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chapter two sabrina & wong
"Congrats on the promotion, Wong," Sabrina says as they step into the library. "These are some sweet digs you've got here."
Sabrina used to spend a lot of their time in the library, surrounded by shelves upon shelves of ancient texts. Abiral, the old librarian, had never minded their company. It's a labyrinth of knowledge, perfect for getting lost in when the world becomes too loud. The maze of shelves and corridors make it almost impossible to track a single person down. They aren't small enough to squeeze in between the bookshelves anymore, but for a long time, the library had always provided her with a sense of comfort. The library used to be their safe place, but the safety has all but rotted and turned sour. All they can see when they step in is the blood that was splattered on the floor. The urn. The head. The screams. Kaecilius's reptilian, chilling gaze that had pierced through her like a knife. His ice-cold grip on her wrist that had awakened her in the middle of the night. The twisted smirk spread across his face. His voice that pierced through the darkness of her bedroom. But Wong is here, and wherever Wong is, Sabrina is sure to be.
"For that last time, Sabrina, I'm just the librarian. I don't live here now," Wong replies as he appears from behind a bookshelf, snapping her out of her spiraling thoughts. "Who are you hiding from?"
"What? I can't say hi to my favorite librarian?"
Wong only raises an eyebrow.
"Okay, fine. You got me." Sabrina raises her hands in mock surrender. "Mordo wants to spar. My back still hurts from last week."
Wong chuckles and shakes his head. "If anyone asks, I haven't seen you."
"Thank you, Wong. You're the best." Wong nods. Almost unconvinced. "Really."
It's not so much of a secret anymore that Wong has garnered a soft spot for Sabrina. There's a wall around Wong—or rather, true Wong—but Sabrina managed to singlehandedly deconstruct the wall. Not entirely, but just enough so that they could squeeze through its fortifications and into the warmth of his heart. Wong is more relaxed with her and finds it easier to laugh, easier to trust. Trust isn't something that he hands out freely anymore. Not after Kaecilius. He's more protective of her now after Kaecilius tried to whisk her away from Kamar-Taj. Sabrina doesn't mind. There's a hole in her heart where her parents belonged, and Wong is helping to fill that hole, bit by bit.
He's taught her a lot of what she knows about herself. Before Wong, the string tethering her to her culture is threadbare—only snippets of what her mother had taught her run along the small thread—and her sense of self is just as weak. Before Wong, she didn't know who she was. Not really. After Wong, her connection to her culture is stronger. She knows more about her family. There's still a lot she doesn't know, but now she has an inkling of an idea of who she is.
