Love is a Language

Gift Ideas

Henry wasn't the only one who had made a discovery about 'tickly butterflies' in his stomach, though he didn't know it quite yet. If he hadn't been so busy thinking about how on earth he was going to tell Pierre about this, he would have noticed Pierre acting a little differently around him. It wasn't a huge difference in his behavior, but they were subtle things that Henry missed since he wasn't paying attention. Or maybe he truly wasn't aware that it was different than Pierre usually acted around him. Either way, Henry missed Pierre's subtle hints, and the older boy did his best not to get discouraged by it.

The things Pierre did were small, barely noticeable. He would do little things for his new crush that only Miss Trelawny, having been through that stage herself quite a few times, would understand. He would hold open doors for Henry, because he remembered how his papa always did it for his mama before they died. He offered him his dessert every now and then, especially if he knew Henry particularly liked it. He would squeeze Henry's hand just a little bit before they had to let go. And when he was sure Henry was asleep (they slept side by side practically every night now), he would scoot just a little bit closer to him than he used to before settling in his new spot and falling asleep.

Henry didn't see these things for what they were quite yet. All he knew was that when they had their language lessons together, Pierre held his hand more often than before. He didn't mind-he liked the jolt of whatever it was between them when their hands connected. Sometimes, when he was really tired or really relaxed, he would lay his head on Pierre's shoulder. The older boy would hum happily and squeeze his hand before lapsing into a comfortable silence. After a moment or two he'd find something else to name, and Henry would sit back up to give him the English word in return.

It was a comfortable exchange, though there was an undertone of shyness that hadn't been there before. They both wanted to say something, to do something, to show the other how they felt. But how could they tell the other how they felt if they still couldn't understand most of what they said? They had only barely learned how to say basic sentences to each other. And none of those basic sentences included how to say that they had a crush on each other. It would have to be through actions. And so far, Henry had been too shy to do anything and Pierre's hints had gone unnoticed.

Finally, after a long week of thinking it over, Henry decided that he wanted to do something about it. Something big-something Pierre couldn't miss. Something that could show him without telling him that he liked him. But what could he possibly do for the beautiful French boy? He tried drawing him a picture of them holding hands, but he thought it just looked silly. He crumpled it up and threw it away. He tried to find another rock that looked like a heart (he didn't know what had happened to the one they'd found in their first lesson), but the closest thing he found was a pebble shaped like a dragon's tooth. He gave that one to John because he liked dragons and stuff like that.

"Why don't you just give him some flowers?" Peter suggested when Henry finally asked him what to get. "Boys do it for girls they like, so why can't boys give boys they like flowers?" John had suggested writing him a poem, forgetting that Pierre couldn't read English that well. Sure, he could read it better than he could speak it, but he was still nowhere near ready to read a poem. Plus, Henry didn't know how to write a good poem yet. So he stuck with the flowers idea. But...where was he going to get flowers? He could always ask Miss Trelawny if he could have some of the flowers from the garden, but she was always so busy...maybe if he asked her when she was watching them at dinner! That would work!

So, when they were all sitting down for dinner, Henry waited until he saw Miss Trelawny sit down in her usual spot before scooting his chair back and standing up. Pierre looked up at him in confusion and tugged on his sleeve to get him to sit back down. "I'm asking Miss Trelawny something," Henry told him, pointing at the woman in question. He pointed at his seat and smiled at Pierre. "I'll be back soon!" Pierre looked a little worried, but he let go of Henry's sleeve so that he could go and talk to Miss Trelawny. As he approached her, however, he felt the not-so-good butterflies appear in his stomach. He wanted to turn and run away, but when Miss Trelawny looked up at him with a silent question in her eyes, he knew there was no turning back. "C-can I ask a question?" he asked shyly, his voice a nervous quiver.

"Of course, little one," Miss Trelawny said kindly, turning so that she could face Henry better. The little boy shyly told her his request and his reason for doing so. When he finished speaking, a big smile spread across her face and she ruffled his tousled brown hair affectionately. "I would be more than happy to give you some of the flowers," she told him. "Meet me in the garden after morning lessons are over, alright? I'll have some lovely forget-me-nots cut and ready for you when you find me. Then you can give them to Pierre after his tutoring with me." Henry's eyes lit up and he nodded happily. Forget-me-nots were perfect for Pierre, since they were blue like his eyes. He walked back to his chair with a new spring in his step, and a big smile on his face.

As he sat down, Pierre pushed his chair back and got to his feet. He gestured vaguely in Miss Trelawny's direction, just as Henry had done, and then made his way over to the amused woman. "Madame Trelawny," he said, wringing his hands slightly, "Puis-je avoir quelques fleurs pour Henry?" Miss Trelawny threw back her head and laughed, which made Pierre panic. "S-sinon, je peux lui faire un autre cadeau!" He was completely bewildered by Miss Trelawny's merriment, and slightly hurt too. However, his fears were eased as Miss Trelawny responded that she would help him. "Je veux lui donner une rose," he said, a pleading note in his voice.

Miss Trelawny patted his shoulder gently. "Ne vous inquiétez pas, petit," she told him, her voice still holding a trace of her laughter. "Je vais apporter une rose à notre leçon que tu pouvez lui donner." Pierre grinned from ear to ear and called his thanks over his shoulder as he ran back to his seat. As soon as he sat down he rested his hand on top of Henry's. The younger boy blushed and laced their fingers together. The butterflies soared in both of their stomachs, and the jolt between their hands left a nice tingling feeling that lingered all through dinner.

Won't he be surprised, they thought to themselves as they ate, when I give him my present and tell him why they're for him. They squeezed each other's hands, having absolutely no idea that the other was planning on giving them what they thought was going to be the best gift in the world for the best person in the entire universe.
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Translation Notes:
Madame Trelawny, puis-je avoir quelques fleurs pour Henry?  Madame Trelawny, may I have some flowers for Henry?
Sinon, je peux lui faire un autre cadeau!  If not, I can give another gift!
Je veux lui donner une rose.  I want to give him a rose.

Ne tu inquiétez pas, petit.  Don't worry, little one.
Je vais apporter une rose à notre leçon que tu pouvez lui donner.  I'll bring a rose to our lesson that you can give him.

Author's Note:  Here's another chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy it. :3  Again, if there is anything wrong with my French, PLEASE correct me on it. On the other hand, if you think the story is great and you want to share your appreciation, drop a comment in the little box at the bottom. I don't bite, I promise. In fact, I get super squealy and excited when I see new reviews on my story. I will respond to anyone and everyone who comments (to the best of my abilities) to thank you for supporting this little work of mine.

Also, quick note. I really don't have any clue as to how long this story is going to be. I'm just going to keep cranking out the chapters as I go. I know how it's going to end, but I don't know how many chapters there will be between now and then. I don't want to drag it out, but I also don't want to cut it too short either.

Another thing. So far, my updates to this story have been pretty much every day. I don't know how well that's going to work in the future, but I'll do my best to try to update every day. I'm a college student, and this happens to be finals week at my university. I only have one final to take, so I've got time to kill until my portfolio reviews at the end of the week, which is why I'm able to update so often. Then I'm home for winter break, and I hope and pray that I remember to post a new chapter every day. When next semester rolls around I'll have to see how my schedule will work so I can do this. This story is incredibly dear to me, and I really don't want it to die away.

So, to recap: Fix my French if necessary, talk to me in the comment box, I have no idea how long this story's going to be, and college may make updating a little difficult. In conclusion, thank you for all your support, leave me notes, and be patient with me as I work on this story please. :)

Ah, before I forget: Henry and Pierre send their love.  :3  Until next time!