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"Trust me," he said, his eyes locking on hers and showing his sincerity, "spending time with you, no matter the activity, is something I absolutely want to do." His smile brightened as hers returned. "And I'm sure I don't have anything important to do right now. This charity thing is the only thing my mother dumped on me. I'm fairly certain she's starting to give up hope for me."
That light blush dusted her cheeks once more, but her smile never wavered. She was getting good at that, the not having to look away every time she blushed, and the shy loss of her smile that had been common at first. "Do you really think she's giving up on you? And would you consider that a good or a bad thing?" She asked, tilting her head as she lifted her chin from his shoulder.
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Rhydar hummed and tilted his head, lightly tapping her side out of a need to fidget. "She might, she might not. It's hard to tell what she's thinking. Maybe she has this grand plan and is secretly nudging me towards something she actually wants. Maybe I'm just overthinking everything," he said with a small shrug. "As for if I think it's a good or bad thing, it's a little bit of both. Slightly disappointing that she doesn't think I'm good for much, but still a relief that she doesn't expect too much from me." He liked her blush, and he also liked how she didn't act super shy whenever she blushed. It was cute.
"You might be overthinking it, though I guess you would know her better than I would, for sure." Lily said, making a face for a moment before smiling sweetly up at him. "If it means anything, I think she's underestimating you. I have no doubt that you could do great things, if you really wanted to. But not everything in life has to be grand. Little things can be fulfilling too, something I-and I say this with the utmost respect-" She added, shaking her head slightly. "-don't think a lot of…people with status seem to understand."
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He offered a half-smile, lightly pressing his forehead against hers for a few seconds before pulling away again. "It's alright, I get where you're coming from," he said softly, "I sometimes forget myself and take things for granted, mainly the little things, but seeing others around me act like they're better than everyone below them on the social ladder makes me remember that we're all just people and that I don't have to have everything big and bold."
"Another thing to add to my list of reasons why you're amazing." She said, lifting her free hand to cup his cheek softly, her smile warming just a bit. "It's good, you know. Self-awareness is important, if I've learned anything in my life." Her thumb trailed his cheekbone as more a subconscious thing, sort of like his tapping on her waist in place of fiddling.
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His smile grew slightly, his head tilting into her hand somewhat. It was an automatic reaction for him, but it was also one of those things that he really liked for no particular reason. "So you have a list?" he asked, eyes sparkling with a hint of humor, "Care to share, or am I to be left in the dark about my own traits?"
"I have a list." She affirmed with a nod, huffing a small laugh. "I would be happy to share, the problem is figuring out where to start." Her nose scrunched slightly as she thought that over, organizing all of her favorite things about him into a list. "You're so…kind. And you don't seem to want anything in return for that kindness, something that I never really thought I'd see again. Your eyes light up when you smile, and it makes me think of the Spring, the color they sort of turn to. There are a million things about all of your smiles I could talk about, but that could take forever. Your laugh, your love for Kaspa and for your siblings, the way you run your hand through your hair, and so many more things. They aren't all big, but they're all things I love about you, and find amazing."
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The more she talked, the softer Rhydar's expression got. When she was done, his lips were parted slightly, and his eyes were darting around her face. He hadn't realized just how much she paid attention to him. The fact that it was all the little things made it even better. Anyone could list off the obvious, but she had gone for the little things that only she had pointed out to him. A tiny, slow smile crept up his lips as he licked his lip ring, ducking his head and hiding his face from her. He didn't want to admit that he was blushing slightly.
Lily's eyes never left his, her smile warm and bright, and incredibly fond. She tilted her head as he hid his face, the spark of worry being trampled out by the memory of his smile before she couldn't see it. "Rhydar?" Her voice was soft, and she reached up, gently touching his cheek. "Are you alright?"
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He reached up as well to touch her hand, fingers just barely curling around her wrist while his thumb brushed against the back of her hand. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, voice just as soft as hers. He wouldn't be surprised if she could feel the heat in his cheeks, but he refused to look up again. If he did, there was no stopping him from kissing her or pulling her into a grateful embrace.
It's been years since someone bothered to pay attention to anything besides the obvious—he was a royal reject parading around as a thief. So long, in fact, that he had given up on trying to get people to see past that. They saw his kindness and brushed it off as a way to manipulate people. They saw his smiles and narrowed their gazes in search of the mischievous intent behind them. They saw his rings and piercings and scoffed at the ruffian standing before them.
And then Lily appeared out of nowhere, lost and broken, but could still see the man trying to help her. She saw his kindness for what it was, a simple act without a price tag attached. She loved his smiles and didn't consider them suspect. She never once looked at him and scoffed, thinking him nothing more than some bandit dressed in a prince's clothes. It meant the world to him.
Her eyes flickered to his hand, warmth blooming in her chest as his thumb brushed over her own hand. He always managed to make her feel warm, whether it was through little gestures, words, or even just being there. She had thought she'd lost that years ago, the feelings of safety and comfort, and happiness. But they came so easy with Rhydar. Rhydar felt like home.
It was a startling thought, but it was true. He felt like her memories of home and before, without the sadness and hiraeth that came with. Because he was right here, not something she fought so hard for and lost anyway. Something she hadn't had to worry about losing the same way she had everything else. Someone she hoped she would never lose. And she would fight for him, if it came to that. She would fight as hard as she could, to keep the prince she'd fallen for alive, and by her side as long as he wanted to be.
"That's good." She said, just as soft as before. She brushed her hair back from her face with the hand that wasn't in his grasp, shifting closer to him. Leaning in, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, smiling softly. "Is there a reason you can't look at me?"
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His lips twitched up in a reluctant smile when he felt her press a kiss to his cheek. "Yeah, there's a reason," he admitted, risking a glance in her direction. It wasn't long enough to see any emotion that might be showing on her face, but it was enough to bring an even bigger smile to his lips.
"Can I ask what that reason is?" She asked, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow slightly. Catching sight of his smile made hers grow a bit, and she plopped her chin onto his shoulder. "Because I want to see your face again. It makes talking to you feel less awkward."
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The fingers hooked around her wrist slid away, and he shifted slightly as he turned his head to look at her without a word. Their noses brushed against each other ever so slightly, and his smile was still present—and so what the faint flush of happiness dusting his cheeks. "Better?" he murmured, licking his lip ring again.
She pressed her nose to his slightly, huffing a laugh. "Much. Are you blushing?" Though her tone was slightly teasing, she did sound mostly curious, and almost confused, like she hadn't realized just how her words had affected him. And she really hadn't. She had no clue how much the things she'd said meant to him, at all.
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"No," he said, denying the obvious. It wasn't a blush in that he was flustered or something like that. It was more a reaction to his overwhelming happiness. Her words were simple, but they hit home, a place Lily probably wasn't even aiming for. His heart had warmed, and his small smile echoed that warmth.
"You are." She said, her eyes scanning his face. They swirled, changing colors slowly and sticking to bright and happy colors. "Not a flustered blush, but still a blush." His smile caught her eyes, moving her eyes to his lips and then back to his eyes as she raised an eyebrow.
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He tilted his head to press a light kiss to her nose, not answering her. After the quick peck, he looked back at her eyes. They were amazing and beautiful and wonderful, and he loved the swirling colors. Unique. That's what Lily was.
She scrunched up her nose slightly, her own small blush appearing as he kissed her nose. She rested her forehead against his, her eyes sparkling happily as she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, maybe a bit closer to the corner of his mouth than necessary. She might not've mentioned how much she liked it when he did that, but it really was another one of her favorite things.
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"Tease," he accused quietly with a half-smile, sparkling eyes flicking up to meet hers after shamelessly gazing at her lips for a few more seconds than he should've. He was doing his best, he really was, but it was hard to behave when she was looking at him like that, and especially when she had gone on and on about what she liked about him.
Her heart skipped a beat before picking up the pace, but it wasn't a horrible feeling. "Am I? D-does that mean there's something you want, that I'm keeping you from?" She asked, knowing full well that there was, in fact, something he wanted. Shifting her head off of his shoulder, she arched an eyebrow slightly.
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He shifted so that his one hand was braced on the ground next to her, the rings on his fingers lightly tapping against the stone as he did so. He bit his lip, narrowly missing his lip ring as he did so, and forced his eyes to stay on hers as he said, "Maybe, maybe not."
"Maybe not?" She tilted her head, feigning innocence. Another sign of her progress, being able to tease Rhydar, and joke around, without fear. It was nice, not being as inhibited by that fear. She blinked a few times, sighing softly as she made as though to turn away. "I guess that means you would turn me down, if I asked to kiss you."
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His other arm wrapped around her as an automatic reaction to her acting as if she were to move away, though he quickly caught himself and made sure he didn't trap her completely. "Nope, you're not getting away with that, missy," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes, the smile on his lips lopsided. Before she could respond, he pressed a light kiss to the underside of her jaw.
She had paused for a moment when his arm had wrapped around her, but she hadn't immediately wanted to pull away. Especially when he put effort into not making her feel trapped. And then he was pressing a kiss to the underside of her jaw, and a small gasp slipped out before she could stop it. "G-get away with what?"
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He pulled away slightly at the sound of her gasp, not knowing the meaning behind it and wanting to be safe rather than sorry. He kept a light tone, however, when he spoke, and his eyes remained sparkling with humor. "The innocent act doesn't suit you, Lily," he said with a small half-smile, "If you want a kiss, just go for it."
It took her a moment to gather her thoughts, which had been pleasantly scattered by the kiss. Apparently, her jaw was a safe place as well, and she was semi-glad to have that knowledge. "H-huh. And I thought it was." She murmured, shaking her head just slightly. That was a yes, right? She could kiss him? It seemed like it, for sure, so she leaned close, her lips brushing over his just barely.
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He didn't hesitate as he leaned closer to her, returning the kiss. His eyes closed half-way, and he was once again caught up in the taste and feeling of Lily's lips. There's no way this could get boring, he suddenly thought, and with that revelation, he was pleased to realize that there was no one else out there like Lily, and he wouldn't change anything to have it any other way. He'd fight through the heavens and Hell to keep her at his side.
But if she chose to leave, he also knew that he'd let her go without a fight.
She'd guessed right, then. Lily exhaled softly through her nose as her eyes fluttered closed, pressing just a bit more into the kiss. She really did love kissing him, loved the safety and how special it made her feel, but her favorite part was that it was him she was kissing. The same man she'd kissed yesterday, not a completely different different man, or the seventh man she'd kissed. It was Rhydar. Just Rhydar, and no one else. And something told her she'd never want it to be anyone else.
