‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ㅤ

⠀⠀⠀   the air was thick with tension, a subtle wave of it pressing in from every direction, numbing his mind. his senses were enveloped in a pure bliss of devotion, as if he were drowning in it. she was caged in his arms, trapped by the weight of him, his body pressing against her soft curves, and a thrilling pulse surged through him at the proximity. slowly, he traced the line of her right arm with a ghastly, almost possessive touch. but it was his mouth that truly ignited the moment—-his lips parted as his tongue darted out to graze the delicate flesh of her neck. he tasted her skin, rich and addictive, drawing in the scent of her as if he could consume her entirely.          a soft protest rose from within, but it was fluid, turning into a breathless murmur as he suckled at the side of her neck, his teeth grazing lightly, just enough to bruise. his fang pricked her, but it was only for a moment before he nuzzled the tender spot, soothing it with the warmth of his breath. his left hand slid down her back, pulling her closer, tightening his hold as though he feared she might slip away.
            
            “don’t go,” rurik murmured lazily, the words almost a plea, his voice rough with desire. his instinct screamed at him to move—-      closer, deeper—but he held back, his hips aching with restraint. he needed more of her warmth, more of the heat she was unknowingly kindling in him with every breath, every shift of her body. and so, he edged closer, savoring the way their bodies pressed together, unwilling to let go.

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎i didn't. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎*the terse answer hid more than it let on. alaina, having tasted unfair trespassers, found it hard to believe in something so childish. it was too naive, too ignorant, and too easy to get lost in the idea itself. sometimes, the urge creeped on her with frail, clingy hands; yet in the end, her mind had won that race above her heart. the star had long passed through the sky, leaving behind a streak of cosmic light to shine down upon them. the sight was universally a rarity, thus associating with it significance larger than per usual. the sight was a marvel, explaining the faraway look of longing in eyes as dark as the midnight sky painted across the world. chilly breeze swept her hair in an unceremonious caress, but it echoed in vastness of places it couldn't physically reach. the tungsten cage hardened by years of hope and loss, as far as time went, laid open for the first time in years and glimmered. she had been bereaved of hope a long time ago, grieved it like something tangible, yet cruel fate brought to her feet what was destined to happen; she could almost laugh at the sky then. however, looking at the stretching miles of the world beyond her reminded her that it wasn't the sky nor the stars that held any answers but through it, glancing inwards was the master of the fate of her life. unknowingly had she woven the threads in such a way to bring her here, willed it into existence. her trance broke at the loss of contact, turning to see rurik. only then a detail caught her eye, one visible enough to not go ignored. her hand stretched out before she could fathom, brows pinched in skeptical confusion, and grasping the unscarred side of rurik's face, bringing herself closer to the one that spanned from an eyebrow to the corner of his mouth, jagged. it hurt to look at, and the worried questions seeped into her gaze.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎rurik.. what is.. ?

@inlecebra       the son of a pharaoh—-even in the modern world—was a terrible liar. and yet, somehow, he always managed to convince humans of his.. tactical falsehoods. how, precisely, he accomplished this remained an unsolved mystery. his breath hitched, chest stirring with warmth as sleep eluded him, his mind spinning in slow, fevered circles. but when she lifted her head to the ink-dark sky, where stars glowed like scattered shards of bone against the abyss, rurik gazed at her. the universe, vast and unrelenting, paled in comparison to mortals.          their beauty, their impermanence, their reckless dominion over the earth—gods, they surpassed the cosmos itself. his moss-green eyes, shadowed by a dark swirl of grey and emotions he refused to name, studied her with keen interest. for the first time in decades, he felt like himself. not the man shaped by time and ruin, but the one he had once been. just wolfe. and so hopelessly in love, it ached inside him. he didn’t know how to tell her. didn’t know a damn thing about love.        the wind stirred, a lithe breeze brushing his cheek as if to remind him of what he was. gods.. it felt so wrong to be centuries old and yet so ensnared by something as fleeting as a human life. he averted his gaze, breaking the spell before it could take hold. but his head no longer rested against her shoulder. instead, he shifted, bracing his own weight-—not entirely unsteady, not entirely lost, though intoxication ran through him. not from alcohol, but from the raw       pulse of magic coursing through his veins. his features, once veiled, lay bare for the mortal eye to see. he lifted his gaze once more, looking beyond her, beyond himself, to a world he was only now learning how to see.
            
            “i could.. but what use is there in wishful thinking?” rurik murmured, a low chuckle slipping past his lips         as he lifted a hand to rub his throbbing temples. after a pause, his gaze flickered to her. “and you? did you.. make a wish?”

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎*with a dismal sigh, her protests died down into melting silence surrounding them, only the sounds of crickets and wind breaking through nature. her shoulder tensed under the weight of rurik's head resting there, minutely aware of the contact and not wanting to disrupt it, and meeting his gaze affirmed further. at the statement, her head lifted to follow his eyesight, watching the flight of light shooting through the sky. there was contentment there in the moment. in the act of nothingness too, tranquility persisted. slowed breaths were witnesses, and with nothing to argue against him with anymore, she curiously asked, unseriously.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎did you make a wish?

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎*a puzzled expression was soon to take over her features, tilting her head at him in question. dry amusement coated her words as she raked a hand through her hair, pressing down against her dress one last time.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎i grow fonder of your names everyday, they never fail to surprise me. should i reciprocate?

⠀    ⠀⠀fantastic, my little dumpling.    angel, i promise.  

@dolose ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎you can keep those matters to yourself. i only offered assistance where i felt it to be necessary.

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎you might not like being an open book.. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎*her voice wavered in hesitance, unsure if she should complete her sentence. mystique surrounded rurik akin to second skin, unquestionably, made up of truths she feared to unmask. it didn't bode well with her however, to remain in the dark anymore about him ─  blissful ignorance lost its charm each second of being in his proximity. alaina wanted to peel back layers of his to look into his soul, see what laid there, before losing herself headfirst as she was scared she already had started to, and the very request being denied was a crack in her patience, accompanied by fear at the uncertain prospect of what laid within him. it couldn't be hidden anymore, thus revealing her doubts through her words.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎but hypocrisy doesn't suit you.

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎*the ominous atmosphere had goosebumps rising across the expanse of her skin instantly, a foreboding sense of danger lurking heightened by the lack of familiarity and understanding of what exactly stood in front of her. one thing that didn't escape her notice was the emptiness in here ─  so empty that it made her breaths echo in the distances, all other senses amplified, forcing her to hear the rushing blood in her veins and feel the cold air biting into her skin. stepping forward, the movement was slowed as if the world itself had come to a halt, caging and pushing her under the weight of the consequences of her actions. despair pushed a surrendered voice to ask, cutting through the silence with her head tilting in his direction.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎and if i refuse?

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎there's a first time for everything.

&.      GORGEOUS THEME,  I LOVE IT.

&.                  he’s glowing. 

&.        her man is shining through. 

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎*the teasing questions made alaina scrunch her nose at their peculiarity, leaning away from rurik's prying eyes yet not too far before settling in his hold again. lightheaded joy soared in her chest, fluttering around as butterflies but also as calm as a lake, glimmering under the sunlight. the smile painted on alaina's lips was indelible. her hands glided across his arms around her, feathering over until reaching his fingers and lacing them with her own. despite the gesture, stubbornness making mirth beneath revealed itself in a disagreeing shake of her head.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎keep your mouth away from me. it's too dangerous.

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎*amusing threats, strange to his nature, evoked a burst of laughter from alaina. mainly from how unlikely they were coming from the man himself, brooding as he was. the swishing sound of bedsheets were indicative of movement, his impatience loud and pushing, like vines demanding her to drop her work already and return to plush sheets and comforting arms. she couldn't continue anymore, much to the dismay this procrastination would bring her, and much to the joy of her sleepless mind and rurik. the papers were shuffled and organised to sit properly inside a hardcover file, placed aside neatly on her desk and with a tired sigh, alaina managed to pull herself out of her chair and drag herself to the bed. lost was all the grace and elegance from her movements that would usually remain, carried with herself only exhaustion in her limbs. once beside rurik with barely an iota of distance from him, her resistance was quick to betray her and melt in the mattress beneath, though with playful accusation she glared.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎do these threats even work on others? seems like child's play to me.

@inlecebra             on a rare night when his deluded mind was numb with sleep, exhaustion coiled tight in his muscles, seething, begging to be soothed. yet, he remained on his back, the blanket pushed to his hips, a loose shirt draped over his solid frame. the heat of the room nipped at his skin-—too warm now, though moments ago, his body had burned for the weight of a blanket. a cruel iciness       still lingered in his blood, yearning for alaina’s warmth. rurik turned onto his side, a low sigh threading past his lips. his tired gaze flicked toward the rustling of papers, catching the sound of her own exhausted voice, worn and frayed at the edges.       “hm.. almost done torturing me? or strangling the papers?” his voice was low, edged with quiet amusement. “keep me waiting, and maybe i’ll revoke my patience and steal the remaining sleep you’re yearning for.” a pause, then a shift, the weight of his words thick in the dim-lit room.     “i don’t have the patience tonight. it’s either we sleep now, or you’ll be seeing the sunset soon enough.”

@hyrded ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎soon, soon. i promise. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎*mumbled words were distractedly spoken, unfocused through an exhausted mind. her hand seemed to work twice as fast as her brain was, copying done information of her clients from observed scribbled notes onto official paperwork, but her drowsy eyes were desperately calling for sleep as much as rurik was.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎almost done.