Work Text:
Months had passed since the destruction of the stellaron. As time went on, favorable changes began to emerge for the residents of Jarilo. And Bronya was deeply grateful for this new chapter in her people’s history, filled with prosperity. Even though she had lost her mother in the process, the girl would keep moving forward, or at least that was what she was trying to do.
As much as she was trying to move on, unsettling glimpses of her mother began to appear. Bronya tried her best to ignore what seemed to be her mother’s ghost, but sometimes it was impossible, she felt as if the woman were right beside her, breathing. And that in itself was disturbing. Most of the time she saw these apparitions, she couldn’t contain her unease.
She knows that those closest to her suspect something, but they haven’t yet brought up the subject directly, perhaps they’re just giving her time, or perhaps they’re afraid that something will go wrong with the new Guardian, all over again.
Bronya feared it might be some manifestation of the Stellaron, thinking it might be messing with her mind, but she knew that the members of the Astral Express had sealed the Stellaron. She tried to convince herself that it was just a silly fear to have.
That was just a setback, she should focus solely on fulfilling her duties as Supreme Guardian. Ah, but Bronya desperately wished she could simply cancel certain commitments, some she found extremely annoying, but she would never voice that thought aloud.
Right now, Bronya was sitting in her office, perhaps for hours? Not even she could say for sure, she rested her head in her hand as she read a proposal. One she had already rejected several times, but they still insisted that she should agree to it. The person who made the offer said something along the lines of “It could bring even greater financial profit.” But it was completely impossible.
First, she would have to allow them to expand the mining areas, which wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing, but what made it impractical was the location they wanted to mine. It was a high-risk area, a place that could compromise the workers’ safety, and Bronya had already pointed out this flaw several times, but they weren’t concerned if it might cost the lives of “a few people” as they put it. She realized that greed outweighed any concern for people’s lives, and that only made her even more furious.
The girl’s brow was deeply furrowed with irritation at this, she had been dealing with this distress for weeks, and Bronya was feverishly thinking of another way to reject this foolish request. Because she was so focused on the paper, she didn’t hear the sound of her office’s heavy door opening.
“Is this a bad time…?” The tone was almost inaudible, and for a moment Bronya thought she’d heard her mother’s voice. She felt her body stiffen, the girl looked up apprehensively, only to see that it was Gepard standing before her, and he seemed nervous at the moment. A sigh of relief could be heard coming from Bronya.
Bronya straightened her posture, looking back down at the paper she was holding. “I’m just reviewing an contract. A hint of annoyance was evident in her tone. Gepard hummed in acknowledgment, the boy glanced quickly at the clock, which read 9:00 p.m. He grimaced at the time and looked away immediately afterward.
Gepard briefly noticed that Bronya’s desk was a mess, there were piles of papers, some with no indication of what they were about. Looking back at the Supreme Guardian, he nearly jumped out of his skin, Bronya was staring intently at him.
To hide his surprise, Gepard cleared his throat, but his expression still betrayed his nervousness as he said, “This might sound rude… but maybe you should take a break?” The boy tried, unsuccessfully, to hide the hesitation in his voice.
Bronya rubbed her temple as she let out a weary sigh. “I know I’ll have to rest eventually, but these papers aren’t going to take care of themselves.” She maintained intense eye contact, which only made Gepard more and more tense, leaving him no chance to counter her argument.
And Gepard tried not to give in under her gaze, the two of them stared at each other in silence, the tension in the air palpable. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he let out a sigh of defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We’re just worried about you.”
Noticing that the girl merely raised an eyebrow, Gepard crossed his arms as he tried to speak calmly, but his nervousness was consuming him. “Seele told me you didn’t go home yesterday. You stayed at Fort Qlipoth even after sending everyone else off to rest…”
Upon hearing her girlfriend’s concern, Bronya looked away. She tried to distract herself by organizing some papers scattered across the desk. “I warned her it would take a while. Did she send you to convince me to rest?” Seele always showed up at the office to try to drag Bronya away from work, but lately she hadn’t been having much success with that approach.
Gepard didn’t answer, unsure of how to respond. With the papers now stacked more neatly, Bronya glanced at the blond man again, impatient for an answer. It was clear how necessary rest was, without it, it was common for people who’d had a particularly exhausting day at work to be in a bad mood and short on patience.
And without adequate rest, health problems begin to arise. And that was exactly what had been happening to Bronya lately, she was having increasing difficulty concentrating, experiencing mood swings, and suffering from memory lapses. She knew this, but as always, she couldn’t neglect the duties entrusted to her as Supreme Guardian.
After pondering for a while, Gepard finally spoke in a cautious tone: “Please, Lady Bronya, of all of us, you’re the one who needs rest the most.” He pursed his lips, his concern was genuine, and the deterioration of her health was an urgent matter. “I believe this can wait a little while,” he said, pointing to the stack of papers that was now organized.
Stubbornness had always been an obstacle that prevented people from seeing the mistakes they made. And Bronya already had a ready reply to argue her case, but before she could speak, she was interrupted by the blond man. “You know she’s right.” His tone was firm, yet still respectful. “We’ve made all the necessary arrangements so that you’ll have less work today.”
Ah, Bronya really had been feeling something was off that day, even though there was still a stack of papers on her desk, the pile was ridiculously smaller than what she usually received. But she’d forgotten that, being so absorbed in her work.
The silver-haired girl was stunned at first, but gradually she began to let out little bursts of laughter, stumbling over her words as she laughed. “So… T-that’s why… you guys were so strangely quiet!” Bronya still let out a few sporadic laughs as she continued, “That’s why y’all barely even came into my office?! So… so I wouldn’t suspect anything!” Bringing her hand to her mouth to cover her laughter, Bronya was finally able to breathe more calmly, gradually regaining her composure.
The tension that had been weighing on Gepard had eased a little as he watched the girl laugh, but he still found it concerning that she’d had such a reaction, one that was somewhat unexpected. Looking at the blond man, Bronya had a faint smile on her face, with tiny traces of tears in her eyes. “Ahh, since y’all went to all that trouble, I should put it to good use, right?” Gepard gave a brief smile and nodded.
Bronya wouldn’t admit it just yet, but she really wished she could rest, that she could at least put this stressful week behind her. Seele always did everything she could to help Bronya relax and take her mind off things. But that still wasn’t enough to make her stop feeling the pressure and guilt for having neglected her responsibilities, even though she’d had a good reason for doing so.
A sigh of relief could be heard coming from Gepard, he hadn’t believed that Seele’s new plan had worked, but he would thank her properly later. The blond gave a brief, cheerful salute. “Seele said she’d be waiting for you near the entrance to Fort Qlipoth.”
It seemed Seele had had everything planned from the start, confident that this time she would succeed in getting her to leave. Bronya gave a brief laugh at the thought, but she quickly regained her composure. “Since there isn’t much left to do, you might as well go ahead and get some rest” she said, her voice sounding lighter as she spoke.
Without questioning her, Gepard gave a brief smile, and immediately walked towards the large door. After the blond man left and closed the door behind him, the silence that fell over Bronya’s office was suffocating. The brief conversation she’d had with Gepard had distracted her, but now that she was alone again, she had the feeling that those glimpses of her mother were returning.
Bronya felt a shiver run through her body. Unwilling to wait another second in that room, she decided she would leave right away to meet her girlfriend. Just the thought of seeing her girlfriend again warmed her heart, drawing a loving laugh from her.
𓂃˖˳˖ ִֶָ ⋆❄️⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ
The weather in Belobog was harsh, there was always that relentless gust of cold air blowing against its own people. But as generations passed, they learned to live in “harmony” with this phenomenon. The younger generation, however, might experience a time that was more comfortable than previous ones.
The change in the weather was significant after they successfully sealed the stellaron. Gradually, the freezing air that could cause numbness in the limbs was being replaced by a steady breeze, though it still carried a hint of that characteristic chill.
Bronya was lost in this thought as she descended the stairs of Fort Qlipoth. Sometimes she hated having to go up and down those endless stairs, cursing whoever had built them. Frowning, the girl gave up complaining about the architecture and looked up.
The sky was completely clear, with not a cloud in sight, and the glow of numerous stars could be seen. The scene was breathtaking, and Bronya found herself completely mesmerized as she gazed at the sky, momentarily forgetting what she had come to do.
But something caught her attention, a purple butterfly floated in front of her eyes, a faint trail of light following close behind, distracting her from her focus on the sky. “I’m going to start getting jealous of the sky if you keep focusing only on it.” A voice filled with sarcasm could be heard to Bronya’s right.
Looking to her right, she could see even more purple butterflies, and certainly the stars’ glow didn’t come close to the radiance those butterflies emitted. Bronya felt something being placed over her shoulders, turning her torso, she could see that Seele was putting a coat on her.
Seeing that Bronya was now looking at her, Seele couldn’t help but give her a wry smile. “I was already thinking I’d have to compete with the sky for your attention” Seele let a few more butterflies flutter closer to Bronya, and Bronya reached out, allowing one to land on her hand. She couldn’t help but give a silly smile at her girlfriend’s comment.
“Nonsense,” Bronya said briefly in a low voice. She was distracted as she admired the butterfly resting on her hand. Seele carefully observed Bronya’s face, her features looked tired, but she suspected it wasn’t just work-related fatigue, there was something more to it. A brief sigh escaped her, and Seele gently took Bronya’s hand, startling the butterfly in the process.
When she looked at Seele, the girl simply motioned for them both to sit on the stairs. Seele could still tell that she was distracted by something, but there was nothing in the direction she was looking. Her pupils moved ever so slightly, as if she were following the movements of something.
“Is something wrong, Princess?…” the dark-haired girl asked hesitantly. And Bronya just glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, as if she’d forgotten there was someone beside her.
Bronya looked away while lightly biting her lower lip, she seemed to be pondering something. Without giving an answer, she simply rested her head on the other girl’s shoulder. Seele felt a tightness in her chest every time the other girl was suffering in some way, it was as if it were a direct attack on her soul. When she observed the girl’s earlier behavior, Seele already had an idea of what was happening at that moment. Bronya had told her that sometimes she had glimpses of her mother, nothing more, she mentioned it only vaguely.
She had even assumed that these visions became more frequent when Bronya was at Fort Qlipoth. And ever since then, Seele has been doing everything she can to distract the girl or to get her to leave the place more often so she could breathe some fresh air, hoping to ease any pain the girl might be feeling. She thought it was utterly unfair that someone so dedicated to providing the best for others was suffering this way. Especially someone she loves so much.
Seele’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard the other girl murmur a comment almost unconsciously: “…It’s just that feeling, again.” Ah, that was exactly what she had been thinking. The fleeting expressions of discomfort, her attention focused on something invisible. None of it had gone unnoticed.
“I can sense your disturbance from a distance, Princess, do you want to talk about it?” Her tone wasn’t accusatory, far from it, Seele was giving Bronya the choice of whether or not she wanted to open up about it. And Bronya knew that, a shy smile appeared on her face as she heard those words, she was truly grateful to have someone like Seele by her side.
Still leaning against the other’s shoulder, Bronya buried her face even deeper into the curve of her neck, so that she could almost hear the girl’s heartbeat. Holding Seele’s hand, she distractedly ran her fingers over her wrist, there were still traces of dirt over the small scars, evidence that she’d spent the day in the underworld. “Sometimes it feels like she’s still here…” Bronya paused, nervously playing with the other girl’s fingers “as if she were trying to talk to me.” Her tone sounded as if she were trying to convince herself that it wasn’t real, that it was impossible for that to happen.
But after months of these flashes, anyone would start to question their own sanity, and Bronya was no exception. “What if it’s the stellaron…?” She began to murmur rapidly, at this point, her words were almost unintelligible, but Seele could make out a few things she was saying.
As she rambled, Bronya felt her girlfriend squeeze her hand back. Looking up, she could see the worried look her girlfriend was giving her. She must have started crying at some point, because when she looked at Seele, she felt her hand being squeezed even tighter, and calloused fingers running over hers.
Seele brought her free hand to the girl’s face, wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks. It was painful to see her love suffer so much, and yet persevere in fulfilling her duty. “The stellaron is sealed, I’ve tasked a trusted person with checking on it frequently.” Her tone was confident, she was hoping to get that feeling across and ease her girlfriend’s worries.
Resting her hand on her other's face, Seele caressed the area tenderly, an unspoken plea for her to relax a little more. Bronya let more and more suppressed tears roll down her face, snuggling closer to her as she hugged her tightly, Seele’s heartbeat was so clear that it was impossible to hide the turbulence in her heart.
Returning the hug, Seele held her even tighter against her, stroking her silver hair. “There’s nothing wrong with the stellaron, it’s completely inactive.” Bronya’s anguished mind tried vehemently to deny this fact, she was certain that all of this was just a dull manifestation of the stellaron.
“If you’d prefer, I can check it myself, Princess.” Perhaps that would ease her distress. “I can reassure you as many times as necessary.” It might be enough to silence Bronya’s troubling thoughts. Tightening her embrace even further, Bronya murmured with a brief laugh “That would ease my worries considerably, dear.”
Letting go of the embrace, Bronya had a sweet smile etched on her face. In the moonlight, she could see that the other girl also had faint traces of tears on her face. Gently cupping Seele’s face, Bronya leaned forward, closing the distance between them, and delicately kissed her lips. Seele was taken by surprise, but she soon rested her hands on Bronya’s waist.
Both of them smiled against each other’s lips, and Bronya pulled away from the kiss, only to place a kiss on the other’s cheek, right where a tear had left its mark. “I really appreciate your help in moments like these” Bronya whispered as she caressed the other’s face with her thumb, keeping her gaze fixed on her. Under the other’s gaze, Seele placed her hand over Bronya’s, meeting Bronya’s eyes in return, and she could have sworn that the girl’s eyes resembled the luster of a pearl, they were mesmerizing to look at.
A soft chuckle in the background snapped Seele out of her trance, realizing she’d spent too long staring into the other girl’s eyes, she huffed as she rested her head on the hand Bronya was holding against her face. “You can always count on me” A reassuring smile spreading across her face as she reaffirmed this once more to the girl.
As they talked, the atmosphere was comfortable, and Bronya was completely focused on the girl in front of her. But it was still impossible to ignore the chill she felt, accompanied by a sense of unease. In a moment when her concentration slipped, she heard harsh words being spoken in the distance. And that only made her bottle up that chaos inside her even more, hoping that at some point it would simply disappear. But now? Bronya feels a fervor growing inside her, fueled by the sweet words Seele was directing at her.
For a moment, Bronya frowned, her thoughts racing, driven by the urgent need to reveal everything she had been holding back. Determined, she pulled Seele’s hand close to her. “You always ask what happens in those flashes” Staring intently at her. Seele was taken by surprise, stumbling over her words as she replied hesitantly, “P-putting it that way makes it sound like I’m forcing you… isn’t it—” Before she could finish, Bronya interrupted her, her voice sounding lower. “But what if they’re just cruel words being spoken? It’s suffocating to hear all of this… imagine if—” The last part came out in a brief whisper.
So that was why Bronya never said exactly what was going on, she always kept the details vague. Seele watched the girl bury herself deeper and deeper in work to avoid dealing with these outbursts from her mother. She held her hand firmly. “That wouldn’t change my willingness to listen to your troubles, princess.” Bringing the other’s hand to her lips, she placed a brief kiss on her knuckles. “I promised I’d support you, and I’ll keep that promise until the very end.”
Bronya felt like she was about to cry again, but she was already exhausted and didn’t have the strength. Hearing such affection made her feel dizzy, but she found the sensation pleasant. And everything Seele was doing right now—holding her hands so firmly, the way she watched her intently. Was comforting. Suddenly, Bronya pulled Seele into an embrace, burying her face once more in the curve of her neck, she immediately felt the girl return the hug, holding her tightly.
The way she clung to Seele kept her grounded, making her ignore the growing tightness in her throat. “Sometimes… it’s as if something were wearing her skin.” Shaking her head, Bronya took a deep breath before continuing, “It doesn’t sound like something she’d say.” It sounded more like a plea than a statement, they’d seen how the stellaron had influenced Cocolia, how it had messed with her mind.
Seele simply kept gently rocking her, maintaining a steady rhythm with her hand as it moved up and down her back. A tearful tone caught her attention. “I really want to be able to believe… to believe that she would never say that.” The way they were hugging allowed Seele to feel just how fast the girl’s heart was beating.
Both fell silent, and Bronya’s insecurity that hung between them was palpable. But when Seele spoke again, her tone carried an unshakable conviction “You can do it, show yourself that you believe it.” She paused briefly, taking a deep breath before adding “I believe you’re capable.” She could feel Bronya’s heart skip a beat upon hearing that.
A self-deprecating laugh escaped Bronya. “How can you be so sure—” Before she could finish, Seele broke free from the embrace and held the girl’s shoulders as she replied again, “Simply because I feel it, right here inside.” Releasing her shoulder, Seele pointed to her own heart. “First and foremost, I’ve decided to trust you with my heart and soul.” A faint smile appeared on her face as she looked at Bronya’s tear-stained face.
Bronya was speechless, but she realized that the unease she’d felt since the beginning of the conversation had vanished completely. A wave of ecstasy rushed over her, and she let out an amused snort before bursting into euphoric laughter. The other girl was confused to see her laughing like that, and so suddenly. Bronya tried to stifle her laughter to speak, but it was in vain. “I-I’m sorry, dear…” Her body doubled over from the intensity of her laughter. “Did I say something—”
“No! That’s not it… Just give me a moment.” She immediately stopped the other woman while waving her hand. Taking a deep breath, Bronya focused on stopping her laughter, it was a difficult task, sometimes it would return, punctuated by brief bursts of laughter. Managing to compose herself, she wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, and soon noticed her girlfriend’s confused expression. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” With a cheerful smile, she leaned forward, bringing her face closer to hers.
As her girlfriend drew near, she felt nervous as she watched the amused gaze fixed on her. “It’s just that it was unexpected, you don’t usually say such sappy things, but you just did.” Even under the dim light cast by the streetlamps, Seele thought it would be enough to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks. Avoiding eye contact, she muttered inaudibly.
A mischievous smile formed on her face, the girl held Seele's chin to make her look at her again. “Thank you, my love…” Hearing that only served to deepen her blush even more. With her hand still on Seele’s chin, Bronya traced her cheeks with her thumb. “Having your conviction in me makes me happy, you know?” Pulling Seele’s face toward her, she placed a chaste kiss on her lips, they were dry, but still so sweet and mesmerizing.
As she moved away, Seele just muttered to herself again while trying in vain to hide her face. “It seemed less embarrassing when I thought about it…” A faint chuckle could be heard coming from Bronya, and Seele simply kept her voice low as she finished speaking. “But I’m glad I could help.”