Blush

Luciel hated a lot of things. Rather, he didn't hate these things, he merely thought most things in life weren’t worth his time. If he could get from Point A to Point B without interruptions and in a timely manner, then everything was fine. If he could work through the tasks given to him, and keep that damn crow quiet and off his nerves, then he could go through life without caring about anything else. There was nothing much to care about in life, anyway. 

And then this gorgeous girl had to walk into his life, with a blinding white smile and shining amethyst eyes that took his breath away. His perfect routine and schedule had been put on hold, and suddenly, he couldn’t think straight.

He grabbed Dillon like a piece of meat and chucked him right off his shoulder when the bird cackled at the realization. Seeing Petal every day as they traveled together made his brain feel like slush, and he couldn’t help his cheeks from heating up when she turned to him with a grin. Something in the back of his mind forced him forward, to talk to her, protect her, be there for her. But, another part of his brain backed away out of fear; disturbed by the idea of losing her after getting too close. He sucked a breath in and wondered if that would turn out to be the truth.

 

As the group settled in a little town for the day, and the others went off to do whatever they needed, Lu found himself alone with Petal. Well, alone safe for a chatty crow. Petal loved the bird, as she loved all winged creatures, so while she found his squacks to be endearing, Lu had to hold himself back from blasting the bird until he was naked off his feathers. “Crows aren’t normally pets,” Petal commented, scratching under the bird’s beak. “I’m surprised he’s so well-behaved.”

Lu kept in a scoff, and just smiled. “He’s not well-behaved at all, actually. He only stays with me for food and shelter, I’m sure.”

Dillon bit his ear at that comment, causing the white-haired man to yelp out. His hand went up to cover the side of his head, just as Petal reached out, too. Her hand was so small compared to his, and so warm. The callouses from hours of training were evident on her palms, and Lu thought he short-circuited at the touch. Just as quickly as it happened, Petal’s hand was gone. “Oh, good. You’re not bleeding,” she murmured.

He was close to cursing at Dillon, especially when the bird decided to fly off to God knows where. But he kept his composure. (Well, as best as he could when Petal was looking at him with furrowed eyebrows like that.) 

Petal took his hand into her own and pulled him along.

Was there steam shooting out of his ears?

“You look feverish! Maybe the pain was a shock to your system,” she announced, walking further into town. “Let’s get you some water.”

Lu didn’t dare try to speak, knowing his words would be a spatter of incoherent noises. Instead, he allowed himself to be pulled along by the girl. Was it getting hot? He was steaming. February wasn’t this hot typically, right?

Petal sat him down at a wooden table, the booth seeming to be a fruit and drink stand. He was flabbergasted for a moment, staring ahead like a deer caught by a hunter. When something was placed on the table in front of him, though, he was finally brought to his senses. The glass cup glistened under the sun, condensation running down the sides. The liquid was tinted a light pink, with a lemon slice tucked onto the edge and a leaf of mint floating among the ice. “Lemon water… I hope that’s okay,” Petal said softly, sitting across from him.
“You didn’t get anything…” he murmured, taking hold of the cold drink. 

“I’m okay!” she smiled, “Go on, drink.”

He did as he was told and took a sip. Then, like a man trapped in the desert, he took a few more big gulps until the entire beverage was gone. He hadn’t realized just how parched he was. Just as he was about to turn to her and thank her, a loud caw was heard overhead. Lu turned his head and groaned at the sight of Dillon jumping around on the roof of a nearby building. When he screamed, Lu heard it in Common, but to others, it merely sounded like a crow in distress. “Be a gentleman! Kiss her! Get laid!” With that, Dillon flew off again.

Lu stood up and ordered another water.

 

Lu couldn’t be bothered to think about where the rest of their party wandered off to. Petal seemed content without them, as well, so they merely enjoyed their time walking around town alone. Somehow, he had managed to calm himself down enough as to not panic whenever their arms brushed, but still, Dillon’s stupid bird words stayed in his mind. A kiss? He could never. He had never. Kissing wasn’t something he thought about. But Petal…

Well, to say the least, he had definitely thought about Petal’s lips pressed against his before. They were soft and pink, and she often bit them when she was deep in thought. It was enchanting. 

“Do you like flowers, Lu?” she asked suddenly, and it was then that he realized their steps had slowed and she was admiring a flower stand at the side of the road. 

“Yeah, they’re nice.”

“My mom gives my mother flowers so often. She seems to find a different species to bring home every day,” Petal giggled. “I wonder if that’s what my name comes from.”

Lu thought for a moment, looking at the big bouquets. He could name the more common ones, like roses and daisies, but some of the blossoms were ones he had never seen before. He pointed at purple-tipped white flowers. “Those ones are really pretty,” he commented. 

Petal followed his hand, and made a little noise. “Those are called lisianthus. They’re native to Cruyt Shana, but they can grow just about anywhere in Axonis.”

His eyebrows rose and he stole a glance at her. “You just know that off the top of your head?”

Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled. “Like I said. My parents love flowers.” Then, she looked back to the displays. “Excuse me, how much is just one of these?” she asked the clerk, pointing to a flower that Lu couldn’t see. The clerk offered a price and Petal nodded her head with a smile, pulling coins from her pouch. She was handed a yellow flower, and almost immediately, she cut the stem with one of her daggers. Then, she tucked her behind Lu’s ear. “A yellow hibiscus. It matches your eyes.”

The red pansies surely matched his face, then. Without a thought, he pointed at the lisianthus, and asked the same question. He mirrored her movements, albeit a little clumsily, and let out a deep breath. Then, he tucked the purple flower behind her ear, too. He brushed away the black strands of hair, and his hand lingered there as he stared at those sparkling eyes. When he realized what he was doing, it was because Petal giggled at him. Her cheeks were pink, too.

“Sorry, I--” he struggled to find his voice.

“No, it’s okay,” she shook her head, and took his hand. She held it there between them, and smiled at him. “That was really sweet.”

 

By the time night had fallen, Procyon had found the two for just a moment to tell them what inn he would be staying at for the night. He wandered off almost right after telling them that, and Lu was actually thankful for such a thing. The night was much colder, and though both of them were covered with their fur lined winter clothes, Petal still shivered. It was something Lu had almost forgotten about; the fact that other people felt the cold more than he ever did. He bit his lip and put an arm around her shoulder as they stood at a bridge’s railing. “It snows in Mistral rarely,” Petal commented, rubbing her bare hands together. “But I really cannot get used to the cold.”

“Yeah, it’s… rough, sometimes,” Lu said softly, a little disappointed that she didn’t react to what he assumed to be a fairly suave move. 

But then, Petal leaned against him, her height making it so her head rested against his shoulder. One step closer.

“I hope we can spend time together like this again,” she murmured, turning her chin to look up at him. “It was nice.”

“Yeah…” He swallowed as she smiled at him. She looked back to the river that flowed through the town, the stars reflecting against the indigo water and twinkling in the dark. The night around them was nearly silent, save for the flowing water and the light breeze that had picked up. Petal hummed under her breath and nestled closer to him, and finally, Lu felt like the world could explode around him, and everything would still be okay.

He whispered her name, and his arm moved away. He hoped for just a moment that his hands weren’t cold as he cupped her face. Before he closed his eyes, he swore she smiled. 

Petal’s lips were warm, soft. Everything he hoped for. She leaned closer, up and into the kiss, and her arms snaked around his neck. He let his hands travel down to her waist and hold her there, and Petal deepened the kiss when she felt the touch. Lu didn’t want to pull away, but Petal was the first to do so. He kept his eyes closed, and his mouth still stayed slightly opened. With the way he was hunched over, Petal could press her forehead to his. “Lu,” she whispered.

The white-haired man opened his eyes and found her gazing at him. He hummed, not trusting his voice.

“I was waiting for you to do that.”