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Oscar enjoyed peacetime. He enjoyed it before the Mad King’s War, and during the three years that followed it. The Laguz-Begnion War that came afterwards was long and difficult, but now it seemed that a lasting peace had truly been achieved. It had been five years, after all.

Oscar had been busy in those first few years. He had rejoined the Crimean Knights at the urging of his brothers, who had apparently grown up overnight. They were right, of course. They no longer needed looking after, and he should do something for himself. So, Oscar rejoined the knighthood and picked up where he had left off all those years ago. Kieran was absolutely delighted at his return.

Serving Crimea in the post-war period was hectic at times, but rewarding as well. Oscar got to help many people, both beorc and laguz. Perhaps more importantly though, he got to spend a lot of time with his self-proclaimed archrival. Oscar had developed feelings for Kieran a long time ago, but whether he felt the same way was a completely different issue. Even getting Kieran to drop the whole rivals schtick and admit that they were friends was in itself a challenge. Regardless, things had settled enough recently that the knights were allowed to take leave. Oscar gladly took this opportunity, intending to relax and spend time with his family. His only qualm was that Kieran was too devoted to join him away, not that he’d ever be so bold as to ask his friend, anyway.

When Oscar finally returned home to the Greil Mercenaries’ fort, however, he found out that he had unfortunately timed his leave poorly. Shinon and Gatrie informed him that everyone else was on an extended trip to Gallia, meaning that it was just the three of them for the while. And Oscar had never been particularly fond of Shinon’s rudeness or Gatrie’s constant dating woes. Well, he could still relax by himself, at least.

Sadly though, Shinon and Gatrie’s idea of cleanliness was not up to scratch, so Oscar had found himself spending an entire week cleaning the inside of the fort top-to-bottom. Finally, he was outside at dusk tipping his last bucket of dirty water into the bushes, when a familiar loud voice suddenly got his attention.

“Oscar! There you are!” Kieran cried as he rode in on his horse, a grin adorning his face. He stopped near Oscar and dismounted his steed, soon narrowing the gap between them.

Oscar put his empty bucket down and properly turned to face his friend, wiping his hand across his forehead to remove the sweat that had gathered there. “Kieran? What are you doing here?” He asked his unexpected visitor.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve come to arrest a deserter!” Kieran declared proudly, putting his hands on his hips to reinforce his point.

“Deserter? Really, Kieran?” Oscar sighed, slightly smiling. Nothing was ever boring with this man, not that he’d ever have it another way.

“Yes, really.” Kieran began. “It’s been an entire week!” He then asserted, as if that fact was some sort of personal insult.

Oscar exhaled another sigh. He was perhaps a little too tired for this. “Yes, I’m well aware.” He noted. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem?!” Kieran cried in response. “Surely you’ve had enough of this, archrival? It’s time to return to Melior now, so that we may continue to serve our sweet Crimea together!”

Kieran was once again embellishing what he really wanted to say, but Oscar was just too drained from cleaning to keep entertaining him. “Please… Just say that you miss your friend. It’s not that hard.” He said wearily, regretting it almost immediately. He wasn’t supposed to be direct with Kieran, so instead turned around to go pick up his bucket again.

Kieran paused for a while, which wasn’t a good sign. “A-Alright. Yes, I missed you.” He admitted sheepishly, before launching another question. “General Geoffrey told me that you requested a whole three weeks off! Is that true?”

Oscar grabbed his bucket’s handle, swaying slightly. He was even more exhausted than he realized. Too exhausted to fully process what Kieran had just confessed. “Yes, that’s righ- Oh!” He stumbled backwards towards the ground in front of his friend, but warm arms quickly caught him.

“O-Oscar! Is something wrong?” Kieran spluttered in alarm. He had one hand on Oscar’s chest and the other on his shoulder.

“I’m fine, I just… I…” Oscar didn’t have the energy to respond properly. He passed out.

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The next thing Oscar knew, it was morning and he was waking in his own bed. He still had his dirty clothes on, and on the fresh bedding too. His boots were next to the bed, having apparently been cleaned and polished. Oscar sat up, sighing. He removed his blankets, shuffling to put his legs down off of the bedside. He rubbed his tired eyes, and then he saw him.

Kieran was asleep in a chair not far from the bed, chin in his neck and arms folded over his chest. He was even still wearing his armor. Oscar tried to recall exactly what had happened last night. He realized that he must’ve passed out, but then remembered that Kieran had actually said that he missed him. He smiled to himself. A small victory.

As Oscar stood to his feet and stretched his arms above his head, his sleeping friend jolted awake. “Huh? I- Oh! Oscar!” Kieran leaned forward in his chair, putting his hands on his thighs. “Are you feeling any better? I had to carry you to bed!”

Oscar immediately felt blood rush to his cheeks. Kieran didn’t mean it like that, but it was enough to make him blush regardless. “Y-Yes, I… I’m alright.” He managed. “I fainted, didn’t I? I guess I pushed myself too hard cleaning. Sorry if I worried you.”

Kieran stood up and narrowed the gap between them, smiling straight at Oscar. “Me? Worried? Absurd! No rival of mine would be brought down by something such as this!” He put a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “I do hope you had a good rest though. We knights cannot function to our full capability without sleep! Crimea needs you at your best!”

Oscar sent a small smile back to Kieran, but was interrupted before he could attest to the quality of his slumber. Shinon had burst through the door, messy untied hair coming with him. “Wait a sec. Is he seriously saying he wasn’t worried?” Shinon blurted, crossing his arms. “Listen, I was drunk last night, but I still remember this idiot shaking me down asking me if you were gonna die, Oscar!” He then pointed towards Kieran’s face. “And you! Never do that again, you hear?!” A stunned silence engulfed the room, then Shinon left as quickly as he’d entered.

Oscar sat back down on the bedside, looking down at his feet. He chuckled to himself. “You thought I was going to die?”

Kieran put his hand to the back of his head. Was he embarrassed? “No, I just… You scared me, fainting like that. I mean… Well, it’s simply not what my esteemed rival is supposed to do!”

Oscar looked up at his friend. “Oh, isn’t it?” He teased.

Kieran kept a straight face. “No.” He then sat back down on the chair, brow furrowing. “You know what, though? I should have a word with that Shinon! It was his and Gatrie’s untidiness that had you working so hard, no? How shameful, not keeping this grand fort up to standard!” He rose from the chair again, stretching. “Nevertheless, I believe it’s time for breakfast!”

Oscar quickly stood up and moved to block the door. “You’d better not be planning to start a fire like last time! Let me handle it.”

“Hmph. Fine.” Kieran grumbled. “I do prefer your cooking over anyone else’s anyway.” He added, somewhat quietly.

Oscar stretched again and yawned. “Actually, let me get washed up first. I won’t take long.” He moved towards his nearby dresser, opening its drawers to look for clean clothes. “Could you fetch me some fresh water from the well?”

“Ah, yes! Of course!” Kieran replied. “A noble quest, one which I will complete swiftly!” He exited the room in a flash, almost marching. Oscar shook his head.

Left alone, Oscar chose his new clothes for the day and began gathering his soaps and washcloths. On his mind though, was what he could make for breakfast. Kieran would probably be leaving afterwards, so it would be nice to make something that he liked while he was here. Oscar had many ideas to consider.

Chapter Text

Kieran did not leave after breakfast. Or for a few days after that, for that matter. He had instead insisted that he stay a while to make sure that Oscar was back to normal. Knights look after one another, as do archrivals, apparently. Oscar couldn’t complain either way. Far from it, in fact, though he half worried that he was somehow tricking his friend to stay. In any case, Kieran got bored just sitting around the fort, so Oscar had to constantly come up with new tasks to occupy him.

Kieran’s current mission was chopping firewood in the courtyard, while Oscar prepared lunch in the kitchen. Shinon and Gatrie had gone into town for the day, which was a welcome occurrence. After Oscar added the final pieces of diced carrot to the gently simmering stew he was making, he went to see how Kieran was doing outside.

The gaze of the sun warmed Oscar as he exited the building and made his way to where his rival was. Kieran had taken off his shirt and had his back turned, holding his axe above his head and bringing it down on some poor unfortunate log. “Hyaa! Haa!”

Oscar smiled, crossing his arms. “Very impressive, Kieran, but you’ll get sunburned if you’re out here for too long.”

“Ah, Oscar!” Kieran wedged his axe into the log and turned around, wiping sweat from his forehead with his arm. “How’s lunch coming? I do so love your stews!”

“I… Uh…” Oscar was stunned. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the view he’d just been treated to. Kieran, shirtless and sweaty, muscles on full display. He’d seen his rival without a shirt before, but only briefly at the barracks, or all bloodied after an injury.

“Oscar?” Kieran inquired worriedly. “Are you alright? I hope you’re not feeling faint again.”

“L-Lunch! Yes! I-It’ll be ready soon.” Oscar blurted out, flustered.

“Glad to hear it! I’ve been working up quite the hunger out here!” Kieran decreed, then turned and pointed to a nearby tree. “Actually, could you fetch me my shirt?”

Oscar hesitated, but eventually snapped out of it and went to grab Kieran’s shirt from where it was hanging. He held it out to him. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Kieran said as he took his shirt back. He was going to cover up and Oscar wasn’t going to go insane. However, instead of dressing himself, Kieran used the shirt to wipe off the sweat from his pecs. “Sorry, as you can see, I’m a bit of a mess. It’s not befitting of a royal knight at all!” He continued his wiping. “Ah, that’s better!”

Nope. No. Nope. Oscar had to get out of there right now, before he threw himself at the other man. “I… I, uh… I’m going back to watch the stew. K-Keep going with the firewood, Kieran.” He began his retreat towards the kitchen. “A-And put your shirt back on! You’ll get sunburned!” Why did he add that last part?

“If you insist!” Kieran called back, completely serious.

Oscar returned to his cooking, trying at all costs to distract himself. He wasn’t a particularly religious man, but perhaps the goddess was testing him. Or perhaps not, since both he and Kieran had in fact played a hand in her defeat five years ago.

Chapter Text

Kieran didn’t necessarily dislike peacetime, but he wasn’t exactly fond of it either. On the one hand, his beloved Crimea was safe and its people were flourishing. On the other, his workload had lightened rather severely.

Kieran was always happy to train new recruits or rid the land of the various groups of bandits that cropped up, but these simpler missions were getting fewer and further between. They also tended to blend together in his mind, and even more so once his rival Oscar had gone on leave.

General Geoffrey had approached Kieran in the training grounds and almost ordered him to take some time off. Kieran had protested, of course, but his general was insistent. “For goddess’s sake, man! Leave! Take a leaf out of Oscar’s book! In fact, you wouldn’t want him to best you at relaxation, would you? That would be terrible for you as his supposed archrival.”

Kieran couldn’t argue with Geoffrey’s reasoning and certainly wouldn’t disobey his superior, so had gone to the barracks to pack. Where would he even go, anyway? Definitely not home to his parents, those who had sent him off to train as a knight as soon as possible. They could barely tolerate his presence, and would not be appreciative of a sudden visit. Hmm… Perhaps he could stop by the Greil Mercenaries’ fort to see Oscar. He missed his friend dearly, after all. And he could make up a more chivalrous reason for his visit during the journey there.

In truth, Kieran had a sizeable crush on Oscar. A silly, ten-year crush that had yet to subside. It was completely unacceptable for a man of his station to harbor such a thing, but Kieran could not defeat the feelings inside of him. Goddess knows he had tried. In the end, he had resigned himself to enjoying Oscar’s presence as a comrade and friend. It was enough. After all, Oscar would never return his feelings. He barely even engaged with their rivalry as is.

During the ride from Melior, Kieran had derived a great deal of excuses thanks to which he would have to stay with Oscar at the fort. He had greeted his friend and apparently admitted to his face that he missed him. Why had he done such a thing? Had he been tired from the journey? In any case, it turned out that Kieran didn’t need any of his fables, as Oscar had overextended himself cleaning and required looking after. Long after his worries over his archrival’s health had faded though, Kieran was still using that flimsy reasoning to stay with him as long as he could.

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A week after he had initially joined Oscar on leave, Kieran was waking from a deep sleep. He opened his tired eyes, readying himself to meet the new day, but was instead somehow greeted by the back of his rival’s head? His own arm was also…wrapped around Oscar?! He quickly removed it in surprise. Oscar didn’t move, thankfully still asleep.

Kieran looked himself over. He was clothed and lying on top of the blankets on a bed. A glance confirmed the same for his friend. He peered around the room. It was the one that Oscar had assigned to him during his stay. Kieran gently moved to lay on his back, as gently as he could with his heart pounding, anyway. He worried about what could have occurred the previous evening. No matter what, he thought, he needed to make a quick exit.

Just as he was shuffling onto his other side to get off of the bed, Kieran heard Oscar stirring. Oh no. Goddess, no! “Mmph.” His archrival mumbled, rolling over. “Morning.”

Kieran froze, hoping desperately that Oscar’s eyes stayed shut. He remained in his stunned state for a few minutes, until his nemesis began quietly snoring. Dreaming, he thought. Oscar was just dreaming. Dreaming… With… With his shirt riding up?! Until he actively stopped himself, Kieran couldn’t take his eyes off of the portion of Oscar’s abs that were peeking out from under his shirt. When he shook himself to, he even found that one of his hands had drifted ever so slightly closer to Oscar. Damn this weak-minded stupor! He had to get away right this moment, but also had to be quiet about it. Oscar had always said that he wasn’t good at being quiet, the dastard!

Kieran eventually managed to escape his own room, somehow pulling off the miracle of not waking his friend. From there, he found both Shinon and Gatrie in the kitchen. Pouring water from a jug into a tankard, he greeted them both with the word Oscar had so softly spoken earlier. “Morning!”

Shinon, whose face was currently buried in both his own hair and the table, simply groaned in acknowledgement. Gatrie gently patted his friend on the back, then glanced towards Kieran. “Morning. What a night, huh?”

Kieran downed his water. Aha! A chance to piece together what had happened! He took a seat at the table and laid his arms on top of it. “Yes, indeed! So much so that I’m having trouble remembering all of the details. Could one of you help?”

“That bad, huh? Ha ha… Urgh…” Shinon answered, briefly lifting his head to do so.

“Don’t talk, Shinon. Just rest. I’ll explain everything.” Gatrie whispered. He then turned to Kieran. “Where do you want me to start?”

As Gatrie began to recount the previous evening’s events, it all gradually came back to Kieran. All four of them had walked to the nearby town that night. They had settled at a tavern, and a silly drinking competition had ensued. Every one of them had gotten mightily drunk, but Shinon the most so. He would not give up. Kieran had bested him fair and square, but Shinon would not accept defeat graciously. In the end, Oscar had dragged Kieran from the tavern for what he had called ‘Shinon’s own safety’.

Kieran had then walked home, arm in arm with his rival. By the time they had reached the fort, they could both barely make it through the door. They had held onto each other for stability and slowly made their way to Kieran’s room. Oscar had attempted to lower Kieran down onto the bed, but they had both fallen backwards instead. Kieran’s memory ended there.

So, he had fallen asleep together with Oscar. With the one he had such inappropriate feelings for. It made Kieran’s heart ache and his head hurt, though the latter could also be the after effects of all the ale he had drank. Kieran needed to think, so he thanked Gatrie and left the kitchen. He decided he would busy himself with chores until Oscar awoke. Perhaps his archrival would not remember a thing. Perhaps a difficult conversation would not need to be had. Kieran eventually concluded that he would not bring anything up unless Oscar did, no matter how cowardly that made him feel. He didn’t want to see how repulsed his friend would become after realizing what had occurred, so he would make it his mission to act as if everything was normal.

Chapter Text

Oscar woke not to the twittering of the morning birds, but to the rays of midday sunshine pouring into the room. His head hurt as bad as it did on the mornings after royal banquets. This time though, he wasn’t waking in the knights’ barracks. In fact, he wasn’t even in his own room. He jolted fully awake at this realization, hitting his head against the unfamiliar bed’s headboard as he sat up. “Ow.”

Oscar took a brief look at his surroundings, seeing Kieran’s armor and polishing supplies laid out on a table against the wall. This was Kieran’s room. Why was he in Kieran’s room? Why… Why was he in Kieran’s bed?! He quickly got off the bed, noticing that he was still dressed, and sighed in relief.

As he headed for the door, Oscar remembered some of what had occurred the previous night. He had gotten drunk with the others at the tavern, then had returned home with Kieran. He had attempted to put Kieran to bed, but they had both collapsed onto it. Apparently, his rival had left him there. Oscar felt both embarrassed and guilty about sleeping in Kieran’s bed. He would have to apologize later, if he could work up the courage.

Oscar peeked out of the door, making sure Shinon and Gatrie weren’t nearby. He didn’t think his poor head could take any teasing right now. Once the coast was definitely clear, he made his way back to his own room to get redressed. While the pain in his head started to fade, Oscar’s stomach began growling instead. It was too late for breakfast, but he could whip up lunch for himself and anyone else who was hungry. So, he shortly left for the kitchen.

Entering his favorite room, Oscar greeted Gatrie, who was sitting eating a sandwich at the table. “Afternoon, Gatrie.”

“Hey, Oscar.” Gatrie replied. “You gonna start cooking?”

Oscar started searching the shelves for suitable ingredients. “Yes, sorry for the wait.” He grabbed an assortment of things. “I’ll make something nice and hot for lunch.”

“Great! Shinon sure could do with that.” Gatrie smiled, then sighed. “He’s not doing so well today.”

“Ah, that’s not good.” Oscar responded. “By the way, where’s Kieran?” He asked.

“Hmm, I… Mmph. I think he went to the stream to do some, uh, washing?” Gatrie managed, finishing off his sandwich. “Anyway, I’m gonna go check up on Shinon.” He added, rising from his seat.

“Alright, I’ll call you when lunch is done.” Oscar said as he laid out his ingredients on the side.

Gatrie left the room, leaving Oscar alone in the kitchen to cook. Peace and quiet, just as he preferred. He retrieved his favorite knife and chopping board, and made a start on cutting the vegetables he had chosen.

Once the vegetables were finely chopped enough, Oscar began cracking eggs into a bowl to beat them. While grasping the second egg, he recalled something so important that it made him drop the fragile thing onto the floor. “D-Damn.”

Oscar remembered being half asleep lying beside Kieran in the bed earlier. He remembered the comforting presence of his friend’s body heat. Worst of all, he remembered rolling in his archrival’s direction, mumbling a word while he felt Kieran’s quickening breaths on his face.

“Morning.”

Oscar instantly shuddered in embarrassment, suddenly feeling hot. Why had he said that? Well, he knew why. He was tired and wasn’t thinking. But still… Why? WHY?!

Oscar began cleaning up the egg mess, briefly contemplating several suicide plans, when the source of his peril came walking through the door. Kieran had a large basket of clean washing in his arms. “Ah, Oscar! Making something good?”

Oscar rose from the floor, keeping his back towards his nemesis. “Oh, um… H-Hello Kieran.” He responded, as calmly as he could manage.

Kieran came closer, putting his basket down on the table on the way. “I’ve just finished this load of washing!” He announced proudly. “Do you need me to fetch you some water?”

“Oh, yes. T-That would be great.” Oscar replied, returning to his eggs. “At least three buckets, please.”

“Of course!” Kieran acknowledged. He then swiftly exited the room.

Oscar had bought himself some precious time to compose himself. He decided that he would not bring anything up unless Kieran did, which was extremely unlikely. Kieran was probably feeling a mix of confusion, embarrassment and maybe even disgust. Oscar’s heart sank at that thought.

Resolving to put it out of his mind, Oscar resumed his food preparation. Soon, the omelets were ready, and the others had responded to his calls. The four of them sat in relative quiet while they ate. Shinon was still nursing his forehead, with Gatrie attempting to slowly feed his friend forkfuls of food. Kieran, meanwhile, was thankfully focused on making his way through his two omelets. Oscar couldn’t bear to make eye contact with his rival. He hoped that the awkwardness he felt would fade over time.

Chapter Text

Two days later, Oscar was sparring with Kieran in the courtyard. Training together like this was something natural for them. Something mundane. Oscar welcomed the return to normalcy. He had been worried that irreparable damage had been done to their friendship, due to the incident in the bed the other morning. Oscar himself had been slightly jittery around his rival, but he had occasionally caught Kieran acting rather strange as well. He had tried to ignore it, not wanting to think about how disturbed Kieran was inside. Right now though, they could fight. That’s all Oscar needed to focus on.

After dodging a blow from his archrival, Oscar swung his wooden sword sideways to counter. “Ha!”

“Blocked!” Kieran shouted, quickly matching the attack. “Are you sure this is the best you can do?”

Oscar kept their swords pressured against each other. “Me? You’re the one who lost the last time we sparred!”

The pair traded more attacks, neither of them landing a blow. Soon enough, it was time for a break. They both made their way to sit on the edge of the well nearby. Kieran patted Oscar on the back. “Good match so far! I was worried we were both getting rusty!”

“You’d think we’d been away from Melior for a year, the way you’re talking.” Oscar teased, smiling.

“Ha!” Kieran laughed, returning the grin. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a hand, then began tugging at his shirt.

Oscar sucked in a breath. He didn’t really want to become a flustered mess again, not on what had so far been a normal day, but was shamefully excited regardless. However, Kieran shortly stopped what he was doing and adjusted his shirt back to normal.

Before Oscar could overthink the meaning of what his rival had done, a strong shout came at them both from afar. “Oscar! Kieran!”

It was…Boyd? And Rolf, too. Oscar’s brothers were walking down the path to the fort, waving happily. Rolf’s long ponytail was swaying behind him as he walked next to Boyd, his head reaching up to his brother’s ear. Oscar still wasn’t used to how grown up his little brother now looked. Though… What were they doing here? They were supposed to be in Gallia with the others.

As Boyd and Rolf got closer, Oscar stood up and went to greet them. “Boyd! Rolf! You’re here!”

“Yep!” Rolf replied proudly.

“A little birdie told us you were home, so we came back from Gallia early!” Boyd announced, winking briefly.

Oscar’s brow furrowed. “Really? Who-”

“Ah, I’m glad you got my message!” Kieran declared, getting up from the well. “Well met, you two!” He added, nodding at Boyd and Rolf.

Oscar turned to face his rival, stunned. “Kieran? You… You organized this? How?”

“Well…” Kieran began, putting a hand to the back of his head. “I called in one of Count Bastian’s favors from Volke when we were at the tavern the other day.”

“Yeah, and Janaff and Ulki gave us a quick ride home.” Boyd clarified.

Rolf looked down at the ground. “A bumpy ride.” He grumbled.

Boyd patted Rolf on the shoulder. “Yeah, little peewee here isn’t used to flying! Me and Ulki have done it before though.”

“Boyd! Stop calling me peewee! I’m twenty!” Rolf protested, shaking his brother’s hand off of him.

“Never!” Boyd retorted, smirking.

The three brothers all laughed. Oscar was very happy to be reunited with his family after so long. And it was Kieran who had thoughtfully arranged it. Perhaps… No, Oscar couldn’t finish that thought.

“I’m so happy to see you both.” Oscar said, smiling. He then turned to his friend. “Thank you for doing this for me, Kieran.”

“I… It wasn’t a problem at all. Truly.” Kieran replied gently, while Boyd and Rolf exchanged an odd glance. “Though… I didn’t expect they’d arrive so soon! Boyd, Rolf, why were our feathered friends in Gallia? Is something the matter?” He questioned.

Boyd looked at Kieran. “Huh? Oh, right.” He waved his hands in front of him. “Kings Tibarn and Reyson had some formal business with King Skrimir. I dunno, I wasn’t paying too much attention.”

“Yeah, they were making some sort of trade deal. Nothing’s wrong at all.” Rolf added.

“I see.” Kieran responded, seeming slightly disappointed. He then loudly clasped his hands together. “Well, I’ll leave you all to catch up! I’m going to go ready your beds for tonight.”

“Oh, thanks, Kieran.” Rolf said, waving him off.

Oscar called back to his archrival. “Wait, what about our training?”

“It can wait!” Kieran dismissed, disappearing into the fort. That was a sentence Oscar never thought he’d ever hear.

Left alone, the three brothers did indeed catch up. They quickly started talking about what had happened since they had last seen each other. Boyd and Rolf told Oscar about some of the more interesting jobs the mercenaries had taken recently, as well as about their trip to Gallia. Oscar told his younger brothers about his work in the capital, and complained about Shinon and Gatrie’s treatment of the fort. Eventually, they all made their way inside. Oscar would treasure the time he had left on leave, enjoying his brothers’ company. He was also glad to have a good distraction from his current dilemma with Kieran.

Chapter Text

As happy as Oscar was to have his brothers back with him, he had also become rather worried about them. Boyd and Rolf had been acting off recently. They whispered to each other, shared strange looks… Most alarmingly, they were spending a lot of time alone without any bickering occurring. Oscar had told himself that his brothers would come to him if something serious was going on, but he still worried nonetheless. He was also just…curious? He didn’t like being out of the loop, not with his siblings. It had gotten to the point that he had just asked the two what was up, but neither Boyd nor Rolf would admit anything. So, Oscar had begrudgingly dropped the issue. That is, until he had an interesting idea.

In the kitchen, Oscar was tying up bunches of herbs to be dried. Kieran was at the table, polishing his axe. As his rival begun admiring his newly shined weapon, Oscar posed him a question. “Kieran, can I ask you a favor?”

“A favor? Of course!” Kieran boomed, turning to look at Oscar. “But you must be ready to repay your debt later, archrival!”

“Sure. It’s just… I’m worried about Boyd and Rolf.” Oscar admitted. “They’ve been acting strangely recently and won’t tell me a thing.”

Kieran raised an eyebrow. “And you want me to jostle the information out of them? Is that it?”

“Something like that.” Oscar replied, tightening the string on some rosemary. “But… Be gentle.” He added.

“Very well!” Kieran announced as he got up from his chair. “I will attend to this important mission immediately!” He then left the room in a hurry.

A while later, just as Oscar had finished hanging up the last of his herbs, Kieran made his return. Not triumphantly, however, as he slid back into his seat rather solemnly. “I have failed you, Oscar.” He said, sighing.

Oscar joined his rival at the table. “They still wouldn’t talk? I thought sending you would’ve worked.”

Kieran sighed again and began fiddling with his axe. “Alas, the secret your brothers are keeping must be of the utmost importance.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Oscar assured, patting his friend on the back. “I’ll just have to trust that they’re adults and can deal with it on their own.”

“Yes, I suppose so.” Kieran responded, shuffling on his chair so that he could face Oscar. He then clasped his hands on his thighs. “So! Are we still going into town to get those supplies you wanted?” He asked, sounding more like himself.

“Ah, right.” Oscar smiled. Kieran instantly changing moods was something endearing to him. “Are you ready to go?” He inquired.

Kieran rose from his chair and took hold of his axe. “I am always prepared for anything, Oscar! You know that!”

“Of course.” Oscar acknowledged, shaking his head. “Let’s go then.”

As the two rivals exited the kitchen and headed out of the fort, Boyd and Rolf darted past them to the room they had just left. Oscar thought that was strange, but then again it was no more odd than anything else his brothers had been doing recently. He just hoped that whatever they were up to wasn’t going to cause his kitchen to go down in flames. So, he made his way to town with Kieran without too much worry.

Chapter Text

Upon returning home in the evening, Oscar and his rival were barely through the front door when they were both accosted by Boyd and Rolf. Boyd took Oscar’s satchel from him and guided him towards one side of the building, asking a favor. Meanwhile, Rolf took Kieran by the arm in the opposite direction with a vague request of his own. Oscar only got a brief glance in at Kieran before they were separated, with his friend looking just as startled as he was. Still, whatever sudden help his brothers needed could be related to their earlier strange behavior, so Oscar complied. He hoped Kieran would do the same.

While being dragged into a corridor, Oscar asked Boyd what he needed. His brother didn’t reply, instead looking him over for some reason. Boyd suddenly licked the tips of his fingers and reached for Oscar’s hair. Oscar stepped back, surprised. “Boyd! What are you doing?”

“Stay still!” Boyd finally responded, managing to ruffle Oscar’s hair to his liking.

“Please, just tell me what you want. Tell me why you’re acting… Well, like this!” Oscar pleaded, gesturing towards his brother with his hands.

Boyd admired his work and winked. “That’s still a no! Now go to the dining room, please. I’ll be in in a sec. Just gotta grab the thing I need help with!”

“I… Alright.” Oscar sighed, turning around. Trying to get anything out of his brother was still a fruitless endeavor.

When he got to the dining room, there was a surprise waiting for Oscar. The long table was covered with the mercenaries’ best tablecloth and decorated with lit candles and vases of crimson roses. A joint of roasted beef was on a large plate in the middle of the table, with two bowls nearby containing roasted potatoes and roasted carrots. Each dish had serving utensils, and there was also a small jug of what could only be gravy. Two large bottles of red wine were near the gravy jug. Oscar recognized them as part of his stash for special occasions. As he admired what was in front of him, he also noticed that only two sets of cutlery, two dinner plates and two decorative tankards were on the table. Oh no. This can’t be what it looks like, can it?

Before Oscar could elaborate on his worrisome thoughts, he heard uneven footsteps nearing the doorway. He called out to them. “Boyd? Is that you?”

“Just get in there!” Rolf’s voiced shouted. “I won’t be a minute!”

“Bah! Fine.” Came a reply from Kieran, who entered the room by being shoved. He greeted his rival. “Oh, Oscar! Rolf just ask-” He cut himself off, taking in the table with wide eyes.

Oscar winced, putting one arm around his stomach. “Um…” He mumbled nervously. There wasn’t any room for other implications.

“W-What…” Kieran barely managed.

There was a momentary silence, until the door to the room suddenly slammed shut. A clanking was heard as a key locked the rivals in from the other side.

Kieran snapped to attention. “W-What the?! What is the meaning of this?!”

Oscar heard giggling coming from the other side of the door. He shouted out to his brothers. “Boyd! Rolf! Let us out right now!”

“Yes! Undo this treachery!” Kieran added, now banging on the door.

“Not until you two kiss!” Boyd replied loudly. Two sets of footsteps then quickly scurried away until they were out of earshot.

Oscar immediately tensed up. “I…” He breathed out, a warmth creeping up his face. What were his brothers thinking? Why?!

“I-I think… I think your brothers have…” Kieran eventually spoke, fist frozen on the door and face staring at it. He then paused for a long time, not finishing his words.

“Um… Yes, they’ve gotten the…wrong idea.” Oscar said after a while, reluctantly completing the sentence. “Well, should we try to open it?” He then asked his statue of a friend.

“Y-Yes, good idea!” Kieran swiftly agreed, shaking himself to.

Oscar joined Kieran next to the door and they grasped its handle together. The brief touch of their hands made Oscar’s cheeks go redder, while Kieran looked away. Oscar tried not to think about it as he moved into an adequate stance. “Ready?” He asked.

Kieran nodded back. “Yes. Now pull, Oscar!”

The two of them began pulling at the door, but it was double-locked and not at all worn. They were both straining over an impossible feat. Kieran was getting frustrated. “I said pull, archrival!”

“I am!” Oscar shouted back. He then lost his grip on the handle. “W-Wait!” He cried, stumbling sideways into his nemesis. “Ah!”

“O-Oscar!” Kieran spluttered, landing on the floor. “G-Get off of me!”

“S-Sorry!” Oscar apologized, quickly shuffling off of his archrival and standing up. “I-I didn’t mean to.” He then brushed himself off, glancing at the door. “Well…” He began. “It looks like we’re stuck in here until they let us out, or until Shinon and Gatrie get back.”

“Curses!” Kieran declared, also rising from the floor. He looked around the room, maybe searching for another exit. “Well, what do we do now?”

“I don’t know.” Oscar sighed. He then walked towards the table and sat down. “Hmm…”

Kieran followed his rival with his gaze. “What are you doing?”

“Thinking.” Oscar replied, holding his forehead in his hand briefly. “Actually, you know what? I’m a little hungry, so I’m going to eat.” He announced, grabbing the meat fork and starting to dish himself out some slices of beef. “No point in letting this food go to waste.”

Kieran scoffed. “O-Oscar, you can’t be serious!”

He was serious. Part of Oscar was truly hungry, another part of him was curious to see if Boyd and Rolf’s cooking skills had improved, and the most crucial part of him selfishly wanted to enjoy this dinner with Kieran regardless of anything else.

“Aren’t you hungry too?” Oscar questioned, not turning away from the table. Kieran had a hearty appetite, so this was more of an invitation than anything.

“…Yes.” Kieran quietly admitted.

Oscar began adding meat to the second plate too. “Then eat up. It’s not like there’s anything else to do.”

“Fine.” Kieran huffed in relent, walking towards the table and hesitantly taking his seat opposite Oscar. It was going to be a long and awkward evening.

As the pair began eating, an uncomfortable quiet enveloped the room. Only the sounds of chewing, drinking or cutlery clinking could be heard. Oscar glanced at his rival occasionally, but Kieran seemed to be intently focusing on his meal. He decided to do the same, savoring every mouthful.

The meat was actually cooked decently, as were the vegetables, in Oscar’s professional opinion. However, the gravy was a bit watery. It wasn’t too offensive though. No matter what, it was very clear that Boyd and Rolf had put a lot of effort into making the meal. Oscar was also pleased to finally be enjoying the red wine he had squirreled away so long ago. It paired well with the beef.

Eventually, Kieran broke the quiet, laying his cutlery down on his empty plate. “Hmph. Your brothers are incorrigible, Oscar.”

“I’m tempted to agree with you.” Oscar echoed, stabbing another potato with his fork. “Though I’m proud of them for making this nice meal.”

Kieran poured himself more wine and took a decent gulp, pausing for a moment. “It could be considered admirable, yes.” He quietly agreed. “But… Bah! They also locked us in here with nefarious intentions!” He complained.

“Are you saying I’m poor company?” Oscar teased. The wine was getting to him a little bit.

“W-What? N-No! It’s just…” Kieran blurted, looking away again. He didn’t finish his sentence.

Oscar smiled and sighed. “Relax, Kieran. I was just joking.” He reached for the second bottle of wine. “I wonder when Boyd and Rolf will come back.” He pondered.

“Soon, I hope.” Kieran mumbled, moving his tankard towards where Oscar was pouring.

After a while of sitting across from his rival slowly drinking wine, Oscar had started to think too much. Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, or the allure of Kieran’s lovely eyes… Nevertheless, he had convinced himself that he had to say something.

If it went wrong, then Oscar could just leave the Crimean Knights again and rejoin the Greil Mercenaries full-time. He had nothing to lose, besides maybe a lifelong friendship or a few front teeth. This was a good idea. …Or maybe not. Ah, fuck it. “Kieran…” He started, stroking his tankard with his thumb.

“Yes?” Kieran responded dryly, taking his gaze away from the wall.

Oscar took a deep breath before he continued. “What if my brothers…” He then paused to clear his throat. “Um… What if they didn’t have the wrong idea?”

And just like that, a few seconds began to last a lifetime for Oscar. He couldn’t take it back now. How would his rival react?

Chapter Text

Kieran had had a terribly eventful evening. Initially, he had suddenly been led away by Rolf, who needed his assistance with something. He thought that he might finally learn the secret that Oscar’s brothers were keeping, but it turned out that they had been readying a trap the entire time.

Kieran had thus been pushed into the dining room, where a candlelit dinner with his archrival awaited. They had been set up by Boyd and Rolf and locked in the room together for the night. Kieran had tried his best to keep a straight face, to hide his blushing… Unfortunately, it had seemed that the world was against him, as the door to get out could not be opened and Oscar had fallen on top of him during their escape attempt.

What troubled Kieran more, however, was Oscar’s refusal of any romantic implications. He was aware of the truth already, but the confirmation upset him all the same. Sharing an awkward meal with his friend afterwards was awfully bittersweet too.

Kieran had been avoiding looking at his rival by staring at a shield on the wall, when he was softly called to attention. Oscar was hesitating with his words, so Kieran wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the other man. Eventually, his nemesis asked a frightening question. “What if my brothers… Um… What if they didn’t have the wrong idea?”

Oscar’s words echoed through Kieran’s mind. Surely he couldn’t mean to imply that… No, this must be a trick! His archrival must be in cahoots with his younger brothers! This was all a scheme to make fun of Kieran, or to ruin his reputation. Yet… He found his face feeling flush, his heartbeat roaring. He yearned to believe his friend, to dare to hope… He wanted so badly to climb over the table and press his lips to Oscar’s, but… He… He was now hesitating too, like a scared animal. What could he even say in response? It appeared that he must’ve let out some sort of noise, however, because Oscar began speaking again.

“Um… Kieran?” His friend quietly asked.

Kieran had to compose himself, to utter a neutral reply, but he was completely lost for words. “I… I just…” He managed to get out, tightening his grip on his tankard.

Oscar tapped his fingers on the table, then suddenly rose from his chair. “I’m sorry.” He said sadly, turning around. “I… I’m going to see if they’ll let us out.”

Oscar was sorry? For what? His implication of… But then that would mean… No, no! This couldn’t stand! Oscar shouldn’t be apologizing! Before he had even realized it, Kieran had gotten up and marched towards his rival. He grabbed him by the wrist. “Y-You… You don’t need to…” He muttered, but quickly trailed off.

Oscar was looking away in shame and Kieran couldn’t bear it anymore. He had to do something, so he firmly pulled Oscar closer to him and pressed their mouths together for a brief kiss. It was just a brush of their lips, but it felt like it lasted hours for Kieran. When he broke away and faced his archrival, he was looking back at him in complete shock.

The next thing Kieran felt was a sharp pain to his cheek. “O-Oscar! Did you just slap me?!” He cried in confusion, but Oscar didn’t reply. Instead, the other man smashed their lips together again, and this time rather furiously.

Kieran wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing at first. Oscar had kissed him. He was kissing him. And with passion and hunger and fervor. So, he matched the other’s rhythm, surpassed it even. If this was what they were doing, then Kieran wanted to take what he could before he awoke from his unrealistic dream.

He slid his tongue into Oscar’s mouth, which earned him surprise. His nemesis quickly broke off and put their foreheads together, both of them panting. “Kieran, it’s… It’s not a competition.” Oscar declared breathlessly, a small smile on his face.

Oh yes it was! So, Kieran kissed his rival even harder. He put his arm around Oscar’s waist, which caused a reciprocal hand to grasp the back of his head. Suddenly, he was pushing Oscar towards the wall next to the door and kissing into his neck. Oscar leaned his head back onto the stone and grinned. “K-Kieran, that tickles…” He giggled.

Before Kieran could continue ravishing his fellow knight, a heavy clanking noise snapped them both to attention. The door next to the compromised pair opened, and Boyd walked in casually. “So, uh, Rolf started to feel bad. You’re both…free to go.” He admitted, cradling his own neck. “This was a bad id-”

Boyd then froze in place, staring at the two. Kieran felt his face go dangerously hot, while Oscar looked absolutely mortified. Eventually, it was Boyd who broke the silence by simply retreating back out of the room on his heels. “S-Sorry!” He mumbled as he went, face beet red.

As the door slammed shut behind Boyd, it was as if Kieran had suddenly been raised out from under water. This was real! What was he doing?! He unhanded Oscar and backed away. “O-Oscar, I-I don’t know what came over me!” He apologized, turning around to hide his face.

Kieran heard Oscar shyly stepping towards him. “I… I don’t regret it.” His archrival revealed, suddenly close enough to put a hand to his cheek. “Look at me, Kieran.” He quietly demanded.

Kieran reluctantly met Oscar’s face with his own. He let out a heavy breath. “Oscar…”

“I… I like you, Kieran.” Oscar said all of a sudden, swallowing before his next words. “I have for a long time now.” He stated seriously, then pressed their lips together again for a fleeting kiss.

Kieran could barely believe what he had just heard. Oscar…returned his feelings? Truly? He was both stunned and overjoyed. Still, he had to quickly match Oscar’s sentiment with his own. “It… It seems I have beat you this time, Oscar.” He exhaled with a sly smile. “I have loved you since we were cadets!” He then declared, clasping a firm hand to his rival's shoulder and grinning.

“H-Hold on…” Came a startled reply from Oscar, making Kieran realize exactly what words had just escaped his traitorous mouth.

“I-I mean… I just… I-” Kieran spluttered in panic, but was cut off by his friend.

“I-I love you too, Kieran!” Oscar shared, almost choking on his words. “But…” He then quirked an eyebrow and unceremoniously smacked Kieran on the back of the head. “You seriously said nothing all this time? You idiot!”

Kieran was instantly offended. This surely couldn’t be the conversation they were having? “Me?! And what about you? You gutless, squinty coward!” He cried in response.

“Oh, shut up and kiss me again!” Oscar ordered. Kieran hesitated for a second in surprise, but was ultimately swift to comply, putting an arm around his rival as he kissed him deeply once more. He would prolong this moment as much as he possibly could.

Chapter Text

Oscar was content when he awoke in the morning, instinctively burrowing further into his warm bed. He had endured a whirlwind of a night, which had somehow culminated in his self-proclaimed archrival confessing his love for him. Oscar would’ve dismissed it as a dream, if not for the fact that Kieran was currently asleep right beside him. On purpose.

He rolled over to gaze at his sleeping friend, soon realizing that a fun opportunity had just presented itself. Oscar tugged on Kieran’s shirt, earning movement from the other man. “Wake up, Kieran.” He said softly.

“Mmph.” His rival mumbled, opening his eyes and looking back at him fondly. “What… What is it?”

Oscar spoke his next word with a slightly cruel glee. “Morning.”

Kieran hesitated for a second, but then his eyes went wide in understanding. He clumsily shifted around on the bed, managing to push the blanket to the floor, and spluttered out some words. “W-Wha- The other morning… You were awake?!”

Oscar could only laugh in reply, but was cut short by a whack to his side. “H-Hey! Ow!” He cried.

“You… You cur!” Kieran shouted with pink cheeks, but it only made Oscar roll onto his back with another cackle.

The next thing he knew, his archrival was climbing on top of him and pressing a firm palm to his chest. “S-Silence, Oscar!” Kieran demanded.

“A-Alright!” Oscar conceded, gradually stopping his laughter. “S-Sorry.”

Kieran removed his hand and shook his head. “You’re no better than your brothers!” He declared.

Oscar smiled, then quirked an eyebrow. He decided that he rather liked how the other man was kneeling around his waist, so leant upwards slightly and grasped both of Kieran’s hips with his hands, stroking them tenderly.

“Oscar…” Kieran exhaled softly, matching his gaze.

Oscar sucked in a large breath, then expelled it through his nose. “Could you… Could you take off your shirt, Kieran?” He asked gently. It was his turn to be bold.

His rival’s face reddened as he made some sort of choking noise in response, but he quickly snapped back to his usual self and began a brag. “What? Do you want to admire my impeccable form?”

“Something like that.” Oscar answered, licking his bottom lip.

Kieran removed his shirt and forcibly tossed it to the floor. “Your turn.” He commanded, folding his arms assertively over his chest.

Oscar stared a little too much at the other man’s muscles, before shuffling out from under him and sitting up. He undressed his own top half, and was immediately pressed back onto the bed by warm hands on his shoulders.

As he met Kieran’s eyes and started to kiss him, Oscar also began trailing his hands across his archrival’s upper body. He finally, finally got to touch those well-defined muscles, and it wasn’t long before they both were doing something else entirely.

Chapter Text

It soon became time for Oscar to return to Melior, but he was feeling mixed about it. It wasn’t like he was dreading going back, per se, but he worried that what he had gained with Kieran while on leave would change once they both got back to work. He wondered if their sleepy mornings together would continue in the barracks, or if Kieran would still attack him with hugs while he was stood over a fancy pot in the royal kitchens.

In fact, would telling any of their coworkers even be on the cards? Above anything else, Kieran was devoted to the knighthood, and a relationship like theirs could be deemed unprofessional. Their friends from the war wouldn’t care, but the other knights and especially those with ties to the Crimean nobles? It could be a problem with them.

At least Oscar’s brothers would probably be glad to see the back of him this time. Boyd especially had been unable to make eye contact with neither him nor Kieran for days after the incident in the dining room, an event which Oscar kept reminding him was his fault. Not having to see Shinon everyday would also be a positive. The man had opinions about Kieran’s volume, and had even been rude enough to comment on their intimate activities.

Oscar continued to mull over his thoughts, sitting comfortably on a chair as Kieran fastened the last piece of his armor for him. Once his left shoulder pauldron was fully secured, his rival patted it triumphantly and stood up from where he was kneeling. “There! All done!”

“Thanks.” Oscar smiled, while Kieran moved across the room to start on his own armor.

As he rose from his seat and begun packing his bag for the journey, Oscar reminded himself that he could just ask Kieran if anything would change. Turning around, he started the question. “Kieran?”

“Yes, archrival?” Came an answer in between rustling and clanking, noises which stopped when Kieran spun around to face Oscar.

“What are we going to do when we’re back in the capital?” Oscar posed after a brief pause.

Kieran raised an eyebrow at the question. “Our jobs?” He said in confusion.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Oscar clarified. “Um… How are we going to navigate…us?”

“Oh, um… Well, either you’ll move into my room in the barracks, or I’ll move into yours.” Kieran commented plainly. “I’ll have to ask General Geoffrey about it as a courtesy, but I don’t foresee any problems.” He continued, adjusting his gauntlets.

It seemed that the situation was simple for his rival, for which Oscar was glad, but he had to inquire further just in case. “Right. But aren’t you worried about gossip? The nobles could create issues. You’re second-in-command, after all.”

“Bah. Idle chatter is of no consequence to me!” Kieran dismissed with a quick wave. “And I distinctly remember sinking my axe into quite a few traitorous nobles years ago!” He added, picking up his weapon and slinging it over his shoulder to embolden his point.

Oscar sent a small smile towards the other man. “Alright. If you’re sure.”

Kieran closed the gap between them and put his axe down, offering out his hand. Oscar shortly took it in his own, with his archrival soon speaking sweetly as he pressed a kiss to the green gauntlet. “Oscar, I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Not even becoming a knight?” Was the tease that then left Oscar’s mouth.

Kieran let out a slight chuckle. “Well, besides that, of course.” He admitted.

“Of course.” Oscar agreed, pressing their foreheads together gently.

Soon, the two had finished their preparations and were both mounted on their horses in the courtyard of the fort. After saying his goodbyes, Oscar set off for Melior alongside the one he loved. He would enjoy life to the fullest with Kieran, serving Crimea in the time of peace that they had helped establish.