she confessed with a grimace.
"What I mean is-- you are alive and well. You stayed safe all this time. It was a relief to see you on the Bridge."
Pink appeared over Bernadetta's cheeks and the tips of her ears. "W-W-Well, I really learned a lot since the war started, you know? All that training in school paid off. I can actually hold my own out there! I've surprised myself in some of these battles." They both waved to the gatekeeper outside the entrance hall and continued up the steps towards the stables.
"I want to fight hard and keep everyone safe. T-That includes you too," Bernadetta finished, gaze resolutely ahead as her cheeks turned redder.
More had changed then Dedue had thought, it seemed. He couldn't remember Bernadetta ever making such bold declarations. "I'm honored," he said. "I hope you know you can count on me to protect you from now on as well."
"You really mean that?"
"Of course."
Bernadetta breathed out a sigh so deep that she nearly stumbled on the cobblestone path leading towards the knight's hall. "That makes me feel so much better. The war is about to get really intense-- I've been dreading going back out there to fight. I think I'll be okay if you're there."
Dedue rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "You must know, his Highness will always come first for me." The words left him reluctantly. But it was a simple fact, and he didn't want Bernadetta running into the thick of battle without knowing it.
"That makes sense. I want him safe too." Determination fought the usual tremor in Bernadetta's voice and won as she said, "I'll protect you so you can protect him."
Heart lighter than it had been since his return, Dedue smiled. "I like the sound of that."
They had drawn level with the graveyard. The church loomed ahead of them, and the sight of it made Dedue plant his feet.
"Bernadetta, what did you want to show me?"
She turned to him and briefly pursed her lips. "Promise you won't be mad at me?"
He couldn't imagine being mad at Bernadetta. Confused by, yes, often. He had been intrigued, amused, and even filled with admiration at times. But never angry. In answer, he cocked his head to the side expectantly.
Shuffling her feet, Bernadetta kept her gaze somewhere along Dedue's collar and said, "I just wanted to spend some time with you. I missed you, Dedue." She slid her hand free from his and held out her arms. "I really missed you."
Just as the first tear fell to her cheek, Dedue pulled her to him and held her tight. She shook in his arms, nuzzling her face in his chest with a hiccup. "I'm here," he soothed as he ran a hand up and down her back.
She could only nod against him and squeeze him tight. The spring wind returned to blow south, pushing away the sounds from the monastery and providing them their own private space for quiet. Dedue rested his chin on Bernadetta's soft hair and closed his eyes.
Part of him wanted to return to Dimitri's side-- there was an itch under his skin that was acutely aware of how long he had been away. But he pushed that aside and sighed, relishing the familiar presence of Bernadetta.
