“Tobin? Tobin, where are you?”
Even for someone so laid back and carefree, Gray ended up hustling over to where you were hopping around the corpses littering the battlefield, panic apparent in your eyes. For those few minutes following the ruthless battle, you had been looking around to reunite with your dear partner-but as the time passed and no one had seen him, you became increasingly frightened, terrified that the worst had happened.
“Tobin! Please, Tobin, where are you?!”
You could feel the tears starting to come on as your emotions brewed and boiled inside you, every passing moment filling you with more distress.
“Hey, hey-just take a deep breath, okay?”
Gray placed a strong hand on your shoulder, in an attempt to keep you grounded and calm.
“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. We won’t leave without that dork, I promise.”
He offered you a sympathetic smile, and you thankfully put your hand over his.
“T-Thank you, Gray. I...I don't know what I’d do without you.”
He patted you on the back and reassured you once more that everything would be okay, when the two of you distinctly heard something strange-it sounded almost like a cough. Both pairs of eyes darted around for the source, but found nothing but the abandoned weaponry at your feet, and the scattered blood and armour from those who had fallen. That is, until from a few feet away your gaze was caught by a mouthful of those bright teeth, stretched into a grin that contrasted the dirt caked on his face.
“H...Hey…you’re with me...remember..?”
You and Gray both dashed over and you practically fell to your knees at his side, mind racing of where to inspect him first. You decided that the severe gashes in his chest were probably the best places to start.
“Geez, buddy, you scared the crap outta me! You look like you just crawled out of some Rigelian swamp!”
Despite the pain he was in, Tobin chuckled softly, before being interrupted by another coughing fit.
“I’ll grab Silque. Hang in there buddy, alright?”
Giving him a pat on the shoulder, Gray took off in a hurry across the battlefield to get help, while you started pressing whatever cloth you could find against his injuries, to halt the bleeding. Unfortunately that meant you were soaking your sleeves with blood and dirt, but if it meant you could help your beloved stay alive, you would get over it.
Tobin reached up and held your trembling hand in his, looking up at you with that handsome smile of his.
“I’ll be fine, I promise...I can't die yet...I’ve got so much to….to look forward to…”
Getting him to keep talking was probably the safest idea, so he would stay conscious until more aid arrived.
“We’re gonna conquer Rigel….and then go back home...and I’m gonna marry you…”
Your eyes widened as he babbled on, but you tried to keep your focus on treating his wounds. He almost seemed to be in a trance, with a wide grin on his face.
“...and I’ll….build you a nice house….and we’ll have lots of babies….and plenty of money..from saving Valentia…”
Tobin’s eyes started closing, and his grip on your hand weakened.
“I’ll get to kiss you, and...and tell you I love you...every single day…”
Worried, you pressed your hand to his forehead, to check his temperature.
“Tobin, y-you’re burning up! Oh Mother, please, don’t let him die..”
You prayed, clutching his hand in yours just as Gray and Silque returned to the two of you. With tears in your eyes you watched him be whisked away for treatment, going limp in Gray’s arms as he carried his best friend across the battlefield, and back to camp.
Later, as night descended on the convoy, you dared to slip into the medical tent, to assess the damage-and to your relief, you found Tobin resting peacefully on a bedroll, wounds patched and held together with more gauze than you’d ever seen on one person.
His smile stayed even as you rushed over to kiss him, unable to hold back your affections for even a minute longer. In your excitement, you retold the story of how you’d found him on the battlefield, as he said that he could barely remember anything-and as you spoke, you noticed his cheeks flushing more and more red.
“I-I really said all those things? Gods..”
Tobin groaned, even though you were just glad that he was alive, and able to get better.
“It was embarrassing! Even now, I can't stop being such a dork around someone as wonderful as you..”
You brushed off his worries and snuggled up to his shoulder, letting him wrap his good arm around you and pull you close.
“I’m sorry. I’ll hold off on the humiliation from now on. Ugh, Gray is never gonna let me live that down..”
Preoccupied with his self-doubt, you settled a hand on his belly and looked up at those brown eyes of his, making him blush with the amount of love you held in your expression.
“Really? Because I like that side of you, Tobi. And...I think the plethora of babies we’re gonna have will like it, too.”
You actually feared he would go into cardiac arrest from such a bold statement, but he settled for turning a bright pink and sweating, as you nonchalantly cuddled in to sleep beside him.
“W-What?! I-I mean...ah, never mind. I guess I can roll with that, as long as I’m with you...”
