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There were a few facts about himself that Riven had known to be true since he became interested in girls:
1. He didn't want a girlfriend. Being stuck with just one person was unnerving to say the least and a total waste of time.
2. He wasn't jealous. If anything, the girls he dated were jealous of him, which was another reason he didn't want a serious relationship.
3. He didn't bow to the social pressure of celebrations (not that he's ever been with a girl long enough for such a thing to occur to him)
4. And definitely Riven was never a romantic.
So how the hell was he sitting around for hours trying to write a letter to his girlfriend out of jealousy due to social pressure?
Fate had a cruel sense of humor, he decided, as he massaged his temples and leaned back in his chair.
———————
~1 week ago~
“Hey, Riven ” the cry made the brunet stop his walk across the school grounds and turn back towards Dane’s voice.
“Gee dude, I thought you were in detention again. Haven’t seen you all day” said the younger specialist when he reached Riven.
“As much as your faith in me is invigorating Dane, I just overslept and wasn’t about to be late and get another scolding from Silva, so I chose not to go to class” mocked the brunet, walking back towards school without waiting to see if the other young man would join him
“Well, your loss then. Dowling made na announcement this morning in the cafeteria and everyone is crazy about it,” he said excitedly.
“What, finally she decided to retire and go raise chickens somewhere?” asked the brunet, laughing at the thought
“Don’t be silly !” joked Dane, fake punching Riven’s arm
“So what’s up, damn it, speak up!” asked the brunet, already tired of this conversation and the friend’s animation
“Well, you know Valentine’s Day is approaching, don’t you?
“Yes yes, I know, that stupid date.” replied without interest
“So”, Dane continued, “Dowling said today in the cafeteria that in celebration of Valentine’s Day and, to avoid confusion like last year, whatever that means, she was going to make a romantic mail! You can write a letter or even send a gift to the person you like and you don’t have to identify yourself if you don’t want to! And you know what’s best?” asked Dane, not giving Riven a chance to answer before continuing, “The pixies will deliver the letters! Pixies, man, you know, those winged creatures that…. “
“YES, dane, I know what pixies are” scoffed the brunet, definitely annoyed with so much wasted time.
“Well well isn’t that cool?! I mean you don’t have to be afraid of getting dumped in front of everyone and stuff.” finished the boy, still excited
“Dane, Dane, my dear Dane,” said Riven , putting na arm around his friend’s shoulders.
"What kind of loser needs to hide to say he likes someone? It's pathetic. I'm not going to waste my time on this and neither should you" he finished, patting dane on the face and walking away, leaving the other specialist stunned.
———————
The next day, as Dane said, there were pixies all over the school during breaks and handing out letters and gifts.
Sitting at a table in the cafeteria waiting for Beatrix, who was late, to arrive for lunch, Riven noticed that everyone was elated when a pixie entered the great room.
Pathetic he thought, as he took a sip of his soda and checked his cell phone for messages from a certain air fairy, the latter not succeeding.
Where is she?
And as if answering his question, Riven sees Beatrix enter the cafeteria and his face soon drops at the sight of the redhead with her arms full of flowers.
Upon arriving, Beatrix dropped 3 huge bouquets of roses on the table and sat down next to Riven looking relieved.
“Gee, Bea, I didn’t know you liked flowers so much. Thinking about spending time with Professor Harvey?” asked the boy, trying to hide his discomfort with sarcasm.
“In your dreams, Riven.” She rolled her eyes, amused “That” she pointed at the flowers “are gifts from my secret admirers”
"Admirers?" he narrowed his eyes
“Yeah. You know, that Valentine’s Day bullshit that Dowling came up with,” she said nonchalantly, taking na apple from Riven’s tray and biting into it.
“I know… is that why you were late? Because of your fan club?”
Beatrix arched her eyebrow, looking at the specialist and finally noticing his discomfort.
“Jealous, Riven?”
“Me? Never” replied the boy quickly, earning a curious look from his girlfriend “Besides, I’m much better than any of those strangers who don’t even show their face” he assured confidently.
“Well then, you have nothing to worry about, do you?” continued the fairy, still amused
“Nothing,” said iven ending the matter and leaning over to give Beatrix a kiss, who promptly responded by kissing the boy back.
With that, all concerns were erased from the specialist’s mind.
———————
The days that followed, however, were no better. In fact, somehow, Riven’s situation got worse.
Beatrix began to receive more and more letters and gifts, much to Riven’s dismay.
Every time they met between classes and at meals, the air fairy brought more and more gifts with her.
The gifts, however, weren’t the worst part. The letters went.
There was a huge variety of content among the many letters Beatrix received, from pledges of love and praise for her beauty to some with content… inappropriate, to say the least.
It was impossible not to know the contents of such letters when they almost always arrived when the two of them were together.
As if to prove her point, a pixie flew across the cafeteria at dinnertime and delivered a red package and paper to a delighted Beatrix— and an increasingly annoyed Riven.
Taking the card above the package, Beatrix read:
"You may be na air fairy, but you sure stole the air from my lungs when I saw you. My heart is yours, my beautiful lady."
“How corny,” the fairy scoffed, chuckling as she carelessly tossed the card onto the table and grabbed the red package. When opening the redhead she revealed a box of chocolates looking quite expensive “At least the chocolate is good” she laughed
Riven, on the other hand, didn’t share the girl’s amusement. In fact, he found himself wishing strongly that the Dowling director would explode for putting him in such a humiliating situation.
That idle old woman might as well mind her own business and….
The brunet’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Dane and Terra, who looked very uncomfortable being there.
Sitting up, Dane noticed the box of chocolates and the card lying on the table and whistled.
“Wow, you are really popular. Not even the princess received so many letters and gifts” declared the specialist, impressed, making the redhead smile even more.
“It’s true, Stella isn’t too happy about it.” pointed Terra, making the trio turn and look at her “I mean, with her getting few letters and not with you getting a lot, why wouldn’t she have a reason to be mad at you and…” she continued nervously.
“We understand, Terra” cut in Riven, sharply, earning Riven a suspicious look from the air fairy.
“Well, I got a letter yesterday,” Dane said, trying to lighten the mood, “I didn’t think anyone was going to send me anything, but I finally got a card. It was really sweet.” Concluded, with a happy face
Beside him, Riven could see Terra turning red, and it wasn’t hard to figure out who had sent Dane a love letter.
“I mean, considering I’m a freshman and I don’t know a lot of people, I was pretty happy. I really hope the person talks to me, I’m curious” finished the specialist.
“I’m sure you’ll find out who it is soon enough” laughed Riven, without humor.
“Did you get any letters from anyone interesting, Beatrix?” questioned Terra, trying to take the attention away from himself.
“Just a few losers and strangers” mocked the redhead
And at that moment, to make Riven’s mood worse (if that was possible) another pixie flew over their table and handed another letter to Beatrix.
How many people are in that damn school?!
Opening the letter, Beatrix read it silently and huffed, rolling her eyes.
“What does that say?” asked Terra, curious
“Read it for yourself,” replied the air fairy, handing the paper to another girl, making Dane join her in reading it too.
Riven, who was silent throughout the entire scene, couldn’t help but notice how Terra blushed violently and Dane’s eyes widened as they read. And right now, Riven could bet na arm—from Dane, of course—that this was yet another indecent letter Beatrix had received.
“That’s...” began Terra
“Disgusting” ended Dane, earning a nod from the other fairy.
“Yeah, I got a lot of that crap and this isn’t even the worst,” said Beatrix wearily.
“Well it’s disgusting, I’m sorry” Terra said comfortingly, handing the letter back to the redhead, only for Riven to take it from her hand and read it.
Seething with rage with every word he read, Riven couldn’t contain himself any longer.
“I’ve lost my hunger,” he declared, standing up abruptly, taking the tray of food almost untouched and striding out of the cafeteria, leaving the specialist and the fairies stunned.
Heading towards his room—the damn letter still in his hands—Riven could only think how much he would surely love to know who sent some of those nasty letters and have a private conversation with these guys.
———————
Riven entered the room, slamming the door hard, startling Sky who was sitting at the desk, writing something.
“Calm down dude, you don’t have to break the door!” lifted Sky, holding a paper.
Riven moaned “Oh no you don’t either” he said as he kicked off his shoes and threw himself on the bed.
“I don’t what either?” Sky looked confused.
“Did you write to the fire fairy or the princess?” pointed to the paper in the blonde’s hands, disgusted
“That?” chuckled Sky, earning a frown from the brunet, making Sky laugh even harder.
“This is homework dude, you should try it once in a while” joked the blond
“Shit!” shouted “there was no longer enough with these damn letters, I still forgot this damn homework” he finished, burying his face in the pillow
Stopping laughing, Sky went to sit on the bed next to his friend.
“OK man, you’re making me worried. Spill it out”
“It’s nothing, don’t you leave it alone” muttered the brunet, still with his face buried in the pillow
Sighing, the blond nudged his friend, causing Riven to turn and look at him in anger and… defeat? This definitely got Sky worried.
“It’s Beatrix”
The blond narrowed his eyes.
“What did she do this time?” He asked suspiciously.
“Nothing, Sky! Do you always have to think the worst of her?” questioned furiously
“If she didn’t do anything, why are you doing this because of her?” pointed out the specialist, still suspicious
Riven was quiet.
“You can tell me anything, man, I’m here to help” Sky tried, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“it’s kind of embarrassing” muttered the brunet
Sky gave Riven na encouraging look, who sighed in defeat.
“You know this thing about the letters that Dowling made up?” he asked, earning a nod from his friend “Beatrix is getting dozens of this crap and it’s driving me crazy!” he finished, angry again at the thought of the letters his girlfriend received. .
Sky, to Riven’s horror, began to laugh.
“Is that it?! I open my heart to you and you laugh at me?! What a fucking friend you are, Sky” accused Riven, embarrassed and furious for having made a fool of himself in front of the blond.
“Sorry, sorry” Sky held up his hands, trying to control his laughter and earning a dirty look from his friend.
“I really hoped that she, I don't know, killed someone or betrayed you” Sky began, amused “but were you just jealous of the attention she’s getting?” laughed once more.
“I am not jealous!” countered Riven
“Yes, you are!” pointed the blond, teasing his friend
Riven, for his part, just hugged the pillow, frowning.
“It’s stupid, you know, for people to send her these things when they know we’re together” muttered the brunet.
“Look, Riven, I know you like her and you’re jealous of the huge attention she’s getting from the male wing of the school. And it’s no use denying it” he said when he saw that the brunet opened his mouth to protest “but it has occurred to you, I don’t know, talk to her about it?” asked Sky
Upon being met with only silence, Sky tried a new approach to “How does she feel about these letters?”
“She makes fun of the people who sent it, but she’s clearly overjoyed with the attention.” He replied with a frown, making Sky laugh again.
If I punch him, will I get kicked out? thought Riven
“Isn’t it obvious Riven? Beatrix mocks the letters and gifts she gets because she didn’t get it from someone she really wants” he said amusedly.
“And who would that person be?” asked the specialist
“Man, you’re so obtuse” chuckled the blonde “She wants to get a letter from you.”
Riven’s eyes widened in shock, making Sky laugh even harder.
“We’re not that kind of couple,” Riven said, trying to convince herself that Sky was wrong.
“What kind? Normal? I’ve noticed” he scoffed, laughing “but girls like that, Riven. Being noticed. She likes the attention, not who sent these letters, because obviously she likes someone else” concluded the specialist, now serious
“Do you really think so?” asked the brunet, hopefully
“Anyone with eyes can see. That doesn’t mean I like her or approve of whatever your relationship is, but she makes you happy... less of an idiot.”
“So you think I have to humiliate myself, write a letter, put a gift, give it to a pixie for Beatrix to receive?” questioned, horrified at the thought.
“That or die of jealousy” offered Sky
“Well, I’ll take death” laughed Riven, already feeling his mood lift.
“So die on a weekday, please, so we’ll have a break from training for your wake” joked Sky, happy to help his friend.
“And what am I supposed to write? I mean, hypothetically in case I write one of those stupid letters.”
“Whatever you want. Like how much you like her or how she makes you feel.” He got out of bed “well, I’m going, I’ve arranged to meet Bloom and I’m already late”
“Going to meet the fire fairy? Does the princess know about this?” provoked Riven, funny
“Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your romantic life than mine?”
“touché” Riven pointed
And with that Sky left the room, leaving a thoughtful and visibly less sad Riven behind.
———————
What a stupid idea! he thought, crumpling up another sheet of paper.
It was the day after the conversation with Sky and Riven had decided to skip morning classes because, in addition to not having done his homework, he wanted privacy to write a letter to Beatrix. And handing it over to a pixie without anyone seeing it, he would surely die from the humiliation of being caught in the act. But that was easier said than done, and the specialist spent the entire morning trying to write something that wasn’t so humiliating or desperate.
Looking at his best — and only —option, Riven sighed for what felt like the hundredth time since he’d sat down to write.
This is ridiculous, she’s definitely going to laugh at me, he thought, looking at the letter he’d written and picking up another piece of paper to try again.
“I would never expect you to skip class to study, Riven” said a voice behind the boy making him jump out of his chair in fright.
Looking frantically around the room, Riven’s eyes landed on the red-haired girl leaning against the doorframe.
"You almost gave me a heart attack, Beatrix! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming or, I don’t know, knock on the door” he said in exasperation, putting his hand on his chest and trying to calm down.
Mocking, Beatrix approached her boyfriend and Riven could see how pretty she looked in one of her black dresses that clung like a skin to her body.
“Well, sunshine, I’ve been texting you all morning and you haven’t responded. So I decided to come over here and see if you hadn’t, I don’t know, died overnight.” Said amusedly “and I knocked, you who didn’t hear”
The specialist swore under his breath, cursing himself for not noticing the time and for not checking his cell phone.
“Which brings us back to the reason for so much distraction” the redhead looked inquiringly into her boyfriend’s blue eyes, who swallowed hard and looked away.
“So?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow
“I was doing something. Writing something” the specialist was awkward, looking anywhere but at the redhead
“Yes, I noticed by the amount of crumpled paper equivalent to a tree” pointed out Beatrix, slyly “would you like to share what it is?”
“Well, it was for you,” muttered the specialist, blushing.
“For me?” The girl blinked, visibly surprised.
“It’s a letter, okay? That crap that dowling invented” said riven, deciding to face it like taking off a band-aid: quick to ease the pain
So she can laugh at me at once and we can go on with our lives. How I hate you Sky.
To Riven’s surprise, however, Beatrix placed one hand affectionately on his neck and used the other to make the brunet look at her, who was looking at him with affection.
“Why?” she asked gently as she caressed the back of her boyfriend’s neck
“Because I… I…” Riven tried, taking a deep breath at the encouraging look the fairy gave her “I like you and I was jealous of the letters you’re getting” he finished, blushing deeply, trying to avoid his girlfriend’s gaze
After a few seconds of deathly silence — in which Riven seriously considered the option of jumping out the window to avoid such embarrassment — Beatrix declared, softly.
“You didn’t have to, Riven.” And with that the specialist lowered his eyes, pouting “but I’m glad you did” smiled the girl, making Riven look up at her hopefully
“I can read?” asked the fairy, kindly
Riven nodded, taking Beatrix’s hands off her and walking toward the desk, returning with a folded paper he handed to the faerie.
Beatrix read it, scanning the paper silently, making Riven panic.
“It’s silly, I know. I shouldn’t have written it, I’m sorry….”
Riven was interrupted by Beatrix, who pulled him into a passionate kiss to which the specialist responded without excitement.
When the need for air became unbearable, they both broke apart, Riven touching their foreheads. “So you liked it? I know it’s not pretty like your admirers, but… “
“It has its value” laughed the girl “but…”
“But?”
“I don’t need a letter to know I’m hot. I don’t need one to know you like me. And I definitely wouldn’t be with some weirdo who doesn’t dare talk to me in person.”
Sighing in relief, Riven leaned in to kiss his girlfriend again, trailing kisses down her neck, earning a moan from Beatrix.
“You know, we could make an habit of it” proposed the redhead
“An habit?” questioned riven, letting her hands roam over the fairy’s body
“We can exchange correspondence. About more…private topics” moaned the redhead, leaning her body into her boyfriend’s touch, the straps of her dress dangerously close to falling off.
“I think I can do that” he smirked, clearly understanding Beatrix’s train of thought, before returning to kiss her fiercely.
And since then, Riven has found himself constantly sending letters to Beatrix, receiving some himself in return.