Happy October 🎃

Day 31: Augustine

Lotti giggled as she twirled around in her plain dress, trying to adjust the carved pumpkin sitting on her head. Augustine's rich home was warm, thanks to the large fireplace. He choked on his breath as he watched her prance around the living room.

"Augustine, do I look silly?" she pondered, looking up at him.

"N-never, never, Lotti!" he panicked.

"Come on, Augustine!" she called out playfully. "Aren't you going to dance with me?"

Augustine gulped, hiding his blush behind his own pumpkin head, slightly squashed and darkened, unlike her firm and bright one. His heart beat faster in his chest, and his breath grew louder. "Y-y-yes, yes, of c-course, Lotti!" he whined, his voice cracking mid-sentence. He walked towards her, his cold, aged hands shaking violently. He grabbed her younger, smaller hands.

They were so soft and warm, causing him to shiver. "I-I-... um..." he stuttered, his breath hitching. "I... didn't expect y-you to look so lovely tonight." He coughed, clearing his throat. "B-but you look lovely every night," he said, his voice even more awkward.

Lotti laughed quietly, pressing herself close to him and resting her head against his broad chest, feeling his wool uniform. "You're so sweet, Augustine..." she muttered. She leaned into him, her hand on top of his large shoulder. He was sure she could hear his heartbeat. He could hear his heartbeat. It was so loud he wasn't sure he could even hear her. His breaths were uneven and quick.

"Y-yes, yes..." he whispered, though it sounded more like a whine. He felt himself tremble, his hands tightening and loosening on her waist as he tried and struggled to control himself. "I-I'm just not... used to this... Y-you make it so difficult to focus, Lotti." He breathed even louder, more ragged. Each inhale showed how much he struggled and fought to keep himself composed.

She looked up at him, even if he couldn't see her eyes, and she couldn't see his, through their pumpkin heads. Her hands ran over his uniform, as if trying to remove the creases and folds from his lack of proper care. Her fingers lingered over his medals, his Iron Crosses. "Your home is so beautiful, Augustine. I'm jealous," she said softly, though jokingly, unaware of the impact her words had on him.

Augustine flushed even deeper, his pulse deafening his eardrums. "I-I... Y-you.. you belong here, with me..." His voice cracked again, and he clenched his jaw hard, frustrated with his inability to talk properly around her. "Y-you make me feel so good. I-I mean, m-my home f-feel so good..." He stumbled again and again, trying to silence his loud breaths.

Lotti smiled, almost amused by how nervous he was. She rested her head against his chest again. "I love you Augustine..."

"Y-y-you do?" he whispered in disbelief. "I-I... I'd do anything f-for you, Lotti. Anything. Y-you're mine... A-all mine... Oh... Oh... I love you so much!"

She laughed, unaware of the obsession in his voice or the dark meaning behind what he said. She was too innocent for someone like him, too young and unaware. She saw Augustine as a gentle, nervous, sweet man, who just had a bit of a temper at work from being so lonely. She saw him as someone she could trust. She had no idea how far he'd go, what he would do to make sure she was his forever.

Though, for now, he tried to enjoy her warmth, even though his nerves made every second with her feel like pure pleasure and torment. She made him happy, she was the only thing that made him happy, and he would do anything to keep her near, even if she never came to understand it.