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Rutile sets the teapot on the table, laying out two teacups for the two of them. Rutile then skillfully pours out tea in each cup, then takes it with him as Rutile joins Chloe on the mass of knitted blankets on the floor. He flashes the Western wizard his usual pleasant smile, sitting down and crossing his legs, then pivots himself around to face Chloe. “Tea’s ready, Chloe. Have a sip anytime! I left a little bowl of some sugar Mitile made, too.”
“Ehh, how thoughtful of him. Guess I should thank him later? But thanks for the tea, Rutile… and inviting me tonight! It’s always a blast spending time with you,” Chloe returns with a wink, a hand clipping back his hair with a pink hair clip with a heart affixed to it. He then wiggles around in his spot, making sure his entire body is facing Rutile. Rutile offers him his cup of tea, and Chloe graciously accepts it.
“I feel the same way, Chloe,” Rutile returns with a sweet smile, taking his cup of tea and inhaling the scent. “Ah, just like I thought. I think I did a pretty good job with this tea blend…”
“Eh? Why’s that?” Chloe blinks, curiously glancing at the cup of tea. It’s a beautiful pink color, causing him to raise an eyebrow, and then he lifts the cup to himself and takes a sip. It’s tasty, but Chloe is the type to add a little sugar and milk. “Ah, is there creamer too?”
“Oh, of course! It’s in the little pitcher next to the sugar.” Rutile smiles, “but I made this tea based on you, Chloe. I hope you like it.”
“Just for me?” Chloe almost squawks, his heart beating a little faster than before, eyes widening as he tries to pick up the pitcher of cream as gracefully as he could, pouring some of its contents into his cup of tea, watching the cream burst inside the tea before lightening its color with a sea of white. He then takes the tiny tongs to drop some of Mitile’s sugar into his cup. “Thanks a lot, Rutile… ehehe, you and Mitile should join Rustica and me for some tea sometime.”
“I’ll prepare some special blends for them too when the time comes,” Rutile hums as he then produces the glass jar filled with tea, muttering his spell and floating it to rest in Chloe’s little overnight bag. “Here, now you can have that there for those sleepless nights spent creating. I’m sure it’ll help you perk up.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you, Rutile! Thanks a lot!” Chloe beams in response, taking a sip of the tea. Almost as if Rutile’s words enhanced the tea, it instantly reinvigorates him. “Uwah, it’s so tasty!” Oh, perhaps it might be Mitile’s sugar, too, with its literal beneficial effects? Either way, it’s all thanks to the Flores brothers for the pick-me-up.
Rutile simply smiles, taking another sip of his own, humming in satisfaction. “I’m happy to hear that, Chloe! It’s especially pretty busy around this time of the year, so I’m really happy that you could make it. We can probably do some late-night sketching later, but… ehehe, well, I enjoy just talking to you.”
Chloe giggles in return, placing his cup back down, “Oh, well… same for me! I picked up some stuff from the City of Affluence the other day. I got this nail polish if you don’t mind me painting your nails.” He finally went back to purchase the nail polish of desire the other day, perhaps in hope of using it to learn a little more about Rutile. He’ll admit, he has some ulterior motives, but it’s not like it’s a guaranteed chance of success. He tried it on himself and he just wanted to design clothes all day, while for Rustica… well, his mentor carried on as usual and ardently spent the day searching for his bride. Needless to say, Chloe wouldn’t be using that nail polish on him again anytime soon.
“Oh my, you’d do that for me? Well, of course. It’d be an honor!” Rutile responds giddily, holding up his hand and glancing at his bare nails. “Well, I’d like to spice things up a little. And I’m sure you’re the best at giving manicures, Chloe.”
“Of course! I’ve always wanted to paint your nails,” Chloe beams in response, reaching into his pocket and producing the nail polish in front of him. It’s a matte light green— which matches Rutile’s eyes perfectly. Thankfully, they’ve started developing this special nail polish in all sorts of colors, so Chloe had more of a selection. “Oh, but I suppose I should ask for your consent first. This nail polish is… umm, pretty different from your typical nail polish.”
Rutile blinks and tilts his head to the side, but tentatively takes the nail polish and inspects it in his hand. “Well, it’s a beautiful color.”
You think, Rutile? It’s the color of your eyes, after all! Chloe thinks, but is, of course, way too fearful of saying that out loud. Chloe has… well, he’s been cultivating these feelings for Rutile for the past months since knowing him. They always get along so well, after all.
Rutile and Heathcliff always look out for him— it’s almost like a dream, to be able to make such a supportive network of friends. Before, all he had was Rustica, but… well, it feels really good right now. And Chloe’s a romantic, so he’s always been yearning just a little for that picture-perfect romance. Rutile’s more like the kind neighborhood boy next door rather than prince charming. It’s times like this that he wishes he could’ve met Rutile earlier, but it’s because of the hardships both of them went through that they can meet and be friends. He’s grateful to Rustica again for breaking him out from that hopeless situation, so now those dreams of romance are no longer just a fantasy. Well, maybe it’d be too optimistic for him to say that it’ll become reality.
His heart pitters along as he prays that Rutile is too oblivious, but he explains the significance of the product in question. “This is a strange nail polish that brings out your inner desires. Its effects only last for a day, but… well, yeah! If that’s okay with you, we can use it. If not, I can go back to my room to grab another kind of nail polish real quick.”
Rutile blinks slowly, taking a moment to (presumably) think about it. “That’s interesting. Hmm, I don’t see why not! Go ahead, Chloe.”
And so, Rutile holds out his hands in front of Chloe for him to paint. Chloe hesitantly takes Rutile’s left hand, first noticing how soft it is. Before he could stop himself, he finds himself blabbering off, “Rutile, your skin is so soft! I always wanted to ask, but what kind of skin routine are you using?”
Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but Chloe swears that he sees a hint of a blush on Rutile’s face. “Thank you, Chloe. I can lend you some of the products I’ve been using later. There’s this nice hand cream I’ve taken a liking to.”
“I’d like that! Oh, but… let’s make sure this isn’t too uncomfortable. Let’s head over to your table, okay?” Chloe smiles, picking up his nail polish and then trying to get up from the makeshift blanket floor.
Rutile mutters his spell words, accounting for their cups of tea and other accouterments, floating it over to his table next to the teapot. By placing those to the side, that leaves the other side of the table for the nail painting. Chloe sits by one side, while Rutile sits on the other. Of course, Rutile already offers his left hand, resting it on the table close to Chloe.
Chloe glances at Rutile’s eyes, watching them sparkle the same amount as the nail polish seems to. “Ehehe, guess I’ll just get started now.” Chloe also produces two other bottles of nail polish, the first being what’s called a base coat and the other being the topcoat. “Rutile, do you usually paint your nails?”
“Mmm… not really, it usually would get messed up by the work we did back in the South,” Rutile shrugs, “but, it’s nice to do it once in a while. Though I’m not too good at painting my nails, either. Mitile is pretty clumsy at it, too.”
“Eh, seriously? Mitile is pretty particular and earnest, so I thought he’d be great at it!” Chloe exclaims with subdued giggles, shaking his head as he unscrews the cap of the base coat. “Well, that’s okay. It’s a rare chance, then! So, this is called the base coat. It’s um… to make sure the paint doesn’t stain your nails. Like if it’s a dark nail polish, especially, I had times where it turned my nails yellow for a bit! I was so scared, but Rustica told me why!”
“Eh, so that can happen? Wow, I’m so glad an expert like you is doing this for me, then!” Rutile hums with a bit of a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Eh, it’s nothing.” Chloe pouts as he takes one of Rutile’s fingers, and starts painting Rutile’s thumb, “Oh, do you want to do all the nails at once?”
“Hmm, maybe that’ll be easier in the long run. Sure,” Rutile agrees easily, placing his right hand on the table as well for Chloe.
“Ah, thanks! Oh, I guess you can just use magic if you want anything, right? Since you can’t use your hands and all…” Admittedly, Chloe just realizes this as soon as he suggests it, and regrets not having that foresight.
But, it seems like Rutile didn’t think of it either. “Oh, I guess not! Ahaha, but it’s not like I need to do anything else right now. You’re taking care of this for me, Chloe. And well… I don’t need my hands to talk your ears off!” He explains quite cheerfully, “could you tell me more about this City of Affluence?”
Chloe blushes at Rutile’s earnest words but doesn’t feel like it’s appropriate to comment on them. Ah, maybe he’s going to get too big of an ego after this… he shakes his head at the thought, and then hums in agreement. “Sure, I’d love to! It’s a nice city, mostly for nobles, but… it has a lot of fun shops to go to! Rustica’s a real regular there, and oh! There’s a fun place for a tea party, so we should go some time.”
“That sounds so exciting!” Rutile returns with a wide smile, “I’d love to go there with you, Chloe!”
He notices that Rutile doesn’t specify that they would be going with anyone else, so… well… no, maybe Chloe is just reading too much into things. It’s definitely because Chloe’s the one in front of him, right? “I feel the same way! I’ll take you next time you’re free.”
“Hmm… well, I have some time tomorrow. I’m giving the others a break from classes,” Rutile giggles, “since I could afford to sleep in tomorrow, that’s why I invited you over. How about you?”
“Eh? Well, I have the time…” Chloe blinks, but then finishes off the base coat on Rutile’s nails. “Oh, but wouldn’t you be consumed by your desire because of the nail polish? Oh, by the way, please blow on your nails to help them dry!”
The first thing he does is start blowing on his nails, but then Rutile pauses for a moment, averting his gaze as he reflects on Chloe’s question. There’s a period of silence, but then Rutile shrugs. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” He goes back to blowing at his nails.
Chloe’s not sure what that means, but shrugs, “well… if something does happen, we can just postpone it for another day!”
“Sure, I’d always make some time for you, Chloe!” Rutile chirps with some sort of finality, so Chloe suspects he should leave it there.
At this point, Chloe has finished topping off Rutile’s nail polish with a top layer. After that conversation, they went on to talk about the silly things, including how their day went, and then some things from their past journeys. Rutile happily listens along to Chloe’s adventures with Rustica, and Chloe listens with great interest about the friendliness from the South. The times he went to Southern Country for missions always proved to be such a delight, so he wonders if he’s up to visit Rutile’s hometown some time.
“Well, it’s done! What do you think?” Chloe says with a flourish, whisking away the bottles of nail polish and putting them away. He then takes a sip of his tea, which he finds has gone lukewarm. Well, guess it happens when he’s too busy having so much fun. “It suits you really well, Rutile.”
“I think so too,” Rutile nods in agreement, holding his nails up to the air and staring at the, almost as if entranced. “It really is a beautiful color! Thanks a lot, Chloe. Want me to paint your nails in return after I’m done?”
Chloe blinks, and then glances at his nails, consisting of some chipped pink nail polish, “Nah, that’s okay! I don’t have nail polish remover on me, but I’ll let you next time.”
“That’s a deal, then!”
A silence lapses between the two of them, causing Chloe’s heart rate to accelerate. Oh, now he’s so anxious! What’s going to happen with the nail polish of desire? Maybe it’s just something like painting all day… right, it has to be. It’s not like he should be expecting anything else. Rutile seems to freeze, his eyes fixating on his nails at first, but then his head rises to get a better look at Chloe.
Chloe fiddles with his fingers on the table, but then… suddenly, Rutile wraps his hands around Chloe’s. “Rutile?”
“Chloe, I have something to tell you,” he speaks up rather softly— gentle like always, but it seems much more serious than his light-hearted tone before. Chloe knows it’s not a trick of his eye this time that Rutile’s cheeks are completely flushed red.
Huh, seriously? Is… could this be a confession? Chloe’s heart just starts beating even more rapidly, red blossoming over his face. “Eh? S…Sure, what is it?”
“I know we just got to know each other pretty recently, and I know both of us have almost like an eternity ahead of us, but…” Rutile holds onto Chloe’s hands rather tightly, “you wondered what my desire is, right?”
“Uh… yeah! I guessed it was something like painting all day, the same way when I tried this nail polish on myself and I just wanted to make clothes all day,” Chloe returns rather shakily, trying to push back the thoughts, condemning himself for being too hopeful. Why would Rutile like someone lame, stupid, and lazy like me to be his boyfriend? That couldn’t be it, right? Maybe he’s going to tell me that he doesn’t like me at all and that I should stop getting the wrong idea—
“Ehehe, only if it was that simple,” Rutile smiles, “it’s heavy in my chest, but feels so light at the same time. My heart feels like it’s fluttering right now.”
Huh? Well, Chloe can’t say this means anything bad now. “M-Mine kind of does, too… is there something…”
Rutile shakes his head, “Right now, my biggest desire is to kiss you.”
Oh.
Okay.
The remaining negative thoughts in Chloe’s head all die out, completely overrun with panic at the idea that Rutile wants to kiss him! Yes, him! Not anyone else! Well, however, Chloe’s not used to this, so all his brain can manage in response is… “Why?”
“Because you’re so cute, of course!” Rutile returns with passion in his voice, his hands sweaty and squeezing Chloe’s much more tightly. “I’m pretty nervous, but… I suppose this nail polish really did give me some more courage to follow my desires. Isn’t that neat? I enjoy your company, Chloe. And I love your cute little smile… it’s nothing like I’ve seen before. You have such a sweet personality, a sweet smile, and such a pure heart!”
“W-Wait, this is a lot to take in…. I mean, I can say the same about you!” Chloe flushes in return, finding that he’s starting to stammer and stumble on his words. “I-I kind of had a crush on you too, but I wanted to learn a little more about you… or, maybe I was hoping you liked me back, so that’s why I used this nail polish on you…”
“That’s so cute,” Rutile returns, leaning in and pressing his forehead against Chloe’s, “looks like both of us were a little too shy, hm?”
“Well, yeah! I didn’t want to ruin our friendship,” Chloe mumbles rather awkwardly, his cheeks still aflame because of Rutile. “But… umm… I feel the same way, so…”
“Ah! I didn’t actually say it,” Rutile realizes quickly, blinking but squeezing Chloe’s hands tighter. “I like you a whole lot, Chloe. Can I kiss you?”
“P-Please do!” Chloe sputters in return, still furiously blushing and then squeezing his eyes shut out of embarrassment. All he can feel is Rutile’s warm breath tickling his face, and then his soft lips pressing against his. The kiss lasts for a moment too short, Rutile pulling away to let the both of them breathe. “I… I really liked that.”
“Me too, your face is so cute and your lips are so soft. I want to do it again!” Rutile giggles, “And then tomorrow, and the day after that! Hmm… guess we’d have to be dating to do that. What do you think?”
“I’d like to be your boyfriend!” Chloe spits out, finding that he’s trembling as he does. “U-Umm, I mean… yes, I would like to date you!”
“Well, isn’t that perfect? I get to fulfill my desires every day, then.” Rutile hums, meeting Chloe with another sweet kiss.