In The Wake of Stardust and Shadow

A moment precious as stardust

What could it have been? Perhaps, it was the tenderness of the night air, or maybe it was the soft sound of the waves as they crashed. Could it have been...the gentle way her voice spilled into the air, or the way her gaze was so lightly set on him? Whatever it was it left Cirrus a gawking mess.
"Cirrus?" Lani whispered whilst holding a hand to his forehead.
There it is again, thought Cirrus. That painful wince his heart made each time she spoke.
"Lani." He spoke, still lost in a daze. His voice barely above a whisper.
"We should head back, your fever is getting worse." Lani said, whilst finally rising to her feet.

That's right. Cirrus's thoughts echoed in his head. Lani was only with him to retrieve medicine for his fever. Nothing about this moment was special. Then why did it feel...why did he feel like this? Why was he the only one that was driven to a mess. A simple glance could drive him insane. Normally, he knew how to control himself, but his fever left him a disaster around Lani. Being near her felt as if she had stabbed him right in the heart.

"Alright, do you need help?" She said, as she lent out her hand in Cirrus's direction. Her voice crashed and mixed with the sound of waves meeting the sand. Cirrus could only recognize the hand lent out in front of him. Suddenly, the pain he felt was replaced with a sensation of warmth. (A warmth separate from his fever.) His melancholic heart was unusually overjoyed. Still struck by the effects of his fever, he carefully took her hand and pulled her close, their faces maybe an inch away from each other. Without wasting a second, he leaned in and planted a small and gentle peck on her lips. He kissed her as if he was kissing a god, to him this was almost a religious experience. The kiss lasted an awkward five seconds before Lani quickly pulled away. It was only a small peck, but her face had turned as red as a cherry. So red that one could mistake her for bearing the fever Cirrus carries. Before anything could be said, he swiftly stuffed himself in her arms, burying his face at the crook of her neck. Tears streamed down his face and fell on her silky black hair. She allowed him to cling to her for a bit, but it had only been a few minutes until he had completely fallen asleep.