𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗶𝗮 ♛ ꜱᴇᴊᴀɴᴜꜱ ᴘʟɪɴᴛʜ

♛𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻♛

After that, it was a bit of a blur.  Aurelia remembered taking Sejanus' hand, and him leading her out of his apartment with a quick apology to his mother.  She remembered him still holding onto her as they rushed through the streets towards the boy's original destination.  Sejanus had his eyes down, one hand clinging to his backpack and the other to the girl next to him.

It was kind of nice, the girl had to admit, having someone hold onto her like that, under whatever circumstances it was.  The last time someone held her hand, lord, she must have been seven or eight, was when she was clutching onto her cousin as they heard the bombs shatter the ground outside the apartment.

The zoo wasn't too far from the Corso, just a few right turns and a left somewhere in between and you were there.  The first thing they saw was a crowd clustered around an animal pen, cameras swarming like mosquitoes in the stifling heat.  Pushing through the crowd, the two teenagers made their way up to the cage, behind the Capitol News crew that was currently speaking to a tribute and someone else.  It took a moment to dawn on Aurelia that this was her brother and his tribute.

Coriolanus glanced over a cameraman's shoulder and locked eyes with his twin.  Whether it was telepathy or something, Aurelia understood his gaze to say "get me out of here, as soon as possible."

The soon as possible appeared to be much sooner than anyone had anticipated.  Peacekeepers burst through a metal door at the back of the cage, heading straight for her brother.  The blonde girl surged forward, past the crews and the crowd, just trying to get to the bars that separated her and her brother.

She wrapped a hand around the cold metal, calling out to her brother as he was escorted away.  He turned his head as much as he could, but didn't do anything to acknowledge her.

Now, after that little outburst, the cameras trained on her.  Aurelia didn't really process the fact that she was still holding onto Sejanus until the little flashes and clicks of photos being taken happened.  A circle of reporters formed around her, asking questions she didn't think she'd ever hear.

"Are you and Sejanus Plinth together?"

"Aurelia, over here!"

"I can't get a good shot of their hands!"

"Sejanus, what is your relationship with Aurelia?"

"Let's get you out of here," Sejanus muttered, clearly fed up with all the questions.  He dropped her hand and placed his on the small of her back, guiding her away from the swarm of reporters who continued following even as they left the zoo.

The two ducked into back alley after back alley, before losing the reporters several blocks away from the zoo.  Sejanus leaned against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the ground, looking up at Aurelia.

"God, Lia, I'm so sor-"

"Don't be," she interrupted, sitting down next to him.  "You couldn't control it."

"But I could.  I should have just dropped your hand the second I saw the reporters but I... uh..." The boy trailed off, somewhat awkwardly looking towards the blonde beside him.

"Didn't want to?" Aurelia spoke, her voice barely even a whisper.

Sejanus didn't reply immediately, just leaned his head back against the wall, letting out a small, amused puff of air through his nose with a small smile and a tiny shake of his head.

"Sure, I guess you could say that."

The girl's stomach twisted into so many knots, it could be a template for a pretzel factory.  She looked at the ground, before glancing back up at Sejanus and the brown eyes she knew so well.  She tried to resist, but after a moment she just started laughing.

"What's that for?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just..." she dissolved into giggles once more, but this time Sejanus joined in, chuckling ever so slightly.  "I'm so bad at this," she laughed.

"I am too."

"No, you're much better than I am, you stayed serious way longer."

"Well, serious is kind of awkward and boring."

"Isn't it?"

The pair just started laughing again, Aurelia placing her head in her hands at any attempt to stop the wave of giggles that wouldn't relent.  She didn't notice when Sejanus stopped laughing, just staring at her, watching her laugh like she would never stop.

Sitting in that alley, together with Sejanus, Aurelia felt her heart beating faster and faster like it was going to explode.  Once she stopped laughing, after what seemed like an eternity, she caught the boys gaze, watched those brown eyes scan her face.

Those eyes slowly, ever so slowly leaned closer to hers.  Sejanus raised his eyebrows as if to ask permission, and the blonde smiled the smallest smile that you could only really see if you were paying attention.  Which he was. Which she was.

Their lips just barely brushed eachother when suddenly.

Click. Flash.

Shit.

♛

HI GUYS
GUESS WHOS BACK
IM WRITING OFF MY PHONE CAUSE MY LAPTOP BROKE BUT
SHESSS BACKKKKK

im genuinely so sorry for leaving you guys hanging for like a whole month but i had such severe writers block you have NO IDEA

this chapter was so difficult for me for no reason 😭 so i had to end it there to end my writers block

on another note i'm starting to work on the start of the anthophilia sequel!!!!

and i need you guys to help me out here cause i have NO CLUE what to name it

i like using pretty words for titles so if you guys have any suggestions leave them here

QOTC: are you out on summer break yet for school?

love y'all, drink your water PLEASE or i'll send my dear friend michael myers to your house ❤️