The Deck of Destiny - A Caraval Oneshot Collection

A Lovely Night

Setting: the beginning of Finale, one of Tella's dreams
Inspiration: A request "Tella x Legend 'A Lovely Night' from La La land."

Tonight, the air that filled Tella's dreams smelled thick of magic and desire. Tonight, she had decided on wearing a light ice blue dress with snowflakes swirling around her. It made her feel like she was in the midst of a storm, which represented how conflicted her feelings were for Legend.

The colour that was painted in the sky was quite delightful; it was almost dark, the oranges and yellows mixed together with a navy blue and black, settling a blanket of mystery over Tella. Her outfit was almost the polar opposite of Legend's black suit, making her stand out.

They were standing on the balcony of a palace made of ice, and as usual, Legend kept his distance. At first, it frustrated Tella that he would never touch her, and sometimes it still did. But Tella had other ways of feeling him. While she would never admit this out loud after recent events, she liked the way his eyes caressed her body when she ran her hands down her sides and into her skirts to smooth them out. She liked the way his eyes glimmered with lust as his hands twitched towards her, but would always retreat immediately.

She knew the question was coming, the exact same question he always asked, but tonight he seemed to prolong it more than usual.

"Your dress matches our venue," Legend commented while his eyes raked her body up and down. Chills.

Tella liked tempting him though she knew he wouldn't touch her, not here, at least.

"A nice coincidence." Tella shrugged, running her hands along the ice balcony making Legend's eyes follow.

She sneaked a look at him, his hair seemed to be growing faster than usual, showing slight dark curls. His lips edged upwards, illuminating a ghost of a smile.

"What do you feel - about this venue, I mean?" Legend asked, and she had a feeling he was not talking about the venue.

She bit down on her lip, choosing her answer carefully, "Nothing."

A shooting star shot across the sky, catching Tella's attention for a brief moment. She wondered why Legend had chosen that moment to ignite it.

"Nothing?" He repeated, and dozens of shooting stars followed the other's wake. The sight was dazzling. The moon even seemed brighter, the air richer, the night sky was absolutely lovely.

"Less than nothing, really."

Just as the word really left her mouth, the balcony before her was shifting and shifting until they were standing atop a fountain that had a mix of water, ice and snow falling from it; a combination that would not have been possible if not for the dream, but when it came to Legend, anything was possible.

The stars formed a constellation in the sky: a top hat.

"Would you like to collect your prize?" Legend tilted his head to the side, his eyes drinking her in for a final time before he would leave.

Tella let out a short breath, "My answer is the same as always."

Angelic snowflakes fell from the sky in beautiful patterns and the silver moon cast a wondrous glow against Tella's skin. She wished it didn't have to end.

Legend leaned in so close to Tella's face she dared to hope he was going to kiss her. She made no move to touch him, and he kept his hands behind his back. His eyes lingered on her lips, and she wanted to close that space - she needed to close that space - but she stood her ground.

"What a waste of a lovely night," He whispered, his lips close to hers but never touching.

As she blinked, he disappeared, and she was left only with a chill from the cold and a longing for a certain magical boy with a flair for drama.