Work Text:
With gestures that still needed more work, Bianca was busy working the liquid chocolate on a marble plate with a large spatula. She wanted it to be as finely worked as possible, and had already been at work some months before that, when she collected the freshest, most fragrant flowers possible in order to prepare delicate infusions meant to cover as much of the seasons as possible. The young fairy had prepared sugared petals to decorate the chocolates as well... Though not by putting them directly on the treats – giving replies would certainly not be as amusing as letting Malleus guess, so the petals would be randomly added in the box as surrounding decoration and not-so-subtle hint as to what the present was also about. Thus the sweet warmth of the chrysanthemum would meet the tangy flavour of the Calendula, the fresh taste of violas would play against the musky aroma of elderflower, perfumed rose and peppery nasturtium, fruity peony and crisp salted pansy.
She carefully mixed the infusions with a light ganache, and enveloped it all in a layer of chocolate as thin as she could do without having it break. Bianca had trained for that – not as much as she would have liked, but her finances had already gotten her that far and so she felt oddly grateful. So while the gesture certainly demanded some refinement, she remained quite pleased with the result. The following day, once the chocolates had properly hardened, she put them in a small box, added the sugared petals and carefully wrapped it.
Discretion had been the key word during the whole chocolate preparation process, since Bianca was fully aware of the lack of official aspect regarding the nature of the relationship between the Crown Prince of the Valley of Thorns and herself, and a school was the perfect field for rumours of all sorts to spread like wild fire. Malleus had been making some quiet first moves by, among other things, inviting her for vacations, so they could spend some time together again, but even then caution had been the chief rule, both while dealing with her family – her mother – and public information. On her side, Bianca had been occasionally questioned regarding some presents she would be wearing suddenly, and always alluded them before leading the discussions in another direction. For now, both fairies needed to keep a clear mind regarding their obligations and how they could work around it.
In the cold evening of February, during that special day, Bianca secretly went out to find her beloved dragon lord.
***
Malleus had been waiting for this evening with controlled impatience. His classmates’ discussions had made him aware of this charming human tradition during his first year, though it seemed like Bianca already had a bit of an idea about it but never acted on it. February was a month made for that in the Valley, after all. There, it was all about waiting for Winter to end, and for fairies like the Bosconero, to start announcing the arrival of Spring with the very first blooms of the year. It was usually done with the sharp white on black of the blackthorn, a sharp crisp he recognised as he met up with Bianca under the apple trees, in the woods behind the school. While she had a heavy coat and a thick scarf assorted to her gloves, the fairy also had her ink black hair ornate with delicate white flowers. As she approached, he gave her the gentlest smile.
- Here, I made it so the area feels more pleasant...
As Bianca closed the distance between them, Malleus noticed the small package in her hands. It was her third official attempt at making chocolates, he knew it – and found himself immediately intrigued in regard to the exact flavours he’d find this time around – the previous year had been based on unconventional flavours, which had constituted an entertaining search to keep expanding his palate to new horizons. As she stood in front of him and felt the gentle warmth of the area of his spell wash over here, she leaned in Malleus’ touch as he’d caress the flowers that had bloomed in her hair before letting his fingers slip to cup her cheek.
- Seasonally fashionable, I see! Are you feeling better now, or would you rather move to somewhere more comfortable?
- Ah, yes, it’s been like that since this morning... But please, do not worry, your spell is perfect! Besides, I have a little something for you and too much warmth may be detrimental to it...
With these words, the small fairy held out her package to him, accompanying it with a cheerful “happy Valentine’s day” – yet her look was telling a silent part of the story, guessed Malleus as he recognised a clearly playful glint in Bianca’s golden eyes. Gracefully accepting her present, the draconic fairy unwrapped it with care, then felt his already present smile widen at the view of the simple, yet elaborate decoration. The simplicity of the unmarked, irregular pellets of chocolate matched perfectly with the bucolic atmosphere of the petals, in a very Bianca manner.
- You know... I think that lovely tradition should be celebrated in the Valley as well. Now which one shall I pick –
- How about this one?
Walking her talk, Bianca had removed a glove and chosen a pellet, which Malleus took from her lifted hand – leaving a small, tender kiss on her thumb as he was doing so. The delicate crack of the chocolate left place to a fine ganache with a floral flavour, though which one could it be? Not even trying to restrain the impish smile on his face, Malleus had quite the hunch regarding the nature of the game in his hand – between the floral flavour and the assortment of petals in the box, there seemed to be a little guessing game gracefully concocted by his cherished fairy. If she meant to make it amusing, he didn’t intend to be the sole participant. Holding a pellet to her mouth, he silently let her know it was her turn to play, feeling her lips brush against his fingers as she plucked the sweet.
- Oh! It’s even better than I thought with – Ah, I shouldn’t say more. However...
Getting on the tip of her toes, Bianca started feeding another chocolate to Malleus, yet promptly switched her finger with her mouth, breaking the bite in half, their lips grazing. Between that gesture and the feeling of her leaning against his chest left Malleus’ cheeks heated in appreciation of the contact and wanting for more. If Bianca had prepared a little game for him, there was no rule against derailing it ever so slightly, which he did as he leaned down to fully catch her under the pretence of wanting a second go at the flavour of the chocolate. The shared perfume of rose coloured the following embrace, the young fairies eagerly leaning into each other for more under the crisp, moonlit Winter night, in the purest expression of their shared bond of love.