#lit:tgt

[zoyalais-moved]

@grishaverseonline mission 08: favorite female characters: Genya Safin

I am ruination.

[fantasylitnet]

After much deliberation the Court is excited to announce the topic for this month’s quest. This shall be a public event, so all content creators are able to participate.

Guidelines;

Create any sort of content (i.e. Edits, Fics, Fanarts, etc.) related to your favourite villain from a fantasy book.

Caption your work with

@fantasylitnet Quest 02 : Favourite Villain 

     — [quote / desc.] (Optional)

The palace will stop accepting entries on May 1st EST.

[zoyalais-moved]

[zoyalais-moved]

tell me about zoyalai and how they had to ~pretend~ to be a couple which was the start, the thing that actually set off the rumours in ravka abt them possibly being together

Omg omg YES (I pulled a bit from annie's hc oops <3)

so other than the fact that when they're around each other it's like ✨no one else is in the room✨

they use each other to get out of things. nikolais being cornered by some old lady who wants her seventeen yr old daughter married off? zOYYA MY LOVVVE COME HERE 😍❤️

and she only agrees to this because it goes both ways. cuz I mean imagine these dukes coming to any sort of ball at the palace and seeing zoya in all her glory. just. everyone wants a dance and they're all old and make her uncomfortable and maybe their hands dip a little too low while dancing

one look from zoya and suddenly nikolais at her side, pulling her away- and pulling her *close*- it's a pretty obvious message. most of them take it.

mind you they don't say a word about it because of course they don't want some big scandal, but they do little things. zoya will come and rest a hand on nikolais chest and his eyes will soften when he looks at her (this !! is all !! pretend !! ofc !!) or nikolai will tuck her hair away and smile at her until the annoying suitor disappears again

point is: no one says they're together but...well no one says they're not

but something big must have happened for the rumors to start, right? and what better place for rumors to begin than in the palace itself. more specifically, through the servants.

it was an accident. honestly it had just been a really long day and zoya was too tired to get back to her room and the couch was right there and nikolai happened to be already asleep. it wasn't !! her fault !!

but when the maids come to present the king with his morning tea and see the way nikolai and zoya are wrapped in each other's arms (and I mean full on tangled, they're cuddling and mostly completely unaware of it)

zoya wakes up first and jumps back, unintentionally sending a gust of wind at nikolai, causing him to fall painfully onto the floor.

he gets up and glares at her groggily. she doesn't mention how good he looks with his messy hair and rumpled clothes, and he doesn't say that her eyes are brighter in the morning, and somehow her tone seems less sharp.

but they're both thinking it.

they don't talk about that night- because it meant nothing anyway !! and they totally don't think about it for hours after !!- but the servants talk. oh, they talk.

they're too afraid of zoya to say anything particularly bad about them, and far too lost to nikolais charm to spread hateful rumors. so when word does get out, it isn't a scandal about the unmarried king and his general. it's a story about a love that could never be.

It's almost tragic, nikolai thinks when it circles back to him

thank all the saints it isn't real

[zoyalais-moved]

do u think nikolai had an *oh* moment or do u think he knew he was falling the whole time lmao (dude idk i havent read lol)

he had about six oh shit moments imo so here's a few of them <3

(tgt + kos spoilers ahead)

first, was when he fell at the end of r&r and zoya caught him because the world was completely black and dark and he couldn’t see or read or even properly think, it was literally killing him. and then the darkness was gone and he was back to himself and falling at an impossible speed down to earth. but then zoya stormwitch nazyalensky cushions his fall and she’s there next to him and he’s never seen her before but oh fuck she’s so pretty and oh fuck she just saved his life

the second was when they’d been working an all nighter (which has pretty much been happening every day for at least three months) and they’re working in companionable silence until eventually nikolai cant figure out what to write back to this shu diplomat and he’s kinda panicking bc he’s half awake, dead tired, and utterly lost. then a slip of paper falls out of the letter and when he picks it up its a fully formed comprehensible letter written by zoya and he’s just. how.

when he looks over she’s asleep, her hair falling onto her eyes, her expression untroubled for once- saints, she almost looks at peace. and he just kinda smiles and goes “what would I do without you”

and then it hits him. bc. what would he do without her

he has another one when he sees her teaching the grisha, and while she’s strict ofc with them, he sees the way her face lights up when the little boy manages his first gust of wind, or the proud tilt of her chin when she updates him on their progress. she just loved them sm ok

one more when they’re at the winter solstice ball and he keeps looking for her but she’s nowhere, and really has he even seen her all day long? was she ok? maybe he should go check on her-

and then zoya walks in. and. he completely stops functioning. 

because she’s wearing a dark blue gown and her eyes are brighter, and did genya do her hair? who’s idea was it to leave it braided over one shoulder, studded with silver gems? 

she catches his eye and raises a brow. maybe there’s some diplomat trying to get his attention but the entire world just disappeared so who cares anyway

he asks her to dance and she says dancing is a dangerous game yes

anyway the entire time he's just heart eyes and his hearts beating fast and why is this happening to him??

this is #283837 and genya's watching like "for the love of GOD one of u make a move"

but just like in kos he always assumes it's best for them not to be together, be it for ravka or for zoya herself or for his reign there's always some excuse he comes up with

still she's the one on his mind, always <3

[zoyalais-moved]

How do you think Alina will react to Zoyalai?

I keep coming back to this and honestly I just think she owes people money now. A lot of it.

nikolai finally gets zoya to marry him and he’s so over the moon, he decides everyone needs to hear it from HIM

“I don’t want people thinking it’s just rumors, dear” “You don’t think the signs outside the palace are a big enough hint?” “ANYONE could have done that ANYONE !!”

so they have to visit pretty much everyone they ever met just so nikolai can go “and this is my wife, zoya” “fiancé” “they might not understand what that means zoya tHEY NEED TO KNOW”

he told tolya and tamar at least thirty times even tho they were there when zoya agreed

anyw so they get to the orphanage and finally tell mal and alina (at the door bc nikolai was too excited to wait) mal just grins and alina scowls. then she hands him twenty and goes “dammit I was only one week off”

it occurs to nikolai that maybe, just maybe, their friends knew.

just maybe

mal totally guessed that they were both hard headed and wld take ages and alina was like “if he doesn’t propose by the end of the year, zoya’s moving to the Shu Han”

she owes a lot of people money now but she’s happy for them all the same

[zoyalais-moved]

ohhohhoh zoyalai height difference!!

omg ok so

ms zoya nazyalensky, storm witch, commander of the second army, queen of storms, is very very short

this is not self projection she’s smol and scary ok

now with zoya being short. shorter than genya. shorter than p much everyone. she is tiiiny compared to nikolai. 

she makes up for it with three feet of pure spite but still he’s a tree

now to counter this she wears like six inch heels everywhere (now she just reaches up to his chin and he loves coming from behind and wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on her head, brushing her hair, and shes just so content) 

anyway zoyas so determined to be That Much taller compared to nikolai that sometimes he’ll wear boots with heels on em just to piss her off

he trips an falls on his face five minutes in but the look on her face was worth it

also zoya being short means nikolai carries her (which !! she totally !! doesn’t want him to do !! omg !!) but secretly she rly likes it and he’ll do it at such random times, if she seems a bit tired he’s like uP YA GO and zoya is absolutely terrified of heights so she’s holding on for dear life which nikolai finds very amusing

he gets punched tho on more than one occasion. just cuz.

also if they’re working late and zoya falls asleep on the couch, he’ll pick her up bridal style, and if she’d half conscious, she’ll just cuddle into his chest and he finds it so adorable

he does this a lot, and sets her in bed, tucks her in and adds like four blankets so she’ll wake up cocooned with a ton of them and she’s just?? wtf nikolai?? but then he’s just got his arms around the giant ball of blankets that contains zoya so she rolls her eyes and smiles

also if they’re out somewhere nikolai will come up and rest an elbow on her head just to tease her and she will absolutely smile sweetly at him before zapping him with electricity (which yes i believe she has developed the ability to create small electrical shocks through her fingers and. boy does she use em.)

zoya has to get up on her tip toes to kiss him and nikolai still finds it adorable usually he just carries her mid-kiss which she totally !! doesnt like !! 

on that note zoya sits on counters a loT, ok? counters, tables, anything- and she can meet his eyes properly which shes ridiculously proud of

also forehead and nose kisses ✨✨

anytime zoyas upset she’ll kinda scrunch up her face an nikolai will just kiss her nose

they literally cannot function without each other

if one of them has been away for too long nikolai will always end up running up to zoya and spinning her around before pressing a kiss to the top of her head

your honor they’re in LOVE

[zoyalais-moved]

You Forget to be Clever

World: modern setting, assassins au

Ship: Zoyalai

Word Count: 1281

asassins au as requested by @storm-dog-pirate <3

want one?

AO3

Zoya was never one to complain about a job, but this was low on her list of favorites. It wasn't on the list at all, really.

She never did like masquerade balls.

But at least this time she wasn't expected to dance- no, this time her mission was simple, and this time, she was alone.

The hall was shrouded in dim, golden light that fell from the many hanging chandeliers, and red and gold silk was draped across the walls in a style she couldn't name the origin of but found rather appealing. Her mark was dancing, she'd been told he liked to dance. How exactly she would get him off the dance floor and alone for this mission, she wasn't certain.

Zoya watched his form as he led his partner through the steps, half his face hidden by a mask in the shape of a red fox, ears perked up in calm alert. She cocked her head at him, curious. She hadn't been told much about her mark, just that he'd interfered with their agency's plans one too many times and had since become a nuisance. 

Morozova hadn't said it outright, but she suspected there was more to the story. 

How much can I learn before the posion stops his heart?

Not much.

She glanced at the large clock hanging on the wall behind her,a great, ever-expanding thing that must've needed two or three men just to bring into the hall. Nearly twelve. 

I'm running out of time .

Which was not an option. Zoya wasn't just the best assassin- she had killed the best. She had reached her standing through nothing less than raw determination, and a hardened heart. And this man would not be the one to bring her down.

"May I have this dance?" 

The voice was calm, the barest hint of teasing beneath the polite request, and it made Zoya frown as she turned to face it's owner, a refusal already on her tongue.

She froze when her eyes met a pair of bright hazel eyes, peeking out behind a red snout. 

So eager for death, little prince, the voice in her head mocked. Zoya let a smile spread across her red painted lips, adjusting her purple dragon mask and letting him take her gloved hand in his.

"It would be my pleasure."

She watched the crowd as Lantsov watched her, the way all men did, no doubt. It was a good thing her dress dipped low and the slit in the silver fabric gave a good view of her legs as she walked. 

She would need to get him alone soon.

"Are you enjoying the party?" He asked, hand settling at her waist as he pulled her close. Zoya frowned when she realized he hadn't actually been studying her form, his eyes caught instead on the cuff at her wrist, the one that concealed her weapon- Genya's greatest invention yet.

"A bit disappointed, really," she said, draping her hand over his shoulder, pulling him closer.

"Not in the company, I hope?" He asked good-naturedly, but a smile threatened to pull at his lips as his eyes moved on from the cuff and latched onto her own eyes, as though he found this whole charade very amusing.

"More in the place," she admitted, letting her lashes flutter- averted eyes, touch of a flirtatious grin, leaning closer- playing with men was her favorite pastime. "Though I suppose that could change."

His brows were hidden by the red mask, but she could tell a single brow had been raised.

"If, say, I were to show you some of the nicer parts of the house?" He offered, grinning slyly. There we go, Zoya thought. She didn't have time to waste, and it seemed she wasn't the only one in a rush. 

"Perhaps," she allowed.

"And then," she didn't notice the gleam in his eyes until he had spun them around and dipped her, causing her fingers to tighten on his shirt, holding onto him. His lips brushed against her ear, his next words a deliberate whisper. "you could complete Morozova's mission?"

It was a good thing he was holding onto her because Zoya froze completely.

He chuckled lightly, straightening and bringing her along with him, resuming the dance as though nothing had changed. As though her heart wasn't beating wildly in her chest, fear gripping her body.

"I'm not sure I understand," she tried, but the words must've sounded hollow, and when his eyes met hers again, she had a new description in mind for them. Clever . Clever as the mask of the animal he wore.

Saints, she should have asked Morozova for more details. More time.

"Well you aren't the first to try and kill me," he said, almost thoughtfully, "just the prettiest." 

He punctuated his words with a wink, grinning.

Zoya wanted to scream.

The only reason he would be so calm… was if he had anticipated the attack.

Which meant she was the one in danger now. She glanced around the room as subtly as she could- there, two guards, one short and the other large and threatening, both of them watching her.

"He doesn't trust you," Lantsov added, sensing her shock.

That made Zoya look back at him. She eyed him warily, still refusing to give herself away. 

"Morozova, that is. If he did, he wouldn't have set this place to blow up in-" he glanced behind her at the clock before adding, "six minutes."

"What?" Zoya stopped completely, her heart dropping to her feet. A couple bumped into them from behind and Lantsov smoothly turned them back around. He was gently leading them through the steps, Zoya hardly aware of her own movements.

"The clock," he explained, eyes softening ever so slightly, "it's connected to three bombs that had been ready to blow at the strike of twelve."

Her gaze dropped to the smooth tile they were dancing on before snapping back up to his, eyes narrowing.

"He'll be dead by midnight, I'll make sure of it."

"Of that, Nazyalensky, I have no doubt."

"Liar." She said simply.

Lantsov sighed, sounding almost disappointed. 

"Why would you invite this many people if you knew the floors would go up in- what, six minutes? You wouldn't endanger them. You wouldn't endanger yourself."

"Five," he corrected, "and obviously not, I plan to die fat and happy and bald, and not dressed in such finery. Preferably many decades in the future."

"That isn't a choice for you to make," she snarled.

"Yet you were so ready to make it for me," he mused, an edge to his words. 

Zoya swallowed, her gaze running from the clock, to the ground, to Lantsov. Back to the clock. 

It had been five minutes to midnight when they started dancing. The numbers hadn't changed.

"You disabled it," she said quietly.

"I did it myself, actually." 

"Then why am I still alive?"

Lantsov watched her for a moment, and she realized the music had stopped- not stopped, ended. The dance floor was clearing up, but she couldn't move, and he made no effort to abandon it either.

After a moment he stepped back, taking her hand, her cuff gleaming as he raised it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles.

"Because now, when I ask you to meet me in three days at the wearhouse down the street, I know you'll agree."

"Why would I do that?" She asked, her voice not holding the venom she'd intended.

"Curiosity," he offered, stepping away, eyes gleaming, a clever man concealed by a clever fox, disappearing into the crowd as he walked backwards. "And the shared desire to take down Morozova."

[zoyalais-moved]

Serendipity

World: canonverse, post-kos

Ship: Zoyalai

Word Count: 1875

zoyalai movie watching as requested by @hannachen​

want one?

AO3

There was something charming about the palace gardens during the day.

Nikolai recalled as much from his childhood- this was the place he and Dominik snuck off to when the parties were too loud or Vasya and his friends had stolen a bottle and the drink had opened their eyes to all the ways they could hurt two young boys. 

He wondered if that made this a sad place. It didn’t feel sad, though the clench in Nikolai’s chest suggested otherwise. 

Whatever it was, it no longer belonged to two clever little boys. As if on cue, voices rose from beyond the trees. Nikolai ducked beneath a particularly low branch before stepping out into the field beside the lake, where a group of students were gathered around two forms at the edge of the water.

A young Suli girl in a blue kefta with pale embroidered cuffs had both hands raised over the lake, palms open as if beckoning the water to come. She was standing at least a foot away from the surface, on her tiptoes as if the added height might give her more power over the water. Beside her, Zoya was frowning. She hadn’t noticed him yet, and Nikolai paused to watch the learning session.

The girl’s face scrunched up, her hands shaking with some unseen effort. The lake remained unphased. 

“Anaya,” Zoya’s tone was sharp. And the girl’s cheeks pinked further at her name, brows furrowing as she struggled with it for a moment. All the children had turned their attention to the water’s surface, and after a brief struggle, a single ripple formed beneath her spread palms.

The girl pulled back, gasping, and grinned. One of the children hooted.

“Don’t look so pleased, that could very well have been the wind.” Zoya’s sharp voice cut through the crowd. Ouch , thought Nikolai. He’d been rather impressed as well, but then Nikolai would never have the affinity for summoning of any kind, so that wasn't unexpected. 

The girl’s face fell, “but I did everything right!” she protested.

“Clearly not,” said Zoya. She moved to stand closer to the water and glanced at it before returning her attention to the girl, studying her for a moment. “You fear the water.”

A few chuckles came from the students, and the girl dipped her head in shame. 

“No partnership can be built on fear, Anaya. So long as you believe the water is your enemy, it will never be your friend.”

One of the students snorted, and Zoya’s sharp eyes found him in seconds.

“Something to say, Varlaam?” she asked with a raised brow. Nikolai was genuinely surprised when the boy responded. The look Zoya fixed with him could have crippled armies.

“Sorry Ms Nazyalensky, but we aren’t partnering with our abilities, we’re commanding them.” he corrected her, a cocky grin turning his lips. 

“I’m sure you commanded the fire to burn your arm and land you in the infirmary for a week, yes?” 

The boy’s face turned red and he scowled, stepping back as the children around him began laughing. Nikolai noticed for the first time that his blue kefta was embroidered with red. In fact, more reds and purples dotted the crowd of students, as well. 

Grisha, but no longer separated by order. 

“Power isn’t about command, it’s about partnership. Shared trust. Knowing that the other has your back as much as you do theirs,” Zoya was saying, her eyes traveling over each of the students in turn before settling on Nikolai. “Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

The students startled, some gasping as they spun around to see Nikolai. An amused smile tilted his lips. She hadn’t glanced up once since he’d arrived, but Nikolai had no doubt that she’d known he was there from the start. 

He folded his hands behind his back, and addressed the students. “Certainly, but do keep in mind that being the one in charge sometimes has its perks. Such as now, when I tell you all to go back to your dorms and have cake. Do we have cake? I’ll ask the chef to make cake- something with almonds.”

A few of the students hooted, scattering off already, but Zoya remained unimpressed. 

“Says who?”

“The King,” Nikolai replied, before indicating the crown sitting on his head, whispering, “that’s me!”

Zoya rolled her eyes, but the little girl beside her laughed. Nikolai noticed that it was the same one who’d struggled to create a ripple and smiled at her.

“Anaya! I thought your performance was very impressive,” he said, watching her eyes go wide. “Go on now, you’ll continue on tomorrow.”

He watched her catch up to her friends, a grin on her face, and smiled to himself.

“Why did you say that? Now she’ll spend another week behind the rest of the class.”

“She deserved a little encouragement,” Nikolai said.

“From an Otkazat’sya ?” Zoya snorted, earning a glare from Nikolai. “What are you doing here anyway? I assume it's important, since you just dismissed my class.” she crossed her arms and raised a brow at him.

Nikolai tried not to notice the way her hair was falling out of its braid, but the loose strands seemed to call to him, and he had to fight the urge to reach over and tuck them away. 

He shrugged, “I thought you might like to have the evening off,” he said, wincing at his lack of a creative excuse. 

Genya would kill him if she knew.

She frowned, “why would I…” then realization dawned on her face, and her glare was back, full force, only this time it was aimed at Nikolai. “Genya put you up to this! Oh, for Saints’ sake Nikolai, I told you-”

“-not to do anything for your birthday, yes I heard.” he paused, “but this is completely unrelated, I promise you.”

She eyed him doubtfully, “what exactly is it?”

Now, Nikolai couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over his face, “a surprise.”

---

Zoya let her curiosity get the best of her, a mistake she only seemed to make with Nikolai. 

She tried to summon her usual irritation and snark, but Nikolai was grinning like a boy about to show off his new toy. It was a contagious sort of excitement that had her heart racing for unknown reasons.

“-it’s something David and I have been trying to perfect for months. Well, years, more like, but the focus on it tripled since…” his gaze slid to a maid crossing the hall and his voice lowered, even as he threw a smile her way, “well, you know since when.”

Since the Darkling returned and wreaked havoc on our door? As though she could forget.

A bit of her enthusiasm dampened with the reminder. He was still chained up in a holding cell, guards around every day, and either Zoya or Nikolai coming to check his bonds once a day. Still, his presence was unnerving, and she could almost feel it seeping into her happiness every day, tainting her world. 

You don’t get to take my family away , she thought, not again .

Zoya was so lost in her own thoughts that when Nikolai stopped in front of her, she walked right into him. 

He raised a brow, hazel eyes still dancing with the secret of whatever lay beyond the door. 

“Before you enter, you should know that while it wasn’t intended for your birthday, this might feel like a bit of a celebration. Entirely coincidence, I promise.”

“Coincidence?” she deadpanned. 

Nikolai grinned, “serendipity.”

She shook her head, pushing past him to the door. They were near the labs, and she could hear a faint sound of something playing- a record? She frowned, pushing it open.

Zoya wasn’t sure what she expected, but this was not it. The lights had been switched off, curtains shut. Someone shouted “surprise!”- Genya?, a second voice hushed her. Zoya could hardly see. Then a switch flicked on and a rectangle of light appeared on the wall, causing Zoya to frown.

She could now make out the blankets someone had spread on the floor of the empty guest room, and the forms of her friends in the dim light- Genya and David huddled together, Tamar with her head on Nadiya’s lap. And Tolya, who was sitting behind a large box-like contraption pouring light out onto the empty wall. 

Nikolai closed the door behind her, and Genya patted the place beside her excitedly. 

“Look- see that?” Nikolai indicated the box. “It’s a sort of record player- records from the Wandering Isle, they’ve got plays, performed on stage, and with a little bit of effort from David, and the wonderful Nadiya we managed to-”

“Nikolai shut up and sit! ”

Zoya startled at Genya’s voice, raising a brow. She couldn’t help the smile growing on her face as her eyes returned to the wall which was now playing a series of moving pictures- people on a stage, leather masks over some of their faces. She didn’t tear her gaze away as she settled beside Genya on the blankets, leaving room for a scowling Nikolai to sit at her right.

He shifted beside her as the pictures began to play, and it took a minute for Zoya to realize he was watching her reaction.

A small smile touched her lips, her gaze settling on him for a moment- eyes lit up with excitement, a grin on his face, hair slightly mussed. 

She leaned in closer as sound filtered in from some unknown source and whispered to Nikolai, “not such a bad coincidence, then.”

His grin amplified, and he beamed like a proud child. 

Genya shushed them, but the light allowed Zoya to make out the last word Nikolai mouthed.

Serendipity .

She rolled her eyes, shifting a bit closer to him and smacking his shoulder. Nikolai only laughed, causing both Tamar and Genya to spin back and shush him. 

Zoya hid a smile. She thought of her promise earlier, about not losing a second family. How was it that these people had once been strangers to her? And yet now she couldn’t picture a happy day spent without them. The woman who gave birth to her was absent, and Zoya felt no remorse towards that.

If Liliyana and Lada were here , she thought with a pang, it would have been perfect.

She let her eyes focus entirely on the moving pictures, but her mind turned up name after name, and Alina, and Mal, and Harshaw, and Sergei, and-

A brush against her arm jolted her back to the present. Zoya looked over to see Nikolai, eyes on the screen, a frown overtaking his face. Of course he’d known what was on her mind, had likely thought the same thing.

Nikolai had said he’d been working on a project since the Darkling’s return, and Zoya thought perhaps it was a weapon. But this was Nikolai , and he had developed something for his friends to relax, for the people he loved to take some time off and enjoy themselves, a little less stress and a few more smiles.

Her heart did something strange in her chest.

Without saying a word, Zoya let her fingers lace with Nikolai’s, squeezing once. 

Maybe he was right about that, maybe some coincidences were good ones.

[zoyalais-moved]

talk about zoyalai stargazing

JSHSJSJ OK SO

zoya has always loved the stars, since she was little and her aunt would lay down beside her and name out the constellations

when she moved to the little palace, she couldn't see the stars cuz none of the kids were allowed outside at night, and she didn't have a telescope. so it was whatever she could make out from her dorm window which was...not a lot.

it was upsetting of course so she ended up studying the stars from books, and they became a sort of comfort to her.

and I mean she knew all the constellation *by heart*

now one day nikolai gets REALLY excited about something and he's like “ok ok zoya C O M E !!”

she's confused but he's Like That so she goes along with him

he takes her to the roof grinning like a kid he's just SO EXCITED

now obviously as a pirate privateer, nikolai had to learn to sail via stars right? so he's also got them down quite well

anyway they get to the rooftop and it's cold and quiet and almost peaceful. and at first she thinks he wants her to see os alta from above- because holy shit what a sight- but then she sees that someone (ahem nikolai) spread out some blankets and has pillows propped up.

she gives him a really confused look "nikolai what is this??" but he's still grinning "just come *on*" and he pulls her down beside him.

and then he's pointing above and her breath leaves her.

because she hasn't been able to see the stars for so long, she'd practically forgotten one *could* see them at all. nikolai's watching her reaction and he's still real excited about the whole thing he doesn't notice that some tears fill her eyes.

and they lay down beside each other watching the stars and nikolai tells her all about the different constellations, everything she already know, pointing to them enthusiastically, adding to her knowledge with various myths he'd heard from his travels- "and you see the bear? the zemini believe a wild bear tried to attack a zowa, who used her ability to trap him in the stars, a reminder that nature isn't to be messed with"-

she knows pretty much all of it but she lets him talk, smiling to herself, until eventually he mixes up two names and she corrects him automatically. and he just kinda pauses.

"how do you know all this?" "old hobby of mine" "and you *let me go on"??"

"...I wouldn't want to hurt your pride" which of course translates to I love hearing you talk.

but they're *zoyalai* so ofc she doesn't SAY that.

and so they lay beside each other and at some point nikolai reaches out and links their hands and zoya doesn't protest and maybe just maybe they fall asleep under the stars.

and for once neither of them has nightmares.

send me zoyalai hcs to expand on

[zoyalais-moved]

nikolai weasley 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️