Some fluff for @melissaknowsthings. A continuation of this
Frey chewed his lip as he looked down at the small bunch of wildflowers he’d picked that morning in his hands, roughly bound together with a strip of fabric from the fraying hem of his tunic. He frowned, not entirely sure if this was correct. Was gift-giving normally so nerve wracking? How did people manage it? Could you give gifts when you felt like it? Could you only give gifts to certain people? Toby had recently brought him a book and was shocked when Frey immediately set about trying to find something to repay him with and – after a somewhat sheepish admission from the mage in question – realised that Frey had never received a gift before.
Now, he sat on a rock in camp outside Toby’s tent, pondering the intricacies of gift-giving and making idle chat with Des. What if Toby didn’t like flowers? Worse, what if he was allergic? He didn’t have the skills to heal him if that happened. He was panicking, he realised with a sigh, dragging a hand through his hair and setting about picking at yet another loose thread on his tunic.
Eventually, Toby staggered from his tent, squinting in the light. “What time is it?” he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.
“Noon,” came the short response from Des, who was sat skinning a hare on the far side of the fire.
“Ah, shit. Hey, bunny,” Toby said, ruffling Frey’s curls as he passed him by. Frey had taken to tying it back, but today he was thankful that he could hide behind his hair.
“Hey,” he echoed quietly, quickly looking down again, trying to psyche himself up. Toby had made it look so easy to give him a present. Surely it couldn’t be so hard? After a strangled groan, he stood and crossed to where Toby sat on the grass, sunning himself in the break in the clouds. “I ah… Toby, you got me a book and…” he faltered, disarmed by that smile of his. “Well, you see, I have not ever… you see, I have… for you... I want to... for you…”
This clearly wasn’t working. Well, time for plan two: to panic and bolt. Frey threw the small bouquet at Toby, the bundle bouncing off his chest, and dived back into his tent. He dragged his blanket over his head and wished the ground could swallow him up.
“What the…” Toby murmured, looking down at the wildflowers in his lap.
“I think,” Des said, “you just got given flowers.”
“Bunny, you still in here?” Toby said, poking his head into Frey’s tent. “Ah, there you are.” Well, there was at least a Frey-shaped lump under his blanket. Toby crouched and lay beside him, head propped up on his hand. “Bunny.” No answer. The damned mage was stubborn sometimes, or just too shy for his own good. “Frey,” he pressed, jabbing a finger into what he guessed would be his ribs.
“What?” came a grumbled response, to which Toby pulled the blanket off his head. Apparently, even Frey’s ears turned pink when he blushed.
“Thank you for the flowers.”
“You’re… you’re welcome,” Frey murmured, face still buried in his pillow. Toby reached out and smoothed the mage’s hair.
“I like them. You have good taste, by the way, they really suit me.” Frey looked up at that, frowning in confusion, though it was soon replaced by a smile. Toby had dismantled the bouquet and decorated his hair and horns with the flowers he’d been given. He was right. They suited him. “Thank you, bunny,” Toby added, pressing a kiss to Frey’s forehead.