Eirika took a deep breath and knocked on the door,
"Hello? Is this Gaius's room?"
She heard a few grumbles from inside until the door opened. What came out was not what Eirika was expecting. Gaius stood a few inches shorter than her, with short, orange hair, but that wasn't the issue. The issue was his clothing, or lack thereof. He stood before her wearing only light gray pants. His bare chest started to give her butterflies in her stomach. While her brother would occasionally train shirtless, she was always at a distance when he trained. This was the first time she had been close to a man's bare skin. She liked it. The smell… the look… it was almost intoxicating. He smelled sweet, like a chocolate bar. Or maybe fresh pastries. Or maybe a doughnut. Wait a minute… why did he smell like candy? And why was she staring at his chest?
She was blushing and her voice quivered, "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
Gaius rolled his eyes, "It's hot out." He looked at her from top to bottom, "You can take yours off too, if you want."
This caused her face to practically GLOW red, "What?! That- I can't-"
Gaius laughed, "Easy, there. I was joking. What do you need?"
Eirika started to collect herself, "I was told you could help me train. I need help getting used to a sword again."
Gaius continued to roll his eyes, "What do I get for it?"
Eirika stared at him. Do people really always need something? Do they ever do something out of the kindness of their hearts? Do-
"I'm kidding. I'll help you out, free of charge."
That wasn't what she was expecting, either. Perhaps her ideas weren't so naïve after all? Regardless, there was a problem that needed solving before they could leave,
"Can you put on a shirt first?"
Gaius smirked, "Why? Judging by how your eyes haven't left my chest, I'd say you like what you see."
His reply was Eirika turning even brighter red. He laughed again,
"Alright, I'll put a shirt on, Rose."
Eirika was happy. "His figure would be distracting when they sparred," She thought, "… wait a minute. What did he just call me?"
"Did you just call me Rose?"
"Yeah. I nickname everyone. Didn't Bubbles or Moneybags tell you?"
She gave him that look you would give aliens when they landed in your backyard.
He realized he needed to translate, "Robin and Anna"
An invisible light bulb popped over her head, "Ooooohhh… no, they didn't tell me that."
He smirked, "Yeah, well, it's something I do. Don't try and stop me. You won't be able to, Rose."
She sighed, "Can I ask you one question?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "Sure."
"Why'd you pick Rose?"
"The beauty, really. Both you and roses are pretty damn, well, pretty. Also because your face has been as red as a rose since you started talking to me."
He closed the door to put a shirt on, seeing her face just long enough to realize that maybe roses weren't red enough to describe her face. The beautiful part was fine, but…
"Maybe I should have called her Chili Pepper…"