theseus scamander x reader

prompt — "can you please look at me, love?" 

see, theseus is more than happy to help his little brother. he prided himself in being capable of prioritizing his family, most especially newt, over his profession as head auror of the british ministry of magic no matter what. when newt had been delivered at his doorstep by one of his majestic creatures, his brotherly instincts kicked in almost immediately. he brought him inside, tended to his wounds and pickett's, then immediately called you over. not for the reason that he was struggling with his current patients, but because there's a newborn qilin who would bid for his attention at every chance it gets since he sang to her. the qilin is quite the love bug, he concludes, and therefore he needs it off his back every few minutes if he were to properly treat his brother. 

now, you as the lead investigator of the auror office, he didn't expect much in your ability to tame wild creatures. he did know that you are capable of handling situations you're unfamiliar with, and this being one of those, you were the first one he chose to call over with his patronus. well that, and the fact that you are his one and only lover. if there is anyone else he'd trust in the space where his brother is recovering and one of the rarest creatures are present, it would be you a million times over. 

here's the problem. theseus didn't know that you're awfully brilliant with magical creatures, and you seem to be extremely knowledgable when it came to rare ones such as the qilin herself. it kind of reminds him of newt—he's more than glad the both of you have something in common that you can bond over. about fifteen minutes ago, he sat himself on the recliner across the windowsill where you were situated with the deer-like creature, resting after checking on newt's condition and whether or not he's regained consciousness. see, it was early in the morning and he wanted nothing more than to spend it with you. it had been awhile since you've properly spent the morning together due to your incredibly hectic schedules as aurors. since the escape of gellert grindelwald, you have been solving cases left and right, all leading to the doing of his followers. he too had his fair share of troubles from the mad man, having to juggle between his role as the head auror by authorizing teams and validating cases while also appeasing to the wishes of the minister without necessarily hurting his ego. 

it was a disaster really, and he badly needs sleep after all this. it didn't help that neither of you have been catching the other during your free time. plain awful, especially for a man as in love as he is. theseus might as well quit his job if it weren't for your condition that you both continue working to prepare for marriage. it's not like he has enough to feed several generations after the both of you, after all. 

"my dear," he tries to call for you, yet you seem too absorbed in your role as mother for the qilin to even hear him. you continued to cradle the qilin in your arms, humming a tune he found familiar to keep it tame and entertained. "don't you think you've done a great deal entertaining her already? she must be comfortable enough to be left alone for a little while." 

you responded again. he would have been happy had it not for the same answer. "just a second, love. i think she's about to fall asleep." 

"hngh," he could only scoff, unconvinced. it was his fifth attempt already since he joined you in the living room and you kept responding with the same, 'the qilin's about to fall asleep, in a minute.' as if it weren't one of the top ten lies he's ever heard in his whole life. even so, he stretched his patience. he knew you only meant well, and he did request for your assistance for this exact reason. theseus can't be mad at you for simply doing your job, even when it already exceeds your expertise. 

no matter what it is he says, he's convinced that you won't even process it enough to respond properly. he decided to test the theory as he had nothing else to do. "did you know i blew up a bungalow yesterday? it was massive." 

"i'm proud of you, sweetheart. that's great." 

and he was right. theseus could only laugh incredulously, shaking his head in mild disbelief. you really were too absorbed in your role. that, or you have been lacking the same amount of sleep as he had. maybe even more, given the state of your unruled hair and the dark circles forming around your eyes. he then leaned over to continue with his newfound amusement, elbows resting on the sphere of his knees—fingers fitting together like jigsaw. "i went to the jeweler the other day, and i had him look for your birthstone. opal, was it not?" 

"that's lovely, dear." 

he made it a game as to how many pet names you truly have reserved for him as you respond thoughtlessly in his indirect proposal. theseus licks his lips slowly. "quite the rare gem it is, you know? i had to pay him extra for even being able to dig one up." 

"keep it up, lovely." 

"i remember you wanted a marquise cut, so i had it done that way." 

"that sounds scrumptious, darling." 

"the rest of the band are also covered with tinier opal stones. it was my personal touch. i hope that's alright with you." 

"just a little longer, my dear."

"i have it with me right now, but i don't think this is the best time to propose. don't you think so?"

"oh, it's awful, babe." 

"i suppose it is. not when you're so absorbed taking care of the qilin like it's our child." 

"certainly not, honey." 

he didn't know if he should be impressed by your ability to call him eight different endearments in a two-minute conversation, or be annoyed by the fact that not even his confession to the measures by which he prepared for his proposal was far more insignificant than tending to the day-old creature. you must be really into the motherly role if it had you roped in that badly. theseus nearly gave up, running a thorough hand through his disheveled hair. his patience has long ran out when you began responding mindlessly, and quite randomly too. he was taken aback by that scrumptious comment of yours. 

theseus decided to finally take hold of the situation and crossed the living room in three short strides. he kneels before your tending figure, hand firmly placing itself on the bone of your calf to snap you out of your trance. "can you please look at me, love?" 

it was only then that you were able to pry your eyes away from the sleeping qilin, pulling a closed smile that had him melting almost immediately. his frustration washed away with a single glance from you, and he loves every bit of the control you have over his mood. it was unintentional, but theseus scamander is utterly smitten by you that he can't even complain about it. you are the most beautiful woman in his eyes, and there's no one else he wanted to spend the rest of his life with than you. 

"yes, theseus?" and the way you say his name, raw and loving. oh, a man could only drown happy. 

"i think the qilin's had enough of your attention for today." he says it with tender care, throwing a ghost of a smile that conveyed his deep adoration for you. 

"but—"

"and i am immensely deprived of it." that had you pause, wide eyes held by his pleading stare. then, you started laughing quietly to avoid waking the sleeping calf. "this isn't funny. a man's about to die without your affection and you're laughing? how cruel of you, ms. black." 

it was then that you decided to gently tuck the qilin down the cushion theseus had prepared awhile ago. theseus couldn't hide his excitement when you did, as his hands immediately grabbed both of yours the moment they're free. he pulls you over the loveseat of his living room, tucking himself in your arms like a child asking to be coddled. "theseus!" 

"shh, you'll wake it up and i'll end up alone again." he whispered quietly, almost weeping—then he buries his face against your neck as his arms wrapped around your waist. smiling, you spooned him into your body and began caressing his hair. 

"i didn't know the head of aurors could be jealous over a qilin" 

"i get jealous of anyone and anything that keeps you from hugging me." he merely murmured. your hold on him meant he's entered a safe space enough to lose consciousness, as always, and it was evident that he's beginning to drift off to dreamland with the way his voice dropped a tone. your treading fingers were of no help keeping himself awake. 

"ever the hugger you are, theseus scamander." you pressed a loving kiss on his hairline, humming in content. after a long time of being apart, finally, theseus is back in your arms. he savors the last few seconds of his consciousness before falling asleep, muttering a sweet 'i love you' to you before completely drifting off. 

And I will be posting everything I write for the Create assignment on this blog.

I've made far too many excuses for far too long.

No more hiding. I'm gonna do this. I'm going to write.

Every other day I will be posting what I wrote for the assignments, starting at episode 1. Until I catch up with them. That's right. Every. Other. Day.

I'm going to write about an idea I've had forEEEVER but never got around to writing consistently.

Stay tuned for Start With This episode 1 assignment soon.

Tags will be #startwiththis #pennywrites #swt #swt1

"Idea to Execution"

Assignment:

Pick an idea that you’ve had for a while. Take exactly 1 hour to work on it exclusively. This can be one continuous hour, or 30 minutes for two days, or 10 minutes for six days. Then put it out there (written or recorded) on our Membership Community, your website, or shout it to a bird from your porch. Consider this your first try of many at this idea.

Author's Note:

This piece comes from a character I've had in my head for LITERAL YEARS. I could never get the right story for him. I'm not going to say this is perfect or I've finally found my perfect opening scene for the character, but this does feel like a genuinely good representation of what's been cooking away in my brain for years. Or at least it hits all the right notes. I'm so glad I chose to START With This! Hopefully I can keep it consistent. Feel free to ask questions or drop comments! Liking and reblogging is encouraged. Please do not repost. Thanks in advance.

Solution:

Afraz Awakens

The room was blue.

It was blue, in both the senses of the word.

A ruffled young man sat on the edge of a bed whose covers were like the waves of the ocean – they were undone, white as the foam on a crest and, most of all, they were easy to be drowned in. Afraz sat, a figure reminiscent of one lost at sea and without much hope of ever finding land again.

His hair took on the majority of the ruffle, sitting atop his head, a crown of despair. He slowly blinked his blank dark eyes, staring at nothing. He had a long, not unhandsome face and a very light stubble. His thin white shirt was old and faded, and his sweatpants had not been changed for days.

Such was his folded figure, elbows on knees, listless, in a blue bedroom.

The rest of the space was full of dust mites catching the Saturday late afternoon light from the window. Books were littered on the desk to his right and some more lay on the floor, among some socks.

Afraz breathed in a deep, slow breath, straightening his back gently. He knew this: he was alive. And he knew that was supposed to be some kind of silver lining. He confessed to himself, he couldn't really see it.

Sleep. That was his solution. These days, whenever he felt the despair returning, he would come to his welcoming bedspread and bury himself in its embrace. This had worked for a decent while. But now he had run out of slumber. There comes a point when you have slept so much that sleep itself rejects you, and you are forced to turn, dazedly, to the face of the day, and actually earn your escape… by creating a life to escape from. Why did he have to do that? Why couldn't he be passive to his existence? Why couldn't he refuse?

There was a shadow in his blue walls, a fluttering shape that was gone the moment he noticed it. His eyes flickered towards it.

Knowing he would regret it, Afraz shifted his weight onto his feet. For a second his vision winked away. He knew he probably needed to eat. Still, ignoring it all, he stepped across to the open window, seeing a bright pink diamond floating by it.

'Hey, Afraz!' came a cheerful voice. She had a twinkle in her eye as she tugged on the string to manipulate the kite until it was close enough for Afraz to grab on to. Her giggles laced the air and made his head ache. He was about to leave Zinat to her little games and go back inside when she called out again.

'Wait! Afraz.' She snatched at the string as the kite nearly dropped on to the road, and relaxed her hand as it caught a steady breeze cutting between them. Then she stared right at him.

Zinat was a child, at least to him, and she was wearing dusty denim dungarees. Clearly she was out to play and had no reason to be in his neighbourhood, nor to look as worried as she suddenly did. Unless he looked particularly scary…

'Apa wrote to you. And it's none of my business, I'm only ten, I know,' she adopted a strident, annoyed voice for her next bit, 'Go sit in your tuitions and stop meddling with my life! – I know you usually say that. But… like…' The twinkle was now clouded over by doubt as she struggled to keep to the point. 'Did you read it?'

He broke eye contact and glanced at the sky, to which she immediately said, 'Oh, you're rolling your eyes. Hah. Of course you read it, silly me. Sorry for even asking. I'll stop bothering you.'

She let her bright pink kite fall gently to the white stone pavement and looked at Afraz for, he knew she felt, the final time. Then she said, 'She's really very sorry, you know. About everything that happened. And maybe you're handling it okay on your own but, well… She misses you.'

He still said nothing. He had nothing to say. So, dragging her once airborne paper kite along the ground, she walked away.

Afraz stared at that kite for a long while, then saw it in his mind's eye when it disappeared from view. At some deeper level he felt for that kite. He knew what it was like, being scratched in the dirt after flight.

He hadn't read it. In fact he didn't know what had been written to him or when. He did know he had a pile of unread mail sitting in an untidy heap downstairs…

He marvelled at the comment of her missing him. It seemed not to fit in with any of his life anymore. A few months ago he would have grown soft at the mere suggestion of such a sentiment. At the moment, he didn't have the capacity to do or feel anything. His energy was busy reigning in the more unpleasant detours of his wild train of thought.

He walked away from the window, from the kite, from the after-image of Zinat's worried face. None of it was her fault. He should have said something. But then, she had her parents with her, and of course, her Apa, her older sister. She could easily find support for her scars. Whereas he had no one.

He placed a hand on the doorknob, thinking longingly of instant noodles.

For the first time in days, Afraz smiled. It was a shockingly toothy smile and made him look slightly evil.

He must be really starving, he had reflected, to actually be pining for instant noodles!

"Do you seriously not like chocolate?" Hunter asked, befuddled as Sebastian shrugged. "Are you even human?" he scoffed.

“J’as, tu as, il/elle/on ai, nous allons, vous avez, ils/elles ai,“ Hunter recited as Sebastian groaned into his palm and Hunter threw his pen down as he noticed the look on his boyfriend’s face. "I’m never going to pass this test.”