~ One Shots ~

Vera Stone ❤️‍🔥🐺 〜 Marble Mask

{A/N: Hey, so I recently finished the series The Order and I immediately fell in love with Vera Stone! (If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!) So, I wanted to do a one shot with her. It takes place in the final episode of season two and it's when (SPOILERS) Alyssa steels Vera's magic, but I made the scene cuter than in the show (in my opinion). Enjoy!}

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"What did you idiots do?" Vera turns in my direction, giving me an inquisitive glare ready for whatever I'm about to say. I sigh and look down, I know she won't be happy to hear what Jake, Randall and I did.

"We attempted a rescue ourselves. Something went wrong." Lifting my head back up, I'm met with a particularly disappointed Vera.

"And you caused an eruption." I nod my approval really not proud of my actions. I was aware of the repercussions, but I couldn't let the chance to save Lilith slip away. "You know how dangerous these things get. I don't need my own people helping along the apocalypse. We're close to critical mass as it is, thanks to Alyssa Drake."

"You're welcome." An ominous roars gets our attention on the woman herself who gets out of a portal. At the sight of this traitor, the blood in my veins starts to boil, my claws are extracted from my fingers and my canines get revealed. I'm ready to jump on Alyssa, but with a spell, she makes me faint.

I stay asleep for I don't know how long before I finally manage to open my eyes and move again. I look around trying to remember the last events and I help myself getting up by transferring my weight on Vera's desk. I finally see her sitting in her chair, her eyes focused on the fire pit in front of her. I sigh of relief seeing that she is still breathing and alive.

"Vera?" I let out reassured. "Thank god. I thought she'd kill you." I hadn't noticed it at first, but Vera isn't looking good. Her eyes are glassy and she seems sad. She swallows thickly before she talks, still avoiding my gaze.

"Oh, it's far worse than that Y/n." I don't understand...

Vera looks down at her laps before she looks back up. I hear her say a spell supposed to light up her fire pit, raising her hand in its direction, but it does nothing. No fire erupt from the wooden logs. A hint of sorrow shines in Vera's light, blue eyes as her hand falls back next to her body. She's trying so hard to keep her face passive, blocking any emotion to be shown. But I know her, and I know she's not okay. Slowly realizing what is happening, I crouch down next to her and I let the words that are burning my lips out of my mouth.

"She took your magic?" Vera doesn't say a thing nor move a limb, still staring at the none burning logs. I try to take her hand in mine, expecting her to retract hers, but she doesn't.

"She's holding it hostage... Until I give her the Fors Factorum." She looks up at the painting hanging on the wall, clearly not wanting to look at me.

"Devil's advocate. Give it to her." Vera has to do everything she can to find her magic back, I want her to do everything she can. She seems lost without it and I hate to see her so helpless.

"No, it's far too dangerous." Vera looks down again, continuing to avoid my sight. "That incantation turns you... into the sacrifice. So... while you enjoy the pleasure of easy incantations, a magic cancer slowly eats you alive. It may kill you in years... or months." I lean in to make my point clear.

"But if you it give to them, the eruptions stop, and Praxis wipes themselves out." A knot is formed inside my throat, I really want Vera to get her magic back, at any cost.

"I'd only be paving the way for a different kind of chaos."

"At least you'd get your magic back." I squeeze Vera's hand a little bit tighter, but all she does is scoff and look at her right, the most far away from my eyes.

"Please Y/n." Her tone is bereft of will as she lets go of my hand and gets up, her back facing me. "She has no intention in giving it back."

I get up too and walk closer to Vera before I rest my hands on her shoulders, my mouth super close to her ear. She inhales deeply and I imagine her closing her eyes, choosing wether to let me do or to free herself from my grip. The Grand Magus opts for the second option, moving forward for me not to be so close to her.

"I imagine she... like you, finds me a selfish woman." Vera finally turns in my direction, her broken, teary gaze finally meeting mine. Her inert face looks like it could break at any moment, the pieces only held by tape. Deep down in her eyes, I see her questioning me and so I scoff, totally not agreeing with what she said.

"Vera, I don't think you're selfish." I approach her slowly, a serious expression on my face. "You're demanding and weirdly ticklish, but not selfish."

"How can you be so sure?" Vera is standing straight, her hands joined together above her stomach, her sad eyes breaking my heart.

"Because of all the time you could have killed us, but you didn't because you wanted us to learn, to live." My tone is severe yet soft, trying to make Vera see herself in the same way I see her.

I try my luck and slowly bring my hand to Vera's cheek, but when the tip of my fingers brush against her skin, she jumps, startled and she lowers my hand at her shoulder's level with her hand. "Don't" is what I faintly hear coming out of her mouth, her eyes loosing contact with mine. We're both really close physically when I tell Vera exactly what I've been waiting so long to tell her.

"It's all right to let someone care about you." Her mouth opens slightly as I see the pieces of her mask detach slightly, allowing me to have a glimpse of her broken face. But just like magic, her marble mask is put back on as Vera turns to her right.

"There's no point." The Grand Magus stares blankly at a point in front of her and all I can see is the back of her head, nothing more. She's really trying to keep me away from her.

"I don't think that's true. Vera, look at me."

Vera's head drops and as I think she's going to stay in that position, her back facing me, she finally turns around, the tears in her eyes flowing all over her cheeks and her lower lip shaking. It's the first time I see her so vulnerable and I think that's the first time she's so vulnerable in front of someone. I slowly wrap my arms around her shaking body, wanting to make sure that she's okay with that and unexpectedly, Vera crawls into my embrace, hiding her face in the crook of my neck and her arms circling my shoulders.

She holds on to me so tightly, she really needed someone. And I'm glad I'm that someone. I've always found Vera a very intriguing woman who doesn't let people see her softest parts. And I feel like I'm at that point where she trusts me enough to let me see those hidden, secret parts. After Vera lets out everything that has to get out, she detaches herself from me of a few inches, her lost gaze directed at me. Her mouth is still slightly open, her body jumping from time to time because of the crying. I try to put my hand on her cheek again and this time, the Grand Magus lets me do it. Slowly, I bring my face closer to hers, our lips connecting in this tender, salty kiss that lasts a few seconds.

"Will you let me be the one person who cares about you?" Smiling slightly, Vera nods, her thumb rubbing the skin of my cheek softly.

。。。

1321 words

{A/N: So yeah, I know I only changed the end of the scene, but I found the original version really good. Anyway, when I learned that the show was canceled, I was so pissed. I hope some of you have already watched the show and if it's the case, I hope you liked this one shot. I love you all, stay safe!}