🌹 Rose Giving Picturesque Petals

[Elliot Briar]

Yellow Rose for @Lars van Houten

Elliot liked to think he was pretty good at hunting down Lars' usual haunts, and he was glad to see that skill hadn't atrophied over the years as he stepped into the art room. "Hey, happy Valentine's," he said, giving Lars a little wave hello. "Got a second for a rose?"

He'd been happy to take this delivery, certain since it was a yellow rose there wouldn't be any awkwardness if it had been from Blake. Admittedly, his opinion of Blake had shifted since they'd spoken last semester, but Elliot still didn't trust him, not entirely, and the last thing he needed was to inadvertently sour the relationship he and Lars had rebuilt because of it.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars had decided to escape the commotion with all the roses in his favorite spot in the school, the art room. He had completely lost himself in a painting and had almost forgotten about his surroundings until he heard someone speak to him. He looked up to see Elliot there, and he smiled at his friend. "Uh, hey." He said, wiping his hands clean with a piece of cloth. "Sure." He said. "How is it all going?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot smiled at Lars, taking a moment to glance at what Lars had been working on as he fished out the rose for him. "Looks good," he said, nodding at the painting before passing over the yellow rose and note. "It's definitely uh. Going. I dunno how Alice pulled this off without losing her mind," he added with a tired smile.

Spoiler: Note

Lars,

Happy Valentine's day! Thanks for being a great co-captain all these years. Best of luck to you. Keep in touch.

Minnie

 

[Lars van Houten]

While Lars was waiting for a rose from Blake, it was somewhat of a relief to see that this rose was yellow. It would have been awkward if Elliot had delivered it to him. He read the note and smiled. Minnie was a great co-captain. He blinked then, remembering that Elliot was talking. "Well, I think you're managing it well." He said with a small shrug. "And it'll be over soon."

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot gave Lars a tired, but fond smile when he responded after reading his note, nodding sheepishly. "Getting there. Maybe I'll see you at the dance if I'm still conscious," he said, it coming out more like a question than he'd intended. Elliot hadn't really spent much time with Lars outside of class these days, and he was pretty sure they both knew why. He'd reached a sort of truce with Blake last semester, but Elliot still didn't like him and wasn't exactly keen to spend some of his last few months at school with him if he could manage it.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars smiled and nodded. "Yeah, maybe. Though..." His smile faltered. "I'll be with Blake, you know." He said quietly, not sure if Elliot would want to talk to him when he was with his boyfriend. He was very aware of the doubts Elliot had about the relationship. "Are you going with Lily again?" He asked her, having seen them together at the yule ball.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot just shrugged when Lars mentioned Blake, trying to keep his face neutral. "Yeah, I figured," he said vaguely. He didn't exactly want to spend the evening around Blake, but he also didn't want to avoid his friends all night cause they were taking dates he didn't really approve of. "I can be a grown up about it, promise," he said, giving Lars a weak smile. "She's going with Clifton," he said when Lars mentioned Lily, also fighting to keep his face neutral about that development too. If only Elliot had the capacity for forgiveness Lily seemed to have. "I actually asked Selene to go. Seemed fitting," he said sheepishly.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars smiled nervously when Elliot said he could be a grown-up about it. He nodded, not wanting to comment on it too much. The tension between Elliot and Blake was something that made him mildly uncomfortable, even now. "Oh." He said, remembering that Lily used to date Clifton. "Are they together again?" He asked, not too surprised he had missed that piece of gossip. Lars was never too up-to-date. He smiled. "The head boy and the head girl, that is fitting." He said with a laugh.