Oh lawdy, fluff.
There...is a reason I don't write fluff. It's because I'm bad at it. Horrible at it. Every sentence is like "Ohhh, God that's cheesy." So here's a rare treat: an Elazul/Pearl fluff fic I found decent enough to post for others to read. Enjoy it, because you'll probably never see another. XD
BTW, Andraia = Heroine. Sorry, probably should have specified that earlier on.
The house was the same as Pearl remembered. The yellow roof shone happily in the sun as smoke from the fireplace drifted lazily into the air. She thought of the inside, the fireplace lit, the air warm and welcoming, the faint smell of cinnamon wafting around the air. Andraia's home was such a peaceful place. She wished she could just stay there forever and ignore everything else.
She approached the closed door. She didn't hear anyone inside, but she knocked on the door anyway and waited.
I don't want to just go in, Pearl thought. That would be rude, even if Andraia did say I could come if I ever needed to. She's probably not home, though. There was no answer, so she knocked again. No answer. She stood on her tiptoes and looked through the small window. There was nobody inside. Elazul is still here, right? He couldn't have gone off with a wounded core. She cracked the door open. "H-hello?" she called. No answer.
She heard howling and jumped, then remembered that Andraia kept pet howlers in her barn just behind the house. She heard the twins' squealing laughter and some more howling. I don't want to disturb them. And I want to be alone with Elazul. Children wouldn't understand like Andraia would. But Andraia wasn't here.
Andraia said, if I ever needed to...well, I need to. I have to see Elazul. I have to see how he is.
Pearl stepped inside and shut the door. The lamps were out, but the fireplace continued to burn bright, keeping the house warm. Elazul wasn't here. He must be upstairs. She started up the steps.
She sniffed the familiar cinnamon and smiled. If this is ever over, I want a home like this, she thought. A warm home just like this in Etansel where Elazul and I can live together. Her smile widened at the idea. She heard a pitter-patter of feet and paused. Oh, right. That talking, walking cactus that Andraia keeps. She looked at the pot. The cactus settled into the soil and turned to peer at her, then turned away, a smile on its face. Strange plant. Animal? What do you call a plant that moves?
Her eyes rested on Elazul's sleeping form. She approached the bed. He looked the same, perhaps a bit pale, but otherwise healthy, but at the same time he seemed so weak. His head was turned to the side, his eyes shut. She knelt next to him and ran a finger through his hair. She shut her eyes and sighed. "I miss having you with me," Pearl whispered. "I always felt safe beside you. And now look what I've gotten you into." She touched his hair again, and let her finger trace down his cheek. He was cold. Her heart jumped. Oh, no. No, he couldn't have. She opened her eyes and went to place her palm on his face. She gasped; he was awake, staring confusedly into her eyes. Oh thank you, Goddess, he's alive!
Elazul blinked. "Pearl, what are you doing?"
"I...umm...I was...um..." She felt herself blush. "You're so cold, I thought you had...you know...um...you..." She touched his hand. "You need another blanket. You're freezing!"
"I'm fine," he said curtly. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm okay," Pearl told him, touching her core gingerly. "I just wanted to visit you and see how you were doing. D-does it hurt?" she asked. She looked at his core. The veins of fool's gold that ran through the blue lapis glittered in the sunlight. And there, along the side, that scratch that Sandra had made. Pearl hadn't seen it up close until now. It was a deep scratch, a nasty thing that had to be hurting horribly. The skin around it was bright red from irritation. I ask such stupid questions.
He was quiet for a moment. "Not all that much," he finally answered. "Andraia and the twins have been kind to me." He pulled himself up with a pained groan.
"Yes it does, it does hurt, you're just trying to make me feel better," Pearl said. "Lay back down."
"I'm fine," he insisted. "Where's Andraia?"
"I don't know. I heard children over by the stables, and assumed it was Bud and Lisa." Elazul shivered again. "You're freezing, Elazul, you need something to warm you up." She placed a hand on his arm. He looked at it indifferently. "Where does Andraia keep the blankets? Maybe if I leave one out in the sun for a little while it'll make you feel better—or I'll just take this one—" She went to grab the thin cotton blanket from him to set in the sun.
"Pearl," Elazul said sternly, "I'm going to be alright. You shouldn't have come here, all it's going to do is make you worry."
"But—"
"I'm glad to see you're safe," Elazul added. He cried out and clutched at his core. Pearl reached out to help him. he shrugged her hand away. "I'm fine!"
"Elazul..." She lowered her eyes.
"D-don't worry about me," he hissed through the pain.
"Elazul, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. This is all because of me."
"Don't say that!" he snapped.
"But it is. I was nothing but a burden on you," she said. "All I did was get lost and then when you found me, get lost again. I caused you so much grief and now you're hurt and I don't know what to do and I'm scared, Elazul—"
"Just stop it," Elazul ordered. "That's enough. You don't have to feel bad for anything."
She climbed up on the bed and wrapped her arms around him. "But I do feel bad. Don't be mad at me for saying so, but I feel like if I hadn't come along…"
Elazul stared at her. "Pearl, don't do this to yourself."
"Elazul, you're not going to leave me all alone after this, are you?" Pearl asked. As the words left her mouth, dread settled in her stomach. What if he says yes?
"That's stupid, of course I'm not," he said. Pearl breathed a sigh of relief and laid her head on his shoulder and looked up at him, smiling. He stared at her.
"You're the best knight I could have ever asked for," Pearl told him. "I..." She felt herself blush. " I...I lo..." Her chest fluttered as his eyes widened. She stopped. I want to tell him, but what if he hates me? I can't just go saying that to him after everything that's happened... She blushed and turned away. "No. Nevermind."
"Go on," he said softly. "You can say it."
"Okay." She shut her eyes. "I love you, Elazul." There; she'd said it. Her face burned with embarrassment. "I love you and I feel bad for what I've put you through! I feel like you hate me."
"Pearl, I don't hate you," he said. Pearl squeezed her eyes tighter as she felt him pet the back of her head.
"You should."
"No, I shouldn't." He sounded like an impatient parent. "And I don't."
"You're always mad at me."
"I worry about you," Elazul corrected. "When you wander away and get yourself lost among beasts that would tear your core out, it scares me to death!"
"I just get absorbed in my thoughts. I don't want to die, Elazul. I really don't."
She opened her eyes as she felt him press his lips to hers, his eyes shut tight and cheeks light pink. She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and tilting her head slightly. He was still cold, but she could have sworn he felt a bit warmer than he had earlier. The kiss broke. He opened his eyes and smiled. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Pearl."
She beamed up at him. "Thank you, Elazul." She hugged him. "I love you so much."
Elazul blushed. "I...love you, too."