Ru

(Also Jirani is such a good name- I think I’ll steal that.)

Adam I feel has this kind of vibe:

For Samia, this:

And for Jirani, this:

This morning was no exception, they stirred groggily next to Zaros, who was already awake, their eyes slowly opening before quickly closing again. it felt like their eyes were heavy as iron, exhaustion weighing them down.

They ran a defeated hand over their face, it had been like this every day for the past three months, every day they woke up exhausted, and every day it chipped away at them.

Zaros noticed instantly, noticed their tension, the frustration and exhaustion radiating off them, and he frowned worriedly. Tea never helped, or herbs, sure they got them to sleep faster, but the treatment never seemed to improve the quality of their sleep. He wished he could do something more to help.

He knew there wasn’t much he could do to improve their quality of sleep, but, he could however make mornings easier for them.

Shifting carefully closer to them, he gently gathered them in his arms and laid them on his chest, running his hands up and down their back. He cringed at how tense they were: all this from just sleeping?

no matter, he’d spend all morning massaging that tension out of their muscles, all morning holding them until they felt awake enough to face the day.

they melted into him, mumbling something incoherent against his chest, their grip on him tightening. their words may have been incoherent to most, but Zaros knew. He smiled softly, leaning down to press a kiss to their head.

giving ruven the hozier treatment

but they knew he deserved better than them. He was good, he’d always been good, he saw the best and the beauty in people where they didn’t.

and he deserved a better life than what they’d be able to give him. they were a future eminence, they’d be bound to the throne, bound by a mask that would never reflect who they truly were.

Zaros had dreams, he had dreams to travel, to draw, to become an artist or a curer, a life by their side wouldn’t allow him that. He’d just be trapped in the same gilded cage as they were, bound to a throne, a place, bound with a mask even he admitted not to want on.

and they loved him too much to allow that to happen. they’d long since abandoned their dreams to travel the world, and they refused to allow Zaros to do the same.

he deserved better

so, they’d fight to win the trials, they’d push him away, they’d do whatever it took to make sure he fulfilled his dreams, even if it meant pushing him away.

you genius