Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter FIFTY FIVE - White

(THIS version of this song. :) Beige(unburdened) - Yoke Lore)

The sky had faded pinks and purples and deep oranges as the sun dipped behind the mountains, black of night dancing overhead.

Hours had passed with little progress but Sebastian was more determined than ever to conjure his patronus. Ominis yawned for the fifth time in the last couple of minutes and I saw the exhaustion weighing on his features. After a moment more he rose from his place, collected his things and tapped Sebastian on the arm trailing up to his shoulder.

"You'll get it Sebastian. I know it."

Sebastian reached up and placed his hand over Ominis', tapping it lightly.

"Thanks mate."

"I need to catch some rest. I'm going to head back to the castle now but I will meet up with the two of you tomorrow."

"Do you need us to walk with you?" I raised my weight onto my arms.

"No, no darling. That's quite alright. After those terrible jokes earlier, I believe my mind could do with the silence." He smiled and he squeezed Sebastian's shoulder for a moment longer than usual.

No sooner had we watched Ominis safely climb back to the path, had Sebastian gone straight back to work, face falling in the dim light.

Sebastian's feet were planted firmly below him, rooted to the stone and raising his wand ahead to the air. A bit of the castle silhouetted behind him as he recited the spell. 

"Expecto patronum."

A tiny wisp of silver smoke twisted from the end of his wand but floated slowly towards his feet. Sebastian watched it, nostrils flaring slightly.

The starlight touched his fingertips and wished against his skin.

He held his breath.

Closed his eyes.

"Expecto- patronum." 

Pleading.

His lids opened hopefully but the small glint of white shown dimly over his watery eyes.

Slowly, I raised to my feet and stepped to his side.

He sniffed and his shoulders shuttered once.

"I just don't get it." He breathed. Keeping his gaze at the tip of his wand. "Anne h-has been the most important t-thing in my life since day one." 

The stutter in his voice tore holes in my lungs.

I ran my fingers up to his arm, down his wrist, over his wand hand and resting just atop, wishing every bit of my warmth could be gifted to him.

"If not her..." He shifted uneasily and a tear shimmered in the moonlight across his cheek. "...how could I be so selfish as to have a happier memory?"

Broken stars had never felt so lonely.

"Sebastian." He closed his eyes as my voice touched his cheek. "Your life, your heart- it all means nothing if you don't include pieces of yourself. Your love for Anne will never change just because you allow yourself a life of your own."

He dropped his hand and wand and I was worried I said too much.

But he turned and dropped his head quickly to mine, capturing my lips in his.

I could feel the moon on my nose, his breath on my neck, 

his lips tasted like stars.

He pressed his forehead to mine and took a deep breath in, pulling back a fraction of an inch to look at me.

"Atley- I don't deser- How did I get so lucky as to have you fall into my life?" He cupped my freezing cheeks in his warm palms, wand pressed between, gaze shifting from my left to right eye and then down to my lips.

I was intensely aware of the brisk breeze at our necks, the sound of the rustling leaves, the moonlit lake just aside us, the taste of salt on my tongue.

Sebastian's gaze softened and his thumbs rubbed gently against my cheeks, the edges of his lips slowly rose to the edges of the night sky.

"I want to try again."

I nodded.

"Stay here?" His voice soft.

I nodded again.

His soft smirk had grown to a small smile and he pulled his hands from my skin, turning toward the castle and raising his wand.

I pleaded for my soul to reach out to his, to offer my heart and my lungs for him, for his happiness.

Wand raised up and shoulders lifting and falling with one more deep breath

the moment stilled

the wind paused to ponder

"Expecto- patronum."

the stars smiled

white and silver and blue

magic dusted the breeze

light grew quickly from the tip of his wand, pulsed for a moment and then grew blinding

wisps dancing

moon singing

Sebastian turned to me, tears still staining his cheek but blanketed in bright white light - 

his smile 

Merlin

his smile had never been brighter

We watched as the wisp of light twirled circles before shifting, forming, mixing with the moonlight

and a misty pale fox sprinted across the stars.

It darted among the moonlight, through the air, between the two of us and I watched through the wisps as Sebastian followed the creature with his eyes. He was laughing, tears marking his shirt in moments of victory.

When the fox slowly dissipated, his eyes were on mine and I could see every star in the sky among them.

My voice breathy. "What did you think of?"

He grinned deeper.

"Atley, you can't just ask people that." His teasing warmed my lungs.

I smiled.

"I thought of you."