Chapter Text
The first stop you’d insisted on making during your date was the Umineko Teahouse; in your time in the East, you’d developed a taste for dango and you were dying to have Hildibrand try it. Hildibrand, despite his rather explosive experience with Nashu’s dango Delights, was eager to humor you.
You couldn’t keep the grin off your face as you ordered your usual from the staff. They seemed intrigued by your plus one, and you were more than happy to introduce Hildibrand to them.
“Everyone here has been extraordinarily nice thus far!” Hildibrand commented as the two of you took a seat on one of the benches. You faced the aetheryte, watching the floating stone twirl and glow in the light of the setting sun.
“Kugane is a great place if you know the right people. They love tourists,” you said. “Well, as long as we’re spending gil, that is.”
Hildibrand watched you take a bite of your food before following suit, doing as you did.
“Ah, this is scrumptious! I can see why you like these.”
You smiled. “This has been my go-to place whenever I’ve had some free time. Which admittedly… isn’t very often.”
Hildibrand was silent for a moment. “Has it truly been months since Ishgard?” he finally asked.
Sighing wistfully, you nodded at him. “I guess it felt like nothing to you, being in stasis and all, but… yes.” You stared out into the distance, eyes fixing absently on the aetheryte as you watched people milling about. “Between then and now I’ve explored two whole continents and helped spearhead just as many revolutions.”
“Truly?”
You chuckled. “Yes. I barely had a moment to myself. But as adventurous as it was, it wasn’t all fun and games. I… We lost a lot of good people, Hildy.”
“Dangerous business, war,” Hildibrand replied seriously. “There are many reasons I decided to leave home and eschew politics, but my dislike for violence was a major one!”
“Do you ever regret it?” You asked, leaning your head on his shoulder as you polished off the last of your dango. “Running away from home, I mean.”
Hildibrand shook his head. “Not a bit, my dear. Life on the road has been far from glamorous, but this is my true calling. I was never meant for a life of noblemans’ parties or Syndicate meetings. Being an inspector, helping people… this has always been my destiny!” He sighed. “Would that my mother and father could understand that…”
You smiled, patting him softly on the arm. “Godbert and Julyan just want what they think is best for you, misguided as they may possibly be. And I think they’re slowly coming around.”
Hildibrand laughed softly. “They certainly seem fond of you,” he said.
“I think they’re glad there’s someone out there looking out for you.” You looked him in the eye. “I’m glad to be that someone. I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t decided to cross the Sagolii with Nashu that day.”
“And I’m eternally grateful you did, and not only because I got to meet you! You were able to look out for dear Nashu when I could not, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
You grinned. “She’s been a good friend to me these past few years.” You shook your head. “Gods, I can't believe it’s been so long since I set out from home myself. I started out as some no-name adventurer doing odd jobs for spare gil, and now… well, now I’m a little bit more well known.” You leaned back on your hands and gave Hildibrand a sly smile. “My feats pale in comparison to a certain Gentleman Inspector, however.” You winked.
“Hmm… I wouldn’t sell yourself short like that, my dear. Many of our companions speak of you with the most glowing of praise!”
You felt your face heat up. “Ah, do they?” You always had been curious about what people said about you when you weren’t around.
“They do indeed. You know I would never lie to you!” He nodded sincerely.
“You’re a good man, Hildibrand Manderville,” you said, reaching down to grab his hand, which was resting on the bench. He blushed faintly as you twined your fingers with his, and the sight made you unable to resist the urge to lean in and kiss him on the cheek.
Hildibrand sputtered. “Ah, what was that for?”
You fixed him with a devious grin. “Because you’re sweet.” You went in for the attack, peppering his face with dozens of little kisses as he flailed and laughed. The flailing caused the last bit of dango still attached to his stick to fly off and hit a Roegadyn man sitting a few benches away.
“Uh oh,” you said, standing and pulling him up with you as the now dango-covered man rose and started towards you. “Run!”
The two of you dashed off into the evening, you cackling the whole way.
~
You only stopped when you felt you were a safe distance away from the teahouse.
Leaning over a railing to catch your breath, you huffed out a few more laughs. “I haven’t laughed that hard in such a long time. Oh, that was great.”
Hildibrand looked conflicted. “Should we not go back and apologize to that gentleman? He seemed disgruntled by everything…”
“What, Byakudan? He’ll be okay, he knows me well enough by now as a fellow regular.” You turned to see Hildibrand was still frowning. “Tell you what, next time I see him I’ll apologize for the both of us. Promise.”
“Alright then, I shall take you at your word!” He looked around. “Where are we, anyhow?”
You gazed out across the railing to the sea set ablaze by the setting sun. “Looks like we made it over to the piers. We should take a walk underneath, look out at the ocean.”
“That sounds like as good an idea as any! The night is yours, my dear.” He offered his arm once more but you pleasantly surprised him by taking his hand instead.
He blushed as you did so, but squeezed your hand to show the action was wanted and appreciated. Giggling, you led him down the stairs and along the edge of the pier.
“No matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of the sunsets here,” you said. “There’s just something about the area that makes them… breathtaking.”
“This is a beautiful sight indeed, but it is very much improved by the presence of the lovely lady by my side!”
You couldn’t help but giggle. “H-Hildy…” You swatted him lightly on the upper arm with your free hand.
“I mean it! The way you gaze out upon the sea with wonder… ‘tis a sight in and of itself!”
“There’s no one I’d rather be here with than you.” You leaned into him, content to bask in his presence as the gulls screamed and the water lapped at the walls below you.
Hildibrand reached out with his other arm and gently nudged you to turn towards him. When you did, he flashed you his signifier grin and leaned in to kiss you, pausing a moment to give you the chance to pull away if you wanted to.
You definitely did not want to pull away and instead eagerly closed the distance, kissing him deeply as you dropped his hand to wrap your arms around him. His hands settled at your waist as yours traveled up to his shoulders. You deepened the kiss, nipping at his lower lip. He grunted and returned the favor, grip on your waist tightening just a bit.
“There’s… there’s some open space under the bridge,” you gasped when you broke briefly for air. “No one… would see us between the pillars.”
Hildibrand nodded and let you guide him over to the underside of the bridge. When you were out of sight of the general public, you quickly backed him up against a pillar, not bothering to break your liplock.
Your hands slid down his arms as you kissed deeper still, and you reveled in the feel of the firm muscles that laid beneath his suit jacket. Maybe tonight you’d finally see more of him.
“Should we really be… doing this? Out here, I mean,” Hildibrand asked as he leaned his head back against the pillar you had him pinned to. Though he’d broken the kiss to catch his breath, you took advantage of the position and planted kisses down the exposed line of his neck. You could feel his pulse speeding up under your touch, and this time he made no move to stop you.
“Remember,” you said. “Nothing that you don’t want as well.” He nodded, and when he didn’t indicate a wish for you to cease you continued your kissing assault on all of the exposed skin you could reach on his neck.
Hildibrand groaned softly. “Ah, that’s-“
“Hello? Is somebody there?”
You sprung back from Hildibrand and looked around for the source of the voice.
“Hello, anyone?”
Upon hearing the voice a second time, you ascertained it was coming from a man on the ground a few pillars away. The robes suggested he was of the Sekiseigumi, and the look on his face implied extreme pain.
Libido basically forgotten, you switched into serious mode.
“My good man, what has happened here?!” Hildibrand, it seemed, was on the same page as you.
The man snapped his gaze up to the two of you, arm twitching towards his sword before relaxing as he seemed to recognize the both of you as a young couple rather than any sort of troublemakers.
“I… I was set upon by foreign devils, ambushed! You… you two are foreign but do not look to be devils.”
You drew your weapon and took a protective stance in front of the Sekiseigumi samurai. “Are the assailants still in the area? Which way did they go?”
The man coughed, shaking his head. “I did not see which way. I take great risk trusting this to you two but I’ve neither the time nor the choice. Please, you must help me.”
Hildibrand nodded. “Of course! Tell us what needs to be done and we shall do it posthaste!” Gods, could this man be any more selfless? You could feel yourself falling harder for him where you stood. And you supposed that yes, you truly and fully had fallen for Hildibrand somewhere along the way. Perhaps being in love wasn’t as bad as you were anticipating.
But that was something you could think about later. Right now, you had an injured man to help.
“My Sekiseigumi brother… he patrols the alleys of the Kogane Dori markets. He must be told of this attack... lest he suffer the same fate.”
He made a move to stand but a wave of pain forced him back down in a sitting position.
Would that you had a healer’s soul stone with you at this moment… You crouched down next to him, checking him over for wounds and finding one moderately sized one on his side. He wasn’t going to bleed out but he definitely shouldn’t be up and about. “You’re in no state to move,” you said. “I’ll go find your fellow blade and tell him.” You looked to Hildibrand. “Hildy, stay here with him and linkpearl me if anything happens.”
“Understood!”
You stood and dashed for the markets, grateful you’d chosen an outfit that allowed you freedom to run. The other Sekiseigumi was, of course, confused as to why you came sprinting up to him but took your report seriously, even going as far as to give you a salve to bring back to his injured comrade.
Rushing back as fast as you could, you were relieved to find that no further mayhem had happened in your absence. Hildibrand had managed to get the injured Sekiseigumi up into a sitting position, and the two were talking quietly.
Upon seeing you, the samurai relaxed. “You return… what news have you of my brothers?”
You knelt down next to him, taking the lid off the salve and briefly recoiling at the strong medicine smell that almost immediately hit your nose. “Your comrade is safe, and is gathering reinforcements as we speak. He gave me this salve to use on you.”
The Sekiseigumi groaned in a mixture of pain and relief. “Thank you, travelers, and thank the gods he is safe. My apologies for pulling you into this, but I see now I was right to trust you two.”
“No need to thank us!” Hildibrand replied. “It is my calling in life to help my fellow man. This is the least we could do, and I’m certain my date would agree with me!
You felt your face heat up at the reality of being referred to as Hildibrand’s date, but nodded nonetheless. “I’m glad we found you before something worse happened.” You dipped your fingers into the salve jar. “This is probably going to sting.”
The Sekiseigumi gritted his teeth and hissed as the disinfectant made contact with his skin. It certainly looked painful from where you were, but the salve was already helping with clotting.
“We should probably get you to a healer,” you said.
“We have healers back at the barracks, I’m confident I can-“ he made another effort to stand only to be knocked back by another wave of pain. “L-leave me.”
Hildibrand shook his head. “A gentleman does not leave his comrade behind to face danger alone. Up you go!” Without much warning, Hildibrand scooped the man into his arms bridal style, much to the Sekiseigumi’s shock.
“Unhand me at once!” the smaller man exclaimed, non-injured side flailing.
You couldn’t help but both laugh at the sight and marvel at how strong Hildibrand must be to lift up the Sekiseigumi with barely any effort… Gulping, you pushed that second, less-than-savory thought aside for now. “Hildy, leave the man some dignity. Support him by the shoulders instead.”
Hildibrand blinked in confusion for a moment. “Oh, of course!” he finally said, setting the Sekiseigumi down on his feet and moving him so Hildibrand was supporting most of his weight. One of the man’s arms was thrown over Hildibrand’s shoulder, and Hildibrand had an arm around the other man’s torso.
The Sekiseigumi sighed. “This is… tolerable, I suppose. But let us make haste!” You had a feeling this man didn’t want to be seen relying on two foreigners for assistance… which was fair, you supposed.
You kept watch for any would-be assailants as you and Hildibrand helped the man get back to the Sekiseigumi barracks. At the man’s wishes, you kept mostly to the back streets and consequently met few people on the way over there. The sun had long since departed the horizon, leaving lanterns and street lamps as your only source of light.
The guard at the barracks seemed glad to receive his brother blade back safely, and confirmed that reinforcements were indeed out and searching for the culprits.
“I apologize for getting you two involved in this,” the guard said, echoing his injured comrade’s words from earlier. “But it is also fortunate it was you who happened upon him and not more foreign devils. On behalf of the Sekiseigumi, you have our thanks for your assistance.” He bowed politely.
“I’m just glad he’s going to be alright,” you replied, bowing back. “Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help.”
The guard shook his head. “The gesture is appreciated, but further assistance is not required. Safe travels to the both of you.” The guard resumed his patrol, effectively signaling that this conversation was over.
~
“Well, that was exciting,” you said as you walked back towards the markets, hand-in-hand with your inspector.
Hildibrand gave you his signature grin. “All in a day’s work. This is what makes my life fulfilling!” He thought for a moment. “Though I do find myself thinking back to what we were doing before we got interrupted.” You could see the blush on his face even in the dim light.
You gave him a sly smile. “Oh? And what were your thoughts on the matter?”
His blush intensified. “That it was… exhilarating. Perhaps we should revisit the idea… but not until we’ve left the public eye!”
“Whatever makes you comfortable, Hildy,” you said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek with a soft giggle. “Is little stuff like this okay though?”
Hildibrand nodded, a giddy, boyish grin plastered on his face. “More than alright! To know you have no qualms with showing the world how you feel… what a rush!”
Your heart melted just a little at the joy on his face. Gods, how could you not love him? It spurred you on to give him another kiss as you approached the bulk of the Kogane Dori markets.
“I want everyone to see us,” you said sincerely, stopping to gaze into his eyes. “I'm not afraid of what people think. Let them see us, and see that I lo-“
Someone running down the alleyway bumped into you, and you would have been knocked over had Hildibrand not caught you. The sheer number of Sekiseigumi following after this person told you this was likely the person who had attacked the man you’d just helped.
“Ah, the criminal reveals themselves!” Hildibrand exclaimed, setting you back up on your feet. “Should we give chase?”
You watched everyone disappear around a corner. “Looks like the Sekiseigumi have this one under control.” You sighed, lamenting the fact that the moment was gone, the mood broken.
“Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” The way he caressed your arm so gently, the concern on his face...
Smiling, you shook your head as your heart skipped a beat. “I’m doing just fine. Even better since you caught me. My hero,” you purred, giving him one more cheek kiss for good measure before taking him by the hand once more. “Let’s go see what they’re selling tonight.”
“By your lead, my dear!”