Work Text:
Working under Severian Lyctor had been an indescribable flow of emotions, and yet, it had been something you would never think twice about doing. The eccentric male took you in to learn the potent craft of alchemy, and though he was seemingly absent in the beginning of your studies, pushing off his menial work upon you, he still always had something positive to say about the results. His passion flowed with every word the man spoke, be it a lecture or simply the revel of a breakthrough, his affluent words never ceased to amaze you.
Your amazement with your mentor had not ceased throughout the many projects the man would thrust upon you, and you could not deny it to yourself of your fondness for the blond male. Often, your heart swelled far more than the bubbling concoctions he instructed you to create, and yet, there were times that the same fondness would dip your heart into your stomach. Though you had heard the story told three different ways throughout the Alchemist's Guild, it never pained you any less.
He hadn't always been this bad, the receptionist told you once. Losing his one true love in the Calamity…
You lips crestfallen for a moment, your footsteps halted a foot from the Guild as your heart churned your stomach. Y/e/c eyes gazed upon the doors, before a sigh escaped your lips. Though you wished for another project, to see him , you found yourself spiraling, chasing after something that would never be. Even so, your passion had been in Alchemy, and even if it hurt, you wished to learn.
Forcing your lips upwards the slightest bit, you pushed open the door to the Guild, though your y/e/c eyes immediately sought him out. As your first steps had already gauged to walk towards his study, the receptionist called out to you, catching your attention. "Y/N!" He called, motioning with his hand for you to come closer. Though Severian had been deep in his work, the receptionist clearly hadn't wanted him to overhear. Once you were in front of the man, your arm leaned against the reception desk itself, your brow quirked, he continued. "Severian's on edge today, more than usual. I wanted to warn you."
You pursed your lips at his words, though you nodded nonetheless. "I'll check on him," you spoke softly, a care to your words that had always been pretty clear to everyone in the Guild by this point. Occasionally you would receive mournful looks, but by this point, you had realized how to simply brush them off.
As you trailed closer to Severian, you could hear the murmurs, the dismay that was clear upon his tongue. It had been a mixture of no , words of simple anguish, and you were not even clear upon what else. Though you hadn't known exactly what the blond focused the majority of his time upon, hardly eating or sleeping proper, you were sure it had to do with her. Knowing that, you unfortunately knew better than to truly inquire.
"Mast-," you began, greeting him formally with a bow, before you had quickly been cut off.
His words were harsh, acidic, as he demanded, "Bring me Intelligence, Vitality, and Mind, all mega-potent, and all the best quality!"
His words were not inherently bad, though the way that he spouted them upon you had been far different than usual, y/e/c eyes wide for a moment as you could feel your heart sink further into your stomach. Externally, you cringed a bit at his acidic demand, though you refused to let him truly see how deeply it affected you. "A-ah, o-ka-," you started, before he realized his faux pa, a regret setting into his desperate eyes.
"I-," he started, cutting you off as he heaved a heavy sigh, his gaze shifted away from you. As composed as he could possibly be, he turned back to face you, desperation still clear in his gaze. "Forgive me, my loyal assistant, I...I need to make this work." His arm reached out, gently touching your arm below your shoulder as his gaze met yours in full, pleading eyes. "My friend, please."
His words cut like a knife, your heart tight as you swallowed hard, though you did not let how much his kind words affected you show. He had, after all, been being as kind as he could, and desperate as he had been. The look of desperation against his features was something you could not bear.
"I'll get the ingredients and make them as quickly as possible," you reassured him softly. "It shouldn't even take me the day, I promise."
The slight look of relief against his lips as they curled upwards warmed your heart, though you could still feel a pain in your heart. Even so, you had to steady yourself as you walked out of the Guild, heading to grab the supplies for the man you fell in love with. Diving headfirst into danger to create three potions for his obsession hadn't been the most ideal, and yet, it had been the only way for you to manage the ingredients.
Reckless had been an understatement as you managed to trail far closer to death than you intended for merely a few potions. The Grenades had not given you nearly as much trouble as the Arhamin were, one managing to get close enough to scathe your neck with it's sharp fang. You thanked the twelve that it hadn’t been deep, though your head felt fluttering light as you finished the last high quality mega-potion. Making it to the Guild on your feet had been a feat in itself, though you knew better than to keep the desperate male waiting.
Gently as you possibly could, you placed the potions upon the table, though you had to blink hard to steady yourself. The world spun as you gripped a mere mortal thread to keep yourself in consciousness as Severian's words faded. You were unsure the moment that lithe arms gripped you tightly, though you blinked hard as you noticed that it had been Severian himself doting upon your condition.
"You went to get the ingredients yourself, hadn't you?" He murmured as he propped you up in his work chair, his concerned eyes shifting to your makeshift bandage as his lips fell further. "You oughtn't put yourself in such dangers just for me."
"It's-," you started, blurred vision that you attempted to blink away, words that you had only half heard. "I'm fine, Master. I just wanted to deliver those for you before I rested this off."
"You could have gotten yourself killed," he chided with a frown, a slender hand moving to your makeshift bandage. As he grazed it slightly, watching you cringe, he quickly retracted. "Don't be reckless, Y/N. I...I can't lose you, too."
You smiled softly towards the man, though you could feel your heart speed in your chest. Barely able to even meet his gaze, you still wished you could simply swallow him in your arms, let him know you would never go anywhere, that no monster could take you away from him. Still, you refrained, softly saying, "I promise you won't. I'm going to go rest this off, but I'll be back right after for anything you need."
The receptionist ran after you, walking you home so that you would not end up passing out on the streets itself. Severian had been left to his own devices once more, though, he gazed upon the high quality potions with a frown atop his lips. He had thought of you, how much danger you were willing to put yourself through just to see him succeed.
"Y/N loves you, you know," one of the alchemists spoke as they noticed the blond had yet to pick up any of the potions to begin his alchemy with. "Not that it matters much, just...I'm sure this won't be the last time they comes in scraped up over a rough order."
Severian wished he could throw something, scream as he listened to how nonchalant the alchemist had been about your feelings. The pain that constricted his heart reminded him of that same pain he had felt the day he lost his only true love, and yet, it hadn’t been his only true love. His devout assistant, the one who had always been there for him, still breathed and stole his heart away. With clenched fists, he allowed a deep sigh to slip past his lips. After carefully tucking away the order you had so desperately produced for him, he made his way out of the Guild itself.
He had the chance to start anew, and as he was met with your door, he could feel a stirring inside of him like nothing he had felt for so long. No matter how many experiments he did, no matter how much he tried to bend time and space, he knew in the depths of his heart that alchemy would never bring her back. You, on the other hand, stood by his side ever since you met.
"Y/N?" He called out as he creaked the door, nearly tripping over the poorly fashioned bow that lied by the doorway, something you had probably taken off before you made the potions themselves. He frowned at the sight, a man who had no knowledge of the field, and yet enough to tell it had not been nearly enough to face what he had you hunt. Closing the door carefully behind him, he heard your vague, clearly dizzy response as he strode through your hallways to land upon your bedroom. From the doorway, he could tell your wound had been redressed, and yet, you still looked paled from the blood loss.
"Master?" You questioned as your y/e/c eyes shifted at the sound of footsteps. I must be hallucinating, you thought to yourself as you blinked twice, and yet, he had not disappeared. "Deitrich walked me home. You didn't have to…"
"I came here for another reason," he spoke, his tone nearly sheepish as he walked past the doorway, to your bed. At first, he sat upon the edge without a word, still in thought as to how he would properly convey his feelings. "I...haven't been fair to you, Y/N."
You furrowed your brows, though, your mind in such a haze that you hadn't understood half of what he was saying hadn't helped your confusion. Even so, you lied upon the bed, your gaze focused upon the blond as you listened as diligently as you possibly could. Truly, you still wondered whether you could be hallucinating, and you hardly had seen him away from his desk.
"I love you, as well," he spoke as plainly as he could, his gaze shifted to meet your own. "I've been a fool, pretending that you would always be someone constant in my life. I thought she was my one true love...until I met you." He moved to lie beside you in the bed, his gaze fixated upon the ceiling, though his arm slipped around you as his eyes closed for a moment, before shifting back to your gaze. "Will you have me, even after everything I've put you through?"
You chuckled softly at his words, before cringing as you could feel the strain upon your wound. Your head gently nuzzled into him as you curled beside him, being as weary of your injury as you possibly could be. "Of course," you spoke softly. "Severian, I love you, and nothing would make me happier."