#enthraling

She’s thirteen when she finally runs away- little bit out of absolute terror, little bit out of absolutely deserved fury- and ditches Jump City. It was hard enough staying out of sight when getting to a neighboring town, she’s earned some respite, so she when she sits down on a bus seat (hoodie up and hair braided so it’s not sticking out she’s too distinct) her legs thank her. Watching the night sky pass, she breathes in, and then out- repeats the process until she can’t hear her own heartbeat in her ears anymore. And then a wave of concern / fear / worry / are you okay crashes down on her and she remembers not for the first time she was never the only victim here. Her soulmate may not have been able to feel the pain but they certainly felt the rest of it. …She needed to do better for herself, and for them- she couldn’t afford to hurt them like this anymore. Putting one hand over her heart, she tries to steady out her breathing more and focuses not on the fright but instead on the triumph and the relief. She’s not okay, but she’s going to be whether the universe fucking likes it or not. She’s free now. 

Another year’s passed and he’s on the plane to New York, much to his pleasure. Of course he’d be capable enough. And really, is there any other city more suited to his education? Sure, he’s heard some absolute rubbish about American public schools, but it’s a hub of the magic community (and one of the ones he doesn’t need to wear a breathing tool for at that!) and has plenty to offer. Rumor had it even the American Dragon himself made his home there, out of an entire country to choose from. And anything good enough for the magical protectors was certainly good enough for him. There was another reason though… ever since that day with the relief / determination / reassurance (it felt so long ago), there was a certain sense of… longing. He wanted to know the person he was connected to. He wanted to be able to be there for them, in any way. Going to America felt right and in a world with fairies and prophets, who was he to argue with gut feeling? (It’s not like gut feeling hadn’t saved his soulmate enough. He remembers those feelings all too well.) So yes, part of this was for his education. But he wondered if they could feel that he was searching for them? Wouldn’t it be funny if they were in New York too?

Yet another year passes for the two of them. Nigel sparks a rivalry (and, admittedly, a friendship) with the American Dragon himself, carefully avoids soulmate talk with his peers, and studies ( what are you so satisfied about? / probably one-upped someone / amusement, soon / i promise / guilt, you got this / faith / pride ). Felicity travels, works through her anger- though it never really fades- and works through her fears ( wonder / curiosity / show me what you’re seeing, its okay to be angry / you deserved better / reassurance, you’re braver than you think / reassurance / pride ) and then one day a dragon befriends a witch, and then he decides she needs more friends. He’s not wrong, honestly. 

So when Nigel walks in to find a pink haired girl he’s never seen before laughing at one of Long’s silly jokes, he’s. … Hrm. He doesn’t actually know what he’s feeling. Long introduces the girl as Felicity, she shrugs when the others around call her Fel, and she almost looks at ease. He’s not sure why he notices that her back’s slightly stiffer than the others’ (he feels a faint sense of unease that isn’t his) or that she’s almost overwhelmed by the antics around them. But it fades quickly, so he shrugs it off. Felicity’s fun, he thinks. As he gets to know her, she proves more than once to have a sharp tongue, a sense of responsibility that puts her into far too many outrageous predicaments, and a kindness that he hadn’t expected (she still made him a cup of tea when she left to make herself one, even after an argument neither had apologized for what the heck). 

(He feels a little stupid when he finally realizes that it wasn’t just his smug amusement, his bewilderment, his contentment and frustration alike that he’d been feeling so strongly.) 

So he watches her, one day. She’s watching some baking competition and admonishing the competitors for an amateur mistake, she sounds so mad (he can feel her positively giddy amusement, how didn’t he notice before?). And then she notices him and immediately her furrowed eyebrows are smoothed out and her frown is replaced with an easy smile when she greets him. She’s not stiff and nervous and almost ready to find someplace to hide and be alone anymore, and he’s proud of her for it. Does she feel it? (She notes a fate tingling of that familiar proud of you, actually, but she’s good at not responding too visibly to that when she’s not alone.) They talk easily, because she’s been convinced to stay in New York with them and she’s been wanting to get a normal life and Long is enthusiastic to help a good friend and encouraged her to consider their own school when it starts up, but then she gets distracted by the show and laughs so softly that he swears his heart flutters- and she pauses, blushing lightly because it echoes back to her.