- the last chapter before the epilogue, this chapter is shorter than the one before, please if you have any questions regarding the book, or anything related please post them in the comments or send me a dm I'm so happy to be here with u guys. Also since this book was written before any scaras lore he can be a bit ooc, i tried fixing him in this chapter making him seem like he was a good person in the past but i lowkey feel like I failed to show that. I hope you still enjoy the chapter nonetheless.
Breath hitches in your throat as worries flood your heart and dumb little mind. You breathe deeply trying to shake away the fear that is buried in your chest. The sun shines brightly making sweat form all over your body as you grip the inazuman flower boutique.
There is a classical music band that was hired by Scaramouche in the background, they're playing soft and quiet music building a lovely atmosphere. violin mixes with quiet whispers and gossip you step back, your brows furrow in pain when you feel an edge of a knife on your back, threatening to cut through your clothes and skin, ready to draw out blood. You look behind your shoulder to see the Russian ginger smiling sincerely, his eyes dark with a hint of madness, the knife is hidden under his sleeve, away from the wandering eyes of the guests but still here for you to feel, a hint that there is no escape.
You step back forward your eyes becoming teary, your eyes meet Dottore who is standing behind the altar, his smile widening as he sees your fear. You gulp your pride your hands lightly shaking, your press harder onto the boutique. Finally, you step forward, your shoes clicking against the decorated stairs. The music explodes now being loud, people start clapping and cheering, and harbingers sip their wine gossiping. The icing mage in the crowd waves at you sparkles in her eyes as she jumps trying to make you see her, when you look at her she shows thumbs up.
When you're finally at the top of the stairs, on the podium where the altar is, you finally breathe out. Scaramouche is by your side, he hums in approval as he can sense your presence. "Finally, always have to make a scene don't you, a grand entrance they call it," Scaramouche sighs, surprisingly not angry. He seems weirdly relaxed, your muscles tense. Normally he would start making a scene, educating you and stuff, but now that you stand next to him he seems happy not minding the fact you came late and tried to back away a few times.
"Feeling shy? Tire of your fake pride already," he is pressing your buttons, and he knew it. His smile says it all. "Fake pride? Like you know any better," you bite onto your lip, your hands curl into the fabric of your clothes. "What is all this, you don't see me for three years, we become complete strangers and suddenly you want to marry me? Don't you realize how big of a commitment this is? Has your brain decomposed since we last saw each other? Or is this some trend that harbingers now do," you spat, your heart hurt threatening to break apart, your chest felt heavy and you felt awfully hot, cold sweat rolled down your forehead as you tried to stay as quiet as possible but still express your anger. Scaramouche seemed unaffected by your brattiness, in fact, he seemed lifeless like he couldn't get why you were so angry.
Before he could calm you down or answer Dottore coughed loudly, discarding the tense atmosphere," the guests are growing impatient should we start?"
Scaramouche nodds a glaze lily decorating his hair. Just now you noticed that you carried a boutique of flowers from his homeland, and he had his hair decorated with a flower from yours.
You still didn't understand, why would he marry you? Yes, you were his secretary for a year, before you started working under him you spared a few glances at each other in the fatui hall. Besides a few words of comfort and encouragement you offered him, there was nothing more that happened between you two. Yes, maybe you understood why back then he would fall in love with you. When younger and naive you always tried to bring a positive and happy atmosphere everywhere you went. You always helped, you never forgot anyone's birthday, you always carried patches with you and gave first aid help. But now you're a different person, you grew up. You became smarter and a hard worker. You haven't seen Scaramouche in years, and neither did he. So the attraction surely had to disappear, right?
"You promised you wouldn't leave," Scaramouche whispered, and suddenly your mouth ran dry.
Dottore fixed his clothes and microphone and opened his book, bending over he tapped the microphone a few times before finally speaking,"Welcome, loved ones. We are gathered here today to join Scaramouche and Y/n in holy matrimony." You remembered, how could you forget such a significant moment in your life. Your face became red your heart sinking, drowning in a cold sweat of guilt. Back then, when you started working as a harbinger, Scaramouche became a harbinger too. You remember everyone said that his heart was from stone, or from ice. Lost in past and his own anger. You remembered wanting him to smile too as other harbingers did. You wanted to be friends with everyone so much, wanting everyone to warm up to you. You cleaned Dottores lab after experiments, trained with Childe, created handmade gifts to Sandrone, singing with Columbina. You tried to warm up to Scaramouche too, but he was always so dismissable and alone.
Yes, you remember, you were a people pleaser back then, helping everyone, making everyone feel welcome. Even when Scaramouche pissed you off you still bit your lip and were nice.
You remember one day, the night was cold and dark and you climbed onto the roof of fatui headquarters, stargazing. When Scaramouche found you he scolded you, telling you how he will tell Tsatsira, but knowing that Tsasira probably liked you more than him he gave up letting himself enjoy the peaceful moment. He climbed up, sitting next to you. You remember how he became sleepy and for the first time he let himself be vulnerable, he laid his head on your lap as you brushed through his hair, ranting and talking about meaningless things. And then listening carefully when he whispered his worries or ranted about his hopes for the future. You remembered the shock you felt when you found out he was a doll, suddenly scared to touch him, scared that your touch would break his beautiful face.
You remembered how you did a pinkie promise, promising you would be always here for him, always by his side.
But being with him was from time to time exhausting, even more, when you became his secretary, he can't blame you for leaving. For choosing a better future for yourself.
Perhaps you should have done better then. Be more honest, and more open. You didn't knew what consequences would your actions make. You should have said goodbye, or left a note. Not cutting all the connected strings, not cutting his heartstrings, leaving him alone, like everyone always did.
"No need to worry about the past! We have united again, thanks to your friends," he looked at you, his smile widening, his eyes dull and insipid, no longer violet, now they were purple-greyish with a hint of insanity. Shivers run down your spine, this Scaramouche was so much different than the one from your past. Like you were getting married to a brand new person.
Back then Scaramouche was cruel, he degraded people, he was possessive and dint understands human emotions, and he was angry and hot-headed, in contrast however he also allowed you to see his weak side, his kind and sympathetic side, his boring and calm side. You were the first person in years that showed him kindness and warmed up his ice heart. He was humanoid, he had both bad and good traits, and he showed true emotions even if he couldn't understand them.
Looking at him now. He no longer felt like a human. He was weirdly calm and relaxed, his face a sinister grin. The Scramouch next to you was a doll, a lifeless doll with no other emotion besides his sick love for you, no other thought than you. Unable to love, he was dead inside but alive outside.
It was like someone craved a heart out of his chest and stepped on it, and the one who did it was you. Just like when you became important to him and made him trust you, just to disappear without a trace.
Dottore kept talking, and reciting the text from the book, his clones sat in the front, eating as much food as they could, looking like hamsters. They were clapping their hands and loudly cheering, low-key making Dottore embarrassed.
"Just kiss already goddamn," the younger clone yelled, his mouth filled with cupcakes, the icing smeared all over his mouth. "No shut up Dottore you don't understand it, it feels more romantic this way," the older clone lightly slapped the back of the younger Dottores head.
"No may the pair exchange their vows," Dottore spoke, he shot a glaring look at his clones.
He looked back at you two, his mood brightening when he noticed your uneasy expression, sadist. ""Do you Scaramouche, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?," he spoke his gaze turning to Scaramouche who was still smiling.
He took your hand pressing it his heart nearly jumped from his chest at his excitement," I do."
"Do you Y/n-" Dottores voice was a blur, for a moment you couldn't hear anything, you felt your cheeks flush, your heart heaving, your blood pressure going up. You felt like you were about to vomit. Your hands shook as you thought about the past, how you left everyone, about the present, how you were about to get married, and the future, your life with Scaramouche.
Suddenly Scaramouche pinched your cheek getting you out of your thoughts, "I know you do, say it, don't be shy, everyone knows you already belong to me," Scaramouche whispered.
"Shut up," you whispered. You looked at your shoes in shame, "I do," your lip shook, you felt so humiliated.
"Amazing now might you kiss the bride," Dottore closed the book with a loud bang smiling. You backed away while Scaramouche took a step toward you. "I will be gentle I promise."
His hands cupped your cheeks, you nodded, "let it be over then."
Your lips connected, and he brushed his fingertips over your hair and pulled away. You blink a few times, while Scaramouche kissed your forehead, "I will make sure that you will never leave me again, you're all I need, you're my oxygen," he brushed a few hair strands from your face, his forehead on yours his pupils dilated and small, his crazed smile on his features. He was obsessed, you could feel it by how tightly he held you in his arms, scared you would disappear otherwise.
Dottore proudly walked towards his clones who were fangirling and jumping around him like hyped-up children.
The rest of the day felt like a blur, you cut the wedding cake together. A few of Scara's friends had a speech then Nigguang had a speech, her voice was slightly shaking, she tied to look at the crowd in front of her but upon meeting your angered gaze she always looked away, looking at the paper she held in her hands instead. She babbled about how a monster was supposed to attack Liyue a sea monster until you saved them by your sacrifice, how you married the love of your life and in exchange, Scaramouche sent his fatui agents to kill the monster before it could attack.
Then you stood by Scaras side, his hand resting around your waist, his suffocating presence making you nervous. Is this how your life truly looks like now? There is truly no escape is it..
(the final chapter/epilogue will be posted this month,please look forward it)
TAGS: @aluraveil @alisstaa @cherlynono - sorry for such a boring chapter guys, next one will be beter, and final.
