A short Kataang Oneshot written for my one year being in the fandom. Yeah. Weird... I know.
3rd person.

I own nothing.

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How many years has it been?

It seemed like only yesterday that she broke him out of that iceberg; the one thing that changed her life forever. It was that simple action that gave her so much hope, and so many new memories.

Every little bit of their time together was still fresh in her mind; even if years had already passed, and even if they really hadn't. His goofy antics that made her laugh more than anything, that made her feel more like a kid than anything else in the world. He reminded her that she was still a child, and she reminded him that he had something to do. They kept each other on the same level from the very moment they met, and it would always be like that.

What about his flirting that she was so oblivious to? How long had that been going on at that time? Little words and expression, smiles that he gave only her… she wondered why she didn't see them when they were right in front of her, when he wanted her to know they were there. She only realized them and came to terms with them after quite some time went by. And only then did she finally flirt, even lightly, back at him. She was always happy to see a blush flare on his cheeks, getting the desired effect, even if she didn't always return it when he did the same.

Then how long had it been since they finally saw eye to eye? That both of them started to see the passion that was building up, the more frequent flirting, the nervous behavior, sidelong glances at each other from across the room? It seemed to last for ages, these awkward moments between these two. Only when he finally decided to say something about it, leaving her speechless, and then have his lips brush lightly against hers did every wall come crashing down. When she felt herself leaning in to it, she asked herself how she could have gone on without that sensation for what felt like years and years.

As she lay next to the only one that clouded her thoughts this readily, she sighed. Snuggling nearer to him, so his chest was pressed against her back, she began to think everything over once again, probably for the millionth time in however long it had been. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as he pulled her towards him. Placing her hands on top of his, she let her fingers run absently along the arrows that ended there. When she sighed once again, a bit more loudly this time, he pulled her even closer to him. She loved the comfort that just feeling his body against hers brought, and it stopped her thoughts almost immediately.

She felt him bring his face closer to hers, placing a very light kiss on her jaw line. The skin where his lips touched felt warm, as it always did, and as it probably always would. It made her smile, a blush quickly appearing on her cheeks.

He blew lightly on the skin he just kissed, making her shiver, and followed up to blow just a bit of air right in to her ear. His lips rested barely against her ear as he inhaled lightly and began to whisper. He whispered three words that anyone could really say, but only he really meant when they were said to her. She was the only one he'd ever say them to, and he was the only one she ever wanted to hear them from.

"I love you…" It made her ears turn red from both the heat of his breath and the warmth of his words.

She smiled and repeated those words just as lightly as he did, as if they were a secret that only he was allowed to hear. He placed one last kiss on her neck before he stifled a yawn. She heard his breathing calm as he drifted back to sleep, his grip on her not weakening in the slightest.

Only lying awake for a few more moments, she let her thoughts from before come back to mind. While she lay there with the one that triggered all these memories, she laughed inwardly, finding them rather silly in retrospect. She yawned, lacing her fingers between his as she drifted off. Her final thoughts of that night pondered why, through all of the hints and realization, it took her as many years as it felt to find herself where she was; in his arms, drifting to sleep after whispering words only they needed to hear to each other.