Chapter Text
The workshop was quiet long after the others had gone to sleep. Only the soft crackle of candlelight and the scratching of Qifrey’s pen filled the room. He didn’t look up when you entered.
“I wondered how long you would stand there before speaking,” he murmured with a faint smile.
But when he finally raised his eyes to yours, the teasing warmth in them faltered.
“…Actually, no. That isn’t true.”
He set the pen aside carefully, as though buying himself time.
“I knew it was you immediately.”
Silence settled between you. Not uncomfortable—never uncomfortable with him—but heavy in a way that made your chest tighten.
Qifrey leaned back against the desk, arms loosely folded. “Do you know what troubles me most about you?” he asked softly. “You make me careless.”
A quiet laugh escaped him, though there was no humor in it.
“I’ve spent years convincing myself that caution is wisdom. That distance is necessary. Every choice I make, every secret I keep… they all exist for a reason.” His gaze drifted downward briefly. “People who get too close to me tend to get hurt.”
Then he looked at you again, and the honesty there was almost unbearable.
“But you…” he said quietly, “you step closer anyway.”
He moved toward you slowly, as though afraid sudden movement might shatter the moment.
“When you smile at me, I forget to think ahead. When you’re in danger, reason disappears entirely.” His voice dropped lower. “And when you look at me like this, I start wanting things I have no right to want.”
His fingers brushed yours—hesitant for perhaps the first time in his life.
“I told myself it was admiration. Affection. Gratitude.” He exhaled softly. “It would have been simpler if it had stayed that way.”
The candlelight caught in his glasses as he tilted his head, watching you with aching tenderness.
“But I love you.”
No flourish. No practiced charm. Just the truth.
“And that terrifies me far more than any spell ever could.”
For a moment, Qifrey closed his eyes, as though finally admitting something he had carried alone for far too long.
“If you asked me to walk away, I would,” he whispered. “I care for you enough to do that.”
Then his hand tightened gently around yours.
“But if you asked me to stay… I think I would choose you over every careful promise I’ve ever made.”