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The ground still swayed under Lila’s feet. Despite Aeden’s strong grip keeping her upright in their hug, and the health potion she has just consumed, the remnants of the plane shift spell swirled around in Lila’s mind. Once the ground finally felt more stable, and Lila no longer felt like her knees would give out from under her, she broke away from Aeden’s arms, wiping her eyes.
“I was so scared ‘Den.” Lila sniffed, “My party was dead, and then they were in this Corpse Flower thing, and then Maeve destroyed the monster and I didn’t get to say goodbye. I didn’t- they’re gone and I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
Lila sobbed again, pushing herself back into Aeden’s arms. He held her tightly, gently kissing her hairline and the top of her head. She felt his tears hit her hair as he whispered, “It’s okay, you’re okay,” on repeat until she was able to take a breath again.
“Lucynthia wanted to lock me up,” She whispered into his chest, her heart clenching around the words. Lila felt him tense, before carefully removing himself, placing his hands on her shoulders as he searched her face.
“What?”
“She-” Lila took a deep breath. Aeden wiped her face, taking a corner of his shirt to wipe the blood and tears off of her cheek, nudging her to continue. “She said that she wanted to ‘add me to her collection’ and that she would let Tim, Rinsewind, and Kiaran live if I went with her. That if I didn’t, it would be my fault another party died-” Her voice cracked.
“We won’t let her Liles,” Lila searched his face and found only intense determination. “Giles, Maeve, Nor… They won’t let her get to you, and I would rather die than let her take you, got it? You’re safe now.”
Lila’s bottom lip trembled, tears gathering in her eyes again. She took another deep breath, attempting to curb more tears from falling. She pulled away from Aeden’s grip, grabbing and squeezing at his hand instead as she finally looked around, taking in everything.
She stood on the street in front of WaterWorld, the tavern imposing only to Lila as it loomed over her, remnants of a fight already fought echoing in her ears. The sun on its descent cast a shadow over everyone; Rinsewind and Kiaran arguing over whether they should let Tim eat a leather shoe, Giles and Meave doing crowd control, glancing back over their shoulders at the pair as citizens of Alchemsburg passed, gawking at the spectacle that was the reappearance of the group.
Lila glanced up at the sky, taking another deep breath as she listened to the bustling of the crowds blocks away and of civilization after being alone for so long, when a throat cleared. She followed the noise, dropping her gaze to find Nor standing a few feet in front of her. She watched as he bounced on the balls of his feet, either waiting for something to happen or preparing to run away. Lila raised an eyebrow, humorous confusion written on her face as she let go of Aeden’s hand, taking a step closer to Nor. She gave him a slight smile, looking in between his eyes as she waited for something to happen. Before she could say anything Nor opened his arms, rushing forward and wrapping her up in a giant hug, almost taking her off the ground. She froze, her brain not comprehending for a second before the tension fully drained from her shoulders, and she hugged him tightly back.
They stood like that for a minute, and Lila felt Nor move his head, his lips brushing against her temple as if he was going to kiss the side of her head. Her breathing hitched and she broke the hug before anything could happen. She saw him grimace slightly, a blush rising on his cheeks as he looked at his feet. What the fuck almost happened?
“I-” His head shot up, making eye contact with Lila as she spoke, “I know it may be a little weird, since I technically only saw you three days ago in- in my head, which… a very busy three days, mind you, but I just… I missed you.” Her face matched his blush as his eyes widened minutely.
“I- uh-” he coughed twice, his hand raising to the back of his neck, “I missed you too. It was a little longer than three days for me, but I…” His gaze softened. “Gods Lila, I was so worried about you.” He moved his hand, brushing her cheek with his thumb as he stared at her, his eyes a mix of sadness and relief. She blushed as he cleared his throat again, removing his hand as if her skin had burned him, and took a step back. “I- I mean, we were all really worried about you. Yeah, we all… we were all worried.” He trailed off, his eyes darting around, looking at everything except for her.
He’s really cute when he’s flustered. She smiled again as she watched Nor fidget, his face exploding red as something caught his eye to his right. She followed his gaze to a glaring Aeden, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed as Giles and Meave laughed behind their hands. She tilted her head in confusion as she turned back to Nor, who seemed to be locked in, and losing, the staring contest with Aeden.
“Well, I appreciate it,” She reached out, touching his bicep. Nor tensed a little as she made contact; a muted muttering from Aeden spurring her on to quickly remove her hand. “It was… not scary, because I don’t get scared, even if you heard me tell Aeden otherwise, but it was just… a lot.” She blushed, smiling slightly. “It’s nice to know that people cared enough to come after me, you know?”
He stared at her, an unrecognizable look in his eyes, and Lila’s smile dimmed minutely. Did I say the wrong thing? After what felt like forever, Nor glanced at Aeden, before smiling back.
…
They were all staring at her.
“What does the box mean, Lila?”
Her party was dead, Lucynthia tried to finish the job and kill her, and they were asking her about the fucking dice box. Lila took a deep breath, the lights of the tavern stabbing into her eyes despite their dimness, as the room grew smaller around her. Everything got louder in her ears, every scrape of a chair or scuffle of a shoe grating against her eardrums, causing her to grimace under the scrutiny. Her heartbeat thumped in her ears, and despite her efforts, her breathing sped up. She exhaled hard.
“You’re not even going to give me a break to process everything that happened, huh?” Her attempt at a joke fell flat, annoyance flashing in her eyes. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, taking another deep breath to try and slow her heartbeat, steadily growing louder and beating harder by the second. Her head started to get floaty and she dropped her hands into fists at her side, flexing and unflexing her hands. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out so sharp. I-I just–”
A hand on her shoulder. Lila could feel the gentle grip of Nor’s hand as he moved beside her. Despite the current overwhelming state of the tavern, the heat of his body radiating out beside her had a calming presence, bringing her back down to earth for a second. She could feel his breath on her ear as he leaned in, dropping his voice.
“I can explain the box, if you want. You don’t have to. Just breathe, Lila. You’re alright, I can explain this part.”
Lila took a shallow breath, nodding almost frantically on a quick exhale. He smiled at her, whispering “breathe” as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, before turning back to the rest of the group. Lila tried to pay attention to the conversation as Nor explained the box, her old party, and Lucynthia, but she could only focus on the way he stayed next to her. While Nor usually paced, the young inventor seemingly never standing still, he did just that next to her, their bodies maintaining three points of contact every time either of them even shifted on their feet. He wasn’t completely motionless, however, and the hand resting on Lila’s shoulder quickly found the ends of her hair, beginning to fidget, twirling the strands around in his fingers. She centred herself on his movement, the contact helping to ground her more than she expected as she leaned a little more of her weight on him. In the corner of her mind she thought she heard him stutter in his words, but as she zoned into the conversation he was already moving on, continuing whatever he had been talking about. Her head was growing clearer, and she figured she should join the conversation now that she was calmer, when she felt his hand leave her hair. She almost protested, already missing the calming movements, when his hand started going lower, fingers trailing down her spine, shivers running in the opposite direction, before landing on her hip, keeping her locked in place by his side.
Lila’s breath hitched slightly, head growing clearer than it had ever been, but still in the clouds, far away from reality. The hand on her hip burned. Oh my gods. Oh my gods. Did friends do this? I’ve been flirting but he hasn’t seen me in over 7 months so I just thought— has he been flirting back? Is that what’s happening?
Every single thought flying around in Lila’s head halted to a stop as Nor, who’s hands never stop moving, consciously or not, began to rub circles into her hip with his thumb.
Oh.Oh.
In that moment Lila could swear Lucynthia was back, her nerves and cheeks alight with a flame that felt unnatural. There was no hope for her refocusing on the conversation, her mind very preoccupied with the pressure on her side. Lila didn’t know how long she stood there, unaware of anything other than his touch, the movement almost mesmerising. She wondered what he would do with his hands if she got him alone. Oh god, I can’t think that. He’s not- we’re not-
“You ok?” Lila whipped her head up, meeting the concerned gaze of Nor, who had moved in front of her without her noticing. She nodded frantically. He studied her, before smirking. “Are you sure? Because I’ve been trying to get your attention for a couple of minutes, and your face is all red. It also got all scrunched up, all adorable like you were having a conversation in your head.”
Adorable? She avoided his gaze, instead trying to regain her barings; the newfound party had scattered, somewhat. Tim was still nearby, attempting to now feed Griselda the camel the same shoe he had just been eating, Kiaran warily watching him, trying to push Griselda's head away from where she was reaching for the shoe. Rinsewind was… gone, off galavanting somewhere Lila was sure. She turned back to Nor, meaning to tell him she was fine, just tired and had zoned out, but her mouth had other plans.
“Adorable?” Nor blinked, his smile fading. Lila’s eyes widened. “I mean-” She squeaked, “I meant to say I am fine. It has just been a long day and I am tired, and your hand is still on my hip so I am a little distracted.” She slapped her hand over her mouth, staring at a now gaping Nor.
Oh my gods I didn’t mean to say that. She let out a nervous laugh, taking a step back, Nor’s hand limply dropping back at his side.
“I am going to bed,” she said slowly, trying to formulate some sort of explanation as to what she had said. Other than that I’m madly in love with him. “I am going to bed because obviously I can not be trusted to not say every thought that passes through my head- not that I was thinking about you! Or your… hands…” She exhaled hard, putting her face in her hands for a second. “I mean, you know what?” She clapped. “I am going to bed. Goodnight. Please forget I said any of this.”
She quickly turned on her heel, marching away a few steps before pausing, spinning around to face him again. “It is the middle of the day, and I do not have a room.” Giles spoke up from behind the bar.
“Room 33.” He said, tossing her a key. She swatted at it, trying to catch it midair, but only served to knock it to the floor at her feet. She just stared at them for a second, contemplating her choices up until this moment, before sighing and bending over to pick them up. She nodded at Giles, who only looked at her with sympathy. She looked back at Nor, giving him a quick finger gun before grimacing, and almost bolting to her room.
…
Three quick knocks on the door awoke Lila from her sleep. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. It was dark in her room, and she quickly lit a candle, glancing out the window for an estimate on how long she had slept. The stars were out in full force, so it was longer than Lila would usually rest, but based on the day she had had, she figured she needed the sleep.
Three more knocks echoed throughout the room. She got up, wincing at the cold of the floor. She brushed her fingers through her hair to try and tame it somewhat as she made her way across the room. She opened the door with a yawn, coming face to face with Nor, his arm raised as if to knock again. He quickly dropped it, putting his hands behind his back.
“Hi…” Lila started as Nor only stared. She took in the frazzled look on his face, and leaned past the door frame, looking both ways down the hallway. “Is something wrong?”
“Hm? No, no, nothing is wrong. I just needed to talk to you about something.” He rocked on his heels as Lila blinked.
“And it could not wait until tomorrow?” He blanched, falling still.
“You’re right. I am so sorry, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He went to turn away. Without thinking Lila quickly reached out, grabbing his arm. He froze.
“Don’t go. I am sorry, that was really rude of me; I am still half asleep. Aeden used to say that nobody could talk to me for the first half hour of being awake because I would bite their heads off.” She snorted, letting go of his arm, backing up to give him enough room to pass her. He didn’t move like expected, only stared at her. Lila ran her hand through her hair again, pushing her curtain bangs out of her eyes, only for them to fall back into her face. “Did you want to talk in the hallway, or…?” Nor startled as she gestured behind her, as if surprised. He shook his head a little, before brushing past her into the room. She closed the door behind him. Lila turned around, but didn’t move, instead opting to lean her back against the door. Nor was awkwardly pacing in the middle of the room. She watched him for a moment, before clearing her throat.
“So, what is the not urgent, middle of the night, super secret that you needed to tell me?” She waggled her eyebrows and smirked. He suddenly stopped his pacing, turning toward her. He looks nervous. Lila felt her smile begin to fade. “What?”
He let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Tell me if this crosses a line, alright?” Before Lila could do anything, Nor had closed the gap between the two of them, placing a hand against the door beside Lila’s head, and he kissed her.
By the time Lila’s sleep-addled brain had finally kicked back into gear, he was already backing away. He stood in the middle of the room wringing his hands.
“I’m sorry. I just assumed- I really like you and I thought that maybe you had been flirting with me, but if I am totally off base then it is totally fine, because I care about you so much,” Lila watched as he began to pace again, “And I don’t want you to think this is an ‘all or nothing’ kind of deal for me, because- because I wasn’t just worried about you being missing because I like you. I mean, I do like you, both as a friend and as more, but this was more of a ‘I forgot how beautiful you were until I saw you standing outside half dead’ kind of thing and my brain would not shut up about me being close to you and making sure you were ok and your stupid haircut that makes you look even more gorgeous than before, and then you were flirting back at me, I think, maybe I read that wrong, I don’t know, and now- I am so sorry, it’s late and this is probably making no sense.” He cut off his rambling with a clack of his teeth, his jaw clenching, as he forced himself to stop pacing. Lila just stared as he swallowed hard.
“I can go. If… if you want.” She searched his face, looking for any signs that what he said may have been the effects of a spell, or a lie of some kind. Finding nothing, only an increasingly tense Nor, her gaze softened.
She pushed off the door, walking over to him. Her heartbeat was loud in her chest, and she was convinced Nor could hear it, just as she could faintly hear his. She put a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him towards her as their bodies became flush with each other. She looked at him through her eyelashes, darting between his lips and up to his eyes. Lila could feel his breathing become laboured, puffs of air brushing against her face.
“Do you want to go?” She murmured. Nor’s breathing hitched as he imperceptibly shook his head no. Lila closed her eyes as she moved the inch between them, tentatively pressing her lips to his. Warmth erupted in Lila’s chest like a wildfire as he kissed her back, consuming her as if she were burning alive. But if Lila was Fire, Nor was Earth, Water and Air, keeping her from combusting entirely. Warm puffs of wind brushed her lips sporadically, breathing life into the invisible flames that licked at her skin. His calloused hands found her face, rough against her skin. She found she didn’t mind, his hands gentle and grounding as if made from the very Earth beneath them. His lips cradled hers as waves would float a piece of driftwood to shore, gently working against each other to reach a common goal; find solid ground. Lila felt as light as smoke as they finally parted, both breathing hard, their chests rising and falling in near synchronisation from how close they were standing.
They stood there for a moment, foreheads touching. Nor’s hands didn’t stop moving, leaving Lila’s face to trail down her back and arms, as if trying to convince himself that this was real. Lila let out a huff of a laugh, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling him impossibly closer to her, as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt his eyes on her as his hands stilled, one resting on her lower back. With the other he reached up, brushing her hair behind her ear, taking the time to lightly trace the outside of her ear, following the curves and slight point as if on a map. His fingers traced along her jaw and settled on the nape of her neck as Lila felt fluttering kisses mimic where his fingers had just been. She hummed with an exhale, slowly lifting up her head to look at him again. He only looked at her, eyes soft, something Lila couldn’t understand dancing behind. His hand left her neck, fingers tracing along the bridge of her nose, connecting freckles like a connect the dots drawing. His lips quickly followed, lightly sweeping across her skin. He traced her eyebrows, her cheekbones, down across her jaw and finally back to her neck. Nor paused, glancing at Lila, before putting his mouth to her neck. Lila felt his teeth gingerly graze her skin, before sucking gently. Lila felt like she would burn up on the spot, engulfed in flame, as she involuntarily let out a hard puff of air that bordered on a moan and moved her neck to give Nor more access. She felt him grin against her skin, placing a kiss before continuing to suck a line down her neck.
He reached her collarbone, gently pushing the collar of her shirt out of the way. Lila’s breathing hitched. With her hands still in Nor’s hair, she pulled away, putting a few inches between them. Nor furrowed his brows, searching her face as he dropped his hands to her hips.
“Y’ok?” he whispered, clearing his throat. She nodded.
“Yeah. You?” He chuckled.
“Yeah, I’m great.”
“Ok.”
“Ok.” They stared at each other, a silence falling over them and the room like a blanket. Lila breathed, trying to stamp out the fire and heat still raging in her chest. Nor licked his lips, his pupils wide. With his movement, something within her snapped. Lila decided to let the fire consume her as she pushed herself against Nor, kissing him as if now on borrowed time. Like any spark, it was contagious, and Nor kissed her back with the same vigour, his hands pulling her hips against his, fingers gripping her sides. She dropped her hands from Nor’s hair to the buttons on his shirt, fingers trembling as she frantically tried to unbutton his shirt with touch alone.
Nor’s hands slowly slipped under Lila’s shirt, and she could feel them trembling as if both nervous and anticipatory, and she gasped. The fire leaped from his fingertips, burning Lila’s skin as sparks danced between their lips, their hands; anywhere they had the fortune of touching each other. They were a comet coming down to earth, burning up in the atmosphere, puffs and gasps and soft groans of air only encouraging the fire surrounding them.
Four quick knocks sounded throughout the room, and the couple froze, their heads whipping towards the door. Aeden’s voice rang out from the hallway, slightly muffled due to the time of night.
“Lila? You awake kid?” Lila’s eyes widened, matching Nor’s as he opened his mouth to say something. Lila quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, putting a finger to her own lips. Aeden knocked quietly again, as Lila pushed Nor to the side, scrambling up. She fixed her shirt, running her hands through her hair, and rubbing her eyes, trying to look like she had just woken up. With a glance back at Nor, making sure he wouldn’t be seen from outside the room, she opened the door with a fake yawn.
“Aeden? What time is it?” His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked her up and down. She made a show of rubbing her eye with the back of her hand and stretching slightly.
“It is… late.” He crossed and uncrossed his arms. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok. I know you have not had a nightmare in a while, but you have had an eventful…” he trailed off, gesturing with his hand. “And you missed supper, so I just wanted to make sure you were not freaking out or anything.” She shakes her head a little bit.
“No, I am fine.” He just looked at her as she sighed, “I am serious. It probably just has not hit me yet or something, but I would… I would tell you. If the nightmares got bad again. I promise.” He studied her, and seemingly pleased with the honesty of her words, nodded his head once.
“Ok well, I am right down the hall if you need me for anything,” Lila nodded, and he turned to go. He paused, “And Lila, you may want to drink another health potion. It looks like you missed a couple of bruises.” He gave her a knowing look, turning around and humming an off tune song under his breath. Lila watched him leave, face red, before slowly closing the door.
Lila slowly turned around, her face red as a tomato, to see Nor with a hand over his mouth, face as red as hers as he held back a laugh. It was over the moment they made eye contact, both people dissolving into full-bellied laughs that Lila was sure everyone in the building could hear. Their laughter tapered out, leaving them in a full silence as they stared at one another. Nor took a deep breath.
“I should probably go,” he said, a lopsided smile still on his face, “I wouldn’t want Aeden to break the door down, and you need sleep.” Lila scoffed, crossing her arms.
“He can deal with it,” she said, a large yawn cutting her off before she could continue. Nor only looked at her knowingly, and she sighed. “Yes, yes, alright. Fine.” Lila turned on her heel, opening the door for him and gesturing. Nor shuffled over, stopping just outside the door in the hallway.
“Goodnight, Lila.” A soft smile lit up his face and Lila couldn’t help but return the same expression, burning embers of love sitting deep in her chest.
“Goodnight, Nor.”
They stared for another second, before Nor nodded and turned on his heel. Lila quietly closed the door, sighing as she banged her forehead against it. She stood there for a couple of seconds, just breathing, before a couple quick knocks interrupted her racing thoughts. She opened the door, confused. Nor stood there, still smiling, before he reached out, cradling her face in both of his hands, and kissed her. His lips were just as soft as before, but just as Lila leaned in to deepen the kiss, Nor pulled away an inch, smiling into her lips.
“Goodnight,” he whispered, his breath hot on Lila’s lips. She smiled back, reaching out and giving him a quick peck on the lips before pulling away further.
“Goodnight,” she pulled his hands off her face and squeezed them once before dropping them, “I’ll see you tomorrow?” Nor nodded vigorously, running one hand through his hair.
“Tomorrow. Yes.” Lila laughed quietly.
“Goodnight, Nor.” She closed the door before he could respond, knowing that she could be standing there all night if she gave him that chance. She softly shook her head, as she climbed into bed, and blew out the candle.