If love is a sin, my stake is already burning

[ z. s & c. g ]

Part 2 here

Zelda's lashes flutter lazily, as she takes a long sigh. Her mind, for some reason, can't really focus on the things she is supposed to do. She can't help herself but think about the things she said to you and the way you stormed out the house, without a proper bye as you normally do. Zelda didn't mean to sound harsh in your regards; however, when it's about protecting those she loves, she knows she can be a fierce, a thorn in the side for some. Her sister Hilda surely knew something about that, considering all the time she had been killed by her on a whim.

When the phone rings, she is glad to give her mind a break, "Academy of Unseen Arts, this is Directrix Zelda Spellman", she greets, while absently playing with the chord, "How may I assist you?"

"I actually know a couple of ways."

Zelda recognizes the Supreme's voice on the other end of the line and her posture relaxes, "Missing me already?" a lopsided grin rapidly finds her way through her perfectly red lips.

Cordelia hums positively, while leaning against the wall behind her, then adds, "I'm calling for our common matter," she trails off, her eyes firmly settled on you, as you sleep soundly in her bed. Memories of what happened earlier at the greenhouse cause her to suck in a breath, that doesn't go unnoticed by the headmistress of the Academy of Unseen Arts.

"Celeste," Zelda mutters under her breath, hoping nothing bad has happened to you in her absence. However, there's a little voice inside her head telling her exactly the opposite.

Cordelia hums again, "I'm afraid so."

Zelda merely rolls her eyes, "What has she done now?"

Her eyes burn with mixed feelings, as a whirlwind of thoughts, as per usual, make her focus on the worst-case scenarios.

Cordelia giggles softly, she can easily imagine the daggers that Zelda is throwing at whatever is in front of her sight, "No drama, so to speak," she promises, however, there is indeed something to talk about, "She passed out from exhaustion before."

Zelda's eyes fall close for a second. She huffs quietly, before a bitter smile comes gracing upon her now tense features, "That witch," she drawls out in an exasperated tone. Even if she sounds mad at you, she is first of all mad at herself. First instinct for a witch like Zelda is to blame herself, for not having been suasive enough to convince Celeste to stay home that day.  

"You were right to worry", Cordelia adds, nervously racking her fingertips through her hair, "But she is fine now, all she needs is proper rest for a while."

"It’s incredible how exhausting it is to be right all the time," ss she speaks, Zelda grabs herself a cigarette, before placing it between her lips with shaky fingers.

She hears Cordelia giggle at her admission, before muttering a sarcastic, "Oh, I wouldn't know about that."

With the help of her magic, she lights it up and gives a long drag, before speaking again, "She better listen to me this time or else," she argues, making it clear that this time there wouldn't have been no room for pushback, "Where is she now? Let me speak to her."

"I'm afraid this isn't a good moment. She is sleeping like an infant," a warm, amused smile tugs at the Supreme's lips, "I gave her a magic serum to help with that."

Zelda nods slowly, her mind, though, races to make a plan to cover your classes at the Academy for at least the upcoming week. Along with that, she knows she can't stay in Greendale whereas you're in New Orleans, the desire to see you and be close to you, despite Cordelia assuring her you were fine, was too strong to avoid.

"Is she hurt in any way?", her voice comes out both husky and low.

The Supreme's gaze softens, recognizing concern in Zelda's voice, "Anything that a good rest can't fix," she approaches close to you, eyes brimming as much as Zelda's. "Probably only her pride is wounded," she jokes, hoping to elicit a giggle out of Zelda.

The redhead hums, a brief smile tugs at her lips. It's sincere, however, she still can't completely relax, considering she hasn’t seen you yet.

"She'd do and say anything not to admit she needs help."

Cordelia's eyes glimmer with mischievousness, "that actually reminds me of someone I know," she teases playfully.

Zelda scoffs, "Shut it now, Cordelia," something flickers across the redhead's face. An emotion, more than an annoyance. She had grown fond of the Supreme around the same time as you did, while joining forces against Michael, Lucifer's illegitimate child. She thought of it as a mere crush at first, it wasn't strange for witches, especially those of the Church of Night, to feel lust and lasciviousness inside, however, having known you for longer had made a difference in her way of thinking. She came to understand that what she felt wasn't a simple physical attraction, but a deeper connection, that she knew existed between the two of you too.

"She is a tough one, just like you, and once she sets her mind on something, it's set for good," Cordelia speaks again, pulling her out of her own thoughts.

The Directrix inhales a long drag of cigarette and resettles more comfortably into her chair, "Just like my sweet Sabrina," her voice is filled with emotion and longing as she mutters her name. Cordelia smiles sadly. A crease forms in between her brows, having heard of the tragedy that befell on the Spellmans' family.

"You'd be surprised to know how hard has become for me to tell her no."

Cordelia arches an eyebrow at that, "What are you talking about? You always say no to Celeste, she just doesn't listen to you," she remarks amusedly.

Zelda has to hide a smile while flicking ash off of her cigarette into a chinaware, "She needs to listen more and talk less."

"She wouldn't be our Celeste then, would she?", the Supreme points out, with a grin.

"I guess you're right," Zelda replies, as she moistens her lips with her tongue.

You hum in your sleep, lightly furrowing your eyebrows. A moment of silence follows, the Supreme almost holds her breath to not disturb your so needed sleep, "I think she gets occasional headaches still," she hums, crinkling her nose in thought. Zelda puts away her cigarette, feeling her anxiety boiling up once again, "What do you mean? I thought she was sleeping," she retorts, with a frown.

"She is," she mutters softly, gently stroking your forehead with her fingertips. You're warm, but you don't have a fever, "I know a spell that can help with that," Zelda pauses, biting her bottom lip, "Go ahead, I'll join you from here to make it more effective."

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The two witches mutter the incantation for three times in a row, and praise Lilith, it quickly does its job. Your features relax once again, and your cheeks regain some color once again.

A smile of relief graces upon Cordelia's face, "Much better now," she coos, gently tugging a strand of hair behind your ear.

Zelda opens her mouth to respond, but the Supreme precedes her, "Love, there's something else I need to tell you."

A crease appears on the elder's forehead, "What is it?"

"I...", Cordelia's lips stir in a thin line, as she masters the courage to confess to Zelda what she has done. That being only one part of the big news in store for her. "I'd like to talk to you in person, if you don't mind, " and before Zelda can question her more, she continues, "It's not necessarily a bad thing, so don't worry."

"You know today is becoming quite a challenge not to," she huffs sarcastically, causing Cordelia to chuckle. "You're right, but it will get better as the day progresses, I'm sure of it," she admits. She combs her fingers into your hair, a soft loving expression gracing upon her features as she looks at you, clinging to her sheets. She couldn't wait to lay herself in that same bed and inhaling your scent, that would have lulled her to sleep. Her cheeks turned crimson at the thought.

"Zelds?"

"Yes, dear?"

Cordelia breathes in and out slowly, "I love her," she confesses, in a faint whisper. Her eyes well up with tears, burning drops that she yet has to shed. Zelda nods softly, she knew that about Cordelia already. They had talked about it, about being both attracted to you, along with being attracted to one another. However, they yet had to confess it to you.

 "I know, darling," she coos.

Cordelia swallows back the lump forming in her throat.

"I just love her so much," she continues, "I think...", she stutters, "she deserves to know. We need to tell her," a certain urgency fills her voice as she speaks. Maybe it had been the fear of seeing you pass out in her arms to make her speak that way, or maybe the desire to have you in her arms whatever she felt like it. Zelda couldn't know. However, she could relate. She wanted the exact same thing, but she was also afraid of a possible reject. A single tear slides down her cheek, but she quickly wipes it with the back of her hand.

"We shouldn't act impulsively."

"No," Cordelia gritters out, "However, I feel this is the right time," she eyes you carefully, as a new determination rises through her.

"I'm texting my sister Hilda as we speak. I'll be there in a few. Wait for me, before... doing anything."

"I promise," the Supreme nods quietly at that. She immediately feels a wave of relief wash over her. Honestly it would have terrified her to confess her feelings without the other witch present by her side.

After a small pause, Zelda adds in a husk tone, "You know I feel the same, don't you?"

Cordelia's smile grows ear to ear, "I know, silly."

Zelda rolls her eyes at the pet name the Supreme has just used. However, it makes her smile, because it feels personal, filled with an affection that her heart seeks on a daily basis.

"Hilda will be here shortly," she later informs Cordelia, "I'll teleport in your room if it's okay to you."

Cordelia playfully rolls her eyes at the sudden formality performed by Zelda and a huff escape from her lips, "Just hurry up, please."

The Directrix of the Academy of Unseen Arts tries to hide the content smile that has just appeared on her face. Humming softly, she seals the promise with a whispered "I will", then, she ends the call.

•

"Can I get you something? A calming tea to help you soothe your nerves?"

Zelda finds herself scoffing slightly, as per usual she takes that offering, not for what it is, a simple nice gesture, but as a subtle way to address to her fragile frame of mind, "My nerves are perfectly fine, however, I can't say the same about yours."

"Yeah, right— I'm sorry," lightly shaking her head, the Supreme lets out a sigh, "She just scared me."

"I can imagine," Zelda hums in thought. The two witches fade into silence for a while, "It must have not been pleasant," she later adds, as she reconsiders the Cordelia's offer, regarding the tea.

"Not in the slightest, no," she adds, lowly.

Zelda can feel the tension lingering in the air. Her eyes settle on you for a moment, before looking back at the Supreme, whose mind appears to be elsewhere. Something gnaws at her chest, something she can't quite place yet.

"Cordelia," she starts with in a low tone, "I'm here with both of you. And everything is okay, just how you told me on the phone."

Cordelia nods, offering her a brief glance.

"What did you give her?", she clasps one of the Supreme's hand in the hope to give her some comfort.

"Essence of mauve, natural herbs and a little magic. The potion is meant to make the person sleep for as long as the body needs."

"It's gonna take a while then," Zelda teases with coy smile, making the blonde witch chuckle, "Cordelia, she can't do this anymore. It's unhealthy," she later adds in a more serious tone.

The Supreme knew this conversation had to be done and she also knew that the Directrix had all the rights to think of it that way. Her eyes flash with both hurt and disappointment. The possibility to not have you around for a while caused a deep pain to take roots inside her chest.

"I thought it would work; I really did. Transmutation alone seizes a lot of energy and covering a distance like this — is like asking a toddler to go perform an exorcism. It's too much."

Cordelia's mouth goes dry, "I know, Zelda. I'm aware of that," her hand slip out of Zelda's grasp, as she takes small steps towards you once again. The redhead follows right up and takes a seat at the end of the mattress right next to Cordelia who's still standing next to you. "And I'm so sorry I didn't notice before. I should have never suggested this in the first place," guilt gnaws at her chest as she speaks.

Zelda sighs softly, "We both know why you did that, and why I allowed it," she prompts the younger with to sit next to her with a flick of her finger.

"As if she needed your permission," Cordelia playfully rolls her eyes and obliges, "Not everything is about you, Zelda."

"Oh but it is," she retorts with a smug smile, "It also is. And I'm sure you agree with me, don't you?", she gently pushes a strand of hair from her face, making the Supreme's cheeks turn crimson.

"She has a soft spot for you," the Supreme's lips quirk upwards.

"And for you," Zelda adds, "You should have seen her this morning, so determined to come to you despite feeling unwell," the smile on Cordelia's face fades and turns into a frown.

"I've something else to tell you," Cordelia directs her gaze towards you slowly. Her hand reaches out to touch your arm, who's hidden under the bedsheets.

"You seem concerned," Zelda states bluntly.

"I did something I'm not quite fond of," her voice wavers a bit on the last word, "Celeste wouldn't tell me what was happening to her. I sat and watched her hands tremble, her gaze going blank," she sucks in a shaky breath, her heart clenching in her chest.

Panic begins to rise in Zelda's chest.

"Oh, darling," a hand wraps Cordelia's waist, pulling her closer to her side, "Whatever you did can't be that bad now, can it?", she turns towards her, and sees Cordelia's bottom lip wobble. She sniffles and lightly shakes her head as if she was struggling against herself. A part of her was telling her that she did the right thing, whereas the other was tormenting her for the choice she made, "I had to do something, I only wanted to know what she was hiding from me and from you, but then I couldn't help myself, I couldn't hold back, and dug deeper and deeper."

"Whatever do you mean?", Zelda frowns. She felt like she could use a cigarette, but she resisted for both your sake and Cordelia's.

"I read her mind," she whispers, eyes moist with tears, "her thoughts, her deepest desires. Everything."

"You did — what?"

Zelda wasn't expecting that. Her eyes snap wide open in utter disbelief. That was something she never expected the Supreme could do, considering it goes against her ethics and beliefs. However, she also acknowledges that for those you love, you're prone to break a rule or two. Truth be told, Zelda would tear Hell apart if it meant to protect her family, Cordelia or you.

"I had no other choice, and the worst part is that I'm not even sorry for that. I have no remorse because... because—" she recalls vividly everything she has felt and witnessed through your heart.

Zelda opens her mouth to say something, but Cordelia beats her to it, "I'm so happy, Zelda," she breaths out, turning completely towards her.

"I still don't understand," the redhead witch blinks in disbelief.

Cordelia cups Zelda's cheeks then, leaning further closer to the elder witch. Her heart stops only to restart at a breakneck speed. Her eyes fall on Cordelia's mouth as her teeth casually start nibbling on her bottom lip. She inhales sharply, her pupils grow darker with lust.

"Celeste is in love with us," a couple of tears fall from her eyes, when Cordelia whispers those magic words against Zelda's agape mouth.

She shudders. Cordelia grasps a single tear that has just slipped Zelda's eye, before wrapping her arms around her waist.

At once, she is a bunch of nerves, both shocked and incredulous. She feels like it's her turn to collapse, but Cordelia holds her. That will surely change everything.