Hours later, when the sunlight had crept through the windows of the little garden-level apartment, Emmrich awoke.

And in the golden glow of what felt, suspiciously, like the late morning (although having spent most mornings of the last twenty-odd years of his life in residence in the Necropolis, underground, Emmrich could be forgiven if he was mistaken) he saw plainly that Agnes herself was still stretched, asleep, beside him. 

…which shocked him so terribly, it seized his breath dead in his throat—the sight of her, there—black lashes a dark, dusky contrast against her cheeks; soft, rosy mouth, softly breathing, parted lips; hair a messy midnight halo about her head; body rising and falling with each gentle inhale, and exhale. 

How badly he had wanted this! That night they had lain together in the Necropolis, when he had held her and kissed her and shook with her in pleasure for what had felt like hours, he had wanted to wake up beside her the next morning. To hold her gently, as she yet slept, feeling the warmth and the softness and suppleness of her skin against his skin; to watch her breathing and resting easy until her eyes began to flicker into wakefulness, until he began to pepper her beloved face with gentle kisses: across her cheeks, her chin, her forehead, her eyes. Her mouth.  

…oh, it is unbearable, how beautiful she is: the mother of his son! How beautiful and how far from him, how utterly beyond anything he could hope for. 

It is unbearable… but neither could Emmrich bear to look away from her, drinking in the sight of her, committing it to memory. 

(If all his heart could have to help to satisfy its longing were scraps, then he would feast upon them greedily; he would lick the very last crumbs from the plate; he would suck the marrow from the bone; every last morsel of this moment to be utterly devoured: here, together, with her. At least, if only, just this once.)

Exquisite

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook 2.5k+ wc | SFW Agnes tries to find a way to express to Emmrich how much he means to her. EXCERPT: Behind her, Emmrich was speaking lowly to Alfred, paying her no mind. She heard the clink of beakers and flasks, and the low hiss of reaction as two elements came together. Before Agnes could reconsider, she drew the small box she had been carrying from her skirt pockets, and set it delicately on the table next to Emmrich’s cup. 

Almost as soon as she had set it down, everything within her was screaming to take it back, to snatch it up and shove it back in her pockets before Emmrich caught sight of it. Somehow, incredibly—despite how deeply she had grown to care for Emmrich (could barely admit to herself: had fallen in love with him ) and despite the fact that they worked alongside each other almost every day, Emmrich seemed just as unaware of her true feelings towards him as he had always been. What did she have to gain, by putting that safety at risk now? What if it backfired on her? 

Guard

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook 5k+ wc | SFW but heads up if you're squeamish, this one is a bit bloody Three years into her tenure in the Mourn Watch, Agnes begins to realize she has been recruited for one very specific task, in particular. But Emmrich becomes gravely wounded during an expedition into the Grand Necropolis, it calls everything into question. ________

EXCERPT: There was panic and shouting and they were lifting Emmrich out of her arms, setting him on a levitating bier someone conjured to better get him to the infirmary. Someone was asking her questions—shaking her shoulder—but she was still dizzy from the lyrium and the effort of her magic, and the sudden action and noise was disorienting. But she folded one leg underneath her, then another, and rose to her feet, stumbling after the group of other Watchers. She needed a better look at Emmrich, to see that his chest was still rising and falling—

“Agnes. Agnes.” 

Johanna, taking her by the shoulder and shaking her roughly. “Agnes, listen to me. What happened?”

“Uncatalogued anomaly,” Agnes replied, automatically. But as the other Wtachers began to carry Emmrich out of sight, the stunning shock of what was happening began to clear, replaced by a dawning horror at her circumstances. “I tried to—but it just grabbed him, Johanna, and it wouldn’t let go.” Her words came faster, her voice rising. “I tried to heal him—I did what I could—there was so much blood—”

Johanna looked at her, then back towards the elevator from which she came. All the color drained from the Commander’s face. ‘How much blood did we leave behind in the lift?’ But when Agnes turned to follow Johanna’s gaze, a sick feeling in her gut, Johanna held her shoulder fast, steering her out of the commons and into the hallway so that she could not glimpse backwards. 

“You got him back up here, Agnes, that’s what counts. You did good,” Johanna praised her, but it was an empty praise; there was an uncharacteristic lack of confidence in her words that made Agnes feel only greater dread. “Emmrich will be in the healer’s hands soon enough, if he is not already. There is nothing more you can do for him. Go clean yourself off, and get some rest. When there is news, we will send for you.”