#evelot

[archives-of-camelot]

Christmas Special

Characters: Eli, Evelin (@nimue-hidden-lake)

Pairing: Eli x Evelin (Raven Haired Reign)

It was soon to be the day everyone waited for, every year. The very end of the calendar, before the next.

The night of December 24th. Christmas Eve.

Evelin sat with a single box on her lap, carefully wrapped and topped with a bow.

"I know Christmas is tomorrow, but I couldn't wait. I want you to open one tonight" Eli said with a bit of excitement in his voice.

"Just one?" She tilted her head. This was new to her.

"Yeah, one. It's a little ritual my family use to do. On Christmas Eve, everyone opens one gift, and leaves the rest for tomorrow" He nodded.

It made sense now, Evelin nodded. He wanted to share this tradition with her. Something in her heart warmed at the thought. The fact that he wanted to share the ritual with her.

"Then, I have something for you, too"

And so Evelin went and picked out one of the boxes she wrapped for him, and brought it down to him, before placing it down on his lap.

As they opened their respective gifts, she couldn't help but wonder what else he did with his family for the holidays. When they were first getting together, she was mildly surprised by how sentimental and thoughtful he was, with his little rituals and habits. She wouldn't be surprised if he believed in Santa. Some maybe found it odd, especially for a young adult. But that was what she loved about him. The fact that he took such joy and care with the little things, and still had a strange sense of child-like joy and whimsy left in him...it was endearing.

After they finished opening their one gift until morning, Evelin couldn't help but ask.

"What else did you do with your family?" She inquired with her usual unmoving expression, but by now, one could decipher that she was genuinely curious.

"Well, obviously we had dinners. Every family does usually. But I also loved the holidays because it was an excuse to bake with my mom" He fondly smiled as the memories came back to him.

"You bake...?"

"Mhm. My mom always said my cake and cookies were the best. Everyone seemed to like it, and I liked making them for people"

"So why haven't you...?"

"Well...to be honest, I haven't found the time. Baking is special to me, and I haven't been able to do that with my mom for awhile"

A moment of sadness flickered across her face for a moment...before a sudden idea came into her mind. But she would wait until tomorrow. She wanted it to be a present.

December 25th. Christmas morning. It was finally here.

Eli woke up, and made his way to the living room, only to find it empty. It was strange, he thought, until he heard clattering coming from the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas" Evelin said simply.

"Er, merry Christmas" he replied, a bit confused at what he saw.

The drawers and cupboards were open, the oven was open, and Evelin was wearing an apron.

"Do you like it?" She asked plainly again.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to bake with you" She nodded as she held up a whisk.

Eli's eyes widened...she wanted to indulge in his other holiday rituals.

"Unless you don't-" She couldn't finish her sentence before she was hugged.

"No...I...I'd love to. Especially with you" He smiled warmly.

Evelin returned with a smile of her own. She never would have thought she would be indulging someone like this, had you asked her almost ten years ago. But with him...she didn't mind venturing outside her usual boundaries. It was worth it if she got to see more of what she loved about him.

And that was enough of a present in her eyes.

Merry Christmas!

[akechis-special-case]

Happy Birthday to @selfship-lair / @watersofcamelot !

Apologies for the lack of Evelin for a while. One drawing cannot make up for it but I will try to deliver more. Honestly, I still feel honored that she is on the list and despite a lack of content still going strong! Not just that but also thanks for being such an amazing friend over the past few years. I appreciate you a lot!

Hope you'll have a great day today! You deserve it!

Also go follow him. Do it, now!

[archives-of-camelot]

Assurance

Characters: Eli, Evelin (@nimue-hidden-lake)

Series: Evelin Anniversary

This one's a little more self indulgent than usual. I know this whole thing is self indulgent, but it's been on my mind so...

---------------------------------------------

It was 7pm on a Sunday...or...was it 5am on a Saturday...? Eli wasn't paying attention, his mind flooded with preoccupied thoughts and questions. He'd been laying there for hours, the dim glow of the neon string of lights above washing over his body. The lights' fade function was set, and Eli had counted the cycles as the colors rotated between each other. He didn't move, and he barely blinked...

Red...yellow...green...blue...purple...

His expression was unmoving, eyes glassy. Mere minutes seemed like hours.

Red...yellow...green...blue...purple...

He barely left his room all day...in fact, he forgot if he even left at all. All he could recall was laying there, entranced by his lights as he fixated on questions and machinations as they swirled about his headspace, crashing into each other, and against the walls of his psyche.

Red...yellow...green...blue...purple...

He was tired, but couldn't sleep. Maybe exhausted was a better word. He hadn't done anything, but he was spent.

Red...yellow...green...blue...purple-

The spell was broken as a new light creeped in from the corner of his vision. He looked over at the door and there he saw Evelin. He shook off the feeling and sat up in his bed.

"Anything I can do for you this evening?" he tried to smile.

Evelin shook her head and sat on the bedside.

"I figured I should check on you. Pinro has been wondering where you've been all day. And so have I"

He sighed and sat his head back down. staring back at the ceiling and the lights.

Red...yellow...green...blue...purple...

"You ever feel like anything and everything you do is not enough...? Like there's some arbitrary expectation you're supposed to meet, but you don't know how high it is so you just keep climbing...?"

She nodded along.

Red...yellow...green...blue...purple...

"And then you're stuck wondering what to do, because what you're climbing's turned into a tree, and there's a whole bunch of branches you gotta consider? And then the fact that picking the wrong one will cause you to end up right back where you started , or lower...?"

She nodded again, listening intently.

Red...yellow...green...blue...purple...

As he thought of hypotheticals in his mind, he finally relented, and decided to try once more.

"I still can't figure it out...why...? Why me?" he finally asked.

"Ah, so that's what this is about" she nodded again.

"All this time and I still can't figure it out...why'd you choose me?"

This question haunted him off and on. Was it insecurity? Maybe, but it sparked alot of introspection, and more questions. Eli never thought highly of himself. He wasn't anything special. He was just him. No outstanding talents, or abilities. He wasn't particularly charismatic or sociable.

It made him question...'why?' Why settle for him?

"Do you want the answer?" she shot straight.

He nodded, at a loss still.

"I chose you...for you" she said simply.

"But...there's nothing really great about me. I'm just me"

She nodded.

"You can't see it can you...?" she inquired.

He shook his head.

"No...I've always tried to prove I'm worthy of those around me. But, sometimes I wonder if I truly am. I...just want to match expectations"

He felt his head lift up, and then back down as he found himself being straddled, looking up into her eyes.

"And what expectations would you say others have of you?"

"Well...I...I don't know anymore..." he sounded lost.

"Maybe that's because there's nothing to match" she replied as she gently caressed his hair. "Sometimes we delude ourselves with our own outlooks and opinions of ourselves...often depriving ourselves of the truth of what those important to us say and think"

"You sound like you've been down this road before..." he sighed.

She nodded.

"Inadequacy...thoughts of 'not good enough'...envy of those who match the image we want for ourselves..." she recalled like it was yesterday.

"Exactly...that's exactly what I've been thinking..." his eyes widened as she spoke exactly what was on his mind.

She continued to caress his hair, running her fingers through it's fibers as she spoke.

"Regardless of your own opinions and thoughts, I want you to know this" she bent over and kissed his forehead. "Even if you feel like you haven't matched or met your own expectations...know that you never needed to for me" she smiled. "I chose you for you. Not who you think you are, or what others say you are. Eli...is Eli...and that's all you'll ever need"

His mind was slowly put at ease as her words impacted him. Such a simple answer and concept...but it was profound, at least to him, to hear it from another's lips. Especially hers.

"Hey, Evelin...?"

"Hm?"

"You're the best anyone could ever ask for..."

"Anytime"

Masterlist

[archives-of-camelot]

Lying

Characters: Eli, Evelin (@nimue-hidden-lake)

Series: Evelin Anniversary

These prompts have been on the shorter side for the last few days. But I hope the quality is decent at least. I also find myself thinking very hard for Evelin's dialogue and reactions, as this is untapped territory for me. Not just because this is something I've never written before, but also having to conjure an unknown side of her that still makes sense.

To her creator, I just hope she's still accurate on my end.

------------------------------------------------

Click clack click click

The sounds of work once again filled the room as Eli was hunched over his work. More clients, more editing. The cycle never stopped. Clicking, sliding, reviewing, and listening. For multiple hours. The longest and most demanding projects were the reviews and documentaries. Audio had to be synced, but before anything it had to be cut down to exclude any mistakes. And the sheer length ensured it would take even longer to process and render.

Not to mention he had to submit previews to check that everything was as the client wanted. And sometimes he had to restart due to dissatisfaction. He enjoyed making and editing videos, but it was very time consuming.

His work was interrupted when the sound he was ignoring finally became too loud to disregard. His stomach.

"Guh, fine...if it'll keep you quiet" he mumbled to himself as he poked his empty belly.

He finished up an edit and made his way downstairs.

Upon reaching the landing, he was about to head into the kitchen when-

"Good afternoon"

He turned around and was met with Evelin, just getting done from feeding Pinro.

"Afternoon...?" he looked confused.

"Yes" she pointed to the clock. 1PM.

"O-Oh, right. Uh...I lost track of time" he nervously shrugged as his stomach rumbled again.

"Did you even eat yet today?"

"U-Uh, of course! Was...just about to get lunch!"

Evelin stared at him skeptically. He was a terrible liar...yet he tried anyway.

"Really?" she stepped closer.

"Y-Yeah!" he took a step back.

She wasn't convinced. Why did he even try? Who could say. Not even he knew exactly. The outcome was always the same, yet he persisted.

"Do you want to try again?" she said as she took a few steps closer.

He felt his back press against the wall as there wasn't much room to go anywhere else. And even then, she'd just catch or chase him. It was just one meal, it wasn't that big of a deal, right?

"I-I didn't miss breakfast, honest!" he was sweating.

"You don't sound very convincing" as she pressed herself against him. Nowhere to go. "This doesn't need to be difficult"

"A-Alright alright, I...might have forgot breakfast. It was just one meal though!" he finally gave in.

"There..." she backed up.

He sighed with relief. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

"But now you need to be punished" she added stoically.

He thought too soon.

"P-Punished?"

"Yes" she nodded. "You lied, and skipped a meal. That makes me very angry" she may say, but kept her stoic expression and voice. Was she really? Whose to say. Maybe it was a blend of making sure he took care of himself, and also taking the chance to mess with him. It was one of her favorite things to do after all. His reactions were priceless to her.

"I just got distracted from my work! I'll...try and remember for next time" he tried to reason, as usual. There was no reasoning with her. She made up her mind already.

"I'm sure. But that can wait for after"

"A-After? B-But...I still got work to do!"

"But you'd love it"

He looked to the side as she called him out. Part of the reason he'd sometimes get into 'trouble'. But she had no complaints.

Before anything else could be said, she lead him into the kitchen to make sure he was fed, before taking 'disciplinary' action.

Eli forgot all about his editing for that day.

Masterlist

[archives-of-camelot]

Valentines Day

Characters: Eli, Evelin (@nimue-hidden-lake)

Series: Evelin Anniversary

Today was the day. February 14th. Valentines Day.

The sun shone through the windows, as the forecast foretold a clear day. Quite a beautiful one too at that. It was somewhat rare to see the sun shine after a fresh snow. The frozen crystals sparkled like millions of tiny diamonds. Perfect for today.

The air was filled with the aroma of various ingredients, as the kitchen was filled with sounds of cooking. Sizzling and clattering galore, as Eli made certain to prepare everything as best he could.

He'd cooked and cut the bacon, shredded the cheese, readied the spices, and was in the process of cooking the eggs. A recipe he used to cook for his family. Now he decided to share it with her.

But as his thoughts were brought back to her, he thought back. This was their 6th Valentines that they would spend together. And in another two weeks, officially 6 years since things got serious between them. He found it amazing how much had changed since then. Since they met under that canopy one autumn afternoon, to asking her out on a whim on this very day. Their anniversary was still a few weeks ahead, but that bridge would be crossed when the time came. Now, he had to focus on today, and not a day after.

After sprinkling the spices, cheese, and bacon onto the semi-cooked egg, he then folded it closed. He was making a sort of omelet.

"I hope I still got it..." he mumbled to himself as he flipped it over to cook the other side.

After a few more flips, it was done. A crisp, yet soft golden yellow. Perfection.

He sighed with a smile and put a knife and fork on the plate, and made his way to the table, where Evelin was patiently waiting, patting Pinro on her lap.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long" he nervously chuckled.

"Not at all. Pinro kept me company" she scratched gently behind the cat's ears, resulting in a purr.

He put the plate in front of her, and she examined it with her eyes and her nose, before taking her fork and trying a bite.

"Something I'd make for my family on special occasions. An omelet, with bacon, cheese, and spices. Not too special, but my family seemed to really like how I made them. I only hope it's the same quality for you"

She savored the taste in her mouth a moment or two before swallowing.

"It's perfect. I can see why they liked it so much" she nodded.

"Glad you like it. I took extra care to get it right" he smiled.

She raised the fork and put her hand under it.

"Uh...what are you doing...?"

"I don't see a plate for you" she persisted.

"O-Oh, I woke up early, so I already ate. Besides, it's yours" he tried to reason.

She still held the fork up, staring with her usual stare. Eli knew it was fruitless, so he opened his mouth, which she then placed the fork into his mouth.

"There, was that so hard?" she tilted her head.

Breakfast went by, and after Eli insisted on putting her dish in the sink, Evelin pulled out the bag she bought yesterday. It was decently small, and a box could be seen inside, though the barely see through bag obscured any discernable detail. She then pulled out the box.

"Pocky?" he asked.

She nodded, and opened the box, placing one in her mouth, and leaning forward. She wasn't implying...was she?

A Pocky game? Well...it made sense, after thinking about it.

After a bit of hesitation, he took the other end of the chocolate biscuit in his mouth, staring directly into her eyes. She stared for awhile, before biting a little closer. Eli followed suit, biting a little closer than she did. He had to try and keep up, didn't he?

Undeterred, she bit closer again. Since when was Pocky so intense? Perhaps it was all in his head, but the fact she kept staring as she got closer didn't help things. He bit closer again.

As she took another bite, she closed her eyes, the two only being inches away. Eli bit as close as he could. As much as he was tempted to break it off, he refused. He wouldn't submit. He-

His thought was interrupted as she closed the gap, consuming the rest of the stick with a kiss. Eli's eyes widened as they held the position. His face flushed red, and his legs wobbled. He'd kissed her before, but no matter how much time passed, he always responded the same way. Was it because he enjoyed it? Was there some kind of spell behind it? He couldn't even ponder the possibilities as his mind raced before they finally separated.

"Happy Valentines Eli" she said with a small smile.

"H-Happy Valentines" he meekly replied, still recovering from the kiss.

She took another stick.

"Shall we continue?"

"C-Continue...?"

"Yes. There's still the rest of the box we have to eat, and I can't eat it all alone" an obvious lie. An excuse to keep going.

"A-Alright" Eli didn't seem to mind though.

He lost the rest of the rounds too. But given the kind of game this this...was that such a bad thing?

Masterlist

[archives-of-camelot]

Dress Up

Characters: Eli, Evelin (@nimue-hidden-lake)

Series: Evelin Anniversary

Ok so wow, I wasn't able to get yesterday's prompt done in time, so here it is. Today's prompt will be done later.

--------------------------------------------

Eli slowly worked tirelessly to finish the remainder of his secret project. It was something that was in the works for months now, and now the end was finally in sight. He'd always adored outfits and costumes since he was a child, but never did he think he'd make one himself. But things were different now.

Months of slow sure progress, one step every few weeks where possible. All that was left were the finishing touches. His mother's teachings had come full circle with each seam and hem.

It was far from easy, and there were moments he had to redo or restart completely, but the final result would be worth it.

After finishing one final step, he took a step back, and held up his reference...one of Evelin's books. He had made a costume of one of her favorite characters, from one of her favorite books.

The outfit was complete. A bodysuit decorated with shiny stitching to simulate chainmail, with a chestplate and pauldrons made from painted and polished cardboard. He'd bought a pair of leather boots, and covered the tops of the feet with the same cardboard technique, and the leggings also shared this with the knee guards. The armor was painted with silver, and was hardened with a few layers of what appeared to be resin to reinforce it and give it a shiny appearance. And lastly, a long blue scarf, almost long enough to be a sort of cape. The set was complete, even if some of his methods were unconventional for cosplay and costume standards.

All that was left was to actually put it on...which proved much harder than he thought. It was a costume yes, but...he never put much thought into how he'd actually put it on.

Nonetheless he tried. The bodysuit, then the leggings before the boots. Then the chestplate, knee guards, pauldrons, and gauntlets.

He then swung the scarf over and around his neck, and the finishing touch...the cat ears, which he still possessed from the day prior.

"Wow...could be better but...not bad..." he said as he looked himself in the mirror. "I just hope she thinks so too..."

. . . Later . . .

Evelin stepped in the door, returning from a reading session at a café. She was never much for interaction, but it was perfect atmosphere for reading. She had offered Eli to join her, but he declined. Citing he had 'something to do'. She found herself wondering what he was up to. The last few weeks he'd said this off and on.

As she finished that thought she heard a noise come from upstairs.

"What's he doing now?" she asked herself as she went to investigate.

There was no reason to be worried. Even if someone had broken in, she was confident he could handle himself. She'd seen it herself after all. So it had to have been whatever it was he was working on.

She opened the door top his room, and saw her partner struggling with some kind of getup. Reaching behind and around his body, in some attempt to try and take it off it would seem.

He would struggle for a moment or two longer before incidentally turning around, and locking eyes with her.

"U-Um...you weren't supposed to find out like this..." he smirked awkwardly. "Uh...surprise?"

Evelin didn't answer. Her eyes were wide as she came to realize who he was dressed as. The main character from her books. Tales of the Neko Warrior.

He was Aoki.

"I uh...hope it's not too bad for a first time" he laughed nervously.

"Not at all. It's perfect" she said with a nod.

He embodied Aoki so well. In speech, body language, and mannerisms. He was Aoki. As if he arose straight from the pages.

"Now I resemble your favorite person, eh?" he joked.

Evelin seemed confused at this comment and tilted her head.

"Favorite person...?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you have his merchandise, you buy all his books, and you were even excited when it was announced the books were getting adapted into an anime this coming summer"

She now understood what he meant.

"Ah, no. While I do love the books, and Aoki's character...there's a specific reason for that" she said picking up one of said books from the dresser.

"I...uh...ya lost me..." Eli replied, confused.

"He reminds me of you" she held up a panel from the book, which showed a familiar type of scenario. Then the page after that...and the page after that. All reminiscent of Eli's behaviors and rational.

"I-I...y-you sure?"

She nodded, closing the book.

"Heh...well...I guess I spent all these weeks for nothing huh?" he said with a halfhearted grin.

"I didn't say that. It's very well made" she said with small smile as she hugged him. "But the real thing is better"

Eli felt his heart skip a beat or two as he returned the hug. It was a strange feeling. But...to hear he meant that much...it struck a deep cord with him. He didn't need to be an accomplished warrior, or posses a magical blade blessed by the moon's rays. He was Eli, and that was more than enough.

For awhile they sat there until-

"Not to ruin the moment or anything but...th-this is kinda stuffy...and I...can't take it off..." he smirked awkwardly.

Evelin chuckled as she helped him slowly remove each piece.

"H-Hey, uh...you really meant what you said...?"

"Of course Eli...or should I say...Ao-ki"

Masterlist

[archives-of-camelot]

Motivation

Characters: Eli, Evelin (@nimue-hidden-lake)

Series: Evelin Anniversary

It wasn't looking possible. He'd been there for hours at this point, staring at the same screen for what seemed like hundreds of times. It didn't help that he was getting annoyed with each passing minute. This was beyond tedious...

What's going on? A boss. A roadblock. An obstacle. Eli was stuck on a game.

"What's going on?" Evelin asked ,peering in from the door, hearing his exasperated moans and groans for the last while now.

"Nothing...just this this annoying thing..." he pointed to the screen, where text that read 'try again' was present, with some kind of large insect-like creature behind it.

"You're having trouble?" she asked.

"Yeah...I hate bosses like these. Not only does it summon help, but the help it gets splits into more of them!"

He sat back on the bed, looking as if he was ready to give up. Evelin looked at the screen, than back at Eli, and thought for a moment.

"I'll be right back" was all she said before briskly leaving.

Eli was too tired and annoyed to question her motives. Instead, he retried again, his team readying to face the boss for the 100th time. The music started, and the meter filled up.

Standing before his team was a giant blue beetle looking monster, before it split off into smaller beetles. The little ones were tanky and hurt enough on their own, nevermind the headache the big one was capable of.

However shortly after the battle begin, Eli's attention was brought to the door as Evelin returned...wearing a cheerleader costume, pom-poms and all.

"Since when did you have that?!" he asked, wide eyes of disbelief.

"Since I've been waiting for an excuse to use it"

"And that would be...?"

"Two years ago" she simply answered. "You don't like it?"

"I-I didn't say that..." he said, averting his eyes with a red tint appearing on his cheeks.

"Good. Now...go go!" she said, waving her arms in the air with her pom-poms and doing a small dance.

"W-What are you doing?" he looked confused.

"Motivating. Go go! Fight-o!" she continued to dance and cheer.

Eli already found her stoic charm to be powerful enough as is, but now...it was at it's strongest.

A smirk started to form on his face. Never did he ever expect to see this. But it was working. He felt his grip on the controller tighten and he turned back to the screen.

Both the music, and Evelin's cheers worked wonders, giving him newfound strength.

So he tried one last time. Each turn whittling down the insect's health little by little, while trying his best to ensure his team's survival.

But even with Evelin's cheering, his team slowly started failing.

One teammate down...the boss was only at 80% health...

He kept going...his tank and support were still in the fight. This was doable still. As long as he kept up the pressure, and hope RNG was on his side...

Two teammates...the boss was at 40%...

Only his tank and support were left...that was fine...everything was fine...

Three...20%...

His support was down...only his tank was left...he's been here before, countless times. He was so close, but so was his tank's HP. Evelin continued dancing and cheering.

"One, two! Go go! Fight-o fight-o!"

Eli was sweating now...20%...he could do this. All he had to do was not make any mistakes and- Eli's heart sank as he saw the boss charge it's heavy hitter sooner than expected and then...his tank went down...

Eli let out a heavy sigh, as Evelin stopped dancing for a moment before-

"I'm still needed..." was heard from the TV. His tank had activated his passive skill, letting him fight on despite being reduced to 0%.

"That's right...I never got this far last time...this is possible!" he said, taking the controller again.

"Fight-o! Fight-o!" Evelin continued to chant again.

And with one last turn...

Battle Finished!

The music faded out as the bug let out one large scream before disappearing. Eli had finally won.

"We did it!" he said relieved and excited it was finally over. Impulsively he hugged his girlfriend, despite her sweat. She hugged back, still wearing her pom-poms on her hands. "All thanks to you."

Evelin nodded, all too happy she could assist. Plus, it was a win-win. Eli finally got passed a difficult boss, and she finally got to use this costume for it's intended purpose.

"Hey, uh...you don't intend to wear that all the time do you...?" he asked after calming down.

"Maybe...whose to say?" she shrugged.

Full of surprises as always...

Masterlist

[archives-of-camelot]

Lap Pillow

Characters: Eli, Evelin (@nimue-hidden-lake)

Series: Evelin Anniversary

The night was long, and the room was filled with the sounds of clicking and typing, occasionally broken by a yawn or two. Eli was hard at work, focused on the task at hand...or at least trying to focus. This project was going on for a long time, and as a freelance video editor, he felt a commitment to deliver as fast as possible...even as he only accepted the job earlier that day.

Off and on his eyes would glaze over, and his eyelids grew heavy, before springing to attention for a moment, only to feel heavier than before. The timeline of his edits were starting to blur together, as he was unable to focus on the timing of the audio, causing it to desync with the visuals. He couldn't even tell what he was listening to anymore, as the commentary and music blended together, causing further desyncing.

One would take this as a sign to step back, and take a break. One might even say sleep, which he was in desperate need of.

'No, I can do this' he thought. 'Just gotta press a little harder, and this'll be done by tonight. Easy'. But with each passing second, that seemed more and more unrealistic.

Tap tap tap

A noise caught his attention. Maybe it was an error in the audio? He rechecked the timeline, despite his inability to tell anyways.

Tap tap tap

No, it couldn't be that. It was getting...louder? He took off his headphones and-

"Eli"

The sudden voice started him into a small jump in his seat.

"Are you still working on that video?" upfront as always.

"Y-Yeah...I almost got it done, I just need a little longer" he said with a weak smile.

"I've seen you work enough times to know that isn't true" she said, looking at his screen. Even someone who wasn't well versed in editing could tell it was a mess.

Eli looked to the side, a little embarrassed. He always preferred when people saw his best. He never did like it when his flaws were out for all to see. Be it in his work, or as a person. Evelin made that impossible though. To her credit, it was for the best. It reminded him that he was only human, and that he could only do so much. He wasn't perfect, no matter how hard he tried.

She was always there to pull him back to reason if he delved too deep into his own expectations for himself.

"You need rest"

"J-Just a little longer. I Promise"

"That wasn't a suggestion"

Evelin sat on the bed and patted her lap. An invitation. One that became more enticing as he considered from his rickety old armchair. It looked comfy. But the stubborn part of him knew that if he laid down, he'd never get up. He needed to get this done! . . . But...did it have to get done tonight...? Surely a well earned break wouldn't hurt...right?

"A-Alright...but just for a few minutes..." he half heartedly stated, knowing he didn't have the willpower to pull through on that.

He stood up, walked a few steps to the bed, and then collapsed into the soft embrace of his girlfriend's thighs.

Immediately he melted into the warmth. Like a cloud, compared to the hours he spent sat in that chair.

"Was that so hard?" she asked rhetorically as she pat his head.

Even while laying down on what he argued were the world's softest pillow, he still tried to stay awake. Just a few minutes, then back to-

"Nya..."

Her voice rang in his ears as she bent over next to them. Repeatedly, only-

"Nya..."

Ever so softly and gently, directly into his ear. In his position he couldn't escape...not that he had the strength to resist in the first place, mental or physical. It worked like a charm, literally. Like some kind of magic spell, compelling him to give in with a simple sound.

"Nya..."

His eyelids hung heavier and heavier with each reciting, gently chanting to his weary mind and body. He should have known this was her plan. This wasn't the first time...nor would it be the last. Time spent together made him weak to her voice. A certain tone, a certain word or phrase, was often all it took. But that was only natural, wasn't it? A common symptom of lovers.

"Nya..."

She continued, not stopping. Who knows how long this went on for? Eli couldn't recount as his muscles and mind were reduced to mush before finally...

" . . . Z Z Z . . . "

He finally fell asleep. Evelin stopped her chanting, but continued to pat her special one's head.

"Sometimes you're such a handful..." she said hushed between pats. "But I wouldn't trade it for anything..." she added with a gentle smile.

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