Only For A Moment // Fourth Wing x OC

Chapter Twenty One - Happy Birthday

I roll into a stretch as my eyes flutter open meeting Bodhi's golden hues. "Happy Birthday Wren." His soothing voice fills the space between us. He pulls a small chocolate cupcake out from behind his back.

"Now I can't promise this is any good but....."

I quickly sit up grabbing the cupcake greedily. "Chocolate's my favorite....how did you know?" I ask him.

"Liam"

My gaze snaps to his. My heart clutching in pain. I wish he was here....only a few more hours and I'll meet Sloane, a moment Liam and I had talked about most nights. How excited he was to finally see her....how excited he was to introduce us....and now I'm doing it alone.

Bodhi's thumb comes up to wipe smeared chocolate from the corner of my lips.

A few nights ago he tried to kiss me in our blanket fort, stirring up feelings inside me that scared me....guilt and excitement mixed into one overwhelming feeling.

I didn't deserve Liam.....not when I'm sitting here feeling a jolt of excitement from Bodhi's touch. I'm so conflicted....on one hand guilt and heartbreak are very much taking over my emotions but there's this small part of me that wonders....maybe there's more to this.....

I have felt this undeniable pull to Bodhi since the moment our dragons mated.....but I can't go there. He deserves more than I can give right now and right now the thought of moving on makes me sick.

He clears his throat, dropping his hand before climbing out of bed. He rifles through his dresser freezing the moment he finds what he's looking for. I watch him carefully as he turns holding something small in his hands.

"Liam wanted this day to be special for you and I intend on making his wish come true."

He steps behind me, wrapping a dainty golden chain around my neck, his fingers brushing my skin as he clasps it. My entire spine tingling from the contact.

My fingertips brush the small pendant....the feeling of wings etched into the circular piece. "Liam wanted me to hide this for him...." I look over my shoulder, tilting my head up to meet his stare.

"Wings for his mockingbird." Bodhi's voice was barely a whisper when the tears started to fall. Liam's Mockingbird.

"Leave it to him to be perfect even in death." I hold on to the little pendant, closing my eyes his perfect dimpled smile filling my memories. Gods I missed him so much.

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Conscription Day looks so different on this side of things. Vi leans over the crenelations of the tower in the main war college taking notes on the length of the line. Rhiannon and her actually have a job to do today....meanwhile I'm just sitting here looking pretty.

"They're starting up the stairs," Vi tells us, Rhiannon stands poised with a quill and the roll. Aetos is only standing four steps away from Violet, my gaze barely leaving his. If he makes one move towards her I'm throwing him over the parapet.

"It's almost time." I announce. "You have nothing to worry about little bird." Ryuu tries to reassure me.

"I have plenty to worry about.......she has no idea who I am and I'm about to be like hey girl, I was your brothers girlfriend by the way he's dead...." I fidget nervously.

"She knows." He states factually. "She does......shit......this was a mistake, being here....I'm in no shape to help anybody. I'm going to screw this up, somehow...someway....I'm gonna fuck it all up and Sloane will pay the price.....I'm the wrong person to be looking after her.....Bodhi or Violet. They have their shit together. I don't." I start to panic.