Heartburn

heartburn

pairing: sylus x gn! reader (not mc)

synopsis: he made you a promise he couldn't keep, all because he was distracted with someone else, because he chose someone else. so, what happens when a mission goes wrong and hes not there?

flower: black dahlia

warnings: angst, a lot of angst.

w/c: 6.8k

a/n: it is here finally, my first finished longshot! it took me 2 months to complete it cause I'm lazy af, so dont expect anything new soon lmao. apologies for any mistakes since its eng is not my first language (and me dumb).

wanna thank my girl @tarjapearce for helping me throughout the process, you're an angel <3 dividers by @rookthornesartistry and @strangergraphics-archive.

Each breath you take seems more raw than the previous one, your throat burning with each inhale after exhale. Your thoughts are as uneven as your breathing, the anxiety and fear fighting your instinct to survive.

As you reach the car, you’re finally able to open the door after countless attempts, as your blood burns through your vessels and chains you down. It seems like a blink before you’re driving away to God knows where, the only certain thing at the moment being the lump of fear in your throat.

It’s when you regain control of your mind that you reach the phone and frantically search for Sylus’ contact, looking up and down to the road in front of you. The numbness from your mind travels to your limbs, as if the only thing you can feel is the rapid heartbeat inside your head and the tight grip in your chest. Once you see it you click it almost instantly, a shuddering breath of relief leaving your lips.

‘Its okay, I’m safe now. Everything is gonna be okay.’

While waiting for the call to pick up, you try to regain your other senses and look at your surroundings as a way to figure out where your survival instincts took you. You then proceed to use the GPS on the dashboard panel, redirecting yourself back to the base.

The plan was simple: meet with the seller, receive the protocore and go back to the base, but that is if the other party didn’t take you for fools. Once you understood the ambush at place, it was almost too late. Almost.

There was always a possibility and you knew it, everyone knew it, even Sylus. That’s why the protocols existed, to make sure if things got complicated you could get out safely even if he or the twins weren’t with you. 

First things first, you would always call him for help. During these missions it was established that he would always have his phone close in case of an emergency, and honestly it normally wouldn’t reach the second ring before he picked up whenever you needed. That's how careful he was, it was his promise. His deal, and he never breaks his deals.

That's why when it reached the last ring, your blood grew cold. The reassurance you’ve built until now going down the drain as if you didn’t make an effort to gather it all up.

Your breathing picked up again, all the hairs in your arm raising up in terror and fear. ‘No, nononono.’ 

You try again. And again. 

And nothing.

The only thing you could hear were his words of promise towards your safety, a soft lullaby that normally would bring you comfort, but now just brings a new sense of dread and betrayal.

Suddenly two blinding lights appear on the retro visor, and a sense of dread falls upon you. A heavy hot feeling washes from your head to the pit of your stomach, so heavy that it almost makes you fall forward on the steering wheel. You’re being followed.

You get it together and search for Kieran’s contact, immediately pressing the call button, and when he answers you at the 5th ring, you rest against the back of your seat as some of the burdens upon you leave your body. 

Kieran answered, so why didn’t he?

“Hello hello, how can i assi—“ “Kieran, it was all a trap and they are following me now.” Your voice sounds rough after biting your lip for so long, the vibrations scratching your throat as it tries to escape. You can hear him pause for a small second before calling his brother and immediately taking action.

“Where are you lil boss?” his tone is the most serious you’ve ever heard, cementing the realisation that you’re truly in trouble.

As you let out a shaky breath, you shake your head in denial as if he could see you. “I-I don’t know K, i don’t fucking know where i am a-and they right behind me—“.

Your tone is pathetic and you know it, but can anyone blame you? You’re supposed to be safe, he promised, and now everything seems so uncertain. “Take a deep breath for us yeah? I need you to do that.” His voice turns from serious to a comforting tone, bringing you back from the pit you’re already in.

You do as he says, word for word, and he makes sure to hear it before proceeding, “Thats perfect lil’ boss, now I need you to look at the dashboard and see the location you have in the GPS, can you do that?”

Once again, you nod in an attempt to communicate with him and search for an address, saying it loud enough before hearing a loud thud through the phone. They are searching for you. “Okay now you need to keep updating us on your location and direction, once you notice we’re already home yeah? Luke will keep talking to you so don’t worry, we’ve got you”

From there, everything felt like a quick blur. All you remember is being followed and then a loud crash happening behind you. Next thing you know, Luke is in the backseat with you while trying to talk to you out of it. But you’re not in the car with them right now. You’re in his office, the scent of leather filling your senses. You can feel the chair sinking beneath you and his caress on your hands, grabbing them while his red piercing stare reassures you. And he says it, he says that if anyone even tries to mess with one of his, he will be there to make sure they know who they were messing with. But you’re not there, nor is he here.

Sometimes you would help your “sister” in her… business. You grew up with her, a case of a chosen family since your parents knew each other by heart, before everything fell apart. Since then, you’ve gone through the hardships that N109 zone threw at you both, her being the brains and you being the practical side. She was always more street smart than you, taking the sisterly role at a really young age and neither playing chess or checkers, but her own game created by her own rules.

So when your aunt's shop wasn’t enough to go through difficult times, she was the first to give you an opportunity to be great, and to be great means to be powerful. The world doesn’t favour the weak, it only strengthens the strong, so why not take a shot to help the ones who really need it?

Your fascination and experience with protocores came handy in tradings and auctions, using your pair of expert eyes to look for diamonds in the dirt. And that’s how you met him.

You met Sylus through a protocore auction, a poor one may be added. The prices on it were horrendously high for such poor quality, and when you saw him pondering to buy one of them you couldn’t stop yourself from giving him some advice — Seeing such precious money being spent on waste is hard on anyone.

Your keen senses attracted him, the sense of opportunity too strong for the leader of Onychinus to ignore, so he made you deal: be his eyes and he will put you under his wings, providing anything you need.

From there you started to make appearances in his name, making business with dealers and getting better protocores and better prices. The more you interacted the closer you got with Sylus and the twins, to the point that you started to look at them more than simple coworkers, instead, more like family.

But as the bond changed so did their boss, a slight shift in his demeanour almost invisible to the naked sight. There started to be a tension clinging to the air whenever you two were together, pushing each other's buttons. Normally it would be him provoking you, but those slabs felt like tickles in comparison to what you’ve gone through, so it would be useless. Unless of course, he took a more soft and gentle approach, then it would be impossible not to bend.

It was in those moments where the knot of need would crawl to your throat, the line between danger and want blurring the more you felt his gaze on your form, and it felt exciting. After 2 years, it was impossible to not fall for Sylus’ late night talks, the intimate trust he never showed anyone else and words that would only be spoken in a whisper, to you. Although that was before she came around.

They quickly bring you to the living room to sit you on the leather sofa, making sure you’re comfortable before going on separate paths. Kieran quickly turns around and goes to search for the first aid kit, leaving Luke to search for any potential injuries you have. After sitting on his heels in front of you, he gently grabs your shoulders first as he moves you gently while checking around for any wounds while trying to bring you back from your disassociated state.

“Where is he?” 

He knew the question would come earlier or later, but it still made him stop in his tracks. If he didn’t have his classic mask on, it would be pretty obvious he was sweating out of remorse and guilt, so he tries to change the subject while waiting for his brother’s return.

His mask hides the nervousness felt by the sudden question, drops of sweat pilling up out of remorse — or perhaps guilt. He tries to change the subject while waiting for his brother's return, hands retreating to his lap to nervously play with his fingers. “Before that, why don’t we wait for Ki-“

“Luke.” Nothing else moves besides your lips, a chilling silence making the poor man almost choke on his words. 

You were always a light hearted person, sometimes teasing the twins and indulging their goofy pranks, pranks who would get you chanced by Onychinus leader himself. Each day that you passed together made them realise how your closed, but gentle heart was able to warm the coldest parts of someone, making them even more attached. They’ve seen you angry as well, really angry, and it's something they dread to see it again, but it’s in that moment that Kieran realises there’s something else scarier than your burning fury;

Your lifeless eyes, empty of any emotion. It’s now he realises how fucked up the situation is. You are not like them, you could’ve died.

Kieran interrupts the pregnant silence, confused about his brother’s low levelled head — as if in pain. He closes the distance between you two, sitting down right next to you with the aid kit in his lap and positioning himself towards you. Before he can open his mouth, your voice cuts their thoughts once again.

“…Where is he?” You repeat your question while looking at nothing, reflecting the void inside your heart.

Both twins look at each other, as if discussing with their eyes if the truth is the best they could give you at the moment. The thought of bringing you pain as a consequence of your request, hurts them more than any wound they have ever stitched on themselves.

Luke is the first to break eye contact. ‘I can’t do it brother’. Kieran sighs, putting the kit on the table beside him before shifting on his seat, looking ahead while supporting his elbows on both his thighs.

He hesitates, his lips parting and pressing together a few times in an attempt to organise his thoughts. After battling with his thoughts he lets out an exhale in defeat, your pain more important than any cover up.

“…He had to go to Linkon at the end of the day, he told us not to wait for him and in any emergency to call him, but —“ The man sighs and shakes his head in frustration for the man he serves. Sylus is more than he could ever ask for and done more than he could ever thank, but seeing someone like you being thrown in this makes his unconditional adoration shake for the leader.

For the first time since you’ve sat on the couch, your gaze lowers, processing the twin’s words with your mind and heart. He was with her when you needed him the most, and it seems you're not the only one who reflects on that. 

The room is engulfed by the soft lights that the fireplace provides, warming up superficially but leaving a frostbite feeling in everyone's hearts, as the three of you fall into a moment of reflection. The ringtone of Luke’s phone cuts the silence short, bringing everyone out of their trance, and once he goes to pick it up, your hand comes flying in his direction and grabbing the device from his hand, throwing it to the wall in your left.

The action surprises both twins as they slightly jump on their place and look at you, shock invading their hidden features. They can see your arm frozen, still in the throwing motion as you try to regulate your breathing. You then open your lips and let the words spill through, letting their fears become reality.

Both men get up in a blink of an eye, already throwing questions and pleas for you to not make rush decisions. Their voices feel like long distant whispers in your mind, the only thing going through being the promise he made and the one he broke.

“Don’t pick his calls, not until I’m gone.”

A few months ago, Sylus started to act… differently. He started to make Mephisto work overtime, to the point you wondered when was the last time you’ve seen him pestering you for attention. Whenever you tried to spend time with him on the usual ungodly hours, he seemed distracted with reports and news of N109 Zones’ beloved sister, Linkon city. 

You knew better than to be bothered by it, no matter how much affinity you had with the man he was the leader of Onychinus at the end of the day, trouble found him the same way he would find you in the middle of the night. When the city’s shadows got darker, you could see a shift in his attitude as his cold features appeared often, absent of any emotion or the usual glint of mischief.

But on the day of the Nest meeting, things changed drastically. After they got to the base and settled in one of the rooms downstairs and the gunshot was heard, all you could do was jump in place and wipe your head to the direction of the noise. You and the twins knew whatever was going on in there Sylus would not get hurt, but just the sound itself was enough to make your heartbeat fasten its pace with worry.

Once that episode was done you did give him an earful of swears, telling him off about his recklessness and manipulating tactics — i mean can’t he convince the girl with less self damaging methods?

As time went on, you could say your relationship with MC was … stable, just civil enough to promote a neutral ambience. She wasn’t really up on making new friends and you weren’t really interested in someone as unstable as her — she was part of one of your enemies after all. As time passed though, you could see her being included more into the organisation, which didn’t bother you if it wasn’t for a few peculiarities.

It seemed, bit by bit, the solo attention that was given to you by Sylus was starting to diverge towards her. Not just that, but the trust he would’ve put on you to do the job you were assign to was also being put on her, on the miss hunter that decided to buy the whole action just because she wanted to be bratty. Slowly, the confusion turned into uncertainty, and the uncertainty turned into something you didn’t feel in a long time since being at his side — insecurity. MC wasn’t just anyone; she was a professional hunter, one of the best it seemed, and not with a normal evol, no. With an aether core, just like him. Suddenly you could see why he was relying more on her than you, and how compatible they seemed even with all their bickering. 

He noticed it of course, and it was the perfect opportunity to tease you about it. When he noticed it was deeper than a simple “jealousy”, that sweet voice of his sang like a lullaby in your ears.

‘No matter how important she is for our mission, she will never be as important as you are to me, little flower.’ 

And you trusted him, you dumbly did.

The twins are walking by each of your sides, your fast pace making them more and more nervous about the thoughts on your mind, “L-Look let's talk about it yeah? Why don’t we sit down and-and try to come to a better solution?” Luke tells you while stumbling on his words, almost matching his clumsy steps to wherever you’re going.

Kieran nods affirmatively while keeping a hand ghosting the middle of your back, as if to catch you in case another episode begins, “He’s right lil boss, making decisions in the heat of the moment never goes well. And you should be restin—“

As you make a sharp turn towards the corridor of your room, your pace is a clear answer for them two — ‘The decision is done.’ You enter your room and go to grab the travel bag beneath your bed, laying it on top of your covers and opening it completely.

Kieran calls out your name once again with an authoritarian voice, an unfamiliar tone from the twin behind you. “Please,” he begs, the desperation in his voice overpowering his need to take some sort of control, “ — talk to us, this can’t be the only way can it?”

Your hand stops in place, fingertips barely caressing the ends of the bag as your mind goes to a blank. The truth is that if you take time to think as much as a drop, you know it will overboard the ocean of emotions inside you — and you know that once it begins, it will be hard to reach an end.

So you stay quiet, get your back straight before slowly turning towards the men that anxiously wait for an answer. And even with silence falling on you three, they wince at the statement you’ve done. Kieran breathes in sharply while Luke takes a step back, both startled with your silent response that could mean a thousand words alone. Pain? Betrayal? Maybe even emotions that you promised to seal deep in your heart.And that was their answer.

Your mind covers the sands of time, as next thing you know you’re feeling the tears that the sky is letting down for you, walking by foot until — until somewhere.

You couldn’t even farewell the two people that were always there for you, the only ones that really took their word up to their promise. You stopped at the stairs from the entrance, rain engulfing you into a tight embrace before turning around to face the twins. They look at you, and you can imagine the expressions they’re making so vividly that it stabs a fourth blade into your heart. All you can do is hug them one last time and control the tremors that your body is letting out, a last effort to make this goodbye less painful. But they know, they know that the drops on your face are not made by the clouds above, but from you.

You turn around, not daring to share another word nor gaze. It would just make you weak, so instead you go forward, walking through the open gates that once opened your heart and now close along with it.

After walking for what seems like hours, a sob is hidden by the rain that shocks the floor. Another one gets out, and another one, and another, until you drop to your knees in angst. You almost died. You could still feel their hands gripping into your arm and — 

You clumsily reach your phone and make one last phone call, to someone that you know will listen to your pleas and anguish.

Once you finish the call, all you can do is close your eyes and feel the gentle touch that the water provides to you, and share to her the yells of your broken heart.

That night, the skies cried with you.

The ear-piercing noise of the brakes screeching on the road can be heard inside the manor, before the air goes heavy with anticipation. A door suddenly opens, letting the chilling melody made by the rain creep in and, for just an instance, overthrow the deadly silence that consumes the house. The moment is broken by the tremor that shakes the house, caused by the smashing door.

Quick breathing and heavy steps echo through the corridors, each one more desperate than the last. When Sylus reaches the living room part of him knew, he knew something wasn’t right. He tries to catch his breath, but each inhale scratches the inside of his throat as despair replaces the oxygen in his lungs — almost as a punishment.

“What the hell happened?” The man spits out, the authoritarian tone hiding the fear in his voice. Sylus pants while looking at the twins, both sitting on the same sofa you’ve sat before — a futile way of prolonging your presence. They don’t answer, maybe didn’t even hear it, one of them keeping his face in his hands while the other simply looks down with his forearms on his knees. 

“Where are they!?” His yells pierces the room as well as the brothers mind, waking them up from a protective slumber which avoided them from facing reality. Luke jumps in surprise looking at his boss in despair, and as he tries to formulate an answer, Kieran cuts him off.

“They left, boss. They quit.”  

It was after the dinner party, when the faint festive mood still lingered in the air but the quiet manor expressed explicitly that the day had ended. Sylus couldn’t believe it still, he wasn’t accustomed to celebrate his birthday even with the unsuccessful tries of his twins. He needed to give you the credit, he was expecting something, but not this.

Everything in the celebration screamed ‘him’, making him participate in his favourite silly activities and helping the twins with offering their leader a new karaoke set — even if it pained you internally.

“Running away from me already, birthday boy?” You broke his wandering mind, making him stretch the smile in his face a little longer. 

He chuckled before taking his forearms from the railing and straightening up his back. “Im afraid your birthday boy isn’t here, as for my understanding it's the 19th already.” Your silent cussing made him snort in amusement.

“Well, uhm — would you kind sir be mindful enough to give him a gift of mine?” You improvised, hiding the nervous tremor your hands had let out.

Sylus pretended to think for a moment, before giving up to your hopeful look — too adorable for your own good if he might add. “Hm, I guess that can be arranged. It is the least I could do to thank the host for this extravagant party.”

You swayed your hand up and down, suggesting him to stop with the compliments — accepting those were never your forte per se. You walked up next to him before resting your hands against the railing in front of you, and take a deep breath.

“Well, I had some really poetic words to tell the birthday boy, but it seems harder now that I’m sharing the message.” A sigh escaped your lips, and you wished that some of your nervousness did too.

His intrigue only grew from there, facing you with his body as to give you his full attention. “Is that hesitance I sense? What could such an important message be to make you fear its content, even after lying and hiding this big of an event from Onychinus leader himself?”

You scoffed and shook your head as a response to his question, quickly following up “Why are you saying as if I committed a crime? It's a surprise party for a reason.” You couldn't deny the success from his effort in making you feel more at ease, maybe a reminder that this isn’t a bigger deal than what you did daily.

“This past year has been, well something”, you chuckled to yourself, “but even amongst the strongest waves, there’s a serene feeling to it. A feeling I’ve been waiting to hold on to.”

His eyes scanned every move you made, even the small smile you tried to contain as memories came to bay, and he himself tried to hide how much he adored it.

“He pays me extremely well, but I find it futile to buy him anything when he can buy anything he wants and more, so —“ Your left hand trembled as you lifted it up from its support, reaching into your pocket and taking out a small velvet pouch.

“— I tried to be creative.”

You turned to him, extending the present and staying still until he picked it up, eyes looking anywhere but him.

Sylus took in your flustered state, maybe enjoying it a bit too much, before carefully picking up the present in front of him.

“Well miss, I will need to confirm the gift before delivering it to the client in question. Security measures, as you understand” He looked at you through his lashes, and even if the look could be perceived as sensual, there was a glint of reassurance behind his gaze. ‘Your thought on it is already enough’ it whispered, but falling in deaf ears as you couldn't even look at him.

“Yeah yeah just open the damn present. I'm dying of anxiety over here…” Your last mumble wasn't ignored, and made the leader of Onychinus have a laugh himself. He respected your wishes before opening the small pouch.

After gently picking up the object with his fingers, he couldn't even hide his surprise when looking at it. 

“What… Is this a necklace?” He asked, his confusion obvious in his tone. He definitely wasn’t expecting getting surprised once more today,

“Yeah, I — uhm, I made it.”

Nor the words that came out of your mouth. A silence fell upon you two, and even the stars seemed to be waiting for your next move, observing your interaction from afar.

Sylus broke everyone’s expectations by laughing. Not his usual laugh though, not the sexy smug laugh that he lets out once in a while, no. He laughed as if he was a young child, free of malice or second intentions. It was so beautiful, so raw and pure that you almost cried by the melody he created so effortlessly, so beautiful that it made you stop and stare at him.

Once he calmed down, he cleaned the corner of his eyes, as if to catch the tear that dared to escape his ruby eyes. “You just keep on catching me off guard more and more, I’m not sure if I enjoy it.” But his genuine smile contradicted his statement, clearly enjoying every moment of it.

As you got to your senses, you couldn't help but be embraced by a wave of embarrassment. “… If you don’t like it it's okay, I’m not a jeweller by far, so i understand if it's not your taste —“ “Its the most beautiful thing someone has ever gifted to me.”

The sudden shift in his voice caught you completely off guard, snapping your gaze towards him instantly. Despite the seriousness of his tone, his eyes didn't lie, full with a gentleness foreign in his eyes. 

“Its the first time someone has ever given me a hand-made gift like this,” he caressed the metal beads of the necklace, falling in love with it the more he looked at it, “I couldn’t ask for more, little flower”.

The manor’s floor ranges in pain as Sylus’ footsteps press against it, the pace mirroring his racing mind. The closer he gets to your bedroom, the more his heart jumps against his chest. He had to see, he had to confirm this wasn’t just a shitty prank you three pulled on him, even if in the back of his mind the truth was looking straight at him.

He races through the stairs, walking them up in groups of two, and his body just gets into autopilot. So many times he has made this same path, only this time it is filled with dread. Going forward, sharp turn to the right and walk a few feet until he reaches your door, but once he stops, he hesitates to open the door. Sylus’ hand trembles, probably for the first time in his life, in fear. He already lost so much, faced so many horrors, but it’s now he realises that losing you is the biggest one until now. The hesitance annoys him deeply, so he pushes it aside while grabbing the doorknob tightly and twisting it with force, opening a new wound he couldn’t heal.

The twins catch up on him slightly later, looking into the room and watching their leader in the middle of what used to be your room, empty of any sign that would proclaim this space as yours. He doesn’t move, he doesn’t speak. He just stays there, expressionless, like he was before he met you.

Seconds pass before he regains his sense of self, turning around and going back on his steps, walking straight past the brothers and towards his own office. He can’t hear Kieran's and Luke's questions, since the only thing in his mind is the way your cute chuckle slips through when you’re embarrassed, how your eyes close when you laugh so hard you’re almost wheezing, and how you look at him as if he was just another human being instead of the monster other proclaim him to be.

And then he wonders, do you believe their words now? 

It truly is like two faces of the same coin, bringing the the twins into a sense of deja vu — the way he gets into a dissociated state like you do when stressful situations appear, how he doesn’t stop his tempo because they all know if he does, he falls, the same way you do.

He steps into his office and prepares Mephisto for the night shift ahead, as well as assembling himself for the round he is about to go through too. Quick and direct, Sylus doesn’t lose anymore time entertaining his brainstorm of emotions, only having one goal in mind — finding you. 

Once out of the room and heading towards the stairs, he stops by the call of his name. Luke steps closer to the man while his brother stays behind, now only a few feet away from the white-haired man. With a strained voice, he speaks the words that are plead in everyone’s minds,

“Please find her Boss.”.

Sylus clenches his jaw, the tension breaking his expressionless facade as dread falls from its slits. No, he won’t let you go like this, not because of a stupid mistake of his responsibility, not because of a promise he couldn’t keep. He turns to face the younger male, and his eyes shimmer in determination and pain, cutting the heavy ambient around them.

“I will.”

He was waiting for you at the entrance, already bored to mind even before the event even started. It was a social party of a trusty source of his, and for the sake of his business relationship, Sylus had no choice but to participate. He would always bring you along to avoid “unwanted” attention to himself, since lately he hasn’t gotten the curiosity to entertain himself with a stranger.

He would normally give you full liberty to choose your own clothes, as long as it was adequate for the meetings he didn’t really care about, but in the past few months he couldn’t help but … spoil you a bit. A coat that seemed clearly your style? Or that set that would look so good on you for the auctions ahead? He couldn’t just pass by, he needed to buy it. So when he saw a suit that complemented his own iconic colours, it was a match in heaven.

He waited (im)patiently for your arrival, wondering how the outfit would look on you: Would you like it? Would you feel comfortable in it? Would you feel confident in it—

“Sorry I took so long, took a while to figure out how to wear it” You chuckled nervously as you approached him at the bottom of the stairs. He searched for the source of your voice before his gaze fell upon your figure, and Sylus got quiet.

The tight shirt already shaped your figure beautifully, but the vest on top? It was as if you were built by Astra Himself. With the black shirt a few buttons open your chest was shown just enough to tease, and the black vest with crimson strikes was adjusting your torso so perfectly he thought it was dangerous. You couldn’t help but try to hide yourself, not used to his hungry eyes, but as soon as you tried to cower your figure he was suddenly in front of you, with his hand gently grasping your wrist forbidding you from covering.

“Don’t,” he stroked your palm with his thumb, feeling the warmth of your skin, “You look too beautiful to be hidden.” You shook your head in denial and let out a nervous chuckle, not used to being complimented by the Onychinus leader himself, “You don’t need to stroke my ego now, we’re wayy past that phase.”

Sylus frowned, not enjoying the tone that accompanied your words, “Are you doubting my truth, puppy? I think we’re past that phase as well.” The hand on your wrist slipped into yours instead, interlocking your fingers in his. You looked at him shocked, not quite processing his words immediately, and once you stumbled on your words after attempting to retort, you knew you were done.

Annoyance long gone, the soft ruby eyes softened at your embarrassed expression, enjoying every minute of your visual flustered state. He must say, red does look good on you, especially on your cheeks. And it's once he noticed his own heart jumping against his chest that he knew, he was done for as well.

It’s hard to determine how much time has passed since Sylus got to the road in hopes of finding a trail of you. It pained him to think you would’ve walked the same path he’s driving drenched and cold, shaken up by a meeting that shouldn’t have happened. He thought he could find you wandering the streets since it didn’t take him much to reach home before you left, but since there was no trace of you, he could only conclude someone took you. 

The thought would be enough for him to grab the steering wheel tighter, enough for his knuckles to turn white. There was no doubt in his mind that you’ve contacted someone you trust, probably your sister, but after what happened to you… he couldn’t handle the possibility of you being in danger and him not be able to save you, again.

His eyes burned, enough to leave the ruby of his eyes even more crimson, and Sylus didn’t know if it was because he refused to blink, or if it were tears that threatened to escape. Memories and flashbacks wouldn’t stop from coming in and out of his mind, leaving a little bit more of madness in his brain. 

With his left leg twitching, hands slightly trembling, and breathing getting heavier by the second, Sylus could feel something new brewing inside of him, another emotion no one else has made him feel besides you: panic.

In one of those sleepless nights of yours, when memories of your past taunt you in your dreams, you’ve got used to the ruby-eyed male’s company to ease your mind. And back then, it was one of those nights. 

Sylus was observing your sleeping form, your chest rose and lowered with each breath, eyes softly closed and parted lips that made you look so beautiful. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you, enjoying every minute while he could to take in all your features — it was the only way he could without seeming lovestruck (which he totally was).

He already accepted he was a lost cause, even if you were the one with the nickname it seemed he was the dog on the leash, and the one holding it was you, even if you were too dense to decipher. 

The man couldn’t contain himself, and so he reached his calloused hand and rested it against the softness of your cheek, gently stroking it with the pad of his thumb. He thought and overthought, until finally surrendering to his desires and leaving a kiss on your forehead so light it felt like two petals against the skin.

As he pulled away, he opened his eyes and sighed in content, grateful to have you resting in his bed with him. Maybe one day he will be as bold as he is in his line of work to make sure you’re there for other reasons.

A loud screech cuts the silent street as Sylus turns to stop at the side of the road, his hyperventilating making him dizzy enough to shake his sight. The memories overflow him and the bother in his chest turns into pain, making his right hand abandon the wheel and grab where it hurts. He leans into his seat quite roughly, a way to shake off this awful feeling he can’t quite shake off.

Both of you were in the kitchen, you and your stubborn self trying to pull him into the middle of the “dance floor” while your favourite song plays in the background. His eyes glinted in amusement while his lips let out a breathy laugh, your excitement expanding to everything around you. 

While you sang your lungs out and swayed Sylus towards every direction, he couldn’t help but stare at your goofy smile and so beautiful lips. He then slid his hands down to both sides of your waist and secured them there, while a genuine smile of his own slowly made way to his face.

You opened your eyes in surprise, but non the less delighted, and you looked at him. For some reason this caught him off guard as well, bringing you two to a stop while the melody kept on playing. It’s true what others say: in moments of intimacy with a cherished one, it’s as if the sands of time are at each other's fingertips, stopping its continuous flow. 

In a sudden move, Sylus leans forward and slams both hands against the steering wheel: once, then twice, then one final blow. His breathing is erratic now, his mind — it just doesn’t stop working, it keeps replaying moments he wouldn’t even remember on an ordinary day and clinging onto him when he doesn’t even have you near anymore. Every time he remembers, a part of him gets cut and keeps on bleeding, stinging every time he notices you’re gone.

One of his hands left your waist and cradled your face, making you close your eyes and lean into the warmth of his rough palm. A melodic silence fell upon you both, but no words were needed to be said. Sylus didn’t need his Aether core to know your deepest desire at the moment, and he couldn’t lie that it mirrored his. So he leaned it, and as a good reflection you are, you did so as well.

The car door slams against the vehicle by force, the space inside being so claustrophobic that it makes the air in his lungs trapped in place. He leans against the car and lets himself be embraced by the rain above, a chilling comfort given by the skies. While his breathing slowly comes to a steady, the pressure on his heart only increases as so the burning feeling in his eyes. 

He doesn’t move nor does he make a sound, only the rain drops against the concrete and metal being heard. But the same way you reflected him back then, this time he’s the one mirroring the skies this time, as only Astra himself is the only witness of his crystal drops that interline with the ones from above.

And so, the skies cried alongside him that night.

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