I wrote the first part and sent it out to people who wanted it during Mardi Gras (and coincidentally Mardi Gras was on March 1st this year which happens to be Flora's birthday). A reader suggested I add a little something for Easter so here we are haha. I also had to make some changes to canon story plots because well…this isn't canon lol
Flora and Helia- Forty-Seven Days
Flora was standing in the back room of the large building where people were getting ready for the celebrations. Her arms were over her exposed abdomen, and she was desperate for something to cover her up.
"I'm not going out there." Flora replied as she looked at her five friends.
"Flora, you are being silly." Aisha rolled her eyes, "You wear clothes that expose your stomach all the time without batting an eye."
"Yeah, but my butt and breasts are effectively hanging out save for the pink crystals that are covering them!" Flora countered as she moved her arms to gesture to the sparkly, skimpy outfit that she was wearing.
It was Carnival and the Winx Girls wanted to celebrate. Bloom had told them of the tradition back on Earth and the girls were all for it, until they saw what they were going to wear. Aisha and Stella were eager to wear the small outfit and large feathers. The rest of the girls decided not to wear them, Tecna having an unfortunate visit from Aunt Flo, Bloom having been elected the Queen of Carnival, and Musa simply didn't want to give Riven the satisfaction. Flora had opposed to wearing the outfit, but it was her birthday as well and the girls were not letting her get out of it. Plus, when Flora heard that Helia was going to be there at the party and parade, there was a small voice in the back of her head that told her to go for it. But when she was in the regalia, the voice was suddenly gone.
"Just think of it as a swimsuit." Aisha shrugged as she put on a nude lipstick, the blue feathers falling behind her.
"I wear a one-piece and this is more exposing than a swimsuit. I am not going out there." Flora shook her head.
"Flora," Aisha sighed as she backed away from the mirror, "you look great and we are all wearing the same thing. None of this is supposed to be sexual and is a traditional regalia of people on Earth. Everybody is going to be having a fun time, they are going to be drunk, and…Helia is going to be there."
Flora blushed, "Don't remind me. What If he doesn't like-"
"I am going to stop you right there," Aisha held up her hand, "your tits and ass are out, Helia is going to love it."
"Do you think so?"
Flora had eyes for Helia since the day that she saw him at the Red Fountain reopening. He had joined them on a few missions as a new member of the Specialists and she had been falling harder for him ever since. But she was always too shy to say anything. Why would he like someone like her? Shy, meek, and insignificant Flora.
"I know so." Aisha smiled as she placed a hand on Flora's shoulder, "But don't think about Helia. Just go out there and have some fun! It's your birthday and you look great! It's all about you and Carnival tonight!"
"But-"
"No buts!" Aisha scolded as she adjusted the sparkly top that Flora wore, "Only butts. Remember the samba tips I gave you and JUST. HAVE. FUN."
Flora took a deep breath and nodded; the pink headdress heavy on her head. Aisha was right. She just needed to have fun and not worry about what people thought. Before she knew it, Stella had come into the dressing room, dressed in her bright yellow carnival regalia carrying a small tray of what looked to be shots of clear alcohol and a large tube of oil and body glitter.
Body covered with glitter and feathers and a stomach full of rum, it was time for the parade to begin. Flora took one last deep breath before putting on a large smile and stepped out onto the streets of Magix.
Helia arrived at the side of the street where he would meet the rest of the guys save for Brandon who had been elected Carnival King. He scanned the crowd and saw the rest of the group in addition to Musa and Tecna. He smiled as he made his way over to them and was greeted with the same jovial enthusiasm.
"Hey, I am glad that you could make it!" Sky exclaimed as he welcomed in the newer member of the Specialists.
"Of course," Helia replied as he took a spot between Sky and Riven, "I would not miss an opportunity to experience an Earth tradition. Plus, I don't think that I would ever hear the end of it if I missed Brandon's big moment as King."
"He has been a bit of a diva." Riven rolled his eyes, "But hey, at least you will get to see Flora half naked and surrounded by feathers."
"What?" Helia snapped his head to a smirking Riven.
"Oh yeah, we all saw Stella prance around in the skimpy little outfit because she was so excited to show us, well, Brandon, and she said that Aisha and Flora would be wearing the same."
"But I thought that the carnival parade had people covered up and in masks?" Helia asked, still in shock by the news that he had just heard.
Tecna butted in, "That is the Venetian version, Bloom said that they are doing a fusion of Mardi Gras and Carnival. Lots of colors, lots of bling, lots of feathers-"
"Lots of skin." Riven interjected.
Helia swallowed the saliva that was in his mouth. How the Hell was he going to keep his cool if Flora was going to be prancing the streets of Magix in next to nothing? Then again, Helia was slightly comforted when he thought about how Flora was not the type of person to go out into the crown dressed in such a way. Not that there was anything wrong if she did, she could wear what she wanted but Helia didn't know if his poor nerves would be able to handle it. He was the most stoic and calm of the Specialists and his grandfather had told him that was an asset to the group, but he didn't know if he could remain that way if he saw Flora dressed in a carnival outfit.
"Oh, I think that they are about to start the parade!" Musa exclaimed as she pointed to the start of the parade line where there was a row of drummers who followed behind a banner that announced the First Annual Magix Carnival.
Helia wanted to groan. The first? So there were to be more?
Following the drummers, there were rows of trumpets following behind. The streets of Magix slowly began to fill with large floats carrying a large number of people who threw confetti and strings of brightly colored beads to the crowd. Helia was in awe of how many people participated in a tradition that nobody but Bloom seemed to know about. He had heard that she and the Winx had essentially saved the magic dimension the previous year and well, maybe the people of Magix felt indebted to the small club of women. Still, Helia looked on as the parade passed.
However, his eyes were trained to find the one person who he wanted to see most. Helia had not seen a glimpse of the scantily clad women that Riven had alluded to, much less Flora being one of them. Then again, the parade just began and from the looks of it, there was plenty more parade to go.
"I think I see Aisha!" Riven pointed into the crowd at Aisha who had been dressed in a bright blue two-piece outfit that left very little to the imagination. She had a headdress and a back piece that had been covered with feathers and she marched in the parade.
"She looks great!" Tecna exclaimed over the music.
"Yeah," Riven turned to face Musa as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I wish I could have seen-"
"Not happening, Riven. You pissed me off last week and this is your punishment."
"That was a week ago!"
"And you would do well to not do it again." Musa scolded, Riven rolling his eyes as he pulled Musa closer to him.
Helia ignored the bickering couple and kept his eyes fixed on to the parade. He watched as Aisha walked and danced down the street to the beat of the drums, taking in the regalia that she wore. There was no way that Flora would be walking in the parade in an outfit like that. No way. He didn't know Flora too well, but she was shy and subdued, all things that he found endearing about the nature fairy. But Helia also couldn't help but to think about Flora in an outfit like Aisha's. Flora may have shied away from being the center of attention and wasn't as loud as the other women, but Helia always noticed her. He noticed her eyes first, then her nose, then her lips. Shortly after he took in the curves of her body and committed every part that he could see of Flora to memory, promising himself that he would draw her one day. Little did he know that more than one of the pages in his sketchbook would be dedicated to the shy nature fairy.
Too bad it was all unrequited.
She never looked at him the way that he looked at her. She treated everyone with kindness and looked at everyone with warmth. It was hard to know who she enjoyed when she seemed to enjoy being around everyone, even moody Riven. Helia had also heard that she was one of the very few fairies ever to become friends with witches from Cloud Tower. She was the most beautiful person that Helia had ever met, both inside and out. He didn't deserve her so there was no hope in thinking that she might like him a fraction of the way that he so desperately loved her.
Still, Helia kept scanning the crowd as the parade went by. The blare of the music, the noise of the crowd, and bright colors almost distracted Helia from the bright pop of pink.
Almost….
There she was, walking in the parade wearing next to nothing and surrounded by pink feathers. The gems covered the parts that they needed to, but only what was needed. Helia had forgotten how to breathe when he saw her. He didn't think that he would ever see Flora wear something so revealing. He knew that he would have a hard time just imagining it, but the real thing was so much more intense than his fantasy. What made it all the better was the smile that stretched across her face as she walked, danced, and waved in the parade.
"Flora looks amazing," Musa beamed as she waved at Flora, the wave going unnoticed by the smiling nature fairy who was waving elsewhere, "she looks just like the parade walkers in the videos that Bloom showed us. It was like she was made for Carnival. Same with Aisha for that matter."
"I agree," Sky chuckled, "who knew that Flora was hiding all of that underneath."
"You have a girlfriend." Riven remarked.
"Just stating facts," Sky shrugged, "I can say if someone looks great, it doesn't mean that I want to be with them. I think Helia's paintings look great, but I don't want to have sex with them. Not all of us are perpetually horny like you."
"Touché." Riven smirked, "But I don't think that you need to talk to me about being a giant horndog when Helia's jaw has yet to leave the floor."
Helia, having heard his name, peeled his eyes from the woman in pink and turned to the rest of the group.
"What?" Helia asked but was met with stares and sly smiles, "What?!"
Flora didn't know what she had to be worried about. She had a great time walking in the parade. After Stella had presented Flora and the Aisha several rounds of shots, Flora had calmed down immensely and walked and danced in the parade without a care in the world. Aisha was right, she looked good, she felt good, there were other women (and men) dressed in similar outfits, and music was playing. Nobody was judging her. Nobody was looking at her.
Except for one person.
The parade was over, and Flora was now enjoying the party after. She had taken off the large feather head and back pieces, leaving her in only the pink, gem covered, two-piece outfit. She placed a short, sheer, pink skirt around her waist, the self-confidence slowly starting to fade away with the alcohol.
"Flora!" Musa shouted as she ran across the room to Flora, "You were amazing out there! I never thought that you were going to go out there, but you looked like you were having so much fun."
"I was," Flora smiled, "and I wouldn't have gone out there if it weren't for Aisha, Stella, and a bit of liquid courage."
Musa laughed, "Well, whatever got you out there, right? Plus, I don't know what you will think about this, but Helia couldn't keep his eyes off of you."
"R-really?" Flora stammered in shock; she didn't even see him in the crowd. She hadn't even seen him at the after/birthday party. There were a lot of faces that she had seen and none of them had been Helia's.
"I think that some confetti flew into his mouth because it was open the whole time."
"And he was looking at me?" Flora was still in disbelief, "Are you sure that he wasn't looking at someone else? Why would he look at me?"
"Flora, you need to stop doubting yourself. Helia likes you, or at least thinks you're super hot."
Flora brought her cup of water to her lips and took a sip of water.
"Don't worry about it." Musa took the cup of water from Flora's hand and replaced it with a cup of some sort of alcohol and juice concoction. "Enjoy your party. You might have to share your birthday this year with an Earth holiday but here in Magix, this party is for you."
Flora took a big gulp of whatever it was in the cup that Musa gave her and winced as the sugary mixture burned down her throat.
"I am going to go dance now," Musa leaned in to whisper in Flora's ear, "but I think that I saw Helia out on the terrace. Alone."
As Musa walked away to the dance floor, Flora poured the rest of the liquid in the cup down her throat before making her way to the terrace. As she stepped outside, Flora did her best to pep herself up. Helia was really looking at her? Helia was looking at her? Ugh, she couldn't think about herself like that. She looked hot. Stella said so, Aisha said so, and Musa said so. Maybe just maybe Helia thought the same.
The music and conversations from the party became muffled as Flora walked further outside to the large terrace where Helia was sitting, drawing something in his sketchpad. His hair was whipping in the cold nighttime wind. Flora inhaled before making her way over to Helia, the sparkly heels that she had been wearing earlier clicking against the pavement.
"Helia?" Flora greeted, surprising Helia and causing him to drop his pencil. Flora winced as Helia turned around, "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."
"No," Helia rose gracefully to his feet, "you could never disturb me."
Flora blushed as she watched Helia close his sketchbook and walk closer to her. He always looked so cool and composed. There was no way that Helia was staring at her the way that Musa said he was.
"Did you need anything, Flora?" Helia asked as he now stood in front of Flora.
"No, I just wanted…I mean I thought that…I heard that you were out here and-"
"Is everything alright?" Helia asked, cutting Flora off much to Flora's relief. She always rambled in front of him, never knowing what to say and she felt like an absolute idiot each and every time.
"Yes," Flora sighed, "I mean no, I mean…"
"So there is something wrong?" Helia asked, not sure what Flora meant by her response.
"No…" Flora lowered her head, "I'm just…nothing is wrong."
"Really?" Helia chuckled, sending Flora's heart racing a mile a minute. "If I have done something to upset you, I would like to know."
Flora's head shot up and her eyes met Helia's, "No! Of course not! Musa just told me that you were looking at me during the parade and I wanted to know if that was true."
"Do you want it to be true?" Helia asked.
Flora felt the air leave her lungs as Helia took a step closer to her. Flora felt it growing hotter and hotter. Maybe it was just the alcohol.
"It doesn't matter what I want." Flora's reply came out as a whisper.
"It's your birthday." Helia smiled, "But between you and me, I would give you whatever you want any day of the year."
"Helia…"
Flora's eyes were wide as she looked up at Helia, his words so…suggestive.
"But," Helia took a step back and held out his sketchbook in front of him, "it is your birthday and I want you to have this."
Flora placed her hands on the large sketchbook, "I don't understand."
"I have been working on it for a while and I want you to have my sketchbook."
Flora carefully took the book and began flipping through the pages, admiring all of the drawings that she came across. The first one she saw was the sketch of the birds that he had been working on when they had first met, there was another of the tree that Flora sometimes liked to sit down under when she wanted to be left alone, there was a sketch of a bunch of Flora's favorite flowers, but Flora was more surprised to see that amongst the sketches of some of her places, memories, and things that there were sketches of her.
There was a sketch of her laughing, another of her looking off at something in the distance that had not been depicted on the page. There were sketches of her reading a book and there was even one in the back of the book of her in the parade, smiling and dancing.
"I hope that they are to your liking. I did my best to draw them from memory and I hope that I did all of my subjects justice."
"Helia, these are beautiful but why did you draw me?" Flora asked.
"Because you are beautiful too."
Flora shook her head, "No, I'm not. I'm just plain, timid, insignificant-"
"I wish that you would see yourself in the way that I see you. You have always been beautiful to me and yes, Flora, I was."
"You were what?" Flora looked up from the sketchbook back at Helia.
Helia stepped closer to Flora again and ran a finger up the strap of Flora's sparkly bralette top, "I was looking at you. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you. Truth be told, I am always looking at you because you are all that I see. Nothing about you is plain, or timid, or insignificant. You are vibrant, brave, and are all that I think of."
Flora ran her hand over the sketchbook, "You really did all of this for me?"
"Flora, I would do anything for you. Because I love you, Flora." Flora's head lifted from gazing at the sketchbook to staring at Helia. She placed the sketchbook on the ledge of the terrace as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that Helia had told her that he loved her. He loved her? Her?
"But I understand if that is not what you want. Tell me now that you do not feel the same and I wont'-"
"I do, Helia." Flora quickly cut Helia off, not wanting to hear any more, "I love you. So much. I was just too scared to tell you."
"I was too." Helia removed his hand from the strap of Flora's top to brush back a piece of her hair, "But now…now that I know that you love me too, I am not scared anymore. I feel as though that I can do anything. And I am not afraid to do this."
Helia wasted no more time and with both hands cupped the sides of Flora's face and brought it up to his. Their lips met and while Flora was shocked at first, she quickly melted into Helia's touch and his kiss.
Flora's hands landed on Helia's arms and gripped onto his shirt, never wanting to let go as Helia's hands moved from the sides of her face to the back of her head, his fingers buried under her hair. His lips were softer than Flora could have imagined. Flora wanted to pinch herself to know if any of this were real. There was no way that Helia was looking at her during the parade, there was no possible way that Helia loved Flora, and there was absolutely no way that Helia would be kissing her right now. This had to be a dream; a dream that Flora never wanted to wake up from.
"Helia…" Flora gasped his name through the passionate kiss, his name being the only thing that Flora could think of. It was her birthday and a holiday, and all Flora could think about was Helia. Stella would scold Flora for not being the absolute star of her birthday, but Helia was the best gift that Flora could ask for and his love was worth more to her than the adoration of a room full of friends and acquaintances.
Helia dove further into the kiss as the movements of his lips became more and more intentional and coordinated. There was, for lack of better words, something magical about kissing her. He needed to have more of her, taste more of her. His tongue slowly made its way into Flora's mouth, testing how far he could go with the kiss. He would never demand more than Flora was willing to give. He already told her that he would do anything for her, give her anything, but he couldn't assume that she would do the same. But when Flora eagerly opened up for Helia, he knew that what he was doing was okay.
A hand dropped from Flora's head to her hip. Helia had been staring at her hips the whole parade and now he was touching them. She was so soft, and he could feel every movement of her body as she nestled into him, leaving not even a breath of space between them. Flora was desperate to get closer to Helia and Helia's head was reeling with the realization that he was finally with Flora. As he kissed her harder and with more passion, Helia could taste Flora's moans enter his mouth and nothing had tasted so sweet.
"Helia?" Flora asked through the kiss.
"Yeah?"
Helia smiled against Flora's lips, trying so desperately keep whatever it was that they had going on. But when Flora pulled away and placed her hand on Helia's chest, Helia's smile fell as he looked down at Flora.
"What is it?" Helia asked, worry filling his dark-blue eyes, "I didn't do anything wrong did I? I thought that you were enjoying it?"
"I was," Flora exhaled, trying to catch her breath, "I am. But the people inside…what if they see?"
"Are you ashamed of me?" Helia raised an eyebrow.
"No!" Flora shook her head, "Of course not! You are perfect! It's just that I don't think I can deal with all of the attention tonight if we were to be caught."
"It is your birthday, Flora." Helia smirked.
"I only want your attention," Flora giggled, "but if we were to be caught, the girls would spend the rest of the night telling me about how they were right about you liking me."
"Then," Helia leaned forward and whispered in Flora's ear, "we better not get caught."
Helia grabbed Flora's hand and pulled her away from the terrace and back inside of the large school. He led her down the hallway to an empty classroom. Helia wiggled the door handle and found the room to be miraculously unlocked. Helia opened the door and walked inside, Flora following behind and shutting the door.
Not another word was said before Helia charged towards Flora and nearly knocked her over with the force of his kiss. His hands returned to the sides of her face and Flora's long hair brushed over his fingers.
Flora stumbled back into the row of desks, knocking a few out of place before she was able to sit on top of one. Sitting down on the desk, resuming her make out session with Helia, her legs were open and began to wrap around Helia.
"You fit so nicely." Flora remarked between kisses, "So so nicely."
Helia wrapped an arm around Flora's midsection as he pulled her closer to him, the space between Flora's legs hitting the tops of his hips. He was desperately hoping that Flora's body would not fall lower. Of course he wanted to but that would be for another time. Instead, Helia removed his lips from Flora's and hoped to distract her with kisses up and down her neck and collar bone.
"Helia…" Flora moaned as her hands landed on the top of Helia's shoulders. It was like she could feel all of Helia. His lips on her neck and collar, his hands on her waist, her chest on his chest, and her legs wrapped around his waist where she could feel all of Helia. And there was nothing to complain about.
Helia groaned as he could feel Flora around him, hitting the most sensitive part of his body. She already felt amazing, and they had barely done anything. His hands fell to Flora's thighs that were wrapped around him, his touch light against her soft skin. His hands went up her legs and skimmed the hem of the skirt that she placed over the bottoms of her carnival outfit.
"You really did look amazing in the parade today. Musa said that you were nervous to come out." Helia remarked as Flora hungrily chased his lips, trying to reconnect with him.
"I was."
"So why did you walk in the parade?"
Flora pulled back, her eyes lidded, and her lips swollen as she smiled, "I had some motivation."
"Is that so?"
Flora nodded her head, "I was told that someone I liked was going to be in the crowd. I wanted to get his attention."
"And did it work?" Helia chuckled.
"I would say so." Flora leaned up and placed a soft kiss on Helia's cheek.
"Any chance that I could convince you to wear this again?" Helia asked as he ran his fingertips over the jeweled bottoms of the carnival regalia. "I would really like my attention to be grabbed again."
Flora placed her finger on her chin as she made an expression of deep thought, "I might be convinced to walk in the parade next year."
"I was hoping that maybe this would be a more private showing." Helia whispered in Flora's ear, despite the fact that they were the only two people in the empty classroom. Flora blushed as she looked down at her lap, seeing Helia's hands buried under the short, pink skirt that she was wearing, his palms on the top of her thighs. Were his hands always so warm? Or was it the room? Or was it because he was just so hot?
"I heard that after Carnival," Flora slowly looked up at Helia, "those who celebrate enter a forty-day period where they give up something sinful or a guilty habit. After the forty days and nights of fasting, the people then celebrate and indulge in the things that they gave up. Bloom says that she would always give up chocolate."
"While you are the most tempting part of my life," Helia chuckled, "I don't think that I can give you up. I know that I cannot give you up."
Flora giggled and shook her head before leaning forward and speaking into Helia's ear, "I am not asking you to give me up. Not for forty days, not even for forty seconds. I am just saying that after forty days, I will let you indulge in anything that you want. And I will wear the outfit again."
Helia's face brightened when Flora uttered those last few words. Anything he wanted? And she would wear the Carnival outfit again? He was liking this Earth tradition.
"Forty days?" Helia asked.
"Well, forty-seven. Bloom says that Sundays don't count." Flora giggled.
"Such a long time."
Flora leaned forward and whispered in Helia's ear, "Anything you want."
"You definitely have a deal." Helia replied.
"But in the meantime," Flora ran her hands up and down Helia's chest, "I still want to do this with you."
Flora returned her lips to Helia's before wrapping her arms around his neck. Helia's hands tightened their grip on Flora's thighs.
"Well then," Helia pulled away slightly, his lips just a breath away from Flora's, "I guess if we are going to keep doing this then I should ask you to be my girlfriend. Unless you don't-"
"Don't even finish that thought," Flora blushed, "I told you that I love you and that was before I kissed you. I definitely love kissing you and I hope that I will be able to do so for a long time."
"So is that a yes?" Helia asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Yes!" Flora answered enthusiastically, though she thought that it would have been obvious. She didn't just make out with anyone in the middle of an empty classroom. In fact, this was her first kiss. Could Helia tell?
"Good," Helia said before tucking a piece of brown hair behind Flora's ear, "because I would hope my first kiss would be with my girlfriend."
He hadn't kissed anyone either?! Impossible! Flora was more than surprised, Helia was like a walking work of art. How had she been the first person who he shared a kiss with? What if he regretted it?
Helia took Flora's face in his hands and smiled before placing a soft kiss on her lips. She looked surprised but why would she be? She was perfect in every way.
"We should head back to your party." Helia smiled as he backed away and held out his hand. Flora looked down at Helia's hand and then back up to his face, an expression of dismay plastered across her face.
"I would much rather stay in here with you," Flora sighed, "Away from the attention and close to you. Can't we just stay in here?"
"I can't keep the guest of honor away from her party."
"Aren't we supposed to be doing the things that I want for my birthday? Stella says that when it is your birthday, you get to make all the rules."
Helia rolled his eyes, "And how is that any different than any other day in Stella's world?"
Nobody was unaware of Stella's penchant for making things about her and getting her way. It was endearing because it was so Stella. But Flora wasn't like that, instead valuing compromise and reciprocity.
Flora placed her hand in his and hopped down from the desk before smoothing out her skirt. Helia pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her bare waist.
"And in my world," Helia's breath hit her face and Flora smelled the intoxicatingly sweet and spicy scent of cinnamon. It took everything in her not to collapse in Helia's arms, "you can make all the rules."
A small moan escaped Flora's mouth as she closed her eyes and smiled. Helia's hands rubbed the small of her back. Opening her eyes, Flora looked up at Helia, still in a state of euphoric disbelief that she was with Helia. She was his girlfriend. But feeling him against him, having tasted his lips, and inhaling his scent, Flora knew that there was no way that she could be dreaming. This was too vivid to be a dream.
"What are you thinking about?" Helia asked.
"That this is the best birthday ever."
Flora was sitting at the small desk in the room that she shared with Bloom, writing on small slips of paper and preparing for the following morning. Bloom would return to Earth with Sky to visit Mike and Vanessa for what Bloom had referred to as Easter. Bloom had shared stories of Easters from her childhood, filled with morning church, brunch, and plastic eggs filled with chocolate, lots of chocolate.
Sitting on Flora's desk was an assortment of brightly colored plastic eggs, waiting to be filled with the small slips of paper that she was writing on, hoping to make her own Easter tradition with her new boyfriend. While she and Helia did not believe in the Easter story of the man who had been resurrected to save Earth, Flora was still eager to participate in some of the Easter traditions, even if they might be considered sacrilegious to some.
Flora finished filling out the small slips and began placing them into the eggs, one by one, sealing each egg with well wishes for the person who was to find them. Flora was brimming with excitement and anxiety for what she hoped would happen tomorrow. Helia would wake up and begin his hunt for the eggs, each slip of paper leading him to the next egg until he was here, in her room.
They had only been together for 47 days and with each passing day, Flora fell more and more in love with Helia. He was just as kind and caring as he was before they dated and he was still just as mysterious which definitely still kept her intrigued. Small, private conversations allowed her to get to know Helia so much more. His likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams, family, and so much more. But even if Flora learned everything about Helia, it still would not be enough.
With the last of the plastic eggs filled, Flora looked down at her work and smiled before snapping her fingers. The eggs were in place, scattered around Red Fountain, the forest, and Alfea. It had just dawned on Flora to pray that others didn't find the eggs before Helia. Maybe there was something that she could do make sure that these eggs got into the right hands. Flora jumped up from her seat and to Bloom's bookshelf. Grabbing a purple book from the row of books, Flora opened it and flipped to a page on cloaking spells. Flora was glad just this once that her roommate constantly found herself in dangerous situations where cloaking was needed. Saying the quick spell, Flora ensured that Helia would be the only one to find the eggs.
Putting the book away, Flora shut off her light and tucked herself into bed, eager for the next day.
Helia woke up on a sunny Sunday morning, the sun streaming in through his window. He nearly forgot what day it was until he rolled over in his bed and on his bedside table, her saw a bright pink, plastic egg and a small piece of chocolate wrapped in a pastel blue foil. He smiled as he reached forward and took the egg and chocolate, opening both, eating the chocolate and reading the small piece of paper that was inside of the egg.
The wait is over. Find nine more of me and you will be greeted with more than chocolate.
Purple in color is my shell but where I am, I will not tell.
See if you can find me, but I am sure you will.
You always find me here when you sit on the second floor windowsill.
Helia quickly leaped out of bed, throwing on whatever clothing he could find and nearly hoping into his shoes.
"Dude…" Riven groaned as he turned sleepily over in his bed, "it is like three in the morning."
"It's eight-thirty, Riven."
"Still, too early for a Sunday. And why are you in such a rush? We don't have class today."
Helia smiled as he finished lacing up his shoes and grabbed the small pink egg and his school bag to hold his eggs in.
"I am about to break my fast."
Helia left the room in a flash, leaving behind his tired and very confused roommate. He was headed to the tree that Flora would sit under when she needed to get away from her energetic friends when they would visit Red Fountain. He told her that at times he would sit on the windowsill above the tree and watch her. He didn't think about anything other than how peaceful and beautiful she looked. He assured her that he would only stop and watch her for a few moments, and he was more than thankful that she hadn't thought him to be incredibly creepy.
Reaching the tree, he found a bright orange egg sticking out amongst the green leaves. It was a wonder how so many students passed the bright egg and did not stop to inspect it further. Still, Helia reached up into the leaves and pulled down the orange egg.
Two down, eight to go.
It was here when my heart was stolen by a stranger.
Even more so when he saved me from danger.
For my heart's thief,
You will find the next egg where I told you that your brushstrokes matched the grain in the Fernleaf.
Helia placed the egg in his school bag and ran to the arena. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, the events of the day replayed in his mind. It wasn't he that stole Flora's heart, he remember the events of that day being quite the opposite. While he had already planned on re-enrolling at Red Fountain, Flora had sealed the deal. He couldn't leave Flora behind.
Reaching the arena, there were already students preparing to spar but Helia made a beeline to the exact spot he was sitting when he met Flora and the rest of the Winx. It had been quite some time since that day, but he wouldn't dare to forget a single detail.
Underneath the stone bench that he was sitting on, there was a bright green plastic egg. Helia was glad that the stone benches were included in the school remodel. Again, Helia was surprised that nobody had seen the brightly colored egg. Had Flora used a specific cloaking spell? She really was something extraordinary.
You have found the third egg, I would offer you my congratulations
But for the fourth egg, you'll have to remember your patience.
It was here that when I saw you I dopped a letter
Hoping that I could get to know you better.
Helia thought and thought. Patience? A letter? Then it hit him like a large boulder. The quiet place that he thought that he had found to meditate and hopefully take his mind off of his running thoughts of Flora had become a place where she firmly planted herself in his thoughts. Now when he came to the large rock, he no longer meditated to clear his mind of Flora but meditated to welcome her in with no barriers or distractions.
Making his way through the forest, Helia could not believe how Flora had come up with this little hunt. She remembered so much about him and their short relationship together, both romantic and the platonic time before when they both pined over one another. While he wished that he could have just spent the time with Flora without the need for a scavenger hunt, he would indulge her and truth be told, he liked the hunt. It made seeing Flora at the end all that more exciting. He would see her at the end, right?
Helia appeared at the large rock in the forest separating Red Fountain from Alfea. At least he was getting closer to Flora, assuming that she was at Alfea. Or was she somewhere else? Was he finding these eggs too fast? Perhaps not fast enough.
Spotting another bright purple egg, Helia picked it up and cracked it open to find yet another white slip of paper.
Egg number four, six more in store.
I hope that you will find the rest.
To find the other egg,
Remember the place where you helped me pass a great test.
A test? Now this egg had him stumped and it was only the fourth one. When had he helped her with any kind of test? They didn't study together, Flora because she found Aisha and Bloom's no-nonsense study session to be the most effective and Helia because, well…Flora would be way too distracting for him to focus on much of anything.
But what test was she talking about? Maybe it was more of a personal test. He had to think so that he could get to Flora. Sure he could just rush over to Alfea, bust down the door, and take Flora to her room. Bloom is gone with Sky for the weekend which meant that Flora would have the room all to herself. But, he didn't really know where Flora was, she could be waiting at a special location. And she worked hard on this egg hunt. He waited 47 days, he could play her game.
Still, he had to remember what this test was.
Test.
Test.
Test.
Once again, the answer hit him so hard, he felt like he had the wind knocked out of him.
Helia remembered that day a few months ago in Pixie Village where Flora saved the pixies from the cursed illness that had been placed on them. She saved the Tree of Life and by extension, the entire village. He didn't think that he had helped her that much. She had the power in her, she just needed to believe in herself. Honestly, he just wanted an excuse to touch her, even it was her shoulders. But if she thought that he had helped her heal the Tree of Life so that she could earn her Charmix, then that was fine for him.
But he had to get to the village in order to get to Flora.
Stuffing the egg in his bag, he sprinted towards the Pixie Village. Helia was never much of a sprinter but he would sprint, jog, leap, bound, anything to get closer to Flora.
"Helia!" a group of pixies greeted him as he approached the edge of the village.
"Sorry," Helia huffed as he continued to run, "I can't talk. I have an egg to find."
"A what?"
Oh yes, the cloaking spell.
"Oh nothing…" Helia sighed as he stopped in front of the village. A group of pixies gathered around him where they began to greet him and asked him why he had come in such a hurry.
"Is someone in danger?"
"What's wrong, Helia?"
"I heard you were looking for an egg."
Helia searched the small village and compared to the size of the small dwellings of the pixies, the bright yellow egg stood out in the village. Taking the egg from its place, Helia opened the plastic egg and took out the small sheet of paper.
"Where did the egg come from?" a pixie could be heard asking. Helia would have stopped to explain but he had no time.
You are halfway there. I commend you.
Here is a small hint, the next egg will be blue.
Found in the place where I feel at peace.
Find this egg and you'll get closer to me.
Easy. The small clearing at the edge of Alfea where the forest met the school. She talked about how she would go there to clear her mind, write letters to her family back in Linphea, and be one with nature. Helia loved it when on the rare occasions Flora talked about herself. She was always asking him questions and talking about her friends and family, all of which he still enjoyed listening to. But hearing her talk about her passions and seeing her eyes light up as she talked was more than enough to put a smile on his face.
Taking off for the clearing, Helia said his hurried goodbyes to the pixies in the village and set off to find another egg. A blue one at that. Well, it was nice to have that hint. Anything was appreciated if that meant he could get to Flora.
His legs felt as though they were about to give out when he reached the small clearing. There was a large tree that Flora liked to sit below and if one listened closely, Flora said that the sound of flowing water could be heard from a nearby stream. Wildflowers grew in the meadow, some that he had recognized from when she wore them in her hair or when they would stick to her clothes. The clearing was almost as beautiful and serene as Flora was.
Almost.
Spotting the blue egg, Helia opened it as he did the five before it and found the clue inside.
Closer and closer you are getting but still four more to go.
In here is where nature grows.
You will find me sitting by a pot.
Come quickly to a most prickly spot.
The greenhouse. Flora spent a lot of time in there for class, hoping one day to take over the management. Helia was more than certain that she wouldn't have a hard time acquiring the position, she was the fairy of nature after all.
Helia ran from the clearing towards the gates of Alfea. Students stared at him as if he were a madman as he ran past. He did look as if he was in a hurry, because he was, and that there might be danger on the horizon. He would apologize later for any sort of commotion that he might have caused as a result from his frantic running. Helia knew that people saw him for being quite serious and calm, and he was sure that he looked quite the opposite.
Running through the courtyard and down the halls of the large school. He weaved through small crowds of students making their way to breakfast or wherever people went on Sunday mornings. Helia did not know but one thing he knew is that he needed to get to that greenhouse.
Entering the greenhouse, Helia made his way straight to the area that housed the cactuses. While Helia had called Flora his flower, she had developed a fascination for the cactuses that grew on Earth. While they too had flowers that were beautiful, Flora marveled at the large, prickly structure of the cactus and their ability to survive in such harsh and dry conditions. While Helia always loved to see Flora talk about her passions, he didn't like to see all the small puncture wounds on her hands and arms from when she would accidentally bump her hand or arm into a cactus as she tended to and studied them.
Finding the cacti, Helia also found a bright orange egg. Opening the egg, Helia found a white slip of paper containing his beautifully handwritten clue, just like the others. Helia also was presented with a small, adhesive bandage.
Three to go and no more
I hope that you will enjoy what I have in store
The next egg is not one that you will want to miss
It is here where we had our first heated kiss.
He had kissed her on the terrace, right outside of her birthday party. But it was the kiss inside of the empty classroom where he felt his heart and body be set ablaze. He remembered the way that her body fit against his and how her legs wrapped around him. While they had made out since then, there was nothing that compared to that first time. He would do his best to remember which classroom it was. He remembered there were rows of desks and jars of plants on the wall. From what Flora had told him, that sounded a lot like Palladium's room. So that is where he would go first.
If only he knew where that was.
Helia put on his best smile and approached a group of students as they passed by the greenhouse.
"Excuse me, I was wondering if you would be able to tell me where I might find Professor Palladium's room."
The girls looked at Helia and smiled before a girl with bright purple hair replied.
"Just down the hall and the third door to your right. Would you like me to show you the way?"
"No thank you," Helia answered politely, "I am sure that I can manage. Thank you for your help."
"Are you sure that I cannot help-"
Helia's smile dropped, "I said that I can manage finding the classroom just fine. Thank you for the directions. Enjoy your Sunday."
Flora once told him that she was afraid to tell him how she felt because she was afraid of him. He had to admit that his strong features and naturally downturned mouth didn't really help matters. However, ever since he started dating Flora, he had been smiling a lot more. But having a naturally stern expression was useful in situations like this.
Helia set off for the classroom, remembering the directions that the students gave him. Walking at a brisk pace down the hallway, he rounded the corner and found the classroom. He opened the door and saw that the room looked like how Helia remembered but one important piece was missing and that was Flora, on the desk, in his arms. Instead, when Helia looked at the desk, he saw another yellow egg. Weaving through the row of desks, Helia picked it up and cracked it open to find two slips instead of one.
I know I said you had three eggs to go
But I have run out of rhymes if you must know.
So in this egg, clues you will find two
Come to my room where I sleep
And with the last egg you'll discover…
Helia opened up the other slip of paper
How much I love you
Shoving the egg into his bag, Helia burst out the classroom, nearly tripping over his feet as he made his way to Flora's dorm room. He was so close. One more egg. Was she waiting there for him? Or would he have to go somewhere else? Well, he would go anywhere as long as Flora was there.
At least he liked Flora's room. Only ever being there twice, once to drop something off to her and another time carrying her to bed after she fell asleep during a picnic date, but both times that he was there, he felt so warm and at peace. Maybe the warmth came from Bloom's dragon fire or perhaps it was from the green plants and comforting aura of Flora. Helia was to bet on the latter.
He was so close but yet, all of a sudden his feet slowed. What if she was in there? What if she was waiting for him but not for the reason that he had thought? She told him when they first confessed to each other that if he could wait until the day that Bloom called Easter then they could have sex. But then again, she didn't fully say that. What if he had read the situation wrong? He would wait until Omega burned to be able to make love to the woman he loved most. However, what scared him worst was what he would do if she wanted to have sex with him. Suddenly, the thought of being so intimate with Flora seemed so daunting.
It would be their first times, both with each other and with anyone for that matter. Helia wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for Flora. Here he was just wearing what he always wore and he didn't even shower before he hurriedly made his way to the large tree to find the second egg that Flora had placed for him. He was a sloppy, smelly, and frantic mess. Not what Flora deserved for her first time, or any time at that.
Slowly making his way to the Winx dorm, Helia stopped in front of the large door and knocked. As his fist met the door, it slowly swung open. Helia walked through and the door quickly shut behind him.
"Hello?" Helia called out as he took off his school bag and set it of the sofa in the middle of the Winx common room. "Flora? Anyone?"
Helia was met with silence.
She must not be here, Helia thought as he exhaled a small sigh of relief. Walking towards Flora's room, he opened the door and on her bed, was a bright, pink egg. So fitting for Flora.
Helia walked to the bed and carefully picked up the egg and broke it open. Inside was a slip of paper and another piece of chocolate.
Turn around
Placing the egg back down on the bed, Helia slowly turned around and when he did, he was met with one of the most beautiful and the sexiest sight he had ever seen. Standing dressed in the pink Carnival outfit from 47 days ago was Flora with a white, plastic egg in her hand.
"Flora…"
"I ran out of clever words." Flora said as she handed Helia the white egg, "I think that I will leave the words for you because mine will never be good enough."
As Helia took the egg from Flora, his eyes widened in more than pleasant surprise when Flora reached behind her and grabbed a pair of fluffy pink rabbit ears and put them on her head.
"Bloom told me that there was something called an Easter Bunny and I thought that I would get into the holiday spirit."
Helia found that for once in his life, he didn't have the words to make any kind of coherent sentence. His mind was blank as he looked at Flora and took in the sparkly, pink outfit that sat so nicely on her curves. He was so desperate to reach out and touch her. But first he had an egg to open.
Instead of a slip of paper, out came a string of foil-wrapped condoms. This was really going to happen. Helia looked at Flora who now had a large blush across her face.
"Five?" Helia chuckled, trying to ease the tension.
"I…I…I might have gotten a little carried away."
Helia tore one of the condoms away before throwing the rest on Flora's desk, "Well, we have all day, don't we?"
Flora quickly nodded.
"I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, Flora."
"It has only been forty-seven days, Helia."
"Yet it feels like a lifetime. I have wanted you from the moment I saw you and now…" Helia didn't want to assume.
"Now I want to be with you completely, Helia. That is if that is okay with you." Flora nervously looked down at her feet.
Helia placed a finger under her chin and raised her head up so her eyes met his, "That is more than okay with me."
Flora wasted no time in bringing her lips to Helia's, her tongue quickly darting into his. And Helia wasted absolutely no time removing the small outfit off of Flora's body. He would have stopped to really admire it, but he had other thoughts on his mind other than the pink outfit that covered his true desire.
"Tell me If I am going too fast." Helia said between kisses.
"Not fast enough."
Flora smirked against his lips causing Helia to unclasp the bejeweled top and throw it to the corner of the bedroom. It must have hit Bloom's desk because he suddenly heard what sounded like a cup of pens and pencils hit the desk. He would pick them up later.
Helia wrapped his arms around Flora's midsection and picked her up, both oblivious to and very much aware of the fact that she was bare naked in his arms. He had to say that he definitely enjoyed the thought and wanted so desperately to see her in all of her tan and curvy glory. Helia knew that what he had imagined in his mind would not be close to the real beauty that Flora possessed. And when Helia set Flora down on her bed and took a step back, Helia wasn't surprised to learn that his assumptions had been correct.
"Is there something on me?" Flora asked as she looked down on her body.
"Am I staring?"
"A little," Flora blushed, "but I am not sure if you staring is a good thing or a bad thing."
"A good thing," Helia smiled and leaned over Flora before placing a kiss on her lips, "always a good thing."
Flora placed her hand on Helia's chest and pushed him up slightly, "I don't want to be the only naked one in here."
Helia got Flora's hint loud and clear and wasted no time stripping in front of her. He nearly tripped when he took off his pants, but he couldn't help it. Flora always managed to make him shed away his usual serene façade and turn into the biggest bumbling idiot in the universe. If Flora told him to strip, he would do it. If she told him to jump into the deepest part of Lake Roccaluce, he would do it. If she wanted him to count every leaf in Linphea, he would do it. Helia discovered the first moment that he laid eyes on her that he would do anything for Flora.
"Much better." Flora giggled as she raised her arms and reached out to Helia.
Helia crawled back into Flora's bed above her and caged her between his arms. His eyes wandered down her body and he was so thankful that he had gotten to see her like this and that she allowed him to be so close. She was a work of art. No, better than art.
"Being this close to you is almost too much for me to handle." Helia remarked as a nervous hand went up the side of Flora's body, tracing every dip and curve of Flora's body.
Flora shuddered under his touch as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Helia's hands were always so strong yet so gentle, but this was the first time that Flora was feeling his hands on her bare body. If this was how she felt now, she couldn't imagine what she would feel like when she became more intimate with Helia.
"Your hands…" Flora panted as her breath hitched in her chest.
"What about my hands?"
"So warm."
"Just warm?"
"Mmmhmmm…" Flora sighed in content as her eyes remained closed, taking in every sensation that came with Helia's touch on her body.
"The more I touch you, the more that I want you."
Helia lowered his head down to Flora's neck and placed his lips on the smooth skin. If he was warm then she was burning up under his lips. He placed soft kisses down her neck and to her shoulder, her back arching and her body pressing into him the more that he worked his way down.
"Helia…" Flora gasped as Helia placed a kiss behind her ear.
"Yes?" Helia asked between kisses.
"I think that I want you more than you want me."
"Impossible." Helia replied with a chuckle.
"Helia…" Flora exhaled his name yet again.
"Yes?"
"I would really like to have sex with you now."
"Already?" Helia smirked, "So impatient."
"You are not the only one who had waited 47 days."
"I thought that you were the one who told me that I had to wait? I would have said yes if you asked me the night of your birthday."
Flora smirked, "You are naughty, Mr. Saladin."
"Says the woman who gave me an egg full of condoms."
"That I would really like for you to use right now."
Helia wasn't going to argue with that. Reaching over to the white egg on the bed, he opened it up and took out one of the foil-wrapped condoms and tore it open. His hands shook as he worked the condom over his large shaft, everything about his body and what he was doing so apparent to him now. Had his penis always looked like this? Did it always feel like this? Would it be enough for Flora? Surely it wouldn't be enough, right?
With the condom securely in place, Helia brought his hand down to between Flora's legs and for the first time, he felt her warm and wet center. Even on his hand, she felt so good. There is no way that he was going to last long inside of Flora. She was beautiful outside, that was a given, but just knowing how beautiful she is on the inside made Helia feel so insignificant. There was no way that he deserved Flora, her love, or anything that she wanted to give him. He was content on always being the one to give. So he would show her that she had all of him.
"Are you ready?" Helia asked one last time as he lined himself up with Flora.
Flora looked down between her legs and nodded. How was it going to fit? Flora knew about biology and how her body would find a way for Helia to fit but that didn't mean that she wasn't a bit nervous by the thought.
"Just go slowly." Flora softly requested, almost too embarrassed to let Helia know that she was nervous.
"Of course," Helia placed a kiss on Flora's forehead, "whatever you want."
"I want you. Now."
Helia swallowed before returning his attention to the space between Flora's legs, gripped her fleshy thighs, and pushed forward with his hips.
She was so hot around him. It was like a warm fire on a cold night, cozy and feeling her around him felt so familiar. She was tight but not uncomfortable.
Helia's head slumped down as his fingertips dug into Flora's thighs. Helia could hear a small whimper come from Flora. He looked down to see an expression of discomfort on Flora's face.
"Are you alright?" Helia asked, worried that maybe the grip on Flora's thighs had been too tight.
Flora nodded, "I feel so full. Like I am being stretched apart."
"Does it hurt?"
"No," Flora shook her head as she opened her eyes and smiled up at Helia, "a bit uncomfortable but it feels good."
Helia took a hand off of Flora's thigh and placed it softly against her cheek. Helia looked across Flora's face and up to the top of her head where he wanted to laugh. The fuzzy, pink rabbit ears were still on her head. Reaching up, Helia grabbed the ears and took them off of Flora's head and placed them on the bedside table.
"You didn't want to have sex with a bunny?" Flora teased.
"I want just you. Just Flora. And everything about you is perfect."
"Helia?"
"Yes?"
"Can you please move now?"
Helia did not have to be asked again and he answered Flora's question by slowly beginning to move his hips back and forth. With each movement of his body, he moved in and out of Flora, the heat threatening to consume him. She felt amazing and Helia wanted to move faster but he would follow Flora. Still, he would pour as much passion as he could into every movement, no matter how soft or slow.
Helia was not the only one who felt like his was burning. Flora also felt an intense warmth begin to radiate in her body, the origin of the heat between her legs. Stella had always divulged her escapades with Brandon and Flora could barely understand it, but now she understood. The heat, the fullness, the waves of pleasure that washed over her. No wonder Stella was always sneaking out after curfew to be with Brandon and why Bloom and Musa were always asking for the dorm room to be empty. Flora knew that through this intimacy with Helia, she had created a monster. A monster who would always want Helia and the exhilarating warmth that he brought.
"Amazing."
That was all Helia could say. He rarely was at a loss for words. When Helia was silent, it was usually because Helia didn't want to speak not because he couldn't. But moving inside of Flora, Helia's mind went blank, the only thought being pleasure.
"So amazing."
Helia began to move faster, testing the waters of how far he could go. As he increased his pace and the strength to which he moved, Flora's breathy pants turned into moans.
"Yes, Helia," Flora moaned as her arms wrapped around Helia's back, "just like that."
Flora was going to fall apart any minute. All she could feel was Helia and the pleasure that he had been giving her. All she could do was hold on him and hope that she didn't completely lose it.
"Harder, Helia. More. Give me more. Please." Helia begged as she panted.
"Always so polite."
"Helia!" Flora didn't know if it was to scold him about teasing her at a moment like this or if her shout was because an orgasm was about to rip through her body.
Flora's nails dug into Helia's back as a wave of pleasure came crashing over Flora and threatened to sweep her away. Her head fell back against her pillow as Helia continued to thrust into her, chasing his orgasm but Flora was numb. She couldn't feel Helia move in and out, his nails digging into her thighs, his teeth sinking into her shoulder, or still inside of her as he came.
Helia collapsed on top of Flora and she huffed under the weight of her exhausted boyfriend. Realizing that he was on top of her, Helia rolled over, taking his weight off of Flora. Even without the weight of Helia on her chest, Flora still found it hard to catch her breath.
"That was…" Helia panted.
"Yeah."
"Yeah?" Helia turned and faced Flora, a large smile on his face as he pulled Flora closer to him.
Flora snuggled into Helia's chest and her mind surged with the thoughts of what just happened. She had slept with Helia for the first time. It was the first time that she had been this intimate with anyone for that matter. It was better than she could have imagined but she didn't know if it was because she genuinely enjoyed having sex or if it was because she loved Helia.
"I really do love you, Helia." Flora looked up at Helia.
"And I love you too," Helia kissed the top of Flora's head, "But I do have a question."
"Yes?"
"Do you know of any other Earth holidays?"