Odette shrugged her shoulders. “Ugh, fuck it,” she grumbled, turning heel to walk away. She felt completely exposed, and completely stupid for doing that. She couldn’t even be next to Clovis right now, let alone look at him. She kept her eyes downcast as she began to move for the nearby waterfall. That seemed like a good place to sit.
“Hey!” Clovis barked, scrambling to his feet and grasping her lightly by the forearm. “Where are you going?”
“Away, before I throw up,” she said. That wasn’t necessarily a lie. The Cutiefly making laps in her stomach right now was staring to trigger her gag reflex.
“Don’t worry about that. You can throw up on me, if that would make you feel better,” he said joyfully. “I can take it.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. “That…sounded a lot smoother in my head, honestly.”
She finally took the time to look up at him, and finally got a solid look at how absolutely beet red he was, paired with the pained expression he was now wearing. The longer she looked at him, the…funnier it became. Next thing she knew, she was laughing, and her laugh caused him to laugh.
“It sounded stupid,” she giggled.
“Well, you clearly like the stupid,” he retaliated.
“I like feeling like the smartest one in the relationship, so you can’t blame me.”
Oh, no, Mr. Clovis!" he cried, bounding up to the "human" immediately. "Are you okay? You're all bright apple red! Did you eat one of those spicy berries? Do you need water?" He didn't have any water, but he could go get some from that waterfall! He could be useful again, like he was supposed to be, and Mr. Clovis would be fine and he would also be fine and the Princesses wouldn't be mad and the party would be fun again!
Clovis jumped at the exclamation, and turned around to face the frantic Steplively. Honestly, seeing this adorable ‘mon so frantic over the state of his deep blush put him a little more at ease. He kneeled down and pat him gently on the head.
“You’re so sweet,” he said politely. “I promise I’m quite alright. I don’t need water, but…” he stood, and turned back to face Odette. A surge of confidence, as a result of Steplively’s concern, allowed him to finally get the words he’d been trying to form for a while out.
“I
do need to ask if this woman would let me treat her to dinner when we’re done with this game?”
Odette thought her chest was going to explode. There was no fucking way any of this was that easy. Right?
“Are
you serious?” she asked incredulously.
Clovis bobbed his head from side to side, as if thinking, then nodded. “You stalled my phone with that godsdamned script, so I think it’s only fair that you let me take you out on a date.”
“I don’t think that’s how that works—“
“Can you just say yes?” he asked earnestly.
All Odette could hear now was the dial up tone. Her brain had blue screened, and that was certain.
“Fuck off,” she groused. “But, yes.”
Clovis was beaming now. He held his hands together, before turning back toward Steplively. “I like this game
a lot right now,” he whispered.
