A/N: Tada! Sorry for the long absence, but school is getting a lil' rough on me. I'm in a Writer's Craft, so I basically have to write short stories for class and it is rough to work with school deadlines. But, I did say I was gonna contribute to Rayllum week (April 10th - April 17), and so, I will! At first, I was confused as to why the first day of the shipweek fell on a Wednesday, but I still did it!

So, the prompts are:

Day 1: Fireflies

Day 2: Sunrise/Sunset

Day 3: College AU

Day 4: Moonlight

Day 5: Illness

Day 6: Scarf

Day 7: Dragon

Bonus: Confession

So, I had a hard time coming up with something for this but I think it works! Just, lemme know what you think!

Chapter Summary: Callum sees Rayla in a more... beautiful light. Literally. So, of course he jumps at the chance to sketch her and the scenery around her. Just an artist and his muse.

Word count: 2520

Moonflies

Rayla was, by no means, an artist. Sure, as a young elf, she had learned how to perfect her penmanship and trained herself to recognize and draw Draconic symbols. And maybe, to others—perhaps those who were unskilled—they'd consider her choreography as an assassin to be an art in of itself. Though it seemed Callum certainly thought it was a beauty to witness. A compliment he'd mention along with his flushed cheeks every so often. It was an endearing gesture Rayla secretly appreciated. But apparently, Callum found it so amazing that he had taken the liberty to even sketch Rayla in her natural state.

The young elf was completely overwhelmed with flattery, embarrassment, and a whole other assortment of emotions the moment she discovered Callum's sketches. It had happened during a late night sleep; she saw him passed out with his sketchbook at his feet. Curiosity got the best of her. There were pages and pages of sketches of her in nearly every scenario. Some were of her just standing or looking off into the distance. Others were of her caught in some sort of fighting stance, weapons drawn, wearing a hardened look on her face. And rarely, the occasional sketch of her sitting and looking pensive, looking almost relaxed.

Beautiful wasn't good enough of a word to describe the art she'd seen.

So of course, the next opportunity they had to some solemn silence, she brought it up. It had happened as the two walked alongside one another, with Zym eagerly prancing away beside Rayla. Casually, she mentioned how she found Callum's sketches to be quite beautiful. She was happy to praise his work considering how much of it was her, and how much effort went into them. His reaction to her words were a delight to hear.

"O-Oh, thanks!" he awkwardly replied. "I-I hope I didn't come off as…"

"What? Stalker-ish?" Rayla mused.

Callum sheepishly nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck.

She snorted as she waved her hand dismissively. "Callum, relax, I'm quite honoured you chose to draw me actually." For some reason, her heart fluttered at the sight of his smile.

"Really?" he asked.

"Really."

"Wow… so… you-you don't mind me drawing you?" he asked, more hesitantly.

Rayla smirked as she offered a thumbs up. "Not at all!" she assured him. He seemed to quirk up at her answer, which only made her press on as an idea popped in her head. "In fact," she enticingly added, "if ya ever want to use my body, just ask!" The words hadn't registered in Rayla's mind until she saw Callum's reddened face. That did not come out like she intended for it to. "I-I mean—if ya, well, want to sketch me again! An-And well, I…I'd be willing to-to pose for ya!" She turned away from him and let out wavy breath.

"Uh-um, y-yeah!" Callum agreed, managing a small smile at her. "I-I'll be sure to let you know!"

Thankfully, the two continued their walk in silence right after. Most likely because neither were really willing to add onto their last conversation. Zym had sauntered alongside the two and seemed increasingly curious as to why they both were wearing such flushed faces as they walked. Regardless, the topic seemed to die there and eventually, the two found themselves more comfortable and less red.

Or, at least, until nighttime.

As Ralya prepped their camp, she instructed Callum to go and gather some berries for the night. Shortly after his departure, Rayla noticed how the scenery around them suddenly brightened up immensely. She glanced up from campfire she'd been prepping and turned around.

It was a swarm of Moonflies, all gathered around and flickering around her. Zym, who had stayed with Rayla, began eagerly jumping after them. With a hyperactive attitude and a drooling tongue, the Dragon Prince hopped after the swarm, startling the flickering lights and making them scatter. Rayla couldn't help but giggle at the scene.

They were small, fragile insects. They had six small legs and an adorable pair of wings to carry them. The coat of their skin was notably dark and purple, mixed in with some stripes of navy blue. But the real attraction to the little creatures, were the sizeable bright lights emitting from their rear ends. It was a shining white glow, that repeatedly flickered as they flew.

Simply put, Rayla found them to be—

"Beautiful," Callum's voice came in.

Startled, Rayla whipped her head back around to find Callum stood across the other side of the campfire. He had a large sum of berries in the palms of his hands, laid out on a handkerchief, and an awestruck look on his face. His eyes were wide with amazement and his mouth hung agape at the sight before him. Rayla couldn't help but smile at his reaction. Callum was always easily astonished by the flora and fauna of Xadia. That wasn't to say Rayla wasn't in awe of the sight either, she was just more used to seeing such a scene.

"Can I sketch you?"

The question had come out so abruptly Rayla had to do a double take before managing a response. "W-What!" she stuttered out.

Callum's face winced at her reaction, leaving him to awkwardly shrug at her. "I dunno… you said earlier today you wouldn't mind…" he trailed off as he began to look around her.

Rayla bit her lip as she replied, "Aye, I did." She wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Well…" he steeled himself and found Rayla's eyes with a serious stare. "This is a good background." Rayla raised a brow. "I mean, the fireflies look beautiful, and with you in the middle it's like…" he raised a free hand and gestured an L toward her. "Perfect," he gleamed.

Once more that day, Rayla's cheeks flushed with red. She wasn't sure if he was calling her perfect, or the scene around her, but either way, the pit of her stomach was fluttering with some Moonflies of her own. She sheepishly chuckled as she rubbed her arm self-consciously. At the time, offering herself up to be a muse seemed harmless. But now? The way Callum was staring at her made her feel… weird inside. It wasn't a bad weird either. She only knew it had something to do with this pit feeling inside of her.

"Uh… yeah… sure?" she hesitantly answered.

Callum's face lit up like the insects flying around them. He instantly tucked the handkerchief full of berries in his backpack and settled down on the ground. He sat with one knee bent near his chest and the other looped underneath. Resting his sketchbook against his leg, he eagerly flipped open to blank page as he instructed, "You just, uh, relax and sit there!"

And of course, Rayla forgot how to relax so she just awkwardly laughed and slouched down into a cross-legged position. She leaned back on her arms and offered up what felt like a strangled smile. Thinking to spare her face from anymore intense heat, Rayla kept her eyes away from Callum's. She stared at everything and anything. Her eyes darted across the line of trees surrounding their campsite. They nervously danced around his outline—just barely managing to avoid his eyes. And occasionally, they made their way over to the Dragon sat on his other side. Zym had seemingly lost interest in the swarm and devoted his attention to Callum's sketch, wearing an excited smile as he watched. Rayla mimicked the Storm Dragon's expression as her gaze flung back to the swarm of light flying nearby.

Deciding to break the silence, Rayla spoke up. "They're Moonflies by the way." Casual conversation was good enough to get her mind off her nerves, right?

Not looking up from his sketching, Callum confusedly uttered, "Huh?"

"These lil' fellas?" Rayla nodded her head over to the insects. Callum paused his sketching and raised a brow at his companion. "They're called Moonflies."

"Oh." He had a look of surprise written all over his face as he took in the fact. "I had no idea there was such a thing!"

Rayla chuckled. "Yeah, lots of creatures in Xadia are often related to the Elements," she raised her palm as a Moonfly slowly approached her. "Moonflies only shine in the Moonlight."

Callum grinned as he shook his head. "Of course they do," he commented, returning to his drawing. He bit on his lower lip as he quirked up his brow. The pace of his hand sped up every so slightly, and the light sound of his pen skidding across the paper became more rapid. Rayla bit back an amused giggle.

She wasn't sure why, but the sight of him sketching was enough to warm her heart. The state of comfort and joy that he immersed himself in was something Rayla envied. He looked as if he was having the time of his life, pouring out his passion on a piece of paper. The faces he made, the show of his concentration and focus, were actually… cute.

Rayla's face heated up as she realized where her thoughts were headed. She was merely sat there, posing for her friend in a romantic literal moonlight. By the Moon, she really needed some help composing herself. Her mind was racing through so many thoughts she was convinced it was gonna run out of her. The smile on her face was suddenly supported by an overwhelming amount of nerves.

Since when did she get so easily emotionally wrecked?

"Well, for what it's worth," Callum suddenly spoke up, nearly startling the assassin from her own thoughts, "I think they compliment you perfectly. Regardless of their names." He raised his head up from his book and smiled at Rayla. The heat in her cheeks had no chance to settle as Callum turned his book around to show Rayla his sketch.

It wasn't like a mural or anything of a royal portrait. It was a simple sketch, no colouring, just a pencil and paper. But that didn't negate its beauty. It was profile angle of her, sat cross-legged on the ground, arms leaned back. Her gaze was tilted upward, a hint of glimmering interest in her eyes as they were transfixed on the swarm of Moonflies dancing around her. And the smile on her face was a smile she didn't even know she was capable of.

Rayla couldn't believe her eyes. Within the span of a few short minutes, Callum managed to create this picture of something she had never seen before. Or rather, something she thought wasn't possible. Not to pat herself on the back or anything, but the simplest description would be that she looked beautiful.

"Do… do you like it?" came a tentative, small voice.

The elf's eyes darted up from the book and over at the set of eyes that was holding it. Her heart nearly broke at the sight of his worrisome insecurities. The Mage's eyes were downcast as his lips quirked up a half-smile.

"Aye, I do," she softly answered, offering a sincere smile. Slowly, she crawled over to Callum's spot and sat right in front of him. She pulled the sketchbook away from the boy's hands and skimmed through the artwork in a much gentler, focused view. Her thumb hesitated its proximity near the sketch, knowing the possibility of smudging it was very high. "Y'know, you're very talented." She raised a knowing smile up at the artist.

A faint blush graced his cheeks as a shy, and somewhat proud smile fell upon him. "Th-Thanks! I… I'm glad you like it…"

"I mean, what's not to like?" Rayla rhetorically inquired. "The detail is just so… precise and clean. The Moonflies look so beautiful too!"

"Beauty is hard capture sometimes," Callum admitted, shyly shrugging. "The only reason why these look so well is…" he smirked at Rayla. "I've got a really good muse."

Instantly, Rayla's face flushed with red as a sudden chill edged down her body. It wasn't a bad chill. It was the type of chills one would get when something incredible had just blown them away. In this instance, she supposed Callum's compliment really threw her for a loop. The pit in her stomach felt even more fluttery than the swarm of Moonflies shining all around them. His proud, dumb smile elicited a smile of her own. Her body reacted all on its own. Which is why she didn't bother to stop her hand from finding his, allowing them to interlace and tighten. She didn't stop herself from caressing his hand with her thumb or from grinning ear to ear like an child. She was smitten, there was no doubt.

"Well," she finally spoke. "I've got myself a good artist too…" with whatever confidence she had, she winked at the boy with a smug smirk.

"Quite the pair, aren't we?" Callum jested.

A yip exclaimed from Zym, who had sauntered over to the two and tucked himself between them, right underneath their interlocked hands. He held an excited grin, tongue hanging as he happily nodded, almost as is he was approving of the two. They shared a laugh at their dragon companion, both reaching to pet him. As the two pet the young prince, Rayla's gaze flew back to Callum.

"By the way, if you ever need a muse—"

"Oh don't worry," he interjected, smiling back at her. "I don't think I'll ever lose my muse."

It might have been the cheesiest thing he could've ever said. Seriously, Rayla couldn't think of a line any dumber or sweeter than that. But, with all the Moonflies flying around them, and the two of them under the moonlight, holding hands and smiling at each other—she wouldn't have had it any other way. It was cheesy, sure, but in that moment it was also the most perfect thing Callum could have ever said.

Rayla laughed, shaking her head as she continued to thumb over Callum's hand. "Keep that up, and you might end up losing your muse," she joked.

Of course, she wasn't going to let him know her real thoughts. Not yet at least.

Callum snorted. Readjusting his grip on her hand, he tightened their hold and pulled her hand close to his lap. "I doubt it," he proudly replied, "I think I've done enough to the point where a reference's not needed." With his free hand, he began to flip through the all the pages, barely allowing Rayla a chance to catch a glimpse of the sketches streaming before her. There was just, dozens of them on every page. She'd seen only a handful before, and she knew he had done a multitude of them. Yet still, watching them flip past before her—it was a flattering sight to witness. Rayla wasn't always an easily embarrassed person, but Callum's sketches always seemed to bring out a new side of her.

She looked up at Callum and noticed his proud smile. He finally found the confidence to show her all of them. She stared him right in the eyes and let out a small smile. Only one word came to mind.

"Beautiful."

A/N: Whelp, I hope you enjoyed it! It certainly proved to be more lengthy than I would've liked, and the ending kinda fell flat for me, but I wanted to get it done and out with. I do have other stories to write and other prompt fics to prepare! Don't worry though, not every single oneshot fic will be a pining Rayllum, there will be some established Rayllum relationships later on and most definitely some during this prompt week! Make sure to also follow rayllum-week on Tumblr to see other fanart and fics! So, that's one day down, get ready for tomorrow when I post the other: Sunrise/Sunset prompt!

Until next time,

- Bleh