Just because we all love when the fluff happens, and Will and Caleb shamelessly and unknowingly flirt... And then I'll disgust you all with some more shameless flirting.. *Gags*
"Will.." Will grinned as Caleb's slightly apprehensive voice echoed into the kitchen, as she dropped her glass into Irma's sink. She'd wondered when he'd finally get around to this, and begged inside, that he was going to ask her.. "I was wondering, about.."
"About the battle plans?" Will whirled to face him with eager eyes, but her grin faltered when he blinked; trying to remember, "Or.. Not.."
"Well, to be quite honest, I'd never thought you were all that interested when I said that.. So I just thought I should leave it, but if you want you can still.." Caleb scruffed his hair bashfully as he leaned on the counter, before he dropped his hand and gave her his full attention; obviously having decided what to say. "I'm glad you want to help."
Will beamed, then, at his small, genuinely appreciative grin, and couldn't help thinking that he suited the.. 'Happiness'. He looked entirely contented for the first time in.. Well, she couldn't actually recall a time that Caleb had looked so relaxed, and it really did just gratify his always flawless features with something they hadn't seemed to have before.. It was the first time Will had ever looked at the boy, and that he had struck her as quite honestly handsome - he'd always looked perfect, but now.. He looked good; happy; satisfied in his-self, and totally, completely authentic as she let her head fall sideways to try and figure out what was different. "Are you sick?"
"What..?" Caleb returned her with his own playfully skeptical glance, and Will grinned at how ridiculous they would look to anyone passing by; both looking at the other as though they were crazy, neither sure how to figure the opposition out. But she was glad that he wasn't sulking or fighting with 'her' in particular for once.. It was a nice change. "Of course I'm not sick, why would I be sick?"
"Well.." Will frowned, though the grin remained taped to her lips; making her argument probably seem rather ironic coming from her, "You're smilin-AAAHH!"
She never got to finish the sentence, as she whirled to see what had bumped into her; shrieking again when she realized it was a stinking backpack full of garbage.. Followed by Blunk climbing in through the window. "CALEB!"
The importance was written on Blunk's face, but Will grinned when Caleb snickered at Irma's shouts echoing from the living room, "OH NO, YOU GET YOUR STINKIN' TOAD'S ASS OUT OF HERE CALEB, OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL..."
...
"The Great Map of your kingdom.." Elyon smiled as Prince Phobos' long fingers caressed over the dimly glowing swirl of blues and greens and browns that looked far more fruitful than the actual lands outside the kingdom walls.. The map was a beautiful example, of the small magic that Prince Phobos appeared to possess, and Elyon watched his eyes shine, and his lips curve in a playful mirth as the image rippled wherever his finger-touch ventured. She wondered then if it was a tease, or if the Prince was unaware of such an acquired skill that he possessed. Because his fingers did that wherever they went; they drew out gentle swirls on the arms of the thrown; they brushed patterns on the dining table when he wasn't eating; and they left trails of circles prickling over her back as his hand gently softened and clenched in an obsessive compulsive ritual - she'd seen a demonstration tape on it at school, but didn't see any harmful behavior in his tendency to massage a surface with addictive habit. In fact she quite liked that he did it. "Let me show you something.. Touch the map.. Here."
His left hand brushed over her right, while one hand pointed, and he eased her hand over the rippling spot. It surprised her when her fingers felt parchment beneath them; a similar feeling, like deja vu - as though she'd been here before.[0] So there was paper, under the magic, and Elyon's eyes traced over the images of Birdseye mountains and waters, right to the very right corner, where it would seem as though a square had been torn away; and for some reason Elyon found herself thinking of Earth, until Phobos hand clasped hers once again. "What did I just do?"
Elyon found herself mirroring Phobos' smile; and for a moment she forgot that he was better than her, "A storm was gathering on the lake.. It would have rained on the end of Season parade.. But you've stopped that from happening."
"I have the power to do that?" Elyon knew that she could do difficult things; she'd given the sun new fires with which to shine, but it hadn't occurred that she could actually change the natural weather without having to be upset.. And Elyon closed her eyes; smiling with contentment when the perfectly featured prince pressed his lips onto her head firmly. That was another habit she was starting to like.
"And so much more, Elyon."
[0] Which she has, but she doesn't really remember some of the first few days/weeks while Phobos still had a spell on her as more than a fuzzy dream-type memory: that means touching this map to make the Terrarium-portal, the Gothic-feel, the murmurers..