An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Title: Liquid Courage
Fandom: Octopath Traveler 0
Pairing: Celsus/Pius
Word count: 3010
Warnings: None
Summary: After the construction of the new Wishvale church, a celebration is held at the tavern. Pius attends late after a meeting with his fellow clerics, with his secret crush on Celsus weighing heavily on his mind.
Little did he know, it was not going to stay a secret for much longer...
The sun was slowly setting over Wishvale as Pius stepped out of the brand new church, and he paused to admire how ethereal the red-orange sky looked as a backdrop to the beautiful building. Now that his meeting with Laurana and their fellow clerics was finished, he could proceed to the tavern to start celebrating the completion of the church's construction with the rest of the villagers. Enjoying the delicious food and drink made with produce that they themselves harvested was something to look forward to...but there was something - or rather, someone - else that made Pius' heart stir.
He had learned rather quickly that the phrase 'never judge a book by its cover' was indeed one to live by when he met Celsus. Despite being a bit rough-looking and having a colorful past, he presently was a man of unwavering faith in the gods, and his earnest desire to do their will by helping others in his own way drew Pius to him immediately.
Both men firmly believed that the Sacred Flame had caused their paths to cross...but for Pius, it was turning out to be for something more than just joining forces to lend the Flamebringer a hand, or sharing drinks and pleasant conversation at the tavern.
Something much more, in fact, as Pius currently found himself incredibly smitten with Celsus.
Feeling his cheeks start to heat up, Pius cleared his throat before running a hand through his hair while heaving a sigh. It hadn't started out like that. Celsus was just a like-minded drinking buddy at first, someone who Pius enjoyed discussing faith with over a glass (or two, but usually more) of wine. Gradually, their get-togethers at the tavern became something that he looked forward to more than anything, and eventually just thinking about Celsus was enough to bring a smile to his face.
Pius had started entertaining the idea of courting Celsus, but he had no idea where to start. He wasn't exactly an expert when it came to romance, and not knowing how Celsus felt about him in return chilled Pius to the bone. The fear of ruining the companionship that they currently treasured so much was what held him back the most. He could only pray that Celsus would give him any sort of hint as to if he felt the same way about him...
The tavern was packed when Pius finally arrived. A small smile crossed his face as he gazed around at the people of Wishvale happily celebrating the completion of the church. That smile tripled in size when his eyes landed upon Celsus, who was sitting at a table in the center of the room. He was currently taking a generous swig of his drink, and when he set his mug down, his gaze met Pius'; the beaming smile that crossed his face made the bishop's heart skip a beat.
"Pius! 'Bout time you made it!" Celsus boomed, catching the attention of the occupants of the surrounding tables. Crossing the room quickly, Pius sat down in the empty chair that Celsus pulled up beside him.
"Good evening, Celsus. I see you've...been having a good time." Pius took note of the flush in Celsus' cheeks, and also side-eyed the rather large pile of empty mugs in front of him; he normally didn't drink quite this much...
As a glass of wine was served to Pius, Celsus barked out a laugh and threw an arm heavily over his shoulders. "Sure have, but it's even better now that my favorite drinking buddy's finally here!" The other two occupants of their table, Stia and Phenn, shared a glance as they tried to stifle their laughter.
Lifting his glass to his face, Pius took a generous sip, hoping to hide the blush that had crept upon his cheeks. "Yes, well...the feeling is mutual, my friend."
Celsus clumsily clanked his mug against Pius' glass, splashing a bit of ale onto the table in the process. "This really is a day to remember! A new church in a rebuilt town, and a bunch of happy people celebrating with great food, and even greater drink!" His eyes seemed to sparkle as he spoke, and that only made the yearning within Pius' heart grow exponentially. He wanted nothing more than to take Celsus' hand, wrap his arms around him, and celebrate this momentous occasion with a kiss...
"In fact..." Celsus tugged Pius closer and turned to look him in the eye. "...I'm so happy about it that I could kiss you!"
And then, to Pius' immense shock, he did just that.
Time seemed to stop as Pius tried to process what was happening. Celsus had swiftly closed the distance between them until their lips were pressed firmly together. Pius' squeak of surprise was muffled when Celsus deepened the kiss, and he thought his heart was going to beat right out of his chest when his tongue slipped into his mouth.
It took every ounce of Pius' self control not to let a moan slip out, but he couldn't deny how badly he had wanted this for a long time now, gods be praised. He lifted a shaky hand to cup Celsus' cheek, but a sudden chorus of wolf-whistles and cheers reminded Pius that they were in the middle of the tavern for everyone to see.
Jolting backwards, Pius slammed into the back of his chair so hard that he sent it and himself crashing to the ground. Feeling like his face had been set aflame with embarrassment, he pulled himself to his feet to find that Celsus had also fallen out of his chair and was now curled up on the floor, his loud snoring currently the only sound in the room.
Pius risked a glance at Stia and Phenn; they were staring at him with wide eyes and their jaws hanging open. The tavern remained deathly quiet for a few moments, before erupting into thunderous laughter.
'Gods help me, I will never live this down...' Pius thought, groaning as he held his head in his hands. After most of the tavern patrons had gone back to their own business, Ludo appeared beside him and slapped a hand to his back.
"Well, well, well!" he said, a cheeky grin on his face as she shot Pius a wink. "Didn't know you and Celsus were hookin' up!"
Pius winced and swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat with difficulty. "I...didn't either."
Ludo laughed as he nudged Celsus with his foot. "Wow, really? The big lug must've really drunk himself under the table, ha!"
Pius' face fell and grew pale. Ah, that was it. The alcohol explained everything...because why would Celsus want to kiss him while sober?
Feeling his shoulders slump, he realized that his sulking must have been rather obvious, because Stia said, "You're...unhappy about that, Pius?"
"I, well, uh..."
Ludo guffawed and slapped a hand to his knee. "Oh wow! You've actually got the hots for him? Man, what an incredible turn of events. So glad I was here to see it!"
"Knock it off, Ludo!" Stia barked as she smacked the annoying merchant upside the head.
"Ow! What the hell?"
As the two started to bicker, Phenn turned to Pius and gave him a few sympathetic pats on the back. "Ignore them. Er, and good luck with...whatever this is?"
"Er, t-thanks..." Pius mumbled, rubbing at his temples before grabbing his wine glass and downing the contents in one go, and doing the same with the next one that was placed in front of him...and the one after that. Maybe if he drank enough tonight, he could forget any of this had ever happened...
Unfortunately, all Pius got for his trouble the next morning was a splitting headache, but he managed to make it to the church bright and early for his regular morning prayers. It was early enough that most of the villagers were still sound asleep, so he was fortunate that he didn't run into anyone who would badger him about what had transpired the night before.
Kneeling before the altar, Pius folded his hands together and bowed his head while silently reciting his prayers. Most of them were routine: asking the Flamebringer to keep watching over Wishvale, and for swift healing for any sick or injured villagers.
However, this time Pius also slipped in a rather selfish prayer: he prayed that what had happened last night wouldn't ruin his relationship with Celsus. He wasn't sure if the Flamebringer would listen, but with how much alcohol Celsus had consumed, Pius was hoping that at the very least he wouldn't remember a thing, putting the issue to rest once and for all (until one of the other villagers said something, ugh...)
Someone else had entered the church, and Pius listened as the sound of footsteps got closer and closer. Another early riser? He wondered if it was Laurana, or maybe the Ringbearer...
The footsteps stopped beside him and the newcomer dropped heavily to their knees. Cracking open one eye to see who had joined him, Pius almost yelped and fell over when he saw that it was Celsus. Squeezing his eyes shut again, Pius tried to calm his rapidly-beating heart by running through his prayers once again, especially that brand new one.
'Please, Flamebringer...I cannot lose him,' Pius pleaded, clenching his jaw and balling his hands into fists so tight that they started turning white. He only realized that he had been holding his breath when a hand suddenly fell onto his shoulder, causing Pius to actually yelp in surprise this time.
"Pius, you okay? You look like you're gonna pop a blood vessel or two."
Heaving a deep breath, Pius jerked his head up to find Celsus standing next to him, with a smile on his face that managed to steal that breath right away. Swallowing thickly, he managed to nod his head slightly and said, "A-Ah, yes. Apologies, Celsus, I was...concentrating."
Celsus chuckled and removed his hand from Pius' shoulder, offering it for him to take instead. "I get it. Gotta break in the new church with some extra hefty prayers, right?"
'You have no idea,' Pius thought, groaning internally as he took Celsus' hand and let him pull him to his feet. Celsus was slow to let go, causing Pius' face to heat up and quickly pull his hand back. He couldn't bear to look directly at him, so Pius fixed his gaze on the beautiful stained glass window behind the altar. The silence that filled the room was agonizing and awkward, but just when Pius was about to excuse himself to rid them both of the torment, Celsus broke it by saying exactly what Pius did not want to hear:
"So, uh...Do you, er, remember last night?"
Pius winced and swallowed thickly, feeling a cold sweat start to bead at the back of his neck. Forcing himself to look back at Celsus, he answered honestly, "...Yes."
"Ah, right..." Celsus' face flushed red and he scratched at his beard. "That...makes two of us..." Pius was surprised to hear that, considering how much alcohol Celsus had consumed. Now that he knew for sure that they both remembered, he braced himself for the worst-case scenario...
Celsus heaved a deep sigh and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Pius, for um…kissing you out of the blue like that. It wasn't...I mean, that's not, er..."
"I know, I know," Pius interrupted his rambling; he knew what Celsus was trying to say, and that made him cast a dejected glance down at the floor. "You didn't mean it. I can...pretend it never happened-"
"No, that's not what I mean."
Pius was taken aback by the force with which Celsus spoke. He looked back up at him, inhaling sharply when Celsus gently took his hands, his face flushed an endearing shade of red. "What I do mean is...that's not how I wanted it to go...er, telling you my feelings for you, that is."
Pius' jaw practically fell to the floor. "...P-Pardon?"
"I've...grown really fond of you, Pius. More than just a drinking buddy or a friend actually." As Pius stared blankly, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him, Celsus continued, looking uncharacteristically bashful: "I've, er, wanted to tell you for a while now, but could never work up the nerve. That's why I tried to rely on some - er, a lot - of liquid courage last night, but it worked a little too well..."
Pius felt like he was in a daze. Celsus...Celsus was fond of him? He wanted to cry tears of happiness, to reciprocate his feelings with all of the eloquence that he could muster...but Pius' mouth had gone completely dry and he could only gawk at Celsus like a petrified fish out of water.
Clearing his throat again, Celsus continued with conviction, "I wanted to tell you sooner, it's just...I've never allowed myself to get anywhere near this close to other people. In my line of work, anyone can die at any time, so it was just…easier to avoid attachment all together."
Pius' heart clenched when Celsus frowned and a pained look appeared in his eyes. It was fleeting, however, and replaced by tenderness as Celsus smiled softly. "But, in moving here to Wishvale, I realized that I don't need to have my guard up every second of every day anymore. And then I met you, Pius..." Celsus paused to give his hands a squeeze, and Pius' heart leapt into his throat, "...and got myself so attached so quickly that I honestly didn't know what to do with myself. Your presence has given me a sense of comfort and peace that I've never known before...and I find myself wanting to be by your side, always."
Shaking his head, Celsus let out a heavy sigh. "I have my regrets, so many regrets, but something that I never want to regret is not telling you how I feel...properly. So..." Celsus took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, before saying those three little words that Pius thought he'd never hear come from the object of his affection:
"I love you, Pius."
Pius could only stare at Celsus in shock. Gods…this wasn't a dream, was it? He had been convinced only moments ago that Celsus would never feel the same way about him, only to be proven so, so wrong. It was unbelievable...and yet Pius had never felt like more of a believer.
"Er...I probably said too much there, right? I'll just...get out of your hair..."
Pius gave his head a shake to snap himself back to reality; his lack of response must have given Celsus the wrong idea. When he tried to turn away, Pius quickly lifted a hand up to cup his cheek, effectively halting him. As his head slowly turned back and their eyes met, Pius cupped his other cheek and closed the distance between them until he was kissing Celsus, soft and tender. Celsus let out a surprised grunt, but recovered quickly, and Pius smiled against his lips when he slipped a shaky hand around his waist to pull him closer.
When they finally broke the kiss, Celsus grinned and brushed the back of his fingers over Pius' cheek, causing his breath to hitch. "So...Does that mean you feel the same way?"
Pius winced, and moved his hand up to cover Celsus'. "Ah! A-Apologies, I probably should have said so before kissing you."
Barking out a laugh, Celsus said, "It's fine, no complaints here, but..." His voice dropped to a whisper as he took Pius' hand and laced their fingers together, "I'd like to hear it regardless."
Nodding slightly, Pius leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek, before looking into his eyes. "I love you too, Celsus."
"Really?"
Pius chucked; he couldn't believe Celsus sounded so unsure. With a nod, he took Celsus' hand, bringing it to his lips so that he could place a tender kiss upon his knuckles. "Yes. I adore you, from the bottom of my heart. Your compassion, unwavering faith, and determination to protect those around you have captivated me. There is no one else that I want by my side."
"Heh, didn't think you'd consider a sinner like me for a partner," Celsus teased. Pius smiled and shook his head.
"All mortals are sinners, Celsus. Members of the church are no exception."
"Well, if a bishop of all people says so, then I guess it's true."
They both laughed, and Celsus pulled Pius close while letting out a sigh of relief. "Whew, guess that ol' liquid courage really did do the job...even if I overdid it a little."
Pius cocked his head to one side, and slipped his arms around Celsus' neck. "A little?"
"Ugh, you'll never let me live that down, will you?"
"No...and I think the entirety of Wishvale won't let either of us do so."
"Heh, yeah..." Celsus said, gazing fondly at Pius as he gently brushed the hair from his face, "but I don't regret it, because here we are now as a happy new couple. The gods work in mysterious ways, don't they?"
Pius nodded, smiling softly when Celsus pressed their foreheads together. "They really do. I...love you, Celsus."
"Love you too, Pius."
Lips meeting again in a tender kiss, they relished in their newfound closeness...until Laurana walked in on them and her high-pitched shriek startled them apart. As she proceeded to lecture them for far too long on how inappropriate it was to canoodle in the church for everyone and the gods to see, Pius and Celsus shared a fond glance and endured their punishment, hand-in-hand.
In spite of Laurana's disapproval, both men knew that it was the Sacred Flame that had guided them to this very moment, and they couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them.