Genre : Angst to fluff.

Summary : After an argument between you and William occurs before a big mission, you get injured and become amnesic.

Trigger warning : mention of injuries, mention of amnesia.

Word count : 2,818.

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"I'm sorry, Captain Vangeance. We have done all we could to save her, but we are not sure about the extent of the damage her head injury has inflected. We may only know when she wakes up." The doctor informed the young captain in a sorrowful tone.

William did not utter a word in response, yet his eyes had a darker tone that was as clear as day, "You may leave." The doctor sighed in defeat at the sound of his dismissal and left the room.

The stillness in the room was far from reassuring; if anything, it promised wrath to anyone who had dared to disturb William's peace.

His head turned towards your direction; his majestical purple eyes glued on your face as he sank in his thoughts.

William had calculated every single movement before he performed a plan. But on that fateful day, you and William had a major argument; the first and certainly most intense in your relationship. Even though, you both put your feelings aside and proceeded with your mission for the day. However, what William didn't expect was how you'd appear out of nowhere to take a lethal attack for him.

Since he was still affected by the fight you two had, he had been more reckless and agressive than the Golden Dawn had ever seen. But such recklessness blinded his eyes from seeing the bandit's attack directed at him.

It had been ages since Vangeance felt rage course though his veins; and yet it was all he had felt as he caught your limp body in his arms.

William's gaze lingered a little longer on your sleeping face as he stood next to your bedside. Ice froze his eyes for a moment before a transparent layer of softness glazed over them when he noticed your chest raise and fall with each breath you took.

He knew that keeping you by his side whenever he went would be dangerous for you. However, he trusted your abilities to protect yourself against your opponents.

He knew, and yet he still decided to be selfish and keep you close to him. The proper reason he gave to himself was so that he could protect you when needed.

But he didn't expect you'd go as far as to sacrifice yourself for him, even when you had your differences.

Had he been a cold-hearted captain, he would have considered it as your duty to protect him. But for you, he held a certain soft spot he couldn't deny.

So, when he confronted you about this fuzzy feeling you leave him with, it was one of the warmest conversations you two had ever had. "If you accept, I would like to court you, my love." He admitted bluntly while the two of you sat by the river in the forest behind the base. From that day forward, your relationship fruited in mutual respect and love.

You didn't stir the slightest when William left the room, nor did you stir in your sleep for the next few weeks. The captain had to balance between his duties and taking care of you. He knew that he had to distract himself with his work so that time could pass quicker; yet, everyone at the Golden Dawn could tell that his heart and soul was still with you.

When the day was uneventful, he would personally look after you; he would wipe you down, feed you, comb your hair, and spend the day reading you your favourite book and quotes.

"I heard that sometimes, people in a coma can hear everything going on outside." Mimosa had told him. He found it unlikely to happen, but he still considered the possibility of its occurrence.

The moment you woke up, you were bombarded by squad members running around and questioning you to the point that it freaked you out.

William was immediately notified of your awakening. He left in the middle of a meeting with the wizard king and the other captains and flew at record speed to your room. All protocol, hidden affection, and patience were thrown out the window.

All he asked for was forgiveness.

"(Y/n)." Your name left his lips in a tight whisper. He expected an angry response from you, to ignore him, or even swear at him; yet as soon as you saw him, your eyes were full of confusion and fear.

William had seen such expression aimed at him before, but never from you.

"W-Who are you?" You asked in a timid voice. And never had William thought that a simple question could crash his entire world.

The captain didn't move from his spot by the door; his entire body became frozen. Indeed, he had said awful things to you during the argument, but he didn't foresee his punishment to be this harsh. The doctor who had been instructed to examine you after your awakening decided it was time to start his examination.

"Do you remember your name?" He asked in a careful tone.

You took some time to think. Yet, it was enough to make the doctor expect your shake of head. The panic that threatened to overwhelm you when you realized how you couldn't remember anything shook your being from head to toe.

But the doctor was quick to step in and offer you a pat on the shoulder as a form of reassurance.

"Do you remember any of the attendees here?" He asked next in a gentle voice. Your eyes traveled from a face to the next through a layer of tears. You couldn't recognize any of the squad members except for Mimosa.

"I... recognize you." Mimosa smiled warmly at you, and the doctor nodded in affirmation. Unbeknownst to you, your confirmation gave a thin thread of hope to William that you would also recognise him.

As you continued your assessment, you couldn't recognize the rest of the members, until your eyes landed on a pair of purple eyes.

His eyes reminded you of royalty and luxury; a promise of protection and comfort; a magical portal to a wonderful soul; and a mystery that waited for you to solve.

You felt a tingle inside your chest. A memory of warmth and familiarity whispered in your heart. You couldn't quite understand why, but you felt very attracted to him.

"Do you recognize him?" The doctor questioned when he noticed your gaze linger on William longer than the other. The rest of the squad members held their breaths as they turned to gaze at their captain.

You studied his features carefully, but the most mesmerising thing about his face was his mask. You fished for any indication, any memory, any idea of who he might be.

But all you were met with was a silent void.

When you shook your head, William didn't find any more reason to linger in your chamber. So, he left without looking back.

~~

Despite the anger he felt towards himself for the major role he had played for such incident to occur, he tried to reason with himself that you needed him more than ever before. Yet, you still favorised your time with Mimosa than anyone else.

"It's normal that (Y/n) will prefer to stay close to the one thing she remembers. Separating her from the girl for the time being will only slow and, perhaps, stagnate her recovery." The doctor advised him.

Thus, William decided to start a new, blank chapter with you. After all, the last you had heard and seen from him were hurtful words and a cold shoulder as he left you crying on your bed.

The first few days were rough. William had to restrain himself from holding you, kissing you, or asking for your forgiveness. All he could do was witness you dive deeper in your depression as you only allowed Mimosa to enter and exit your room. So, he worked on having you feel comfortable around him again.

He started by leaving you trays of food and drinks by the door, encouraging you to go back to your old hobbies, asking your friends to visit you.

Little by little, you started coming out of your shell, and you began to trust him.

During the day, a walk around the garden had become a sacred morning ritual to both of you.

"How about a small garden in that corner? We could plant vegetables or fruits there." You had asked him on the first day you two went out on a walk.

"But there are plenty of flowers and plants around the base. Do you not find any of them pleasant?" William was confused by your offer, but you still gave him a sheepish smile.

"They are beautiful, indeed. But how about a small one only you and I will take care of? Plus, it will help supply food for the team." You reasoned. That day, William's heart fluttered to see glimpses of your old self still present. The old self who always prioritised others. And he held into that sign to hope that you would recover your memories of him, someday.

With a warm smile and a spontaneous kiss to your forehead, William nodded and cleared his schedule to help you with it. Thus began the journey of planting and growing veggies and fruits.

You both knew that the amount you had from your small garden could not be compared to how much was consumed every day by the team, but you were proud of yourselves, nonetheless.

The bonding that such shared activity allowed you re-form was all worth it.

As days turned to months, you finally began regaining recollections of basic, personal information about yourself, such as your name, your favorite dish when you were a kid, and your previous pet's name.

Throughout your recovery, you spent hours in the garden taking care of the small vegetables and fruits you had planted. Sometimes, the other members of the squad would join you and help however they could.

All while William watched from the window of his office with a satisfied smile plastered on his face when he wasn't able to tag in.

During the nights, you would wait for William join you by the fireplace and engage in different types of discussions. In one of your conversations, you had asked about the nature of your relationship prior to your incident.

You couldn't miss the look of hurt that his eyes tried to conceal as he told you that you were just friends. You didn't dare press him for further information.

Dismissing the strange conversation, you enjoyed each and every moment you spend with the golden captain. The fuzzy feeling in your chest grew into affection, and then into love towards the young, masked man. Yet, you were curious about what hid beneath the mask. One day, you asked him about it, but with a small smile, he said he would tell you when he was ready.

On the other hand, William had already shown you his face long before even the elves' invasion. And despite all odds, you still accepted him with wide, welcoming arms.

It was then that William realized that his love for you was unmeasurable. And it was the reason why he made sure you stayed unharmed while he was helping Patri with his plans. Even the elf had grown found of you.

But now he feared that your reaction might be different, that you might detest the look of him.

And he couldn't risk loosing you for a second time.

~~

On one particular night, you and William were having your usual sit across the fireplace. As you were talking about your days, you noticed that his eyes held a darker tone in them, and he would often turn his head to stare at the fire with an expression full of sorrow and anguish.

Although you had lost your memories, you were not oblivious to your surroundings. You had noticed how William seemed to refrain himself from crossing boundaries or taking advantage of your lack of memories.

You had noticed how he would look at renewed favorite flower and his eyes would cloud in sadness; thus why he shut himself afterwards.

And you had noticed how he would stare at you with a dreamy look on his face, as if reliving some unknown memory to you. But when he realizes he was too lost in his dreams of you, he would smile at you reassuringly and ask you to continue your speech.

You had noticed it all, and you couldn't help but suspect that you two were more than just friends as he had told you before.

"William?" The sound of his name leaving your lips never ceased to make William's heart skip a beat.

"Yes?" He turned to look at you with a smile. A smile that tried to hide a mystery from you.

"I... I had a particular memory today." You started; your fingers played with the elegant dress William had gifted you.

The masked man hummed in response; a sign of encouragement for you to continue.

"It was about us." You didn't fail to notice how William' eyes widened in disbelief. You allowed another beat of silence to pass before you resumed your speech, "We were at the forest behind the base. I... I remember it was our favourite spot. You had told me that it was because it allowed you to disconnect from the outside world and bond with nature that this spot had become a favorite." Your eyes dropped to look back at your fingers.

"I remember you had asked me to accompany you there because you had something important to tell me. We took a walk by the river towards our favourite spot, and there you revealed to me your face." William's breath was so quiet you couldn't hear it.

Or maybe he wasn't breathing at all.

"I remember you telling me tales from your childhood and how the scar had affected your life from a young age. Yet, I remember the promise I made to you to love you for your person and not your appearance." Your finger finally ceased to fidget with your clothes.

"That was the day you confessed your love to me." You lifted your head to look at William, but you didn't expect to see him with his mask off, and tears streaming endlessly down his face.

You bolted upright and hurried to his spot. He had already covered his eyes with his palm as his teeth clenched together in an attempt to contain his sobs.

However, once he felt your arms wrap around his shoulders, he collapsed into your embrace and clenched your dress in a tight grip; afraid as if an unknown, powerful force would snatch you away from him.

You whispered sweet nothings to his ear as you left him to pour his emotions to you. In fact, you also couldn't help the forcing wetness that overwhelmed your eyes from seeing the love of your life so vulnerable.

He pressed his face to your chest, and his screams of apologies and pleas for your forgiveness were muffled by your dress. You squeezed him closer to your body where no space was left between you.

His tears stained your dress and collarbone, but you gave it no mind for your main goal was to calm the hyperventilating man in your hold.

"I am aware of the argument we had that day, but I chose to protect you with my life despite what happened. We do have to work our differences, but none of us hold responsibility that this has happened because I don't regret protecting you. If anything, you would have done the same for me." You pinched his soaked cheek jokingly.

William chuckled breathlessly at your gesture and nodded his head repeatedly, "Yes... Yes, I would have... without hesitation." He further emphasized. You smiled genuinely at him, and he returned the favor.

Slowly, you started to lean down towards his face, and so did he; eventually your lips met halfway. Who would have thought that a sweet, simple touch of your lips against his could send electric waves through your veins.

Despite having no recollection of kissing him, your lips followed the rythm spontaneously; as if it was a song that they had sung numerous times before.

As the kiss turned hungrier, William had to break the contact, which triggered a small whine from you. He closed his eyes and brought your forehead to lay against his; a smile finally traced his lips.

"My heart will always belong to yours." He announced as his palms cupped the sides of your face; his thumbs brushed your jawline to your tragus and back.

Beneath his touch, William could sense how warm your skin had become as a faint blush painted your cheeks and the tip of your ears.

"So will mine to yours." You responded with a pleasant voice.

. . . 🌼 . . .

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