Chapter Text
The feeling of the tree trunk's wood is comforting against Pyra's hand. Huge, bushy leaves above her sway back and forth in the wind, leaves falling off and dancing to the ground. Quietly, she watches the clouds lazily drift across the blue sky.
It's a sight that she's so very used to. Although usually Mythra would be sitting beside her, it's just her and the scenery this time, leaving her alone with her feelings.
Her feelings, huh? Unconsciously, Pyra finds herself humming a random tune as she remembers all the times this place called to her, drawing her in in her dreams. Even though there's no reason for her to be here now, she'd felt that call again. For what reason? She doesn't know.
No...she does. Every waking moment she thinks about it, about a certain boy who she and Mythra have bonded so deeply with. But even so, it always feels like there's something blocking her from fully getting close. Just contemplating about it here will do nothing though, and she recognizes that all too well. Perhaps she can do something with dinner tonight. If she makes it more special, would he notice?
Somehow, she wishes the answer is both yes and no.
She sighs and closes her eyes. The very idea of just making dinner "more special" than usual is going to do nothing! It's a horrible idea, her mind supplies, it's not going to do her any favors. Just give it up!
But no ideas are coming to her head. What else can she do? Nothing, right? There's always the option of just outright telling Rex, but there's no way she can do something like that. After all, Pyra is not that kind of person. She shakes her head. It's not...
...for her.
It occurs to her just then, that she lacks the courage to really take a step forward. All she knows how to do is to make her moves as subtle and as small as possible, like making dinner more special and hoping it works out. But what if it doesn't? Then what will she do? Will she just sit around and wait for Rex to confess first? Knowing him, he probably will never notice.
Even though she knows what she must do, she's too scared. That's what she is. Too afraid to say it, too much of a coward to admit it. Is that really what she wants? To sit by the sidelines, her feelings never seeing the light of day? The fact that she's never tried to tell Rex?
Something soft brushing against her leg breaks her train of thought. She can't help but gasp quietly at the sight she's greeted with.
Pure white magnolias bloom on the ground, petals unfurling right in front of her eyes. Along with them sprout forget-me-nots, glimmering in the rays of light that filter through the tree leaves above.
Pyra finds herself getting down on her knees to touch them, enjoying the softness of the the flowers and the way they lean into her touch, bending forward towards her finger like they were sentient. She wonders why they would show up all of a sudden. This has never happened, ever. Are they trying to tell her something?
Her gaze returns to the distance, to the sky with seemingly no beginning and no end. Although she has no courage of her own to do anything besides small gestures that would probably never be noticed, it doesn't sound like a bad idea to at least start with that. One small step at a time. And if doing something small like this doesn't work, then...
"He sure is late, that Rex...all he does nowadays is salvage!" Mythra slumps into her seat, quite irritated and letting out a long sigh. Pyra only gives an inattentive hum back.
"Mhm, yeah." Pyra responds, clearly not really caring or paying attention, her mind somewhere else. Would Rex prefer more or less spices?
"I get that he's a Salvager," Mythra continues, her eyebrows furrowing, "but it's like there's nothing else he does! Can't he stay home at least once? I don't want him coming in for dinner late all the time!"
Come to think of it, has Rex ever really critiqued Pyra's food instead of complimenting it? Trying to improve something without a frame of reference is far more difficult than she initially expected.
Pyra's prepared Rex's favorite food tonight. Pan-fried Tartari, freshly cooked, its enticing scent wafting throughout the room. Carefully, she sets the plate in front of Rex's usual seat at the dining table, followed by a plate with steaming Cloud Sea Crab Sticks on it for Mythra, and some steak for herself. Mythra, who's laying back in her chair, watches Pyra with an unreadable expression as she walks around the table to set the utensils down.
"Today's meal is awfully specific, isn't it?" Mythra glances over the food, "You cooked different meals for all of us. And our favorite dishes too. What's the occasion?"
Startled, Pyra jumps a little, having been a little too focused she hadn't even heard what Mythra was saying. Panicking, she tries to protest with the first words that come to her head, "The new recipe I tried out called for more salt and more sauce! Yes, it's just a new recipe, that's all."
"You weren't actually listening to whatever I was saying earlier, were you? That's not really answering my question. I asked you why you decided to cook our favorite dishes in particular tonight."
Cheeks flushing, Pyra coughs out, "W-well, I guess I was just in the mood to do so." She tries to hide the way her movements speed up a little, not wanting the care she'd actually put into dinner tonight to be obvious.
Mythra's eyes narrow, but she doesn't pry any further, letting out a tired, drawn-out sigh. She's about to say something, but is interrupted when the door creaks open and Rex steps in, waving. "I'm home!"
The last touch of the table arrangement is finished at that very moment, Pyra rushing back to her seat and just hoping that Rex doesn't notice anything unusual about the meal. Mythra had been right - she doesn't usually cook different dishes for all three of them. On a normal day, it's mostly general dishes that the three of them share. Rex takes his seat across the two, clearly excited to eat.
"Is it just me, or does the food tonight look better than usual?" Mythra notes, sitting up properly and practically scrutinizing her own plate of crab sticks. Pyra giggles sheepishly at this.
"You think so? I wanted to try a new combination of seasonings this time. I hope it tastes nice."
Rex takes a bite of his tartari, a grin forming on his face. Pyra can't help but think that that expression of his is adorable. "This is amazing, Pyra!" he cuts a bigger slice and practically shoves it into his mouth. "You dih a greah phob!"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, that's rude," she chastises, her amused expression softening, "thank you. I'm glad you like it." Seeing Rex so excited over something as simple as her cooking usually makes her happy, but for some reason, it fills her with another feeling she can't exactly put her finger around. She had made sure to set Rex's side of the table as quickly as she could, and yet, she doesn't really know why.
Mythra takes a large bite off of her food, an eyebrow raising. "This tastes the same as usual." She looks over to Rex's almost-finished tartari and stands up to bend over the table. "Mind if I have some?"
Upon receiving a nod, she uses her own fork to cut a tiny piece and puts it into her mouth, the much better flavor hitting her tongue almost instantly. Her eyes widen a little and she sits back down in her seat properly, turning to glance at Pyra but not saying a word. Instead, she just nods in agreement. "He's right. It tastes pretty damn good."
"That's a relief," Pyra smiles, "I'm glad."
As they continue eating dinner, she can't help but sneak glances at Rex, the sight of her own meal not interesting in the least. The way he enthusiastically and easily holds a conversation with both her and Mythra draws her in like nothing else. She listens attentively to whatever Rex has to say. Her heart leaps in her chest with every laugh from her Driver's lips. Truth to be told, seeing Rex take giant bites of his food and the expressions of absolute bliss left behind leaves her mind fuzzy, so overjoyed she could forget how to think.
Heat rises to her cheeks just thinking about it. It's a difficult emotion to describe. A mix of different sensations - it's warm and welcoming, yet so hot it's suffocating. In truth, Pyra knows what it is - she just hopes it isn't too noticeable. Shaking her head, she tries to chase it away just in case he notices, but the way her lips are curled upwards never leaves her face for the entirety of dinner.
She never notices the concerned glance Mythra shoots her.
Shutting the door behind her, Pyra hums to herself as she sits down by the edge of her bed, satisfied. It's an achievement to her, knowing that Rex enjoyed the food. Frankly speaking, she doesn't know why she chose tonight of all times to have made such a different table arrangement and going out of her way to impress Rex. It just felt right. So, she's glad that her work paid off. Just remembering how Rex practically devoured his meal is enough to put another smile on her face.
The click of the lock brings her out of her thoughts. When Mythra walks in, turning around to fix her with a look that Pyra does not like very much, she knows she's not getting out of this one. Frankly speaking, she should've known that Mythra would eventually catch on. She swallows a lump in her throat as Mythra leans against the door, crossing her arms and smirking a little.
"So, you gonna explain what's up with you?"
In a rather last-ditch attempt at not being found out, Pyra laughs nervously, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you sure you're asking the right person?"
"Pyra." Mythra frowns, her tone dripping with disappointment that Pyra would want to hide this from her. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"
She receives no reply in return, Pyra bunching the sheets underneath her in her fist and biting her lip, a sign that Mythra is right on the mark. She watches Pyra's gaze move to her lap before she pushes herself off the door, walking towards Pyra and taking a seat beside her by the bed. Mythra reaches out to grasp Pyra's hands in her own.
"Hey, it's okay. I understand." Mythra whispers, smiling, "Your secret is safe with me." Her fingers wrap around Pyra's, squeezing reassuringly, prompting Pyra to slowly look up at her.
Red eyes meet golden ones, leaving Pyra wondering why she even bothered to try and hide this from Mythra. She and Rex are the two people who know Pyra the most, and the two whom she trusts more than anyone else. Of course she can't keep her secret, if you can even call it one, for long. The expression on Mythra's face is genuine, she knows. As if beckoning to just tell Mythra everything. They're practically like sisters now.
"You're right. I am in love," she nods, "madly so, I might say. At dinner, it made me so happy when Rex loved the food. I wanted to make him even happier tonight, so that's why I went to all the effort to make the pan-fried tartari the way I did. I was overjoyed when I saw his expression. When he smiles, I want to be there, smiling with him. Not just as Blade and Driver, but as...lovers. I want to tell him so badly, but I...don't know how."
Mythra closes her eyes in thought for a moment, "Well, I totally get you. That's just the kind of effect Rex has on people, I suppose. He may be an idiot sometimes—"
"Rex isn't an idiot!" Pyra abruptly stands up, putting her hands on her hips, and giving Mythra an indignant look, "He's kind and selfless, he always thinks about other people, and—"
Shaking her head, Mythra holds up a hand to interrupt her. "I was going to say that he's a lovable one." She resists the urge to chuckle as Pyra flushes, embarrassed, plopping herself beside Mythra again. "And you know what? Sometimes, you just gotta go for it." She shifts a little closer to Pyra, looking at her in the eyes. "Why don't you bring him shopping at the market tomorrow? I'm pretty sure it's an off day for him. Or at least, I know he doesn't usually go salvaging on Saturdays."
Pyra thinks about it. The idea seems tempting. Confessing when it's just the two of them, outside. At first glance, it's romantic, like those from the love stories she often heard from people in passing. It would go well. Right?
"...You're right. Nothing will happen if I don't try." She gives Mythra an appreciative smile, "Thank you, Mythra. I really needed this."
Mythra laughs and pats Pyra on the back, golden eyes dancing with encouragement. "Anytime, go get 'em! I know you can do it."
Although she wonders if it would really go as well as she hopes, Pyra knows that if Rex isn't going to make the first move, then she has to. She has to deliver her feelings, properly.
"Would you go out with me to the market tonight? I have things I need to buy." Pyra shifts her gaze to the side, suddenly finding the pattern on the nearby door extremely interesting. In reality, she doesn't actually have anything she needs to get from the market in particular. She's just following Mythra's advice, swept up by her own motivations. Although this is what she has to do to actually get anywhere with sorting out her feelings, she doesn't want to look at Rex's expression. What if he says no? What if he rejects her—
His usual, chipper voice interrupts her. "Sure!" He grins, beaming, "I'd love to go with you."
Pyra's heart flutters at his instant acceptance. Oh, Rex and his kind, open personality. It's just another reason, Pyra thinks to herself, that makes him the Rex she'd fallen so deeply for.
From the corner of her eye, she sees Mythra's head poking out of the slightly ajar door, giving her a thumbs up. That's step one accomplished.
Step two, well...that'd be the hard part. Not screwing up midway and making a complete fool of herself in front of Rex. Though they exchange more pleasantries, it's nothing more than her nodding and humming back to Rex's excitement of being able to go out with her without really listening.
"I'm so happy I get to go to the market with you, Pyra," Rex gushes. He grasps her hands in his, looking up at her with the most hopeful expression she's ever seen him make recently. "It's been a while since I went there. Will Mythra be coming along?"
Her gaze shifts to Mythra, still in the background and eavesdropping on the conversation. She makes a little 'x' sign with her fingers, signaling to Pyra that she wouldn't be joining.
Taking the hint, Pyra shakes her head, "No, she said she had some things to do." Pyra doesn't actually know what Mythra's up to. She just assumed, but Mythra doesn't seem to be reacting to it too much, so maybe she is busy. Rex's face falls in disappointment, but doesn't let it bother him.
"Aww, I was hoping she could join us...oh well! It's no problem. Just the two of us...it's kinda like a date, isn't it?"
He laughs, but it strikes true in Pyra, her eyes widening for a brief moment. She hadn't even considered that she's technically asking him out. A drop of sweat slides down her forehead as the realization dawns on her, sinking in. Desperately, she looks to Mythra for some kind of assistance, but she only gives Pyra an 'okay' gesture, grinning from ear to ear. Pyra's shoulders slump in defeat.
She's just dug her own grave, hasn't she?