Random

In all honesty, you hadn't really expected him to. But it seemed logical that the act of you chucking a ruby at his face would get some kind of reaction, right?

Instead, you earned his crimson mist wrapping around it in an instant, accompanied by his long-suffering sighs. He didn't even look at you!

The second time, you thought it might hit. But at the last second, his hand shot up in a flash and caught the ruby easily. He cast you a sidelong glance. Of amusement or disappointment, you couldn't tell.

By the sixth time, it was more for the sake of seeing how long it would take to annoy him than to actually hit him. Which, it turns out, Sylus had more patience than you thought.

Much more patience than you.

At twenty rubies, the only way you were keeping track of how many it had been was the small pile that had collected on his desk.

At thirty-seven, you stopped. For an hour or two, at least. The game was getting boring and you had things to do anyway.

Sylus, though, eyed you warily. It wasn't like you to stop without a clear victory, even when it was clear he would not be losing. He was tense as the hours ticked by, only allowing his shoulders to ease when you were side by side in the kitchen.

You were getting sleepier now, like you always did this time of day. Something about dinner time made you want to cozy up, Sylus noticed. Not that he objected, of course. Having you close by always made things better.

So he didn't think anything of it when you slipped away for a moment. When the clock hit six, your games were usually over, or at least limited to throwing some food at him.

He should have expected it, though, when a ruby smacked his back, right in the middle. Bullseye. Sylus turned slowly, deliberately, eyes narrowed as they landed on you, completely frozen and wide-eyed.

Then, you ran. A mad dash down the hall, a mischievous trail of giggles left in your wake.

Sylus cocked his brow, lips just barely curling up, body immediately in pursuit.

He caught up to you quickly, of course, long legs making longer strides that you could hardly compete with. Speeding up for just a moment, he let his arms curl around you, dragging both of you down to the floor.

Sylus landed first, directing you to collide with his chest. You wriggled against him, laughing when he flipped you over, face hovering just inches above yours.

You were well and truly trapped. Caged beneath his massive body. A nice cage, you begrudgingly admitted.

"Care to explain this little game of yours, sweetie?" Sylus tilted his head.

You grinned. "I was just trying to add to your hoard," you said innocently.

"My… hoard," Sylus repeated. "Are those rubies not from my safes anyway?"

"They are." You nodded. "But now I'm giving them to you. That makes them better."

Sylus chuckled despite himself. "I can't argue with that logic," he conceded. "Why are you giving me such gifts, though, sweetie?"

You curled your arms around his neck, pulling him closer until his chest brushed your own. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched his forearms flex on either side of you, not quite straining. Not yet.

You smiled, saccharine and sweet. "It's dragon appreciation day," you murmured. "I want to show my favorite dragon just how much I love him."

"Oh, beloved…" Sylus breathed, words caught in his throat as his heart threatened to explode in his chest. He let his forehead drop against yours, breath shuddering against your lips.

You stayed like that for a moment, wrapped up in each other. Soon, though, Sylus raised his head slowly, brows furrowing.

"Your favorite dragon," he echoed slowly. "Do you know other dragons?"

You laughed. "Are you jealous?"

"No." His lips jutted out for a moment before he buried his face in the crook of your neck, nuzzling into you. "I just want to make sure you know one thing."

Scratching at the back of his neck, you hummed. "And what is that?"

Everything had seemed fine this morning. Better than ever really. Sure, he hated to go to work on your day off, but he promised to be home early and you'd seemed excited by the prospect.

Now, he's really regretting going in to work.

Your engagement ring sits on the living room table, the jewel glinting in the light. It's almost taunting him. He's so used to seeing the band on your finger, where he had placed it just a few months ago. You'd been so happy then.

What did he do wrong?

Zayne picks it up carefully, inspecting the ring he'd agonized over for weeks, wanting to make sure you'd love it. You deserve the best after all, and he wants to give it to you.

It's why he quietly ascends the stairs, stopping at the doorway of your shared bedroom. You're fast asleep, buried under the blankets and still clutching the snowman plushie he'd bought you. Zayne hesitates, unsure how to proceed from here.

He shifts his weight nervously and, of course, the floorboard underneath him creaks.

“Hmm?” You stir, starting to blink awake and squinting at his figure in the doorway.

“Sorry. Go back to sleep.” The words leave him too quickly, and alarm bells must go off in your head because you sit up and rub your eyes.

“What’s wrong?” You gesture him over and his feet carry him to your side despite the knot in his throat.

“You…you left your engagement ring on the table.” He chokes out, feeling his hands start to get colder. You look confused for a moment, before your eyes widen, hands darting out to grab his.

“Oh my god no Zayne I just took it off cause I was taking a nap on the couch but then I moved to the bedroom and forgot to put it back on! It’s nothing like that, I promise.”

Well, now he might pass out from relief.

“So everything is…alright?” Your hands are warm against his, the cold aching in his bones starting to fade away. You smile, pulling him closer to peck his cheek.

______

Big dragon husband

"As a lesbian... supporter..."

Glinda Upland

having beef with the concept of authority

but in different fonts

Ariana Grande about the door scene in Wicked For Good for Vogue Japan:

There’s one particularly resonant scene in the film where Erivo and Grande’s synergy shines. It’s a touching shot of Glinda and Elphaba standing on opposite sides of a door after their final goodbye, as Elphaba chooses to leave for good. Chu has said he had to fight to keep the scene, in part because it pushed against the Oz rule that characters aren’t meant to say “I love you.” But in that particular moment, amid the tumult and complexities of their relationship, the scene lands with a real ache as the women come to terms with what it means to let each other go for the greater good.

Almost run her over with your Horse and then charmingly apologize after

Contrive some kind of festivity or occasion where you can showcase your key strengths (i.e. dancing on tables, shelf acrobatics, looking handsome - always on)

Figure out ways to showcase your other key assets (i.e. flop hair carelessly in front of her in odd occasions, take off shirt whenever possible, etc.)

Find out what she cares about. Learn that you care about it, too.

Get her to a private, secluded, romantic location for a little heart to heart.

Try to eliminate layers of clothing as soon as you can. Showcase how strong and veiny your fore-arms are. Girls love those.

Try not to be too shocked when you realize she can read you like a book.

Run away to safety. Stay.

Resolve to tell her how you feel.

Support her on her big day. Give her a token that shows her how you feel. Make sure it is something explicit, like a letter. Not something vague, like a flower......................

If she runs away or goes off into hiding, do everything in your power to find her. EVERYTHING.

No sacrifice is too great to keep her safe.

The water rumor is disgusting and utterly stupid, but it has its benefits. Use it to your advantage.

Maybe don't go through with getting married to someone you don't even love.

When you see her again, make sure you don't lose her. Make sure she never doubts that you will choose her, over and over again. Over everything else.

She has been living a solitary life, thinking she was alone in her suffering. Make sure she never feels alone ever again.

Do everything you can to let her see her how beautiful she is.

Get over your fear of heights.

Don't let her fight alone.

If necessary, lay down your life for her. Hope she can read in your eyes how much you love her. Pray that she will never be in danger again.

When you wake up, and you don't feel the bones in your body, when you wake up and you realize you cannot breathe, when you wake up and the heart that had been beating for her is no longer beating, realize you never needed any of those things to love and protect her anyway.

Eyes only for each other

Call it Sylsa.