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*
"Nervous?"
Qifrey looked back at Olruggio, who was watching him with a fond look in his eyes. "Am I truly that obvious?"
"No." Olly shook his head and chuckled softly. "But I know you."
Qifrey sighed. "The girl will be my first apprentice. What if I'm a terrible teacher? What if she gets hurt? Wh—"
Olruggio's hand closed around his, stopping his nervous fidgeting. "You'll be a great teacher. And I'll always be here to watch over you." The warmth in his smile was overwhelming, and Qifrey pulled his hand away.
"Let's prepare for our new student then, shall we?"
**
"Master Qifrey!"
Qifrey chuckled as his apprentices ran up to him, tugging on his robe. "Good morning, girls. You're up early today."
Tetia giggled excitedly. "We need to show you something!"
They led him into the kitchen, where breakfast was already waiting for him. "Ta-da!" Coco beamed, handing him a cup of marktea. "You're always cooking our favorite foods for us. We wanted to make you something nice too!"
The silverwood pulsed inside him—he needed to leave. But, unable to bring himself to disappoint his girls, Qifrey scratched at his wrist until it bled and sat down to eat.
***
It was the coldest night of the year, and Qifrey couldn't sleep.
He had never been able to handle the cold well—unlike Olly, who radiated warmth, who kept inventing new contraptions to keep him and the girls comfortable.
Qifrey wished it was Olruggio in his arms right now instead of the snugstone. A gentle, calloused hand in his, quiet snores lulling him to sleep… Tree branches wrapping around Olruggio. Trapping him, unable to escape. The thought made him shudder.
He vowed to give his snugstone to one of the girls in the morning, and shivered until he fell asleep.
****
Qifrey stumbled to the kitchen, holding onto the wall for support. Inks, he wasn't feeling well.
"Qifrey!" Olruggio called as soon as he saw him. "Go back to bed. You're sick."
He put a hand on Qifrey's shoulder, gently guiding him to sit on the couch.
"Need to make dinner for the girls—" Qifrey protested weakly, but Olruggio shushed him immediately.
"I took care of it already. I saved some for you, too!"
The soup smelled heavenly—warm and comforting, just like Olly. It was too much for the silverwood, and Qifrey quickly pushed the bowl away. "I'm not hungry."
*****
Delighted laughter filled the air, and Qifrey couldn't help but watch Olruggio and the girls through the kitchen window.
Their lesson seemed to have been abandoned long ago. Now, Tetia was picking colorful flowers, Agott and Richeh were lying on a picnic blanket, working on a new spell together, and Olly had an arm wrapped around Coco's shoulders, whispering something into her ear that made her giggle. They all seemed so relaxed, so happy to just be around each other. Like a true family.
Qifrey bit his lip hard, and only noticed too late that he had burned the food.
*
"The silverwood…" Qifrey ran a hand over the scar on his face. "It's really gone?"
He felt Olruggio wrap his arms around him and almost melted into the warmth.
"It's gone," Olruggio promised. "It's over. You're safe."
You're safe. You're safe. You're safe.
Qifrey instinctively tensed at the words. He couldn't be safe, he couldn't let himself—
"Shh, breathe." Olruggio ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay. You can relax now."
And Qifrey began to sob. He couldn't remember the last time he had truly relaxed, hadn't been afraid—but maybe, here in Olly's arms, he could finally rest.