Letters To My Lover - ladysencen - Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger [Archive of Our Own]
Biana racked a hand through her hair, accidentally mussing up her intricately styled updo. But, she had much bigger things to tell with right now than a slight case of bed-head. It was the day before Valentine's Day, a holiday that Sophie had told her about in great detail a few weeks prior, and she still hadn't gotten a present for Dex! She had desperately tried to find something for him, searching every nook and cranny of Atlantis's countless shops, but nothing felt like Dex. Or at least the way that Dex felt to her. It was their first Valentine's Day as a couple, and everything had to be perfect.
"Ugh, this is a disaster!" she groaned, throwing herself on her bed in frustration. "Why can't I think of anything?!"
That was the worst part of this whole debacle for Biana. Long before they had become a couple, Dex had been her best friend, the one person she could truly confine in. She knew every little detail about him; his favourite dessert, his favourite subject at Foxfire, each and every one of his dreams. She even knew about how his hair stuck up in that cute way when he was working on his latest invention, like he had been wrestling with Verdi. And yet, she couldn't think of a single present for one of the most important days in their relationships!
"I'm screwed." she mumbled quietly.
"I agree." a voice called out from the doorway. She whipped her head to see Fitz leaning against the door, a cup of cinnecreme in his hand. He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink nonchalantly, "What? It's true, isn't it?"
Biana deliberated for a moment, "Well, yeah. But you don't have to say it like that!"
Fitz tilted his head, squinting, "I mean, it was sort of justified. You're just being paranoid."
"I am not being paranoid!!" Biana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "It's just that I like Dex so much and I really don't want to mess this up." she collapsed back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, morosely. "I can't mess this up. I just can't."
Fitz exhaled, lying on the bed next to her, watching as the light fluttered across the ceiling, "Look, Biana. You won't mess this up. You physically can't, seeing as Dex practically worships the ground you walk on."
"You really think so?" Biana whispered, a hitch of excitement in her voice.
"I know so." Fitz assured her.
She smiled, an idea forming in her mind. "I think I might know what to do."
Fitz gave her a high-five, "That's my sister."
Biana sat up, a hand on her chin, "Fitz, I need a favour."
The following day, Dex and Biana made their way to Calla's Panakes, their chests heaving and cheeks flushed pink as they cast themselves down under the tree.
Dex turned to her with a smile, "Happy Valentine's Day, Biana." he held out a haircomb and a letter, his handwriting looping around the parchment, a tantalising web of adoration.
"Oh, Dex! It's beautiful!" she beamed, engulfing him in a giant hug. "I have something for you too." she told him as she held out a tray of mallowmelt and a letter of her own.
"Mallowmelt! Thank you!" Dex grinned, as he opened his letter.
Biana decided to do the same, scanning the words, as her cheeks began to flush with delight. She had to refrain from writing it out loud, in case she embarrassed Dex, so she contented herself by writing it over and over again, tracing her finger around each loving syllabal.
'Dear Biana,' the letter began.
'I was going to tell you this in person, but as Keefe told me many times, I’m not very good at putting how I feel into words. So, I’m hoping that I might be able to write about how I feel down in writing. Here goes nothing.
I love you, Biana. So much. Sometimes I look at you, and I wonder how on earth did I ever get so lucky to be considered yours. You are the last person I think about before falling asleep, and you’re the first person I think about when I wake up. You are always on my mind, and when I think about your eyes, in all their glittering beauty, like sea glass on the ocean floor, I feel like I may fall in, and that I may never emerge. And to be honest, if it meant that I could spend the rest of my life with you, I would swim for eternity.
And, I know we’ve only been dating for a few months, but I’ve loved you so much longer, far longer than I care to admit. I think I started to like you when we were hiding out in Alluveterre. I got to know you as a person, really know you. And I really liked who you turned out to be. It just took me a long time to realise that what I felt for you was love. Honestly, and this is pretty embarrassing, but it took until you held my hand in the cave, and when you didn’t let go, that I understood. I was in love with you. Unfathomably, ridiculously in love with you. I still am, truth be told.
So, I have one final question for you, Biana. Will you be my Valentine?
Yours,
Dex Dizznee'
She turned to Dex with a look of sheer adoration. "Dex! This is the most romantic thing I ever seen!"
Dex shrugged, an adorable blush creeping up his neck. "It's no big deal."
She hugged him, planting a kiss on his lips softly, "Yes, I will be your valentine. And will you be mine?"
"Always." came Dex's simple reply, yet it conveyed everything they could ever say. As the sun set in the sky, the two lovers curled up in each others arms, content to spend the rest of their lives in this place if they could.
While all good things come to an end, they didn't want it to.
Thank you for the tag @sorceringme I love tag games! I hope it is okay if I answer on my main ^^
Hair colour: Dark brown with bleached tips.
Favourite colour: Brown or copper orange.
Favourite drink: Homemade elderflower juice.
One thing you love about yourself: My smile.
If you could be an animal, what would you be: I would say an oarfish, bc fav animal, but realistically? A cat - I would imprint on a human and do nothing but sleep every day.
Dream place to visit: Greenland/Kalaallit Nunaat - my favorite jacket is from my grandma from one of the times she visited, and I want to see the beautiful nature and visit Nuuk.
One thing you look forward to: Finishing school so I can begin studying genetic engineering and prions!
Your biggest dream: Finding out the reason behind the folding of prions.
Song on repeat: Don´t Let Go by Ashes of Billy - amazing new young band! -- also give a listen to Richard Thompson
Tagging: @holy-marmalade @peasant-player (you know I was gonna tag you.) @southaway @ma-aurelius @a-caramel-addict @the-dreaming-plastic-dinosaur @sesamenom @random-potato-mil
Hair color: Dark golden blonde with white blonde streaks (none of which is dyed, which shocks a lot of people for some reason)
Favorite colour: Purple (especially lavender). Or pink.
Favorite drink: Rooibos
One thing you love about yourself: My eyes, because my (minor) central heterochromia makes them look cool as hell. And the first compliment I got that wasn't "forced" was about my eyes.
If you could be an animal, what would you be: A bearded dragon because they're sooooo cool! Or a cat because cats are awesome!!
Dream place to visit: Alto Adige in the Italian Alps
One thing you look forward to: Going to university and getting meet new people and join cool clubs.
Your biggest dream: Getting to have a career where I can help people.
Song on repeat: Eleven Eleven by Conan Gray. Also Vodka Cranberry.
@faewantscoffee @jamesblackpotter @bookishandartsy and open tags!!!
Hiiii, I'm going to pretend that I actually posted this one on the day...
@dexiana-week-2026 I hereby grant thee my submission to dexiana week:
This is what falling in love feels like - ladysencen - Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger [Archive of Our Own]
Hope you like it!!
Dex was hunched over his desk, working on his revisions to the Twiggler, when suddenly he heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" he called, distractedly.
Too late he realised that it might be the triplets, eager to try out a new prank on an unsuspecting Dex. They probably wanted to dye his hair fluorescent pink with stripes.
Luckily for him, and his hair, Biana burst into his room, a basket full of desserts under her arm. "Hey, Dex!" she called out to him, making her way towards him, grinning wildly."
Hi, Biana." he replied, absently-mindedly, only taking a moment to take Biana in, before turning back to his work.
"Dexter Alvin Dizznee, is that anyway to greet your best friend?" Biana gasped, casting her hand to her chest in mock despair. "I really thought we had something here, Dex."
"I do apologise, most honourable Biana Amberly Vacker. Give me a minute to really revel in your stunning good looks." he stood up, and pretended to frame her face, as though he was one of those photographers he had seen when they had travelled to the Black Swan's hideout in Venice. "Ah, such beauty. It's unfair to the others that you and I are just so incredibly attractive. They have no hope of keeping up with us."
"I agree, Dex. Mallowmelt?" she asked, holding out a slice of the delicious, gooey dessert that they both loved so much.
"Always." he assured her, taking a giant bite, before reaching out to take some more.
"Hey!" Biana scolded him, slapping his hands away, "Save some for the rest of us!"
"Hmm, no." Dex replied, reaching for yet another slice.
"Fine." Biana took the rest of the basket of mallowmelt in her arms, ignoring Dex's mumbles of indignant disagreement.
"You know, I really think that I could spend the rest of my life here, just eating all the desserts that your mom has to offer. Especially her mallowmelt!"
"My mom does make some pretty delicious mallowmelt." Dex agreed.
Biana held up her hand, "Your mom makes the best mallowmelt."
Dex nodded, "True." Suddenly, he looked up at Biana with a smile, "Listen, do you want to go outside?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Biana exclaimed, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
The pair made their way towards the end of the garden, where there was a lone Pure, its gleaming silhouette highlighted by a sky the colour of ichor and coral behind it, giving the whole place the air of a painting which had been created by the gods themselves, their tumultuous perfection clear in every angle. Dex and Biana cast themselves down beneath the tree, beaming at each other as the fading sunlight danced across their outstretched fingers.
"You know," Biana began thoughtfully, her eyes twinkling with unbridled curiosity, "it's so strange to me that your mom has somehow managed to create this winter wonderland, yet you still have a Pure like everyone else."
"Well," Dex smiled slightly, "I've certainly never thought of it that way before. I mean everyone has a Pure somewhere in their garden, and some people even have multiple. So, it's not really that strange, it's just because Rimeshire looks the way that it does, that it might make people think that it's weird, y'know?"
"Yeah," Biana smiled, lacing her hand in his, gently, "I think I'm starting to."
Dex couldn't hide the scarlet blush that he was sure was scorching his cheeks. "I'm glad you do." he told her, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
"You're a really good friend, Dex." Biana whispered softly, her cheeks slightly flushed under the darkening clearing of the tree.
Dex couldn't believe how beautiful she looked, her eyes like sea glass, twinkling like a night sky intended just for him. Just as Dex was about to open his mouth, and say something incredibly stupid, like "I love you, Biana. Always and forever.", and risk losing her friendship, Juline burst into the clearing, a beatific smile across her features. "Oh, hi guys! We've been looking for you all over. Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Biana and Dex sat up abruptly, incredibly embarrassed at being caught doing whatever it was that moment had been turning into. Dex knew that if he read between the lines, he could probably decipher some hidden message in what Biana had done, but he decided to just chalk it up to Biana being friendly. After all, what would Biana want with someone like Dex?
"I should probably head home now." Biana mumbled, reaching into her satchel for her light-leaper. "I'll hail you tomorrow." she told Dex with a small smile.
"I can't wait." Dex replied, dejected. Juline had long since left, so Dex decided to just bite the bullet and tell Biana what he wanted to say. "Biana?" he began.
"Yes?" she replied, a smile stretched across her lips happily.
Just then, Dex lost his nerve. "I, uh- I think you're a good friend too."
Biana's smile became even bigger, threatening to overtake her entire face. "Thanks, Dex."
Dex couldn't help but smile back. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Biana's face lit up. "It's a date." He watched her leap away, a dazed expression on his face.
The moment she disappeared, he collapsed against the tree, his chest heaving. "I'm in love with Biana Vacker!" he exclaimed, his brow furrowing. The clouds turned amber, glowing like embers in a dying fire.
As he watched the sunset, he thought of those eyes, whose depths felt like an ocean wave, calm but as though some quiet danger lay underneath, hellbent on sweeping him asunder. As hard as he try to suppress these strange new feelings, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like for those eyes to stare into his, to took her face and feel her lips on his, that eternal bliss.
Even stranger was how much he wanted to. "It's a date."
Dex was falling for Biana, and maybe, just maybe, she might be falling for him back.
Y'all, I was mildly upset (*read: I was almost bawling my eyes at this picture of 'someone'*), so I decided to put on Memories, in particular the bridge. Do I feel even marginally better? No. Did I look like a indie album cover? Absolutely I did.
(IT'S CALLED HEAR ME OUT FOR A REASON NO JUDGING-)
@thedogbard @obsessivebookwormalert @the-archivist-system @karma-cardigan @cabinthreeproblems @printer-reads-505 @astracaedes @fancysheepnacho @zeta-finnish I'm making this everyone's problem with a DARE
I DONT HAVE ANY HEAR ME OUTS WHO ARENT CONVENTIONALLY ATTRACTIVE OK IM A BASIC BITCH
I mean Leo Valdez is canonically not conventionally attractive but the entire fandom has collectively decided he’s the hottest man alive so idk about that
Best I can offer is this cutie and imo he qualifies as “attractive” bc I mean look at him
Neville, MY GUY!!! (I had such a crush on him. *cough* still do *cough* )
Mine is Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption (the following is of Tim Robbins, mostly because the moments I find Andy really cute in, he's going through some stuff and I can't show that "stuff")
I get it Susan, I really do. (I am begging you with tears in my eyes, IGNORE THE FIVEHEAD)
I have learned the unfortunate truth that my pfp and banner were AI-generated, which is something I wasn't aware of, so thank you to the anon who told me. (stay safe, my peeps. AI can be very tricky to spot.)
Anyways, in honour of how much I despise AI, I decided to have a far more human-made one this time round. And what's more human-made than 2d animation? Plus this is basically a face reveal...
My pain tolerance levels are always so off, istg. Like, dafuq you mean I sliced my finger open and had no reaction, but the second I get a cold, I'm practically bedridden, and inhaling a bowl of VapoRub fumes like my life depends on it.
