mon trésor

[misheard]

Title: mon trésor
Fandom: Fate/Grand Order
Character(s): Ritsuka, Dantes
Pairing(s): Dantes/Ritsuka
Genre: Fluff/Smut
Word Count: 1,003
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Spoilers
Summary: After everything is over, Ritsuka thanks Dantes.
Notes:

---

It is becoming nearly impossible to tell who's on what side, now. Holmes was their trusted friend, except he wasn't, except he died to stay their ally. U-Olga Marie was their enemy, except she forgot, except she remembered, except she sacrificed herself to save them anyway. Daybit was their enemy, except he helped them, except Marisbury was their real enemy, except they were both enemies.

Ritsuka wishes she could say she's completely surprised when Marisbury addresses Dantes as an apostle. She isn't. Of course it would be him, of course it would be the Servant most precious to her who would be on the other side. She's not surprised, just hurt.

And Dantes - laughs, of course, but with a note of disbelief. "Do you truly believe me to be on your side? I slipped loose of your bonds long ago! How foolish of me to assume you knew something so obvious."

---

When all is finally, finally said and done, when the Earth is restored to its proper color and vibrancy, of course there is a celebration. Goredolf cooks up a feast like none other, the Nemo Marines run about showering everyone with confetti, and Ritsuka - Ritsuka slips out at the earliest opportunity.

It's not that she's not happy it's over. Nor that she's avoiding anyone. But after all this, she thinks she's earned a little rest. And - besides that, there is someone she needs to thank privately.

In her room, the shadows on the wall flicker even before she says, "Count."

Dantes appears at her side, the same as always. "You never were one for being the center of festivities, my conspirator."

She waves a hand vaguely, settling back onto her bed. "I'll go back after I've had a break. It's just a little too noisy in there, and… Well, mostly, I wanted to thank you."

He scoffs. "You no more need to thank me for escaping a prison than you need to thank a bird for flying. That remains true, no matter the nature of the cage."

"I know," she says. "That's even more why I have to thank you. You wouldn't stay anywhere you didn't want to be. And - you stayed with me, this whole time." She could say that he stayed with Chaldea, but even without how loaded that term has become recently, she knows it's her, specifically, he's chosen.

His weight dips the mattress next to her. "…What will you do, now that you are free?"

"I haven't really let myself think about it. I've just been focused on the goal right in front of me." It's let Ritsuka get this far without going mad, but now that she has no goal, she's a little at a loss. "…Edmond?"

He doesn't verbally acknowledge the name, but his eyes are bright enough to show he's listening.

"Even if there's no more enemies left to fight, even if the world doesn't need saving again, even if I don't need your protection anymore… would you still stay with me?"

Dantes' expression softens, and he leans in closer. "It's far too late for you to be rid of me," he says, a promise in so many words.

She smiles, before pressing her lips to his.

There's no hurry. Ritsuka kisses him slowly and in detail, his hat put aside so she can run her fingers through his hair. He holds her close, shadowy claws more comforting to her than anyone else's human hands.

Gradually, he lays her back on the bed, once lazy kisses now thrumming with want. His claws aren't well suited for buttons, but she doesn't want him to change ascensions, so she pulls her shirt off over her head and then goes for his.

She knows the map of his scars, knows which lines make him shiver when she brushes her fingers over them. He knows the pricks of his claws into her skin will only make her gasp her encouragement, and that later she'll wear the marks with no small amount of pride.

"We should be quiet," Ritsuka says. Her eyes are sparkling. "Someone might be looking for me."

It is, transparently, a challenge. One that Dantes clearly has no desire to resist, as he presses a kiss full of teeth below her jaw and draws out a moan.

More clothes make their way to the floor in a haphazard heap. Ritsuka's skirt most certainly has tears that she'll have to fix later, but that's a thought for later. Right now is for Dantes, his warmth as he presses into her, the bites he litters over her neck and chest.

He doesn't do gentle, but he can do slow. Each movement has his power behind it, deep enough for her to feel it through her whole body. He leaves scratch marks on her hips and his name on her tongue, over and over again.

"Edmond, Edmond, oh…!"

Dantes isn't as loud as her, but neither is he completely silent. Between hitches of breath he murmurs words she doesn't know but understands. Whether French or Japanese, she can tell words of love by way he says them.

She reaches for his hand and entwines her fingers with his claws, and startles a smile out of him before he covers it up. Even then, it still shines through in his eyes and the flush on his cheeks.

He moves faster now, and the bed creaks beneath them. Ritsuka's world narrows to just him, just them together, and nothing else in the world could matter. She has no thought of someone overhearing her cries because no one else exists.

When she comes, it is a full body experience, toes curling, back arching. She squeezes tightly around him, and he follows her soon after. Even when he's spent, they stay joined together for a minute longer.

"…You know, I don't think I'll go back to the party after all." She nestles her head in the crook of his shoulder. "-I love you, Edmond."

The kiss he presses to her hair is answer enough.