Cloud-Watching Partners

Lydia gave a small sigh. It was so boring just sitting around, waiting for Edgar to come back from his mystery meeting.

A letter had come that day for Edgar, and as soon as he had finished reading it he'd dashed outside to the carriage, barely saying a word to her.

All the servants were tense, making her wonder if they knew what was happening. It didn't matter, though. She highly doubted they would tell her anyways.

And being in the dark about something like this was exactly the type of thing she hated.

Sighing once more, she made her way to the garden, hoping the sweet aroma and bright colors would lift her spirits. It worked somewhat.

Lydia smoothed down her dress and sat on the edge of the fountain, looking up at the clear blue sky. She loved to look at oddly shaped clouds and figure out what they looked like.

Just as she had picked a unique cloud and set upon her task, the bushes in front of her rustled, startling her.

The fairy doctor shifted, ready to run if need be, but relaxed when Raven's familiar face came into view. He seemed to be slightly startled to see her there at first, but then his expression morphed into one of concern.

"Miss Lydia?" He cautiously set down his watering can, giving the lady his full attention. "Is there something you need?"

She blinked. "Um, what?" she asked, genuinely confused. It just seemed to come from nowhere.

"You looked displeased, so I wondered if there was anything I could do for you..."

She smiled. "Thank you, but no, I'm quite alright." The butler nodded and reached down for his tool to continue his task. She felt a pang of loneliness in her heart as he turned away from her.

"W-Wait!" Raven stopped and quickly turned back to her. She swallowed. His piercing gaze was making her uncomfortable. "Would you... Would you come and watch the clouds with me?" The caramel-haired girl had never felt as idiotic as she felt now.

He quietly complied, walking over and taking a seat next to her, keeping a respectable amount of distance between them.

The silence made her even more nervous, but thankfully he broke it first. "Pardon me, Miss Lydia, but I must confess... I've never quite understood the concept of cloud watching. They never look like anything other than clouds."

She looked over to him in surprise. "Really? Don't you think that cloud looks like a duck?" She pointed to the sky and he followed with his eyes, but he shook his head after a moment. Lydia furrowed her eyebrows. "You're not looking hard enough. See, that part looks like a bill, that part would be the tail feathers..." She described it to him for a while, but he eventually shook his head again.

"I apologize Miss Lydia, I just don't see it..."

The girl pouted and scooted closer to him. She held his arm and put her free hand into his view, outlining the shape of the cloud in front of him. "THAT part is the bill, THOSE are the legs..." She started again, more aggressively, and after overcoming the shock from her actions, he followed to the best of his abilities.

"... Ah, yes, I suppose it does," he concluded after she finished.

Lydia smiled in victory and looked at him. "See? I told... you..." she trailed off, realizing how close they were. As she stared into his emerald eyes, a blush crept up onto her cheeks.

The black haired male stared back at her, feeling the same effects. 'No, it's not right... She's Milord's...' He was thankful when she finally faced the sky again.

Lydia placed her hand on her chest, trying to steady her uneven breathing. 'What's wrong with me?' Her mouth was dry, she was dizzy, and her stomach felt tingly, like she had eaten butterflies. But... she found it rather pleasant. The fairy doctor tried not to think about what these signs meant, even though she already knew, and instead dared to lay her head on his shoulder.

She felt him tense for a moment, then relax and shift slightly so she would be more comfortable. A soft smile came across her face. "Do you know what that cloud looks like?" she spoke up, putting her finger back up to the sky, gripping his arm with her other hand more firmly. Her smile widened when she felt him place his gloved hand over hers.

"What?" he questioned quietly, watching the girl with a smile of his own. He might be punished later by Milord if he heard about this little event, but for now, the girl next to him was his.

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I am soooooo freaking happy I finished it. I love this pairing, Raven x Lydia, or Lydiaven (the shipping name), and I'm sad that not a whole lot of people like it.

This picture is for ShadowRavenAMZ, my Lydiaven partner in crime! This is my art trade picture! Now you need to write a story for me, like you promised~

I'm proud of this, I really am... and now I'm going to go and collapse, 'cuz I spent nearly the whole day coloring this on Photoshop.

Done in pencil and paper, then outlined in pen, then colored on Photoshop.

Earl and Fairy/Hakushaku to Yousei - Raven and Lydia (c) Mizue Tani, Asako Takaboshi, Shueisha

EDIT: The more I look at it, the more it bugs me. Gaaah, don't worry, I'll redo it when I get SAI, so it'll look much MUCH better, I promise~!