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❝ Kiss me.❞
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A young alchemist owning his own flower shop with no flowers. How peculiar.
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The scent of fresh roses wafted through the air. The sky painted a deep blue with not a single cloud in the sky. Golden budding blossoms bloomed at his touch. His turquoise eyes lingered on his new creations.
"The substance of life... what could it be..." he whispered quietly, pondering in thought. His blonde ashy tuffs shifting as he tilted his head to the side.
His face remained content, his eyes painted with curiosity, reflecting the blooming flower's golden hue.
Decorations of all sorts surrounded him, along with his experiment bottles.
The young Alchemist sat on the porch of his cottage. There sat an easel and canvas with sketches and splatters of colours paint which resembled flowers.
The tips of his fingers met another bud of the rose, enhancing it's bloom with a single thought. The petals expanded, budding fully. A thick golden colour adorned the petals, shining brightly. A satisfied smile resided on his lips as he returned to his easel.
A new birth of life. The flower garden. Or so known as, The Alchemists Hideout.
No one dared to linger or even come near the shop. Those who visited spread rumours of a crazy alchemist who lived within it. They spoke of a scientist gone mad.
Experiments of all sorts would occur there they said. Some say he could turn you into a witch, a frog, a slime. Though some say you wouldn't even step out alive upon stepping foot in.
Many said that the shop was a mere facade for what laid behind a second door. The door with a 4 coloured wheel, each leading to a terrible death...
Not many people knew him personally. Many stayed away from him, purposely leaving space for him to walk if he ever did leave. People would point, taunt and whisper merciless things about him and shun him. However, it never bothered him, he was always lost in his own thoughts anyway.
A rusty door bell chimed. A chime that hadn't sounded in months. His ears pricked up, panic starting to arise within his chest. He stood up abruptly from his veranda and he ran through the door back towards the main room.
He exited the door, an closed it tightly behind him before switching it to another room. A small chime rang from the door reassuring him that it was locked. Brushing off his clothes he quickly headed to the entrance.
"Hello? Is anyone here? I would like to buy some flowers" a small voice spoke.
You waved hand clumsily, coughing slightly from the built up dust, clutching onto your sun hat from which a red ribbon trailed behind. The room was filled with potion bottles, clothes, ancient and cryptic scripts, glass bottles and strange writing all across the walls.
You were starting to question whether or not this was truly a flower shop. Though the sign in front did explicitly say "Flower Shop" it looked quite run down and rustic. Now that you thought about it, there were a few weird stares and whispers from those around you when you decided to head inside.
It had been years before you stepped into your childhood city, so you had hardly heard the rumours about the "weird florist shop". But wanting to buy some fresh flowers to decorate your home meant the most logical place to go to would be the florist shop, right?
The rooms were dark as night, with only one or two candles flickering weakly. The dim light from outside shone into the room, though it reflected barely anything within the room. The mumbles of the crowd were muffled by the thick, dark concrete walls of the shop, leaving just you and the room's collections of trinkets together, alone.
Albedo's heart froze at the sight of you. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as his fingers dug into his glove, clenching his fist. He hadn't had a customer in months. Many would have just left after seeing a flower shop without a flower in sight along with the horrific mess from his research.
He restrained himself and walked out to the front, muttering incoherent confidence boosters to himself, reassuring himself that everything was fine.
His eyes were met with your E/C eyes and small frame, something was so very familiar about you.
You had picked up one of the scrolls he had absentmindedly left of the table — observing each of the prints, your eyes scanned up and down trying to understand the writing. A small nervous smile tugged on his lips.
No ruckus. No complaints. No disgust. Just curiosity. We're you really who he thought you were?
He shook his head, shaking away his thoughts. He mustered up all his courage to say;
"Hell- Wel- Hi- Welcome."
All the words that bubbled within his throat finally spewed out into unintelligible words. He mentally swore at himself.
You turned your attention to the man as his eyes lingered on you. He could feel his heart beat in his ears, his heart pulsating throughout his body. It had been so long since he last had a customer not to mention someone who had such a unique but familiar aura.
You were simply just different to others who entered. A uniqueness that struck his interest into you, simply through eye contact.
Your eyes flickered to his figure. He wore an overly large white coat embroidered with intricate black and gold details which had chains dangling down from both sides. He wore a loose white blouse underneath with black, high-waisted jeans while his waist was perfectly complimented by a sash. A round red ruby and emerald-like rain drop earring dangled on both of his ears, glistening in the dim light.
Furthermore he wore thick gloves that covered his pale skin. His eyes shone a turquoise glow which pooled with curiosity, his blonde ashy hair was dishevelled in such a perfect way, tied up in a small pony tail with a small braid on each side after being unkempt.
You gave a small awkward smile to the young man, clutching onto parchment slightly crumpling it.
"Apologies I didn't mean to snoop around-" you started, breaking the silence.
He shook his head, snapping out of his trance.
'It's not an issue. How may-?" He spoke, a soft timbre coated his voice.
"Is this... a study on the substances of life?" You questioned, breaking him off abruptly.
His eyes widened in shock to see that you understood his writing, though slightly taken aback from your interruption.
"Yes, indeed it is. How do you know?" He replied.
He walked closer to you to see which scroll you had picked up. A small amused smile rose onto the brim of your lips.
"It's the title of the page" you say pointing to the top title of the transcript.
A small embarrassed flush covered Albedo's ears as you pointed out the obvious.
"Oh yes, that would be right, my apologies. It's one of the research studies I've been conducting on flowers. I've been curious to see which substance-" he paused, realising he was about to trail on about one of his 'weird' experiments.
Self consciousness overflowed his mind as he stood there next to you awkwardly, his feet shuffling back and forth.
"So, what brings you here?" He asked, taking the parchment from your hands slowly as he folded it, shortly placing it down afterwards.
"Oh right, I'm looking for some flowers to buy, this is a flower shop right?" You replied slightly amused at the question.
"Alright then. What type did you have in mind?"
"Well, what flowers do you sell?"
A slight smirk formed as a response to your questions. His eyebrows raised slightly as he ran his fingers through his hair, tossing it back, a chuckle escaped his lips.
"What's so funny?" You asked confused. A light pink hue starting to rise on your cheeks.
Was that not a normal thing people assumed when walking into a flower shop with no flowers? Questions started to muddle in your mind, second guessing yourself.
"Follow me" he said, a new wave of confidence overcoming his body.
It felt like his whole demeanour had changed. His posture, the way he projected his voice, his eyes, his gestures. Confidence.
It was like he was a whole new person. You raised your eyebrow in confusion as you started to follow the male up the crook of the stairs to the door. It was strange but who knows.
He headed to the back oak door, slowly turning the handle. A soft chime of the "ding" echoed through the room, changing the wheel to a red.
A beam of sunlight peeked through the small opening. He pressed his body against the door, second guessing his decision. His eyebrows furrowed in concern as waves of anxieties overcame him. Was it too much of a risk bringing you in. There was not turning back now right? But... what if you weren't even the—
Albedo turned around extending his arm towards you, his hand reached out to you invitingly. A lopsided smile on his lips.
"Trust me."
His voice was coated with a sincere and warm tone — something that encapsulated your mind and body telling you to trust him.
Though you just met him today, something was different about him. The people in the town couldn't even compare to the uniqueness that Albedo held. The way he talked, moved, thought, all differentiated from the norms.
A simple nod was exchanged as you placed your hands into his. His eyes lit up glistening with happiness. He interlocked his hands into yours — a small flush of excitement overcame his body. Albedo's hand slithered around your waist as he held onto you and your hand tightly.
"Are you ready?" He whispered, lips brushing against into your ear.
You nodded your head rapidly, shutting your eyes tightly, bracing for impact, holding onto his hand for dear life.
"Hold on tight sweetheart"
A bright beam of light blinded you as you stepped into...
The Flower Garden.
A wave of heavy wind brushed against your hair. Your hand still clutched tightly into Albedo's, as he did your waist.
The sweet aromatic fragrance of flowers, grass and nature weaved in the air.
"You can open your eyes now." He said, slowly letting go of you from his grip.
Your eyes fluttered open, your mouth agape at the sight in front of you. Fields of endless flowers that stretched for miles were in front of you.
An abundance of flowers abloom stretched out for miles on end in front of you. The assortment of colourful, ombre flowers spread across the fields. The flowers had hues of pinks, purples, blues every single colour imaginable.
It was absolutely enchanting. In that moment many things started to click in your head, the reason why he laughed at your previous remark of "which flowers did you sell?". The reason being he had well, every single type.
Beyond the plethora of flowers, a small cottage-like house stood in the middle, sticking out amongst the nature that bloomed around it. Just standing at the top of the hill, taking in the atmosphere of the place was astonishing. It was quite hard to fathom that such a wonderful place like this existed.
"Wow" was all you could mutter, taking deep breaths of astonishment. Unable to speak the words to describe the view.
Albedo strutted in front of you slightly down the slope of the hill, his hands on his hips. He looked backwards to be met with your astonished expression, a chuckle escaped his lips. It was really you, wasn't it?
A bright smile beamed across your features. Your eyes lit up, mesmerised by the atmosphere around you. Breathtaking. Happiness. The same smile that captivated him for years. The smile on your face that he could never forget. The person he fell for years ago.
His eyes trailed up and down your features. Foreign feelings and thoughts running across his mind as his eyes stopped at your lips. A pink blush appearing on his cheeks.
Your eyes shortly met his loving eyes. His look of realisation that it was truly you, his beloved. You raised your eyebrow in confusion at his distinctive gaze on you, unknowing to the thoughts that raced through his mind at the moment. Love.
"Do you like it?" He questioned.
You rolled your eyes playfully, as if that was even a question.
"I love it." You said wholeheartedly.
An enchanting smile formed on his lips, as he extended his arm out to you, gesturing for you to come. Your hand slid into his, making his heart drum faster and faster with just your presence.
It felt surreal that this was even happening. You had to make sure you were breathing, that this was truly reality.
He carefully led you around the endless sea of flowers, carefully treading along a pathway.
"So... which flowers were you looking for? We have some in stock" he nudged you jokingly.
An embarrassed pink tinted your cheeks as you looked away bashfully onto the ground.
"I was looking for some wisteria." You mumbled softly.
He halted, a hand meeting your chin as he tilted your face towards his.
"Hm? Can you repeat that? I didn't hear you the first time"
Your heart leapt, surprised by his sudden actions. You were inches away from his face, his nose brushed against yours.
The tuffs of his hair shifted gently in the breeze, not leaving a strand untouched, it seemed extremely fluffy to touch. With it his prismarine eyes dazzled in the midday sunlight that perfectly reflected off his features. His loving gaze was fixated on your every movement; though no words were exchanged, the look in his eyes said it all.
Nerves started to overflow your senses, being inches away from his face. You figured that your nervousness came from not only the way he looked, but also his attitude.
Time seemed to have stood still in those few brief moments. The gaze. The scenery. It all seemed too good to be true.
There was no way you were denying he didn't look attractive in that moment. He did. To top it off, his attitude and first impression on you was like a cherry on top. Smart, Shy, Attractive, Nice. The list just kept going on and on. But many questions still remained unanswered — a little mystery couldn't hurt.
"Wisteria." You whispered teasing him, using your index finger to push his face away from you.
"I'm looking for wisteria" you stated again, holding in your laughter from his shocked expression.
He crossed his arms playfully, looking away from you, quite disappointed.
'Well you can look for it yourself, over there" he pointed to the right like a small child throwing a tantrum.
You let out a sweet laugh that you hadn't done in months. Albedo couldn't help but follow and join in with the chorus of your laughter. Something so simple that broke a chain of thoughts, tough luck for someone trying to be smooth.
Suddenly a loud high pitched ringing rang through Albedo's ears. He clutched onto his heart, clawing at his clothing. No. No, no no. Why did it have to be now.
His knees buckled as he collapsed onto the ground. Out of breath, he reached out his arm desperately to you. You immediately stopped and you rushed towards him.
"HELLO? WHAT'S HAPPENING" you shouted desperately in confusion. The look in his eyes started to fade, drained of colour. His body slowly going limp as the flowers around him started to wilt. The once blue sky turned into a dark eerie grey.
You clutched onto his body shaking desperately, adrenaline pumping through your veins.
"HEY, STAY WITH ME HERE." You brushed his hair away from his face,
His arm limply moved up towards your face. His hands felt cold, colder than anything you've ever felt before. He pulled you in close to him; a mere whisper escaped his lips.
❝ Kiss me.❞
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F I N I S H
A/N:
Albedo as Howl go brrr brain rot. Idk I just thought he'd fit the vibe lowkey. Also quick mention assessment season is creeping up on me so I'll be inactive for a week or so! I'll try my best to publish like a bonus chapter or something If I have the time so yea stay tuned for that.
I hope you enjoyed! I tried to do something a lil diff than usual. <3