One Fear vs. Another

Making the Leap

Abruptly, their roles of leader and follower changed. He felt Ferdinand stop short and pull Hubert back before the rocks above tore apart the stone bridge in front of them leading to safety. "Be careful," Ferdinand did chastise him, frowning. "I have told you before, you are too quick to put yourself in harm's way."

"You would have made it," Hubert insisted flatly, keeping his distance from the crumbling ledge to examine the gap. With each roar from inside, more fell away. They would have to jump, and they were running out of time. He had scarcely turned to Ferdinand to say as much when the blur of brilliant reds, golds, and long curls of orange hair blurred past Hubert to the other side with a solid thump. He spun on a heel, grinning and arms open wide.

"And now for you!"

"Yes," he agreed, swallowing. "Now for me." He slid his foot out towards the ledge, careful not to lift it and place it anywhere that might be unstable. His feet should be positioned shoulder-width apart for stability. The distance he had to jump was just shy of two meters, nothing to be concerned with. Hubert could jump up to two and half with a running start, which he didn't need. All he had to do was make the leap.

"Yes, now would be delightful," Ferdinand encouraged, the unspoken question dappling in his eyes like sunlight across a pond. Hubert noted that he should read less poetry, regardless of what Ferdinand insisted upon.

"I'm simply preparing," Hubert spoke over another distant roar that shook the nearby window, rattling through his legs unhelpfully. He must have blanched at it because the next response he saw from Ferdinand was realization. Eyebrow-raising, surprised discovery that Hubert, the cunning spymaster with a sinister reputation shrouded in shadows, was afraid of heights.

"Well, I advise you to use that brilliant mind of yours to prepare faster, Hubert," he aimed for keeping the mood light, mixing paralytic dread with an unsolicited compliment that merely served to make his heart pound faster.

"Not now, Ferdinand," he hissed, analyzing the gap again. All he had to do was push off and prepare himself to land uninjured on the opposite side. Locking his legs or freezing up mid-jump would almost surely lead to a sprain or worse, and Linhardt would never let him hear the end of it.

"Actually, now is the perfect time," Ferdinand answered, somewhat strained and entirely missing the point.

"I meant you shouldn't distract me!"

The silence that earned him was promising, but it didn't last. Not due to the falling stones or the dragon within the castle they were attempting to escape, but—of course—Ferdinand.

"Is it distracting when I compliment you, Hubert?"

Lifting his attention from the gap to the smiling prime minister in front of him, Hubert thought the phrase don't you dare with such intensity that he was certain it would be conveyed directly to Ferdinand. Sadly, that wasn't so.

"Then perhaps you should use those long, graceful legs of yours to cross this gap to safety."

The strangled noise that came from him was both embarrassing and indignant, but at least it got Hubert to move again. Moving to where the gap was smaller and out of the reach of any new rocks that might fall, Hubert bent his knees and—planned. Ignoring Ferdinand, he did his best to focus on the best method to safely cross that distance rather than the grinning man holding his arms open from a safe place.

"Surely, you must know I am very capable of catching you as you leap into my arms! Your impressive height is exceptionally attractive, I will grant you that," he said lightly, but his faint, enduring blush suggested there was more honesty to it than he meant to share. Which only intensified the effect it had on Hubert's ability to think. "But I'm certain my considerable strength will be more than enough to support you."

"Ferdinand," he scolded, or tried to, but it was difficult to take himself seriously when he felt warmth creeping into his face to replace the dank chill of fear.

"What is it, Hubert? I am only eager to assist you. After all, I could never allow harm to befall someone as beloved to me as you!"

"That's quite enough of your mockery," he attempted to enforce his prior stance, but it felt strained and disjointed even in his own mind. The one fear he could never shake, and the one bright-eyed noble he could never fully resent no matter how venomous their arguments, and now Hubert had to contend with both. Once more for good measure, Hubert cursed the goddess for her wanton cruelty.

"It's no mockery," he corrected, smiling as though they weren't on a crumbling bridge and every second Hubert wasted was another when they were all in danger. "But if you truly wish me to stop, you must jump, Hubert."

"Do you think I'm not trying?!"

"I know you are, as you apply yourself with all that you have to every task you undertake," he praised freely while an ominous crack carried through the stone wall running alongside the former bridge, bringing down a cloud of dust behind Ferdinand. "And I know I'll have you in my arms, safe and sound, not a moment too late."

At last, the discomfort of his very sentimental, dramatic, and very public proclamations overpowered the fear of falling. It didn't even matter that there was no one in sight but them to hear it. Hubert ran ahead, pushing off as the stone gave way beneath him and he stumbled into Ferdinand's steady arms. For a second, they simply stared at one another, Ferdinand with his arm behind Hubert's back for support and Hubert with his hand using Ferdinand's shoulder for balance.

"Now you see how insightful I am," Ferdinand masked his relief poorly, the concern fading from his marigold eyes and smoothing out his wrinkled brow. "Don't I get a reward for rescuing such a handso—"

"The castle is still falling," Hubert interrupted, rushed and repositioning to stand on his own.

"And I must insist you follow me to safety!"

Allowing Ferdinand to take his gloved hand with his gauntled one, Hubert went along with his heroics. He did rescue him, after all. But that would be reward enough. If he wanted more than that from Hubert, Ferdinand would no doubt find a way to those results with his usual persistent optimism. As for Hubert trailing after him, hand-in-hand down unstable staircases and over a notably sturdier bridge into war-torn fields, he was rewarded by the knowledge that he'd been correct about overcoming his fear of heights in one regard. The view was certainly something to behold.

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Jam's Note:

If you enjoyed, click that star and/or leave a comment! They both help motivate me to keep writing. Also, keep an eye out for the patron-only poll on on August 1st to vote for patron exclusive content.

Just for context, this was originally written as part of Ferdibert Week in 2020 on Twitter/AO3. The external link goes to that work.