#tagtesting

Chapter 4 Preview | (Chp1 tumblr)

The cookies turned out... decent, Varian decided. They didn't compare to the cupcakes he'd eaten earlier that night, but they seemed to be more than edible (at least according to Rüdiger, seeing as he kept demanding more of them with vocal chatter).

That alone, Varian figured, was quite a success, considering what they were made of, to begin with.

It was late into the night when Varian had been done with everything. Yawns had begun escaping him during the baking process already and he could feel his senses waning as the initial adrenaline of the night had worn off. The bakery had proven to be a safe spot for the entire procedure and Varian knew that giving in to the feeling of security would be bad… but his body begged to differ. He’d gone without sleep even before the invasion of his home and it was beginning to show.

His legs felt leaden and his eyes drowsy as he supported himself on the counter. He gathered the cookies in a couple of takeaway boxes, stashed them in his satchel and turned to look back at the broken door. He’d kept it closed from spying eyes by propping a chair in front, so it wasn’t likely that anyone would come to barge in on him.

And he needed the rest, whether he liked it or not.

With no cookies left to pilfer, Rüdiger was giving his boy curious glances, noticed the exhausted wilt in the young alchemist. He patted at the teen’s sleeve with his hands before leaping from the counter and pulling a bag of flour out from a cupboard, to then disappear in the cabinet itself.

Varian smiled at the sight and slowly followed the animal to find him nestled on another bag, giving the boy a pointed look and nod of his head, urging him to do the same.

While Varian was glad at his best friend’s consideration, he couldn’t help a lingering sense of dread at the idea. From his spot on the ground, he glanced up to spy the upper half of the door still firmly closed by his makeshift backup. The windows couldn’t be seen from his vantage point either, so he assumed he’d be safe enough from witnesses for the time being.

“Alright,” Varian conceded with a yawn as he curled up against the sack of flour, “Just make sure to wake me early enough, so we can leave.”

Rüdiger did not do that.

[finish Chapter 4 on ao3]