All For Love [Reth x OC x Jel]

Surprises

"Reth..!" Azu jumped to turn around as he came in earlier than she expected him, frantically looking between to clock, her bag, the soup she'd set out on his table, before finally resting on his tear-stained face. Immediately she began to worry that something had happened; and from the way his eyes widened at the sight of her, and the way he flinched away when she came closer, she had a feeling she knew what it was.

"Wh-what are you doing here..?" Reth could have sworn his heart had stopped for a second there; and because of it, he couldnt stop the way his voice cracked as he tried to back away from her, only to find himself pressed against the door. "I-I thought-" he heaved, furrowing his brow as he tried to come up with a reason she'd come to see him in private after that. "I just talked to Jel, I-I dont need you to tell me you're with him, so if you're here to let me down easy, please just dont-" his eyes watered when the look on her face shifted to the familiar sight of worry and care, making his chest tighten. "Dont- Fuck, dont look at me like that-"

"Reth.." Azu's heart ached as she watched him hide his face in his hands to avoid looking at her, his uneven breathing only getting more ragged as she carefully came closer to him. "Its not-"

"Azu, please." Reth heaved as he felt her hand rest on his arm, shaking in an effort not to sob. "Dont do this to me-"

"Reth!" Azu raised her voice just enough to get his attention, her own eyes filling with tears at the way he jumped. "Thats not why Im here!"

"..What..?" Reth breathed out as he tried to comprehend it. "Why- What else-?"

The woman carefully pulled his hands away from his face, her brows upturned in the middle as she finally saw the tears streaming down Reth's face. His eyes were wide and panicked, but they desperately searched hers for answers, even if he seemed torn between pushing her away and pulling her closer. At this point, her plans had gone out the window; so instead, she improvised, letting go of him to turn around and rush over to her bag.

Reth furrowed his brow as he watched her open it and reach in, carefully taking something out and turning back to him. His heart stopped again when he saw what was in her hands, as she walked right back to him and held it up between their chests.

"I wanted to surprise you, but its definitely not going as planned; so instead I'll just do what we do best and fucking improvise this one. I really fucking like you, Reth; I love spending time with you, you make me laugh, and dragon you have one of the biggest hearts Ive ever known; so I wanted to give you this. I want to get closer to you. Yes, I gave one of these to Jel already; and Im sure you knew that; just like Im sure you didnt let him tell you I was planning to give you one too, even if he tried to." Azu sighed worriedly at him, furrowing her brow. "I wont choose between you, either; if one of you had rejected the idea, I would have left things as they were...and that still stands, if you dont like the idea of being in a polycule.."

Reth didnt dare move a muscle as he wrapped his head around it. His head was screaming with so many thoughts that it was hard to make any of them out; and he must have been quiet for awhile, because at some point he noticed her face shift from hopeful to worried; and a whole new wave of panic set in when she took a step back, her hand falling with the heart lily, leaving the petals to dangle toward the floor.

"Its okay if you dont-"

"Jel already knows?" Reth cut her off, taking a deep breath as tried to relax. "H-He'd be okay with it..?"

Azu's gaze softened at his tone, folding a hand over her mid-drift to hold the elbow of the hand still holding her lily.. "He was worried about it too, actually; but not for the reasons Im sure you're thinking. Neither of us wanted to see you like this; I hate seeing you cry, Reth.." her eyes shifted to the floor, and she let out a sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. "I dont think you know it, but he considers you one of his closest friends too; and well...if you dont believe me, you can always ask him yourself.." she swallowed, blushing shyly. "He actually asked me right after I finished confessing to him if I knew about how you felt. I dont think he even would have accepted the Lily I gave him if I hadnt told him I was going to give one to you, to.."