Starting Anew Caius x Reader

        After traveling all over the world, and even through time itself, Caius had finally come to peace with his past and was now able to rest without the nightmares of what had been disrupting his dreams. Just Getting him to this point was in itself the hardest journey either of you had ever made. The long, exhausting days of walking on and on had come to an end yes, but your journey with him was nowhere near over. On the contrary, it was just beginning.

Standing alone at the beaches of Oerba, you waited silently for Caius to return home. While living in what was now little more than ruins was definitely not an easy thing to do, both you and Caius agreed that it was for the best. There weren't many places he would be accepted, and seeing as he was more than capable of living off of the earth, it seemed like the most logical thing to do. You still often longed for more companionship than just his alone, and you hoped that with more time he would come out from his seclusion. For now, however, you were happy just to have a place you could call home.

“I should have known you'd be here.” Pulling you away from your thoughts, and out of your loneliness Caius stood beside you on the dark, windy beach and placed his large hand on your shoulder. “You spend more time by the water every day.”

Glad for his company, you somewhat shyly snuggled yourself into his arms and rested your head against his chest. “I know I do. The water helps me think.”

Now holding you in a loose embrace, Caius responded with a half-hearted nod. Even after all this time, he still hadn't been able to open himself up to you fully. It wasn't unusual for him to come across as cold or distant when speaking to you. You knew he didn't mean to come across that way, but it could still be a bit hurtful. You truly hoped that in time, that too would change for the better. Unsure what to say or do, he slowly released you from his hold and turned away. “It's getting dark. You should come inside.”

“I guess you're right. I hadn't noticed how long I'd been out here.” Leaving the gentle, soothing sounds of the waves behind you, you followed Caius into the dusty, stone ruins that lay just off the shore. Getting around at night could be a terribly dangerous task. There was very little light, and occasionally, some sort of monster would wander far too close for comfort. When that happened of course, Caius was quick to do whatever necessary to keep you safe.

Worried by your lack of speech, Caius once again attempted to make conversation with you as he started a small fire within the ruins. “You're more quiet than usual this evening. Is there something bothering you?”

Wanting to put his mind at ease as quickly as possible, you shook your head and offered and explanation for your silence. “Oh, n-no, that's not it at all. I'm just thinking to myself, again. I do that a lot you know. When you're all by yourself a lot of the time, you start thinking more.”

“I see. I suppose that is true.” He stood back from the warmth of the fire, the harsh shadows dancing across his strong face as the flames flickered and crackled. For a moment, everything went deafeningly quiet. The atmosphere between the two of you changed drastically, but not in a bad way. Something was about to happen, you could feel it before he said anything. “If you're up for it, I have a small surprise for you. I'm sure it is nowhere near as grand as you deserve, nonetheless, it should bring at least a small smile to your face.”

The very idea of him giving you a gift, or taking his time to do something special for you brought a bright pink blush to your cheeks. He'd done things for you before, but he'd done his best to do them in secret. Until now, he hadn't wanted you to know when he'd gone out of his way to make things easier or more comfortable for you. The fact that he was willing to let you know that what he'd done, he'd done with you in mind was yet another step in the right direction. “Y-you didn't have to do anything for me. I don't know what to say.”

Caius shook his head, chuckling quietly under his breath. “You don't even know what I've done yet. Wait here while I make things ready.” Smiling just enough for you to see, he took a large, flaming branch from the fire to see by and started to walk away. “Would it be too much to ask, if I wanted you to close your eyes for a moment?”

“No, not at all.” Even though you knew the surprise couldn't possibly be anything particularly grand, you were still unbelievably excited for it. With your eyes tightly shut, you impatiently waited for him to come back for you.

“My apologies for the wait.” Before your eyes were opened, Caius helped you onto your feet and led you away from your spot by the fire. A moment later he stopped walking, stood behind you and placed both of his hands on your shoulders. “You may open your eyes now.”

Unable to wait any longer, you opened your eyes. What you saw in front of you was enough to make you cry. The once crumbling stone walls had been repaired and were now lined with small, yet elegant looking lanterns. Not only could you now see where you were going when walking around at night, the new, repaired walls would keep you safe from beasts if Caius was away. Yes, it was only this one, small section of the ruins that had been repaired, but knowing how much time, and work he'd put into this warmed your heart and filled your eyes with tears. “H-how in the world did you do this without me knowing?”

“Ah, that is a secret I fear I must keep, at least for now. Just know that it wasn't done over night. This was the reason I have been absent so much as of late. ” Chuckling against your neck, he wrapped his arms around your waist and dropped his head down just enough to whisper in your ear. “Tell me, this does make you happy, correct?”

“No.” You shook your head, trying to calm yourself down enough to speak in a normal tone. “Happy, isn't nearly a strong enough word for what I feel right now. This is absolutely amazing.” Turning in his arms, you hugged him as tightly as you could. “Thank you Caius. You doing this, really does mean a whole lot to me.”

Unsure how to respond to your thanks, Caius cleared his throat and attempted to change the subject. It was more than a little bit odd seeing someone as serious as him flustered and uncomfortable over something as simple as a thank you. “There is still much to do, however, as I'm sure you're aware. There are many more walls that need mending, as well as the roof.”

“I'm sure we can get everything fixed up. There are plenty of materials we can use around here, so it shouldn't be too hard to keep the project going. And now that I know what you're doing, I could give you a hand with whatever you might need.” Having something to keep your mind, and your hands busy, was going to be wonderful. The fact that you'd be spending more time with Caius was even better. You knew the more time the two of you spent together, the more of his armor you'd be able to chip away. If he'd already come this far, you knew it wouldn't be long before he let you in completely. “I wish it wasn't so late. I'm so excited now, I'll never be able to sleep. Actually, I don't even think I'll be able to close my eyes.”

“Had I known this would excite you so, I would have waited until morning. The effect would not have been as great, however, seeing as the lanterns would have promptly been over looked. In any case, I'm sure you'll fall asleep eventually.” He looked over the work that he'd done, and sighed knowing how much more there was to do. “Right now, I know being here isn't at all ideal for you, but over time, I do hope to make this place livable for the two of us.” A slight look of sadness suddenly appeared on his face. “That is, if you don't plan to leave me.”

“I don't know why you'd even think about me leaving you at this point. You've been pretty mean to me in the past, and you've pushed me far past what I thought I could ever handle. I've been with you through dangers and all sorts of hardships. And you know what?” Rising onto your tip toes so you could better reach him, you placed a sweet, heartfelt kiss on his lips and beamed from ear to ear. “After everything that's happened, I haven't left you yet, have I?”

“No, you haven't.” Openly smiling, he ran his fingers through your windswept hair and leaned down for another kiss. “And for that I am eternally grateful.”