}|{ Snakes and Petals }|{

Chapter 38

Second PoV

You've been smiling all day, nothing new since Alastor did tell you to smile more for showing misery means you're below.

However, your smiling face does look more genuine and not only that, the flowers in your body all seems to be brighter and in full blossom. You were in such a good mood that you've been swaying side to side, humming to your head as you watered the plants in your garden.

It's so obvious and contagious that even the carnivorous flowers seem to catch the mood and dance along, happy that their master is creating such a bright aura that it's even making THEM giddy.

'Well someone woke up on the bright side of the field, did your date go THAT well lil miss sunshine?'

The voice in your head calmly echoed, yet still somehow startling you from your daydreaming and you turned to look at your giant tree, it's one giant eye on its trunk boring into the little garden demon that you are, who seem to redden bashfully at the stare.

"Look Nar, it went far too well that I just can't help but daydream the events that happened and it's still makin me feel all sorts of ways! He was just.. too much! But in a good way!" You giggled like a little freshman gettin confessed to by their senpai, hands to their cheek and anime sparkles dancing around your figure.

If their eyes would allow it, they would've given you a deadpanned look, so instead, Narjuallah opted to express their dead inside expression through their voice in your head.

'uhuh, you don't say...'

"Oh can it, you! Lemme be happy!" You huffed, pouting at the tree.

In outside perspective, it would've been amusing to watch a woman argue with a friggin tree.

'When you're dead, I'll consider-'

"But I AM dead!"

'-But anyway, so are you two a thing now?'

Rolling your eyes at the fact that you just got basically waved off, your thoughts went back at the memory of you with the charming snake back at the gazebo where the two of you shared your first kiss, your whole head and neck immediately exploding in heat as the blood rushed to ur face and dyed ur skin red, making you fidget with your vine which seems to also somehow rise its own temperature despite being made out of fiber and having no blood in it.

"I-I.. don't know, maybe? Yes? I mean we kissed so I think? I honestly really don't knowsinceI'vealwaysbeensinglesincebirthtodeathandthisismyfirsttimedealingwiththeseanditsweirdgodIjustnowrealizedIdiedavirgin,doesthismeanifIweretomakecoconutitsvirgincoconut?-"

'I regret asking..'

And upon the midst of your flustered rambling, a broken mic ring startled you and your rooted house friend out of your racing thoughts.

Looking by your front lawn, there stood your dear ol big adoptive deer brother, eyes wide, and mouth agape. His mic's eye also wide open in disbelief.

The whole forest including Narjuallah who closed their eyes and pretended that they weren't there were pindrop silent.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ohhh shit I forgot about you-" you whispered slowly.

But that was loud enough confirmation for the man to shake the entire forest with one word.

"... W H A T ? ! ?"

You flinched at the volume, birds taking off into the sky after also getting startled.

The man in red breathed in, his mouth ever so unnoticeably twitching, doing his absolute best to keep that grin from falling like how you do with your grades in school-

You sucked on your lower lip guiltily as you looked to the side, your flowers all seem to have hidden behind their petals and shrinking down closer to the earth, man.. you feel like you just got caught by your christian father after hiding the fact that you got a goth metal head gangster of a boyfriend except this is much less cooler than that.

"...my dear sweet little rose, care to EXPLAIN to this dear old friend of yours what I had just overheard? Albeit rude, even if I didn't mean to, I just can't help but be curious as to whom my precious prized rose shared lips with" He composed himself, tilting his head and darkly peering down at ur shrinking form who's nervously smiling back, you could but only muster a small squeak.

"I  w o u l d  v e r y  m u c h  l i k e  t o  m e e t  t h e  l u c k y  g e n t l e m a n ~" he chuckled darkly.

"Al no! You can't turn him into snake stew!" You pleaded, clinging to his waist.

As much as he hates contact from others, you and his mother were the only exception. He can tolerate Nifty but you were a special case, he truly did love you like his younger kin.

"A snake huh, I don't suppose you're talking about the same one that I'm thinking of." with his brows knitted together, the man looked down at your small form who's eyes grew large at the realization of what you had just said.

'well shit on a stick, I have no choice but to act at his mercy because it's not me who will be receiving the short end of the stick! That guy won't even know that he's now on a blacklist, I'm literally saving his life here right now!' you cried mentally while still clutching at your adoptive brother.

Inhaling, you did something you wouldn't have done unless cornered into a desperate situation with the deer demon.

"..brother, please, I really, really, R E A L L Y like him, please don't harm him, I would be incredibly upset!" You said, looking up at him with teary eyes and a frown, your vines going limp behind you as you looked up at the man who raised a brow.

Mentally cringing at how low you're willing to put yourself into, you cheered when he sighed and patted your head.

"(Y/n), you know that men are but a hindrance to you and should not be easily trusted, not everyone is like me, they're barbarians who's greed and selfishness cannot be compared to the likes of gentlemen like me and dear ol Husker, even though he might not look like it." He chuckled.

"Although it is a fact that you are powerful on your own, I cannot say the same for sure with your heart, in the end, I don't want you to get hurt my dear." His eyes softened along with his voice as he had gone onto one knee and embraced your body gently.

"My mother thought me to care for ladies as such for no matter how strong, a heart as tender as yours can still break you as a whole, real men shouldn't treat women as something insignificant for behind every successful man is a woman. But if you do truly like him, I'll respect your decision."

Hearing that had your face light up in happiness, but he wasn't done.

"BUT-! Until then, I must see what kind of man he is and if he is worthy of an invaluable person like you"

He huffed. Giggling, you snuggled to his chest with the biggest grin.

"Of course! Although he may be a bit of a dork, he's a gentleman at the very least and is quite hard working." You vouched quite proudly.

"He better be, or I'll have no choice but to have a 'talk'..." He stared off into the distance, already picturing turning him into some sort of furniture before lightly getting smacked by a vine.

"Al!"