Fluttering feelings
Talbott greeted the freezing night as he came out of the heat of his house; his whole body radiated a strong heat that always kept him warm. Only in the winter did he wear a few layers, yet he never needed a strong insulated coat to keep him from freezing. He especially welcomed the necessary cooling today. He didn't know why, but he didn't feel like himself in your presence. Was it because you're a stranger he barely knows only for a few hours? Or because he didn't know what to expect from you? Or was it because you attracted him in some mysterious way? He reluctantly lost his mind thinking about your wide smile you gave him all evening.
He stayed out until the manticora left. His dwelling was close to the centaurs camp, so most of the local creatures didn't dare stay nearby, let alone attack his house. As a result, most nights were peaceful, and he knew that once the hungry monster stopped having fun waiting, no more danger would surprise them tonight. He just wanted to give you space and privacy to sleep. He wanted you to feel comfortable in his presence.
He closed the door with a soft click, not wanting to wake you up. He watched with pleasure as your chest rose at a regular slow pace - you were asleep. He felt tired all day, but he didn't dare go to join you for fear he might wake you up or worse; after all, he had only one bed.
Surrendering to the idea of not sleeping today, he sat down on a wooden chair beside the window and stared at the sleepy forest behind the glass. He didn't know how long he was looking out the window when he heard the rustle of fabric on fabric as you spun from one side to the other. Talbott rose to his feet and snuck a look at your peaceful face. You were sound asleep. He knelt beside your body which was curled into a small ball. He dared to catch a stray strand of your hair between his fingers and move it away from your cheek, tucking it behind your ear. He saw you shifting and scared of being caught he quickly jumped away from you. Had he woken you up? Despite his quickening heartbeat you stayed asleep. When he looked at you more closely only than he had realised you were shivering with cold. He didn’t have a blanket since he never needed one, but his insides clunched at the sight of you freezing.
He felt his ears grow hot as more blood rushed to his face when the thought crossed his mind. How could something like that have occurred to him at all? You certainly wouldn't like it, and if you woke up accidentally, he didn't want to face your angry self. As another wave of tremor swept through your body in an attempt to warm up, he sat down on the wooden floor next to you. With a deep breath of courage, he lifted one of his wings and gently covered your huddled self with it.
He watched as a blissful smile settled on your face, and as your gentle hand touched his feathers, he felt a wave of shame. In his eyes you looked so peaceful, so beautiful. He never felt the way he does now. He never felt the need to protect another person, but when he saw you relax immediately and snuggle up to him, he couldn't resist the sudden urge that told him to keep you close. When he reached out to your face and stroked you with the greatest tenderness he was able, he hoped that he was not mistaken in you. He hoped you were really as kind and tender as you seem at first glance. He hoped he had opened his heart to the right person.
*Time skip*
He didn't want to let you go in the morning, but he was too afraid of your reaction to ask if you would stay with him a little longer. He enjoyed your company, and the thought of not seeing you again was annoying. His only consolation was the promise to see you again to play another round of chess. Until then, he intended to train hard so that he could win over you and make a wish again. He wished he had asked you to see him every day instead of just staying over his place.
Now that you weren't with him again, his day has returned to the old boring stereotype. Honestly, he didn't have anything to do the whole day. He was bored. He tried to entertain himself by reading his favorite book on transfiguration, but soon he tossed it away when he found that he had read the same line for the tenth time. Even flying didn't amuse him, so he decided to transform into his animal form and fly to the open space of the school grounds where he could observe young witches and wizards. Once in a while he flew there and watched what was happening beneath him, but as soon as someone approached him to his displeasure for more than three meters, he flew away again.
When he was ten years old one of the school owls brought him a letter in which he was accepted to the school of witchcraft and wizardry, but unfortunately he had the opportunity to study there only for one year before he lost his entire family in a split second. He never returned to school after that fateful day. He knew they would look for him here and eventually find him - and then the same fate awaited him as his parents.
He hated the memory of the day when all the happiness in his life had been taken away from him by force, so he spread his wings and soared into the air, determined to entertain himself with anything so that he wouldn't have to remember the event with tears in his eyes again. A memory of you crept into his mind, and before he could stop his wings they changed the direction and he headed for the Hogsmeade.
He wasn't sure where you lived, so he could only hope to see you on the street or behind a window at one of the local inns. He couldn't find you for a long time, but then he heard your quiet singing - you were just coming out of one of the several shops lining the street. You looked happy and your steps swayed to the beat of the song you were humming. You didn't notice him, so he decided to follow you. It wasn't until you disappeared into one of the inns that he began to fly around the windows, trying to see you in one of the rooms on the second floor. Unfortunately, he couldn't find you, and after an hour of continuous circling, he decided to head back home. He could continue his search tomorrow. Little did he know he would see you sooner than he thought.
Your voice woke him early in the morning. “Talbott? Are you home?” You spoke louder so that your voice could reach the treetops and hisinsides squeezed at the sight of you waving up at him. He could feel the warm feeling spreading in his chest as he jumped down to you.
"Hello," he greeted you with a smile on his face. You returned his smile, and all the dark thoughts that had narrowed him the day before had vanished like steam over a pot. “Hi. I got you something.” You greet him and point to the bags in your hands.
“W-what? Why?” Those were the only words he could get out of himself. He couldn't remember the last time anyone gave him anything. He remembered the times when he was a little boy when his mother bought him toys or baked his favorite cake just to make him happy. How his father bought him his first broom for his fifth birthday. But since their death, he could not remember the only time someone had given him something, let alone a gift. And yet now you stood in front of him with a dark blue box in your hand.
“I bought you a few books that I thought might interest you. But this,” you said and pointed to that box in your hand. “This is a thank you for everything you've done for me.“
To say he was surprised was an understatement. He never expected anything back from you, he even thought it wasn't necessary. Since when did people start offering help to others in anticipation of something back? His mother once told him that a lot of people only help because of their own interests and only those with a pure heart help because they really want and don't expect anything back except for a simple thank you. And so his first intuition was to reject your gesture, but when you convinced him several times that you did it with joy and because you wanted to, he reluctantly accepted your gif.
Despite all his previous negative feelings, he found himself opening the lid with joyful anticipation. When his eyes saw the bracelet on the white pillow, he was surprised at how perfect it was for him. It was simple but refined just like him - the leather strap was fastened with a silver clasp, and in the center stood the majestic silver head of an eagle. Around the middle piece were chaton beads in silver, black and blue, his favourite colour.
“I - I don’t know what to say...” Jasper hues serene like the autumn leaves swaying in the breeze now looked at you with a swirl of emotions you couldn't pinpoint not decipher. Apart from one emotion: he was happy. “A simple thank you’d be sufficiency.”
“Y/N...” The name falls from his lips in a tremble. “Thank you.” Talbott glanced at his hands clutching the present, his heart jumping. He couldn't believe you went out of your way just for him. A memory of you going from one store to another flashed through his head frantically searching for something with a small smile plastered across your features. Did you get these gifts for him yesterday when he secretly watched you? Now more than ever he wanted to stay by your side even for a few seconds longer. He mustered up his courage and looked at you with determination.
“There’s a place I wanted to show you... It’s not very far from here so if you have time and are willing to spend it with me...”
To be continued