Under a Dark Moon [Oneus AU]

Confession

She felt his hand on hers, holding and squeezing it as he looked deep into her eyes. He was beautiful, so beautiful. Luella knew it was a dream, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to hold his hand a little longer, touch his face a little more.

She dreamt of that moment, when he helped save her life. There they were: the claws, the fangs, the snarls. She could see the flashing yellow eyes filled with bloodlust, focused right on her. Then, they were gone, and only his face remained.

Again and again, he protected her, cared for her. Now she couldn't ignore it. Now she was dreaming of it, of him.

Even when she woke up the next morning, Luella still felt it in her chest.

In fact, it wouldn't go away. She hoped maybe it was just part of the dream, that sudden desire to be as close to him as possible. All through the night, and into the next day, she felt a persistent fluttering in her chest, like butterflies.

They were preparing to leave, packing all their things, but she couldn't focus on those things. She helped throw her dresses into her trunk, but her mind kept wandering elsewhere, back to him.

This felt so different. She was sure that she understood what the butterflies meant when they were in her gut. Now that they were in her chest she was just as confused as ever before. They twisted and turned and squeezed around her heart. It almost felt like pain.

It took all day for her to figure it out. She only realized the cause whenever he passed by and the tightening in her chest worsened. Each time he smiled at her, asked if she was okay, that feeling only grew.

It had to be love, she decided. She loved him.

Luella didn't understand how it could happen so suddenly, but she couldn't deny how she felt. She wanted to be near him, to hold his hand. It was a gradual love, but she couldn't deny it any longer.

There wasn't much of a choice. She knew she had to tell him. Later that night, she found the perfect opportunity.

The Bahleen men packed the carriage full of their things. Three sat on top, one rode on the back, and two sat inside the carriage with Luella. He was one of them.

Dongju sat across from them, and only two hours into the journey, he fell asleep. It left her alone with him, giving her the chance to say what she had been thinking all day.

"Keonhee," Luella whispered his name softly, fixing her gaze on her hands in her lap.

"Hm?"

"There's something... I mean that... I wanted to tell you something."

He looked at her innocently, his eyes big, bright, lips pressed together in concern. He could hear her heartbeat racing, thumping so loudly and wildly that he wondered why she was afraid.

"I think that..." Luella sucked in a deep breath. She thought her heart might stop all together. "Keonhee, I--"

"Gwaenchanha?" His brows furrowed in concern.

She couldn't bring herself to say it. Those words were dangerous. Saying them could bring great joy or cause great pain. Luella feared both.

If she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth, the only other option was to show him. She raised both of her little hands and rested them on each of his cheeks. He blinked at her in confusion, stunned by her sudden touch.

Luella pushed herself closer to him, lifting herself until she could press her lips against his. She wasn't great at initiating a kiss yet. So far, she had only been the unexpecting receiver of a kiss.