A Sweet Surprise - Butterfly x Ginger Courtship Lit

Butterfly heaved a sigh of relief as he came to a stop, the heavy load he'd been carrying with him being placed carefully at his feet before he flopped onto the ground beside it. He looked up at the space before him that he'd chosen for a nest, a large, roomy alcove nestled cozily between two massive rocks, the formations surrounded by trees and thick vegetation. The floor inside was mostly flat, with only a few pebbles and other bits of debris which Butterfly had already cleared. He swallowed nervously. He hoped Ginger would like it. She hadn't seen it yet. It was definitely large enough for her to be comfortable in there, but first, he wanted to pretty the space up a bit.

He glanced to his right, inclining his head as he observed the massive jungle leaf he'd been carrying, folded into a makeshift sack and loaded full of foliage, flowers and fruits, and other little tidbits that he hoped would make the nest feel homey, but that Ginger would also like. Taking a deep breath, he got to his feet, nosed open the leaf-turned-sack, and began fishing out leaves and branches, clumps of soft mosses, flowers and colorful bird feathers he'd found, and arranging them in and around the alcove. He tried to keep in mind what his Rider, Elicia, might do. She
had always had a pretty good eye for arranging things, and Butterfly liked to think that he'd payed enough attention to how she did it that he could replicate her methods. Except, of course, with a bit of his own tastes in mind, and hopefully something that would impress Ginger.

With purpose the Jungle dragon kept up with his work in earnest, until, at last, he fitted the stem of the last delicate bloom into place, sighing tiredly and taking a step back to admire his handiwork. Leaves and branches covered the walls of the alcove, with with a nest of softer branches, leaves and moss blanketing the floor. 'Perfect for a hypothetical clutch of eggs to rest warm and safe,' Butterfly hoped anxiously. Colorful bird feathers and blossoms were strewn about on the floor, and poked out of leafy places on the walls to add something other than green. And, last but not least, a bunch of tasty fruits were left inside, a gift for Ginger, who had mentioned earlier that she liked sweet things.

Butterfly's chest swelled, the white hibiscus growing there blooming in response to his cautious hopefulness. Hopefully, Ginger would like it.

Just then, a crashing through the underbrush behind him had him whirling around in alarm, only to spot an extremely disheveled-looking Ginger as she emerged from the trees, stray branches caught in the spikes on her back. She looked around in confusion for a moment and shook herself, trying to rid herself of the excess debris. Then, she spotted Butterfly.

"Oh, there you are!" she exclaimed in cheerful relief. "I know you told me the general area but I wasn't sure if I took a wrong turn, or... WOW!" Her eyes widened, and the large Earth and Fire dragon bounded up to Butterfly, startling him as she stopped to take in the nest behind him. "You made all this for me!? I love it, I love it, I LOVE it!!!" She all but bounced in place, clearly ecstatic.

Butterfly let out a relieved sigh. He still wasn't quite accustomed yet to Ginger's... overexuberant personality, but... at least she was happy, right? For a moment, he had feared she wouldn't like it at all, and then she wouldn't want to have eggs with him, and then he'd really be a loser.

'No, no...' he told himself as he closed his eyes. 'Midori didn't think I was a loser, and I was even more nervous when I first met her, and we still had eggs! And Ginger's nice, too! I need to... try to be more confident...' "Y- Yeah," he spoke up, opening his eyes again. "I tried to make it look-" He stopped abruptly as he realized that Ginger was no longer standing in front of him. She'd gone straight into the alcove, he discovered as he turned around, and was now nestled comfortably, munching happily on his gift of fruit, the juices already staining her muzzle and teeth.

He smiled, softly. He was still nervous. Ginger was nothing like what he'd expected at all out of a partner. Still, he kind of liked her enthusiasm, even if it could sometimes be overwhelming. And... he was glad that she was happy. Hopefully, she was impressed enough with him that this meant good things for their planned pairing. "I'm... really glad you like it. Is... Is the fruit good?"

"Mmhmm!" she merely hummed in answer, her mouth full, and Butterfly couldn't help but chuckle. This date... was going good so far. Good.