RayEmma Oneshots

Every Little Thing

Ray had been acting differently lately.

It wasn't a bad different, and it wasn't like it was getting on her nerves. If anything, Emma found it adorable.

But it was a different different, and she wasn't sure what the reason was behind it was.

First it was the constant stares. She would just be doing some simple chore, or they would be out hunting, and she'd feel someone's gaze on her. Turning around, she'd notice Ray somewhere nearby, looking at her with an expression of a mix of confusion and... fondness?

When he realized that she noticed him, his eyes would widen slightly, a light pink dusting his face, before putting his poker face back on a fraction of a second later - such a quick flash of emotion, other people probably wouldn't catch it. But she wasn't other people; they'd been together for so long that she could read him like an open book.

One day, while they were out foraging for herbs, she caught him staring again. But this time she didn't ignore him, walking right on over to him to confront him about it.

"Why do you always do that?" She asked, once they were standing face to face.

Ray kept his poker face intact. "Doing what? You'll have to be more specific, Emma."

"The staring! You're always staring at me... is there a reason why?" She didn't ask in an aggressive tone, but a glimmer of frustration seeped out in her words; she really wanted to know what about her was bothering him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ray replied evenly, but she noticed how the faint blush on his cheeks only grew darker at her words. She could tell he was trying to hide something.

But from the way his face would go pink when she noticed him, how much he tried to hide it even from her, she figured it was something that he reeaaally didn't want her specifically to find out, and she respected his boundaries.

"All right, then... but know you can talk to me about anything, okay?" Emma replied, and so the pair resumed their foraging.

—

Next, it was the tiny gifts. Sometimes she'd wake up to see a small plate of pastries next to her bedside - the products of Ray's insomnia-induced baking sprees, most likely - with a little note next to them explaining what new delicacy he had concocted that night. Another time, one of her hairclips broke, so without her knowing, he repaired it and painted over it with tiny, delicate drawings of flowers on it. Every day, when she braided the left side of her hair and clipped them in place, she smiled at the flowered clip, thinking of Ray and the amount of effort he put in for her.

One time, it started pouring while they were out hunting, and they were too far away from the bunker to try to run back without drenching and ruining the small bounty they'd caught that day; so they took shelter in a small cave they found nearby. Within the cave there was all sorts of greenery growing - moss, mushrooms, and pretty crystal-like flowers. For a while, there was silence between them, the only sound being the pitter-patter of the rain outside. She sat there, lost in thought, when he suddenly broke her out of her trance. "Here... for you," he mumbled, looking away. In his outstretched hands, he held a hastily made flower crown - sloppy, but intact. She remembered the days back at Grace Field when she and Norman would make flower crowns, trying to get Ray to join them; he must've learned how to make the crowns by observing them. "Oooh, thanks Ray! It looks pretty!" She said with a bright smile, taking the flower crown he made and gingerly placed it atop her head. "I love it!"

Ray stiffened, his eyes darting up to meet hers. He had started blushing deeply, and his hands were fidgeting with the ends of his scarf. Then, he gave her a little smile. "I'm glad..." he trailed off.