It was hard to pick and choose which emotion to tackle with words because he hid them so well from blossoming on his facial expression. The idea of being with him was imaginable, but would it be something worth pouring effort into if things went south?
Jade's feelings for Lisette were beginning to blossom, but the problem was never Jade.
The problem that ruins relationships and the chance of love growing into something beautiful was society's judgment of those relations.
What I loved about our unified connection was that all of us elements agreed with one trait of Jade's: her desire to not fit in.
Jade was different. It had been obvious when she could barely crawl, and that didn’t change in her childhood, when many feared us coming close to them and their families. We were unique for our age, and it left us being an outcast outside of our family, who loved us unconditionally.
She knew that in this world, there was nothing - absolutely nothing - that could allow you to be loved by everyone. No matter the benefit the other may gain with you entering their lives, or the difference you could make in a nation, there would be at least one person who hated you.
Whether it was the color of your skin, the length of your hair, or the power of magic thrumming around your body, you could never reach everyone's standards. That was something Jade accepted and used as an advantage to grow fast enough to be among those who were older and wiser.
That mindset still aided us even today, and it was why I had no doubt that Jade's feelings would remain the same for Lisette. They wouldn't disappear just because Lisette was a woman by nature, which meant Ceil would be around, but there was still something heavy that seemed to hold Lisette back.
Something that even I - a shadow – noticed. I wondered what could be heavy enough to dim the shining light around her.
I liked Lisette for she was like me but in human form. She was loud, fun, and a little crazy, but it complemented her in so many areas as she hid the true deadliness she carried by being a being with all eight elements.
It wasn't my purpose to find what held her back, but I debated if that bit of weakness would make it impossible for me to be around Ceil in the long term.
When I reached him, he blessed me with a slight grin, and there were the nervous butterflies that fluttered through my stomach and chills of joy at his mere acknowledgment.
I'd never experienced love on my own. I'd only witnessed it like the other elements had as they watched Jade's growing passion for the Trouble Four. Their love deepened quickly, but one glance at the four of them with Jade was like seeing the final pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
They were made for each other, and their love only grew with Puppy.
Calvin was the unique one in the bunch, and yet he complemented Jade as well, just in a different sense. There was a lot to uncover in him, just like with Lisette, but it felt like it was still too early to dive into what was stopping him from allowing himself to love.
Returning my attention to the man before me, I lifted the origami in my grasp.
"Crane."
"Your light sister seems to be attempting to set us up," he revealed, and pulled out one more crane from his pants’ pocket. He took a step with his long legs to be right in front of me, the soft flow of his exquisite cologne tickling my nose while the pulsating charge of his energy was so magnetic, it was taking all of my control to remain where I stood.
He paused as well, his eyes never leaving mine as he seemed to mentally acknowledge the charging dark forces. He proceeded with caution until the very crane was tucked in a few strands of my hair.
Leaning back in place, I expected him to take a step back to lower the tense charge of magic thrumming wildly around us, the invisible force of our opposite gender qualities desperate to unify in any way possible.
My heart was racing, which always intrigued me because I wasn't a true human but a replica. It was one of the many things I experienced in his presence.
The tingly rush that made my body shiver. The sweaty palms and increased inhales. The long exhale in an attempt to calm the butterflies in the pit of my stomach. The weird sensation between my legs that craved far more than I knew I could manage.
I was no fool. I was attracted to this man, who was potentially full of a darker force than mine. Bad experiences only made us stronger, and he'd been there to witness every bit of torture Lisette had experienced.
Unsealing those hidden secrets of pain would be like summoning the flames of Hell to destroy the earth.
Yet...I wished to do so. To unravel every bit of him and enjoy the coursing darkness with his hand in mine. With our lips pressed gently upon one another’s and our bodies in an embrace that would conqueror all those who attempted to tear us apart.
"Since you're here," he began and thought about it. "I have something for you."
Me. Something for me...from him...to me. Gift. A gift, worthy of my touch, that has been in his hands.
My widened eyes made him seem more eager to do the deed, and when he snapped his fingers, a small box in red wrapping with a black bow hovered then dropped into the palm of his right hand.
He returned his gaze to me before he whispered, "Times are changing. You deserve something better."
Something better. I...deserve.
His mere compliment made my heart flutter while the threads of my element fought to reach out to his and allow my swarming emotions to charge his. I fought against it, and slowly nodded as he offered the gift.
I allowed the cranes to float around with magical energy, my attention focused on the offered gift.
I reached for the small box, my fingers merely grazing his, sending real quivers through my body. I hid my response the best I could, but I'm sure Ceil had noticed as he recovered from what seemed to be his own jolt of dark static.
"Touch dangerous. Kill later," I summarized what occurred in an attempt to make a silly joke. It definitely worked as his eyes danced in amusement while he nodded his head.
"We'll tag team," he teased and inched his head forward slightly to gesture at the box in my hands. "You can open it now."
That triggered my happy excitement, but I very carefully began to peel off the ribbon and gift wrapping with the intention of saving and framing the precious items.
The first gift from him. A male shadow. Ceil Cross.
Pealing the last bit of gift wrapping revealed what was hidden, and my eyes widened when I saw the very expensive-looking device.
"M-Mine?" I questioned and lifted my head to look at him.
"Yours," he replied. "Takes the best pictures and easy to develop with an added device we can buy once the stores are open."
"I...don't have any more savings," I admitted like it was something to be ashamed about. I'd used it all for gifts, and the last bit was for materials for something I wanted to do.
For him.
"I'll buy one for you," he assured me. "Your gift to Lisette lifted her entire mood. I've yet to give you a reward, thus why I'll take it upon myself to get it for you."
"Then this is because?" I was trying to find a reason why I deserved this expensive gift. It was something I'd never seen and seeing as Calvin always told Jade about the latest technology released, it was something that either wasn't out or wasn’t created in these parts.
"You deserve it," he said without hesitation. "You've worked hard and protected Jade without falling into the urge of destroying everything around you. It's also Christmas, and I figured I'd get you a gift."