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A rich, mellow melody dances through the deep night sky, speckled with twinkling stars. Tonight, the sky is colored a rich indigo; a dark canvas supporting a chorus of stars. To Karl, it almost looked alive. Maybe it was because of the music.
He stares up at cloudless climes and watches the stars sparkle and gleam in sync with the violin. Under the faint glow of the moonlight, Rachel’s figure is outlined subtly in silver. Her red curls fell delicately over her shoulder, drinking in the light of the moon.
She plays as gracefully as she does everything else; her posture remains straight, yet relaxed— she ends the song with a confident flourish, the note fading out softly. Her lips are pressed together in an easy smile. Karl’s chest tightens. How she’s able to capture his heart with every little action is beyond him.
“Bravo! You could even steal the hearts of those crocodiles with your skill,” he jokes with a sharp grin. He presses the palms of his hands together softly—careful not to chip anything— in an attempt to imitate clapping, but only the clinking of ceramic followed. He cut himself short.
Rachel’s cheeks tinged a rosy pink.
“Deary me, that’s quite the compliment,” she laughs. “But thank you, Karl.”
“You know I mean it,” he replies with a lazy smirk. Rachel’s eyes light up in kind.
She crouches down to tuck her violin and bow back into her velvet black case, zipping it up with poise. The grass crunches faintly beneath her feet as she steps closer to the blond to join him on the ground.
A light breeze tussles Rachel’s hair. The night is peaceful for once. They sit in a few minutes of silence; Karl traces the shape of the violin case, taking in the feeling of its smooth surface. Rachel fidgets with her skirt. Her mouth opens as if to say something but she closes it just as fast.
Karl tilts his head, “What is it? You were going to say something just now.”
“Oh! Um, it’s nothing really, I just… wanted to ask something is all. It’s quite a silly question, you don’t need to pay me any mind.”
Karl lets out a hearty chuckle. “Aw come on, I won’t bite! Not you, at least. Ask away.”
She relaxes slightly at that, unfurling her fingers from digging into her skirt. There’s a beat of silence; she glances down at her cased violin.
“Would you… like me to teach you how to play?”
“…”
“Ah- sorry! Oh dear, I hope I don’t sound too pushy- I just see you stare at my violin a lot and thought that you might be interested in learning how to play,” she sputters, biting her lip.
“I’d be honored to learn from you,” he blurts.
A look of relief flashes across her face.
She leans closer, “Really?”
The look in her eyes was captivating. They were sparking with hope, her lips were curled into a small smile. He leans closer as well— their hands were so close in proximity, their fingertips just barely touching. He couldn’t help the genuine smile he returned.
“Really.”
Rachel breaks into a grin, her eyes bright. Her light of her radiance shone at full force.
“Oh, that’s wonderful Karl! I’m so glad! Learning violin really is fun, I promise not to disappoint,” she chirped. “I hope that we can get to know each other better through our love for music.”
“I… want to learn more about you, Karl,” she continued, a bashful smile on her face.
She rests her hand over his. He stares at her, wide-eyed. Her face is flushed.
He hesitates, remembering the warnings from Red to not get too close to humans. He quickly pushes those thoughts away, as long as they don’t see us here, there shouldn’t be a problem. He slowly puts his other hand over hers. He marvels at just how warm humans are. Something in his chest squeezes.
Rachel shuffles a little closer; she slides her hand out of his awkward hold and gently takes both of his cold, ceramic hands into her own. Her fingers curve under his— their hands fitting like puzzle pieces.
“Karl,” Rachel whispers. “Are you afraid?”
He blinks.
“Afraid? What would I be afraid of?” He barks out a laugh, refusing to meet her gaze. He tries not to grimace at how forced it sounded.
She rubs her thumbs over his knuckles and gently squeezes his hands in hers. Rachel has always been gentle and brimming with kindness, unlike himself. He’s never had a delicate touch and things always seemed to break in his grasp. She knows that and yet she holds on anyway. She threads their fingers together, keeping her eyes on his face. He struggles to follow suit. Her fingers were long and elegant, a perfect fit for a violin player. And her hands were so much smaller than his.
“You’re shaking,” she murmurs, her face inches away from his own. Dark, honest eyes stare fixedly at his own.
A wave of dizziness hits him and he fights to suppress a shiver.
“…Oh,” he mumbles in response.
He hadn’t realized how badly his hands had been shaking. His face felt like it was burning. Were statues supposed to feel hot? He doesn’t feel so good. It was suddenly extremely silent and the night air was very still. He could hear the quiet inhales and exhales coming from the red headed woman across him. He felt strangely exposed even though his clothes were quite literally part of his body. If she had noticed anything off about his behavior, she didn’t comment on it.
Warmth pooled in their linked hands, it was hard to pull away from the gravitating tug of her hold. Rachel breaks the silence with a sigh, a lock of fiery red hair falling into her face. Her long lashes fluttered and brushed the surface of her flushed cheeks. After a beat of stillness, he breaks their hold to tuck the lock of hair behind her ear.
A coiling pressure weighs heavy on his throat, making it hard to speak. The affection he feels for the human swells in his chest and spreads to his entire body in crashing waves. It feels like he’ll crack open under the pressure and break into a million little shards— spilling and vulnerable.
“I admit, I was a little taken aback by what you said earlier,” Karl whispers, a hushed sound that’s almost swept away by the glow of the soft moonlight. “About you wanting to learn more about me.”
She lets out an embarrassed hum. “Excuse my forwardness, but I meant every word. It’s not everyday that I come across a living statue, you know!” A playful smile is splayed across her face.
“…I see. So I’m just some living statue to you, huh,” he pouts, letting out a faux sniffle. “And here I thought that I was special!” Karl lets out a dramatic sigh, turning away from the now floundering human.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant! You are special! You being a statue isn’t the only reason I want to get to know you better-“ she falters when she sees the corner of his mouth quirk up and the slight shaking of his shoulders. “Karl!” Rachel chastised, her face a bright red.
He bursts out into laughter, throwing his head back. She gives him an exasperated shove. She puffs her cheeks out as she waits for him to calm down.
“Sorry, sorry!” He said through a fit of giggles. “Your reaction was just too funny!” He earned another shove.
Karl grins as apologetically as he can (which isn’t much, he doesn’t feel sorry at all.) “I’ll make it up to you.” He leans in closer, “You can learn about me in whatever way you like. If you have questions, I’ll answer them. How’s that?”
Rachel glares at him, with no real heat behind it, before answering.
“Hm… alright, but we’re doing it my way.” A smile blooms onto her face, widening with each second. It’s a sunny and contagious thing. Something warm and fuzzy dances inside of his stomach.
She presses down on his shoulders and pushes him onto the patch of grass where he had been sitting; she used enough force to pin him underneath her, with care to not be too harsh. A teasing grin is plastered on her face now, that trickster. He playfully smirks back at her with half lidded eyes. Two can play at that game. He snakes his arms around her waist and drags her down with him, trapping her with an embrace. A surprised gasp escapes Rachel before the two of them fall into a fit of laughter. He would’ve liked to stay in this position forever but she taps his arm and he relents on his hold.
Rachel pushes herself up onto her palms, her long, red curls cascading down her shoulders and coiling around her face. He can practically see the gears turning in her brain when she suddenly gets a mischievous look on her face.
Without giving him a moment to properly process, she dips her head down and presses a firm kiss to the side of his neck. He draws in a sharp breath. She relishes in the reaction she drew— knowing fully that his trust wasn’t given out freely— before continuing with her barrage. Soft, plush lips brush against his jaw. Karl’s eyes slip shut. There’s one pressed to his forehead. Then there’s another peck on his cheek. And another, and another, and another. He clutches the fabric on the back of her sweater, desperate to savor the moment. He almost feels bad for creasing the fabric but his train of thought is quickly forgotten when Rachel slots their mouths together perfectly, and nips at his bottom lip. A dizzying wave crashes over him and all he can do is gasp up to the star dotted sky. When she tenderly presses her final kiss to the fabric of his eye patch, he has to stifle a disappointed whine.
She pulls away, sporting a triumphant grin, looking proud of herself for catching him off guard— her face almost as red as her hair. With the radiant glow of the moon gleaming behind her, Karl thinks she must be an angel sent from heaven.