#I don't know the exact lore on this skinline so I took a couple liberties ^^

[tearsoftime0086]

Small Heartsteel Settphel fic inspired by some fun idea bouncing with friends :) Sett's mother is really harping on him to go out and find love - what she and Aphelios don't know is that he already has someone in mind...

~

“You’re almost 30, Settrigh! It’s time to start thinking about settling down. Having a family.”

Aphelios peeks through the half-open door to Sett’s room. He’s resting lazily in bed, phone in one hand and twirling earbud wires in the other. The two of them match eyes.

“Your mother?” Aphelios signs. Sett grins and nods.

“Ma, you make it sound like I’m two steps away from my deathbed.”

“You never know! It’s best to be prepared about these things.” comes her chirping voice over speakerphone.

Sett shakes his head and laughs. It’s a deep belly laugh, one that tells all three of them he’s not taking her seriously. “I’ll keep it in mind, Ma.”

“I just don’t want to see you lonely, Settrigh. Who will you have when I pass on?”

It’s at this point Aphelios realizes he should come back later, but Sett holds out a hand to stop him. “One sec,” he mouths, before turning back to the phone. “Now don’t talk about that, Ma. You’re gonna outlive all of us.”

“Tch – you shouldn’t say things like that to your mother. It’s improper for a parent to bury their child.”

“You’re taking this way too seriously,” he responds, “But I’ll keep it in mind, Ma.”

“You should. And don’t eat too much of that protein mix! It’s bad for your skin.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sett murmurs, “Hey Ma, I’ll call you later – something just came up. Love you.” He stares at the phone fondly before looking back up at Aphelios. “Sorry, did you need me for something?”

The remnants of Sett’s fondness remain on his face – the soft curve of his smile, the crinkle around his eyes. Aphelios freezes, before realizing Sett’s now talking to him. Haphazardly taking out his pad, he writes, “Wanted your thoughts on some instrument tracks, that’s all.”

 “Sure, I can take a listen,” he says, standing up and moving over to his desk. Aphelios shuffles over as well, trying to grab his laptop out of his bag on the way.

Cursing his luck, Aphelios realizes he exited the song file and needs to load it again. “Sorry,” he signs rapidly, before writing out the rest of his apology. “Didn’t mean to waste your time.”

“You’re not wasting my time,” Sett responds. A small pause, before scoffing. “Has Ezreal been on your case for that?”

A hesitant nod, but one, nonetheless.

“Don’t worry about it. It's nothing personal – he’s just used to the idol circuit. Everything’s so streamlined there.”

“I also cut the call with your mother short,” Aphelios scribbles.

“Ah that?” Sett laughs, patting him all too firmly on the back. “You did me a favor. If I'd talked with her any longer she would’ve gone into the ‘You’re going die single and alone’ part.”

The file’s fully loaded at this point, and Aphelios debates whether or not to go straight into business. But no, he has to satisfy his own curiosity.

“Are you interested in anyone?” he writes, the plainness of the text hiding his sheer anxiety in jotting down each word.

Sett hums. “Maybe. Maybe not. Why do you ask?”

He feels his cheeks go red. Aphelios ducks, trying to hide it under his bangs. “For band reasons. The media wouldn’t like it if they found out you were dating a fan.”

“Well, I never said it was a fan,” Sett says. “But hey, looks like the song’s done.” He shakes the pair of earphones in front of him. “Let’s take a listen through these first. You know, average listener and all that.”

As Sett passes him an earbud, Aphelios lets himself imagine that he’s the subject of Sett’s feelings. Just thinking about it causes his heart to race. He takes the earbud, almost sure his face is flaring red right now. He has to snap out of it – stay professional, for god’s sake. Sett’s one of the biggest stars in the world, and he’s just the lucky instrumentalist in his concept band. They operated on different scales.

 Sett coughs lightly. When Aphelios flips over to him, there’s a humorous glint in his eyes as he gestures to the play button.

For a moment, it makes his pining wish seem like a reality.