“I Think He Knows”
Veilguard Appreciation Week Day One
Prompt: “Close your eyes, take a breath”
For @sorceresssundries a person who is truly kinder, sweeter, and more talented than any of us deserves.
Tags: Emmrich x Gender Neutral Rook, SFW, Emmrich has Third Degree Yearns, Fluff, Yearning, Longing, Romantic.
(838 Words, continued below)
Emmrich knows what people think when they look at him, they let their guard down when they see the older man. They only see the gray hairs and the wrinkles — or the way he moves just a little slower than his compatriots which are half his age. It’s not ideal, but he’s learned to be fine with it. It’s worked to his advantage often, in all honesty, people seem more at ease with him as a result.
Oh but they can miss so much more with their hasty judgement.
Rook lets their practiced guard down when they meet the kindly old necromancer. He knows the moment it happens. It’s in the subtle slouch of their shoulders and a slowing of the breath in their chest. Too focused elsewhere, they miss the way his eyes follow their every movement with an already growing hunger, or how calculated that charming smile of his actually is.
Emmrich knows the moment Rook realizes he’s more than just an old man. It’s too early for him to hope that Rook could feel the same way he does, but foolishness is not a trait exclusive to the youthful. Although, between his burgeoning feelings and the way he can’t keep them out of his mind he’s feeling younger than ever these days.
He catches the way their eyes follow his hands and their every movement. It becomes an addiction almost immediately, the way he craves Rook’s eyes pouring over his body and he is shameless in the lengths he’s willing to go to for more of that delectable feeling. That night he slips off every bit of grave gold he wears on his fingers and wrists for the first time in longer than he’d like to admit. When Manfred has busied himself for the evening with his latest experiment, Emmrich dutifully polishes each piece of precious jewelry as thoughts of Rook’s presence dizzy him with glee.
He knows when it works.
A thrill chases down his spine when he catches the blush on Rook’s cheeks, their staring is no longer thinly disguised with their trademark charm and humor. The soft skin of his now deliberately exposed forearms is a gentle backdrop for the newly polished gold. His master plan works better than he could imagine when he notes how Rook is barely able to focus on even the simpler pieces of the fade harmonics he’s discussing with Bellara.
Emmrich is a man of science and magic, a man of considerable experience and singular focus. Rook’s crush wasn’t a subtle one, in fact it’s easy to see that Rook feels the same way he does. It’s tempting for him to take the easy route but he won’t act, not yet. He wants Rook to be sure. It’s not just about their gap in age, no, this is so much more. His admiration runs deep now, threatening his measured control. This interest of his isn’t a passing fancy or an idle fling. His selfish heart thrums possessively at the thought of Rook being his, forever.
Emmrich knows how bad Rook wants him.
It’s textbook. The dilated pupils, the higher pitch in their voice, and Emmrich could swear he could hear their heartbeat race each time he drew nearer to them. Then there were the signs that were uniquely Rook — the way they linger in his presence just a moment longer than needed or how their gaze seems to find the ground the moment his eyes find theirs across the room. His personal favorite is the way they bite the smallest corner of their plush bottom lip as they listen to one of his many lectures on the fade.
Even with his considerable experience it’s hard for him to keep disciplined when they look at him like that. He is a gentleman first but in Rook’s presence his convictions are nearly eclipsed by a heated want. Were he a lesser man he’d be consumed whole by a desire demon as he waits and yearns for their touch. It’s almost maddening. Emmrich just needs to find a way to help them see, to help Rook understand that their feelings aren’t unrequited ones. When it finally occurs to him, he’s almost embarrassed it took him so long.
Rook’s skin is already flushed when they lay their hand atop his during a private lesson in his quarters. The little balcony looking out to the fade is the perfect place. A reminder for him that the eternity of the fade is only a fraction of what he feels for Rook. He leans back further against the steady desk to quell his nerves at the thought.
“Close your eyes, take a breath” He lets the words rumble out of his chest, that deeper tone always finding its way out for Rook.
This is both lesson and lifeline, a desperate plea to Rook to see the affection before them. A tremble dances across their skin as it presses to his and an eager smile spreads across his face. This is it. He knows.
Dividers by: @ olenvasnyt | Emmrich Pic and Edit by: Me
