𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓽-𝓜𝓮-𝓝𝓸𝓽 (Varian x Reader)

Bonus Chapter 1- My Bed's Warm

SURPRISE I'M BACK!! Also happy holidays lol <3

Since I have the most lovely readers on the entire planet, I wanted to give you all this bonus chapter as my Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Winter-in-general gift to you! Even though this book ended like 10 months ago, I've still been lurking in the shadows reading your comments and watching the number of readers constantly grow. I seriously can't thank you all enough for your support, so hopefully a fluffy Forget-Me-Not bonus chapter will help to get the message across :)

Anyways, this takes place the first winter after Zhan Tiri's defeat, sometime between Chapters 67-68. Enjoy!!

I burrow deeply into the plush blankets on my bed, finding contentment in their warmth. A gleeful shiver escapes me as I pull my knees to my chest, determined to conserve as much body heat as possible. A snowstorm had hit Corona earlier in the day, and there were already two feet of snow adorning the earth. As the snowfall continues, I bundle into my bed, ready for a peaceful winter's sleep.

The chill in my room causes another shiver to run over my skin, and although I can summon a maid to fetch me some more blankets, I feel cozier with the winter's air combated by my insulated body heat. My eyes peer over the edge of my mattress, checking to make certain Dandelion is content in her blanket mound. Once I find she's happily asleep, I finally allow my eyes to close and embrace a gentle slumber.

Just as I begin to doze off, however, I hear a gentle knock echo against my door.

"Just a minute," I sit up and sigh, rolling off my bed while gripping a yellow blanket from my stash. I wrap the blanket around my body and inch over to the door, trying not to stumble over anything in the darkness.

When I finally reach my bedroom door, I slowly open it. When I see who's in front of me, any annoyance I once regarded has melted away like when winter turns to spring. "Var?"

Since Varian became the Royal Engineer, he moved into the castle to be closer to his workshop, better materials, and the Royal council he presented his findings to. Although, I like to imagine that he moved to be closer to me.

So now, Varian, with his tousled black hair and baggy sleep shirt stands before me. A look I can't quite place positions itself across his freckled face, and his blue eyes stare at me, wide and desperate. "Angel?" He looks down at his feet, and then back up at me.

Despite the dark, the light of the full moon creeps through my window, casting a silver glow on my boyfriend's face. I notice the shimmering drop cascading down his cheek, so faint that if I hadn't learned to look for it, it would've been an oversight. "Did you have another nightmare?"

He quickly rubs the tear from his cheek. "Not exactly," He shrugs, trying to laugh it off. "I haven't been able to sleep at all."

"Is it...?" I trail off, glancing at the window where silver icicles grip onto its frame.

"Heh, can't say I'm the biggest fan of snow...or winter for that matter."

I nod in understanding. Varian frequently had nightmares about his past; it still haunts him. I can't blame him for still not liking the snow, either. After all, that blizzard two winters ago nearly ruined his life. It's no shocker that the boy still harbors that trauma within him. I see it in his blue eyes; like the ocean, they conceal their owner's deepest secrets beneath the surface.

"My bed's warm." I offer, creaking the door open further and stepping to the side.Varian nods gratefully, slowly stepping into my room. Closing the door, I follow him over to the king-sized bed and pull the blankets aside. In unison, we climb onto the sheets, and we tug the blankets over our bodies. The gleeful shiver once again trails across my skin, and I roll myself over to face Varian.

His blue eyes stare into mine as he extends his palm outwards. I take it without hesitation, and he runs his scared and calloused thumb over my knuckles. "I know it's in the past, but I just...I-"

"I know, Var." I send a gentle smile to him, hoping he can see it in the moonlight. "But you're not that person anymore. You were just a scared kid, nobody blames you."

He squeezes my hand a bit tighter. "But what if I blame myself?" His voice breaks as tears begin to well up in his eyes. "I made those choices...I put everyone in danger...I hurt the people I love..." He inhales a breath of the chilled air. "I hurt you, Angel."

Even though it's been years, and he's more than proven himself worthy of forgiveness, I know that the nighttime is when Varian's guilt comes out. Almost like a monster that lurks in the shadows of his mind, waiting for the sunset to strike, when Varian is left alone with his thoughts. His visits to my bedroom have been frequent since moving to the castle, and I can't bear to speculate how many sleepless nights he's endured while he still lived in Old Corona, with no one to comfort him. So even though I've heard Varian's trepidations countless times at ungodly hours of the night, I still accept his knocks on my door with open arms. I'll always be here for him.

"It's okay, Varian. I forgive you." I affirm, my voice gentle to bring him solace while still being firm enough to make my words stick in his mind. "You're a good person and the man I fell hopelessly in love with. That will never change." I spread my arms out wide. "C'mere."

Varian giggles a bit as he scoots into my arms, snuggling deep into my embrace. He buries his head in my chest as his arms snake around my waist, holding me close. My heart flutters at the sudden rush of warmth that crashes through my body, and I smile.

I bring my lips to the top of Varian's head. "I love you," I mumble into his hair.

His arms tighten around my waist a little bit more, and I peck his head again. "I love you," I repeat.

Another kiss. "I love you."

"I love you."

"I love you."

"I love you," Varian cuts me off before I can get another 'I love you' in, and he crashes his lips into mine. As his soft lips mold into my own, I feel my body warm up even more.

After a few moments, we pull away just enough that we can look into each other's eyes while still keeping our foreheads together. A smile has found its rightful home on Varian's lips and his blue eyes look noticeably less dull. He tugs me closer to his body and holds me close. "Thank you."

I mumble 'You're welcome,' and we continue to hold one another until sleep overtakes us.

The snow continues to fall on the Kingdom of Corona later in the night, coating the world in a layer of frigid cold. Inside my bedroom, however, the night was spent in a gentle warmth. The kind of warmth that can only be achieved by the presence of a loved one. The kind of warmth that brought Varian a peaceful winter's sleep for the first winter in two years. The kind of warmth that made him feel found.

⋆°. ⋆༺☾𖤓༻⋆. °⋆

The next morning I walk Varian to the front doors of the courtyard, fully clad in my warmest attire. I had managed to steal some winter clothes from Eugene's room to suit the alchemist in. He had grown a lot this past year, and I wasn't going to allow him to use not having winter clothes as an excuse to lock himself away in his lab.

As the guards open the doors to the courtyard, and cold wave of air crashes over us. The snow clouds had finally moved on, leaving a bright blue sky in their wake. Fresh snow untouched by man coats the courtyard, and the prospect of all the fun we can have in this winter wonderland fills me with excitement. I glance at Varian, who's staring at the wintery scene with wide eyes.I gently take his hand, suddenly feeling guilty for causing him to feel like he had to come out in the snow with me. "I'm sorry, Var.  Please don't feel like you have to do this for my sake. I know you've had...unpleasant experiences with the snow in the past, and I completely understand if you want to stay in today." I give him the tiniest smile to express the authenticity of my words. "I thought that this would be a good way to tackle your fear, but that's not my call to make."

Varian bites his lip, pondering his options. After a moment, he nods. "I can't keep living in the past. I need to do this." He squeezes my hand. "But only if I have you by my side."

I squeeze his hand back. "Always."