Work Text:
"A petal has fallen."
You slowly turned your gaze upwards to look at Vyn. He stood next to a tall pedestal where a rose sat, trapped in a glass cage in a beautiful vase. You stared at the rose, looking at the blood red petal that laid at the foot of the vase. The petal fell, yet it withered not; it made you wonder why it had fallen away from the rose in the first place.
You turned your attention back to the desk in front of you, staring off into space. "I guess the rose is wilting." You said in a flat tone.
Vyn leaned closer to the rose, as if he was admiring its beauty. He studied the rose through his long, white eyelashes. "Perhaps not," He said. "A simple petal falling from the rest doesn't necessarily result in death; instead, it could signify something greater that is to come."
Your eyes found themselves back on Vyn's figure as he hunched over a bit to stare at the rose. One arm was folded neatly behind his back while his other hand was hooked on his chin.
"Not always," You countered. "Roses lose their beauty too. Wilting is inevitable."
Vyn straightened. He turned to look at you, a small smile forming on his soft lips. "Wilting is indeed inevitable; however, losing beauty is not." He locked his gaze with yours, and something told you that he wasn't talking about roses anymore.
You kept your eyes on his golden ones. As much as you tried to fight it, a frown came over your lips. "Hallow beauty isn't beauty at all."
Your voice came out quiet. Too quiet, and Vyn noticed.
He strode over and looked down at you, an expectant look in his eyes. He reached his hand out for you to grab. You took it.
Silently, Vyn lead you out of his study and down the stairs. He snapped his fingers with his free hand and the lights dimmed to a comforting setting. Finally, he lead you to the couch and sat down with you.
Keeping your hands interlocked, Vyn talked in a soothing tone. "Something is hurting you, and yet you haven't spoken to me about it. Why is that?"
You avoided his gaze, staring at thr coffee table in front of you instead. "I just don't know how to go about it." You mumbled.
Vyn's thumb reassuringly stroked the back of your hand. "Tell me what causes pain in your heart, and I will listen."
You frowned again. "I don't want tonight to be depressing. I just want to be here with you."
"If you talk, I will be here. And if you don't, I will be here anyway." Vyn brought your hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. "I'm not leaving your side. Hearing you speak is a blessing in itself."
Taking in a deep breath, you began. "I've been feeling awful these past few weeks. You know how I am, Vyn— I'm an overachiever and I'm goal-oriented. But everything changed; I lost interest in the things that used to motivate me. I find it so hard to keep going. To word hard. To live. And now I just feel so lost and I have no sense in direction. I want to cry, and scream, and just shout at the top of my lungs. I want to feel happy again, I want to feel like I have a purpose on this earth, I just want to feel like me again. This isn't me. I'm not the happy person I used to know, Vyn. I—"
Before you knew it, tears were streaming down your face. Frustration and affliction reflected in your eyes that carried silent stories and unsaid words. You shook your head and kept going.
"I used to be a happy person that was sad sometimes, but I've changed. Now I'm a sad person who's happy sometimes. I miss the old me, where I found joy in the little things and where it didn't hurt just to smile. I want to be motivated again and do the things I love doing. I just want me back, that's all I want."
You broke down, about to curl into yourself when Vyn grabbed you. He guided you into his chest, freeing your hand and wrapping his arms around your shaking frame. His right hand gently stroked your hair, giving it a small kiss as you cried.
"It sounds like you're depressed, love." The white haired man said softly. "You're overstimulated and overworked. You need a break to run away from the responsibilities that are encaging you. It's natural to feel burnt out. It is okay, my rose. You need to let yourself rest sometimes. You're always striving to be the best at everything you do that you often forget that you are a human; you need to look after yourself as well. Even a robot powers down when working for too long. You need not be so hard on yourself."
Vyn listened to your cries as they gradually quieted down. He gently messaged your scalp with his fingernails and hummed softly in an attempt to make you feel sleepy and calm you down.
"You are perfect as you are, my dove." Vyn continued. "You may not see it, but I do, as well as others. As the saying goes, 'the passerby has the better eye'. Don't judge yourself based on your own judgement— allow others to reign over your opinion occasionally. I will gladly tell you everything that is perfect about you. Being goal-oriented and an over-achiever is astounding, but not at the cost of your mental heath. You must remember to put yourself before anything. And to be truly happy, you're going to have to disappoint some people. And that is okay. As long as you're okay."
Your cries had stopped by now. You knew Vyn had to disappoint some people in order for him to be happy. And now look at him— successful and quite wealthy. If he can do it, why can't you?
"What if I don't ever find motivation?" You voiced your concerns to him in a shaky voice.
"Keep living until that reason appears. And once you find it, hold it tightly and keep it close to your heart until you don't need it anymore. It can be something as small as wanting to see an upcoming movie or wanting to grow old and see the world change. All you need is a reason to stay. It may be a person, or a place or thing, or it could even be something so trivial that it baffles you. Just keep going until you find one, my pretty. This, I beg of you." He kissed the top of your hair again.
You clear your throat, and yet your voice still trembles. "What if I don't get back doing the things I used to love?"
Vyn smiled tenderly. "That is quite alright. There will be new things that you'll love, new opportunities to fall in love with— the possibilities are endless, love. Fret not over the past: instead, get ecstatic for the future. You may be at rock bottom, but you will not stay. Soon you'll get tired of the darkness and go back up to the surface, only to find it dark up there too. But alas; it was only nighttime. The sun will arise again and the darkness will be chased away. You will be you again."
"But the wilting rose. . ."
"The fallen petal was nothing more than an old hindrance; it was making way for the new. For more healthier, softer rose petals that will gracefully flaunt everything it has to show off. Don't think the roses had thorns, but instead that the thorns have roses. You, my love, are the thorn, the stem, the petal, the rose." Vyn lifted your head up and smiled at you again, his eyes slanting. "My rose."
Before you could say anything, Vyn hooked your chin between his forefinger and his thumb and brought your face up to his. His lips met your warm ones, colliding softly. The kiss was sweet and reassuring, letting you know that you were safe. There was nothing to worry about.
Even if things fall apart now, you'll make it in the end. You always do.
Vyn pulled away with half-lidded eyes that stared down at you with nothing but pure admiration. "My pretty rose," Vyn whispered against your lips. "Even while you wilt, your beauty will not waver."
And then he kissed you again, just as soft as the first time. You wrapped your arms around his next and pulled him closer to you. His free hand found its way to the small of your back. This time, the kiss was short, but it was still enough to make you feel loved.
You were loved. You are loveable. That much is enough.
Vyn pressed his forehead against yours, his caratage eyes staring into yours. His voice came out as a soft whisper, his words falling upon your ears only. "And if the rose wilts away, it will bloom again one day."