You said farewell,
and I thought we’d never see each other again.
I’m so glad fate thought otherwise.
Joined @runefactorysecretsanta again this year, and got to work on some Nicholas/Cecilia for @unapologeticbisexual! I hope you like your gift!
I had a lot of fun drawing these two! \(^o^)/ They’re super adorable together. It makes me wanna try and finish RF1 again just to see more of them interacting.
Here I am writing about Cecilia AGAIN bc I love her so much.
When I was little I loved the thought of Ceci and Nicholas growing up and getting married. Obviously rf2 threw a wrench in that lmao but it’s still canon in my heart.
Prompt: Proposal OR Anniversary
“Do you remember when we were kids?” Cecilia asks. The cool breeze coming from the ocean gives her chills and the sand will be a pain to get out of her hair, but right now, as she stares at the many stars above her, she doesn’t really care.
Nicholas scoffs from where he lay just inches from her. “You’ll have to be more specific than that.”
Cecilia tosses sand at him for the sly comment. After he finishes complaining she continues, “I mean, do you remember when we would come out here at night and watch the stars?”
Nicholas’s face goes from playfully annoyed to fond. “Of course I do. We’d get so excited if we could convince our parents to let us camp out.”
“They hated it,” Cecilia giggles. “We’d be so tired the next day because we spent all night talking.”
Nicholas laughs and the conversation tapers off. They spend a few more minutes staring up at the sky, trying to find the fake constellations they made up when they were younger. Nicholas clears his throat and says, “I’m glad you’re back, Ceci.”
Cecilia hums in agreement. “Me too. I don’t come back near enough.”
Nicholas shifts beside her, turning on his side with his elbow in the sand and hand propping his head up. “You know, I’ve thought about leaving too.”
“Really?” Cecilia is surprised. “Why? Your family is here.”
“Not everyone,” Nicholas insists, and Cecilia’s cheeks darken.
“Well, what would you do if you left?” She asks.
Nicholas shrugs the best he can in his position. “I love building things with my dad and I’m pretty good at it. I think I could open up a shop in another town like he has here.”
“But why?” Cecilia asks again. She sits up completely and faces him.
“I can always visit my family. There’s no one around here my age and I want to have a family someday. It just feels like there’s no future here.”
Cecilia knows the feeling. It’s why she left just a few short years ago. “Yeah. I get that.”
Nicholas sits up to face her at eye level. “What do you think? Would Alvarna be a good fit for me?”
Cecilia feels her lips twitch into a smile. “Well, there would be plenty of girls your age there, believe me.”
Nicholas can’t stop himself from laughing. “As if that was high on my priority list with you already being there,” he jokes and winks in her direction. Cecilia feels the blush creeping back and wills it down.
“As for opening up a shop,” Cecilia continues, trying to get his focus off of her. “I think that’s a great idea. Whenever someone wants a remodel or something built they have to go to the mayor and he hires people from out of town. And I know the mayor has been wanting to expand the town so I don’t think you’ll have a hard time finding a place to build your store.”
Nicholas’s smile widens. It’s almost as big as when she arrived back in Kardia a few short days ago. “That’s great!” His energy is contagious and Cecilia can feel her smile growing as well. “Until it’s built, could I stay in the hotel?”
“I’m sure Egan would be happy to have you…” Cecilia is unsure if she should mention the other hotel resident.
Nicholas’s smile falters. “Sounds like there’s a catch there.”
Cecilia forces a grin. “Well, Jake might not be too pleased.”
“Ha! As if I care what that guy thinks of me.” Nicholas leans closer and Cecilia’s heart picks up. “What about you, Ceci?” Nicholas asks, tucking her sandy hair behind her ear. “Do you want me there?”
Cecilia’s breath catches and she can’t stop looking into his big brown eyes. “Yes,” she says eventually, in a whisper. “I want you there.”
Nicholas leans forward and brushes his lips against her’s. His lips are chapped from the sun and salty ocean water but he’s so gentle with his movements that Cecilia doesn’t mind. Everything about the kiss is so Nicholas, from his calloused hand resting on her cheek to the happy hum he gives when she kisses him back.
He pulls away too soon and Cecilia almost embarrassingly chases him for more. “I love you,” he says, kissable lips spread into the biggest smile Cecilia thinks she’s ever seen on a person.
“I love you too,” she says back. She feels a strain in her cheeks and realizes she must be smiling just as wide.
“And just so you know,” he adds, taking her smaller hands in his. “I still intend on keeping that promise to you.”
The promise was a pact they made when they were kids and didn’t understand what romantic love was yet. Tori had just read them some of the romantic novel she was reading. Nicholas must have been inspired by the dashing protagonist who swept the woman off her feet because he stood and announced, “I’ll marry you when we’re big, Ceci! I promise!”
Cecilia had gladly accepted his silly proposal back then, but as she had gotten older, the less it felt real in her mind. It was a silly thing kids say, not a legitimate promise.
But here was that same boy, now a man, sitting in front of her with every intention in the world to never go back on his word. He wants to marry her.
Oh, gods. He wants to marry her.
Cecilia tears her hands from where Nicholas holds them and throws them around his neck, diving forward to kiss him. She knocks him over and the kiss is more like their lips are bumping into each other but it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that they are in each other’s arms and laughing on the beach under the starlight.
