Drunk with Poppies

“Uh, Ari?”

Upon hearing the uncertainty in his voice, her head snapped up at full attention. “What’s wrong?” she hissed, eyes darting in every direction while she moved to stand closer to him. Ari expected a murderous angel entirely but instead she found Beelzebub swaying and looking sheepishly down at her with a lazy smile.

“I think we walked into a field of poppies.”

“And?” Ari urged, anxiety crippling away at her.

“Demons are weak to poppies.”

A pregnant pause ensued. “So we should head back…” she murmured, grabbing his hand and pulling back towards the path they walked.

“No, not like that… Like it makes us inebriated. It feels good…” Beelzebub sniffed, leaning down and plucking a poppy from the soil to smell.

Ari grit her teeth and slapped it out of his hand. “What if someone attacks? We need to get out of this field now.”

“Slow down, slow down. It’s not too bad and I’m not sensing any danger.”

“Just because you can’t sense it doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” Ari argued back. She was ready to turn around with him in tow but let out a squeamish noise she hadn’t known she was capable of making when Beelzebub wrapped his arms around her waist. Hoisting her up in the air, he twirled around and placed her in front of him.

“Worried as ever, it’s adorable. But It’s fine. We keep walking. Once we make the clearing we should be good.” His smile seemed impossibly wide.

“Alright…” Wearily she followed him as he descented forward. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Peachy, with you here with me. If anyone attacks, please protect me.”

“That makes me more worried.”

“It makes me feel better. It’s reassuring to know I have my own little gremlin.”

Scowling, she gave him a pointed look. “That’s a new nickname.” His arm touched her shoulder with his unbalanced sway.

“I’ve been mulling over using it but it fits you so well.”

“That is probably the worst one of them all,” Ari quipped, putting a hand out to stabilize him but instead he spun to her with rosy cheeks, his arms coming up and locking around her shoulders. She sputtered and blushed at the contact immediately.

“It’s my highest form of a compliment.” Pulling away, he stared down at her with glossy eyes, his pupils doing that weird fluctuating thing they did when he was playing around. Without warning, he embraced her again, his grip firm and unwavering. “I like you a lot, Ari. You don’t have any expectations and you’re so moody.”

He really had the skill mastered, sounding insulting but voice completely indicating otherwise.

“We need to keep going.” Blushing further as she patted his back complacently, Ari didn’t know what to do with his displayed affection. Beelzebub withdrew for a second, only to pinch her cheeks with frustration.

“Ari, we are in a field of flowers. It’s romantic and sweet. We should live in the moment, you know?” Before she could protest he brought her down to the flower bed with a grace that made the impact soft.

Blinking in the view of the sky, she pivoted onto her elbows and stared at him basking casually on his back, even deigning to try and make a snow angel in the blossoms.

“Beelzebub, this isn’t...” she began but fizzled out at the look of pure glee on his face. It was warming, like a child experiencing natural beauty in life for the first time. Huffing, she laid down on the flowerbed, arms crossed over her stomach. “It is beautiful.”

“Just like you,” Beelzebub swooned, laughing.

“You’re just saying that.”

“No, it’s true.”

“Alright.” She wasn’t convinced. No one had ever told her that, and he was only saying it now because he was drunk off poppies.

Her tone made him look towards her, eyes gleaming with admiration. “I mean it.”

“Thank you,” she relented, still not believing it. When she looked in the mirror, all she was a scraggly kid with disarrayed hair, one that’s cheeks finally filled in after getting sustainable nutrition.

Beelzebub wasn’t finished yet. “It’s your eyes, they're so mysterious and they light up when things inspire you, or you see food. And the way your cheeks go red when you are flustered and don’t know how to respond to my pesterings. Your hair is so soft too.”

“When did you feel my hair?”

“It was when I launched us into flight in Gentle Prata. Even with the air flinging it in different directions, when it brushed my cheek it was like feathers. Ah, memories.” Fondness warmed his features. “You were so cold back then. You’re still a little cold sometimes but look at us laying in a field of poppies.”

Beelzebub rolled to his side, staring at her with such an intensity that drew heat into her gut.

“I thought you were another demon trying to eat me.” Relinquishing, she too, fell down memory lane. “To think you were a demon who wanted to free humans.”

“That’s all I get?” he jested, reaching out to feel for a section of her hair. His fingers found purchase and he felt its softness. “What do you think of me, Ari?”

Gulping, she kept her gaze firmly upward, afraid that if she turned to look at him, it’d unfurl something she didn’t recognize.

“I think you’re loyal. You’re infuriating sometimes, but I don’t mind it. You’re the only one who cares enough to challenge me…” Her voice withered away, the subtle movement of him playing with her hair topped on the look, making goosebumps form on her skin. “I… like you too.”

“Hmmm.” Smiling innocently, he sat up, leaning over her so that their eyes were locked. Ushering silence in her ears, he brushed her bangs out of her face to get a better view. “It makes me happy that you like me too.”

Ari couldn’t even begin to find words, trying to figure out this feeling in her chest consuming all thought. Every movement he made seemed to make her skin trill, every word making her blood thrum against the inside of her body. Breathing also became a chore while her stomach somersaulted. What the hell was wrong with her?

“Why do I feel like this?” Ari wondered aloud, eyes wide with anticipation.

“It’s because you like me, right?” he whispered.

It was true, she was just afraid how far that fondness extended—and how much danger awaited her because of it.

A/N: Just a small excerpt from a novel I’ve been working on in my free time. Cheers!