After the challenge of fighting Tritannus, the Winx girls had all decided to take some well-deserved rest. Bloom was visiting Earth and had taken Sky along with her. Stella was on Solaria, most likely scheming to get her parents back together. Tecna decided to stay with Timmy, and meet his parents since the two were getting closer. Musa was getting a little distance from Riven, spending time at home and writing some music.
And Flora was enjoying Helia's company.
In a week, she would be going home to Lynphea, and he would be returning to his home planet of Minerus with his uncle, but would be periodically visiting Lynphea, with the guise of seeing his old friend Krystal and sneaking off to see her most nights. Once she and Helia had talked, Flora had gotten to know Krystal and liked the princess – she was kind, and they had a lot in common, and Krystal had been able to tell Flora all about Helia's antics as a child.
Seeing Helia so close to Krystal had hurt her a little, and still stung – even though she trusted Helia, Flora couldn't quell the nagging little voice in the back of her mind, the one that always reared its head to say you're not good enough, Flora.
She was sitting in Helia's room at Red Fountain late one night, reading up on his planet that she hoped to visit one day soon, when he returned. He'd told her he had to run a quick errand, but had been gone about an hour, and returned with a package.
Flora sat up, putting the book aside, and smiled seeing him. He grinned back at her and leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "Hey." He said. She nearly melted just hearing his voice.
"Hey." She said blushing. It had been years since they first got together, and yet she still found herself overwhelmed with how much she felt for him.
He sat beside her, pulling her close. "I brought something for you." He said, opening the package that he'd brought and taking out what appeared to be two pale blue crystals.
She brushed her fingertips over the surface of one of the crystals, and was surprised to find that, while it looked like a precious stone, it was warm to the touch. "What is it?" She asked.
"An old artifact. I had my uncle pull a few strings." He said. "They're based in an ancient myth of a pair of lovers on my planet. They have the power to transmit emotions and memories. In the story, the lovers were apart for half of the year, so they both kept a crystal and could share their feelings with each other over long distances." He said. "Now we have cell phones for that." He added.
She giggled. "So why did you bring them here?" She asked.
Helia placed his hand over hers. "Krystal got me thinking. You're always so afraid that you aren't good enough, or that you aren't as special as you truly are." He said. "I think this might be a good way that I can show you. If telling you how much I love you won't prove it, maybe I can show you." He said squeezing her hand.
Flora looked away, down at the crystal she held. The idea of that was terrifying. This would mean seeing into his mind, seeing how he felt about her, and even though he'd offered it, she was scared of what she might see. Of what he might think. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked. She shook with fear at the idea of what she could see, but Helia was daring when she couldn't be, and she'd trust him on this.
"Yes." He said without pause. He picked up the crystal that she wasn't holding, and immediately she felt a connection through the pair. "Just relax." He said reclining on the bed and pulling her into his arms, where she always felt safest. She shut her eyes and, immediately, was flooded with images.
The first one she saw was of that day when they met. She was crushed by the loneliness he felt, that she felt herself through him – like her chest was empty where there should be family and friends. He had given up friendships at Red Fountain for his art, and while he was happy to follow something he truly enjoyed, he longed for a connection. Flora felt his apathy towards the other specialists, and the other fairies when they were introduced, until his eyes landed on her.
Flora gasped and her hand tightened on the crystal. The person she was seeing in Helia's memories was somehow the same and yet vastly different from the one she saw when she looked in the mirror. Flora had never felt she was truly ugly, but she'd always felt rather… Plain. Her friends all had striking features, with Bloom's bright blue eyes, Layla's gorgeous curls, and Stella's bright smile. Flora had always felt that her hair was simple and brown, rather than a more unique color, and that while her eyes were a nice shade of green, she always thought nothing about her stood out.
To Helia, though… She did.
Her hair, rather than being plain how she'd thought of it, had rich tones of chocolate and copper. Her skin was the color of sweet caramel to him, and he thought her eyes were the kind of green he'd never been able to capture with a paintbrush – green like grass in the summer, not glaringly bright nor subtle.
She's probably like the rest of them. She heard in his memories. Those were his thoughts then, and she smiled fondly. She knew that before he'd gotten to know the fairies or the specialists, he hadn't thought much of them, though that had changed.
"Your lines are full of life! One can really sense the energy. And I love the way your brush strokes match the fern leaf in the paper."
"No one's ever noticed the fern in the paper before."
"And this is Flora."
She almost felt his smile that he'd hidden so well that day – of finding a kindred soul, someone who noticed that kind of detail, who felt the same way he did. Flora in the present couldn't fight a smile, thinking that just as she'd fallen for him that day, he'd done the same.
It was later that day that she'd nearly been eaten by Darkar's monster, and he rescued her. She remembered that – how annoyed her friends had been that he only stopped to save her, and yet how happy it had made her. In his memories, she realized that was the first time he had fought or gotten into any kind of combat since leaving Red Fountain, for her. That he was a pacifist because he found that fighting and hurting didn't bring him any joy, but protecting her had.
His memories flitted to different times he'd thought of her through the day, and how protecting her had led him to deciding to transfer back to Red Fountain, and how his uncle had immediately known it had to do with a girl. She blushed as the memories landed on him writing a poem, one she very much remembered.
Her voice is the whisper of wind-swept trees,
Putting my troubled mind at ease.
Her eyes are lit with a new star's aura,
I long to be close to my dear Flora.
Her lips broke into a grin at that. Even though Layla had told her about the poem and had been sure she was the one he described, it was nice to have confirmation that the poem was in fact about her.
Flora bit down on her lip as she felt him meditating, and his meditation being interrupted by the flowers growing at his window. She remembered peeking out to see him, to see his reaction, and smiling that he enjoyed them. This time, she felt the rise in his stomach of nerves and happiness, that same one she felt just looking at him, and the surety that the flowers had to be from her.
She smiled as Helia's memories jumped to that day in Pixie Village – the day she'd been brought in to heal the flower and been terrified she wouldn't be able to do it. She was already insecure, and that insecurity had only doubled with Helia there, watching her. But this time she felt all his emotions, and how he could feel that she was scared – how placing his hands on her shoulders to show that he believed she could do it had pushed her to heal the flower. She was nearly knocked over by the intense pride he felt for her.
She then felt his disappointment that they hadn't had much time to talk, and the desire to see more of her, and that he didn't want to leave. It made her smile – she'd felt the same way.
"Helia? Helia!" She heard herself crying out as he flew away to Red Fountain. She had fought so many evil people, and yet that had been the scariest moment of her life. "Helia!"
Flora felt him pause, hearing her crying out, and felt the ship turning around and landing once again, felt the hopeful thrumming in his heart. "I wanted to tell you, I mean… I wanted to thank you for what you did." She said.
"You're the one who deserves all our thanks." He said, and she could feel now how much he meant it – that, while he'd helped her to see her true potential, it was all her.
"I've wanted to tell you this in person, but I guess it's…" Flora watched herself blush in the memory and smiled – she'd had no idea how to tell him how she felt, had wanted to so much, and she felt now that his feelings were the same – he wanted, so intensely, to tell her how badly he wanted her. Felt now in Helia's memories that he'd been watching her lips without her even noticing, that he'd wanted to kiss her, had been sure even that it was the perfect time but not sure she wanted the same.
"Please, go on Flora." He said gently.
"I just wanted, I mean… If you… But, well, I…"
It was then that Flora felt his crushing disappointment, that maybe he'd misread everything, and that maybe she wasn't interested in him like he'd hoped. That if she couldn't say it… "Perhaps this isn't the right time." He said, allowing her an out. "But thanks, Flora." His casual demeanor masked that he was upset, thinking that he simply was seeing what he wanted to rather than what was really there. While Helia wasn't as shy or as self-conscious as she was, that fear was still very much there.
"Helia, I love you!" She suddenly shouted out as his back was turned, and Flora found herself feeling exactly how he'd felt then – mentally blown away, shocked and happy and a mess in the best possible way, how he'd felt lighter than air.
"I do too." He'd said smiling, blowing her a kiss, intensely wanting to come back and kiss her for real this time but waiting until there was more time for the two of them.
Flora smiled as the next memory, their first kiss, washed over her. She smiled as, after that, came the memory of their first real date, after taking down Darkar.
She wished she could say it had been perfect, but it had, in fact, been a mess. They'd gone to a fancy restaurant for dinner and she'd been too shy to say much of a word, and he hadn't known what to say. Both of them thought that perhaps it just wouldn't work out, and after dinner he'd gone to take her home, disappointed – until they found a small ice cream stand and, both of them having a sweet tooth, had stopped by. There, the conversation had flowed without a care – slow at first but over a scoop of mint chocolate chip for him and strawberry for her, they'd started talking about plants, animals, his time at art school, and funny stories about the girls at Alfea. Things just became so easy with him, like there wasn't a care in the world, and suddenly it was midnight and they were both still outside at the ice cream stand after it closed, falling over laughing as she told a story of Stella falling asleep during class.
The memories flitted over times when he'd seen her in battle – the fear he felt every time she left to fight some monster, his pride and joy seeing her transform into an Enchantix fairy. Every moment between the two of them brought her more joy, and seeing them all together had her crying, overwhelmed by emotions until she felt them stopping and opened her eyes, seeing that he'd put down his crystal, a hand at her cheek. "What's wrong?" He asked, looking afraid that he'd hurt or upset her or anything.
Flora smiled and buried a hand in his hair as she pulled him in for a kiss, smiling against his mouth. "Amazing. Just so much." She said wiping them away. "You love me so much."
Helia smiled and kissed her hair. "I always have." He said.
They kissed for a while, until Flora found herself lying back on his bed with Helia above her, and his hands were at her waist, thumb skimming her stomach and stroking it, sending shivers through her. "Maybe I should show you how much I love you." She said softly.
He smiled. "With the crystals?" He asked, setting them back in their cases and putting them to the side. She shook her head and slid a hand under his shirt, stroking his chest as he drew in a sharp breath. "Flora…" He groaned. She smiled, loving that she could elicit that kind of reaction from him. "What are you doing?" He asked.
Flora bit down on her lip. "Trying to be daring." She said, pulling his shirt off completely and baring his chest to her, kissing his neck. He arched obligingly to allow her to nip at it.
"You're doing well at it." He said nuzzling her collarbone, his hands finding and grasping the tank top she wore and tugging it up experimentally. She arched her back to help him take it off, still leaving her clothed in her blouse and skirt, having already taken off her shoes. He stood to take off his shoes and tripped over them, laughing and catching himself on the bed. She giggled as he joined her back on it, pulling her close to his chest and kissing her lovingly, lowering her back to it.
Helia's hands wandered to her skirt, not pushing but sliding up her thigh and drawing patterns over it with his fingertips. She shivered and took off her shirt, leaving her wearing her skirt and a bright pink bra. Helia stared at her with unabashed adoration, pressing his mouth against the tops of her breasts and kissing over them like she was made of gold. She arched her back, burying a hand in his hair and whimpering his name. "We should be doing this in a better place." He murmured. "Somewhere more romantic."
She smiled and sat up, kissing him. "Any place with you is romantic. But I think I can fix that." She said, waving her hands. Vines immediately began to weave around the bed, creating a dome over their heads, forming tightly together so that no light got in. And then, tiny flowers bloomed all over it, their centers filled with light and illuminating the space so that it was dimly lit enough to see one another while remaining shadowed and relaxed. He touched one of the blossoms, in awe.
"Every day you amaze me." He said, lying back and kissing her lovingly as her hands ventured over his chest, finding and exploiting all the spots that made him moan and hiss. Eventually, he growled and rolled her beneath him, finding the clasp of her bra and unhooking it, pausing to look at her blushing at his own boldness. She smiled and slipped it off, leaving her breasts bare to him. Flora had the urge to cover them, but fought it, letting him stare. "You are perfect." He said, cupping one of her breasts gently, his thumb finding and circling her nipple. She arched with a loud moan that surprised her and clearly aroused him, as she found his hard length suddenly pressed up against her thigh, throbbing eagerly. Flora rocked against it experimentally and he stilled, trying to keep from moving against her. "You are not making this easy."
She giggled. "That's the point." She said, starting on his belt and taking it off, helping him shove off his pants as his hands found her skirt and removed it, her panties matching the now discarded bra.
Helia, clad only now in a pair of shorts, sat up to stare at Flora, taking in the picture she made on his bed nearly naked. She bit down on her lip, running a hand down his chest to the hem of his shorts and her fingers traced the outline of his cock in them, making him nearly jump and fight the urge to come in his shorts. "Flora, please…" He begged shutting his eyes and taking her hand, leaning down to kiss her wrist and join her, his thumbs hooking into either side of her panties and looking at her questioningly.
Flora nodded and Helia slid them down her legs, marveling at her body beneath him and quickly shedding his shorts. "I don't… I mean…" He stuttered, his brain short circuiting at her nude form beneath her, and Flora smiled affectionately. The magic dimension had a few forms of birth control, but she'd wanted to make a natural one from her plants, and had made sure the other girls had a few vials of it in case, even keeping it with her. Turned out it paid off.
"I have a potion." She said, getting up and digging around in her bag until she found a potion she'd made and offered it to him. Helia drank it down quickly and kissed her again, shoving off his shorts. Flora chewed on her lower lip, her nervous energy beginning to come back – she'd never done this, and although she knew that in theory parts should fit together, there seemed to be no way that his length could fit in her – it wasn't too thick, but it was long. He looked at her and saw her fear.
"We don't have to do this, Flora." He said, his hand moving to stroke her cheek. "It's okay, if you just want to stay here, or…" She smiled and leaned into his hand kissing his palm.
"I want to. I trust you. I've just never done this before." She said.
"Neither have I. We'll try it together." He said, kissing her deeply, distracting her with feather light touches to her belly and breasts as his long cock pressed against her wet folds, rubbing in long strokes to get her used to the feel of him, so hot and hard against her. She whimpered as the very tip of it found a spot at her entrance that had her tensing up beneath him, it was so sensitive. He grinned against her mouth and she felt the tip of him pushing into her, the head fitting snuggly inside her, her body tight around it. He panted, sweat dripping from the ends of his hair, and nudged in another inch. Flora's body tensed – it wasn't painful so much as a stretch to accommodate him.
Helia buried his face in her neck as he shook, pressing in deeper until there was no more, and their hips were flush against each other. It didn't feel painful, but it did feel strange, and Flora willed herself to relax, stroking Helia's back as he groaned. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking up and nuzzling her cheek. His blue eyes had turned dark with pleasure and he looked overwhelmed in the best possible way. She nodded and rocked her hips against his, making him moan, pulling her legs up over his hips to lock her ankles at his lower back. He began to move with her, panting. "My angel, goddess of nature…" He rasped, nuzzling her ear and nipping at her neck. Flora's nails scratched down his back in pleasure, wanting more. He complied, starting to thrust his hips, angling them so he brushed over the center of her pleasure with every thrust in. "I am all yours, everything I have is yours." He moaned.
She arched beneath him, moving her hips eagerly against his. He was writing poetry about her, chanting as if it was a prayer and she a deity. "Take me for your own, my love." He gasped eyes slamming shut and thrusting harder, hitting something inside her that made her bite back a scream. It was so pleasurable it bordered on pain, so intense she could hardly stand it. "Overwhelm me, fill my senses. My dear Flora, my darling." He said, his hands moving her legs up higher on his body. She shouted out as that had him deeper in her, thrusting harder and pushing her, so close.
"Give me your pleasure… So that I might have mercy!" He shouted out, she could hear him on the edge, and it pushed her over, screaming into his neck, her body tightening around him as she came. He followed her seconds later, gasping her name, his chest rising and falling rapidly in time with his breath, and fell beside her, immediately pulling her into his arms and stroking her hair.
Flora smiled and stroked his chest. "I like your new poem." She said, grinning. He laughed and kissed her hair.
"I don't think I can publish it." He said smirking. "But there's only one person whose opinion matters, and she's right beside me."