fire flower; leopold vermillion x oc [Black Clover]

Chapter 17: Second Chance

My days have gone back to normal; sparring practice every week, a steady stream of missions, a peaceful slumber after the long hours. I haven't forgotten about the kiss though, if you can call it that. I keep telling myself it's just an apologetic peck on the forehead, a sign that we're nothing more than acquaintances, but deep down, I know that's not true; I know Leopold values me more than just a friend, and it makes my skin crawl with confusion.

My own feelings about him are way too complicated. He really did save me from possible death back at the Moon Shade organization incident, but at the same time, he's a prissy noble who used my feelings for his own personal benefit. And yet I hate to admit it, but I keep thinking back to when he said he liked me, when his face was an adorable shade of pink in that moment. It lights a spark in me every time I think about it, and I can't stand it. I hate the way I feel for him because I know it'll only end in me getting my heart broken.

"Hey, Mari." His voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I whirl around. We're standing in the courtyard where he first asked me to go to Kikka. The memory hasn't aged well.

"What do you want?" I meant to take on an intimidating, cold-cut tone, but instead I stammer out the words in a squeak.

He walks over to one of the benches resting in the courtyard and sits down. Patting the spot next to him, he motions for me to come over. Reluctantly, I take a seat beside him. It feels strange, sitting this close to him, and I clench my skirt, trying my best not to freak out.

"S-So what is this about?" I ask, avoiding his eyes.

"I'm going on a long-term mission soon," he responds.

"Why should I care?" I snap a bit. If this is all he wants to say, then there's no point in me being here. Why would his long-term mission concern me?

I expect him to retort, but instead he falls silent. When he doesn't respond, I tentatively take a peek at him. In the golden afternoon light he looks thoughtful, peaceful, content. That toothy grin of his has been tucked away and replaced with wandering eyes and shut lips. Suddenly he looks at me, and our eyes meet for a second. His turquoise ones against my own dark, black irises. Electricity shoots through me, and I quickly turn away, my face heating up.

"I won't be here for at least three weeks, and I'm leaving three days from now." His robes shift, and I can tell he's turned back to staring into the distance. "That means this is the last time I'll get to talk to you, to see you, in a while," he says softly, something sad creeping into his tone. Then he turns towards me and places a hand on my shoulder. I look out of instinct, and I see that his face is dead-serious, staring intently into mine. "Tell me about yourself."

"W-What?! No way! And why do you care all of a sudden?" I try to back away, but he keeps me in place, his eyes and his features betraying nothing.

"I want to know you, Mari. I can't fall head-over-heels for someone I know nothing about." He smiles, but it's drowned out by his words repeating themselves over and over in my head. Head-over-heels head-over-heels head-over-heels. Did he really just say that? It's joke, right? Yeah, that's it. Just a friendly joke. It didn't mean anything.

I think back to when he asked me out to Kikka. It was exactly like this; me trying furiously to not blush, him taking on a more serious persona, and anger courses through me.

"Nice try, but I'm not letting you trick me again." The red from my face is gone, replaced with steel and ice. "People's emotions aren't something you should play with."

I see his face fall a bit, regret leaking out. "That was a horrible thing of me to do." His head droops and his eyes darken. "And you were right. The treasure was fake. I let myself become a fool. Brother never would've done something like that."

"So everything was fake that day in Kikka, huh?" I reminisce for a moment, thinking that I'll feel sad or angry, but instead, I feel jaded, like I knew he was only pretending all along.

"No!" His cry of protest makes my eyes widen. "Of course not!" He opens his mouth to say something, but it looks like he's choking on the words. Finally, he manages to steel himself, and he says, "At least the last moments weren't fake. Up until you screamed at those people in the cafe, I was just leading you on, fulfilling my bargain." He stops there, but I know the implications. There was conflict within him. He realized he didn't want to do that.

So when he said he liked me... was it genuine? I'm too muddled up in what's real and what's fake that I don't even think about the blush spreading across my face.

He slips his hand underneath my chin and tilts my head towards his so that I'm looking directly in his eyes. "So tell me about yourself, Mari. And I'll do the same. And maybe after everything's laid out at our feet, I can figure out what you're doing to me."