flora
Flora doesn’t respond right away. She just stares out at the line where sea meets sky, where blue softens into something borderless and far away. The wind lifts one damp curl from her shoulder, lets it fall again. The sun’s still warm on her back, but it might as well be smoke for all the comfort it offers now. Maybe she really will burn, but not from the sun.
And then Kaisel says it: I told Koa as much.
Her head snaps toward him. She stares, wide-eyed, like he’s just told her the stars have been lying all along. "You what?" The words come out too quiet to match her expression, but no less raw. "So—so you’re the reason he’s been acting like the world’s most confused dipshit?" She shoves at his shoulder, weakly. "Gods, Kaisel, you’re the biggest idiot of all." There’s no fire behind it, only disbelief and a bone-deep weariness because fuck as if this fire needed any more gasoline.
As Kaisel nudges himself against her, Flora sips in a breath. She wants to be held, gods, she wants it so badly her fingers twitch against her shins. The ache behind her eyes is sharp and shivery, the kind of grief that doesn’t roar, just seeps, and if she weren’t half-naked, Flora would’ve climbed into Kaisel's lap without a second thought; arms around his neck, cheek to his chest, anchoring herself in something solid. But as it is, her pasties and bikini bottoms don’t leave much room for comfort without consequences no matter the current shift in the tone, and she’s already spent too much energy trying not to complicate things further. So instead, she twists enough to lean into his side, her temple finding the slope of his shoulder, bare arm brushing his.
"It's..I don't know, both more and less complicated," she says quietly. She swallows, voice growing tight. "He told Sohalia he couldn’t just be friends with her because he wanted more. And she—she told him she was in love with him." Flora huffs a laugh that isn’t funny, eyes fixed on the horizon. "They made this whole stupid flower plan of what they were going to wear to signal they were both in. It was this sweet, dumb thing and I thought—I thought it was settled. Stars aligning finally, you know? And then you said something and now he’s… not ready?"
Her voice cracks on the last two words. She bites the inside of her cheek, hard, trying to force the tears back down. "Literally the last time I saw him before all of this he couldn't even look at me he was still so upset about what I did to him."
She looks up at Kaisel then, desperate, pleading. "There’s no road with me, Kai. There can’t be. Not now. If he wants less complicated, he already has it. That’s Sohalia. That’s always been Sohalia." She laughs again, brittle. "I mean, gods. Who hasn’t asked to be in a throuple when they’re seventeen and don’t know what the hell they’re doing? She...gods, she's never hurt people the way I have. Has never hurt him the way I have."
Kai's next words land like sand kicked over something delicate. She exhales slowly, then turns her face away, resting her chin on her knees again. There’s a long pause before she speaks again, this time softer. "There’s a reason Sohalia’s the Luminary. She’s good. She’s kind. You look at her and can just see it. And I…" Flora shrugs one shoulder; she knows exactly what she is, has leaned into it all her life. "I’m the Doubletake. Those names aren't by accident, Kai."
And then Kaisel says it: I told Koa as much.
Her head snaps toward him. She stares, wide-eyed, like he’s just told her the stars have been lying all along. "You what?" The words come out too quiet to match her expression, but no less raw. "So—so you’re the reason he’s been acting like the world’s most confused dipshit?" She shoves at his shoulder, weakly. "Gods, Kaisel, you’re the biggest idiot of all." There’s no fire behind it, only disbelief and a bone-deep weariness because fuck as if this fire needed any more gasoline.
As Kaisel nudges himself against her, Flora sips in a breath. She wants to be held, gods, she wants it so badly her fingers twitch against her shins. The ache behind her eyes is sharp and shivery, the kind of grief that doesn’t roar, just seeps, and if she weren’t half-naked, Flora would’ve climbed into Kaisel's lap without a second thought; arms around his neck, cheek to his chest, anchoring herself in something solid. But as it is, her pasties and bikini bottoms don’t leave much room for comfort without consequences no matter the current shift in the tone, and she’s already spent too much energy trying not to complicate things further. So instead, she twists enough to lean into his side, her temple finding the slope of his shoulder, bare arm brushing his.
"It's..I don't know, both more and less complicated," she says quietly. She swallows, voice growing tight. "He told Sohalia he couldn’t just be friends with her because he wanted more. And she—she told him she was in love with him." Flora huffs a laugh that isn’t funny, eyes fixed on the horizon. "They made this whole stupid flower plan of what they were going to wear to signal they were both in. It was this sweet, dumb thing and I thought—I thought it was settled. Stars aligning finally, you know? And then you said something and now he’s… not ready?"
Her voice cracks on the last two words. She bites the inside of her cheek, hard, trying to force the tears back down. "Literally the last time I saw him before all of this he couldn't even look at me he was still so upset about what I did to him."
She looks up at Kaisel then, desperate, pleading. "There’s no road with me, Kai. There can’t be. Not now. If he wants less complicated, he already has it. That’s Sohalia. That’s always been Sohalia." She laughs again, brittle. "I mean, gods. Who hasn’t asked to be in a throuple when they’re seventeen and don’t know what the hell they’re doing? She...gods, she's never hurt people the way I have. Has never hurt him the way I have."
Kai's next words land like sand kicked over something delicate. She exhales slowly, then turns her face away, resting her chin on her knees again. There’s a long pause before she speaks again, this time softer. "There’s a reason Sohalia’s the Luminary. She’s good. She’s kind. You look at her and can just see it. And I…" Flora shrugs one shoulder; she knows exactly what she is, has leaned into it all her life. "I’m the Doubletake. Those names aren't by accident, Kai."
I want to be when you fall on me like night
I wanna kill the lights
I wanna kill the lights
