#mpxnora

The ball was exquisite.

Even more grand than anything he'd ever imagined, and Alex made sure to soak up every minute of it. 

After a lifetime of learning to appreciate the small things in life, the whole ordeal was almost too much; almost too overwhelming to handle. 

His gaze shot from the beautifully decorated walls to the masses of people in costumes and masks before it shifted towards the array of food; probably enough to feed an entire town for a week. The inside of his lower lip felt raw after he spent an eternity chewing on it while he tried to take everything in—everything about this felt foreign.

And yet, he felt invigorated. Excited to learn more about this strange place where everything seemed to just…feel right. For a moment, he wondered if this would resemble his everyday life, had he not been given up for adoption. Maybe the world of decadence and elegance was where he belonged after all?

The sudden semi-embrace tore him out of his thoughts, and a gasp hitched in his throat at the contact. For a split second, Sanya's fight or flight struggled to make a solid decision, rendering him immobile for a heartbeat. Finally, the moment that felt like an hour but couldn't possibly have lasted longer than a blink passed, and his senses returned, bringing a wide grin as a souvenir. He knew that voice!

 And now that his surprised reaction passed, he felt a little silly for not recognizing her sooner—it's been far too long since he'd been greeted this way. 

The laugh that coursed his body when he tried to free himself of her grip and instead embrace her instead was uninhibited. “Yulia!” Pure joy dominated his tone, not only happy to see a familiar face, but ecstatic to realize that he'd get to spend time with her again. Just like in good old times. And just like in good old times, he pushed her off before flashing her a wide grin while his middle finger rose up in a simple greeting.

“Of course I did!” His voice sounded sweeter than sugar when he reached out to pull her into a proper hug this time. From afar, it might seem like a sweet gesture. Then again, from afar, it wasn't very visible how he was tensing every muscle in his body to squeeze her as hard as his good senses allowed him to. It wasn't enough to hurt her, but it was definitely enough to annoy her, just like he did every time their eldest brother, Boris, made them reconcile after a fight when they were younger. His personal way to get the last laugh in any argument.

His eyes were fixed on the heavy bar in his hands that he was slowly pulling up onto the brackets of the bench press, barely listening to her. Ever since he came to the island, the gym has been a source of excitement and relaxation for him, something to keep his body moving and remind him of home. Strangely enough, his siblings were constantly on his mind when he was exercising—he could only imagine it was because of correlations between the training and his past. 

“Well, it didn’t really seem like you had it under control” his voice was playful when he eventually placed the bar onto the mount and looked at her. The metallic sound that echoed through the room was either from the training equipment or his heart dropping to his stomach at the sight of the woman—Alex wasn’t exactly sure which option sounded more plausible. 

Eyes shot open, and his face was a picture of stunned confusion, while emotions ran wild and blended into something that was entirely too much. The resulting numbness set in only a few moments later, and only then did he notice that his mouth opened, and he was outright staring at her. 

“Yul-” he cut himself off, not trusting his own senses at that moment. Surely, he was imagining things. Yes. He must’ve been thinking of his siblings while working out, and now his mind somehow spun a tale of his sister. Some type of hallucination he has yet to familiarize himself with, right? Maxim told him that their sister was there, but that didn’t mean it was actually her, right?

Certainly wouldn’t be the first lie from his brother.

It would take another few silence-filled seconds from him until he’d realize how ludicrous that sounded. He would later accredit it to shock how his reaction was much calmer than he’d pictured when he imagined them meeting again. Alex saw himself running up to her and tackling her to the ground or lifting her up in a hug. He thought he’d know exactly what to say and recite the apology he’d thought of and memorized. He imagined himself shouting in joy of having his sister back in his life.

But awe and excitement seemed to overtake his whole body, while his mind was running at an alarming speed.

Alexander didn’t exactly know how long he’d been staring at her without saying anything—it could’ve been anything between a few seconds and thirty minutes—but when he opened his mouth to speak, it felt dry. Something he didn’t feel the need to concern himself with. 

He wrapped his arms around her even before he spoke, his voice shaky. “It’s you! I can’t believe it! It’s you, isn’t it, Yulia?” The question didn’t need an answer, and neither did he wait for one before he spoke again. “I–... I’m so sorry..Fuck– I’m so sorry. Yulya. You’re really here…” 

Alex’s last statement was nearly a mumble; a confirmation to himself that he was actually hugging her that was meant more for him than for his sister, and as if to make sure, he tightened the hold on her just a bit.

“I’m so sorry.”

If looks could suddenly kill, Eden wished to be bestowed with that power immediately. A grimace of contempt settled on her face at the sight of the woman. Despite having dealt with scum most of her life, she can’t remember hating somebody just as much as her ex-lover.

“I don’t need you to take care of me.” Her tone was icy, laced with poison and meant to shoot daggers with every breath. Without taking her eyes off of Nora’s frame, she pulled her bleeding hand away. Somehow, the shock of seeing her here made her drop the glass. And although the distance to the bar counter usually wouldn’t be nearly enough to break it, it must’ve fallen at an unfortunate angle to smash into a million pieces. In a nervous attempt to clean it, she must’ve somehow lodged a few shards into her palm. And while it did sting whenever she moved her hand, she still didn’t want to be touched or even be seen by the demigoddess.

“In fact, I’d really like it if you’d leave right now.”

ft. ( @mpxnora )

It was such a lovely afternoon that it felt criminal to stay inside. So Theodora picked up her current reading, put on her shoes and left the apartment. There would be enough time to clean and organize it later. Right now, all she wanted was the sun on her face and the breeze caught on her hair.

She walked around with no destination in mind, but her feet seemed to know the way to Central Park because that was where she ended up. The flowers were colourful, the trees were lush and she could hear the sound of running water from afar. It was a dream-like scenario.

Theodora sat on a patch of green grass under the shadow of a tree. She fished her book out of the bag and intended to open it, but her attention got fixed elsewhere. Although there weren't a lot of people at the park, it felt alive. She heard the people going on about their days and their laughing companions. She didn't understand what they were talking about, but she didn't need to. It was much like white noise to her. Their laughter, their voices, their steps. The breeze carried it all.

And amid the sound, Theodora heard her mother.

She remained quiet and unmoving. Perhaps if Theodora focused enough the sound would materialize into the person. Perhaps if Theodora closed her eyes and opened them again, they'd be in one of their outings armed with a picnic basket and their books. Perhaps if she wished with all her might, they'd be together. For now, however-

"You okay?"

For now, though-

"...caught you staring off..."

They could be back to what they used to be.

Although his eyes were closed and hidden below the arm he put over his forehead in a lazy habit, the spark of joy in his tone would’ve been noticeable even without any visuals to begin with. It might’ve been the countless painkillers wearing his defenses down, or maybe the memories that flooded his mind that made his lips curve into a grin so easily. Whatever it was, Maxim didn’t have the strength to fight it. 

“And the darker it gets, the better you look.” his voice pitched up into a mocking, nasal tone, mimicking the words he remembered so well. 

‘The deeper you dig, the darker it gets’ Those were the words he once mindlessly said when he was younger, unaware that his sister would retort with the ones he repeated just then, taunting him for years to come. As much as he hated it at the time, it became a running joke between the two of them, a lighthearted method to keep each other’s ego in check. The things he'd do to see her and hear her say it to his face just one more time. If only he knew just then who was in the room. 

It was unlike himself to not give in to his curiosity and see who was standing next to his hospital bed, but Maxim was much too preoccupied trying to block out the pain setting itself in his body. Maybe he was experiencing auditory hallucinations out of boredom, or maybe an employee was talking to themselves.

Although it hasn’t been long since the attack of a former victim-turned-wolf, there was already improvement of his wounds on his shoulder, arm, and leg thanks to the magic salves and healing powers of the staff. Yet the demigod was required to stay a few more nights before he’d get discharged, a fate he didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. 

Finally, his arm slid off in a sluggish motion, and Maxim blinked a few times to get accustomed to the annoyingly blinding lights in the room before he looked at the person in the room. Awe and confusion nestled themselves deep into his core as he slowly sat up, unable to discern whether he was high, dreaming or just delusional.  Technically, he wasn't supposed to put on any pressure on his right side, and the pain shooting through his shoulder might be a testament as to why. But Maxim had to make sure this was really happening and he figured it was easier done sitting. 

His mouth opened to speak, but no sound came out, his eyes wide in shock and restless as they tried to take in every detail about her. Could it be? It’s been so long and so much has changed. They have changed. Was it her? And if it wasn’t, how did she so accurately figure out the joke they kept amongst themselves?

It felt like an eternity when his voice finally returned, crooked and uncertain, saying the name of the one he feared he'd never see again.

With a final, wary glance to the bustle near the entrance, Eden turned her attention towards her next customer with an apologetic smile. It was shameful to admit, but after working at the bar for a while, the demigoddess became numb to disturbances of such kind and was happy to let their security team take care of rowdy patrons like that. She already had enough on her plate without having to take on additional nuisances.

As a master of her trade, it didn’t take her long to prepare the ordered drinks for the gentleman but before she could hand the glass over, she heard it. Something must’ve broken. Eden prayed it was just a glass shattering against the floor and not against a skull. Although she grew accustomed to such scenes, she was still half-human, which gave her an innate sense of empathy and curiosity. Her eyes shot up in hopes to find the source of the noise. Instead, her gaze fixed on something—or rather someone—that made her blood run cold.

Nora.

Eden wouldn’t notice, but the pure shock was visible in her face, her complexion looking paler with each ever so slowly passing second. Chaotic words and thoughts gathered in a bubble within her headspace, waiting to be released with a pop as soon as she could form coherent questions to arrange them into. Strangely enough, she always thought it was a cliché how everything would start moving slower and sounds would get duller in movies. Yet it described her perspective perfectly. 

For just a moment, there was only them. And however fleeting that feeling was, it was enough to get her heart racing and her head spinning in absolute panic. How did she find her? How long has Nora known that she was here? And most importantly—it’s crucial to note that this is when the little flame of fury within her started gaining traction—how dare she? The questions were endless, rushing through her mind and inadvertently making the moment seem never-ending. 

Only when the glass she forgot she was holding slipped and hit the floor right in front of her feet, did the daughter of Skadi look away. Her breath grew shaky as her fight or flight mode set in, hands starting to tremble, but as soon as she looked back up to find the familiar woman, she was nowhere to be found. 

The smallest of smiles, the kind that was only too familiar to anyone who ever worked in the service industry, flashed across her expression. It was a silent apology directed at whichever customer was waiting for their drink before she rushed back to the kitchen. Eden took a final glance towards where she’d seen Nora before the door closed and she let her body sack against the wall closest to her. Sliding down to relieve her wobbly legs of their duty, the shock rendered her speechless, trapped in the madness of her emotions. 

She had to have been dreaming.  That did not just happen. It was not real. That was not Nora.