No matter how strong he was, he was definitely not strong enough for this. The lowblooded girl danced across his mind, weaving in and out of dreams the sopor slime couldn't prevent.

Equius bolted upright in his recuprecoon. Breathing heavily, he felt his heart still beating, his cheeks still flushed. But... the girl in his dreams could not possibly be her. She was a lowblood, the lowest possible! Aradia Megido was almost nothing, barely even on the hemospectrum! And yet... and yet... He couldn't get her out of his think-pan.

Equius groaned and lifted himself out of the slime.

Not possible... not possible... There was no way he felt flushed, especially for her. He reviled the lowbloods, barely tolerated even his moirail's hue.

Equius sat in his chair by his husktop. He stared up at the ceiling and tried to think of why. Why her? Why now? He had never been flushed for another troll. He had felt only the palest of feelings before.

"Am I flushed?" he murmured.

No! How could you even think that?! The vile swill that flows within her disgusts you!

But... she was so elegant, so kind, so... beautiful.

No, you didn't think that. That thought had never occurred to you. That never happened.

"Think. List why you hate her so," Equius told himself.

A lowblood.

I know.

She doesn't care about the hemospectrum.

Yes, but lowbloods never do.

Back to the beginning. A lowblood. You have royal indigo. You are almost nobility.

Nepeta isn't even close to my blood. Yet I am pale for her.

She is different. You know that her blood is low and you remind her. Do you even care about Aradia's disgusting rust blood?

Aradia. The mere thought of her name sent a pang through his blood-pusher.

You barely even know her!

You've never even met her face to face!

All you've seen is a picture!

But with one picture, Equius' heart was captured.

"How long have I felt this way... without even knowing?" he whispered. "How long has she had my heart?"

Another pang. Each one feels as though an arrow was piercing his chest.

Aradia.

Another arrow.

A lowblood!

Pang.

Filth!

Equius wasn't sure that he cared anymore.

"How could I feel this way, for one such as her?"

Arrow.

"There is no doubt."

Another.

"I... I truly feel flushed for her..."

There was no doubt in his mind that each arrow had her sign marked in her rust-blood color.

I don't really ship this, but I got the idea, and... this happened. Oh well. ~AG