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The plant wept pitifully over the side of its pot. Bernadetta studied it, a finger flicking at a limp leaf. The flower could still be salvaged, but Bernadetta knew that this plant was going to require a lot of work to get it thriving again. She had to admit she was a little surprised Petra would do something like that for her, ordering it all the way from Brigid for her, but it was a really nice surprise.
Suddenly, her warm feeling vanished and she felt danger at the back of her neck. There was someone in the greenhouse with her. She shut her eyes, tried to breathe, it’s probably just another student, this happens all the time, it’s only because she’s feeling happy that her brain’s trying to sabotage her. Her inner voice shoved past her attempts to calm down because the day had finally come when her father's goons had come to kidnap her. So why weren’t they kidnapping her already? Maybe it was all in her head or maybe it was ghosts or maybe she was crazy–
“It’s only me, Bernadetta,” came Hubert’s voice from far behind her.
Bernie straightened up from the protective curl she had found herself in and looked over her shoulder. So it was only him. She dropped her head. “Hi.”
He walked over to her and she tried to change the subject. “I got a new plant?” It really was sad looking, despite its cute stripes on the lip of the pitcher.
Hubert examined it with a genuine interest that Bernie appreciated.
“D-did you want something?”
“Lady Edelgard has snuck off to tea with the Professor,” Hubert said with barely concealed disapproval. “So I thought I would see what you were…up to.”
“Yeah...Petra got it for me, but it took too long to get through customs, and it's dying, so I'm trying to fix it now."
He glanced at her and after that first shock of alarm coursed through her limbs, she saw he was smiling. In his odd way.
She grasped at the front of her skirt, nervously. "Well, I’m pretty much done now. Do you want to go for a walk?”
“A fine proposal.”
They settled down on a grassy spot in the shade of the courtyard. Bernadetta idly ripped at the grass, tying them into little chains. Beside her, Hubert looked the most at ease she had ever seen him. Around their other classmates, even Edelgard, he always seemed so stern. But he was never like that with her. Even as he chided her, she knew he was trying to help her. He was a helpful person.
She looked from Hubert out to the courtyard where groups of students gathered doing their homework, or playing games, or...
There were two students from another class leaning up against one of the pillars of the gallery that lead into the reception hall. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they kissed. The one girl pulled back, bit her lip and turned to go before the other girl reached for her waist and pulled her back. Bernadetta felt herself tingling all over and realized she was staring. She quickly turned back to the green mess in her hands.
"How do people just know how to be all...cute and sexy like that?" she sputtered out, like it was the stupidest thing in the world.
Slowly Hubert looked at her, then beyond her at the girls, then back to her.
"They practice," Hubert said, like it was as simple as that.
"But how??" Bernie spat out in bewilderment. "You can't just ask someone if you can practice being sexy on them."
"You could, if they were a friend." He said nothing after that.
Clouds rolled across the sky. The girls walked off. Another group of students burst into exclamation as a boy with his uniform jacket tied around his waist scooped up someone's notebook and ran off with it. There was a bird at a safe distance from her, pecking at the ground. And amidst it all, Hubert's voice might as well have been ringing in the air around them.
"I didn't say I wanted to," Bernie shrieked, the meaning of Hubert's words finally hitting her.
Hubert smirked. "Fair enough. But should you ever wish to practice..."
Bernie's face burned. No one had ever offered to...oh, she couldn't even think it. She did notice that Hubert had called himself her friend, though, and that felt nice, no matter how many times he said it. A friend who wouldn't go running and screaming away from her if she ever wanted to...try kissing? She didn't think that was for her, as much as she might want it. But she did want it. So badly. One day. She squeezed her eyes shut and took the deepest breath she thought she had ever taken and reached out and put her fingers on his thigh.
Her stomach dropped as he made a noise of contentment. She could hear the smile in that sound.
"Please don't...make any noises. Please? Just, can I pretend you're not here?"
"That might defeat the purpose."
"I want to pretend this is totally a normal thing, that no one is watching me, or...judging me."
"As you wish," he said, in all seriousness.
Bernadetta pulled her hand back and scooted closer to him. She lifted herself onto her knees. The sun dappled on his face from the small trees they sat under. His eyes met hers, tired and also completely present, lingering so calmly that she held that eye contact even as her nerves started acting up. She breathed. She was safe with him. Her friend. And she wanted to kiss someone. She wanted someone to think she was cute and, well, maybe even a little sexy. So she leaned in and pressed a peck to his chin.
Nothing bad happened. The feeling of an entirely different person's skin on her lips was unlike anything else, and she really...really liked it. So she tried again, this time kissing his mouth. She kissed him again, and this time put her hand on his cheek experimentally, to pull his face closer to hers. This was nice! But he didn't seem like he was enjoying it all that much. She pulled away, putting her fists in her lap.
"...Okay, but am I doing okay?"
"Would you like me to react now?"
"Um, maybe a little."
He waited. She kissed him again, and this time, he kissed her back. And oh, this was even better. And then, as the tip of her tongue brushed against his lower lip...it was faint, but she heard a small moan come from his throat. Wow, she thought, I didn't even mean to do that. She touched him again, placing both her hands on his face as their lips slid against each other. She gasped as his arms encircled her waist and pulled her into his lap. She found herself feeling oddly fond of the way his naturally shaky hands held onto her body. Her hands strayed into his hair, onto his shoulders, and she giggled into his mouth as he entwined his fingers with hers. Her body was starting to warm up, and she started wanting to press herself closer to him. The thought was too horrible to contemplate, so she focused even harder on their kisses. Hubert made another one of those sounds, and the little rush of pride that surged through her was indescribable. She couldn't help but start giggling again.
They spent a few more moments this way before falling apart naturally. Bernadetta's cheeks were aching from grinning so much. Hubert's smile was subtle, but there, and Bernie felt giddy as she slid off of him and settled back onto the grass. She knocked at his shoulder with hers. "How'd you get so good at this?"
"Perhaps I practiced."
"Ooh, who with?"
"Or perhaps you're just a natural."
"Oh, no I'm not. I can't even..." She was mortified to find her eyes drifting down to Hubert's lap. And what she'd just been sitting so close to. Her blush deepened and she buried her face in her fists.
Well...at least she'd made him laugh. But he put his hand on her head and guided it to his shoulder. She breathed again. She was here with her weird friend, with all her friends, safe at their school under the protection of shadows and foliage. It was still warm this late in the year and she had kissed someone. Everything that made her want to hide from the world seemed so far away. For now, anyway.