Work Text:
Shuffling a little closer, Yellow felt her grip tighten behind her back, clutching onto the object that lay in her curled fist. A nervous flutter rippled across her gem, as if warning her to turn back. Too late now, she was standing face to face with Blue. Her gaze was questioning, yet she still smiled at Yellow, trusting that whatever she did, it would be worth the wait. Hoping to take control of the situation, Yellow cleared her throat. It was meant to signal the start of a conversation but it only helped to dampen her nerves a little.
“I have been thinking about the Earth tradition that Steven mentioned. You know, the one where humans express their love only once a year with gifts and declarations of love for others.” Yellow paused, scrutinising the way Blue stared at her. There was no sign that she knew what was going to happen, other than her content smile as she recalled their previous conversation. “So, I thought a while about it since I knew we would be here during this tradition. Considering we are meant to be embracing these rituals, I decided to give you this.”
Bringing her arm from behind her back, she held out her present, feeling another flutter of nerves rise. She tried to dismiss them, remembering Steven’s words of encouragement when he saw the gift. Also, his wince at the destruction she’d caused. Yellow had promised she’d be more mindful of nature next time.
Blue was staring down, eyes wide and hands clasped in front of her. Her silence was disconcerting, to say the least.
Yellow pressed on. “Yes, well, I discovered these close to where you used to visit Pink’s... Steven said the place is called Korea and they have these trees that I thought you might like. It is tradition, after all, to produce a plant or several during Valentine’s Day.”
Blue reached out silently, carefully taking the uprooted tree. She held it at eye-level to observe the flowers that dangled from its branches. Yellow heard herself talking, trying to fill the silence.
“The name is a cherry blossom tree, if I remember correctly.” Another pause. “If you don’t like it, I would return it but Steven says I simply can’t place it back in the ground now. I didn’t realise...”
“This is perfect,” Blue interrupted, her gaze as soft as her voice. She met Yellow’s eye, noticing the apprehension there. With a short laugh, she held the tree to her chest. “It reminds me of Pink.”
Yellow awaited the accompanying sadness but there was none. Blue was staring at her, emotions residing in her gaze that she hadn’t seen in a long time. Adoration, appreciation, and happiness, they were intensely fixed on Yellow’s unsure expression. Then Blue’s smile dropped, her mouth forming a circle as she gasped, before spinning around. From behind the stone hand of the temple, nestled in the sandy dunes, she took something that was hidden there. She held it behind her own back.
“Now, it’s my turn,” Blue grinned. “Don’t think I forgot to get you a present too. Close your eyes.”
Yellow did as she was told, quickly adding an eye roll beforehand. “Fine.”
All she could hear was a low giggle. No doubt Blue was excited with whatever she had found, a rustle indicating her movements.
“You can look now.”
With the tree cradled securely in one arm, the other was held out towards her, palm upturned to reveal a smooth grey rock upon it. Yellow wasn’t sure what it was, other than the obvious answer, but Blue’s widening grin told her it represented something.
“I also spoke to Steven,” she smiled. “When we said we went to the ruined spire, we actually went to a place full of rocks like this. They’re not gems. I did ask and Steven said they’re not like the pebbles either. These are boulders. They’re some of the biggest rocks you can get here. And look! This is the smoothest one I can find.” She slipped it into Yellow’s waiting hand. “It has a little crack though, right here, and it reminded me of your powers.”
Smug, Blue watched Yellow turn it over in her hand, studying the jagged crack on its surface, shaped like lightning.
“Another tradition is to give the person you love a rock so they can put it on their finger. The bigger, the better!” Blue laughed again, pleased with herself. “This is one of the biggest I found. Although, I think it has to be placed on a metal ring and I didn’t want to ask the bismuth. Don’t worry, I requested it for when we arrive back...”
Trailing off, her smile faltered, watching Yellow in hope that she didn’t mind. Yellow said nothing, still turning the boulder between her fingers.
“I could return it,” Blue offered. “I think it’s okay to do that. I’m sure I didn’t disrupt the environment by taking it.”
Yellow’s head shot up.
“No!” she cried. Lowering her voice, she offered a thankful smile. “That won’t be necessary. This is perfect. I shall have it put on the ring as soon as we arrive; it’s the first thing I shall do. Then I can keep it in my chambers. Or I could always store it here, for safe keeping.”
She raised her hand to touch her gem. At the gesture, Blue felt her own cheeks darken, biting her lip. Her gaze rose to Yellow’s, seeing the uncertainty still there. Sighing blissfully, Blue lurched forward, throwing her arms around Yellow’s neck.
“Oh, my sunshine! I shall be happy if you are happy. That’s all that matters to me.”
Pulling her into a kiss, she relished the feeling of Yellow’s arm wrapping around her waist, their bodies closer and closer still. Before Blue could initiate anything further, Yellow pulled back. She frowned up at her, disappointed that she had interrupted their kiss.
“I have one more thing for you, my moonbeam. Apparently, it is better to present this gift at night-time.”
Blue felt her cheeks flush, brows rising in question.
Ø
Once the sun had set over the ocean, a sight that the two had shared together, Blue lost any patience she had for the planned gift. She had thought of nothing else all day. There was one idea for what they may be doing that excited her, although she wasn’t willing to ruin the surprise. Elated, she watched Yellow set the green box down on the rocks lying along the seafront.
Blue watched with a furrowed brow, feeling her smile lessen. This wasn’t what she had in mind at all. She thought Yellow would have taken her back to the ship. Curious, she called out to her.
“What are you doing, dear?”
Yellow started towards her, a triumphant grin on her face. Her eyes gleaming with pride, Blue decided to trust whatever is was she had planned.
“You’ll see.” Yellow wound her arm across Blue’s waist, holding her close as she showed Blue a controller in her other hand. “I required a little assistance from the Peridot, since she has more knowledge of these things than I, but she used all of my design sheets. Naturally.”
Blue smirked. “Naturally.”
Yellow glanced across, the tightening grip on Blue a sign of her returning nerves. “I hope you like this.”
Resting her head against her shoulder, Blue hummed contentedly.
“You know I will love whatever you have done, my sweet. Especially if you have worked so hard.”
Her arm returned the gesture, resting around Yellow’s waist, and with such encouragement, Yellow pressed the buttons on the controller. The boxes that she had placed on the rocks trembled for a second before releasing a burst of light, a howling noise following it. Blue barely had time to mind the sound before the light exploded in the air, disintegrating into smaller flickering flames that disappeared before they reached the ocean.
Transfixed, she watched the flashes of blue and yellow in the night sky. A well-thought out display, she didn’t expect any less from her partner. They ended quickly, the last flashes of light spelling out her name in bursts of blue, others coming up behind to shape a green heart. Fading into the dark, they disappeared with a crackling sound.
It wasn’t until they had gone that she realised she was holding onto Yellow’s hand tightly, her head having come away from her shoulder to stare up, mouth open. She gripped her hand even tighter, laughing breathlessly.
“What was that? That was amazing!” she exclaimed, tugging excitedly at her. “They were all different colours and then my name and the heart!”
Yellow was trying her best not to look satisfied, but she wasn’t trying hard enough. She returned the smile, adding her own laugh in response.
“So, you liked them then?”
“Yes! Yes, I loved them!” Blue reached up to place her hands on both sides of Yellow’s face, jumping forward to kiss her repeatedly on the lips. “Can you do it again?”
Yellow stopped smiling. “No, I-I can only do them once. They’re called fireworks. I’d have to make them again.”
Blue stared up at her, unbothered that she wouldn’t see them more than once. She sighed happily, her hands sliding from Yellow’s cheeks to her shoulders.
“It doesn’t matter. They were perfect the first time around.” Bottom lip beginning to protrude, she grew sullen. “But I have nothing else to give you.”
Yellow opened her mouth to speak but Blue was already talking again.
“Oh, I have the tree you gave me,” she realised. “I know another tradition that humans do.” She leant forward, her nose almost against Yellow’s as she whispered to her. “I heard they hold a plant over their heads and then they have to kiss. It’s a rule.”
“We don’t need a plant to kiss…”
Whining, Blue tugged at her shoulders. “Let’s do it, please. I have nothing else for you.”
“Fine.” Yellow already knew the answer before she’d finished.
Blue bit her lips, raising her eyebrows. She continued to whisper, wrapping her arms around Yellow’s neck. “And you know, if we kiss and it goes a little further… I wouldn’t mind. I thought you might take me to your ship.”
Yellow’s eyes widened, already blurting out a response. “I can take you. We can get the tree and go, if you want.”
Blue giggled, nodding her head. “I do want.”
Pulling from her grip, Yellow was already walking back towards the beach house where they had kept their gifts, stored safely by the wooden steps. She tugged Blue along with her by the hand. Neither of them said anything as they giggled along the beach.
In fact, not much else was said until they were curled under the sheets of Yellow’s resting platform, aboard her ship. Blue ran her fingers through Yellow’s hair, staring contentedly at the top of her head. She had laid down on her chest, unmoving from that position once they had come to rest. Glancing across at the tree, she was pleased to see how lovely it looked now that it had been contained in its natural soil. A gift she would treasure forever, much like the being who had given it to her.
“I love you, Yellow.”
Even though her face was turned away, she knew she was smiling. The arm that was draped across her front twitched, fingers running along her skin.
“I love you too, Blue.”