#pitiful rat

He seemed to be paying close attention to Dutch and John as the week went on. He watched and listened at Dutch made plans with Molly to go into town at the end of the week and do some shopping just for her. He seemed to make a mental note when Abigail was bombarding John with demands of an evening alone and some pretty flowers. He had even stopped bothering Dutch about a plan for a ferri robbery in Blackwater he had been working on. It really seemed something else was on his mind now. Something he obviously considered much more important. Finally, the end of the week had come. Dutch and Molly had left camp for the night to stay at the inn in town, and John and Abigail actually seemed to be getting along for once. A couple of the other boys had gone drinking, and some of the girls chose to spend the evening having a drink or two at camp and enjoying each other's company. Most everyone seemed so wrapped up in their own business and weren't even paying attention to you and Micah. He figured this would be the perfect time to finally come out with something that had been bugging him all week. "Micah...?" You asked as you broke the silence between the two of you. "What is goin' on here....exactly...?" "I uh..." Micah broke eye contact, bringing a hand up to run through his hair and rub the back of his neck. He suddenly seemed extremely nervous, and...wait... Was he...? Yes. He was even blushing a bit. It was difficult to notice in such dim lighting, but you were certain you saw blush on his cheeks. "You okay?" You pulled your own hands away now as you gave him a concerned look. Why was he acting so strange? This wasn't the Micah you knew at all. However, something about his behavior seemed oddly...cute to you. "Well uh... Y'see...I..." He had begun shifting now, and his breathing seemed a bit shallow and off beat. He suddenly turned away and headed off toward Baylock. "J-just...come with me." His tone seemed slightly demanding now. You couldn't be any more confused now, but you decided to play along to see what was going on. You followed him to Baylock where you saw him now rummaging through the saddle bags for a moment. He pulled a couple of things out and turned back to face you. He was now holding  two different boxes that were wrapped in a simple brown paper and tied with red ribbons. He offered them to you, and once you had taken them he scurried off to the other side of Baylock. While Micah was retrieving something else you couldn't help but go ahead and open the first box. You carefully tucked the larger one under your arm and untied the ribbon holding the paper onto the smaller box. As you remove the lid your eyes lit up at the brand new gloves inside. They were the exact ones you had told Arthur you wanted but couldn't afford. Black leather with a velvet inner lining that was your favorite color. "Y-you like'em...?" You heard him question as he came back around Baylock with what appeared to be a bouquet in his hands. "Yes! I love the-" You stop when you see him, your mouth hanging open and your eyes going wide. "Are those...roses...?" "Yeah... I uh... I-I overheard Abigail tellin' Marston she wanted some, so..." He looked away with a shy expression. "I-I just thought...you might like'em..." You slip the gloves into your pocket before taking the flowers from him. You bring them to your face and take in their lovely scent. "Thank you Micah, but... What's all this for anyway?" "Well uh..." He started shifting nervously again. He couldn't even bring himself to look up at you now. "You uh... Y-you know what t'day is...right?" "Um... No. Not really." The particular holiday that fell on this day had slipped your mind. Though to be fair you never really thought much of it before. It wasn't like you'd ever had anyone to share it with anyway. "Valentine's Day." He stated quietly. "I been...thinkin' real hard about how ta bring this up, but uh...." He got quiet for a moment before looking back up to meet your gaze once more. "(Y-Y/N)..." "Y-yes...Micah...?" You felt your cheeks heating up now too as you realized what was going on now. He liked you. He liked you? Micah Bell liked....you? This couldn't be happening right now. You'd been secretly pining after him for a little while now, but he never seemed to show any more interest in you than he did the other girls. Most definitely not as much as he showed Abigail. "I...I like you... I uh...I-I have for a bit now...and..." He bit his lip a moment before he continued. "Will you....be mine...? M-my Valentine....that is...." "I..." You were stunned. You couldn't believe this was happening right now. Though, you did know how Micah was, so you weren't going to just say yes. "I will... On one condition." "And uh...what would that be?" Micah asked, a bit annoyed now. "You gotta start spendin' more time at camp so I can see ya more." You narrowed your eyes and stepped closer to him. "I can do that~" He smirked in response. "And..." You added, handing him the bouquet. You took the other box back into your hands and untied the ribbon. "If this is candies, you have to feed them to me~" "Well now~" He leaned in close, his voice growing deep and husky. "I'd love to~" He carefully slipped the bouquet just into one of Baylock's saddle bags so that they were sticking out before taking your hand and leading you back to the camp fire for your first evening together as a couple.