Work Text:
we used to walk along the streets, when the porchlights were shining bright
Back when Avalon has first joined Alfea and didn't know his way around, he and Palladium would run into each other often at night. Palladium would patrol the halls before he retired for the night and he enjoyed the silence that those empty hallways offered. It gave him a sense of peace that young teenage fairies do not provide.
He never knew why Avalon was still awake the first few times they ran into each other. He wished he had pressed on the matter more.
before i had somewhere to be, back when we had all night
Sunsets on the weekend became their meeting spot. It was during one of their talks on the stairs that Palladium was asked about plants to avoid in the forest nearby. He was ecstatic to talk about all the interesting plants there. Avalon didn't ask a lot of questions but he was a great listener.
i thought i was better safe than starry-eyed
All things considered, Avalon wasn't a bad choice in people to have a small infatuation with... It could have been worse.
All things considered, Palladium is glad that he didn't fall slowly, it would have been so much harder to climb the steps to get out of that one. It would have been so much harder to not be aware of how deep he had fallen.
But, Palladium was always aware of how the hard and fast loves burn the fastest, even if he allowed himself to ignore it.
but i felt a hole
like this
His Intuition has never been so loud before. It's practically making his ears ring.
Something is coming. Something has been coming. It might already be here. It might kill him before he figures out what it is.
never before
and never since
Palladium has mixed feelings about Avalon.
He has to have something to do with his intuition, right? It started when he entered campus but only ever gets worse when they're together.
Except that doesn't make sense. Avalon can't be bad because Faragonda does a lot of research on anyone she even considers hiring. She would have found out if he didn't have the school and students' best interest at heart. He trusted her effortless and trusting her judgment has never let him down before.
you know how scared I am of elevators
never trust it if it rises fast
it can't last
Palladium had fallen in love many times before.
Fast.
Hard.
He told himself to not do that again, the healing he went through was almost as painful as his elvan evolution. Falling in love slowly had never done him wrong before. He didn't make himself look so foolish that way. Falling in love slowly gave him time to be ready to land on his feet. It gave him time to do research. Being from a species that has such a long lifespan made him wary of falling for those with much shorter lives than him. He already all his friends (and students) that would die before him, he didn't want to fall in love with someone who would do the same.
uh oh i'm falling in love
At least it wasn't with a Specialist General this time.
oh no i'm falling in love again
At least it was with someone who could not grow old with him. It was a mystery why Paladins had longer lifespans than other species considering they are far more closely related to witches than elves, pixies, and leprechauns.
oh
i'm falling in love
Despite his crush on Avalon coming really out of nowhere and snowballing before Palladium could even notice the floor disappearing from under him, he didn't seem to mind. Avalon was very charming and interested in his line of work, which was frankly, quite rare.
i thought the plane was going down...
you said i'm the love of your life
Palladium and Avalon had never truly added a label to their relationship. It's not like they went out a lot, they were both pretty busy people but Palladium had asked for them to not see other people. Avalon agreed, which is why Palladium felt angry when he caught the other professor sneaking out at night. It was quite bold of him to do so during one of the few times Palladium was staying in his room. His Intuition was yelling at him, as it always did recently but this time he listened.
Palladium couldn't go back to sleep so he waited.
And waited.
Until Avalon had returned.
"Are you cheating on me?"
"Oh Beautiful, I wouldn't dream of it. You are the love of my life."
None of Palladium's previous lovers had ever used those words with him. They were vows that the Long-Living never said unless they planned to actually spend the rest of their long, long life with that person. Problem is, Palladium did not feel the same towards Avalon . They hadn't even known each other a full year but... maybe he could?
He wishes he pushed on where Avalon had been if he wasn't cheating on him.
and we were happy
Despite being upset that Avalon never seemed to want to tell anyone about their relationship or go out as a couple, even if it was just to Magix. Palladium had never been happier. He liked the way Avalon looked at him, always smiling. He liked the way he made him feel... Makes his heart feel at least.
Something is coming. Something is here. It's here. It's here. It's-
who's gonna tell me the truth when you blew in with the winds of fate
Avalon is not your forever. Avalon is not different. Avalon is different in all the wrong ways.
and told me i reformed you
"Don't worry Beautiful, I only ever have eyes for you."
"I'm not going anywhere, Sweetheart."
"I knew I could reply on you to keep me safe, Beautiful."
when your impressionist paintings of Heaven
turned out to be fakes
Avalon was never real.
Well, A Avalon was real and he was standing in front of him.
"How- How long did you say Darkar had you?"
"I never even made it to Alfea."
Palladium was going to be sick.
made goodbye so much harder
Palladium didn't help fight Darkar. He made potions for the injured, helping the nurses with their workload. He also did a lot of self reflection.
If ever asked and forced to be honest, Palladium would admit that Avalon had taught him a lot during their relationship. Clearly, he needed a reminder that falling hard and fast never ended well for him. He needed to run if that ever happened again. He swore to himself that Fake Avalon would be the last to make him look like such a fool.
we were happy
The real Avalon was just as charming and smart, which sucked for Palladium because that means the clone was a good actor and that made it hard to differentiate the two.
However, to give the real Avalon credit, he was much more open about his affections and didn't make his Elvan Intuition nearly drive him insane. If anything, it hadn't gone off once since they met.
you would break your back to make me break a smile
"Come on Palladium, if you don't teach me about what's around here. I'm going to end electrocuting myself on an innocent looking flower trying to make you a bouquet." Palladium snorted. "Electrisms don't grow on this planet." "Those actually exist? Never mind, that proves I know nothing about this planet and you should take time out of you oh-so busy weekend talking about plants I need to avoid... and which ones are your favorites." The elf rolled his eyes but stood up from his desk and grabbed his bag on his way to the door, where Avalon was standing with his arms crossed. "Fine, but if you wonder off and get yourself poisoned, I'm not helping you," Palladium replied, reaching for the door handle but Avalon was faster and held it open for him. "Wouldn't dream of it- Pretty Elves go first." "Mmm, thank you."
Palladium kept an eye on Avalon the whole time they were in the forest. He seemed to enjoy the attention, though. He also asked way more questions than any of his students ever did... Maybe except for the Lynphean fairies but they were hard to beat in that regard.
never before and never since
You're safe now
It was the first (and last) time Palladium ever felt his Intuition tell him something good. It made him spiral and call his mother.
if you know it in one glimpse, it was legendary
what we thought was for all time, was momentary
"I'm not going anywhere, Sweetheart."
You were never going to stay, you liar
"Palladium, you are one of the smartest people I've met. Who else would I go to, Darling?"
You never promised to stay but I don't believe you are going anywhere.
said i'm the love of your life
"Careful Palladium. You might make me fall in love with you."
"You aren't already?" WizGiz asked with a shocked expression on his face. Palladium is simply not awake enough for any of this. He ignores them and walks to get himself some coffee when DuFour calls over to him that his cup is already made. "...What?" "I made you some already, don't worry Palladium," Avalon smiles and him and lifts his cup that he leaves in this breakroom up so he can see better. Not that that was necessary, Palladium could see it just fine, he just didn't think to look for it over there so he walks back to the table and mumbles a thanks. DuFour smiles at him from across the table. "Dear, I need you to be strong. I have a few bets going on and I can't have you falling first." Palladium quirks a smile and lifts his mug out towards her in approval. "Oh, come on!"
"Avalon, I have a winning streak going here. I can't lose now."
"And, I have record of always being the one to fall in love first. I'm trying to make this happen and last."
"Wonderful! I am definitely winning those bets. "
the plane was going down, you just turned it right around
Palladium and Fake Avalon had skipped the fun stage of knowing they both liked each other and teasing each other for it. Not quite in a relationship but almost there. Palladium very much enjoyed this stage. It was harmless and fun. It usually didn't last very long but Palladium had gotten pretty good at seeing how the relationship would go during this stage.
This is why when he woke up as the sun was still rising and Avalon wasn't in bed with him, he may have freaked out a bit. It reminded me too much of past lovers disappearing in the middle of the night, usually they would cheat, sometimes they would go meet with their boss that wanted to end the world. So he didn't fall back asleep, instead staying awake for Avalon's return.
"Oh no, am I in trouble?" Avalon voiced asked once he entered the bedroom. "Where were you?" Avalon looked sheepish, which brought down some of the elf's worry. "I have breakfast?" Palladium stared at him for a second as his brain registered what takeout bag he was holding. "You... Went out to get Star's Night Bakery?" Star's Night Bakery was a family-run breakfast bakery that catered to the people who worked the Night Shift and the early risers. They open at 10 pm and close at 6 am so Palladium didn't get to go there as often as he would like but had taken Avalon there once during one of their night walks through Magix. "Yes, I would've been back sooner but one of the trains were down." Palladium felt a shy smile cross his lips and motioned for Avalon and his bag of food to join him on the bed.
you shit talked me under the table
talking rings and talking cradles
i wish i could unrecall how we almost had it all
Palladium would consider himself over Fake Avalon.
It was quite easy when he had someone else to pick him up from his fall (Hard and fast, again). But some days, he would catch himself thinking about the clone and why he had used him. Why pretend to be in love with him? Why not just be friends? Why did he fall for someone that his body was obviously telling him was bad news?
Unfortunately, he got a chance a ask those questions while he was gathering herbs and leaves for potions one night. It was a weekend because of course it was when the elf heard Avalon's voice call out. "Hello Beautiful! You're out late." That caused Palladium to straighten up as he picked himself up from where he was kneeled. "...Avalon?" the elf asked, even when Avalon's face came into view. "Who else, Sweetheart?" Palladium's intuition wasn't yelling at him but he knew this wasn't Avalon. He hadn't realized until this second that Avalon rarely used pet-names and if he did, they were accompanied with his name.
"Palladium! Hello, Gorgeous."
"Darling Palladium, How were your classes?"
"Palladium, you are a ray of sunshine. I saw you coming from a mile away."
The Clone on the other hand, Palladium was suddenly realizing never used his name. It was always "Beautiful", sometimes "Sweetheart", But never his name.
"Did he ever bother to remember it?"
"Remember what?"
Palladium's head snapped up. "Did you ever..."
"Come on, out with it."
Was he always this...
"Did you ever care about me?"
The Clone froze, eyes staring and unblinking. As if, caught off guard by the question. It probably didn't have feelings, it definitely didn't understand what "love of my life" meant to a Long-Living being. Palladium wasn't sure if he could be mad at something that was simply doing what it was told. Except, it couldn't have been told to pretend to care about me- Darkar didn't need me- Unless... Palladium snapped out of his head to look at the clone, who just stood there. "You were a fork in the road, it wasn't personal but I couldn't have your intuition get in the way.... That must have been driving you crazy!" The Clone laughed. Palladium practically felt his ears droop. Just because he hated the thing didn't mean that that didn't fucking hurt. "Well, I guess I can't come back to Alfea, huh? Everyone knows about me?" Palladium nodded. "What a shame, it was fun. I guess I'll go then... But how about one last kiss for the road?" The Clone may have asked a question but he grabbed the elf's chin without waiting for a response. He never did. Before their lips met, a blinding light crashed into Fake Avalon and knocked Palladium out of his daze. He heard the flapping of wings and then hands on his shoulders. "Palladium! You okay, Sunshine?" Palladium gulped and nodded. "Words, please."
"Yeah! Yeah, thank you Avalon."
Later on, Palladium would realize that he had never told Avalon about his relationship with his clone but until then, Avalon did a great job at distracting him with a weed he didn't know about.
"Wait, what were doing in the forest this late?"
"Oh, uh... I was um, looking for a fern... You said you wished you had one."
Palladium smiled at him and noticed the way Avalon's embarrassment switched to sheepishness. "That's sweet but they only grow on Earth." Palladium held back a laugh as Avalon groaned.
"Of course they do!"
i'm falling in love again
Falling in love with Avalon was way better. He saw it coming and he didn't crash land. Maybe, being more confident about Avalon's feelings towards him helped but after The Clone's bright death thanks to its template, he hadn't thought about it outside of the occasional nightmare. He had thought about his intuition a lot though. Specifically on when it does and doesn't bother him.
it is legendary
Palladium did not want to fall in love again so quickly but at least DuFour's winning streak survived.
"I don't why everyone thought you were going fall first. Avalon's has been practically mooning over you since he recovered," Palladium tried not to smile at that but at least he wasn't the one getting teased over it. "Are you sure they didn't mean, who was going to confess first?" he asked, curious because if not, then clearly everyone just wanted to lose money. DuFour's smile widened to show her teeth. "Well, they should've clarified that then." Palladium allowed himself to laugh then.
"You are a devious woman."
"I know."
we are happy
The first time Palladium and Avalon spent the time in one of their rooms together as a couple, they had spent most of the night dancing to Paladinite music Avalon introduced to the elf. Palladium couldn't remember the last time he smiled so much that his face started to hurt.
it is legendary
i'm falling in love again
Avalon had been gone all day, Palladium wasn't worried because he had been told that the Paladin was going shopping. Which admittedly did confuse the elf because Avalon usually liked to go shopping with Palladium so he could learn his favorite stores. Which, he did know mostly of them by now, but still. It was odd.
Palladium was getting ready for bed when he heard a knock at his door.
"Avalon?"
"Palladium, you are the prettiest creature to bless me with your presence."
"Come in... What is that?"
Avalon was holding something in his hands, a bag from... well, definitely not from Magix. "I got you a present." Palladium took the bag, still confused. "Thank you but why?"
"Why not? Open it!"
Inside the bag was... another bag with a label. "Fern seeds?"
"I went to Earth. By the way, they have so many stores. It took me so long so find a plant store and so I bought Ferns... Well, the seeds. I couldn't find an actual fern. " Palladium put the seed packet back in the bag and gave Avalon a quick kiss. "Thank you, do you want to stay over?" "Yes, I'm so tired."
it was unnecessary, should've let it stay buried
Of course, it was the day after Palladium finally shared everything with Avalon that he had a nightmare of Fake Avalon.
oh what a valiant roar
"I NEVER LOVED YOU!"
a planned goodbye
"Honestly, you're such a sorry excuse of an elf, how did you not see that poison trick coming? What kind of elf ignores their infamous intuition?"
coward claimed he was a lion
"You may not care about me anymore but you had lost trust in yourself. You shouldn't trust yourself. It was your fault I almost succeeded anyway."
"No, it's not... Maybe I should've listened to my intuition but you didn't win. You were the one who targeted me. I didn't approach you first."
laughed in the dark, talking about your daddy's farm
"I would not have believed that you have a family farm," Palladium chuckled as he read his list of herbs he had come into the forest for. "Paladins may almost exclusively live in the sky but we do need to eat, you know." "I know, the mental image is shocking though," the elf replied, watching Avalon pick up some dried leaves and flowers with the roots still attached. "Where are you going during the break?" he asked. Avalon's head snapped towards him. "Uh, probably going to visit my family for a bit and come back here... Why?"
"Would you like to stay at my townhouse for a bit? Once you get back?" Avalon looked excited so Palladium's nerves died down a little. "I- Didn't know the staff had houses in Magix." "Not many do. Most will go visit their families and stay with them but some of us have bought apartments or houses in and out of the city," Palladium informed. "I'd love to see your townhouse."
you are gonna marry me
Palladium smiled as he watched Avalon kiss his knuckles before asking him to dance at one of Palladium's family reunions. Elvan Family Reunions only happened once every 50 years and they didn't usually involve everyone either since their families tend to branch off and people lose contact. Avalon asked to come along and then studied Elvan culture for 2 days straight when he got a 'yes.'
"Would you like to get married some day?"
"... Not anytime soon?"
"No, No. Just someday."
"Then yes, I'd love to. "