The courthouse was cold.
The sun had long set over Labyrinthia, the moon glowing gently among the stars, contrasting against the dark sky as the wind blew gently. Eve had considered leaving long ago before eventually deciding against it. She couldn't bear clutter, and she refused to let her desk reach the state of the one across from her. She wouldn't be surprised if the sheer weight of the papers alone caused it to collapse on itself and coat her impeccable floor with splinters. Shuddering at the thought, she bent over her work once more, attempting to reach the level of concentration she'd had a few moments ago, so engrossed in completing her task she didn't even noticed her co-worker leave only an hour ago. Much to her chagrin, her eyes refused to focus, and her gaze flitted over to the gifts surrounding her on the desk, having already eaten the banana bread and subtly slipped the fast food voucher in the waste paper bin at her feet. The necklace had unfortunately snapped when she tried to put it around her neck, but she kept the flowers nonetheless, placing them in a dish of water beside Espella's photograph. Her final gift had been left on a small plate near the edge of the table, if only to prevent the surface from becoming sticky with chocolate and cream.
Eve's hand slowly edged towards the éclair, holding it as if it would break if she squeezed too hard. Looking closer, it didn't seem as if the lumps would make much of a difference to the flavour, or even texture. They weren't too large; in fact they were hardly even noticeable under the pastry. So why was it that when she had first accepted the present, they seemed so much bigger? When it had been handed to her by a rather flustered Knight of the Inquisition, it seemed misshapen to the point of being inedible, but as she looked closer… Maybe you were so desperate to find a flaw with his gift you exaggerated its imperfections? She discarded the theory as quickly as she had thought it. It was probably something to with the light, or her eyesight, or the way he'd held it in his gauntlet.
She brought the snack to her lips, taking a tentative bite before immediately retching. Oh how wrong she'd been. The lumps proved to be pockets of flour where he hadn't mixed it correctly, the powder becoming a tasteless paste in her mouth. Nevertheless, she swallowed gratefully, but discarded the rest, disguising it in a spare sheet of parchment, should he notice she'd thrown it away and take offence. The last thing she needed was a hot headed temper tantrum from a fully grown man to distract her from her work more than he already had. Wiping her fingers on a handkerchief, she picked up her quill once more and continued to write. Thankfully she became engrossed once more, the pen nib scratching against the paperwork, sending her into a trance almost. If she had not been interrupted once more, she would have undoubtedly finished before midnight.
"Oi oi!" The door swung open with a clatter, making Eve jump a mile in the air. The ginger tavern owner glanced about the room and tutted. "Sorry about that Lady Darklaw. I missed him then?"
Eve cleared her throat, regaining her composure and brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Him?"
"Zach? You know, basically the only other 'him' who's ever in here?" The woman chuckled, moving to lean against the other desk. It creaked under her weight. "The guy probably went home, right?"
Releasing a deep sigh, Eve set her quill back in its holder. She'd never finish now. "And how would I know that? He could be anywhere."
Rouge hummed under her breath, a smile creeping over her lips as she strolled closer. "So…you two cool?"
"Define 'cool', Miss Rouge."
"You guys get along? You friends? Civil, at least?"
A brow arched on Eve's side, leaning back in her chair and looking over the papers nearest to her. "He's a valuable co-worker. And a fine knight; he's proved himself helpful to both me and the townspeople over the years." She glanced up. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason, no reason!" Rouge threw her hands in the air in defence. "It's just, uh- well, you know. People talk."
"I knew that.
"About Zach"
"I knew that too."
"And you."
Eve froze, her mouth turning dry. "W-what do you mean about me?"
"Not just you! They talk about him too!"
"No, no." She shook her head rapidly. "Go back. You were talking about me; what do they say about me?"
Rouge stared at her as if her head had turned into a pig's. "Oh god, you really don't know do you?" The freckled woman leaned over the desk till they were nose to nose, her shirt riding down her chest. "You're not listening: They talk about you and Zach." Eve shrugged, still not understanding, until the penny dropped and a dark realisation dawned on her.
She spoke slowly, mind turning as she digested the information. "The townspeople think that Zach- er, Zacharias and I are…?"
"Screwing?" Rouge cracked up as colour rushed to Eve's face and ears. "Or maybe something less vulgarly worded, but they all mean the same thing anyways. Screwing? Hooking up? Doin' the dance with no pants?"
"Miss Rouge, please!" The level of mortification she felt at this moment was far beyond any level she'd felt recently, even having to strike a pose in front of everyone. "Who even started those sort of rumours?!"
"Well technically, it was you two."
"Excuse me?!" She exclaimed loudly, doing her best 'angry Inquisitor voice'.
"You really think we're all blind, 'Miss Eve'?" She mocked, impersonating his deeper voice rather well. "We've seen the way he looks at you! And now we hear things about the exchange of handmade gifts?" Rouge grinned at the expression her words had slapped on Eve's face. "You lovebirds are basically already hitched."
Eve stood suddenly, making the other woman flinch only slightly. She gathered her belongings, strutting towards the exit. She'd had more than enough of this conversation. "Hey! Where you going? Gonna go visit your man?"
"Don't be ridiculous." She spat back, spinning on her heel. "I'm going to nip this in the bud before it goes any further. It's been a pleasure, Rouge."
"Wait one more thing!"
Eve sighed, glancing over her shoulder. "What is it?"
"I gotta ask, just because this particular debate had reached a brick wall with my regulars…"
"And what is that debate?"
Rouge leant closer, lowering her voice. "…Which one of you goes on top?"
Eve's mouth opened and closed like a fish, frozen in shock. Then she turned to walk away, leaving a hysterical Rouge behind her.
The bakery was closed, as she'd expected, but Espella let her in. She rubbed her hands together, grateful for the warmth of the fire against the far wall. Patty Éclair gave her smile, furiously whisking some kind of batter in a large bowl.
"I wasn't expecting you this late, Eve!" Her young friend exclaimed, twirling a strand of loose hair around her finger. "Did you want to talk or something?"
"Yes. Well, no, not to you. Not like that!" She said quickly when Espella's face fell like a lead balloon. "I just needed to talk to Zacharias. Just a tedious work thing." Liar. "Is he still awake?"
"He's in the other room," Patty spoke up, motioning to a door leading to the living area. "You better hope he hasn't fallen asleep on the couch. Better hurry before he dozes off." Eve thanked them, rushing towards the door and wincing as it creaked, shutting it behind her.
The man lying across the sofa immediately snapped his head up. "Miss Eve!" He was curled up in the corner of the couch, a book resting in one hand, the other gently stroking the undeniably adorable mutt that tailed him all over town. His armour had been carefully placed by his side, leaving him in just a tunic and pants.
Marking his place in the book, he got to his feet, straightening his clothes. "I wasn't uh..." He cleared his throat as she rolled her eyes. He still couldn't get through a sentence without stammering? "I was not expecting you." He finally got out. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"What on earth are you doing Zacharias?" She demanded. He flinched, as if she had hit him.
"W-What do you mean by that?"
"Have you not heard what people have been saying about us?! Listen to me, I don't care what you feel for me, but you cannot run all over Labyrinthia claiming me as your own!"
His face flushed until it matched his hair, mouth falling open in shock at her harsh claims. "I have no idea what you're talking about! Why in the world would I say such a thing?"
"You like me, don't you?"
Zacharias froze at this comment, eyes wide but expression otherwise blank. Eve was amazed that she had managed to leave him speechless with so few words. "Well?" she pressed. "It's true isn't it?" He remained silent, no quite meeting her eye, as if formulating a response.
"…I have not ruled that out."
She scoffed. "And what is that supposed to mean, Sir Barnham?"
"It means I don't know, Miss Eve!" He snapped suddenly, mimicking her tone before calming himself and speaking more quietly. "I don't know how I feel. I've never, erm- Well, I've never felt like this about anyone before."
Eve's feet moved of their own accord, inching towards him without thinking until they were toe to toe. "If you're confused, Zacharias, then I believe I can offer some clarification." She took his hands, placing them on her waist even as he protested, cradling his neck in her hands.
"Miss Eve, I-I really don't think we should erm-"
"We are not going to kiss tonight." She said bluntly. His shoulders sagged slightly; with relief or disappointment, she couldn't tell. "Just let me try something. It's an experiment." He arched a brow and nodded slightly. Where am I going with this? she briefly wondered, before pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. She felt his pulse speed up under her fingers and against her chest, realising how close their bodies were, how their chests were pressed together. He swallowed and fidgeted slightly, breathing becoming shallow as his eyes darted to her lips, then to her eyes, then to her neck, her chest, then nowhere in particular.
Eve shivered and wet her lips, bringing his face closer to her's. She'd never been this close to anyone before, especially not him, and yet now she could feel his breath, and see tiny details on him she'd never noticed about him- how his brows arched, or how thick his hair was, or how his skin darkened around the scar on his forehead, the tiny freckles around his hairline, his lips, his eyes, oh dear god his eyes…
It took her a good half minute of staring at him hard before noticing he was doing the same with her, studying every one of her features with clear fascination. Eve felt her cheeks flush under his gaze, flinching as he brought a hand up to run over the skin just below her jawline. His hands were cool and calloused after years of training and manual labour, and his touch made something break within her. She wanted that touch, she… she wanted him to touch her.
She inwardly cursed herself for thinking like that. Why did she have to feel like this, dammit? She'd never had a problem with feelings about men in the past; why the hell did it have to be him that broke her?! Damn her apparent weakness for bright eyes and broad muscles.
"Miss Eve?"
The familiar voice dragged her out of her daydream, and she realised he was even closer than he had been a moment ago. Their noses brushed and he shuddered, eyes widening as if asking her permission for something. They were closer than ever now, their foreheads touching as they scarcely even breathed.
"M-Miss Eve," Zacharias whispered this time, the vibrations of his voice making her tremble with anticipation. She wanted his touch. She wanted him to kiss her, and now she knew it for sure.
"Miss Eve, I erm…I…"
He trailed off as he leant forward, his lips brushing her's but not quite colliding. Eve gasped and pulled away, distancing herself from him. They were not going to kiss tonight. She'd promised herself that. Her chest heaved as her lungs begged for air, her body feeling cold without him against her. She looked up at him, looking sort of confused and hurt and lost, with an expression not unlike Constantine.
"Zacharias, what on earth was that?!"
"I'm sorry, I just…" He coughed, face flushing even darker. "I thought that you… I thought you would want to-"
"You thought I wanted to kiss you?" Eve forced herself to smile even as the feeling of his lips on her's lingered and tingled. "I told you right off the bat that we were not going to kiss tonight; why would I change my mind?"
"I am so sorry, but you just…You looked like you wanted to." He sounded out every syllable slowly, as if he didn't understand what he was thinking himself. "Y-You just looked so flushed and you were panting and your pulse was going fast as hell and you kept looking at my mouth and-"
"Oh please don't make me laugh!" She chuckled and shook her head, hating herself for what she was doing. "It's all in your head Zacharias. Wishful thinking? You must really like me to be imagining things like that." Oh great, he was doing the face again. His eyes went all round and sad and his whole body seemed to deflate and droop. Damn him.
"Well I think I'll be taking my leave now," Eve continued. Why must I keep having to hurt him so?! Her insides curled with self-loathing, saying such hateful things to him while still plagued with the burning desire to have him touch her, to touch him, to kiss him. She wanted him, more badly than she'd ever wanted anything, and yet whenever she opened her mouth, all that came out was slander or nothing at all. Wonderful.
"See you at work, Zacharias." Eve paused, before getting on her tip toes and kissing him. It was only on the cheek, and it didn't last longer than a couple of seconds, but she'd kissed him, even if it wasn't properly. That would keep her going for a while. He didn't reply, just nodding as she walked further away once more, leaving the warmth of the bakery and greeting Espella goodnight.
She hated walking all the way back to her house, especially at night, but there was no way around it. She thought as her heels clicked against the stone pathways and the road through the woods, imagining all the ways that encounter could have gone if she'd only indulged herself and claimed what she wanted. If she had kissed him, she'd probably still be with him right now, but she hadn't. She'd been stubborn and cruel and not gotten him when she'd had the chance, and now one of his little followers would swoop in and take him for herself, and they'd kiss all they wanted to because she'd do it whenever she had the chance, and they'd get married and have children and leave Eve to grow old and lonely and never kiss anyone because she couldn't get over not kissing the one she wanted when she could and then she'd be alone her whole life because she can't let him go and then she'd die and the world would end and-
…Okay it wouldn't go exactly like that. Eve sighed and rolled her head back, wishing and wishing that she'd get what she wanted eventually, no matter how long she had to wait for him. She smiled to herself sadly. Yeah right. She'd never have him. He was too good for her and she knew it. Eve shook her head, unlocking her door and collapsing on the couch.
She just had to make herself better.