your faith was strong but you needed proof

Edgar was pleased that his little alcove was up to Antaa’s standards. He could see she was afraid of setting the tree on fire, and instead shook his head back and forth, scooting ever so slightly closer to her. ”Antaa you aren’t going to hurt anyone, or anything here.” He murmured quietly. Sure she was always much warmer than normal, but hardly a thing he couldn’t deal with. Instead, his cold little body tried to get as close (but not weirdly close) as possible. ”You know you’re welcome here anytime you’d like.” He stated, glancing ever so carefully in her direction to see if maybe he was outstepping his boundaries just a tad. He strongly believe Antaa didn’t realize just how much her presence made him happy. Sure he was never alone with Elsa per se, but with Antaa, he felt like he was worth something.

Elsa tensed at his laugh, still trying to debate whether or not she was the world’s most awkward being. Thankfully, Darwin didn’t seem to mind as he reinforced the idea of a “date”. She felt safe wrapped in his wings, and she gently lipped at the skin she could reach on his chest, finding comfort in knowing he was there. However, what she hardly expected was the sudden word of love leaving Darwin’s mouth. Her own motions paused, before she quickly shoved her nose into his chest as if that was going to stop her sudden lurch of surprise and nervousness. Instead of being able to speak, she nodded ever so tentatively, pulling back, sadly, from Darwin’s embrace to look at him. ”Darwin, I love you with everything I have.” She murmured quietly, trying once again to force her taller bod beneath his neck in an act of hiding. ”I just don’t want to get hurt- but you make me feel like I’m wanted.” Her voice creaked, threatening to turn into a sob story but instead, she refused to ruin the situation because of her fears. ”You’re the first one that makes me feel like I’m more than just a passing glance.” Oxy, nor Tembovu had ever made her feel this way. Oxy, although she loved that broken man to a fault, was someone she knew she could never truly fulfill happiness with. And the Elephant King, well she had been nothing more than a nighttime bang to pass the time. ”Darwin, I know it’s selfish. But I don’t ever want you to leave.” She said absentmindedly, beginning to once again lip gently at his skin, her mind seemingly lost in thought, but also laser focused on the situation at hand. ”I love you.” She finally whispered, afraid to say anything more.

Edgar from the tree was acutely aware of the emotional change in Elsa. He shifted for a moment, focusing in on what exactly was happening. And boy did Elsa not block a single thing from him. Once he picked up on exactly what was happening, he turned to Antaa with a beaky grin. ”You know Antaa, since today seems to be the day for confessing love, lemme take a moment to tell you that I love you Antaa. And more than just a friend.” He paused for a moment, bashfully looking away. In his head, it had sounded suave and sleek. Yet, here he was, his bravado replaced with a nervous downward glance. ”It’s why I want you to come here at night to sleep, and why I want to be with you all the time. I want to fall asleep knowing you’re safe.” It may or may not have been why he spent so long looking for such a tree. It could keep them both safe and hidden. In fact, Elsa technically wasn’t the one to decide where to stay, it had been him. ”If you don’t like it here, I can find something else. I just want you to be happy. I want to show you just how much I love you.” There was an odd mix of pride and nervousness spun together as he finally stopped talking to allow Antaa to speak, should she decide not to fly off into the sunset.

the icebound