Dorian would definitely ask Abraxos for advice on what type of ring to get Manon when he proposes. This man would bring out god damn color swatches and ring designs and Abraxos would be seriously invested and point with his snout
that if Manorian ever have a daughter her name would be Rhiannnon after the sister Manon never get to know and love, she would get a "lucky charm" necklace with twelve different stones from Dorian (when she was little she asked why twelve and she was told it's because there are twelve spirits watching over her) and her favorite toy would be a blue wyvern, because every time Abraxos saw other toys they would mysteriously disappear
If I'm going to have a mental breakdown, I'm taking you all with me
The high-pitched sound of the alarm began to ring through the room, waking Dorian so suddenly he felt like he had been hit in the forehead by a hammer. His eyelids fluttered, before slowly opening. Manon moved from where she was lying on top of him, and sat up in bed with a frown on her forehead. They both looked at the clock, marking six hours in the morning. Gods, he still hated waking up so early.
—Sorry. — Dorian said, sitting up to turn off the alarm and stop the noise. — I have a game today.
She rubbed her face and brushed her hair out of her eyes, muttering a curse.
— Is that why you were sleeping like a baby at eight?
Her voice was still hoarse with sleep, and Dorian felt every inch of his body want to lie back on the pillow and pull her with him. Instead, he leaned forward, in the opposite direction, and bit her lower lip.
— That's not what I remember to be doing at eight.
Manon rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing that they couldn't go on with that, at least not now. He got out of bed and went into the bathroom.
— You can stay and sleep until you have to go to class, if you want.
— It's fine. — she said, and rose to look for her clothes around the bedroom. — I need a ride to the campus anyway.
Dorian tried to get ready as quickly as possible so she wouldn't be waiting and he wouldn't be late, but it took a few minutes for sleep to leave his body completely, and to fix the mess Manon had made of his hair. When he left, she was already dressed in front of the mirror that stayed on the wardrobe door, pinning her hair into a ponytail, looking at the bruises on her neck that the white T-shirt she wore the night before did nothing to hide. She showed her middle finger when she saw him.
— I told you not to leave anything where the shirt wouldn't cover it. — Manon complained.
She let her hair down, which hid the marks, but the white strands were too tangled and messy to leave like that.
— Surely that's not what you said when I was putting them there.
A shoe flew past his head, and Dorian hid his smile so that she wouldn't throw the other one too. He finished dressing, and was putting on the jacket of the hockey team, but stopped halfway through the movement. The collar was high enough to cover her neck, and it would certainly be loose on her, but it would work until she could change clothes. He took it off and threw it to Manon.
— I think it'll solve the problem.
She looked from the coat to him like she was going to give it back, but took it with her when she went to the bathroom. Dorian went down the stairs that led to the living room, and found Chaol and Fenrys already awake in the kitchen. The first one holding a coffee mug, the second with his head resting on his hands and looking as if he had been hit by a truck.
— You look like shit. — Dorian said as a good morning, and opened the fridge to look for something to eat.
— Good morning to you too, Havilliard. — he murmured, and laid half his body on the counter. — Rowan is going to kill me.
— And we're going to make popcorn and watch. — Chaol replied, placing a glass full of water next to his head. — I don't know why you insist on drinking when there's a game the next day.
— The problem wasn't the drinking. — he grumbled, closing his eyes. — It's what came after. I barely slept.
— Who was the lucky lady this time? — Dorian asked, taking a seat beside Fenrys.
— One of your girlfriend's friends. The red-haired. Vesta.
He blinked, surprised, but not that much. At least it explained the sorry state Fenrys was in.
— Explains a lot. And don't say that Manon is my girlfriend. She'll rip your balls off if she hears that.
She chose that moment to appear on the stairs, looking more awake, with her hair pinned up and so beautiful in his jacket that it was ridiculous. Dorian looked away so that at least he wouldn't look as stupid as he was feeling. Fenrys suddenly came back to life when he saw her wearing the red coat of the team.
— Let's go? — Manon called out.
— I'm finishing - Dorian tossed her the car keys. — You can wait there if you're not going to steal my car and leave me behind again.
— It's been weeks ago. Get over it. — she paused in the doorway before closing it. — And I won't have to steal anything if you don't take too long.
The white door slammed shut and she left after the implied threat, ignoring the stares of the two curious men behind him. Dorian stared in the direction she had gone until Fenrys lifted his head, smiling in a way that totally justified the wolf nickname he had won on the ice.
— You were saying? - he began, in the most teasing and irritating voice possible. — Or were your thoughts interrupted by the thousands of pink hearts that appeared in your eyes when she showed up with your last name on her back?
— If you don't shut up, I'll tell Rowan that you not only drank, but had sex until three in the morning before you can defend yourself.
— It was until two in the morning.
— It won't make any difference to him, you can be sure.
Dorian put his plate in the sink behind Chaol when he finished, and said goodbye to both of them, ignoring Fenrys' mumbling. He stopped at the cupboard by the stairs to get his things while the rest of the boys went downstairs.
— See you all later. — he shouted before closing the door.
He felt a spark of electricity run through him as he stepped out into the cool morning air and walked to his car — and to the girl waiting inside. Suddenly, it didn't matter that much that the sun had barely risen. A good kind of anxiety that always preceded the games took over him, it was what happened when he put into practice everything he had worked so hard to train for.
Besides, now there was always the certainty that when he looked at the bleachers, Manon would be there. Dorian sighed, but ended up smiling. Maybe Fenrys was right about the hearts in his eyes. No matter how much Manon said against it, he knew that she had started watching the games because of him before she became obsessed with ice hockey. And Dorian would be lying if he said he wouldn't like to see her in the crowd wearing his jacket, or that she wasn't the one he looked for when they left after the game was over. Every single time.
But he didn't have time to dream about that — or about her — not at that moment. He had a game to win. And when he did, it always made anything else worth it.
—
Elide's surprised squeal could have woken a sleeping monster on the other side of the world and underground, Manon thought. It certainly had woken her. She stretched and sat up in bed for the second time in the day, at least now at a more acceptable hour. The alarm on her cell phone that normally woke her up began to ring seconds later.
— What? — she asked.
Elide didn't answer. She looked like a small animal excited and surprised by... ah. That. Manon hadn't bothered to change after Dorian had left her in front of the dorm. She had just taken off her pants, closed her eyes as quickly as possible, and blacked out. So she was still wearing the damn jacket. She hadn't even thought about taking it off. It was comfortable. It had nothing to do with being Dorian's, or his smell, or the "Havilliard" written in white on the back, just above the number 13.
— So — Manon's friend began, turning around both to hide a smile and to pick up whatever she had gone to her room to get. — When did he give you this?
— He didn't. — Manon answered, rolling her eyes. She got out of bed and went to the closet to start dressing. Gods, she needed a bath. — He borrowed it because the shirt I had didn't cover my neck, and I wasn't going to walk around the campus like this. — She lowered the jacket to the level of her elbows. Elide blushed when she saw the situation. — I'll give it back tonight at the game. And stop acting like you're pure. I'm the one who stays awake till the middle of the night with you and Lorcan wrecking the room.
— Manon!
She blushed harder and went to the doorway while Manon went to the bathroom. But Elide stopped before she left and called her again.
— Dorian would be glad to see you wearing this tonight. He could have borrowed any other coat. But he gave you this one.
The black-haired girl shrugged and said nothing more, as if she had left the sentence incomplete so Manon could think about it and get to some conclusion. But she decided just to ignore what Elide said, and went into the bathroom they shared. She had already had to deal with the stares of Fenrys and Chaol, and it was too soon for all that drama.
Of course it was important to Dorian, it was the fucking team jacket. But that meant nothing. It was just the first thing he saw. She sighed as the warm water began to fall over her body, soothing her tired muscles from the night before. They were sore, like wanting to throw in her face how much she had exaggerated with that "eight".
Anyway, she wasn't Dorian's girlfriend to walk around the arena in his coat while he was on the ice. It didn't matter either that she knew Elide maybe was right about him being glad to see her wearing it. Manon groaned, resting her head on the glass.
She was just going to give the damn jacket back.
—
Manon: where are you?
Dorian: locker room.
Manon: Already? Did you have to go on the show without your gala outfit matching the rest of the models?
I brought your coat
Dorian: The lack of the outfit didn't affect my impeccable performance for your information
And you can keep it if you want
You know that
Manon: and be attacked by 15 different girls who will be heartbroken if they think you're dating?
No, thank you
Dorian: has anyone ever told you that your sense of humor is a jewel?
Manon: Go put your skates on Havilliard
—
Manon looked anxiously at the scoreboard for what seemed like the thousandth time in the last minute, while Vesta and Elide were swearing beside her. They were losing. A curse escaped her mouth as well. Maybe, initially, she had started watching the matches and had become curious because of Dorian, but Manon had discovered that she really liked the adrenaline of hockey.
And if she wasn't lying, she enjoyed watching him play. If there was any way for Dorian Havilliard to be hotter, it was when he was on ice. There was a contagious tension and excitement before playing that was almost visible in the boys. Then, if they won, they had a huge party that was almost as interesting as the game to celebrate the victory. And when she and Dorian got tired of the party, they disappeared upstairs and he fucked her even better than he normally did. If he loved the games, she had learned to enjoy them too.
And she hated losing to the arrogant assholes from the other universities. Not that the boys on the Orynth University team weren't, but as Aelin Galathynius liked to say, the only arrogant assholes she would bother to tolerate were those, and that was enough for a lifetime.
But it wasn't just because she was competitive that Manon hated to lose. She knew how hard Dorian worked, and how down he got when the team lost. That match was being hard.
The boys came skating back onto the ice at the end of the break, and their half of the crowd screamed, trying to get them excited again. It was clear how tired they were. The other team was good. Really good.
She looked for the number 13 on Dorian's uniform, at the same time that he found her in the bleachers. They looked at the scoreboard at the same time, and she reprimanded him with a look.
We're trying, he said, just moving his mouth.
Try harder then.
Dorian rolled his eyes at her answer. They evidently had a disadvantage, and though it was not so great and they did not seem to have given up yet, it would be difficult for them to win. A silly idea popped into her mind, one that would surely take away at least some of Dorian's worry. Manon looked at the scoreboard again, biting her lip. Well, fuck it.
Do you want to make a bet? , She asked, and Dorian frowned.
What?
She lifted the jacket in her hand. If you win, I'll wear this.
Dorian blinked, surprised, and then smiled.
Deal
Before the two of them could say anything else, the coach called out, he put on his helmet, and seconds later was in position with the rest of the team, getting ready for the last chance to win. And now, there was no way he was going to lose.
—
The rest of the game seemed to happen at light speed. Dorian had the audacity to score two goals. The first was enough to make the boys recover their confidence and turn the game. Chaol managed to get the defense better and didn't let the disc pass once again. It was Rowan Whitethorn who scored the winning goal. The crowd went a bit crazy, and even Manon screamed a little, infected with the cheer. It was one of the best games she had ever seen.
She, Vesta and Elide went outside the doors, waiting for the boys to come out. She was surprised to see her friend there, and even more surprised when she said she would go to the party to see Fenrys. She would need a report later about when that had happened.
The two had both widened their eyes when they saw Manon putting on the jacket, as did half of the people in the arena. She only explained the bet, like it was nothing. They were not alone, Aelin and Yrene Towers met them at the exit to wait for Rowan and Chaol.
With many celebrating shouts, the doors opened and the team exited, half of them going in their direction. Manon's heart raced. Dorian was looking straight at her, with a smile so large on his face that she felt her mouth curl up at the corners.
— You lost — he joked, standing in front of her.
— You didn't. — Manon replied, crossing her arms.
He slipped his arm around her waist, and she didn't even think to resist when he pulled her into a kiss. She buried her fingers in his hair, still wet from the shower, ignoring the screams that began around them. Neither of them cared about the scandalous idiots. She could feel how happy he was, as if he was still smiling even as he kissed her. They were breathless when they pulled back, still ignoring everyone.
— I'm proud of you, princeling — she whispered into his lips, low enough so only he could hear.
He kissed Manon again, slower that time.
— Let's go. — Dorian pointed as they separated, and was quick enough to steal a kiss on her cheek before Manon could get away. Then he laughed at her scowl.
They both finally started to follow their friends, who were already shouting at them to leave the kissing for the bedroom. Dorian didn't try to hold her hand because he knew better than that, but he put an arm around her waist, and as they walked he pulled her closer. Manon let him.
That night, she would let.
—
🎨: @mellendraws
commissioned by: shavanreads
I LOVED writing manorian with that off-campus vibe, mostly because I re-read The Deal at the end of last year and I was obsessed with this fanart (as always)
This fic should've been posted in january but the tags weren't working 🙄, after three fucking months they're finally working again
the scene in kingdom of ash where fenrys is like "you'd rather my queen die than your king?" is so silly. if i were chaol i'd be like hell yeah. my ex or my best friend? the answer is pretty obvious honey
i never knew what it felt like when someone got over their pride and reached out to show me that they wanted me back. i was always the one person to think of great gestures and long letters to fight for someone. i can only ever imagine what it feels like to have someone fight for me.
i call my parents and say ‘yeah i can’t do family stuff tonight, i got too much stuff to do for school’ and i e-mail my professor and say ‘i can’t do my assignments tonight, work got crazy’ and i text my boss and say ‘sorry i can’t work late tonight, i gotta some family stuff’ and through this triangulation of deceitful excuses i at last will be free
what ppl don't understand about kanej is it's not about sexual tension honestly. it's about spiritual intimacy and trusting someone enough to allow yourself to feel romantically towards them. it's about knowing someone, just that one person, won't ever hurt you, will be there for you, WHETHER YOU ARE BANGING OR NOT. i feel like show stans (no hate!) haven't seen that point of kanej outside of the church scene (which,,, slay). kanej is my fav ship ever because kaz isn't some h*rny semi-abusive bad boy (i am judging you aleksander). and inej isn't some sweet submissive princess. like they have romantic and sexual feelings (to some extent) for each other, but that's not even close to being the point. that's why they matter so much. they challenge each other– more often than not inej roasts him ("i will have you without armor"). and kaz will do anything and everything for inej WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING. he (spoiler) bought that ship for HER, even though he doesn't want her to leave. he does it because it's important to her, to her healing. and– and– and this has become a rampage i'm so sorry
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