Tempest // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 28*

CW: Sexual content

Sebastian and Rosie sat on the dusty lounge tucked into the corner of the Undercroft, arms wrapped around each other as they simply enjoyed being way too comfortable in each others personal space again.

It had been weeks since the Confringo duelling incident and Rosie had spent most of the time fussing over his arm, making sure his light dusting of freckles still remained on his forearms and that the delicate hair returned after being singed away.

"It looks exactly the way it did before, Rosie." Sebastian chided her after the 6th attempt to inspect his arm that day.

"One can never be too cautious, Sebastian." She said plainly, tracing her fingers down the healed skin, making sure to run the pads of her fingers along every single freckle she adored so much.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and lurched forward to press his mouth to hers, a tactic he'd been adopting quite a lot lately to distract her.

Not that Rosie complained.

The Undercroft had become a place for them to hide. Ominis didn't enter it much anymore since he started to avoid Sebastian and Sebastian was worried about using the Room of Requirement too often, just in case someone caught wind of where they were going and decided to start using it themselves.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Sebastian mumbled against her lips.

Rosie grunted and pulled away from the kiss, sitting back against the lounge and folding her arms. "Now? Really?"

"Yes, well... it pertains to us." Sebastian explained.

Rosie raised a curious eyebrow and invited him to continue by staying silent.

"Right, well... I was wondering if... if you were comfortable and ready, and don't feel like you need to say yes, but... I wanted to know if you'd like to be my girlfriend again."

Sebastian nervously awaited Rosie's response, breath catching in his throat as he wished desperately he could swallow back the words he'd just spoken.

"Okay."

"Okay? That's all you've got to say?" Sebastian asked, almost offended by how casual she responded, even though it was likely the best case scenario.

Rosie shrugged, "What else do you want me to say? We've been in here making out almost every day. I had assumed that's what we already were."

"Oh." Sebastian said, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid for asking the question. "I suppose we are. I just wanted to check because you could leave again and that scares me."

Rosie scoffed, seemingly offended by Sebastian's suggestion. "I came back and you think I'm just going to leave again? Really?"

"No!" Sebastian said desperately, avoiding making a mess of the situation again. "That's not what I meant!"

Rosie sighed. "I'm sorry I broke your trust by leaving. But you know if I do have to go back again, I would never not tell you. Because I love you."

Sebastian smiled.

Hearing those words roll off her lips brought a sense of relief washing over him. Sebastian took a moment to simply enjoy Rosie's words of reassurance before he reached for Rosie's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"I love you too, Rosie," Sebastian said softly. "And I'm sorry for doubting you, I just... I don't want to lose you again."

Rosie softened her gaze, reciprocating his hold on her hand with a gentle squeeze. "Sebastian, we've both made mistakes, but we've got to learn from them and move forward. Trust is delicate, but I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere. Okay?"