Surprise Flowers
((writing prompt from @write-it-motherfuckers ))
Reyna wasn’t sure what to make of these flowers she kept finding on her doorstep every single day. At first, she thought they were a gift out of mourning; they’d started showing up a few days after her parents had disappeared. She thought they would have stopped too... but it was well into the fourth month, and a bouquet appeared every single day, always a little different from the previous one. She’d tried everything she could think of to catch whoever this was in the act, but none of her attempts had turned up fruitful. Until today. Golden scales gleamed in the stark overhead light of the hallway. A nervous tongue slapped against an eyeball and fingerless hands wrung together in a display of awkwardness. The large head of the Roa hung low, almost past his ribcage, as he tugged on the edge of his hood in an attempt to hide. Tucked into his belt was a small weedy bouquet that had definitely seen better days. “... you...” “Yeah, s’me.” He plucked it from his belt and held it out for her to take, a little afraid that she would snatch it from his hands and throw it to the ground. Pendles had never been good at the whole “being social” thing, and he’d seen how she treated those who’d taken her on dates. What he couldn’t understand was why watching her walk around arm in arm with someone else made his stomach fold in on itself. “Jus’... lemme explain,” he started, realizing he’d been standing there for much too long without saying a word. “Go on...” “I... ever since... I’m not good at this.” He rubbed at the back of his head, nervously licking his eye once more. “You’ve had a hard coupla months and I jus’ wanted to cheer you up is all.” And seeing the smile on her face made him feel... fluttery. It felt nice to have such a secret until the guilt started to weigh heavily on him. He felt it best to get it out. “Then it kind of turned into a daily routine. Like havin’ breakfast. Or doin’ your laps. T’make things feel ordinary again, you know?” Did that even sound right? He chanced a look at her face, but her expression hadn’t changed. “... but I can stop if you want me to.” “You kidding?” She finally blurted out, a half-smile on her face and an arm looped around him in a hurried hug. “I was worried I had a stalker! Turns out it was just you this whole time.” ‘Just you.’ Why did that hurt? “Just me,” he chuckled nervously and returned the hug. “So you’re not mad?” “Mad? No way.” She tapped the top of his head with the bouquet and dragged him inside. “They’re lovely, thank you.” She thought nothing of pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before finding a vase to put her gift in. Pendles grabbed the strings of his hoodie and pulled them tight to hide the blush running all the way down his neck.
@pendles-is-friendles
