Bouquet

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Pairing(s): Jake x Kyle

Summary: Jake made a mistake in pleasing Cecilia, but instead finds a way to please Kyle...

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With all the chores complete; beasts fed and crops watered, Kyle headed into town, needing to pick up a new blade he had asked Tanya to make for him, having to wait a couple of days for she could gather the right materials for it. As Kyle entered the warm Sharper Edge Blacksmith shop, the first thing he noticed was the forever presence of the elf, Jake.

Locking eyes, Kyle moved closer to be at a more friendly distance, smiling as he greeted the elf with a cheerful, "Good morning, Jake!"

"There might be hope for you yet, human," was Jake's charming greeting. Though, Kyle couldn't help to see it as an improvement, what with the mild positive words and the absense of a deathly glare that he use to receive all the time in the past.

"Have you done anything interesting today?" Kyle asked instead of commenting on Jake's greeting, tilting his head slightly to the side cutely.

"...I went to the cliffs and gathered lots of pretty flowers to give to Ceci," Jake answered, a light frown on his features, "I thought she would be happy to get them, but instead she was furious. She told me I needed to care more about flowers." Taking a small breath of air in a sigh, Jake continued, "I thought she'd like getting flowers. But I guess flowers are alive, too."

"What did you do with them?" Kyle asked as Jake made another pause in his story.

"Huh?" Jake blunk, staring at Kyle in surprise, as if he just now noticed him standing there.

"The flowers. What did you do with them?"

"Oh..." turning to his side, he leaned down to reach between two barrels where he placed the pink, purple, yellow, red, blue, and gold mixed flowers. They were neatly gathered in a bouquet style, tied off with a large leaf and ribbon where Jake gripped it. It was obvious that Jake had put a lot of work into it, and it was a shame Cecilia had turned it down.

Pouting a bit at that thought, Kyle asked, "Is it alright if I have it?"

"Wh-what?" Jake asked, hazel eyes growing large in shock as a blush painted his cheeks.

"Its so beautiful," Kyle explained with a warm smile, "It'd be a shame if you threw it away where no one could appreciate its beauty."

"You.... really like it?" the elf questioned, arching a silver brow as he studied the stranger-now-civilian of their town.

"Uh-huh," Kyle nodded excitedly, smiling ear to ear.

Rather stunned, Jake took a few seconds to just openly stare at Kyle, blinking here and there as he did. Once his mind was made up, however, a blush coated his cheeks as he held the bouquet for Kyle to take, locking his eyes to a dark corner in the smithy as he answered, "Fine, take it. It'll go to waste anyways."

"Thanks so much, Jake!" Kyle squealed--in a manly way of course--as he accepted the beautiful flowers, "I'll hurry home and put them in a vase right away! Thanks again~"

With that last(ahem, manly) squeal, Kyle left the Sharper Edge Blacksmith shop, new sword completely forgotten now that his mind was full of multi-colored plants. Watching the human leave, a look of surprise still coating his features, along with that blush, Jake gave a sheepish sigh as he reached up to scratch behind a perky ear as he mumbled to himself, "Maybe I should pick flowers for him more often..."

END