Warning: Suggestive themes
As the Fire Festival ended, the energetic and lively atmosphere was placated by Yona's graceful dancing.
Calista's leg swung leisurely as it hung off the side of the branch. Yoon was within her sights, thankfully. She didn't want another repeat with the grouchy elder, but it seemed like he had come around to being at least courteous towards them.
Thank you, Yona.
Her performance had certainly done a number on the skeptical villagers, most choosing to mingle with the group after the princess was finished, much to everyone's surprise.
Calista's eyes were trained on the dragons, who were being swarmed by the adoring girls, and one dragon in particular seemed to be getting a lot of attention.
Her eyes slitted ever so slightly and she swallowed thickly as the unfamiliar emotion rose up in her again.
Shin-ah was crowded with several pretty girls who were fawning over him, and even from far away, she could hear them trying to get him to talk, to remove his mask and let them see his eyes.
His eyes.
Once one girl had the audacity to touch the white, horned mask, despite him furiously shaking his head no and backing away, she had enough. Hopping down from her perch, she didn't notice the pain that shot through her ankles as she landed heavily. She stalked towards the group with that same, barely repressed emotion from earlier simmering inside.
Jae-ha's eyebrow raised as the usually collected fighter breezed past him, and a telling smirk set on the edge of his mouth when he saw where she was headed. Nudging Kija in the side to get his attention, the white dragon shot him a confused look, expression only clearing slightly when he followed the elder's gaze.
"What is she doing?" Kija asked curiously, unaware of the storm brewing.
The green dragon grinned, waving Hak over to watch as he saw him come their way. "Just watch."
The village girls had cornered the poor blue dragon against a wall and were closing in.
"C'mon!! Won't you take off your mask for us?" A beautiful girl batted her eyelashes at him, leaning forward eagerly, vastly encouraged when she saw him blush in embarrassment.
"Pleaseeeeee~" Another begged.
"He's so mysterious!!" One with fair hair and a pale complexion chimed in dreamily.
They weren't deterred as he violently waved his hands in front of him, as a desperate plea to leave him alone and packed around him so close that breathing normally became a difficult task.
Calista just barely restrained herself from barfing in disgust once she was within earshot. Hearing the things they were saying to him made her want to turn the other way and leave it all behind, but that unfamiliar emotion had clouded her mind and before she knew what she was doing, she was marching over.
Grabbing Shin-ah by the collar of his coat, she yanked him down to her level.
The collection of shocked gasps that sounded from all around them did nothing to stop her from smashing her lips on his in front of them.
Pulling back, she was sure her silver eyes were burning with that same, turbulent emotion as she took his hand, dragging him out of there. Shin-ah stumbled after her, taken aback by her sudden entrance and the kiss but he followed where she led nonetheless, even more confused than before when she brought him to the very edge of Senri Village.
Here, no one could see them and he looked down at her expectantly. He was grateful for her saving him when she did, but he also knew that something had irked her.
Her expression betrayed nothing, but her chest was heaving and as her eyes locked on him through his mask, he had a gut feeling as to what it was.
Stepping closer to her, he slowly pushed his mask up, golden orbs wide and worried. "... Calista?"
Her eyes fluttered closed with that simple murmur, wondering how it managed to sound so tender when he spoke it into existence and she sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry..." She mumbled dejectedly. "I didn't mean to take you away like that."
The prominent red on his cheeks told her of his embarrassment and she looked away, unable to bear the consequences of her actions. He would for sure want nothing to do with her now. No one wanted someone who was clingy, insecure or annoying by their side, and she was pretty sure she was being all of the above at the moment.
Shin-ah cradled her jaw, urging her to face him as he inclined his head. His gaze was soft and searching and she found herself entranced, incapable of tearing away.
"Calista..." He said quietly, evenly. "Were you... jealous...?"
He recognized it well, the event having been very recent. Jae-ha and even Kija had a habit of looking at her when they were at the beach due to the revealing nature of her swim clothes and he was startled by how much he didn't want them to look at her like that.
The scoff answered his question quite well, accompanied by several, half-made up excuses that were never finished and she threw her hands up in frustration.
"Yes!! I was jealous, okay?!" Calista frowned deeply, her bottom lip pushing out slightly in the most adorable pout he'd ever seen. "I didn't appreciate them trying to take off your mask, or keeping making up reasons why they needed to be so close to you!! It was obvious that it wasn't okay with you!! Not to mention that..."
He tilted his head when her voice trailed off, the silence somehow sounding guilty. He encouraged her to finish her sentence, but she shook her head furiously, ashamed of the thought that crossed her mind.
"...What?" Shin-ah prompted.
That you're mine.
"Nothing." Calista replied quickly.
I'm not good enough for him.
She tried to look at anything beside him, but was forced to meet his questioning gaze when he circled his arms around her, embracing her tightly.
"Tell me," He begged and she felt her resolve breaking at his unwavering request. "Please."
I can do this. He's never tried to hurt me. I can open up to him.
Gulping nervously, her silver eyes darted away from his timidly, pressing her hands to her chest in a makeshift shield as if to protect her heart as she voiced her insecurities.
"They're beautiful." Calista started, blinking at the tears that had already started to bud at the corner of her eyes. "And elegant. Everything a girl should be."
Shin-ah didn't understand what she was trying to get at.
But she looked down. Her knuckles were scarred from her time as a fighter, body littered with marks inflicted by others to cause pain and calloused. She was far from what a girl should be.
"I would understand if you wanted to be with someone who was more like them." Calista swallowed thickly, clearing her throat a couple of times to maintain her composure and pushed on. "I will go back and apologize, then leave so you can talk to them. I shouldn't have interfered like that— Oof! Wha— Shin-ah?! Mmph!"
His strong legs carried them both as he strode forward, backing her up against the tree that kept them hidden from the others' snooping. Not knowing what else to do, he slapped his palm over her mouth to stop her from saying another word.
His other arm was braced by her head, caging her between the unyielding trunk behind her and his hard body.
Breath hot and harsh against her skin, Calista's eyes flew open when he suddenly nipped at the crook of her neck and she gasped, his hand sufficiently muffling the noise. But when he pulled back to arm's length, his eyes had darkened so much that she could no longer see the glittering gold and it was then that she realized he had still heard her.
And how much that affected him.
Shin-ah's nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowing in concentration was the only indication that she got to realize how deeply he was bothered by what she said.
The back of her head hit the rough bark behind her in a reflexive attempt to keep some space between them as he leaned in close, eyes scorching into her soul.
"You are mine." He declared quietly, but powerfully. "And... I am yours."
With that mere response to all of her fears, she felt the tension melt away.
Tangling their fingers together, he pried them away from her chest and brought them to his heart so she could feel how rapidly it was beating. "This... belongs only to you."
Despite how sure of himself he appeared, Calista detected a hint of nervousness in the depths of his eyes as they returned to their normal hue and she steadied herself.
"I love you." She whispered softly, eyes shimmering with unshed tears, a smile breaking out across her face.
The proclamation rang out softly, but was dangerous enough to make his heart race and he found himself mirroring her joy.
"I love you, too." Shin-ah exhaled lovingly, planting a light kiss to the dark mark on her neck in order to soothe the love bite.
But he couldn't stop himself. His mark didn't bring her pain, it brought her pleasure and he felt he was being driven to the brink of insanity once he got a taste of her.
Calista bit back a moan as he alternated between planting butterfly kisses down her collar bone and sucking on the heated skin. Unable to keep up with the sensations that flooded over her, she sank down to the ground and he followed her, never once detaching himself from her body.
Kneeling on the ground, he lowered her so that she was upright against the tree. He fit perfectly in between her thighs and his mind was left reeling at the revelation that she considered he might not want to be with her. His hands wandered lower to grip her hips as she arched her back, inadvertently pushing her chest against his.
She didn't know where this newfound bravery of his came from, but she wasn't going to stop him in order to ask.
He toyed with the hem of her shirt, only pushing it up when she guided his hands underneath it in a silent plea to do so.
"Shin-ah..." She trembled underneath his touch, her voice having lost its usual fire, and she couldn't figure out whether it was a good or bad thing that he had reduced her from a terrifying assassin, to this.
A low groan scratched against his throat as it erupted from his lungs and the normally shy and silent blue dragon had been replaced by one who found his courage, compelled by the need to show her how much she meant to him.
"Only you... I want only you, for as long... as you will have me." He whispered and she shivered as the hot air hit her bare stomach. "Calista."
He didn't know much, but he knew that a relationship went both ways and that in order to make it work, they needed to be open and honest. He knew how hard it was, from personal experience, and his heart warmed uncontrollably when he realized she had faced her fear and let him in a little more.
Her expression grew fond. "Shin-ah, my heart will always belong to you."
Her half-lidded eyes became unfocused as he pressed his soft lips to her navel. Then, she couldn't stop the laugh that burst out of her when he blew violently against it. The sound was so ridiculous that she shrieked for him to stop when he did it again.
And again. And again.
Until she was a giggling mess in front of him.
Making his way up her body, he caught her lips with his firmly, smothering the rest of her laughter with how serious he was being now. He didn't want her to think that he was trying to distract her from what was important.
Breaking it when he ran out of oxygen, he rasped, "I meant... every word."
"I know." Her eyes softened and she combed back his blue strands of hair, fingers coming to rest on the red marks that decorated his cheeks. "Thank you..."
They got no warning.
"Well, I see that didn't take long to resolve."
"GO AWAY, JAE-HA!!!!!"