Topic: The Art of Flowers
Genre: Romance, kinda.
Canon: Yes!
Rating: PG-13, but skating on the edge of R. You have been warned.
Length: around 1200 words
Special Requirements: You must have a plot centering around flowers, and not just the giving of, but maybe like the special meanings of certain flowers (flower colors) or something a bit more creative than someone just giving someone a bunch of them. You have to include a scene between your favorite and least favorite character.
Tease: I don't really have a least favorite character, but when I take whom I consider to be the most boring character and multiply that by excessive screen time in the series, I get Tomoyo. And everyone knows who my favorite character is. So put two and two together and that means… holy alternate couplings, L-chan!
'the scent of seduction'
The only sound in the room is the soft whisper of her hands moving over my skin, stroking and rubbing with her usual meticulous care. I can't see her, but the tickle of hair falling against me and a creak in the mattress says she's leaning over me to gain better access. The gentle caresses move up between my shoulder blades, and when she presses a particular muscle I moan out loud.
A sweet scent is starting to make itself known to me, one that seems familiar but I can't place right away. I close my eyes and inhale.
"What is it this time?"
"Lavender, mostly. Diluted in almond oil with a dropperful of geranium and jasmine for variety. Do you like it?"
"I love it."
She says that pure oils from plants aren't oily or greasy at all, and she's right. She shakes a few more droplets from the small and unmarked glass jar into her hands, then turns her attention to my shoulders and biceps. Her hands glide over me like soft silk and the oil melts into my skin with no residue. Not bad, for a hobby she's only been pursuing for a couple months.
"That's good. I think this is my favorite yet, I must have added just the right amount of everything. Lavender is best for relaxation, and the geranium is meant to drain away tension."
"You want me to fall asleep on you?" I mumble into the pillow, feeling dangerously comfortable here. With her it's always too comfortable.
She giggles. "Didn't you guess that was the plan?"
"Funny." I roll over and glare at her. "Why don't you ever mix up something for passion? Or lust? Excitement?"
"Maybe because I think you're plenty," she answers, lilt in her voice. "Besides those are herbals, and fruit scents. I like the florals, I'm more comfortable with them." She moves to screw the lid back onto the jar and I place a hand over hers.
"No. My chest too."
Her eyes meet mine, and she nods. "As you wish."
Obediently her creamy hands rub lightly over my ribs, and I close my eyes with another low moan. Calming and soothing intentions notwithstanding, I can feel my body stirring itself for more action. Maybe she's right, I don't need any help. It might have been nice to try, though.
"Why do you like florals so much, then?"
"Just like I said; the flower scents are soothing. They represent tranquility and peace, which is usually what people are looking for when they come to me."
Oh how right she is, though I wonder if she ever gets tired of her role as the wet shoulder. We've all gone to her, at one time or another, I'm sure even Yuki has. Does she actually look him in the eye, when he tells her about our problems, nod sympathetically? She's good, probably better than any of us'll ever guess.
"Lavender will always be my favorite. It's a healer, it calms tension and anxiety."
I wanted to be healed too. I confided in her, divulged secret personal things that I wouldn't dream of mentioning to anyone else. She was so soft, when I leaned on her for comfort, her very scent subdued my turbulent emotions. Must have been wearing lavender that day. And I was kissing her before I knew it, my hands roaming over her body before my mind realized it.
"There's a lot of good scents for tension, luckily. There's geranium too, like I said, and roses. Neroli – the orange blossom – and ylang-ylang."
I found a release from tension in her, in the privacy of the park that day. With her it's different – and not just in the obvious physical way. Still several months shy of her nineteenth birthday, she's inexperienced and breathlessly submissive under my touch. It's not as passionate, not so frenzied, but I'm unquestionably on top and it would be stupid to lie and say I don't like it.
"Most of those also work on anger too. Plus juniper, I really do like juniper. Its flower has a much stronger scent than most."
Anger, seems to be a lot of that in my life lately. I don't know how it began, but the little things just started adding up. Friction, where there hadn't been any before. It has to do with their blending personalities, I know it, he's not just the simple-hearted boy that I fell in love with anymore. He's stronger than me by far, starting to enjoy wrestling me into the sheets and the way I still fight for dominance. I told myself that we still had the same passion, that it was all right, but I knew that wasn't quite true. He's stronger than me because I gave that to him, more powerful thanks to me.
I'm a selfish jerk for getting resentful about it, or so I told her. She said I'm just used to being in control.
And then she proved me right.
"How's this?" Her hands move up over my chest, rubbing in small concentric circles, and my blood turns hot under her touch. Her fingertips avoid my nipple, but then I place my hand over hers and guide her to it, rubbing it gently. I moan again and hear her suck her breath in, though just barely. She's always the quiet one, even in the throes of our lovemaking she bites her lip to keep silent. Everyone else's confidant, is she so afraid to let her own feelings show?
I don't know how she feels about me. Even after weeks of clandestine meetings in hotel rooms and so many new combinations of homemade massage oil, I don't have a clue. Does she love me? I don't even know if I love her. I only know how good it is, and I don't want to give it up.
"What about the jasmine?"
"Hmm?" She looks up from her task, but neither of our hands stop moving.
"You said there was jasmine in it this time, but you didn't say what it was for."
"Jasmine is good for a lot of things, but it's rather expensive. This is my first time to use it. It's supposed to work on anger too, and tension, and emotional fatigue. It's also meant to help with indecision."
She says the words evenly, without a trace of significance in her tone. She's never pressed me to make a choice, never been less than endlessly patient as I unleash my needs and dominate her again and again. What does she want? Beyond guiding her hand to another part of my body, I don't even know what I want. It's always something to think about later.
When it's over, I'll get in the impersonal motel shower and scrub away all traces of lavender and geranium and jasmine, wash away the evidence. Then I'll dress and return to the apartment I share with my lover, and tonight we will either fight or have passionate sex. Maybe both. And next week I'll meet her for another soothing massage.
"How's this?"
"Perfect."
Maybe I'll tell her to bring oil for passion.
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Disclaimer: I do not own these characters
Always knew that aromatherapy class would come in handy. Though it would have been better if I was the one rubbing down unclothed Touya, and not little Miss Laura Ashley. When I did the math and realized what this story was going to be about, I discovered that I still didn't have the heart to break up Touya and Yuki. So I made Touya cheat on him instead. Do I have warped principles, or what?