Entwined | 𝘠𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤

Aftermath

~CHARLOTTE~

Charlotte sucked in cool air as she lay completely drained of all her energy. She couldn't remember a time when she had felt so at peace. Her eyes cracked open, and she blinked a few times before realizing they were surrounded by blooming red roses.

Yami was laying across from her, his hand holding hers as he looked into her eyes. Heat rushed to her cheeks. Did I really...? Did we really just...? Her eyes widened in shock and Yami chucked at her.

"I, I um, think I'm going back in the hot springs," she mumbled, wanting to find some form of cover. She splashed into the warm water and leaned her elbows on the edge. Her mind wandered to the roses that had blossomed around the pair. Are those my doing? She couldn't remember.

She raised one of her palms to her face and grew a small rose. It was a vibrant, deep red, the color of freshly spilt blood. Her eyebrows knit together. How am I going to explain this to everyone else? I didn't mind the blue... my entire squad might even disown me...

Yami rested an arm on the ledge next to her. Having followed her into the hot springs, he rested his back against the wall of the pool. Her eyes were momentarily distracted by his broad shoulders before she turned back, aware that her face was now the same color as her "new" roses.

"We don't know if it's permanent yet. Besides, your mana shined blue," he stated non-chalantly.

"What does that mean?" She inquired, her voice a mere whisper. Her emotions were in turmoil inside of her. What she had just done she couldn't take back. Not that she didn't enjoy her experience with Yami, she'd do it again any day, but she knew there were more impacts to it than feeling good.

Somehow Yami had stuck a cigarette between his lips, and he exhaled white smoke as he spoke, "Well, you're true blue, Prickly Princess. The Hikari stones proved that tonight. Whether by nature or by living under the curse for so long, the true essence of your mana is blue in color. You'll always be the captain of the Blue Rose Knights, so stop worrying."

He took another slow drag on the cigarette and continued, "You look just as good in red as you do in blue, in my opinion."

She waved her hand and the rose disappeared. He might be right, but the words were of little comfort to her. If it were possible to live in one moment forever, she would have lived in the moments just before this one, and dealt with her consequences in another life.

"Come here," Yami murmured, his voice deep and unbothered, like molasses. She turned her head towards him, and noticed his arm was outstretched towards her on the surface of the water.

"Do you know how to float?" He asked. She hummed in the affirmative.

"Then float here and I'll keep my arm under your back for support," he told her. She raised an eyebrow at him in a questioning look.

He answered her silent question with a simple, "I don't like to see you worrying so much. Besides, there's something I want to share with you."

She placed her back against his arm and let the rest of her body float to the surface of the water. Noticing that his eyes could now see every bit of her exposed skin, which he didn't hide his interest in, she blushed profusely but found no reason to hide herself now.

I know we had sex moments ago but somehow this seems even more intimate. Instead of running away this time, she just closed her eyes. The pool was barely big enough for her to fit laying down, so Yami placed his other hand over the crown of her head so it wouldn't bump against the wall.

He took a long drag on the cigarette and exhaled, the thin stick clinging to his bottom lip without him having to hold it. His eyes wandered lazily over her picturesque body, quite astonished and pleased with himself at the current string of events.

"I wanted to tell you something when you broke me out of the bat's hallucination, but I couldn't find the words," Yami started. Then he paused, "Wait- what did you hallucinate? And how did you manage to break free?"

Charlotte didn't hesitate to answer him, "The bats made me think you didn't want my help, and I heard you tell me to leave. As I was wondering away, I remembered your words to me before we entered the cave, that you wanted me, and that's how I broke the spell."

"Mm, seems that it was easier for you to find me than the other way around..." Yami muttered. A cloud of white smoke drifted from his lips and he continued, "I have a story to tell you..."

A/N: The chapter photo is one of my favorite fanarts of these two, so I had to do a scene that fit it 😍