Mutiny

@ofwondersandhares

At the sudden, unexpected sound of her voice, he starts - a small, barely perceptible movement, but a start nonetheless. As he lifts his dark eyes to meet hers, they seem somewhat lighter in colour than usual. There’s a flicker deep within them, of confusion or perhaps even vulnerability… and then it disappears, as quickly as it came.

“Shay-“ (He can’t help using her first name, despite how much he might want to insult her) “- I have no interest in the boy.” There’s a strange weariness to his voice, yet the way he spins a pen between his fingers suggests something deeper, perhaps. He can’t even bring himself to quip “for now”, the thinly veiled threat seeming pathetic even to him.

He groans softly, his body temporary collapsing inwards as he runs a hand through his hair. When he speaks again, his voice is a whisper.

@ofwondersandhares

For the briefest of instances, as he lifts his gaze to meet the other’s, his own dark eyes show just the slightest glimmer of guilt. It quickly fades, however, to be replaced by his usual hard, steely glare.

”Interesting,” he muses, releasing the tiniest of sighs. “Trust me, O’Hare, I have no interest in seeing your sister ever again. I have used her for what I wanted to, and I no longer need her. I suggest you leave it alone.”

@ofwondersandhares sent pride and prejudice … sentence starters

For a brief second, he forgets his place. His green eyes soften, the corners of his mouth pulling up in a gentle - and what can only be described as affectionate smile.

“I know what you mean…” he murmurs in reply. It’s clear by the glossiness and nostalgia in his eyes that his love for Sophie has not faded in the intervening years since the pair met - and, if Alexander had asked Ryan about it, he would openly (albeit reluctantly, perhaps) have admitted it. Sure, Ryan did not necessarily want to be with Sophie romantically, not anymore… but that did not negate the love he had for her, and probably always would. And, if anyone understood that, he expected it would be Alexander himself.

Still, he didn’t intend to make this fact quite so obvious in his reply, and so he sighs, clearing his throat and his expression as he meets the other’s gaze, though there is a slight sadness lingering on his features. “I mean— I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound… well…”

He pauses. Starts again.

@ofwondersandhares sent Taylor Swift — Lover Album  {Sentence Starters}

A smile touches the wizard’s lips, his head tilting ever so slightly to one side like a curious puppy, emerald eyes sparking in the light from the sun beaming down on them as they walked hand in hand. Despite the softness of Sean’s words, Ryan’s expression is playful, amused; he releases his lover’s hand and snakes his arm around his waist instead, squeezing him close as he presses a kiss to Sean’s temple.

”Hmm, is this really the same man that, only a few years ago, was afraid to stay? Afraid of long-term relationships? Wow, Sean O’Hare, I never thought I would see the day.”

@dxsole sent * [  DIALOGUE PROMPTS  ] :  feelings are complicated. 

She tenses at the sound of his voice, her hand clenching around the fork in her hand so tightly her knuckles turn white and she feels her nails digging into her palm. She stares fixedly at the eggs in front of her, not really seeing them.

It’s been like this lately. Every word, every sound, every breath from him winds her up like a spring, her muscles tensing and her heart pounding like a cat about to leap… or a rabbit about to run for its warren. If her friends ask, she tells them she doesn’t know what’s wrong with her lately, she’s been feeling super on edge - maybe it’s a hormonal thing, or maybe she needs to see a doctor? What she doesn’t tell them, what she can’t voice even to herself, other than in the dead of night when Lawrence is sleeping beside her, is how much she wants to kill him.

The fight they had the night before hasn’t helped. When she woke, she rose silently, pulling on a light, satin bathrobe over her nightgown and padding, bare-footed, into the kitchen. It was only as she sat down to eat that she realised she’d made enough eggs for two - a habit, most likely, from when she was trying to be meek, gentle, obedient, so he wouldn’t threaten to take out her eyes anymore.

Yet, now, as she stares at the utensil in her pale and clenched fist, she can’t believe that was once her. She has a brief yet technicolour image of rising to her feet, pulling her arm back, and driving the fork into his throat. She sees the blood, smells it, can practically feel it on her hands… and then, as she takes a deep breath, the vision fades, and she forces her shoulders to relax.

All she says is, “Okay.” There’s a weariness to her voice, one that refuses to give away the slightest hint that anything has changed within her. “I made you some eggs.”

@dxsole sent * [  DIALOGUE PROMPTS  ] :  feelings are complicated. 

"I'm NOT upset!" she shrills, in a tone that suggests she certainly is upset. She takes what is clearly supposed to be a calming breath, clenching her fists to release some of the frustration as she turns back to face the other woman.

@dxsole sent * [  DIALOGUE PROMPTS  ] :  feelings are complicated. 

He sighs, combing his fingers through his messy hair and allowing his brows to furrow into a frown before his green eyes flicker up to meet hers. He's not frustrated, exactly, just... well, okay, maybe he's a little bit frustrated. They've been through this before-- but that doesn't mean that Ryan doesn't understand. It doesn't mean that he doesn't know how difficult it is to let yourself be loved when all you've known is pain. But that doesn't necessarily make it any less frustrating to go over the same ground again and again.

Nevertheless, his voice is calm and patient, his hand steady as he reaches softly for hers, trying to soothe her, yet still remaining honest - because she both deserves that, and is smart enough to know a baseless, unrealistic promise when she hears one.

@dxsole sent * [  DIALOGUE PROMPTS  ] :  feelings are complicated. 

"No, I- that's not what I meant!" The redhead threw her hands up in exasperation, her voice perhaps a little louder than she intended as she released a heavy sigh. God, she loved Gideon, but he could be such an idiot sometimes!

It was not the first time that this thought had occurred to Sophie, though it was, admittedly, usually accompanied by a more gentle and loving tone than it was now. As her eyes grazed over the table between them, she wondered whether perhaps they had both drunk just a little too much tonight, and whether it was that that was sending her temper rising like a match being struck.

She hadn't meant to say it. Her feelings for him had been stewing for some time, bubbling away in her brain, but she hadn't expected them to come to the boil, at least not tonight. The fact that, over their years of friendship, she had slowly fallen in love with Gideon, was not something she had intended to blurt out on a drunken night at her home-- and she supposed that, technically, she still hadn't revealed it.

But she had said she was over him, and now she had the gall to be exasperated by his response? Despite being entirely aware that this was unfair, she couldn't seem to shake the frustration; she sighed yet again, shoving her hands through her curls and reaching out to drain the remainder of her drink before speaking again.

"I- I meant- you- I didn't- oh, for Christ's sake!" She groaned, her hands over her face as she struggled to find words.