34. Mustang and Darrow. BUT Mustang is the one who wants to cuddle
âYou come to my room and wake me up at 4 a.m. to cuddle?â
Timelapse: between the Institute and The AcademyÂ
Characters: Darrow au Andromedus, Virginia au Augustus
Disclaimer: The Red Rising Trilogy is the intellectual propertyof Pierce Brown. This drabble is pure fanfiction (and headcanon elements)and I have no profit off of it. it is worth mentioning that I do not have experience with this and that I am not a native english speaker, so I apologise in advance for mistakes.
Virginia au Augustus learnt from a very young age how damaging death can be to the life of the living ones. It takes. And it takes. And takes and doesnât give a slagging fuck about what loss does to you. It does not descriminate between good or bad or Gold or Red or Blue or Violet or an ArchGovernor and a innocent child.
When mamaâŠwell, âfellâ, she lost more than her mother. She lost her twin and her father to a darkness she never undestood. They did not greive, they did not cry (although she had saw a strange bit of moisture in his father eyes an hour or so after heâd announced he was getting married again), they were just stuck in this icy numbness and acted accordingly, without thinking about other peopleâs feelings or circumstances. They became power-hungry, like more power could ever bring mama back.
But it was after she lost Claudius too that she lost the hope of ever having a goodnightâs sleep. All she could see were his eyes before Karnus au Bellona took the light from them.
Sleeping became more of a wretched reflex, really. When you are too tired to dream then you know you wonât have nightmares and all will be good the next day. Carvers had magical remedies against dark circles as well. Just a bit of that weird jelly under the eyes everyday and no one could ever tell she had trouble sleeping.
After a year with the Telemanuses, her sleep schedue got better. Maybe because, unlike her father, they really noticed that for a 12 year old, she used a vast amount of Carving product for eyes. Not that they questioned her about it. They just gave her love and hoped for the best. And it proved efficient. She loved them too and she was content with life. Not happy, but who could be when one had the ambitions she had for changing The Society from its very roots (it is a must so no one will âfallâ off clifs after losing their unborn babies or so no one would have to get killed for dancing or singing and many other injustices )and couldnât do a gorydamn thing without having vasts amount of power. It looked like desire for power ran in the family after all. But for her, not out of misery or saddness, but out of love.
Sleep became more precious than helium-3 at the Institute after she killed that poor, scrawny boy in the Passage. It was the most horrible thing she ever did. She not only couldnât find other gorydamn way to pass, but she actually killed an innocent. What kind of Society kills its own children out of a twisted sense of meritocracy?
In the name of all the people killed in The Passage and all of the people (no matter what Color or gender or any other cryteria there is) she might have to kill to get where she wanted, she will change these slagging laws even if she has to die for it.
Sleeping next to the Reaper of Mars is, contrary to the popular opinion, a very soothing experience. She would often find herself wanting to cuddle with him. The moment he would shift and their bodies wouldnât touch at all sheâd wake up immediately. Sheâd often wonder who had been that girl who had managed to capture his beautiful heart so badly that her death made him so driven towards power. But unlike her twin or father, he did everything out of love. He was too much, he felt too deeply not to do things out of love. He seemed like a stallion, fighting to get to his hoard even if deadly injured. And she fell for him hopelessly and against all odds.Â
Although is was not really fair, no matter how much she tried to not burden him during sleep with her constant coughing, she always felt grateful that he would hold her willingly so she could sleep.
After their army started making progress and left for Apollo, her sleeping was getting a bit worse. Mainly because Reaper decided to stop sleeping next to her. But she watched him stealthy when he was bundled up in his wolf skin. He couldnât sleep either. After pointing up to him that she did not tell him to leave they fell back into their night routine.
Her kidnapping had been a golden hell. With Darrow in danger all she could think about was how to save him, how to escape, how many ways there are to punish that bastard who was not her twin anymore. Not after everything. Not after Pax. Her nightmares were now about Darrow being tortured, or killed. But her screams were so horrible at night and her bruises from her failed escapes so bad, they gave her sedatives. And it all became blurry.
After Darrowâs Institute winning party, at which he acted like he would rather go in an Iron Rain, she dragged him to the real the one with all his friends made at The Institute. And Cassiusâ absence wasnât really bad, but those from House Mars, except The Howlers, were a bit upset.
Late in the night, after everyone went home (or to their room in the building), she started to feel Darrow distancing himself from her just like he did after swearing that blasted oath to her father. She was so mad she left quickly to her room.Â
Where she couldnât sleep. At all. Gorydamn  routine they implemented!Â
At  4 a.m. she couldnât stand it anymore. She was tired, yes, but she had been so slagging close to losing Darrow to death. She. Will. Let. Her. Father.Take. Him.Too. No gorydamn way!
âLo, Reaper!â she said barging in his room loudly. She turned on the soft lights using the pad embedded in the wall next to the door. She didnât wait for him to say anything, she simply slipped into his bed (too bad he was wearing a pair of boxers! but bonus points for how hot they made him look) and burrowed into his naked chest, hugging him close to her and listening to the soothing, steady rhythm of his heart and releasing a sound of contentment emphasized by the closing of her eyes.
âLo, Mustang!â he said in a tired, yet smiling voice. He did not cuddle her back. He seemed like he was waiting for something. She did not move to even open her eyes. Then his rough voice broke through the akwardness:
âSoâŠyou come into my room and wake me up at 4 a.m. to cuddle?â his insufferable, sweet smirk wrapped in his remark made her flush a bit and she couldnât hide a smile on her own, but she did not open her eyes.
âYou mean The Great and Almighty reaper of Mars actually sleeps? All the Pixies in the galaxy wonât believe me when i tell themâ, her chukle was silenced by a soft kiss on the lips and his arms around her frame(she was glad she had nice knickers under the over-seized, white cotton sleeping shirt, because 2 could play the lingerie game).Â
There was still time to sort things out. Darrow will not succumb to her fatherâs ways. She would not let him. There was still timeâŠ
Hate me if you must, but I just had so many ideas and I am deeply sorry if it isnât to your liking, but I wanted to make it quickly so you wonât wait that much so I made it longer than a drabble due to these reasonsâŠ