"It seems like Ram is having it rough today..."
Subaru and Roswaal were in the middle of talking over their plan to head out to the city of Pristella. But then Subaru cut in, shifting the topic entirely.
"Yeah I rather not mention her.. somehow every time I start talking about it I get this weird feeling like she's gonna come out of nowhere and kick my crotch again..."
Subaru let out a modest sigh, already feeling Ram's sharp aura of anger starting to build up somewhere nearby – he could always tell when she was upset with him.
"Do not worry Subaru, I could probably calm her down for once..."
Roswaal said, trying to sound reassuring as he adjusted his sleeve.
Yeah I'm pretty sure "once" is a huge understatement..!
Subaru muttered under his breath, a slight edge of frustration showing through his usual laidback front. He knew Roswaal all too well by now – the guy was always so kind to Ram, and whatever he said to her seemed to make her just... magically settle right down on his lap like it was nothing.
Roswaal gave a small nod before turning and walking out of his room, leaving Subaru staring at the door that slowly swung shut behind him.
Then out of nowhere, a familiar voice called out from just beside the doorway.
"Subaru?"
It was Emilia.
The moment Subaru heard that lovely, soft tone he'd grown to adore more than anything else in the world, he spun around so fast he nearly lost his balance. There she was, smiling gently as always – her natural beauty hitting him so hard he felt like he might pass out on the spot.
"E-Emilia-tan!!!"
Subaru practically sang out, his voice bright and cheerful with a little bounce to each word as he waved excitedly, his face already bright red from just seeing her.
Emilia let out a soft little chuckle at how enthusiastically he always greeted her, then took a few more steps closer until she was right in front of where he was standing.
"I actually have something I need to tell you Subaru."
She said, her voice a bit quieter now as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress.
"a-ah! Right right of course! I'm all ears, always for you!"
Subaru leaned in a little too quickly, practically putting his ear right up to her – not that he really cared what she was about to say in that moment, he was already feeling lightheaded from being this close to the person he loved more than anything.
"Whaaat is it Emilia-tan? You look kinda serious!"
She paused for a long second, biting her lower lip just a little as she struggled to keep her eyes locked on his. She'd been thinking about this for so long, and now that the moment was here she could barely get the words out.
"I... I have a confession to make to you. After you became my knight, I've been wanting to say this for ages..."
Her cheeks were bright pink now, and she kept glancing away and then back at him like she was working up the courage all over again each time.
'Holy crap holy crap holy CRAP'
That was all Subaru could think – just those three words repeating over and over in his head as his heart started pounding so hard he was sure Emilia could hear it. He'd been through so much pain and trouble since he'd come to this world, so was this really it... was this finally the moment he'd been dreaming of, where he could actually have his happily ever after with her!?
"Y-yeah? Yes! Mhm please go ahead I'm ready I swear!"
He blurted out way too fast, his words all jumbled together because he couldn't stop himself from rushing them out.
"Will you go on a date with me?"
She finally managed to say, her voice still soft and gentle but clear enough that he heard every single word perfectly. She looked so embarrassed she could barely bring herself to meet his gaze anymore.
Subaru let out a loud "WUHA" sound that was supposed to be a happy squeal but ended up sounding more like someone getting punched in the chest – which was pretty much how it felt anyway, like his heart had just been hit with pure joy.
"YES ABSOLUTELY YES! I HAVE SO MANY THINGS PLANNED OUT ALREADY, I KNOW WE WENT OUT BEFORE BUT THIS TIME I'M EVEN MORE READY THAN EVER!"
He stopped for a split second to catch his breath, then kept going without even letting himself pause.
"And get this! Ram actually gave me some tips the other day!"
He said, still blushing up a storm but trying his best to sound confident – or at least like he knew what he was talking about.
Her eyes lit up like they were filled with tiny sparkling stars, and it looked like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that he'd said yes.
"I've done quite a long research to figure all this stuff out you know!, because I wanted to learn how to hold hands without getting all flustered, or how to kiss without... well... being too embarrassed about it I guess!, and there's other things too about dates... like going grocery shopping together in Lugunica's market district, or hanging out with everyone in Arlam village!"
She rambled on for a while, listing off all the things she'd looked into about romance and being close to someone physically. Even just talking about it made her flinch and turn even redder, but she kept going because she wanted him to know how much thought she'd put into it.
Subaru was practically bouncing up and down where he stood, so happy he could barely stay still. Then he suddenly looked around nervously, checking every corner and doorway – not that he really thought anyone was watching, but he was definitely keeping an eye out for Ram or Julius to walk in and ruin this perfect moment for him.
"Then we should get going! Though you listed off so many things just now... is there anything specific you wanna start with first?"
He tilted his head to the side, looking a little confused but with a huge grin on his face – it was obvious he was thinking something along the lines of (Im up for literally anything as long as I get to see Emilia in a pretty dress and hold her... HAND!)
"Uhm... i... i think we should start with holding hands first!"
She said quietly, then slowly reached her hand out towards him – her palm was warm and looked so soft, and she was still blushing from head to toe as she waited for him to take it.
He thought his face was already as red as it could get, but somehow it got even brighter than Reinhart's bright red hair.. he started trembling a little, his legs shaking so much he almost stumbled, but then he reached out and carefully clasped his hand with hers, smiling even though he was clearly nervous as hell. At that point, the rest of the date didn't even matter to him – just standing there holding her hand all day long would've been more than enough to make him the happiest guy in Lugunica.
"A-ah.. haha so uh.. shouldn't we go get... dressed and ready first... You really don't have to change if you don't want to! But I uh... I just feel like seeing you in one of your nice outsider outfits would be really great too.."
He smiled nervously, already panicking a little about how bold that last part sounded coming out of his mouth. But on the other hand, he'd been around Emilia long enough to know she actually loved these kinds of sweet little compliments from him.