The Son of Soul Gear Part 7

They were seated at a table together, in a small restaurant. Victor and her sat silently for a little while before Victor began talking.

"Remember how you were when we met?"

"I don't really, is it very different from now?"

"Yeah, definitely, you were super, like, formal and you only wore the nearly military clothes, remember that?"

"Ja, oh, ja I remember that, I threw those out, I stopped liking them, and this is much more comfortable."

"And visually appealing, especially your SGT combat top."

"Victor, what did we agree on?"

"Oh, yeah, I didn't remember that," He said as she zipped her jacket, "Well, at least like that, there is no temptation, remember when we went on that school outing?"

"That school outing?"

"Yeah, that one."

Three year before...

"Dammit, it's raining, we should probably head back, the others might get worried," Victor said looking up at the sky, "Hopefully, we get there before the storm, come on, let's go Clara."

Within a few minutes, a downpour had begun, they were both soaked as they walked in through the rain. A storm had rose in the night sky and the wind battered them as the sky lit up as lighting slit open the clouds. Thunder bellowed through the sky seconds after.

"Victor..."

"Clara? Yeah? What's up?"

"I don't feel well."

"Is it because of the cold? Were you sick before?"

"I-I, I d-don't know, I feel so heavy, I am so tired," She collapsed in his arms, "I can't hold myself standing..."

"Okay, let me carry you, can I?" She nodded weakly, "Okay, I think I saw a sign saying that there was a refuge down the road, I don't think it would be safe for us to walk for an hour in the rain."

"Okay, just get me out of the rain please."

"Yeah, we should be there in 5 minutes, don't worry," He said as he walked with her on his back, "God, this rain came out of nowhere, we are nearly there."

"Won't the others worry?"

"Don't worry about that, come on, there it is, it was closer than I thought."

"I am so cold," She mumbled as he opened the door, "I am soaked."

"I know, one second," He said placing her on a chair in the empty refuge. It was a small stone-walled house with a wooden roof. The rain battered the roof constantly. He placed a couple dry twigs, some dry hay and some paper around the logs in the fireplace. He pulled out his lighter and lit the fire, "This should warm you in a little bit," He picked her up and placed her on a chair near the fire. He began unbuttoning her shirt.

"What are you doing? Victor?"

"You are soaked, you will never heat up like this, since your clothes are completely soaked," he said as he pulled off her shirt, "I think it is best if you stay in underwear."

"U-underwear?"

"It will help you heat up and dry as well," He said as he removed her shoes and long-knee socks. He hesitated to reach for her skirt, "Maybe, you could, well, like remove your skirt?"

"Ja," She said weakly as she removed her skirt and handed it to him, "D-don't look at me, I don't want your eyes to look upon my nearly naked body."

"O-okay, sorry," He said as he hung her clothes near the fire to dry them. He began unbuttoning his shirt. She looked at him then instantly back to the fire, blushing brightly as he removed his shirt and put it on a chair, he was half-naked, only in his shorts and barefoot, "Maybe there is some food around here somewhere, or I have these but this isn't much, well, at least it is something," He walked over to Clara and placed a cereal bar near her, "Eat something, I'll go see if there is a blanket somewhere," Clara looked at him, then at the cereal bar, then back at him. She took it shyly and opened it, "Here, perfect I found some," He turned to face her again, she quickly put the cereal bar down and looked away from it, "Clara?"

"Ja?"

"Eat if you are hungry, it's for you, I have another one," He said as he put a blanket over her, "There isn't any food here, I should've guessed, but there is water and some cups, I'll get you a cup."

"Why are you doing this for me?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" He said as he turned on the tap and filled a cup.

"You are taking care of me, even, even if I haven't done anything for you."

"Well, the reason I wanted to go for a walk with you was to get you alone so that I could ask something to you."

"What could it be?" She said as she took the glass of water, "Thank you."

"Well, it's been on my mind for a long time, and well, um, I was wondering, um, I was wondering if you would want to go out with me?"

"Go out with you?"

"Yeah, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend," Her eyes went wide, her cheeks turned bright pink and she was shivering and not from the cold. His watched pinged a message, "Who is this from? Oh, Mr. Desportes, wait one second, I am going to call Mr. Desportes," He got up and walked to the other side of the room and dialed a number on his phone, "Yeah, Mr. Desportes, yeah, we are in the refuge like an hour away from the camp, yeah, there is no way I am doing that distance with Clara in this shape, she is feeling sick, I removed most of her clothes and lit a fire here, she has a blanket, water and I had two cereal bars, I gave her one, probably will give her the second, yeah, well, we might as well sleep here, I'll tell you how she is doing in the morning no need to worry, yeah, okay, cool, see you tomorrow then."

"What did he say?"

"He said that the storm should be gone tomorrow morning and that if you aren't feeling better, that I carry you back and if you are feeling better, well, we just walk back," Victor sat down on a chair near Clara and took a box out of his pocket, he placed a cigarette in his mouth and put his lighter to the cigarette and lit it, "But I think you should be fine, just that cold plus wet, often make you feel not to great."

"You smoke?"

"Yeah, well, I am trying to stop, this is the first one in, like, a week."

"I never noticed you smoking before."

"Well, I try to hide it, right now, well, it's to pass the time," He blew a small cloud of smoke up towards the ceiling, "Feeling better?"

"Ja, thank you, well, um, I-I had something to tell you."

"I am listening," He leaned forwards to listen to her. She gestured for him to come closer, he did, she gestured closer, until he had his ear next to her mouth. He felt something touch his cheek, she had just kissed him. He stayed there for a few seconds before sitting back in his chair, "So, I guess you do want to go out with me."

"Ja, but."

"But what? Some sort of rules or something?"

"Ja."

"Go ahead, I am fine with pretty much anything, god, I was worried."

"Worried about what?"

"About you saying no."

"Okay, um, if we are together, well, well, I don't want us to be seen as a couple."

"Uh-huh."

"You are not allowed to look at me."

"What does that mean?!"

"I don't want you to see me naked or nearly naked."

"I guess I can do that."

"And I don't want you to mention this to anyone, okay?"

"Sure, of course, I can do that."

"One last thing, if you do peek or try to catch a glimpse of me naked or nearly naked, you have to do everything I say, for, for a day."

"S-sure, I think I am fine with that."

"Then, well, there, um, then I do want to go out with you."

"Cool, this is great."

"But why me?"

"Why you? Like, what do you mean by that?"

"Why did you chose me? You have the whole school to choose from, why me?"

"I don't know, I kinda fell in love with you, like after a few weeks, you just stuck out from the rest of the girls, you know, like you were special to me, from the beginning, you stood out from the rest when we met, then over a few weeks, well, I fell in love with you," Victor paused, "Yeah, I am way too nervous about this, by the way, are you feeling better? Do you want another blanket? Do you want like something to dry yourself?"

"I think I am fine, the fire's heat is really nice, thank you for taking care of me."

"Yeah, I was way too nervous back then."

"Ja, I agree," She said as he paid the bill, "Let's go?"

"Yeah, I think I will work out a little as I listen to Lasgi's report, you want to join me or are you tired?"

"I think I'll join you."

"Cool, have I ever complimented your hair?"

"Not really."

"Well, the silver hair and the green eyes make you look like a goddess, want to know which one?"

"I don't know what goddess I look like."

'My goddess," She laughed nervously.

"Stop, you make me so nervous when you complement me."

"Okay, but you wouldn't get compliments from me then."

"That isn't what I meant, I meant stop making me nervous with those complements and just compliment me normally."

"Okay, sure, another rule."

"Don't make it sound like that, Victor, you make me sound like a control freak."

"I'll just make sure to remember that."