Closed Can't Fight This Feeling

[Rosalind Lockwood]

Rose was absolutely a wreck about the ball tonight. This wasn't like when she had gone to events with Noelle. Feeling too nervous, she bypassed the usual expectations of the nice dress and put on something she felt more comfortable in. She hoped Iris wouldn't mind. Rose had picked Iris' favorite flower before walking to the Great Hall, biting her lip and rocking a bit on her heels as she waited in front of the doors for her date. She was sure that Iris was going to look beautiful, and she just hoped the she looked presentable enough herself that she would compliment her date. Was it a friend date? Rose held the flower in front of her, fiddling nervously and twirling the flower gently between her fingers as she waited.

 

[Iris van Houten]

Iris had been anxious and excited all day. It would be strange to go to the ball with Rose, but also fun. She had realized that she liked Rose, though she wasn't sure if Rose felt the same way. She had kissed her cheek, but maybe she did that with all her friends. Iris had purposely kept it vague when she asked Rose to the dance if they were going as friends or as a proper date. She wasn't brave enough to ask. Iris headed to the Great Hall and smiled when she saw Rose, hurrying over to her. "Hi, You look great." She said in a rush, her cheeks pink.

 

[Rosalind Lockwood]

Rose's eyes widened as she saw Iris. She blushed deeply, swallowing nervously. She offered out the flower immediately. "This is for you," she blurted. "It's a peony- the Chinese translation means most beautiful- um, I knew you would be- I mean um- that is," Rose stammered, clearing her throat and looking away. "You're- you're more beautiful than the flower?" She managed, accidentally making it sound more like a question and less like the statement she meant it to be.

 

[Iris van Houten]

Iris' eyes widened as she noticed the flower, and she gladly took it from Rose. "Thank you." She said happily, sniffing it. As Rose explained the Chinese translation, Iris blushed brightly. Her heart skipped a beat again. That... probably meant Rose liked her, right? She wouldn't compliment a friend that way. Or would she? Iris hesitated, then gently touched her arm. "I love it, thank you." She said softly, tucking the flower into her bun. "You're very sweet." She hesitated. "Want to go in? We could... dance if you want?"

 

[Rosalind Lockwood]

Rose blushed, smiling shyly as Iris told her she was sweet and tucked the flower into her hair. Rose nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, offering out her arm. "I haven't danced in a while but um- I would like that," she tried to sound more calm and casual than she felt. She felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. "I've always liked dancing," she admitted a bit gently. "The last time I was here like this I ended up with punch over my head. Ruined my hair, my make-up, my dress," she grimaced. "Sparkly blue thing. It was uncomfortable anyway," She tried to joke. She swallowed nervously. She'd kissed Apollo, though she couldn't recall if it had been at the dance. She remembered it had felt nice, being held. She couldn't help but quietly wish she could curl up with Iris, snuggle in the student lounge or something. Her thoughts drifted to kissing for a moment, but she quickly pushed that aside.

 

[Iris van Houten]

Iris took Rose's arm and smiled, glad that she agreed to dance with her. The Ravenclaw felt excited for the night to come, it felt full of possibility. "Let's go dance then." She said softly. The reminder of what had happened to Rose last time just made Iris more determined to make it a fun evening for her now. "I like what you're wearing now," Iris said with a smile. "It's cool, it suits you." She said, leading Rose into the hall. She was surprised by the change in decorations, but after a moment, had to admit she really liked it. She beamed. "Look at the lights! So pretty." She said, gazing up at the floating lights. Then she shook her head and started heading towards the dance floor. "Let's dance." She told Rose. "No pranks, no punch. Let's just have fun." She said, gently unhooking her arm from Rose's so she could take her hands as they stood face to face. Then she started to move to the music, a shy smile on her face.

 

[Rosalind Lockwood]

Rose blushed as Iris complimented her outfit. "Thank you," she murmured. She looked up at the lights, surprised by the change, but pleased with it. "It's gorgeous," she agreed. She swallowed nervously as Iris talked about dancing, letting out a small breath. She could do this, right? She turned to Iris, her heart pounding furiously in her chest as the other girl took her hands. She smiled nervously, swaying along. "Right, fun," she echoed faintly, caught up in how pretty Iris looked with the firefly lights floating around them. Rose's breath caught, and without thinking she reached over and brushed her thumb over Iris' cheek. "You're so pretty in these lights..." Rose murmured, almost to herself. She stilled, caught up in the lights and the music, and without a thought she stepped closer. Rose left one hand resting lightly in Iris's, cupping the girls jaw with the other. She leaned down, her eyes drifting shut as she pressed her lips to Iris' gently. Rose lingered, lost in the moment.

 

[Iris van Houten]

Iris looked up at the lights for a moment, then glanced back at Rose. She could tell Rose was feeling a bit nervous and tried to set her at ease. Though in truth, Iris was feeling pretty nervous herself. There was a new kind of energy between them, one she couldn't quite ignore. Rose reached out to touch Iris' cheek, and she froze for a moment. That... had to mean something. Then she called her pretty, and before Iris could formulate any sort of normal response to that, Rose moved closer and kissed her. Iris' heart was pounding in her chest, loud enough that she thought Rose had to hear it. She kissed her back softly, a little awkwardly. She had never kissed anyone before, hadn't even gone to the spin the bottle game a few years back. But if it always felt this wonderful, Iris wondered if she had missed out. Somehow, she thought that it wouldn't be as nice with anyone else, though.

 

[Rosalind Lockwood]

Rose hummed softly, holding Iris close and kissing her for a few more moments before pulling back just enough to rest her foreheads against her dates'. "I-Iris," Rose stammered, opening her eyes to peek at the other girl. "I, um... It's... probably really obvious now, t-that um... That I like you," she smiled shyly. "I... I think about you, um, a lot, I think you're just- just the kindest, smartest, most beautiful, um..." Rose laughed nervously. "I-i-i, um, I really adore you," she admitted gently. She stammered a bit more, pulling back a bit and lowering her eyes. She wasn't sure what Iris would think of her affection. She bit her lip, twirling her hair around her finger nervously.

 

[Iris van Houten]

Iris leaned forward when Rose pulled back, instinctively trying to keep the kiss going longer. But then Rose started to speak, and Iris returned back to earth. She blinked a few times, then smiled at Rose, her cheeks flushed. "Oh." She said as Rose showered her with compliments. She felt a little overwhelmed, it was all happening so fast. She thought briefly of the letter she had received from Selene, telling her that it could be wonderful to see where this goes. "I like you too." She said softly. "I guess that's obvious now as well." She added, reaching up to lightly touch her own lips. She was still marveling at the fact that this kiss even happened. "I like you a lot, Rose. I have been wondering if I should say something for a while, but I didn't want to ruin anything." She laughed nervously. "Why do you think I asked you about Noel?"

 

[Rosalind Lockwood]

Rose's eyes widened, surprised to hear Iris say she liked her, too. Rose was lost at that, and couldn't help but giggle a little as Iris brought up Noel. "Honestly?" Rose asked. "I thought you wanted Noel yourself," she gave Iris a shy smile. She reached out, meaning to tuck a stray strand of hair behind the girls ear.

"Y'know, Iris, um..." Rose blushed and looked away. "Would you maybe, um..." Rose sighed deeply. "L-look, I, ah, I know I have a bit of a temper. And I'm awkward, and protective to a fault, but um, d-do you think maybe, ah, maybe... you might want to.... be my girlfriend?" She finally managed, her voice trailing off nervously.

 

[Iris van Houten]

Iris couldn't help laughing softly at the surprised look on Rose's face. She shook her head quickly. "No." She said decisively. "I'm sure he's lovely, but he's not my type." Iris had realized that she had only liked girls so far. She didn't entirely rule out liking a guy someday, but so far it hadn't happened. "I was honestly a bit jealous." She admitted, glancing down for a moment.

Rose spoke again, and Iris felt like she knew what she was going to say before she said it. She smiled slightly, waiting for her to get the words out. When she did, Iris squeezed her hand and leaned in to kiss her softly again. "Yes." She said. "I was about to ask the same thing."

 

[Rosalind Lockwood]

Rose's breath caught as Iris kissed her again. She smiled brightly, relaxing visibly as Iris agreed to go out with her. She smiled, leaning down and catching Iris up in another sweet kiss. "Let's go on a date then," Rose spoke softly, reaching out to pull Iris close. "Next weekend?" She offered, her mind already spinning with ideas of what she could do.