Title: Speaking A Shared Language
Ship: Nasch x Durbe
Chapters: 1-1||Words: 1,3,34
Genre: Romance||Rated: G
Challenges: Diversity Writing: YGO Zexal; Include The Word Boot Camp, YGO, #8, teeth; Pairing Diversity Boot Camp, YGO, #11, emotional; Valentine's Day to White Day 2015, YGO Zexal, #18, one character giving another flowers; Zexal Week day #5, flower languagae
Notes: This takes place in their past life, before everything with Vector went down.
Summary: Durbe and Nasch speak a common language – perhaps more than one, when they really start to work at it.

Durbe always admired the beauty of the ocean around Nasch's palace. That wasn't all he admired, of course. The city itself, and all the surrounding lands, were incredible as well, clean and well-kept by the inhabitants, who went out of their way to ensure everything gleamed and glowed.

But one place in particular that caught his interest were the gardens that spread out from one side of the palace. Flowers blossomed everywhere, scattered among the deep green moss, sometimes hanging from well-kept trees or blossoming bushes. A section of the gardens had been cultivated with fruits and vegetables, open to everyone in the city, so long as they didn't strip them bare. He'd mentioned such a thing to his own king on his trips home, and now an area there was being worked to add an open garden for the common folk.

That would be very useful, but what Durbe liked best wasn't something that place would ever have - Nasch himself. Together the two of them walked through the gardens, the air laced with sea salt and perfumes. Everywhere he looked he saw something beautiful - especially when he turned to Nasch. Though he tried very hard not to do that very often. He didn't want to give away the deep secrets of his heart. Nasch might understand, or he might not. Durbe didn't want to take the chance that it might wreck what they'd built between them.

As they walked, he caught sight of something familiar and smiled, nodding towards the vines that wove around a larger bush. "Honeysuckle. I always used to enjoy tasting the nectar when I was a child." He'd fed it to Mach many times as well. His noble steed loved it as much as he did.

"So did Merag and I," Nasch agreed, a light smile touching his lips. He considered before he carefully broke off a small bit of the vine with two honeysuckle blossoms on it. He handed one to Durbe and kept one for himself, setting it between his teeth and sucking the sweetness out of it. Durbe did the same, making a point not to actually look at Nasch when he did.

When he'd finished, Durbe said quietly, "Honeysuckle has a meaning in my homeland. A lot of flowers do, in fact. One can carry on conversations with the flowers that one chooses."

"It's the same here," Nasch agreed. He regarded the honeysuckle before he continued. "Honeysuckle means devotion."

Durbe tried to hold back a shiver and knew that he didn't do it very well. He nodded. "It means that for us as well. Or -" He swallowed; did he dare? He'd held back for so long. But if he could take the chance, if Nasch would be willing - then - he swallowed again. "Or the bonds of love."

Nasch's attention caught on him, and his smile was warmer than Durbe had ever seen before. He moved on to another flower - red lilies. "These are commonly associated with desire." The look he shot Durbe smoldered and Durbe, a knight who had been courted by some of the fairest in his homeland, found himself blushing deeply. In an attempt to cool himself, he looked around until he spied another patch of lilies.

"Orange lilies. Those mean hatred for my people." He glanced back to Nasch, who tensed at his words. Oh. He had best clarify. "I suspect these are one of Vector's favorites."

Nasch blinked briefly, then chuckled and relaxed. "I think you're right. But let's not talk about him today."

Durbe nodded. That was fine with him. He didn't like or trust Vector, though the so-called Mad King had sent emissaries to his king before. They had been nothing but polite, but Durbe didn't feel right having them around. All folk knew that he was a patricide and a regicide and while Vector's father hadn't been the best person either, he didn't deserve to have been murdered like that. So far Durbe's king had not made any particular gestures of acceptance and reconciliation towards Vector and Durbe wanted it to stay that way.

In an effort to make up for his error, he searched until he saw a flower with a much better meaning. "This one is purple tulip. A perfect flower for a King." With a quick glance for permission, he picked the blossom and offered it to Nasch. Nasch accepted, smiling down at it, before he stepped over to another batch of tulips, the a deep red.

"These are for eternal love," he said quietly, breaking one off and regarding it carefully. Then he held it out to Durbe. "Would you accept this from me?"

Durbe wasn't certain at first what Nasch meant. Then it clicked - and he once again turned a deep shade of red. Slowly he reached out and took the red tulip from him. "Always and forever," he whispered. "But can we?"

"This is my kingdom," Nasch reminded him, a firm smile on his lips. "I can do a great deal that I want to do."

"What about a successor?" Durbe had to ask. He wasn't going to be the cause of any sort of anger in Nasch's people. "Aren't you going to need one?"

"I can choose someone if I want, or adopt a child," Nasch pointed out. "If Merag ever weds, then any of her children could inherit. It isn't mandatory. And even if it was - I would rather have you than anyone else." He took Durbe's hand in his own, pressing it carefully. Durbe shivered at the contact, callused palm to callused palm. They'd clasped hands before, but this seemed entirely different in a far more intimate way.

Nasch stepped closer, still keeping hold of Durbe's hand, and then slowly, cautiously, as if he feared that Durbe might avoid him or run for the stables to depart forever, pressed his lips onto Durbe's. Durbe had kissed a few others in his time, but for the first time, he kissed with his full heart in the gesture, breathing deeply, sliding his arms around Nasch, deepening it.

Neither of them could have ever said how long they stayed like this. Durbe didn't think that he cared. What mattered more than anything else was that this kiss existed at all.

When they moved apart at last, they still didn't drop hands. Durbe didn't think he ever wanted to not hold Nasch again. He knew that he couldn't, but for now, he wanted to keep it like this.

"When do you have to leave again?" Nasch wanted to know. He wore the purple tulip tucked behind one ear now, and wove the red one into Durbe's own hair.

"Not for another week," Durbe replied. If it weren't for Mach, he couldn't have been here at all. But his swift steed allowed him to ride between the realms far sooner than the swiftest ship ever built. He did have to return to his home kingdom for long streaks of time, but he wanted to visit here more than anything these days. He had to travel around and visit other realms, bringing together kingdoms as best he could. But here he found his heart, as he'd never thought he would.

Nasch nodded. "I'll wait for you to come back." He nipped lightly at Durbe's lips. "And I can think of a few things we can do when you get back."

Durbe didn't think he could possibly have blushed any harder. But he certainly gave it a very good shot. He ducked his head down and breathed in. "I look forward to that," he said at last. He could face anything or anyone on the battlefield but this was something entirely out of his depth. Perhaps going back home for a while would help him get matters sorted out in his head.

No matter how far away he went, however, he would always seek to return here, whenever he could, whenever he wanted, and whenever Nasch needed him.

The End

Notes: And then everyone died and became Barians. I had a different idea for "Flower language" but that one didn't pan out. I'll keep hacking at it, though. (also, Durbe x Nasch is my OTP for this branch of the fandom!)