Chapter Text
Dunban couldn’t imagine life without Mia anymore.
Even doing something as trivial as sitting in front of the fireplace, he couldn’t help but think about how she had been the one to suggest that they build it in the first place. That wall had nothing but a couple of storage cabinets before, and now it made his home more welcoming, cozier. All thanks to one passing thought.
Mia was the one to help him pick out this couch, even. Unknowingly, she had been slowly making an imprint on his home, on his life. They had certainly come a long way since they first met, little over a year ago. He feels a little foolish now, doubting her so strongly at first.
Of course, he would’ve done the same if it had been anyone else. He couldn’t bear the thought of letting his guard down and having someone threaten the peace they had accomplished. Especially when that someone came from an entirely different world.
In that time, he had grown rather… fond. Of her. Of being around her. His very gracious friends might’ve pressured him into lodging her in his home, under the reasoning that he should be the one to keep an eye on her if he doubted her so much, but months later he now found himself missing her when she was gone.
His biggest surprise had been the way she so easily made a place for herself in the colony. Mia is strong, incredibly so. Even if she doesn’t remember where she came from, everyone could tell she must have been a fighter. She handles herself so gracefully in a battle, it’s like watching an experienced warrior sweep through the battlefield, and it’s all just muscle memory. Thus, with her strength, she aided their neighbors in heavy duty tasks. Or on whatever they needed help with, honestly. She had a knack for helping others, almost to a fault.
Both of them grew accustomed to the routine they slowly built. Sharing domestic tasks, or taking turns. Going shopping together. Walking side by side, late at night through the beach. Handling their individual responsibilities to then come home to each other, conversating about their respective days until they grew tired and retired to bed. A bed they had started to innocently share, unbeknownst to anyone else. As far as anyone else was concerned, he continued to sleep on the floor.
Dunban simply didn’t know how to describe their relationship. Friends, supposedly, but he had to be a fool to not notice the way his feelings had evolved into something bigger, weightier. There was an intimacy between them that he never had with anyone before.
Without a single doubt, he realized he had completely fallen for her.
There wasn’t a when, or a how, but rather something that simply grew over time. The longer they spent time together, the more he learned about her, it slowly but surely made his feelings evolve into what he could only describe as love.
At his age, one would think that there should be no problem in communicating that to her, but his mind still liked to complicate things for him.
If she didn't feel the same, he feared ruining the relationship they built. The thought of losing her, of losing his closest and dearest friend, was the one thing that frightened him down to his core. The one thing that kept his mouth sewn shut.
"Your head seems busy." a voice said.
Dunban managed to gracefully snap his head towards the sound, hiding his surprise. His anxiety dissolved after recognizing the figure standing by the entrance.
He huffed. "I didn't hear you come in. Sorry." he said.
Mia resumed her way into the house, smiling with amusement. She wore her favorite black sweater, the weather was rather cold this time of year after all. She headed for the kitchen and set the basket she was carrying down on the table.
"I could tell." she said over the rustling of her unpacking all the ingredients she fetched for their dinner. "Is something on your mind?"
"Ah, not really." he said, lying. The devil did not need to hear him speak of it. "I suppose my arm's making me space out."
That wasn't a lie. The whole reason he hadn't accompanied her in the first place was because his injury started acting up. The pain was bearable, but highly uncomfortable. He preferred staying at home to navigate through it until it passed.
She hummed in thought. "Does it still hurt?" she asked.
"It does… but it'll pass, don't worry." he said.
There was no reply, but he could hear her as she walked towards and around the sofa, until finally she arrived and sat next to him, closely to his right.
The light of the fire reflected beautifully in her golden eyes, her black, wavy hair spilling onto her shoulders and all the way down to the middle of her back. She brushed a strand of it behind her ear, unknowingly allowing him a better view of her beautiful face.
"How was the market?" he asked.
"Not too busy, fortunately." she replied, leaning back.
Her eyes fell on his arm. She looked at it with curiosity, and he wondered what went through her mind.
"Would you mind if I tried something?" she asked.
He stared at her, eyes inquiring. "'Something'?"
"Yeah." she confirmed. "A massage might help with the pain."
"Oh." he said, surprised. "I mean, if you're willing, I have no reason to refuse."
Mia smiled, nodding. "All right." she said softly.
She turned her body to face him, and Dunban's eyes followed the movement of her hands as they reached out for his arm, lingering on top of it for a second. Mindful, she took a firm hold of it, and lifted it.
"Let me know if it hurts." she said.
Dunban nodded, eyes fixed on the way her hands traveled through his arm. He could feel the faint sensation of her touch, intensifying once she rolled up the sleeve of his black shirt.
Her fingers started to work magic on his arm. She rubbed firmly at it, pressing down with force wherever she deemed it necessary, from the top and all the way down to his hand.
The pain subsided in an instant, granting him some much needed relief. His head relaxed back on the couch, and the sensation provoked a pleased hum to leave him.
"That feels wonderful." he said, voice low.
Mia smirked, eyes focused on her work. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." he said, smiling. "Where did you learn how to do that?"
"Oh, I learned back when I–"
Dunban felt her freeze, before he could even register the abrupt end to her sentence. An alarm flared up in his head, telling him something had gone wrong. The smile slowly disappeared from her expression, replaced by a thoughtful frown.
"Back when I…" she repeated, softer. Her eyes were still fully focused on her hands, but she suddenly felt far away, her frown deepening with more and more confusion.
"Mia?" he called, concerned.
"I… When did I…?" she muttered. "I don't…"
He recognized that expression, the confusion on her face and frustration in her voice that came whenever she was so close to remembering something, but it slipped away from her grasp.
"Hey." he called, reaching out with his left arm to rest his hand on top of one of hers.
As soon as he made contact, her face snapped up, distressed eyes staring right into his. It hurt his heart to see her so panicked.
"It's all right," he said gently.
"I…" she said. "I can't remember…"
"It's all right." he repeated. "Don't push yourself."
Mia didn't seem convinced, but he could understand that. She wanted to remember. She wanted to know where she came from, and he wished he knew how to help her.
Her eyes glistened with the initial sign of tears, but before it could go further she shook her head with a sigh, averting her gaze.
"Sorry." she said. "Don't mind me."
"You have no reason to apologize. I'm sorry for asking so carelessly." he said.
She shook her head again, softly. "No, you did nothing wrong."
Even if she said that, he wanted to ease her fears. He wanted to pull her into an embrace, to quell the slight tremble in her hands. Her eyes darted around, until they finally landed upon the fire.
"Mia–"
"Does it–" Her voice cracked, and so she took a breath before continuing. "Does it feel better?"
He stared at her, perplexed. "Pardon?"
"Your arm." she clarified. "Does it feel better?"
Oh. Right, he had forgotten what had gotten them here in the first place. Indeed, the pain had eased, thanks to her work.
"Far better." he said, trying to figure out what she was thinking. "Thank you."
She nodded, eyes still fixed on the fire. "I'm glad."
It felt like she was trying to brush off the subject already, but he could still see a hint of panic in her eyes.
"Mia, we can talk about–" he started.
Mia shook her head. "I'm fine." she said, voice far calmer than her demeanor suggested. "I think it's time to get started on dinner."
She let go of his arm, proceeding to stand up and walk away and towards the kitchen. Putting aside the way he immediately missed her touch, Dunban realized he wouldn't be able to convince her to talk about it. Not now, but hopefully later. He sighed.
"It's my turn to cook." he said, following her.
"But you're hurting. It's fine. I can take care of it." she said hurriedly, organizing the groceries she brought in earlier.
"I said I feel better, didn't I?" he said, watching her so obviously scramble to occupy her mind with something else.
"You should rest more. It's fine." she insisted.
Facing away from him, she continued to put away the stuff. Dunban sadly watched as she so blatantly tried to push him away, trying to ignore her own pain.
He walked over, in the middle of her trying to put a jar away on a high shelf, except it slipped from her fingers. He hurried to catch it right before it hit the floor.
Mia's gaze fixed itself on the almost broken jar, her breathing rapid. He straightened up, moving to stand to her right and safely put down the stray object on the counter.
"Sorry." she whispered, though he barely caught it.
He shook his head. "You're all right." he said.
Dunban placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she let out a breath. She took several deep breaths, and he waited for her.
"Can't we just cook together?" he asked gently.
She looked up to him, unsure, eyes searching. He knew she was trying to figure out if he was offering to help because he didn't think she could handle it, or if he simply wanted to do it together.
It is always the latter, but he learned to let her arrive at that conclusion herself.
Once she found her answer, she nodded. He shot her a grateful smile, and so they got to work.
The following hours were quiet. While they cooked, and even during dinner and while they cleaned up, Mia kept mostly silent.
Dunban knows that she’s more on the quiet side, but she still likes to engage in conversation. Especially when she was at home, or amongst their friends, she simply talked. Of course, they both appreciated a comfortable silence, but this wasn't like that.
Her mind was occupied, that much he could tell. He still caught a tremble in her hands if he looked closely enough, and that meant she hadn't been able to fully recover from her shock earlier.
Mia sat now in front of the fireplace, wrapped up in a blanket. He told her he'd take care of cleaning up, and to just rest for a moment. It took some convincing, but she accepted in the end. His mind was set on helping her feel better, but first, he worked on preparing some tea to hopefully help her relax.
After serving it in two cups and setting them in a small tray, he joined her on the couch, sitting closely to her right. Close enough for their arms to touch.
They sat in silence. Dunban wanted to talk to her, but he didn't want to push, either. Mia needed the time to gather her thoughts, and he would simply make sure she knew he was there.
“Here.” he said, offering her the cup of tea. She blinked, as if snapped out of whatever she was thinking, and took it.
“Thank you.” she replied.
“Of course.” he said with a small smile, setting the tray down on the coffee table in front of them.
She held the mug with both hands, but all she did was stare at it. Her furrowed brow told him she was gone again.
“I swear it’s not poisoned.” he joked.
Mia looked at him, surprised, and then she laughed.
“Good, that’s exactly what I was afraid of.” she sassed.
Dunban was happy to finally get a smile out of her. It was a start. At last, she took a sip from her drink, and she looked a little calmer. A few moments of silence passed before either of them spoke again, enjoying the comfortable silence while enjoying the warmth from the fire.
“I’m sorry.” she said.
He looked at her inquiringly. “For what?”
“I don’t know, I just… I feel like I need to apologize. For worrying you, I guess.” she said, smiling wryly.
He chuckled. “Was I so obvious?”
“I could feel your eyes on me this entire time.” she noted.
“Ah, sorry about that.” he said, embarrassed by his own carelessness.
“No, don’t worry.” she said. “I know I’m acting weird.”
“Weird is not the word I would use.” he said. “If something upset you, I wouldn’t expect for you to just brush it off and smile. You don’t need to pretend you’re fine, Mia.”
Her gaze focused on the cup in her hands once again, avoiding eye contact with him.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.
Mia took a deep breath. She abandoned her mug on the table before leaning back once again, hands interlaced at the center. Strands of her hair fell forward, making it harder to get a look of the expression on her face. Although, he could guess by the quivering of her hands.
“I almost remembered something.” she said, voice low. “It flashed through my mind, but it was gone before I could even try to grasp it.”
She sounded so frustrated. Dunban knew how important it was for her to remember, and yet, nothing had come to her in all these months since they found her half-dead outside the colony. Going by the fact that she was an expert fighter, and the gravity of the injuries she had back then, all they could come up with was the possibility that she came from a world where she needed to fight.
“It’s okay.” he said, hoping she’d meet his eyes. “This is your whole life we’re talking about, Mia. There’s no way you can simply forget something like that. It’ll come to you, eventually.”
Reluctantly, she nodded.
“Except…” she said. “When that memory flashed by, it hurt.”
His brow furrowed in confusion. “Hurt?” he asked.
Mia nodded, placing a hand over her heart. “I don’t mean physically. For a single, very brief moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My heart hurt so much I felt like crying.” she said. “But the feeling faded as quickly as it came, along with the memory.”
“I see…” he said. “That’s why you looked so distressed.”
She smiled wistfully. “For the first time, I felt afraid of remembering.” she admitted.
Dunban gathered the courage to reach out and gently push her hair behind her ear, allowing himself a proper look at her face. He hated seeing so much sadness plaguing her heart.
“What exactly are you afraid of?” he asked.
She pondered her response. “…What if I don’t like what I remember?” she said. “What if my life before was so different from now, to the point where I was a completely different person? What if I change so much that we–”
Her voice cracked, and she stopped to take a deep breath.
“That we can’t have this… anymore?” she continued. “So different that I lose the place I’ve found here?”
Of course, he had considered that before. If she recovered her memories one day, it might mean that she needs to leave, that they have to part ways. It was a very real and sad possibility, but it was also one he would be willing to accept, for her.
The one thing he was sure of, however, was that no matter what they eventually found out about her, it would not change the way he felt. He didn’t think it possible for him to fall out of love, at this point.
“Mia,” he said, firm but gentle. “If there’s one thing I can guarantee you, it is that you will always have a place here. It doesn’t matter what you learn, or how you change, I am certain you’ll always be the person we know and love deep in your heart.”
He placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing it softly. There were traces of tears welling up in her eyes.
“How can you be so sure?” she asked in a desperate plea. She finally looked at him, and he tried offering his most reassuring smile.
“I just know it.” he said. “You’re amazing, Mia. You’re strong, yet kind. You’re intelligent, and fun. From the first moment you came here, all you did was try your best to learn and adapt. We didn’t know if we could trust you, but you were patient with us and never gave up. When we came around, you opened your heart to us without hesitation.”
Tears trailed down her face, and Dunban simply couldn’t take it anymore. He reached up to wipe them away. He felt the way she tensed under his touch, surprised, but it passed soon. She leaned into his touch, allowing him to cup her face in his hand, while her own palm settled over his.
"I know we are influenced by our circumstances, but I don’t believe that there’s a single thing in your past that would take all of that away from you.” he said. "And I know that it can't possibly stop us from calling you our friend."
Mia stared at him like she couldn't believe what she was hearing, but wanted to. She wasn't trying to hide the pain she felt anymore, or perhaps she simply couldn't.
Her gaze fell, eyes closed. To him it was a telltale sign that she was tired and too drained to try and fight it.
She leaned into him, and her head fell onto his shoulder, taking him by surprise.
"Please." she whispered. "Just for a moment."
Suddenly, he felt foolish for not wrapping his arm around her sooner. He let go of her hands to hold her instead.
"For as long as you want." he replied softly. "I'm here."
Dunban felt her nod in a silent thank you.
He pulled her in as closely as their position allowed, rubbing her shoulder in comforting gestures, while she wrapped her arms tightly around him.
He wouldn't be able to tell she was crying if not for the barely audible whimpers that came from her once in a while.
After a while, he encouraged her to rest her legs across his lap so that she could more comfortably sit on the sofa. She complied, and as such they sat in silence in front of the fire. He ran his fingers through her hair while her head continued to rest on his shoulder.
The lull could have put him to sleep if he wasn't careful. It felt nice, having her so close against himself.
"You're too kind to me." she whispered.
He could not agree with that, not when he wished he could do more.
"I don't think so." he said, quietly so as to not disturb the atmosphere. "What I do, I do it gladly."
Mia chuckled softly. Her left hand drew circles on his torso. "Even when Fiora and Reyn pressured you into letting me stay here?"
He chuckled abashedly. “Those were very different circumstances.”
“And I remain a thorn on your side to this day.” she said.
“Nonsense.” he countered. “If I didn’t want you to stay here, I would’ve kindly asked you to leave already. You’ve more than earned our trust to do whatever it is you’d like to do. If anything, I’m surprised you’re still putting up with me.”
She huffed at that. “I don’t ‘put up’ with you.” she said.
“Well, now you know how I feel.” he replied.
Mia chuckled wryly, and that seemed to be the end of the conversation. Silence ensued again for a few moments, before she hesitantly spoke up again.
“Do you… want me to stay?” she asked softly.
The question caught him off guard. The immediate response his brain came up with was ‘Yes’, but that wasn’t all there was to it.
“I do.” he said. “If that’s what you want, too.”
His heart beat once, and then twice, before she shifted in place, straightening up enough so that they could talk face to face. He caught the remnants of tears on her face, and he reached out to gently wipe them away.
“Why would you?” she asked.
Dunban could think of a thousand reasons. Because he enjoyed her company, because he liked coming home to her, because he loved doing even the most trivial of things together, and because if she left he would miss her so much he wasn’t sure how he could deal with it.
All of it he could sum up into one word, but he didn’t know if that’s what she wanted to hear. Her eyes were analytical, staring into his own to try and find the answer herself.
The words were right on the tip of his tongue, but he was too scared to say it.
When she realized he wasn’t answering, she smiled at him with an understanding expression. There was a joyful affection in her eyes that confused him. He watched her movements as she raised her hand, slowly coming to rest on the side of his face.
“Why, Dunban?” she reiterated.
Her fingers caressed his skin so lovingly, that it was all the push he needed to finally come out and say it. He couldn’t help the smile that came over his face.
“Because I’m afraid I’ve fallen in love with you, Mia.” he said. “Quite badly, in fact.”
Even though Dunban was almost certain now that such was the answer she knew was coming, her eyes still widened with surprise. Her hand stilled, and he suddenly feared he had misread everything and caused irreparable damage.
And then to add to his distress, she laughed. No matter how much he loved the sound of it, it wasn’t the answer his heart wanted to hear. It was enough to stun him into silence.
Mia shook her head. “I’m sorry.” she said. “Your sincerity surprised me.”
Dunban was still trying to recover. “I, uh…” he said. “Sorry?”
She chuckled, shaking her head again. “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that.” she said. She smiled, so heartfelt it almost knocked the breath out of him. “I've also fallen for you, Dunban.” she said.
Relief and joy flooded him, his fears leaving him so suddenly it made him sigh.
“Don’t scare me like that.” he said. “I thought I had just ruined everything.”
Mia shot him an apologetic smile. She moved, gracefully leaning in closer. Their faces were only a breath away from each other, and he caught the way her eyes fell to his lips.
“Will this serve as an apology?” she whispered.
With a brush of her lips against his, she silently asked for permission, and it took him a whole, dumbfounded second to nod.
And suddenly all Dunban could feel was the person right there with him.
The way their lips pressed together, the way her hands led him into a fiercer kiss. His left hand slid down, caressing her back all the way until it landed on her waist.
It still did not feel like enough. As if reading his mind, she pulled away for one painful moment, in which she moved to straddle his lap, only for her to immediately press their mouths together again. The blanket around her fell to the floor.
Dunban felt ecstatic, enamored with the way she felt pressed against him, with the way her loving touch felt on his skin, with the way her fingers brushed his neck. The feeling of it all provoked a pleased moan from him, and his hand pressed her closer by the waist in return.
They split apart to breathe, though still close enough for him to feel her breath. He knew he was staring at her with a heartfelt adoration, because the feeling reflected back on her own heated eyes.
He still had a hard time wrapping his head around the situation even as they breathed so heavily in front of one another, it was too much bliss in one short moment. He missed the feeling too much to not go back for another one—he hadn’t realized until now how badly he wanted to do this. Leaning up again, this time he was the one to take the initiative.
Mia corresponded just as eagerly, but he was feeling bold enough to ask for more. He asked for permission to deepen the kiss, lightly brushing his tongue along her lips. He felt more than heard her surprise, but soon enough she extended her tongue, and all hesitance from his part disappeared. His hand traveled back up to hold her face.
Dunban ran his tongue along her lips, along her tongue, slowly but passionately while he savored the soft moans that escaped her. The feeling made a proud smirk appear on his lips.
She appeared to take that as a challenge, because with one single movement of her tongue, she took control, pushing him back onto the couch. Not that he put up any resistance.
Her hair felt so soft in his grasp, sliding through his fingers while he ran his hand down to hold her neck. Her tongue slid gently against his, intensifying with every stroke as she explored his mouth. She pulled away to look at his face, with eyes half-closed and heavy breaths while one of her hands caressed his face.
"Was that enough of an apology?" Mia asked, voice low and smug. Her eyes contradicted her words, everything about her told him she didn't plan on stopping.
Dunban couldn't help but smirk mischievously. "No." he said.
He wasted no time in getting back into it.
Pressing back forward, he took control again. He started with faint kisses, slowly building up to more passionate ones. Every time he parted, she followed, and he mirrored the action when she did the same.
He gently pulled at her hair, wordlessly asking for her to tilt up her face. It didn’t take long for her to comply, and he parted from her mouth to instead trace the contour of her jawline with heated kisses. She hummed with pleasure as she held onto his shoulders, throwing her head back to allow him for more space when he continued with her neck.
Just as his lips met her collarbone, just as she started to trail her hands down his chest and his hand slid under her sweater, they heard a loud crash outside.
Both of them instantly snapped their attention in the direction of the sound, searching outside through the window in the kitchen. It was hard to see from where he sat, but even then he caught a set of very familiar silhouettes, along with a chorus of angry whispers running away.
Dunban sighed. “Unbelievable.” he said. He was really going to give them a piece of his mind tomorrow.
And then Mia started laughing.
He looked at her, surprised as she leaned forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder while she continued to laugh.
“We need to put blinds on that window.” she said, mirthful.
Dunban laughed. “Agreed.” he said.
They silently agreed to let the moment end there. Mia removed herself from his lap, switching back to how she sat earlier, legs propped on the sofa while leaning against him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close, and pressed a kiss on the top of her head.
“I guess now we're… partners?” she said, facing up at him.
He smiled. “Yes, I think that sounds wonderful.” he replied.
She smiled, but it hid some sadness, confusing him.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
He frowned. "I am absolutely sure. Why do you ask?"
"Even if one day I end up having to leave… Would you take that risk?" she asked.
Understanding dawned on him, but he didn't falter. With a soft smile, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"I would. Anywhere, anytime." he said. He kissed her again. "Even if you do need to leave, well… I would simply have to be grateful for the moments I spent by your side. I would never become an obstacle between you and your happiness, Mia. I promise."
Her smile was a mix of both sadness and happiness, and she reached out for another kiss.
"I'm not worried about that in the slightest." she said. "I love you."
The statement still struck him by surprise, not quite being able to truly believe it yet. Even then, he did not hesitate to kiss her once more.
"I love you." he said.
They continued their short, chaste kisses, until they ended up simply basking in each other's company, cuddling closely together in front of the fireplace.
Mia had made his home hers, too, and he couldn't imagine it any other way now.