#tempaz

All the love in the whole wide world!!! 🥰🥰🥰

And also another doodle where pre-story and end of story Topaz meet <3

Tempest had thought that they would be confident in their choices forever. But they're a crybaby, they're bad at holding themself together, they are the successor to someone they can never be. They were destined to fall apart at the seams, to grind themself into nothingness because that's all they were made to do. They see nothing outside of their creation, outside of being part of something bigger than themself. What IS Tempest, outside of their birth, their creation? All they've done is chase ideals into nothing. They started taking control of spirits, which did nothing in the end. They have so much power, so many followers, they are powerful and they are miserable. And Topaz sees herself in them. She herself lived with the weight of her creation hanging over her head, the purpose she was built for and the misery it caused her, and the doom she felt from it.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?"

Tempest rests their head on Topaz's knees. The sound of running water in the distance bubbles, and Tempest soaks up warmth from Topaz--she's always radiating it, even in their dreams. The Goddess of Fire that Topaz is, always in control of her powers.

(Until, of course, she starting crumbling, skin cracking and molding her into something decidedly un-Topaz. Those are the worst memories of all. That was the start of what's happening now, outside the dream--Topaz's eyes still burn, but Tempest can't tell if it's her anymore.)

Topaz pets their head, untangling the shorter strands of their hair. She pulls out the pin holding their braid in place, and starts undoing it.

Tempest turns their head to look up at her. Everything feels distant and far away, and the stained glass light creates rainbows on Topaz's face, catching on red hair and making her glow with the warmth of a thousand suns. She smiles faintly, gentle and careful like the moment she cupped their face in her hands and wiped their tears with the pads of her fingers.

"I don't know what to tell you," she had said, voice soft and whispery, fragments of glass clinking against each other. "You have to find your own future, even if it means taking apart everything you thought you knew before."

Tempest had believed her. They had clung to her every word. They wanted to burn down the places they'd hurt people, to become someone new. Find their own future, despite the pain they'd caused.

In the dream, Topaz makes no such suggestions. She doesn't make any promises--promises to stop hurting people, promises to stop making scores on Earth's face. Topaz might not even realize the way they spin around each other, watching each other cause pain. Tempest is powerless to stop it--they don't know if that's why Topaz has retreated from them.

"Topaz," Tempest says to the dream version of her girlfriend, "do you still love me?"

Dream-Topaz tilts her head in a question. "Of course."

"Don't leave me," Tempest murmurs, turning their head into Topaz's knees again. They're a coward when it comes to looking her in the eyes in the important moments.

"I won't," she says, and her voice wisps like smoke tendrils. "I never intended to hurt you. Come here."

This is a dream, so Topaz easily finds herself in front of Tempest's face, looking into their eyes. She's straightforward, putting her hand on Tempest's chin and pulling them up so gently to kiss them. They breathe her in like they've never felt warmth before.

Topaz wouldn't normally do that. She's always too careful, treating Tempest like they're made of glass until Tempest asks her to please, please listen to me.

(I'm not as weak as you think I am, dear. But they don't say that, because Topaz is more powerful than them. She always has been, even before they found out about the secret power she was hiding that could destroy everything, and any reminder of the difference between them was a bleeding wound, a raging flame Topaz couldn't bear. Tempest knew this, even though they didn't know why it hurt Topaz so much, unaware of her secret. So they said nothing.)

Dream-Topaz lets Tempest continue to kiss her, lets them brace their hands on her thighs. Dream-Topaz is sweet, and the stain glass shines against her pinned up hair, and she looks so happy, like Tempest is--or Tempest was once--her one true love.

"I don't believe you," Tempest confesses, pulling back and staring her in the eye. "You don't love me. You left me, Topaz. And now you're killing humans left and right, and I don't know why."

"But I never broke up with you."

"Does it matter?" Tempest grips Topaz's thighs harder. "You're still gone. I know the others have some thoughts of what's going on, but we can only guess. I just want to know if you think this is noble. Do you think you're doing a good thing, hurting people? Why are you repeating my mistakes?"

Dream-Topaz can't answer. She has no ability to do anything but reflect what Tempest knows of her.

Tempest sinks lower, breaking eye contact. "Please."

"Tempest..."

They can feel hands in their hair, nails gently brushing their hair out.

"The world is going to change," Tempest says, finding refuge in the facts they know to be true. "You're the catalyst, but it's been a long time coming. A hundred years, maybe--if we're being generous." Or, about as long as Tempest has been alive. "I always thought I'd be one of those changing things, but you've proved me wrong, again and again. You're always doing that."

"You are changing things," Dream-Topaz says.

"I know. I'm trying."

Tempest stays there for a long time, closing their eyes and taking in the darkness of the dream. The sound of water is stronger now, and they can feel it lapping at their knees.

"Do you think I'll lie to you when you ask me why I'm doing it?" Topaz asks. Tempest risks a look up at her, and her round face is open and honest.

It would be smart to say yes, because Topaz is so unpredictable now. But instead, as the water rises, Tempest smiles. "Of course you won't. You love me, don't you?"

They wake up, but the rainbow lens of their dream still captures Topaz's face, smiling like the world isn't ending. Smiling like they have a happy ending, on the other end of this. Eventually, they will stop their orbiting, and Tempest will kiss Topaz and yell at her for ever doing that.