15 Feb 2025, 04:11
Pre-Marital Hand-Holding
14 February, 2025
beauxbâtons valentine's celebrations
@Sarai Toussaint
courtesy tags: @Ulysses Drake
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Sarai. They never really got to spend Valentine's Day together. Not ever, actually, now that he thought about it. Not in all the years they'd been together.
But, well, that hardly mattered now, since they were here, spending it together in the country of love no less. Fabian's hand held hers loosely. Her left hand, the hand with the ring on it. He was still as giddy as a schoolboy any time the wedding was brought up, or crossed his mind amid the administrative work he practically breathed these days.
He'd given her a rose that morning. Since she was his rose. Asked her if she'd like to tour the gardens. It was early in the morning, students still asleep or reluctantly rousing themselves, certainly not swarming every available space as they did all other hours. At least not the masses.
So this was their garden tour. A peaceful morning stroll, basking in togetherness. "What an interesting enchantment," he mused aloud, watching as one of the trimmed hedges shifted from a swan to a horse in its shape. "I will have to ask Headmistress de la Croix-Valmer about it. I wonder, does it ever turn to an automobile? A motorcycle?" A glint of childish mischief in his eye, a touch of whimsy in his voice, an unquenchable grin plastered on his face as he turned his gaze to Sarai. She brought out the lighter side in him, the jokes and good humor. "We should get one for the wedding, no?"
memento mori, memento vivere
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15 Feb 2025, 07:13
Pre-Marital Hand-Holding
| sarai |  date. [ 14 February, 2025 ]xoxo location. [ Beauxbâtons ] xoxo tags. [ @Fabian Toussaint-Fleischer ] ⫸────────────────────────────────────────────────────⫷ Since stepping foot upon the shimmering white château of Beauxbatons, the days following had been nothing short of chaotic chaperoning her students in the gorgeous realm. It wasn't that Sarai blamed her students for their jubilee amid exploration of every corner of the magical institute built among the Pyrenees, but simply that her mind had been elsewhere lately than her duties to Hogwarts. Luckily for the woman, minimalizing the bedlam and disarray of her class took priority and permitted Sarai to busy herself, thus sidelining her growing cogitations and woes. Being in the company of her beloved fiance wrought a sense of trepidation and adoration alike. Despite the words burning and lingering on her tongue, the numinous woman would be grateful for him, for this day─this moment. A serene morning stroll was a welcomed reprieve, hand-in-hand with the man Sarai loved above all. This occasion would mark the very first Valentine's Day they'd share together since they began dating so long ago, spending it in the country of love to make the day even more profound. Of course, Sarai had never minded the distance dividing them from each other's arms the years former; Fabian had always been sure to surprise her every year on Valentine's Day, and the Toussaint admired his attentiveness to ensure every year was more memorable than the last─that Sarai knew how much Fabian loved her. Despite this, the burning of unspoken truths had made the woman hesitant and more anxious on the surface; there lay an irrational fear that today might be the first and only Valentine's Day they'd share. The exquisite moss-agate ring on her finger spoke otherwise, but the fear was one Sarai couldn't simply shake. Suppressing her rattled nerves, it was an otherwise comfortable silence as they explored hand in hand, and the couple would stumble upon trimmed hedges that shifted from a swan to a horse in its shape. A passive smile touched her lips after hearing Fabian's humourous commentary. With a soft chuckle, Sarai responded: "Ah, yes, because a motorcycle-shaped hedge fits perfectly with the rest of the Rococo decor." Her heart burst to see the mischievous smile on Fabian's face; it was one of the many reasons why she loved him so, but his lighthearted mention of their approaching wedding lessened her own slightly. Instinctively, her free hand clutched her coat tightly as the gale of wind wafted through the open air as if to hide from the agonizing truth: "Fabian, mon cheri, we need to talk." ⫸────────────────────────────────────────────────────⫷ |
sarai |
I always knew the wind would blow you back to me one day.
17 Feb 2025, 03:26
Pre-Marital Hand-Holding
"Don't you think so? I think it would look spectacular." Even through his unserious air, he could see Sarai was uneasy. It wasn't her quietness. That was normal, they were both the reserved sort. It was her discomfort, the way she held herself so tensely, how stiffly she gripped her hand, how the ease in her smile faded.
She pulled her coat tighter around her as a breeze gusted. Fabian angled his next slow step closer to his fiancee, as if to shield her from the French winds. The only problem with this was that they were coming from the other side of the couple. "What about?" he asked in response to her rather grave announcement that they needed to talk.
While Sarai was the only one of the couple to have had any romantic experience of import, an experience that left her scarred in ways Fabian could only aid in relieving, never understanding in full, she was not the only one with insecurities. For his part, Fabian was terrified to misstep.
His parents' relationship dissolved before his first memory, the face of his mother lost to time. Reiner had never involved himself with a woman in the same way again, and Lydia had been contentedly single for years before she entered Fabian's life. He didn't know the rules to a good marriage, the secrets to success. He was left without a model, good or bad. Becoming Dad to Alphonse and Briar had come easier than becoming husband to Sarai, as evidenced by the fact the first had long since happened and the latter was still months away. The man couldn't bear the thought of hurting Sarai, of making a wrong move and watching the life they'd built together crumble to pieces on account of his folly. It was a dramatic fear, but visceral and real nonetheless.
Suffice to say, Fabian was just a little nervous about what Sarai needed to talk to him about.
She pulled her coat tighter around her as a breeze gusted. Fabian angled his next slow step closer to his fiancee, as if to shield her from the French winds. The only problem with this was that they were coming from the other side of the couple. "What about?" he asked in response to her rather grave announcement that they needed to talk.
While Sarai was the only one of the couple to have had any romantic experience of import, an experience that left her scarred in ways Fabian could only aid in relieving, never understanding in full, she was not the only one with insecurities. For his part, Fabian was terrified to misstep.
His parents' relationship dissolved before his first memory, the face of his mother lost to time. Reiner had never involved himself with a woman in the same way again, and Lydia had been contentedly single for years before she entered Fabian's life. He didn't know the rules to a good marriage, the secrets to success. He was left without a model, good or bad. Becoming Dad to Alphonse and Briar had come easier than becoming husband to Sarai, as evidenced by the fact the first had long since happened and the latter was still months away. The man couldn't bear the thought of hurting Sarai, of making a wrong move and watching the life they'd built together crumble to pieces on account of his folly. It was a dramatic fear, but visceral and real nonetheless.
Suffice to say, Fabian was just a little nervous about what Sarai needed to talk to him about.
memento mori, memento vivere
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17 Feb 2025, 04:47
Pre-Marital Hand-Holding
| sarai | date. [ 14 February, 2025 ]xoxo location. [ Beauxbâtons ] xoxo tags. [ @Fabian Toussaint-Fleischer ] ⫸────────────────────────────────────────────────────⫷ A melancholic smile located her lips as Fabian took a step closer, and instinctively, the Toussaint woman tightened her grip on the edges of her leather coat until her knuckles turned white. Her hands were clammy with sweat from the anxiety that had begun to decrepitate the woman's resolve. Sarai sought a few steadying breaths, a swift attempt to conceal the sting of tears that threatened to spill. All her mind could ruminate amid the tumulting thoughts was losing the love of her, the only father figure her sons ever knew, and paving begrudgingly through life alone once more. Fabian would not be responsible for the tears that proceeded to fall from her eyelids, for the former Wardsetter never once made Sarai question her profound place in his life, unlike her former partner. Armand Ocasio; a cruel man he was. The deceased Hit-Wizard, whom Sarai would meet early in her young adulthood, abandoned her to raise his progeny singlehandedly, mere months after graduating Castelobruxo. It wasn't as though the woman had any qualms or regrets about the blessings the man had given her; Sarai loved her sons, Alphonse and Briar, more than the sun, moon, and stars. However, to do it again alone would be nothing short of a nightmare. "Fabian," Sarai spoke, avoiding his gaze by studying the grayish-pink hued cobblestone pathway under her feet, "I-" Her gunmetal gaze found his with a sigh. The woman's grip loosened off the edges of the leather coat to reveal the small, barely noticeable bump of her stomach beneath her maroon dress, a development that Sarai had been concealing from him since they arrived in France. "I'm pregnant." ⫸────────────────────────────────────────────────────⫷ |
sarai |
I always knew the wind would blow you back to me one day.
19 Feb 2025, 06:21
Pre-Marital Hand-Holding
Little diamonds fell from Sarai's beautiful eyes. Fabian's heart seemed to twist inside his ribcage at the sight of it. He hated to see her cry. Any tears but those of joy meant some sort of pain, Fabian had learned over the years. Angry tears, frustrated tears, sad tears, frightened tears. He didn't know what kind these were, but he did know they meant pain. And heaven help him, he could hardly bear to see any of his loved ones in pain, least of all the woman around whom his whole world revolved.
The sharp quality of his hazel eyes typically softened around her, but impossibly softer they became along with the rest of his expression when the reason for her anxieties was revealed. Sarai was pregnant.
Fabian was going to be a father.
"Liebling, Darling" he breathed, fingers tightening around hers, gaze flicking from the petite baby bump to her face before settling on her gunmetal blue eyes so uncertain. His free hand cradled her face with all the care in the world. A quiet sort of joy, tender and pure, rippled around him like an aura of sorts. "Rose, is this not something to celebrate? Another little Toussaint- a little Toussaint-Fleischer running around and a husband-" and here he gave her a meaningful look, a hint of a wry smile tugging at his lips- "to support you through it all?" He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Maybe it will be a daughter. Smart like her mother, perhaps a bit of a wild spirit like her father. Or maybe another son. Strong like his brothers and his mother. Maybe another little Quidditch prodigy! The house could do with a few more trophies."
The sharp quality of his hazel eyes typically softened around her, but impossibly softer they became along with the rest of his expression when the reason for her anxieties was revealed. Sarai was pregnant.
Fabian was going to be a father.
"Liebling, Darling" he breathed, fingers tightening around hers, gaze flicking from the petite baby bump to her face before settling on her gunmetal blue eyes so uncertain. His free hand cradled her face with all the care in the world. A quiet sort of joy, tender and pure, rippled around him like an aura of sorts. "Rose, is this not something to celebrate? Another little Toussaint- a little Toussaint-Fleischer running around and a husband-" and here he gave her a meaningful look, a hint of a wry smile tugging at his lips- "to support you through it all?" He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Maybe it will be a daughter. Smart like her mother, perhaps a bit of a wild spirit like her father. Or maybe another son. Strong like his brothers and his mother. Maybe another little Quidditch prodigy! The house could do with a few more trophies."
memento mori, memento vivere
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19 Feb 2025, 23:50
Pre-Marital Hand-Holding
| sarai | date. [ 14 February, 2025 ]xoxo location. [ Beauxbâtons ] xoxo tags. [ @Fabian Toussaint-Fleischer ] ⫸────────────────────────────────────────────────────⫷ R egardless of the crisp and pristine air of the Pyrenees, it was that moment, upon seeing the smile building on Fabian's face, that the woman felt as though the shamanic witch could finally draw first breath. The suffocating truth realized in January had taken a toll on Sarai ─ a sense of guilt for withholding the news for what felt like an eternity. Only a month had transpired since they last were together in December, and yet, the entirety of the prolonged absence of containing this secret had felt excruciating, riddled with the visceral fear of him breaking up with her. Her deeply recessed woes would vanish from the labyrinthine of her memory within mere seconds just at the glimpse of the joy emanating from him and his touch. Blinking away remnants of the tears staining her face, Sarai could no longer contain the sigh of relief as the short horticulturist stood on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around his neck for a gentle kiss. A lighthearted chuckle bubbled up from her chest when they separated, a brighter smile building as she heeded his words, guiding his hand to her abdomen while echoing: "A little Toussaint-Fleischer," as if the words themselves fortified the legacy they'd soon cultivate. To Sarai, this pregnancy would be a far cry from her first pregnancy nearly fourteen years ago; with Fabian, her beloved fiance, there lay a sense of honour for the opportunity to extend her family with such a wonderful man by her side. "Happy Valentine's Day, mon cheri my love," the Toussaint woman spoke with a soft laugh, "Thank you for making me the happiest woman on earth. For this beautiful life, for such a gift." Their little moment of serenity would come to an end as the voices of chattering students emanated from the distance carried by the winds, and another chuckle echoed from her as she gazed up at him: "Now, for the not-so-fun part: we have to tell the boys." ⫸────────────────────────────────────────────────────⫷ |
sarai |
I always knew the wind would blow you back to me one day.