THE FIFTH FOUNDER ⚡️ [h.p./founders era]

Twenty-Six

a/n: Salazar and Lyra shippers, this one is for you <3

Salazar spent every waking moment with me. It was like if he left me alone, something or someone would crawl out of the darkness and take me away. Even though I assured him over and over that I was fine, he still wanted to be with me just in case.

I was secretly glad he was spending time with me instead of staying isolated in his room or his office. He was also taking Simon's passing very hard, and I was glad to be there for him just as much as he was there for me.

"Have you ever considered leaving?" Salazar asked me, out of the blue.

We were sitting on my bed and my head was on his shoulder. But when he asked me this question, I lifted it to look up at him.

"What do you mean, leave?" I was confused as to why he would ask this. No, I had never thought of leaving. Not when this school had practically saved my life.

"I've just thought, well. This school, this mission, it's dangerous. It might be kind of nice to live in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere quiet." He spoke softly, thinking out loud.

"Oh." I tried not to sound disappointed. I truly wanted him to do what he thought was best for him, even though selfishly I wanted him to stay with me. "If you're saying you want to leave, I'd of course support your decision."

Salazar chuckled. "I'm not saying I want to leave. But if I did, I don't think I could go by myself."

He took my hand in his and placed his other hand on the side of my face. His eyes peered into mine as if he was searching for answers to all of his questions.

"Lyra, I," he exhaled sharply, seemingly frustrated with himself for not knowing how to form the words for his thoughts. "I don't want to be parted from you ever again."

"I want to marry you, to grow old with you, to give you every opportunity to live out your dreams. Lyra, I love you."

At first, I was shocked. I never expected such a confession to come out of him. I immediately knew I felt the same way, but I didn't know how to express it in such a way that he did.

But I waited too long to respond, so he started to backpedal.

"But if you don't feel the same way, please tell me now. I won't hold it against you at all, but it would let me move on from—" He went on rambling, but I cut him off.

"No. No, Salazar. I love you too." I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into me.

I held on to him like he was a lifeline as his arms made their way around my waist. He buried his face into shoulder and for a moment, I think he started to cry.

"The other night, when we lost Simon, I thought I had lost you too. I don't know what I would have done." He held on to me tighter, but he wasn't hurting me. It was comforting.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." I whispered in his ear.

After a while, he lifted his head back up to look at me, his face so close to mine. He brought his hand up to my cheek and brushed my skin with his thumb so softly.

My eyes flickered to his lips, but he was one step ahead of me.

He brought his lips to mine in a smooth, soft motion. He was so careful, as if I were made of glass that would break with even the slightest pressure.

I leaned into him and grasped onto his arms to show him that everything he was doing was okay.

Somehow I'd known ever since I met him that this was the man I wanted to be with. He was so protective of the ones he loved, and I admired that so much about him.

I often thought what Ophelia would think of him if she were still here. Would she see him as a father figure? Would he love her as much as I did? I knew almost for certain that they would have an inseparable bond, and I wished she were still here to meet him.

If I had only met him a couple of years sooner, our lives would have been completely different. But then again, I don't know if I would have wanted it to play out any differently. Because if I met him first, I don't know that I ever would have given birth to Ophelia.

So I was content with the way I met him, and I was so overjoyed that I finally could have him in my arms. I truly, deeply loved him.

He stayed with me that night and I'm so thankful that he did. His embrace felt like home, something I hadn't had the privilege of feeling in so long.

I didn't have any nightmares that night, which was so different from what I was used to. Normally, I would stay up into the late hours of the night, pushing back my sleep so that I wouldn't have to face what was in my subconscious. But that night, I fell asleep gladly with him right next to me.

I actually had dreams that night, something I forgot I was capable of doing. I dreamt about our life together, or what could be. The life was simple. Just him and me in a little cottage in the woods. Maybe a child or two.

But the most important thing was that we had each other. He was there for me and I was always going to be there for him.

That night was like the sun in my lifetime of shadow and darkness. It shone so brightly, that I almost forgot I ever did anything alone.

But then came the morning.