mayfield_rpg | twenty eight

[Rather than read the assigned acts of Romiette and Juleo, or whatever it was called, Slugger is finding every imaginable reason to procrastinate. He discovers that knocking icicles off the roof and shoveling the driveway are good excuses for wasting time, though he finishes both a bit too quickly. After the last of the snow has been shoveled from the driveway, he turns to empty the mailbox and idly flips through its contents piece by piece.

There's nothing remarkable in the mail today, only a few envelopes, a post card, and a magazine. The magazine, at least, he could mutilate later for fun. On the back cover is an ad featuring the title "Young Love" in which a little girl is pictured kissing the cheek of a little boy. Slugger pauses. Young love? Dropping the snow shovel, he looks up, wide-eyed and silent as if stricken with a sudden realization.]

Phone

[Slugger gives the telephone a long and apprehensive stare before he dares to pick it up. Holding it to his ear, he opens his mouth to speak... then quickly hangs up. Several deep breaths later he tries again, this time with more success.]

Hi.

What do you do when--

[He briefly freezes up, near horrified at what he's about to admit.]

...when you think you love a girl?

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[Not to mention it makes no sense so he has no idea what he's even reading to begin with. They sit in awkward silence for a moment as Slugger silently debates about what to do next. Words are suddenly his enemy right now. They are conspiring against him and leaving him with nothing good to say.

Instead, he reaches for the lily and holds it on his lap. It doubles as extra coverage to hide behind.]

Do you like this color?

[Ai looks over and tilts her head to the side. Looking at the flower. Then tilts back and nods.]

Yes.

Very much.

Good, it's yours.

[And he'll hand her the pot. Slugger tried his best to find a flower to match the shade of her eyes and this was the closest he came. The petals are a solid deep red. Now for the second part of the gift. He picks up the card but doesn't give it to her just yet. Instead, he stares down at it, unsure if he should give it to her or not.]

Oh....

[Slightly surprised but she takes the plant. Looking down at its crimson petals.]

....Thank you.

[A quiet nod. So far so good. He gave her the flowers, now it's time to say what he has to tell her. He has to. He has to do it now or one day she might disappear without ever knowing. Slugger swallows, then turns to her, his mouth open as if to speak.]

...

[She looks over at him. Waiting.]

I... want you to know something.

[He reaches for her hand and slips the card inside. If she opens it, she will find that it isn't a card at all but a folded page from a magazine. On it is a picture from an ad of a girl kissing a boy; however, the original image has been altered slightly. Lines and color have been added to make the girl resemble Ai more closely and to make the boy resemble Slugger. His love confession --the first he's ever made, and likely the only he'll ever make-- is written in the corner using the characters of their native language. This image is what made him realize that what he's felt for Ai for these past few months is called "love" in the romantic sense of the word.

Before Ai can even open the note, Slugger moves carefully closer. He hasn't said what he's going to do but, based on the way he's moving and the way his gaze lingers on her face, his intentions are clear. Lifting the front of his cap away from his face, he leans in to kiss her.]

[Clear intentions or not, Ai is startled. People didn't kiss her. However the surprise is momentary as she just leans in slightly and kisses him back.]

[It's brief, though still quite a bit longer than a mere peck. His first time initiating a kiss ends when Slugger pulls away, hoping Ai didn't feel any hints of a tremor in his lips. He then scoots a few inches away to better gauge her reaction and to readjust his cap.]

[Ai is looking down at her hands, and then unfolds the card to look at it as well. She looks at the picture, and then the words.

She looks at if for a while, face unreadable as ever. However a faint happy smile seems to be at the edge of her lips.]

I...

[Monologues about hatred and revenge she could give at the drop of a hat. This however...she tries again.]

I wanted to tell you....too.

I love you.

[Red cheeks forever, and fingering the sides of the card as she looks at it. But the small smile is there. The smile she hardly ever wears and only a few people can drag out of her.]

[She was smiling.

Those feelings of guilt and apprehension he had early suddenly melt away like frost under warm air. Slugger may be a monster and he may have lot of complex, even adult feelings, but he's also a boy -- more so now than ever.

She said she loved him.

The weirdest feeling comes over him, like he could throw up... but at the same time like he could laugh and squirm excitedly in place. Instead, he lets out a quiet breath of relief and offers his least malicious smile.]

[She leans over to kiss his cheek with a smile still.]

twenty eight | what is love

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