fire flower; leopold vermillion x oc [Black Clover]

Chapter 45: Nova

"Florence! Florence, I need backup!" I yell as I stumble through the freezing forest. I use my magic to launch myself onto a tree branch. My boots dig into the bark, giving me traction as I leap off again, darting through the thick evergreen leaves. The Diamond Kingdom scouts that I was chasing regrouped, and now the hunter has become the hunted.

My breath looks like white steam in the air as I try and get farther and farther away. I can hear the grunting of the scouts as they try and pursue me. "Dammit Florence, where are you?" I hiss into my comm link.

"Hold tight, Mari, I'm almost there," he replies in that infuriatingly unbothered voice of his.

"Hurry it up! I've got five on my tail, three long-range and two short-range!"

One of the scouts shoots a blast of magic in my direction, and it scrapes my calf, causing me to stumble a bit, and I almost fall off of the tree. I can feel the blood, hot and warm, trailing from my leg as I limp forward through the thick canopy.

"Florence, you bastard, if you don't—"

I fall silent as I hear the scouts start to scream. A grin creeps up my face as I slow my pace and look back to see the scouts being terrorized by one of Florence's snow conjurings. Beastly figures made out of the cold, white substance lunge at the scouts in merciless tidal waves.

"Your backup is here, Mari," Florence says to me.

"Great. Get 'em outta here so we can keep this territory. Could I get a lift as well?"

"Of course. I'll be hovering right above you in a minute."

Soon enough, I hear the familiar swish of the magic brooms, and when I look up, Florence's silhouette is plastered against the blue sky. He tosses me a broom and I clamber on, shifting my weight around to avoid opening up my wound. I give Florence a nod, and after he sends his creations chasing after the Diamond Kingdom scouters, we fly off back to the base.

"Mari, you alright there?" Florence asks as we soar across the sky. I catch a glimpse of him staring worriedly at the wound in my leg.

"I'm fine. Aurelia should be able to fix me right up when we get back." For now, I've used a piece of my cloak to stop the bleeding.

We spend the rest of the trip in silence, but I notice Florence's gaze following me as we get closer and closer to headquarters. Then, through the thick, white mist of cold, I see the familiar stone turrets and iron buildings come into view.

The Northern Brigade is stationed in the center of a massive wall running along the border between the Clover Kingdom and the Diamond Kingdom. Its headquarters are a conglomeration of cabins and weapon storage units, creating an iron fortress that sticks out as the peak of the wall. Florence and I swoop down to the landing ramp, made out of thick stone, shining with frozen-over ice.

As I step off of my broom, I stumble a bit. Suddenly, Florence's hands are bracing me, keeping me from falling forward. My breath catches as I look back into his teal eyes, and for a moment, I see him in my mind. I disentangle myself from Florence after a moment, my face flushing. "Thank you. I'll put our brooms away," I say without looking up at him again.

As I walk towards the storage units, leaving Florence behind, my heart beats at an uncomfortable pace. It's been almost two hard years, working out here in the north while Leo's been at the capital. I know that Florence feels... something for me, but he doesn't know about the boy back at the capital, me waiting for him and him waiting for me.

I tuck the brooms away, still lost in my thoughts as I absentmindedly stumble along to the infirmary. I was tempted, at one point, tempted to explore what Florence felt for me, but those feelings are long gone. I made a promise to Leo, one I don't intend to break.

"Aurelia!" I call out when I reach the infirmary. I spot her pink-colored hair all the way from the entrance, and wave to her when she looks up at the sound of her name.

"Mari!" She squeals as she rushes towards me, a pile of bandages still wrapped up in her arms. "How'd your mission go? Are you hurt?"

She makes me settle down on a bed, scanning me for any injuries. "I'm mostly fine, Aurelia," I giggle. "They got me in the leg, but other than that, the mission went pretty well."

"Mhm, and how did things with Florence go?" Aurelia says with a wink in her voice as she unwraps the swath of cloak on my wound.

"Wha-What do you mean?" I stutter, caught off-guard. Suddenly my heart is beating faster again, and I can see Florence's teal eyes. Where Leo's were alive and bright with fire, his are cold and smooth, as if polished and refined with ice.

"Don't play dumb. Almost everyone knows there's something going on between you and Florence." She gives me a smile as she gets to work on my leg, cleaning it and wrapping it tightly with linen.

"Aurelia, it's not like that!" I protest, trying to keep my voice below a whisper. "Florence is a great teammate. I respect him, but... there's someone else in my life." My voice drops as I think about Leo, cheeks flushing, remembering all the moments we spent together when I was still part of the Crimson Lions Squad.

"Aw, that's too bad for Florence then." She finishes wrapping the linen, patting it down firmly so it stays on. "You should tell him." She gives me a quick hug and runs off to help another patient. "I'll see you at dinner if I'm not working too late!"

I wave goodbye to her, but my mind is still muddled with teal eyes and flames and ice. I walk back to my quarters, located near the diner. The Northern Brigade cabins are cozy, but extremely bare. All my belongings are stored away in a closet, and my bed, white and colorless, is in a corner of the room. The only thing hanging on the wall is a photo of Leo, smiling at me. He sent it in one of the countless letters we've been writing to each other.

I smile as I change into plain, thick robes and wash my face with warm water. Leo would never turn to someone else, not even after this long, so why should I? Besides, I think as I flip through the calendar on my desk. I only have two more weeks left before my term is up. And then I can see Leo again.

The bell rings, signaling that dinner will be in ten minutes and jolting me out of my thoughts. I tie my hair up and leave my quarters, heading for the dining hall. Just as I turn the corner, I bump into Florence.

Shit, I curse inwardly, avoiding his gaze. Why did this have to happen now? I try to move past him, but he grabs my wrist.

"Mari," he says, a sternness in his voice. "I need to talk to you."

"Not now, Florence," I try to respond with snark, try to keep the witty banter we had going as friends.

"Mari," he leans closer, and suddenly his teal eyes are inches away from mine. His wild, sharp blue hair seems to glow underneath the lamplight. I feel our breaths intermingling, and for a moment, I almost give in.

"Florence... there's someone else." I step back, putting distance between the two of us. Something in his eyes dies when he hears my words, and his sharp features seem to soften and sag. "I'm sorry..." my voice trails off and I try to not break into a sob.

"I understand," Florence responds, his voice now as cold as the snow he wields. "I should be the one apologizing. I had no idea."

I turn away and rush back to my room, every part of my body burning. I'm no longer hungry; instead, I pull out a sheet of paper and begin to furiously write to Leo, desperately hoping that I can forget about everything that just happened.

I lean back in my chair and shut my eyes.

It's going to be a very long two weeks.