Thanks to one review, I actually managed to type this huge drabble on a word that initially killed me. Please review and help me improve! :D
Word: Communication
Skull Boy looked at himself in the mirror, going through the same routine that he had forced himself to endure each day before the Big Day came. His mouth curled itself into the appropriate contortions to produce unfamiliar words but despite the promise they held, he could not help but believe how absent beauty was.
Why was it him asking? After all, was it not a free world for woman? He knew Ruby would certainly not have struggled just to ask him on a date. To him, a small conversation was a cunning creature and confronting it would be suicidal for a skeleton like him. What with exchanging ideas, considering others' opinions, shifting positions; he risked changing himself, admitting he was wrong or coming to acknowledge the other person's perspective. Ruby, on the other hand, probably viewed conversation as another lovable Doom Kitty and was flexible enough to get out of any awkward situations. Which he or the others usually created. He was just behind the somewhat pessimistic Misery and the gossiping Iris. Like a few inches above Frank and Len only.
Of course, if he wanted to reach for his stars and moon in the sky, he will give his undead life just for something more with her. Holding her, helping her... kissing. Idle wonderings, flights of fancy, he was a teenage boy after all, testosterone or not.
They did not discuss feelings, although they could talk about practically everything else. It had been surprising how... anxious, a word could make him, his hyperventilation worthy of Scaredy's standards.
"Girlfriend."
He had held back for so long, kept himself in the friend corner, but now, when she wanted more... when they were both ready for more, Skull Boy had no idea know where to start. And he was supposedly the go-to guy for idea.
Maybe he could avoid dialogue and just go with subtle messages so that she cannot reject him outright.
Like food? He would appreciate a decent meal especially one with a lot of sweet dates and DATE the person who gave it to him, because food is the key to anyone's heart?
When the warm aroma of her Gingerbread house assaulted his sensitive nasal cavity, he knew his culinary skills would just insult a master chef like Ruby. That, and he currently lacked a circulatory system but he was still charmed with food. Maybe the phrase was slightly innaccurate.
Poetry? Serenading? She did love his voice, he was confident of that. Something told him though that Frank and Len's speakers would just drown him out. If he went along with the poem idea, Poe would probably butt in at the most important stanza claiming that Skull Boy had plagiarized the dapper crow's many sonnets. A screaming match over copyright issues was certainly not romantic. Maybe funny but not to a peacemaker like Ruby.
The television held some promising ideas, however. Skull Boy stared bright eyed at the advertisement on the screen. "Say it with flowers," it promised.
What, exactly, could be said with flowers confused him, what with them having many meanings, many traditions involved in them.
Carnations had different meanings depending upon their colours and Skull Boy discovered a lot of flowers had the same effect. Roses. Tulips. Poppies. Lillies. It was hard to chose a single one.
The cactus meant endurance. The daisy depicted innocence. The daffodil had many different meanings, from respect to unrequited love. The coriander flower meant lust, which Skull Boy quickly dismissed considering his lack of hormones and just how revolting he found the subject to be.
Hydrangeas meant 'thank you for understanding', but it could also mean heartlessness. The sweet pea meant 'thank you', but it was also a departure. Mistletoe meant 'kiss me' and Skull Boy, much to his own surprise, stored that particular thought away for later Aster was a flower of love, buttercup was of cheeriness. Orange blossom meant innocence and eternal love, the orchid had multiple meanings, love, beauty.
Even after doing thorough research, and entering the alien realm ceremoniously called 'The florists', he still had no idea which flower had the best meaning.
He wandered around, waiting for someone to come to the counter, looking at the flowers. He touched a petal here and there, but nothing was saying 'Buy Me!' to him. Could any words even describe Ruby?
"Hon, are you just going to wait here until we use genetic engineering to come up with a new type of flower that is perfect your lady friend?"
Skull Boy then knew his roots (pun intended) would save the day once again.
With restriction enzymes, some DNA ligase and just awesome skills that made a usually 19-years long process shorten to 19 hours, he had finally created a perfect flower for her. Yet standing outside Ruby's bedroom, he lost his nerve. Until he also remembered he had no nervous system so there was nothing to be nervous about when he knocked her door except for the eternal 'friend-zone'.
"Man, I can really encourage myself. Note to self: I am not a descendant of motivational speakers." Skull Boy mumbled, trying to ignore Ruby's frantic packing of Doom Kitty's cat teasers and her soft reply to wait a little longer while he shifted his weight from foot to foot. He clenched the flowers, the plastic covering crinkled against his palm. Would she get the meaning or the name?
When Ruby flung the door open, she gave a sheepish smile to Skull Boy who just focused his pensive stare on his flower. She followed his eyes and much to the immense delight of the avid gardener, it was a...
Actually, she didn't know what it was. Usually, she could rattle off everything in her flower catalogue but this one stumped her. In fact, she had never even seen a flower as exquisite as this. Soft, straight and velvet petals of red and black without a rip, a hole, or a dent. There was a subtle yet spicy fragrance to it unlike the usually strong lavenders and roses. The green leaves that just closed like the mimosa upon touch, somehow making her think of a shy but gentle person.
As she cooed over the flora, Skull Boy could not help but give a sigh of relief. Of course she would appreciate it, only she could truly see the beauty in everything.
It took some time for the words to come up because he really had left her speechless thanks to the tender flower. Trust him to always surprise her. And she always loved a good surprise.
"Oh Skull Boy, it's beautiful! And really unique! Where did you get it from? The person must have a green thumb."
"Well… more of genetic thumb. I actually created it thanks to my ancestors, the great genetic scientists of their time."
By then, his natural love for exploring different talents and coming up with more personas washed away his anxiety attack until he saw Ruby delicately running her fingers through the stem of the flower, shyly glancing at him,
"Watcha gonna call it then, Skull Boy?"
"Skullby Gloy."
Ruby blinked, bewildered at the unusual name but how familiar it sounded. She tunneled her way to the deepest recesses of her mind but nada, zilch. As a matter of fact, the only ones with a name sounding similar to that was Skull Boy and her...
Holy Glumyums. Could it be...?
As realization dawned upon her, and she took in Skull Boy's vermillion skull, Ruby's eyes became half-lidded to hide the impish intention she had.
"Hey Skulls, do you have a meaning for this?"
"Huh?"
"Well, most flowers have lots of meanings; love, affection, jealousy, endurance, lust..."
Ok, maybe she went too far with that last word because the skeleton looked like he wanted to try all forms of suicide even if they all failed and would just leave him with a new bruise or a new body. He quickly recovered before she apologized though.
"Well, I'm giving it to you now, you know, cus you're the best in botany.. ok, maybe Iris is just as good considering Venus. So, could you give it one?"
Now it was her turn to blush to the point it reached her neck and the crimson colour matched her hair perfectly.
"Any meaning huh? Like, if I say that if you give it me, and I say it means you're asking for a date... will you accept it?"
"Only if you accept that request the flower is asking on my behalf cus, I'm still new to this..."
"You would be a gladioli then." Ruby's blush faded from fiery to a faint dust of pink that came from pure affection and trying to express it.
"It's a good thing there are flowers to tell us then." Skull Boy whispered suddenly bashful. He then gently tucked the Skullby Gloy behind her ear.
"6 bells at the Coffin Bean and Tear?"
"Nice." He briefly closed his eyes in pure bliss when she casually brushed her hands over his skull and silently closed the door to barely block out her squeals of delight, much to Skull Boy's amusement.
Until it hit him.
What kind of flower would be good to say 'Thank You'?
Skull Boy slapped himself hard before trudging to his working desk. Back to his research.
As he stared at the garden just below his window, the one Ruby had tenderly nursed at the tender age of 2, he knew it would be worth it for the happiest girl in the world.