I'd Give Up The World For You

Rukelion wasn't sure what to do with this information. He was afraid to keep pressing but when would he ever get an opportunity like this again? He wanted to know what sort of man Daisy was interested in but wasn't sure how to change the subject without being too abrupt.

"Do you have a favorite eye color?" he asked, hoping to segue into it.

She pursed her lips. "I'd have to think about it. I've seen a lot of pretty eyes of all different colors."

"A favorite hair color?"

"Not dirty blonde."

That was somehow specific and unspecific at the same time. "What's wrong with dirty blonde?"

"It's so boring. Literally the blandest hair color. Who wants hair the color of dishwater?" Daisy asked as she wrinkled her nose.

That seemed oddly personal. Her hair definitely wasn't dirty blonde though. It was a deep chocolatey brown and he had never seen her dye it. He didn't even think it was possible to achieve such a color with the tea he used if the base color was so light.

No matter. He didn't have to worry about that at least. His hair would never be that shade. What else could he ask without seeming too much like he was fishing? She wasn't acting like she had caught on yet.

"A favorite height?" Rukelion pressed.

Now Daisy looked at him in confusion. "What, like a height I wish I was? Being this short is annoying but so is being too tall because all the guys look at you like you're a gargantuan freak. I think I'd want to be average height."

Aha! The segue he needed. "Does that really happen where you're from?"

"Ugh, yes. Nobody wants to date you if you're over 5'8" because it hurts their fragile little egos to be the same height or taller than them. Who cares? If your personality is good enough it shouldn't matter if you're short but all of them are like aggressive little chihuahuas. Who would want to date that?"

Rukelion blinked at her uncomprehendingly. He had understood less than half of that. "…what's a chihuahua?"

Daisy snorted before looking a bit embarrassed. "Oh geez, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to rant. That was probably really confusing for you, huh? Chihuahuas are these really angry little dogs that have attitudes the size of a horse."

He was still confused but something filtered through the haze in his brain. She said that if a personality was good enough it wouldn't matter if a man was short. Which meant she valued personalities. Most of the compliments she had given him over the years were personality-based.

That was a good sign, wasn't it? He might be able to work with this!

"What sort of personality would make up for being short?" Rukelion asked offhandedly.

Daisy fell for it hook, line, and sinker going off on another rather helpful rant. "Being nice, funny, and easy to talk to. Why are those things so hard to find? You'd think finding three little personality traits wouldn't be hard but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Nobody's perfect—I get that—but the bar is so incredibly low and people still manage to dig a hole under it. Honestly! I thought guys in my world were bad enough but here everybody is sexist and somehow even more disappointing!

"I guess the Krinzels weren't so bad. As far as men here go, they treat their wives pretty well but overall it's ridiculous. Women aren't men's property and I have no idea how any of them can even stand living here!

"The only more-than-decent guy here is you and you're wasted on me." Daisy immediately realized what she said and she was horrified. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"

Rukelion couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.

The whole thing was so ridiculous! He literally hit all three of those criteria based on compliments she had given him over the years and she couldn't see what was right in front of her face.

She had also said that he was the only more-than-decent guy here (which was a strange way of calling him a good person). He didn't even care about how blunt she was being. He was too happy that he had a real chance.

When he finally calmed down something else hit him. "In your world?"

Daisy fiddled with her hair nervously. "…yeah. My world doesn't have magic or anything like it but somehow I ended up here after I got into an accident. I have no idea how it happened. I haven't told anybody because I didn't think they would believe me."

Rukelion had wondered if she was from another world before because of a question she asked him when she first moved to the capital. She asked him if he believed in the existence of other worlds but then the subject dropped after he said he had never considered it. With everything else going on he had completely forgotten about it.

"Do people age differently in your world?" he asked.

She let out a sharp laugh. "No. I'm a special case. Why do you believe me so easily?"

"Because you have no reason to lie to me."

He frowned as a thought occurred to him. He had always assumed she ran away but she said she got into an accident. Which meant she hadn't planned on coming here. No wonder she had such a skill for making the best of it. She had to get used to a whole new world!

It explained why she didn't know anything about Mirea or Cloverfield when they met either. Why would she? She had no idea where she was and was doing her best to make it through the day.

Daisy had been here all this time with no way home…but if the chance came would she go back and leave him here alone? She had no reason to stay. What she left behind might be a lot better. He didn't know much about her life before he met her; it was mostly assumptions on his part.

"If you got the chance would you go back?!" Rukelion blurted as his heart was seized with panic.

She shook her head and he nearly collapsed in relief. "The technology here might be terrible but that and certain foods are the only things I miss. I…I wasn't happy there. Ironically, I ended up getting almost everything I wanted by coming here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I wanted a house with a big yard so I could garden since I lived in a one-room apartment and all I could have were houseplants. I had given up on the idea of anybody caring about me because no one ever had but then I met you too. Crazy, right? Maybe I died and went to heaven after all."

Rukelion frowned. This corrupt country was as far from heaven as he could possibly imagine. But that was beside the point.

Daisy's desires had been so simple and she hadn't been able to attain them back in her world! He had known she didn't have any family since her mother abandoned her but didn't she have any friends? She was so friendly!

"You were completely alone?"

She exhaled heavily and wrapped her arms around her knees in a self-comforting gesture. "Like I said, all I had were my plants. I had people I talked to occasionally at work but they were like the Krinzels. They didn't actually know me outside of that context. We weren't friends."

"And you…you didn't have anyone you loved?" Rukelion asked hesitantly.

"No. I tried to date a few times and it never ended well for me. I was better off on my own…or so I thought until I realized how nice it was having someone around. You ruined me."

Daisy said that last part with a self-deprecating smile on her face. He knew she wasn't actually blaming him. She had been lonely and tried to convince herself it was fine until she knew better.

How could someone that shone as brightly as her ever have such a miserable life? She deserved so much better than that! No wonder she had been satisfied with her meager living no matter her situation. She was used to things being much worse.

"I'll gladly ruin you further," Rukelion said firmly as he scooted over to wrap her in his arms. "You won't ever have to be used to feeling lonely or unloved again."

She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. "You're too good to me, Leo. I'm really not that great."

"Don't talk like that! You're the best person in the whole world. Or any world, now that I know more than one exists. Anybody who didn't want you in the past had to be crazy, stupid, or both but I want you. I'll always want you.

"When I had nothing I had you. You're the only thing that kept me going after my life completely fell apart. Your warmth and light drove the darkness away.. Nothing else could have possibly done that. So don't ever say you're not that great!"