(A/N)
This chapter is mainly cheesy and cringy romance, so if you don't like that, you can just skim it and skip it. Or maybe you like that stuff. Who knows?
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We took our time getting home. Me and Shuna spent our time looking at the scenery on the way home. We haven't slept during our entire trip. Aside from going full speed to keep up with Milim at the beginning, we didn't go that fast. Well, this whole trip only took a few days. So maybe fast if compared to normal travel speeds. Whatever that's not important. What's important is that as I get home, I'm going to give Rimuru the documents of our new alliances, go home, eat, and then get some sleep. Let him deal with all this stuff for now.
Overall, ignoring all the political stuff, talking, and all that stuff, it was kind of fun. Much less fighting than I thought at first, but I'm not complaining. We were getting closer to home and it was a nice breath of fresh air after being gone for a few days. I got off Dun Stallion and sent him off. He normally just hangs around our farms munching on grass and other food that's growing. It's not much of a problem, he has his own little section of a farm he relaxes at.
Anyways, Shuna also went her own way. She's probably going to tell her brother and parents about our travels. We'll meet at our house when everything is over.
I made my way to Rimuru's office and walked in. As soon as he saw me he yelled out, "Finally, You're back! You told me it was going to just be a one day trip! What happened?".
I reached into my bag and pulled out all the documents about our alliances with Frey and Carrion. I placed them all in front of him on the table.
"I went around and had a few talks with some demon lords and made some alliances. You know, nothing big. Just normal stuff. Anyway, I'll be going home to relax. Don't disturb me for a few hours. Bye.". I told him the details and started walking away.
Rimuru didn't say anything, he just stayed silent for a while and it wasn't until I already left his office that I heard him shout, "HEY, YOU CAN'T SYA SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND LEAVE!".
Well, too bad, Rimuru, I just did. I just left the place pretending I didn't hear him. He just needs to do a bit of reading. Or he can just use Great Sage to look through everything. I wonder how long it will take for him to figure out that he can just absorb all the paperwork and instantly complete it with Great Sage. Not my problem.
Finally, I can relax a little bit. I'll catch up on any news later. Right now, it's time to just go home and relax.
Hold on, I should get something for Shuna. Maybe some flowers. Yeah, that sounds good. Dad told me that flowers are always a good gift to give to someone. There should be a flower shop in town.
/\\//\\//\
I was walking around in casual clothes looking for the flower shop when I finally found it. It was a very cozy-looking place. Of course, it smelled absolutely wonderful. Just the entrance alone was adorned with flowers and plants of a variety of colors. It was a color explosion. It was organized as well. Some were in pots, some flowers were growing on vines that grew along the walls of the shop. This place is clearly kept up by someone who loves gardening and botany.
I entered the shop and a little bell rang out. I looked around and it seemed as if every single flower and plant I could think of was on sale. I don't know what flowers to get for her though. All I know about flowers is that a red rose symbolizes love, but that's about it. I'll go with my gut feeling when picking the flowers.
I walked around the place looking for something that "felt right" to me. I was looking around until I heard someone say something that stopped me right in my tracks.
"Oh, daughter-in-law, how can I help you?".
.
.
.
'Huh? What?' That's all I could think about when I heard that. I looked at who said that and saw that it was Shuna's mom.
I'm buying flowers for Shuna and the person selling flowers is Shuna's mom.
What do I do? I don't remember my parents telling me what to do in a situation like this.
I think I should just tell the truth.
"I'm buying some flowers for Shuna.".
I could see her eyes light up, her hands went to her cheeks and she started shaking back and forth like she was imagining things. She had a big smile on her face. SHe eventually got herself together…mostly.
"Have you thought about what kind of flowers you're going to get? Are you planning to propose marriage already? Am I going to get grandchildren?".
"Wait, wait, wait. It's too soon for marriage, much less kids. There are some things we have to figure out first.". I tried to calm her down and tried to slow down her very fast-paced thinking.
She looked at me and just smiled more. "So you do plan on getting married and having kids. I didn't hear any kind of denial about it. I'll be waiting for an invitation.".
"No. That's not what I meant. I-I…Just let me pick out some flowers first.". I felt my face get hotter after thinking about what she said.
"Is that a blush I see on your face?".
"I'll be looking for some flowers. I'll be back later.". I just quickly left to go look for some flowers. She is taking way too far ahead. Well. maybe I can try to rush some things and get some worry off my shoulders so me and Shuna can-NO! STOP!
She just nodded and went to a counter while she was looking at me and seeing what I would choose. I just went around browsing and seeing what seemed to fit.
Let's see, Shuna had pink hair, red eyes, and white horns. Maybe, some flowers that match that color scheme should do the trick. I looked for some red flowers first. I don't want to go with a rose, I want something different. I looked around and saw one that seemed nice.
I picked it up and read the flower's name. "Red Chrysanthemum". It looks very nice. Yeah, this one feels right. It smelled kind of sweet and…spicy? Like cinnamon or like menthol.
Now for a white flower. I looked around and saw another one that seemed to stand out. I picked it up and read the name. "White Gardenia". It had a strong smell and some sweetness to it.
Now for the pink flower. There were quite a few, but only one seemed to call out to me. I picked it up and it read, "Pink Hydrangea.". This one didn't have much of a smell to it, but the way it popped was really nice.
Yeah, I think these will do. I went back to the counter. "I would like these flowers in a bouquet, please.". I asked her and I don't think she head me, 'cause she put a hand to her mouth and I could hear her quietly to herself, "Oh my, how wonderful.".
"Yes, of course. I would recommend another flower for you to add.".
"Which one?".
"Some pink peonies should do fine.".
"Uh, ok, that sounds fine.". She seems to know her stuff so I'll trust her on this one. I don't know what it represents, but it must be something good if she recommends it.
She took a few minutes to put it together. I think it was bit long, but when she came back, I saw the bouquet she put together was a bit excessive. It was way too grand for it to just be some kind of small gift or something.
She handed it to me and I took it.
"How much is this going to be?".
She just shook her head. "Don't worry about that. Just know that I completely support you and your decision.".
'What is she talking about? This is just a small gift.'.
"Alright, if you say so. Thank you.".
I thanked her and left the place. That was certainly weird. I'm not saying she needs to be checked on, but someone should calm down her enthusiasm.
Alright, now it's time to go home.
/\\//\\//\
I'm getting really nervous now. This was supposed to be a tiny gift, but what Shuna's mom said to me was giving me different thoughts. This just turned into something else.
I don't get it. I spent a few days talking to some demon lords and making alliances while talking to them without nervousness and with confidence, but now a few words from Shuna's mom and I'm getting nervous and anxious about meeting Shuna.
'This not going how I thought it would.'. I thought to myself.
I was so caught up in my thoughts and feelings that I didn't notice the people around town looking at me and the bouquet of flowers I was holding. If I were a normal bystander of the town, seeing my goddess walking with this extravagant bouquet of flowers to her house, I would think she was about to propose or something.
'Hold on. Did I get played? DId Shuna's mom set me up or something? I think she would do that. I can only imagine what she's been telling Shuna this whole time. No, she may be very enthusiastic, but these things are supposed to take time. There's a right moment for things like that and this isn't it.'.
As I got closer to our home, I started feeling my heart beat faster and harder. I was breathing to try to clam myself down, but I think it only made it worse. It only got worse…or better? I guess it depends on how I look at it.
'I think it's time I confront my feelings. I've fallen in love with Shuna. I don't know if it's supposed to happen this fast, but I guess with her being my literal soulmate, this was going to happen eventually. I guess it makes sense. We live together now and we just traveled together for some days across multiple nations.'.
I was so engrossed in my thinking that I didn't notice that I reached our house. I almost ran into the door. I stood outside for a couple of seconds trying to calm down only to, of course, somehow make it worse. This wasn't the bad kind of nervousness or anxiety. I guess it was the good kind or something. I don't really understand to be honest. I feel like I'm just saying stuff over and over again to try to calm down.
'I'm an absolute mess right now, but I can do this. If I can talk and negotiate with some demon lords with confidence, then I can do something like this. I don't think she'll reject me. We're fated ones, literal soulmates. But what if she does? Is it too soon? I don't know. You know what, forget it, just do it.'.
I entered and I noticed Shuna was in the kitchen. She was making some food, a lot of food. That wasn't the main focus of this anyway.
'One last time. You can do this. I got this. Just get in there, give her the flowers, and tell her you're in love with her. It's nothing too hard or complex. It's something simple and easy to do.'.
I went into the kitchen and Shuna turned her head to look at me. She was going to say something, but then she saw me and the flowers. Her eyes went wide and she started blushing when she saw it.
We stood there in silence for a bit not knowing what to say. Mainly me because I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say something, but it felt like I would just stutter and become a bumbling mess. Nonetheless, I had to say something.
"Um…Uh…So…I…".
'Why is this so hard?'.
"I, uh, got you flowers, Shuna. I'm not really good with flowers and stuff, but um, I tried my best. I thought these flowers are best, 'cause they're kind of like you. Do you like them?".
I held out the flowers to her and she got closer, but instead of reaching for the flowers she wrapped her hands around my hand that was holding the flowers. She looked up at me and looked straight in my eyes.
"There's something else you want to say, right?".
Yeah, I should've expected this. Of course she knows. It's super obvious.
"I…Shuna, I…um…uh…". I was stuttering my words, I was blushing, I was fidgeting, and I was avoiding eye contact.
"Just look at me and say it. You don't need to be so nervous. You said we were fated ones. This was meant to be.".
She's right. I got myself together and looked back at her eyes.
"Shuna…I love you.".
This was it. All the emotions that I had were on overdrive if they weren't before. Her hands were still holding mine. She looked at me with a smile on her face. She seemed more relaxed and the way her eyes were looking at me. It felt so nice.
"Me too. I love you as well, Artoria.".
I pulled her in for a hug. I wrapped both of my arms around her, the flowers making the scene much more romantic. We pulled away a bit, with our arms still wrapped around each other. We looked at each other and we got closer.
We kissed each other. I hugged her harder so that this moment would last longer. I feel so happy right now. We eventually separated from each other and we both knew that there was no coming back from. Our relationship just took a big leap.
I still had the flowers and I asked her, "Does that mean you like the flowers?".
"That's what you ask?".
"Well, I just want to know. This is my first time doing something like this and I want to know how you feel.". I was no longer feeling like a mess. It felt like a great pressure was lifted off of me and was replaced by something much better.
She took the flowers and looked at them. "I love them, Artoria, but I do have a question.".
"Do you know what this flower represents?", she asked as she picked out the pink peony her mom added to the bouquet.
"I don't. I went to a flower shop and I was surprised when it was your mom that was running it. She was the one who recommended that I add it. Why? Does it have a special meaning?".
"I had my suspicions that it was her. One of the things this flower represents is a happy and beautiful marriage.".
"Well, your mom did bring up that topic with you and me when I was getting the flowers, but I told her that it was too soon for that. I guess this was her way of trying to do something.".
I saw Shuna have a little glint in her eye and a small smirk. "Does that mean you have plans for that then? You only said it was 'too soon'. When should I expect you to make a move?".
"Wait! That's not what I-". Wait a second, that's just like her mom. It's like I'm being toyed with right now, but if it's her then I don't mind. I just let out a sigh.
"I know. Come on, I know you'll have a lot to deal with later, but for today it should just be us.".
I just smiled. "Yeah, just the two of us.".