#blanket is important to me later haha that feels like a spoiler...

[flamestar126]

Snuggling near the fire

Click for better quality

[ginkgomoon]

Cyril- Character Analysis

This post was based on an ask made a while ago concerning Hypnos’ character. I personally think his appearance enhanced the development of the game for the Winter World chapters, additionally with the depth of MC’s character. Hopefully this post will help clarify some things in relation to who he is and why he is important to the game’s progression. Please enjoy his well-deserved character analysis post. And yes- lots of spoilers! Please don’t read if you don't want to be spoiled on future content from Chapters 19+.

“This is the world you wanted.”

Hypnos first appears in the Epilogue of Chapter 19, when MC escapes her dream (the one with the separate routes of the guys) and begins to enter the Winter World through Black Cabin.

A soft hue appeared amidst this world of frozen white. A handsome, elegant young man walked towards me from the mist. Snow fell upon him, but as if he was protected by some force, none stuck on him. For a moment, I felt that this person looked really familiar, but it was someone I’ve never met. His eyes seemed detached, yet full of pity.

“This world’s pretty interesting, don’t you think?”

I did not sense any direct threat from him, but I was also unable to let my guard down.

“Is this not the world you wanted? You were aware of it long ago. No need to go on deceiving yourself.”

His tone was peaceful, but there was a chill to it that made me shiver.

“In this world, time’s been frozen. Everything you fear hasn't taken place. It was not I who made this world, but you. Everything you have experienced is a product of that which you yearn for the most. If everything could start over, if life could return to normal, if none of this had occurred...”

He saw into my heart effortlessly, tearing down each fragile wall I’d made with each word that he spoke.

The man’s gentle expression turned cold. His smile faded into subdued indifference.

“You think everything you’ve experienced is fake? Everything is real. Everyone in this world had sunken into the same dream. We will forever remain in a dream land.”

The man chuckled gently. Snow and wind blurred his form, blurring my vision. -Chapter 19 (Epilogue)

Some people would probably have the reaction of ??? and others would think he’s a new love interest HAHA.

It’s clear that this section of the chapter does not give much insight into his character, his name or who he is all. But, we can (hopefully) tell from what we are given, that he will play an important role in the future since he has an actual VA, and is (quite confusingly) going on about “the world that she wanted”. Though, this will be all cleared up later. From here, he makes small appearances in the next few chapters, which helps foreshadow and gradually help set the final showdown to conclude the Winter World.

While my mind wandered, I accidentally ran into someone in the corner. Even more unluckily, as I retreated backwards I stepped on a slick patch of ice, almost sending me sprawling.

“Careful.”

A light laughter fell on my ears. Before I could react, I was caught by the person I bumped into.

“Are you okay?”

I looked up and was met with a pair of gentle green eyes. A handsome face filled my vision. For an instant, I felt that he was familiar, and the sight of an ice-covered world seemed to appear before me. He gracefully let go of my wrist in a gentlemanly manner, stepped back to a more appropriate distance. -Chapter 20-17

A man walked out onto a rooftop covered with snow and held out his hand, catching a snowflake falling from the sky. The snowflake in his palm turned into an exquisite, white robin with its eager wings spread as if escaping a prison and flying into the sky.

He looked down from on high, surveying the city blanketed in dazzling white snow, a faint smile on his face.

“Truly something to look forward to- a long cold winter.” -Chapter 21-25

At this point, we still don’t even know who this man is. Or if he even has a name! But finally, the chapter after reveals a little bit more to help us come to somewhat of a conclusion about his character.

Chapter 22-5

The automatic vending machine behind me kept repeating the same sentence. I turned around to find that the machine wasn't on the fritz- there was actually someone continually trying to make a payment. I couldn't help but go over to see if they needed help.

A pair of eyes clear as glass turned on me. Although there was a gentle look in his eyes, there was a subtle feeling of distance.

I suddenly recognised that face! It was that famous piano player- Cyril!

MC: “Excuse me, do you need help?”

A hint of warmth suffused his cold eyes, as he gestured in frustration at the vending machine.

Cyril: “Just want to buy a bottle of water, but I don’t know how to use these machines.”

(*Intense vending machine purchase in process*)

Instead, I decided to just point at the app on my own phone and give him a brief explanation, afraid that I would miss my bus.

MC: “This time, I’ll buy for you. This is the one you want?”

Cyril: “Right, thanks.”

When I accidentally brushed against his long, slender fingertip, there wasn’t even a hint of warmth.

MC: “Your hand is ice cold. How about I buy a warm drink for you?”

He seemed a little hesitant, but he gave a slight nod and accepted my proposal with a smile.

The drink thunked down into the dispenser, and before I could react, he already bent down and retrieved the bottle and mine from the machine.

When he extended the drink to me, I realised that at the bottom, there were two kinds of paper, which appeared to be tickets of some kind.

I lifted them up and carefully looked at them. They were tickets to an upcoming and very sold out piano tour. Moreover, this was for the final VIP performance aboard the HMS (Abbreviated for “Her Majesty’s Ship”) Victoria.

He may not look like it, but he’s actually quite a warm, kind person.

The silver haired man watched as the bus drove away, and the drink in his hand turned solid ice without him noticing.

As snow drifted down around him, a faintly perceptible smile formed on his lips.

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

We find out that the young man’s name is Cyril, a famous piano player. During this exchange, Cyril is taking his time to observe MC and how she’s responding to the Winter World. He appears to be genuinely surprised about MC’s display of kindness, even though she’s been tossed out by the men most important to her, and into a foreign world wreaked of havoc.

He lets MC purchase the warm milk tea for him, and they both talk about the most mundane things ever. This may seem like just filler conversations, but actually holds importance because it actually influences how he views the world and MC in the future.

Cyril then uses this chance to extend his invitations to his sold out piano performance on the HMS Victoria. MC thinks he’s “quite a warm, kind person”- to which, we will find out if she’s wrong later. We also can confirm that he is an Evolver as we watch him turn his drink into solid ice, as well as the same man who was left unidentified in the previous chapters.

Chapter 23-13

??: “At this point, we’re all certain that the one behind this “Eternal Winter” is one of our former members.”

??: “Another traitor?”

??: “One with the power to traverse time and construct dreamscapes. There's only one that it could be.”

??: “The traitor code-named Hypnos?”

With those words, a deathly stillness fell over the air, as if some indescribable darkness had stolen into the room.

True name: Unknown. Age: Unknown. Evol: Time travel, dream construction.

Pitifully few clues to go on, not even a single photograph.

Was that person who trapped me in that dream and the traitor the same? If it was true that everything before happened on another world’s timeline, then does that mean this person had jumped through into this world timeline?

??: “Just what is he planning to do?”

??: “Whatever it is, since he’s a traitor to the organisation, it’s bound to be contrary to our goals. We must put a stop to him.”

??: “Continue the investigation. We must find the satellite coordinates. We cannot let him interfere with our plan.”

If this mystery mastermind had such powerful abilities, then what chance do I have at stopping him?

The hexagonal crystal symbol wasn't a major part of their discussion, but it stuck a faint chord with a hazy part of my memory. I finally remembered- that ticket to the concert!

They consider this powerful Evolver- Hypnos, a traitor to Black Swan and the individual behind the Eternal Winter incident. But nobody knows what he looks like. However, MC notices that the hexagon design is seen similar to the tickets that Cyril gave to her for his performance on the HMS Victoria. She now knows that Cyril is Hypnos, then realises that the satellite launch isn’t on land, but on sea. She knows how to stop the winter from spreading.

Here we automatically assume that he’s another Black Swan bad-guy-turned-traitor. What is his true goal? And why does it have to be that handsome piano player, out of all people?

Chapter 24-5

Before we could enter the main hall and check out the situation, a sonorous piano melody was belated through the ship’s speakers over that whole patch of sea.

The gentle tune formed an invisible yet unbreakable net in the air. Everyone in proximity to it became the piano music’s prisoner, unable to escape.

I felt a strong feeling of drowsiness. I tried to stop it but it seemed to have already gotten into my veins. Every cell in my body reverberated with it.

Everyone in the hall was swaying like soulless puppets, and on the stage, Cyril held his eyes slightly closed as he played the last requiem for them.

Chapter 24-7

MC travels to confront him on his ship, and watches him entrance people with his piano playing. This is how he got his code-name “Hypnos”. (Similar to how Kiro can charm and control people). Thankfully, Helios appears, his Evol is powerful enough to command MC to escape this.

“Why can’t a lie... be a good thing, too? Is this not the world you wanted?”

An anonymous voice seeped into my consciousness, accompanied by a dim, far away sounding piano.

The false warmth swooped in, and exhausted as I was, I chose to accept it.

My hand was originally grasping at air, but just then I distinctly felt the touch of something solid and warm. I could faintly feel someone grabbing onto me tight.

I forced open my heavy eyes, and a familiar outline filled my blurry vision.

“K- Kiro...?”

For a second, I couldn’t tell if I was in a dream or reality. His face was in shadow, and those usually sea blue eyes now flashed golden, as beautiful as the night stars.

He shouted at me, loud enough to hear over the inescapable piano music-

“I command you to awaken!”

Although without a hint of warmth, his eyes were like the first rays of dawn filtering through the curtains, melting away the fanciful dreamworld clouding my brain.

-

“I’m not like Ares. I don’t care about any Queen. If you want to influence the outcome, you have to do it your own way.”

Cyril still didn't stop playing, and instead kept moving his fingers across the key in a self-satisfied manner. The audience were completely under the spell of his melody, sunken into the deepest depths of a dream.

A black pistol was pointed straight at him, but the enraptured pianist did not let that stop his performance. Helios wasn’t in a hurry either, waiting quietly for the perfect, culminating core for this piece.

Just as the final note was stuck, Helios resolutely pulled back the tigger. A stream of smoke rose from the gun, but Cyril was somehow unharmed, blocked by an invisible force field.

Helios: “You constructed this dreamscape long before.”

Cyril: “I just don’t want this performance to have any interruptions.”

He rose elegantly from his piano bench and took a deep bow toward the hall absent of applause. Then he sauntered off the stage and looked at me.

Cyril: “You finally came.”

Chapter 24-9

Cyril: “Thank you for teaching me how to use the vending machine.”

I didn't expect him to speak up first, much less did I expect him to bring up that. As if we weren’t staring into the upcoming apocalypse, but just another utterly normal day.

Cyril: “It was you who showed me a different side of life. Although I still think, milk tea tastes better iced.”

MC: “But that doesn’t mean you have to wipe out the people who prefer drinking it hot.”

Cyril: “I think you misunderstood me. Just like you, I love this world. I love the complexity and uncertainty humanity has brought to it. I just think, it just doesn't have to move so fast.”

The smile he had showed- made me believe that from the bottom of his heart, everything he did was to make the world better, and that he should not recover any blame or interference from anyone.

Cyril: “Before one fully understands oneself, power beyond control can only be dangerous. Just like if I were to ask you now, do you truly understand yourself? How would you answer?”

He chuckled at my inability to respond.

The thoughts in his heart were hidden beneath a glacier, and all it showed on the surface was the very tip of it, preventing me from ever getting a clear idea of what he was thinking.

Cyril: “I’ve prepared a little gift for this kind of world.”

A giant steel tower shot upwards and stood tall between the water and sky. The satellite launch tower!

Cyril took hold of my hand and causally moved the key from his own hand. Before I had time to stop him, I saw crystal clear ice form at his fingertips. Pure and unblemished, but also dead. Just like this world before us.

Cyril: “Isn’t this a nice way to end things? This. Is the world you want.”

He then hands MC to press the button for him, then freezes the key to the Black Cabin. Cyril here genuinely believes that what he is doing is good for MC, as he uses the satellite launch platform from the ocean to spread the “Eternal Winter”- the “perfect world”.

Black Swan still pursues evolution of all humanity, but Cyril doesn’t agree with their methods. He knows MC is the Queen and thinks that in this Winter World, this is how she will only grow- without those she loves- if she had not known the boys and everyone she cares about. "If none of those things in the original world had occurred..."

What Hypnos stated reminds me of the Winter World Helios and what he said from when he saved her in Chapter 21.

“The weak should learn to survive on their own. No one will help them. Do everything you can, by fair means or foul. Give up everything in your past… even yourself. If you can’t do that, then go back to the world you came from.”

Which is a little nice touch because Helios appears to save her again with his Evol- but this time, MC is saving the world in her own way. She is not identifying with QUEEN first- but as herself. She had seen and been through so much pain to grow her mental and emotional strength to persevere and save this world with her kindness and love for humanity. MC, herself, has evolved.

Chapter 24-10

Cyril: “Not going to give the button to the launch a push? Perhaps you’ve forgotten, this is only my dream. Any decision you make here won't affect the outside world. Aren't you at least curious? The perfect world I wanted.”

What is the meaning of existence in a world of unrealistic perfection!?

MC: “If I do that, wouldn’t I be like an ostrich, sticking my head into the sand?”

Cyril: “If people found the perfect pile of “sand”, who knows if they’d stick with reality- and choose not to escape? After all, in reality, no one can predict what's going to happen from second to second. But in a perfect dream, everything always unfolds exactly as people desire.”

MC: “I can’t answer that for others. But it shows that the decision for how to answer should be left for each individual person.”

Cyril: “The way I see it, those who have no ability to judge never had the right to choose in the first place.”

Naturally, traitor though he was, he was still like others in Black Swan, holding a disdain for normal people, deep in his bones. When he rebelled against wasn't the thinking of the organisation, but their methods. But no matter which method of theirs it was, they all wanted to force their ideology on the whole world.

Did the world really need their brand of reason? Did humanity really need their idea of progress?

Everything in existence follows its own, original path, with absolutely no need for human intervention. And what I had to do was to maintain this balance.

I abruptly placed the remote back in his hand and told him my final decision.

It’s clear that Cyril doesn’t have that much experience with normalcy or identifies with at least humanity. He believes that it’s better to ignore reality and to live in a dream without the memories of the past or mourn the loss of others. Frozen without emotions, pain, or progress- the “perfect world”.

Chapter 25-4

After MC accepts her QUEEN identity, she finally uses that power to unite all timelines ultimately defeating Cyril, then returns back to the original world. Weirdly, he appears in front of her when she wakes up.

Cyril: “I believed I warned you long ago, no matter what world it is, it doesn't make much of a difference. You assume too much. In this world, I am just like you, a normal person. Think of it… as the price I’ve paid. My choice… was made for you. You were growing too slowly. Maybe that world was best suited for you after all. Too bad, you were too muddled to realise it. This world may soon experience a change, and it’s the kind of change that has nothing to do with you.

Time Subway

Time Subway takes place before Cyril leaves, after MC is hospitalised in Chapter 32. It reveals more about MC’s power and spiritual connection to Loveland City, the rest of the worlds and their timelines.

They meet on the train, though MC can’t remember meeting Cyril before. His piano music continues to play as the train moves backwards. (And that’s the thing about the subway- the train goes in cycles to each station, to the memories and worlds MC has previously lived in.)

Chapter 5

MC: “This train is really strange. It’s going backwards.”

Cyril: “Does the direction really matter? Though, I’ve never been on a subway train. Perhaps, there are a few imperfections.”

MC: “How did you get on the train?”

Cyril: “Same as you, I guess.”

MC: “Do you know where this train is going?”

Cyril: “To a place you want to be. So embrace your imagination. Think of everything you ever wanted. Eventually we will arrive at the perfect ending you’ve longed for.”

Chapter 6

MC: “I feel like I’m forgetting something. My memory has been foggy ever since I boarded this train.”

Cyril: “You do know me. You have to recall those memories on your own. Do you want to remember everything? Or, do you prefer to give up the past and start again right here?”

Cyril seemed to be hinting something, I felt that he’d always use such implicit language, but I couldn't remember when…

Chapter 7

Somehow this train gave me a sense of security. I could feel a familiar resonance between us. As if it was closely linked to me in the first place.

A thought slowly came to my mind, maybe I could decide on its direction at some point in time.

MC: “Why do you want me to go to the past?”

Cyril: “Back to when everything hadn’t taken place, isn’t that what you wanted? I’m only doing this for you. Sorry I didn’t ask for your permission. But you’ll be my best work.”

Chapter 8

Cyril: “This world belongs to you. My power doesn’t work here. I’m nothing more than a normal person in the real world. I’m going to use my power one last time. And this will be my final work. A perfect world is still what I’m after. It was you who broke free from the world I created. You showed me my limit. Indeed, the power triggered by your emotion outshined my skills. That’s why I chose your spiritual world, as the raw material of my final work.”

MC: “So this is just an infinite cycle within my spiritual word, isn’t it?”

Cyril: “I won’t say you are wrong. In this train, you can choose any stop and choose any exit you want. When you step out, this world becomes more complete. Meanwhile, this dream will continue the everlasting cycle, which is also your karma.”

MC: “So do I stay here?”

Cyril: “You can choose to leave… if you have the power to battle yourself. If you leave, this world will continue to exist all independent from all time space.”

MC: “How do I leave?”

Cyril: “You have to discover that for yourself.”

MC: “...Cyril, I need to go. If there’s really a perfect world you want, just take this world as my gift to you.”

Cyril: “I see, thank you... If only you could eventually put an end to this cycle.”

Chapter 32-1

Cyril- “I came to say goodbye.”

MC: “All that stuff that happened to me after losing my Evol has something to do with you. Starting from when “I ran into you” on the train, it was all a part of your plan.”

He smiled slightly, met my hostile gaze without a hint of displeasure. He didn’t deny it, but he didn’t admit it either. There was an undercurrent of tension to the stillness, but also some unusual and subtle peace.

This pianist… I’ve never seen anyone so out of touch with the world.

MC: “The vending machine, the scammer in the square, thorns on a flower, you don’t have much experience with everyday things, do you?”

Cyril: “However, it really has been a long time since anyone’s talked with me about such things.”

I may have been imagining it, but I seemed to detect a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

MC: “Just what are you after, coming here to see me like this?”

As he spoke, he reached out and put his hand at the back of mine. His fingers were ice cold.

But in this brief moment, a flurry of images flashed before my eyes.

Four white walls, an empty room, a triangular piano of translucent crystal placed in the corner. The figure of a man gradually emerged before the piano bench.

His thin graceful fingers danced daintily across the keys as snowflakes fell upon him and settled undisturbed.

That gentle piano melody reverberating in the shadows also came out as a muttered groan from the girl as pain hit her.

Suddenly, the piano playing intensified, the tempo building to a frenzy like a subway train rattling through a tunnel.

I saw a boy get up from the piano, walk to the front of the stage, and take a bow to the thunderous roar of applause.

The scene shifted. The boy was once again standing in the gloomy storm, holding a white rose to his chest, listening in silence to a priest delivering a eulogy.

??: “Keep playing, Little Cyril. Use your power and help Mummy make the perfect world.”

Cyril: “A perfect world… I’ve got it.”

I saw his past, present and future. I saw the boy slowly growing up and playing that final melody in the centre of a frozen plain. He played tirelessly, as if he’s trapped inside in a world of memory.

Cyril: “Can you tell me what you saw?”

In those crystal clear eyes, I saw my own expression, and there was an ineffable expression of sadness to them.

MC: “Is a perfect creation… really that important?”

Cyril’s eyes were flat, like the negative space in an ink wash painting.

Cyril: “The sad fact is that they will never be able to achieve it.”

MC: “But absolute perfection doesn’t exist. Everything has blemishes and faults. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not good enough, and it certainly doesn’t mean that they don’t have a right to exist in this world.”

Cyril: “Perhaps. You’ve certainly proven that point yourself. One final thing before I go, of course, you can choose not to believe it. Perfection has never been an illusion; everything in this world has a singular, perfectly-suited exit. Although, I think you already found it.”

MC: “Where are you going?”

Cyril: “A world that belonged to you, but now belongs to me. Thank you for the world you’ve given me, and the interesting memories. And that bubble tea, I quite like the flavour.”

His words fell softly, as if shrouding me in a tranquil, pure white dream.

Upon seeing his past, present and future, all that MC sees is Cyril playing the piano. It turns out, his true motivation for creating the “perfect world” was for his mother when she passed. With MC’s help, he finally admits that it cannot be achieved. He isn’t directly hostile like the other Black Swan members either, and calmly admits his defeat and accepts MC’s decision.

Behind the Curtain- 6 (Chapter 28)

??: “If you want to see it, go. The door being opened will be closed soon.”

The black box grows bigger, and fills the entire vision in black-

Cyril: “Do you know the origin of the name BLACK SWAN?”

I see an elegant young man standing inside a luxury gift shop. There, piano pieces are playing. He looked down at me. The black box reflects in the cool eyes looking a lot like snow.

MC: “Am I inside the box?”

Cyril: “BLACK SWAN” is a word that means an unexpected event. Humans have no way to predict the impact of the event. When I first heard their name, I immediately saw the appeal. I also wanted to be a part of it. But…the majority of them still live in this illusion. Only a few were aware that humanity is ignorant. They can't help me to complete my work.”

While speaking, he pressed the crystal piano keyboard. The jolting sound echoes—

Cyril’s Mum: “With your power, continue this and please show me the perfect world.”

The woman lies on bed, looking at him with those beautiful eyes that looked a lot like that boy’s. There’s no strength in them.

Cyril’s Mum: “For one last time, I want to experience the beauty of this world with my whole being. That’s also the reason for your existence.”

The boy then grows up in the snowstorm and turns into an innocent boy. His outline became sharp, becoming an elegant young man.

The snowy wind pushes the window open and surrounds his mother. She then transforms into white snow and suddenly disappears.

The man doesn’t notice the occurring snowstorm, but instead concentrates on the graceful piano playing.

A piece of glass shatters and lands on the piano. The young man engrossed in playing keeps an eye on the keys.

MC: “Look out!”

The piece of glass cuts the young man’s long finger. A line of blood flows, on the skin like ice and snow.

The young man finally stops. As if time had been frozen, the lingering sound of the piano remained in the room covered with heavy snow.

He looks up. Like an innocent puzzled child who touched the piano for the first time, those eyes come into mind.

Cyril: “Who…are you?”

MC: “...who am I?”

Cyril had been stuck all this time within his memory of his promise to his mother- in pursuit of the “perfect world”. His world was biased upon thinking that humanity- even Evolvers, were ignorant and unable to help him achieve his goals. This demonstrates the divide and individuation between each Black Swan member of not being able to work together effectively to achieve the collective goal- of the “New World”.

It was nice to see MC being able to overcome her self-doubt and enter Black Cabin by accepting the QUEEN title in a world so foreign to her. Her hope, love and determination had saved the world again. Cyril played a huge part in this chapter of her life, almost like prepping her for the final prophecy of fate.

And “Doomsday” is coming.

[scrapyardboyfriends]

A Maxine episode...and I’m crying at work again. Shocking. Haha. 

And I actually watched the whole thing (a little confused cause I haven’t watched the last three episodes but whatever)

But anyway, I love Maxine and she’s perfect. 

Things I feel like she put in there just for us (me): 

“Lying liar who lies” “More kids” “I had a family” Paraphrasing but...the “stop treating me like a kid” line Aaron asking how Robert was before he even looked at the letter because that’s what he cares about most Robert’s car Aaron’s phone background still being the whole family including Robert and Seb Liv getting to actually say she misses Robert The “Aaron woz ere 2003″ grafitti Ross and Bex being boring I really did love the Cain and Aaron chat. It was exactly what I’ve been wanting from this story and I’m glad it was the two of them. One, because I do love their relationship. Two, because I think Cain is someone who Aaron would listen to more than some others at this point. Three, because it does tie into Cain’s own situation and I did really like his comment to Charity after when he said he didn’t believe a word of it. But I liked that Maxine used Cain to further spell out Robert’s motivations for both Aaron and the audience. I think it’s important to really get that across, that he was trying to do this for him even if Aaron hates it. And Cain really got to list out the points one by one that we’ve been saying for a while and I appreciated that. 

I loved Aaron saying that all he wants is Robert. That he doesn’t just want more kids, he wants them with his husband. That’s important to me. And of course I loved the fact that she had him say “more kids” and that he “had a family” because he did (does) and I want that to bode well for future Seb interaction. Come on Emmerdale. Give me single dad Aaron please!

I liked that in general people were a bit calmer with him today. Maybe it was the letter, maybe it’s Maxine, maybe it’s both. But you know Chas at least understood why Aaron was upset today so that’s a positive. And I liked Chas’s little sad face while she was reading Robert’s letter. 

I love that we got a bridge scene and a forest scene and a scene in Robert’s car. I want to cry about it too because these were all of their places together and now he’s on his own in them but he’s still thinking about Robert. 

I was really glad that they had that whole scene with Cain and let it settle, complete with a little banter about trees before Aaron got dragged into Liv stuff. I liked that he got to have his moment to be sad and talk about his husband rather than have to cut that short. 

I also loved the beginning with Aaron just getting back onto the couch under his blanket and saying he was taking a sick day because of his hand. That was kind of great. I also just love that he’s still on the sofa two months later. 

And the Liv seizure stuff...well...it was what it was. I’m glad that they actually seem to be diagnosing her with epilepsy this time. Or at least closer to it. Because it would have been dumb to never go anywhere with it. I HATED that Wendy found her. I’m glad Aaron did have his phone turned off so he didn’t have to talk to her. As for their little chat afterwards in the hospital, well, I’m glad she was finally able to talk about missing Robert herself. The conversation definitely had shades of the conversation she wrote for them back during the break up. I do wish Aaron didn’t have to constantly step up for her and I’m firmly on team “give him Seb” but I think this was one of the more well rounded conversations they’ve had since Robert’s exit. Not that I’m surprised Maxine was able to give them that. 

I am still concerned about Aaron just saying he’ll be better and try harder because he’s clearly still struggling as time goes on as we know from later spoilers so I don’t want him to try and force it. It at least seems like people are acknowledging the realities of his situation now. At least in this episode. So we’ll see where it all goes. I like that Cain brought up going to see his counselor again and that Aaron nodded to that. And that Chas said “we’ll get you both better”. That seems like progress. 

As for the rest of the episode...

The Panto stuff is a lot of fun. I loved Rishi trying to take the Landowner part and Kim coming in at the end. That was great. And I liked the Jacob and Leanna scene that led into Kim finding out about the role in the first place. I still think the Leyla/Liam thing is a little weirdly placed with Bernice just having left and Liam still thinking she’s coming back (for Christmas apparently). But I do enjoy them having scenes together in general so we’ll see where that goes. 

Nate is still the worst. But I was glad Cain was just like “I could bash your head in but then I’d have to care”. Cause #mood. And I liked the Cain and Charity stuff a lot, especially about the tree and him admitting that he didn’t think he could start over. 

I liked Noah being kind of gleeful that Sarah was going to be forced to invite Danny around. Danny is still a creep though. 

I feel kind of bad for Kyle being stuck in a house with two grumpy heartbroken men who snap at him but at least he got a giant Christmas tree out of it. Haha.

Anyway...I know Maxine is going all big time and writing for Doctor Who but I’m still open to her just coming back and writing every episode of Emmerdale because she’s so good. Everything flows nicely and her characterization is always so spot on and well rounded. 

[lyssala]

Still I Find You There Next to Me

Pairings: Terra/Aqua, Kingdom Hearts

Setting: A month after the ending of Kingdom Hearts 3; No explicit spoilers but I mean you can infer what happens at the end if you read this haha

Rating: K+

Notes:  Happy Valentine’s Day <3 I had to write something cute, and I’ve had this idea with the phones and social media in my head since I found out it was canon hahaha I was going to keep it all fluffy and not really go into the healing aspects of what needs to happen after 3 but alas, I couldn’t help it haha I think they’d need a lot of time, so that reflects here (but it’s also me so you know it’s still sappy as hell) I’ll do a real healing fic eventually, figures my first Post-3 fic would be about essentially their Instagram. The title is from Imagine Dragon’s “Next to Me” which is one of my favorite, favorite songs for them <3

AO3

Even though Terra considered himself to be more asleep than awake he could still hear the birds chirping outside his window, he could feel the sunlight on his eyes as it shone in through the window. His blanket was making him feel a little hotter than what was a comfortable temperature, another sure sign summer was coming in full force. Still, it wasn’t enough to make him want to open his eyes, or leave his bed any time soon.

He probably wouldn’t have either if it wasn’t for the sudden annoying buzzing that was rattling against his nightstand.

Terra groaned as he reached a hand to his face rubbing his eyes. It thankfully stopped, making him try and fall back to sleep even though it was probably later than he should be in bed. He usually just waited till someone was too impatient to wait for him and either knocked on his door, gently kicked him, or jumped on him depending who the impatient one was that day. His eyes were still so heavy he knew he could fall asleep again, and he planned to.

Until the buzzing echoed once more.

He rolled over, still half asleep but noticed the other side of the bed was empty; not that he was surprised, he would’ve gotten some kicks or nudges by now. Terra tried not to feel sinking disappointment, swinging his hand to the night stand to grab the phone he knew was sitting there. He blinked his eyes open, looking at the screen as he tried to adjust to the growing sunlight in the room. Terra could see the new messages icon and he pressed it though he mostly wanted to toss the phone back down.

He saw Aqua’s picture next to way too much text to comprehend in his state of still being half asleep. From what he could tell it was just the plans for the day; who was here, who was away, if there was anything urgent they needed to get to within the day. It ended with another message asking him to wake up already. He snorted as he dropped the phone in his lap, reaching both his hands up to his face.

It was silly she felt the need to send him a message when she literally slept in the room across from his, and when the night was a little too dark, his. It happened more often than not these days, to the point where he missed seeing her face when it wasn’t the first thing he saw in the morning. One hallway didn’t seem very far away; it never did when they were kids, finding ways to pass notes, communicate without words so Master Eraqus didn’t wake up and catch them, always knowing where the other was. But it did when he still felt like if he blinked she’d be gone.

He sighed as he pushed himself up in bed. She could’ve just gotten him, but she was hell bent on making him use this thing. He picked it up again, scrolling quickly through all the little pictures near the text box to pick the thumbs up to send back to her. Close enough right?

Terra dropped the phone again stretching his arms over his head as he kicked his legs out of bed. He almost left the damn thing sitting there, but it was still too early to get lectured by Aqua on why having ways to communicate like that was important. He supposed he understood that concept, after all he did like knowing he could reach any of them in a matter of seconds, that he could scroll down and see pictures from where the kids were, what they were up to. Terra just didn’t want to be the one constantly being bugged with it; especially when someone lived in the same home as he did.

He grabbed the phone and slid it in his pajama pocket, making his way to open his door and out into the hallway that would lead to the staircase. The castle was so familiar it was almost like they never left. It was admittedly really eerie at first and Terra found himself staying up late at night, unable to bring himself to sleep. But it got better when Aqua would come and talk to him as they slowly mended what had been hurt, when more feet and voices filled the otherwise empty rooms, when she started falling asleep next to him, making it easy to sleep through any night knowing she was safe.  

He walked into the empty dining hall, but that wasn’t too much of a surprise. The table was too long for the few people that lived here; they only every used it if many others were visiting but that settled down significantly once everyone got accustomed to their lives. So they preferred the smaller table they set up right in the kitchen which judging by how the room smelled someone already started cooking.

He had two guesses, but judging by the messages on his phone one was highly favoring the other.

Terra pushed open the kitchen door, his stomach growling at the sudden aroma of bacon mixed with fresh coffee grounds, toasting bread, as eggs sizzled on the oven. He expected it to be Aqua standing in the kitchen and he wasn’t wrong. Her back was to him as she poked at the bacon, but he could tell she was still in her pajamas, apron tied around her back just like the one she used to wear on her cooking days. He found himself smiling even despite being up before he wanted to be.

“Morning,” he said, closing the door behind him so he didn’t scare her.

Aqua turned her head, a smile already on her lips. Her eyes were bright this morning, probably because she was always happier when she was able to do something for someone else, this case making breakfast. He loved it, he loved seeing her like this; it was one of the reasons he did keep getting up every morning. If she still looked at him like that, than he couldn’t be as horrible of a person as he thought he was sometimes.

“Morning, sunshine,” she said, that teasing tone on her lips, just like when they were younger. “Sleep in enough?”

Terra walked over to the counter in the center of the kitchen, leaning up against it so he could face her better. “Yeah, would’ve slept in more if I hadn’t been assaulted with blocks of text first thing in the morning.”

Aqua chuckled, scooping some of the bacon onto a nearby plate to cool. “It was that or send Ven after you.”

Ven was a big fan of tackling Terra awake, which wasn’t annoying as much as it was alarming depending how deep of a sleep Terra was in; and sometimes painful, Ven seemed to be growing nonstop since they came home.

Terra felt his stomach knot up slightly. He probably shouldn’t say; they didn’t really talk about it once the sun was up but the words were already on his lips. “I, um, didn’t hear you leave this morning.”

She hummed, but was moving to scramble the eggs better. “I knew it was my turn to cook breakfast, so I figured I’d get a head start. Plus when you sleep, you sleep like the dead. Believe it or not I did try, to see if you wanted to help me, but I figured it was better to let you sleep.”

That did make some of the tension leave his body; sometimes he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d do something to push her away again. But the more reasonable part of his brain tried to remind him she did have to cook breakfast for a few people or that she never liked to wake him up when he fell asleep or that she didn’t want the kids to get the wrong impression. Granted, he was never quite sure how to tell her judging by their glances and snickers they already had the wrong impression.

“So you thought waking me up by having the phone nearly vibrate off the table was better?”

“You have to get used to using it someday, Ter. Also…” Aqua turned to him, placing one hand on her hip as she waved the fork in her other hand at him. “Can you respond with more than just one thumbs up? That doesn’t tell me anything.”

Terra snorted. “I assumed it told you I was fine with it.”

“I would, if I thought you read it.”

“I did read it.”

Aqua arched her eyebrows, though she looked more amused than mad.

“Okay, I skimmed it.”

“That’s what I thought,” she chuckled, turning back to remove more bacon from the sizzling pan. “If you couldn’t tell from your brief overview, we do have a busy day.”

“Got it.” The smell in the kitchen was starting to get unbearable; he didn’t realize how hungry he was until he had to stand there not eating anything.

Aqua reached up to the cabinet to get a plate for the first batch of eggs while Terra leaned in to grab a piece of bacon. It shouldn’t have surprised him she was fast enough to swat his hand away before he could actually touch the food. “Be patient,” she tutted, scooping the eggs onto the plate before getting the pan ready for the next set.

He took the plate from her hands, moving the place it on the counter near him so he could hand it to her again when she was ready for it.

“I don’t know why you’re so resistant on having the phone,” Aqua said, adding even more bacon to the pan which really didn’t help his stomach from growling.

He noticed she had the oven on too which meant there was also something she was baking. Gods, he hoped it was that cinnamon bread she used to make; it was just the right amount mix of sweet and doughy. “I’m not resistant to it.” It was mostly true. “I just don’t see why we need to use it when we’re in the same house. Away on missions sure, but not when we’re a staircase away.”

“Convenience,” she said, wiping her fingers on her apron. “I’m cooking I couldn’t leave the food to come up and tell you all that. Also I know you and if I tried to give you all that information while you were still half asleep you’d never remember it. Now it’s there for you when you’re ready.”

Those were valid points; figures, Aqua always thought out everything. That was probably why she liked it so much, she was a lot more organized than he admittedly was. “Fine, you win. It can have its uses.”

Aqua turned her head to him, giving him a grin that reminded him of when they used to spend all day outside adventuring in the forests, of the stories they told each other late at night under the stars, it reminded him of home. This was his home, with her, it would always be with her.

She gestured for the plate again and Terra had to remember where he was and what he was doing. He reached for it, passing it to her, but her other hand was at his lips, holding up a piece of bacon. Aqua took the plate while he took the bacon, biting into it with a crunch. She lingered for a moment, watching him with the same smile on her lips. Maybe after everything they went through, both during those twelve years and the weeks after, maybe she could feel what he felt; the reminders of the past as they lived their lives together again but new in a way, different, better even. He might’ve even asked her if the door hadn’t swung open.

“Morning, Masters!” Xion smiled as she waved both her hands at them.

He probably wouldn’t have asked Aqua, but there was a part of him that wanted to. Maybe that alone was a sign of improvement; that he even felt good enough to even want to know how she really felt.  

“Good morning,” Aqua said, scooping the eggs onto the plate to pass back to Terra.

He glanced over to the door as he popped the rest of his bacon in his mouth, raising his hand in a silent greeting to both Xion and Roxas, who was trailing behind and looking significantly less perky than Xion did.

The toaster dinged as they pulled out seats from the small table.

Aqua looked over to Terra probably to ask if he could get it but he was already moving that way. He grabbed a plate off the counter and pulled the hot toast out. They were still a little short, so they’d need to toast more. As if reading his mind, Aqua tossed him the bag of bread she had near her. He caught it, setting to the new task.

It was hard at first, when they came home. Terra was afraid too much damage was done, that he and Aqua would never operate how they used to, how they knew to read each other so well words weren’t always needed, the trust that came with that. It took a little bit, but every day he felt his relationship with her improve and that was enough to be thankful for.

Once he pressed the toaster on again he turned back to Aqua, but she was busy humming to herself as she cooked up more eggs and bacon. He vaguely recognized the tune but he couldn’t place it. Instead he looked over to Roxas and Xion who were lounging at the table while they waited. She was showing Roxas something on her phone, her voice quiet but still pretty peppy for the hour. Roxas on the other hand had his head on the table as he sleepily tried to follow what she was saying.

Boy, wasn’t that a familiar image.

“Please tell me breakfast is ready.” The door swung open, though it was always hard to miss Lea any time he made his entrance. He was also still in his pajamas, his read hair tied back for the time being.

“Morning to you too,” Terra snorted.

“I mean it as my most sincere good morning, especially to the beautiful chef.” He reached over to rub at both Roxas and Xion’s heads. “Morning, squirts.”

Roxas grunted in response while Xion laughed looking up from her phone as Lea flopped down in the chair across from them. That only left one judging by Aqua’s message of who was here today.

“Terra, would you mind?” Aqua asked, holding out the plate of eggs.

“Got it.” He grabbed it moving to place it on the table. “Would one of you mind setting the table?”

“I can,” Xion said, placing her phone down so she could stand up.

Terra reached over her head to grab the plate of bacon Aqua was holding out to him; though not before slipping another piece in his mouth.

“I saw that,” Aqua said, though she wasn’t looking at him, opening the oven door to check on whatever was in there.

“Where’s blondie?” Lea asked, stretching his arms over his head.

“His door was still closed when we walked by,” Roxas said, though his head was on the table so it was a little mumbled.

The oven went off as Aqua pulled out the bread pan that was in there, the sweet but spicy smell of cinnamon filling the air. She left it on the oven top to cool but she must’ve seen him watching her because she looked over to him.

“What?” she asked. “Didn’t think I remember?”

It was an innocent comment but it made a smile pull at his lips. He opened his mouth to say something, anything about how it meant a lot she remembered but the toaster dinged and Xion was scurrying around him with a stack of plates and glasses. There were only three more people on a daily basis, even more than that on the days the other kids visited; still, the extra people caused a new level of chaos sometimes.

He reached over to pull out the toast dropping it on the plate with the others.

“Sorry, am I late?” Ven yawned, though Terra hadn’t even heard Ven come in the room.

“As per usual,” Lea said.

When Terra turned back to plate the plate of toast on the table Ven was sitting down, another yawn on his lips as Lea reached up to push at Ven’s head.

“Where’s Chirithy, Ven?” Aqua asked, scooping the steaming bread from the pan.

“Sleeping,” he answered. “Like I wish I still was.”

“You’re all so dramatic. It’s not that early.”

“Says you,” Terra snorted, reaching for the plate that had the newly sliced bread on it.

Aqua pulled it away from him, a knowing look in her eyes. “It won’t make it to the table if I let you take it.” She gestured to the fridge instead as she moved around him to get to where everyone was already sitting.

He rolled his eyes but she still knew what she meant. He reached in to grab the glass of orange juice, as well as the jam and butter; at least by the time he turned back to the table it was time to eat. He placed the items down and took the empty seat at the end.

Coffee, why didn’t he think of making any? He needed that more than ever if this day was going to be as long as Aqua said it was. He pushed himself away, about to stand up when a steaming mug was placed down in front of him. Terra looked up as Aqua sat down next to him, placing her own coffee in front of her; the only difference being his was black and hers probably had enough sugar to wake up everyone in this room.

“Thanks,” he said, unable to keep from feeling the smile from pulling at his lips.

Aqua hummed in response but the small smile was all he needed.

“Pass the orange juice, please,” Ven asked as Xion was done pouring hers.

“Only if you pass the jam.”

“Got it!”

“Hey, Rox, lift your head, you’re drooling on the table,” Lea said, and judging by the way the table shifted slightly also must’ve nudged Roxas in the legs.

“Coffee, first,” he said, but did pick up his head, hand weakly reaching for some bacon.

“What? Wanna stay shortstuff your whole life?”

“I’m not short! You’re unnaturally tall.”

“Everyone eat the eggs too,” Aqua said as she pulled her phone from her pajama pants pocket, placing it on the table next to her plate.

Terra leaned back with his coffee, opting to wait for the kids to fill up their plates; he didn’t need to lose any fingers today. Aqua seemed to do the same, taking careful sips from her mug as she watched on.

“Don’t you dare eat all of that bread,” Terra said seeing Lea take more than one piece.

Ven snickered while he piled some eggs on his plate to appease Aqua. “Terra is serious when it comes to Aqua’s baking.”

Xion giggled into her orange juice glass and Terra tried to ignore the heat rising to his face at being called out by teenagers.

He cleared his throat instead, noticing Aqua was watching him from the corner of her eyes. “You’ve eaten plenty of things she’s baked, do you blame me?”

Ven paused for a second, just long enough for Roxas to reach over and steal a piece of bacon off Ven’s plate. “Hey!” he snorted. “Get your own.”

“Roxas, please eat something other than bacon,” Aqua tried again, but he listened, reaching for a piece of toast and eyeing the jam still in Xion’s hands.

Terra’s phone buzzed in his pocket, making him reach in to pull it out as everyone who regularly needed his attention was sitting at this table. He glanced at the screen though it wasn’t really anything, just a late notification that Xion posted a picture to their group feed. It usually wasn’t anything serious, just people updating each other with what they were doing or where they were.

Since the kids were still digging into the food, he tapped on the screen, opening the feed up. Xion’s post was from a little earlier, the sunrise outside her window. She had some sweet words to say at the bottom about how pretty it was. Since he had nothing else to while he waited he let his thumb scroll down the screen bringing up more pictures.

Aqua’s hands were near his plate, placing a piece of bread there. Terra looked up to thank her but she was already gathering food for herself. He placed the mug down and replaced it with the warm bread that tasted as good as it smelt. He tried to focus on the pictures he scrolled by like Kairi taking a selfie with Riku in Radiant Garden as they worked on their mission or Lea posting a picture of Roxas passed out on the couch last night teasing him about his particularly long training day or Isa tagging his friends in a selfie with that ice cream they adored probably to make them jealous or Ven sharing his late night snack from last night that looked more like a repeat of dinner than a snack. But Terra found it hard not to savor the soft bread, the memories of watching Aqua bake as he sat up on the counter trying to carve something into a bit of wood. He could barely think of something that didn’t have memories attached to her, and he always knew he’d never want it to be any other way. He just wasn’t exactly sure how to say that, if he even had the right to say that.

He popped the last bit of bread in his mouth as he continued to look down at his phone, knowing it was better than letting those thoughts linger. He was about to put it down and get his own food but he stopped when he saw Aqua’s face looking back up at him from his screen. It had to have been from yesterday since she was outside with the blue sky and sun shining in the background. She had the phone tilted so she could both get herself and one of the flower gardens in it. He recognized it easily, it was the one Master Eraqus used to take care of, where he would go to relax or take them for lessons if the day was particularly nice. Aqua started to take care of it when they got back, maybe as some way to make things seem normal again at first but now judging by the smile on her face and the glimmer in her eyes it was more of a pleasurable thing for her. Clearly, she was proud of her work.

Terra made a note to go out there next time she was working and make sure he complimented her on it, but for now he pressed his thumb against the button that would add another like to the ones that were already there under her picture. He didn’t usually interact even that much, just choosing to look when he felt like it but for her, he made an exception.

His plate slid closer to him, this time with much more food on it. Terra placed his phone down with just enough time to see her hands moving back to her own food. “Thanks,” he said, reaching for the first piece of bacon he saw.

Aqua was carefully eating her eggs but she waved him off, eyes drifting to her phone as it lit up.

The kids were still talking amongst themselves, Roxas looking at least a little more alive now that he was nearly done with his toast, watching the uneaten bread on Lea’s plate and clearly trying to gauge if he would catch Roxas taking it or not. Ven was at least attempting to eat the eggs as he held his phone up in his other hand, eyes reading over something.

Aqua’s fork hit the plate a little too loudly making Terra look back to her, making sure everything was okay. She seemed to be alright as she looked at her screen, but her eyes were wide before a smile started to pull at her lips. He almost wanted to know what she was looking at with the way her smile was so soft, eyes bright in what seemed like a sort of adoration. Terra didn’t want to nose into her business, but he did happen to see the picture he was just looking at on her phone. Maybe she got a nice comment or something, which was good; he wanted to see her happy like that all the time.

Even as he watched her he still couldn’t believe after everything she went through, the things she suffered she still could manage to to smile like that, to have her face light up at the simplest things. Yet here she was a ray of sunshine in every room she went, making him believe that everything would be okay again. He wasn’t even sure he had a word to describe how beautiful of a person she was, how she always was. Even though it had been in the heat of the moment, and the height of every emotion he had felt, he meant what he said the first time he saw her again; he couldn’t remember a time she wasn’t the brightest light in his life.

Terra didn’t realize the kids went quiet till Ven started choking back his laughter. Terra glanced away from Aqua but no one was looking at him. He went back to grab the buttered toast on his plate, taking a bite out of it as Ven was placing his phone back on the table. He was absolutely trying hard not to laugh, which was suspicious in its own right, but maybe someone just sent him something funny.

Lea had his phone up to his face, eating another piece of bacon while Roxas made the dive for the cinnamon bread; not fast enough as Lea quickly hit Roxas’ hand making the blond retreat with a groan. “Well,” Lea said, placing his phone back down. “Nice knowing you, Ven, you had a good life.”

Xion had one hand over her mouth as she stared at her own screen, though she was grinning. “Ven,” she gasped.

“What?” he asked, trying to look innocent but instead he looked like he was about to burst into hysterics. “I’m not wrong.”

“What did you do?” Terra asked, arching his eyebrows.

Ven merely shook his head. “Nothing.”

Roxas peered over to Xion’s phone, choking when he saw whatever they were all looking at. “Holy shit, you’re going to get killed.”

“Roxas,” Aqua warned, but it lacked any sort of force probably because she was more curious as to what Ven did.

Terra always found it a little funny when she corrected any of the kids’ harsher language since she was the one who used to curse the most in training. His phone vibrated next to him so he took another bite of his toast before looking over. Terra probably should’ve known better when he saw Ven tagged Terra in a picture but he still opened it up anyways. He figured it was maybe just something stupid, some funny joke poking fun as Ven was known to do.

Terra bit into the last bit of his toast just in time to see his own face, same clothes he was wearing right now, plate still full of food. It had to have only been taken moments ago since his eyes were still watching Aqua. She looked the same as she did when she was staring at her phone, smile and bright eyes even visible in the picture. What he hadn’t noticed, what made him ultimately choke on the bread he was trying to eat, was the way he was looking at her. If he thought she was watching her phone was adoration it was nothing to how he was looking at her, complete with the sappiest smile Terra wasn’t even aware he was capable of making.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the caption was.

@terra hasn’t stopped looking at her like that since we got home :P

Terra wanted to snap his head up and tell Ventus that absolutely wasn’t the truth, but in all honesty it probably was. Terra did lift his head trying desperately to ignore the heat that was crawling up to every crevice of his face only to see Ven shoveling the rest of his food into his mouth.

“I get the shower first!” he said, effectively booking out the room as fast as he could. Smart kid.

Terra was pretty sure he couldn’t look at Aqua now even if he wanted to but he was aware she was still looking at her phone.

“You sure you and Ven aren’t related?” Lea asked, breaking the other piece of cinnamon on bread in half.

“Yes, why?” Terra said, clearing his throat so that his voice actually came out.

“Cause he’s about as close to as an annoying little sibling as you can get.”

“How would you know?” Xion asked.

Lea passed the other half of the bread to Roxas, who happily took it, before Lea leaned in as he stood up from the table. “Cause I have two of them.”

Xion and Roxas made some whining noises, though his was a little more muffled.

Lea gave them a wink before heading to the door. “See you in a little bit,” he said waving absent mindedly, the other two scrambling to follow him; probably to tease him right back.

Then it was just Terra and Aqua, and he pretty much wanted to sink right down into the ground. He didn’t really have any excuses and the explanation was something he wasn’t quite ready to address head on but he also couldn’t just sit here in awkward silence with his best friend; that was somehow worse.

He looked over to her, just as she was glancing up at him. Terra opened his mouth to say something but she didn’t really seem mad or anything. She was surprised maybe and her cheeks were also a little red, like she was embarrassed about it too.

“Ah,” he said, tapping his fingers against his legs. “I was just…wondering what you were looking at, you know…” He gestured to her phone like that explained what he was trying to say. “It seemed to make you happy.” Terra probably shouldn’t be invading her privacy if he already embarrassed her, but no other words wanted to come.

“Oh,” she squeaked slightly. She reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear looking away from him. “It was just…you…well, you’ve never liked one of my pictures before. It surprised me, but it also made me happy, is all.”

Terra blinked at her. None of that was anything he was expecting, that it was something he did that made her smile like that. He spent time wondering if he missed his chance at making her happy, that he could even still do so after everything that happened but that something so small made her face light up made him feel like maybe he was wrong.

Maybe these phones weren’t as bad as he thought they were.

Even though he still felt like his stomach was in his throat he picked his phone up, finding the camera and flipping it to face him like he saw the others do. Terra leaned in slightly to her, hoping his intentions were clear.

A smile pulled at her lips, and she leaned in to meet him, her cheek so close to his he could almost feel her grin. He held the phone up, trying to find the right angle on the screen; if he was doing it poorly Aqua never told him. Terra snapped the picture and leaned back to his chair while Aqua laughed lightly.

“What are you going to do to him?” she asked.

“Oh, you’ll see.” Terra stared at the picture on his screen, both his and her faces, both smiles; happy, they looked happy. That’s all he ever wanted, was for her to have everything she wanted. He knew she made him happier than he knew how to say. If he somehow made her happy still, then he’d do so every single day until he built up his courage to tell her that she had always been his world.

Terra watched the picture as it posted to his feed.

Aqua must’ve got the notification because she snorted in laughter, eyes bright when she looked up. “I like that picture of us.”

He couldn’t help the smile on his lips, maybe it was still really sappy but he didn’t quite have it in his heart to care right now. “Me too.”

@ventus just wait till it’s your turn for training today, buddy, we’re going to make it real fun.

[blaperile]

Homestuck Epilogues - Meat - Page 4

[richie-txzier]

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This (Who Am I To Disagree?)

Request: Can you do a Stenbrough soulmate story?!! I loved the Reddie one so much it was great.

Requester: @kylieee827-blog​

Pairing(s): Bill Denbrough x Stan Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak x Richie Tozier

Warning: Lil sad, but Richie’s there so it’s okay

Author: Admin Tozier

Note: A lot of you were wondering wtf Bill wanted in Paraprosexia (Spoiler Alert: He was having a gay crisis), so consider this a prequel/sequel/add-on to not only answer that question but give you a Stenbrough Soulmate AU as well! I started to write this and suddenly it was 3k words later and we hadn’t even got to Buttercup’s yet and I was like yikes so consider this Chapter 1!

Extra Note: GEORGIE IS ALIVE BECAUSE FUCK YOU STEPHEN, THAT’S WHY

Actual Useful Extra Note: The basis to this Soulmate AU is that on the night of your 17th birthday you have a dream featuring your soulmate. You see their face and hear their name, and for every consecutive birthday after that, you have a dream featuring them again and again until you find them. I’d say I created it, but most likely it’s a mash-up of every other Soulmate AU other there, so feel free if you’d like to use it! (:

Paraprosexia , Chapter 1 (YOU ARE HERE), Chapter 2, Chapter 3

23:58pm

23:59pm

00:00am

Bill let out a deep breath, the panic-inducing feeling of tears, a constricted chest and frozen limbs ebbing away in the early morning darkness. As his eyes met the ceiling, his hands coiling together to relieve the lingering anxiety, he first figured that he didn’t really feel any different. He was 17 now. 17 years of waiting for this exact night. He figured the worst was over, the rest he really didn’t have much control over. All he had to was sleep and there his soulmate would be.

Bill wondered what they’d look like. Would they be like Bev? With badge littered leather jackets, heavy dark make-up around crystal eyes, crimson-painted lips circled around a cigarette while one foot stayed propped up on the pedal of her motorbike. Or would they be like Mike? With big warm smiles, floppy straw hat casting a kaleidoscope of sunspots across his face as he looked up at him from fluttering his fingers through the field of flowers, a few of them tucked into his overall’s pocket. Or would they be like…

No. Bill couldn’t get his hopes up. There were 7 billion people on the planet, what are the odds his soulmate would be his best friend? His best friend with soft blonde curls, almond shaped brown eyes that when turned to him made him feel like he was the only person in the room, the rare and bright smiles that graced his lips and creased his eyes-

No. He couldn’t get his hopes up.

Exhaling another breath, Bill closed his eyes, his nerves betraying his determined desire to sleep and he fidgeted with his fingers. Eventually, he rolled onto his side in an attempt to get more comfortable while simultaneously facing away from the taunting ticking clock that recorded each minute he was away from his soulmate. He curled up under his blankets, bringing his knees to his chest in a fetal position he hadn’t slept in since the night Georgie went missing. Why was he so nervous? His heart was beating frantically as if it knew something Bill didn’t, his mind only rationally telling him the unlikeliness he would recognise his soulmate, let alone ever meet them.

With a determined, frustrated and familiar courageous coiled feeling in his stomach, he put on a brave face and decided he was going to face this head on. The universe wants to give him a soulmate? Get fucking on with it.

And with that, Bill huffed to himself, squeezed his eyes shut, and focused on sleeping until he drifted off into unconsciousness.

He was in a woodland. Stood tall, but so short against the towering trees, the foliage rippling under the soft summer breeze, the pale yellow sun shining through the gaps in the leave with angelic curtains of light. They fell like a spotlight to glimmer and shine again blonde ringlets, the tight curls swaying delicately like loosely twirled golden ribbons.

The figure slowly turned, chirping of birds causing them to hesitate for a moment to flutter through the book they held with graceful slender fingers, pale arms exposed by the sleeves of his cotton shirt folded at his elbows. His skin shimmered, the pearly expanse interrupted by faded freckles that he could only make out by the sudden proximity he found himself to the figure.

“Bill?” A silky, sharp voice interrupted his gaze on the figure’s body and Bill flinched, eyes lifting to meet the face of the figure.

Almond irises. Focused solely on him. Mouth curled into a rare smile, creasing his eyes.

“Stan?” Bill breathed. Stan cocked his head, closed his book and made his way closer, but Bill only stumbled backwards, eyes blown and jaw dropped into a pure state of shock as he stared into the angled concerned features of his best friend.

Stan’s eyebrows knitted together, his hand laying gently on Bill’s bicep and Bill resisted the sudden urge to jolt it back. His touch was too kind, too tender, too loving. Bill’s breath quickened and Stan’s mouth only tightened in anxiety.

“Hey,” Stan murmured softly, and Bill could only let him, his body frozen, as he wrapped a gentle arm snugly around his waist to draw him closer. Stan entwined their hands together and brought Bill’s to his lips, kissing his fingers softly. Their eyes met again, Stan’s warm brown eyes staring at him with a genuine clear emotion that Bill had never seen lining them, “I love you.”

Bill’s cheeks twitched into a smile, cheeks flushing a little as he pressed their foreheads together, vacant fingers curling into his shoulder to keep him as close as possible, the actions and words acting automatically; the pessimistic voice in his barely conscious brain telling him that this may be his only chance to say it, “I love you too.”

Bill woke up with the words sculpted into his mouth.

OH FUCK.

Bill felt like he wasn’t attached to his body as he scrambled out of bed, the clock on his bedside glaring 8:53am out the corner of his eye. His mind was telling him he was drifting over to his pile of shoes, but later he would realise he was probably clambering and stumbling over, pulling on the first pair of trainers he saw, not bothering to change out of his sweatpants, grabbed his phone, keys and hoodie before thundering down the stairs.

“Billy?” A small voice wavered into his focus and he looked down to see Georgie staring up at him, one flesh and one plastic hand holding a bowl of cereal as he was still dressed in his pyjamas, “Where’re you going?”

“I-I’m juh-j-just going t-to Beh-Beverly’s for b-b-breakfast.” He managed to spit out, his tongue feeling heavy, his mind clicking at a mile a minute. Georgie’s face brightened and he bounced on the balls of his feet, head reaching Bill’s chest now.

“Can I come? I wanna see Bev!” He asked, cocking his head and Bill got a sudden reminder of Stan doing similarly in his dream and another wave of panic crashed over him.

“Suh-sorry Georgie, not t-tuh-today.” Bill’s gaze was distant as he ruffled Georgie’s hair and quickly circled around the barely-teenage boy to rush out the front door. Georgie frowned at his retreating form, but quickly shrugged it off, happily walking into the dining room with his bowl of Lucky Charms.

Bill slid into the front of his car, tossing his phone into the passenger seat, plugging his key into the ignition and then paused for a moment to catch his breath. What was he doing? Where was he going? His head fell on the steering wheel and the car honked loudly. He jumped back, head falling into his hands with a depressed groan.

He needed to tell someone. Someone who would understand. Someone who was close to Stan as well, so they could help with how to tell the boy… what they were. Bill bumped the back his head against the car seat, groaning at his own cowardice to even think the word.

Soulmate. That’s what he is Bill. Stanley Uris is your soulmate.

Bill’s breathing was picking up, his heart beating painfully in his chest and his brain feeling like it was being wrung like a wet sponge. He needed to tell someone, get the pressure off his shoulders so he can focus on how to tell him.

How to tell him, oh my fucking god, how am I supposed to tell him?! Hey Stan, how you been buddy, listen, I had my wacky soulmate dream last night and guess what? WE’RE SOULMATES. Oh, and by the way, I’ve been in love with you since I was 15. Isn’t that cool? Haha! Wanna make out?

He smacked himself on the forehead. Out the corner of his eye his phone lit up as he got a notification from his messenger (Three in total; each a birthday message from Bev, Ben and Mike) and his background photo, that Richie had changed of him and the meddler with Richie smacking a kiss on his cheek while Bill was laughing, the alcohol evident in the redness of his cheeks, blared up at him. Richie.

Bill thanked God for the existence of Richie Tozier.

He snatched up his phone, pulling up his messenger and typed out a quick text:

Big Billiam: Meet me @ quarry in 20

He hesitated and then sent another:

Big Billiam: It’s important

He got a reply after a few seconds of typing:

Tozmanian Devil: omw

Bill puffed out the breath he wasn’t aware he was holding, his whole body slumping into his seat as a minute piece of stress lifted from his shoulder, allowing the feeling to come back into his fingers so he could start the ignition with a flick of his wrist. With a determined foot pressing on the pedal, he drove out of the parking spot and on to route towards the Quarry, hoping the wide open area would at least relief the squeezing pressure in his temples.

Pulling up he spotted Richie’s bike discarded carelessly on the ground a few feet behind its owner sat in the fire pit the seven of them had gradually created with a few rotting logs placed around the clearing in a circle to frame the social clearing. Richie was looking a little messy, as if he had just got out of bed, which earned a rightful pang of guilt in Bill’s chest, as his shirt was untucked from his jeans, glasses askew and glinting on the mid-Sunday morning light and his dark curls a mop across his face so thickly Bill wondered if he could even see.

“Rich?” Bill called, slamming the car door shut and locking it. Richie tipped his head back to shine a sleepy grin, eyes still a little bleary but the straightness of his posture held the concern he held for his best friend. When Bill came to sit beside him, in front of the log, leaning back against it, as Richie was obviously too cool to sit properly, he placed a friendly hand on his shoulder to silently assure him it wasn’t as bad as he knew he was blowing out of proportion in that wild head of his.

As he settled in next to him a whiff of antiseptic, wool and vanilla hit him, making Bill smile and laugh lightly, “You smell luh-l-like Eddie.”

“Well I’d sure hope so,” Richie replied, stretching long legs out to stare at his converse clad feet contrasting against the dark dirt they sat on, “Given that you dragged me from the sleepy and warm hold of my adorable boyfriend with your cryptic message. So what’s the hullabaloo about, cockblock?”

Bill only stared at him, terrifying Richie as his bright blue eyes held him down with an emotion he hadn’t seen pouring from them since they were 13: fear. Richie leaned into him, his hand falling to his knee, tone falling soft and concerned as he ducked to stare up at his friend, “Hey Bill, what happened? Talk to me, buddy.”

“What huh-happened in your s-suh-soulmate d-dream?” Bill suddenly asked. He didn’t know why he needed to know, he just did. Maybe it was because he needed reassurance it would turn out okay, that his feels could be requited. Or maybe he was just stalling, wanting to have his best friend here to do what he did best and just talk to drown out his thoughts.

Richie’s whole form softened and Bill was fascinated. A slow and painfully genuine grin took over his mouth and the words he spoke flow from his lips like he’d thought about it a lot, telling it over and over in his head until he could describe it perfectly. But the disbelief was there, the edge of shock that still hovered over him, stemming from his intense insecurity of never being good enough for the Eddie he was destined. It warmed Bill, a platonic and full glow that had him mirroring Richie’s smile.

“We were in the back of my truck, Eddie sat next to me, and I was playing my guitar. We were singing Africa,” He laughed, shaking his head, “Singing is not the right word actually. We were yelling more like. So off-key, so goddamn loud, and he was smiling, Bill, beaming, at me. His eyes were so big and full of love and he was grinning, his face gold in the setting sun and I could feel the love he had for me. For me. And then the song ended, but the giddy loving buzz stayed. Eddie leaned his head on my shoulder and he murmured that he loved me. It was so genuine that I remembered waking up crying.”

Richie was grinning dazedly, his eyes soft as he stared above the horizon with the pale blue sky reflected in his glasses.

“How did you t-tell him?” Bill whispered as he scuffed his free against the ground.

Richie shrugged, carding a hand through his mussed hair, “It all just kinda came out one day. I knew I had to tell him but couldn’t find the right moment. I kept putting it off and off until I couldn’t take it anymore. I climbed through his window, like the Romeo I am, and told him. Bare and clear, for him to take or leave.”

Richie smirked, “And boy, did he take it.”

“Beep fucking b-beep Richie, fucking heh-hell.” Bill hissed, spraying him with dirt and Richie only laughed. Bill could feel the bind on his chest loosen a little.

The two of them calmed; Richie laughs softening to a chuckle and then simmered to a gentle grin full of Eddie, Bill collecting his knees to his chest for the second time that day and placed his chin on his knees. Richie’s eyebrows furrowed as he took in the vulnerable position Bill had curled himself into and shuffled closer to him, leaning his head on Bill’s tense shoulder, hand rising to stroke Bill’s unbrushed reddish hair softly. Bill leaned into the touch and Richie sighed.

“Bill,” Bill knew what he was going to ask, Richie’s thumb pressing firmer into his temple, “Who’s your soulmate?”

What surprised Richie the most after that was not the name Bill muttered, it was not the absence of his stutter, it wasn’t even the sniff that followed; it was how Bill dropped his head to his knees and he sobbed. Broken, confused and scared. And what Richie thought was surprised, felt a hell lot more like pain.

“It’s Stan.”

And now it was real.

“Buddy,” Richie honestly didn’t know what he was going to say after that, so he was ironically thankful that Bill had flung his arms around him after that, burying his soft cries into Richie’s shoulder that smelled so strongly of Eddie. He stroked his hand down Bill’s back, dragging to trembling boy into his lap to hold him securely, his mouth aching to make a joke, diffuse the tension, do anything to interrupt the scene of the best friend he’d looked up to for so long, break down in his arms.

The moment was interrupted by the melodic singing and the low buzzing of Richie’s phone from his pocket into Bill’s thigh. Bill sniffed deeply, wiping at his nose as he pulled away from Richie with an embarrassed wet chuckle.

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you~

“Sorry, Billy, it’s the ball and chain,” Richie remarked, smiling lightly, reaching into his pocket with the intent of muting it, but Bill shook his head and sat back further, waving his hand.

“Ah-answer it, it’s oh-okay.” Bill tried to smile but it came out more as a grimace. Richie gave him a guilty look before he pulled out his phone and swiped to take the call, his thumb swiping across the picture of Eddie scowling up at the camera, but he hadn’t been able to stop the sweet smile that pulled at his mouth as Richie had no doubt said something stupid behind the phone.

“Hey Spaghetti-baby,” Bill caught a shrill sharp phrase of ‘Don’t call me that!’ and the two of them chuckled.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Yeah, I’m with Bill. He’s uh, he’s fine.” After another moment, Richie tilted his head to face Bill and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and Bill felt responsible and guilty for that, “Eds says Happy Birthday.”

“Tell him thanks,” Bill replied softly, his fingers twiddling with the soft material of his sweatpants.

“He says thanks. Mhm. Okay, baby, I will,“ He paused for a moment as he stared at Bill fidgeting, sniffing lightly, the pale light reflecting off the tear smudges across his cheeks and his overall slumped demeanour had Richie desperately wishing to see him smile, "Hold that thought Eds. Meet me and Bill at Buttercup’s. I’ll tell you when you get there. Mhm. Aw, you looove me? Okay, okay, I love you too, bye!”

Bill tilted his head to stare up him, eyebrows drawn together and mouth pressed into a line, “Wuh-why’re we goin’ to Buh-B-Buttercup’s?”

“Because, dear Billiam,” Richie began softly, standing up and offering a hand to Bill, which he gladly took, their hands linked as they walked towards Bill’s car, Richie squeezing it comfortingly, “Number one, I’m hungry as fuck. Number two, we need help from someone way better at this emotion shit than you, me and Eds. Number three, I miss Eds,”

Bill scoffed, chuckling as he leaned against the car door, watching Richie fit his bike into his trunk, “You suh-aw him an hour ago.”

“AND NUMBER FOUR,” Richie said loudly as to purposely ignore Bill’s teasing statement. He walked back to Bill to squeeze his shoulder, smiling so tenderly it made Bill’s heart clench, “You look like you need pancakes.”

When Bill smiled Richie considered his wish fulfilled.

BONUS: An aesthetic collage of the three people 17-year-old Bill knows he’s fallen in love with: 

[rimalupin]

Leo x MC: Starting Over

I haven’t had the chance to post this fic until now since 1) I’ve been working on it FOREVER (mostly b/c of school keeping me busy, haha ^-^’) and 2) I was reluctant to post it on my Tumblr (I’m shy, okay? :P).

Anyway, here it is! Dedicating this story to you lovelies who adore Leo and/or Shakespeare~. :)

BTW, this is technically Part I of the story (So the Prologue and Acts I, II, & III.). I’ll try to post Part II (Acts IV, V, & the Epilogue) as soon as I finish writing them. :P

Warnings: Low-key spoilers; mentions of murder; story gets kind of angsty/dramatic/emotional by the third act (whoops~).

Nonetheless, enjoy~. (Story below.)

Prologue

You know the saying, “Ask and you shall receive”? Well, I didn’t ask for any of this to happen.

I didn’t ask to be a Granger.

I didn’t ask to leave my country.

I didn’t ask to become a princess.

And I most certainly did not ask for Leo Crawford to come back into my life.

Act I

I stared up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Today had been an exhausting day: besides the usual princess lessons and the never-ending meetings with my potential suitors, I had to prepare for my official coronation ceremony.

I was shocked when I found out that I was going to be queen so soon; I had only been Wysteria’s princess elect for about three months, so I wasn’t exactly the most experienced person to run the country. And although the King’s health seemed to be improving, he insisted that the sooner I take the throne, the better both he and the country will be. And so - after much backlash from the old bureaucrats - he scheduled my coronation ceremony to occur a week from today.

And because the ceremony was coming up so soon, the pressure for me to choose a suitor skyrocketed. Every day, someone felt that it was absolutely necessary to ask me if I had found “The One” yet. Sometimes, people would even give me suggestions as to who I should marry. “Oh, I do believe that Duke Howard would be an excellent choice for your prince consort. He is such a gentleman, plus he’s quite the looker!” “But it would be politically advantageous for the princess to marry King Byron. Imagine what would happen if Wysteria strengthened relations with Stein!”

First of all, people can’t just expect me to find “The One” overnight. If that was possible, I’d be living in a fairytale. Which, at the moment, sounded far better than suffering from the stress of the real world. Plus, people think that I need a husband to rule beside me. I know I’m going to be queen in a week, but can’t I have some more time to choose a suitor? And besides, who said it was an absolute necessity for a queen to need a king?

Second: How the heck did the words “politically advantageous relationship” suddenly become synonymous with “potential lifetime partner”? Sure, King Byron is a great ruler, an important ally, and a wonderful person. But if I wouldn’t want to marry him solely for power. I had openly spoken to him about the possibility of marriage alliance during my visit to Stein last month. Although he didn’t necessarily agree with my views, he respected my decision and advised me not to feel pressured to wed purely for the sake of politics. We’ve been good friends ever since that day.

Lastly, I’m not going to pick my suitor based on how popular they are with the people. Especially when it comes to Louis Howard. I agree that Louis’s charm and looks make him a seemingly perfect candidate for my prince consort. But I’m not going to choose him just because people are telling me to do so. Besides, he and I aren’t very close: whenever I try to socialize with him, he tends to stay quiet and distance himself from me. I’m pretty sure that he either doesn’t like me or is interested in somebody else.

Not that it’s my problem: as far as I’m concerned, he’s free to admire whomever he wants. At least he has an idea of who he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

I groaned and covered my face with my blanket. I couldn’t let stress get the best of me, especially since I was going out of town tomorrow for a meeting with the Duke of Laurelia.

I looked at the clock on my nightstand: it wasn’t too late yet. I jumped off of the bed, slipped on a robe and some shoes, and snuck out of my room.

~~~

I expertly tiptoed my way to the palace’s library. The door was propped open, so I slid through the doorway before slowly closing it. I looked around the dimly lit room: beautifully colored books covered the intricately carved bookshelves surrounding the room. An ancient grandfather clock stood between two windows covered in sheer champagne-colored curtains. A long wooden desk covered with several documents stood in front of the tallest bookcase, and two sofas decorated the middle of the library. To top it off, a huge crystal chandelier hung onto the ceiling, reflecting the remaining candlelight throughout the room. I sighed to myself. Sometimes, I forgot how fancy this place looked for a library.

I walked up to one of the bookshelves and scanned their contents. “Okay, let’s see,” I mumbled as I searched through the authors’ names. “Beaumont, Fletcher, Kyd, Marlow, Middleton… Ah-ha!” The red leather-bound book I found was just a few shelves above me. I grabbed a chair from behind the desk and climbed on top of it. Being shorter-than-average, I had to stand on my toes in order to reach for the book. I almost had my grip on the book, but I nearly fell off of the chair when I suddenly heard a voice from behind me: “What exactly is the princess doing here at this hour?”

I grabbed the top of my chair to steady myself. Once I found my balance, I turned to face the person behind me. “What the hell, Leo?!” I exclaimed. “Don’t scare me like that!”

Act II

I had met Leo Crawford when we were children. Although we were both born into nobility, our families - the Grangers and the Crawfords - had been feuding with each other for centuries. Nobody - not even Wysteria’s best historians - knows who initiated the fight, let alone what started it.

When we were kids, we didn’t take our families’ ancient grudges against each other into account. We would play together all the time, along with Alyn, Leo’s twin brother. It wasn’t until their parents died that I learned we were destined to hate each other.

The story was that the old Crawford mansion was raided by a band of thieves. They took everything that they could find, and they didn’t stop until they murdered Lord and Lady Crawford in front of their sons’ eyes. Luckily, one of the family’s maids managed to help the boys escape before their home was burned down. Once they were out of harm’s way, Alyn and Leo moved into the palace temporarily before being offered to live at their uncle’s mansion.

When the news about Alyn and Leo’s parents got out, the rumours spread like wildfire. People believed that a Granger sent the group of thieves to kill Lord and Lady Crawford. Others talked about the possibility of the Crawford twins plotting their revenge against the Grangers.

After hearing the rumours, my parents made sure that I would never see the Alyn and Leo ever again. We moved out of Wysteria and completely cut off all forms of communication from the remaining Crawfords.

Time passed and we never learned who the real culprit of the murder was. Of course, the people needed to blame someone, so they always pointed at my family. Being made the scapegoat made my blood boil: why should my family take responsibility for a crime somebody else committed? The whispers eventually died down, but that didn’t stop me from wishing that I hadn’t been born a Granger and that I had never met the Crawfords.

Years later, I returned to my home country - against my parents’ wishes - with the intention to study political science. Instead, I was chosen to be Wysteria’s princess elect. Now, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to stay away from the Crawfords. I did my best to ignore them; however, I quickly found that hard to do.

Alyn - who is now the Captain of the Wysterian Knights - holds the responsibility of protecting me from harm at all costs. He often accompanies me on my trips out of town, which I find mildly annoying since we were supposed to be enemies. Luckily, he’s not much of a talker, so our time together often feels brief and uneventful.

And then there’s Leo. The unpredictable one. The spontaneous twin. The flirtatious bureaucrat who somehow convinced Giles - the king’s advisor and my personal tutor - to choose me as the princess elect.

I don’t know why Leo did it. Maybe this was his way of ensuring that I’d be miserable with the weight of responsibilities on my shoulders.

Well, he sure is doing a mighty fine job with making me suffer.

~~~

I glared at Leo, infuriated that he had almost made me fall. He looked different from blonde, lanky kid I used to know. His hair now seemed to be more white than blonde. His attire was fit for a palace bureaucrat, especially his long velvet coat. I noticed that he had time to develop some muscle in his tall body, which showed through his white button-up shirt. His familiar crimson eyes observed me from behind his black, thin-rimmed glasses.

I was amazed at how much he’d changed. I hated to admit it, but Leo grew up to be a dashing young man.

Leo chuckled. His platinum blonde hair moved along with his bobbing head. “You should really be more careful: that could’ve been a nasty fall.”

I rolled my eyes at the him. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to get this book and then I’ll be on my way.”

“You’re still quite the bookworm, eh?” Leo said.

“And I see you’re still awfully nosy.” I turned to face the bookshelf and resumed my mission to grab the book. I found it significantly harder to reach for the book with Leo watching my every move. After I struggled for a few moments, Leo spoke up: “Rosie, allow me.”

I refused to let my guard down at his attempt to be friendly. “It’s Rosalind to you, Crawford. Wait, what are you-?” Suddenly, Leo grabbed my waist and began to lift me off of the chair. I briefly shrieked in terror, but Leo shushed me. “Rosie, lower your voice. Do you want to wake up the whole palace?”

“I will if you don’t put me down.”

Leo sighed. “Look, I’m only trying to help. Just tell me where the book is and I’ll hoist you up.”

I groaned. “Fine.” My eyes scanned the bookshelves for my prize. “Up. Now a little to the left. Almost there.” Leo’s hands stayed securely around my waist as he maneuvered me towards my destination. “Here it is!” I exclaimed as I grabbed the book. My celebration was briefly cut off by Leo’s laughter. “What’s so funny?” I asked, confused.

Leo turned me around to face him. “You’re just so cute when you get excited. Especially about books.”

I felt my face grow hot. I looked away, attempting to hide my blush. “Oh, shut up and let me down.”

“As you wish, Princess.” I held the book in my arms as he gently set me back onto the floor. Once I was securely on the ground, I attempted to free myself from his grip, but he wouldn’t let me go. Leo tried to meet my eyes with his own. I avoided his gaze and looked at the floor instead. For people who were supposed to be lifelong enemies, we were way too close to each other.

After a long while, Leo finally let go of me and asked, “Whatcha got there?”

I blinked at him for a moment. “Oh, this?” I gestured at the book I was holding. “It’s just an old play.”

“Which one?”

“Romeo and Juliet,” I replied.

His eyes lit up with excitement. “That’s my favorite Shakespearean play!”

I was taken aback by his enthusiasm. “Well, I haven’t read it yet, so don’t spoil anything for me. Plus, I couldn’t get myself to fall asleep, so I figured that I might as well start reading it tonight.” I was suddenly embarrassed with how much I had just told him.

Leo lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you still have insomnia.”

“Mild insomnia,” I corrected him as I wrapped my robe tighter around my body. “Along with the stress of becoming queen in a week and having to choose a suitor.” I instantly regretted letting that detail slip out of my mouth. Leo’s expression showed concern. He opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted him: “It’s alright, Leo. You don’t have to worry about me. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” I started to walk away from him, but then he grabbed my wrist. More exhausted than irritated, I turned to face him. “What is it, Leo?”

“Can I read with you?” He seemed somewhat nervous as he waited for my answer.

I stared at him, surprised that he would make such a request. Considering the fact that we weren’t supposed to be in the same room together (and that I didn’t exactly want to be in the same room with him), I was about to decline his offer. And yet, something was telling me that I shouldn’t turn him down. “Um. Sure, of course,” I managed to say.

Relieved, Leo led me to one of the sofas. He removed his coat and placed it on the table in front of the sofa. He took a seat, but I remained standing. “Rosie, don’t be shy. There’s space for both of us.” He patted the spot right next to him. Of all people, I had to sit beside my sworn enemy. After a moment I sat down, leaving enough legroom for both of us. Leo chuckled. “Oh, come on, Rosie. I don’t bite.” I was caught off-guard when he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me toward him. My head landed on his chest; I could hear his heart beating. I lifted my head to face him. “Leo-.”

“Hold on,” he said as he readjusted his position. His back was now against the arm of the sofa and his long legs almost covered the length of the seat. I hesitantly followed his lead, seating myself between his legs and letting my back rest against his torso. We were so close to each other; it reminded me of how we used to cuddle with each other when we were younger, especially whenever we would read together.

I was glad that he couldn’t see me blush.

“Alright, we can start now,” he said.

Before opening the book, I asked him, “Do you want to take turns reading lines?” I felt him nod. At this, I opened the book, turned to the Prologue, and began to read: “Two households, both alike in dignity,/In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,/From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,/Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean…”

Act III

”For never was a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” I closed the book as Leo said the last lines of the play. I sighed, contemplating about what I had just read. “Wow,” I said. “That was…”

“The greatest love story of all time?” Leo asked.

I shook my head. “I was actually going to say depressing. I mean, Romeo and Juliet were meant to be together. But then they were torn apart by their families’ hate for each other.” I lowered my voice, almost to a whisper. “Then again, I guess their fate was inevitable.”

“Actually, I disagree,” Leo said.

I raised an eyebrow and turned to face him. “How so?”

He removed his glasses and placed them on the table. “Well, in the end, Romeo and Juliet were reunited. You know that phrase they say in marriage: ‘till death do us part’?” I nodded. “That’s exactly what happened to them,” Leo continued. “Romeo and Juliet vowed to love each other until the very end, and they kept their promises. Even though their families tried to pull them apart, they still defied their fates. The two of them chose to be lovers until the end of their days. That’s why they’re called ‘Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.’”

My eyes widened at his response. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds really beautiful.” Leo’s eyes brightened at my comment. “But,” I continued. “If they had just stayed away from each other, none of that drama would have happened. They would have suffered much less if they had ignored each other at the ball.”

“But would they really have been happy if they hadn’t given each other a chance? If they had simply walked away from each other just because of their families’ names?” Leo challenged.

I looked down, pondering about what he had just said. He isn’t talking about us, is he? I took a deep breath and finally managed to ask, “Why do I get the feeling that we’re not just talking about Romeo and Juliet?”

A sad smile crossed his face. “Rosalind.” He took my hands in his. I looked at him, surprised that he called me by my full name. I looked into his eyes, trying to figure out what he was going to say next. Leo raised his hand and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. “It doesn’t have to be like this, you know.” His fingers lingered on a long piece of my dark hair.

I shook my head. “Everyone knows that our families hate each other.”

“Screw the old grudges,” Leo said defiantly. “Do you think I’d let some ancient fight keep us apart?”

“Actually, that’s exactly what’s keeping us apart, in case you didn’t remember.” I stood up and began to walk away from the sofa. I can’t let him see me like this: I need to get out of here now.

“No. Rosie, not you too.” Leo followed me, cutting off my path to the door. “Is that why you’re avoiding me? Or is it something else? Talk to me, please.”

He reached out to grab my hand, but I stepped out of his grasp. “You really want to know why I’m avoiding you?” I didn’t wait for his answer. “Because it sucks to be blamed for something my family didn’t do.” Leo opened his mouth to say something, but I didn’t let him speak. “Because my family’s honor was destroyed eight years ago.” I raised my voice as I walked up to him, unleashing all the anger I had boiling inside of me. “Because I don’t know what to hate more: the fact that I’m a Granger or the fact that your family is the reason I had to leave the damn country.”

He stared at me, speechless. I balled my fists and looked into his eyes, preparing for his response. I expected him to yell back, to justify that he had more cause to be angry with me, to tell me he thought it served my family right to be blamed for his parents’ deaths.

Instead, he took a step forward, narrowing the gap between us. He gently took my fists into his hands. The gesture made my hands relax ever so slightly. “Rosalind. I didn’t know you felt that way. I’m sorry you had to go through that. For the record, I don’t believe that your family was responsible for my parents’ deaths.” He lowered his eyes, his gaze focusing on our hands. “I will admit that I haven’t forgiven the people who murdered my parents, but… Rosalind, you have no idea how much this has been killing me. I care about you and I’m tired of avoiding you simply because of our families’ names. I want to spend time with you without having to constantly check if anyone’s watching us. I want to tell you that I love you without having to worry that a Granger would probably rip out my throat for saying so. I want-.”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “Did you just say you love me?” This was happening way too quickly. I mean, this was the first time that we’ve talked in years. There was absolutely no way that he was confessing his love for me at this very moment. I slowly backed away from him, trying to figure out whether he was being serious or acting like the palace playboy I heard he had become.

Instead of giving me space, he gently grabbed my hand to prevent me from moving any farther. He used his other hand to move my chin so that I could face him. “Rosalind Granger,” he whispered. I shivered when he called me by my full name. He stared into my eyes with an expression I had never seen him use before. “I have loved you for as long as I can remember. And ever since you went away, my love for you only grew stronger. I waited for you, hoping that you would one day recognize my feelings for you, despite what our families think of each other.”

~~~

I was speechless. I had no idea Leo felt this way about me. I mean, I was aware that he cared for me like a friend, or maybe even a brother, but as a lover? I never thought that day would come.

Noticing my state of shock, Leo quickly pulled away. “I’m sorry if I startled you. I guess I couldn’t help myself. I completely understand if you don’t feel the same way.”

I couldn’t take it anymore; I wrapped my arms around Leo’s neck. “Leo Crawford, you idiot!” I said, tears streaming down my face. “Did you really think that I wanted to stay away from you for all those years? I only agreed to leave Wysteria in order to protect us from hurting each other.” I sniffled. “I’ve missed you so much. And I’m sorry I’ve been so horrible to you and Alyn ever since I came back to the palace.”

Leo stroked my hair as the tears poured out of my eyes. “Hey, it’s okay. Here, take this.” He broke out of our hug to give me a handkerchief from his shirt pocket.

I dabbed it around my eyes. “I was just scared that something horrible was going to happen if we saw each other again,” I confessed.

Leo shook his head. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore. Plus, you’re the princess now. I bet you could officially declare that the Crawfords and the Grangers are no longer permitted to be enemies.”

I chuckled. “I suppose you have a point.”

“And while we’re at it,” Leo added, “Why don’t we just start over again? Not as a Crawford and a Granger, but as Leo and Rosalind.”

I nodded. “I’d like that.”

He beamed at me. “Very well, then.” Leo extended a hand towards me. “The name’s Leo. It’s nice to meet you, Miss-?”

“Rosalind,” I said as I took his hand. “But you can call me ‘Rosie.’” We firmly shook hands as if we were meeting each other for the first time.

“Actually,” Leo said, pulling me closer. “‘Rosalind’ has a nice ring to it.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a dork.”

“And you’re such a hothead,” he teased back.

Just then, the grandfather clock struck midnight. I jumped slightly at the noise, which prompted Leo to protectively place an arm around me. “I should probably get back to my room before someone realises that I’m gone,” I said after the chiming stopped.

Leo nodded as he put on his glasses and coat. “I can walk with you, if you’d like.”

I accepted his offer, and together, we tiptoed out of the library, leaving Romeo and Juliet on the table.

To be continued...