Ribbets Fibbers

**Disclaimer, read this chapter at your own discretion**

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A strained smile stretched out from Coraline's teeth. Armaan was met with a shine of pearls as she inched away from him.

"Thank you," she strung out her words to give her enough time to slide her hand away from him.

Armaan looked over Coraline's shoulder to get a view of where Mama was. She took notice of his distant gaze and looked behind herself as well.

Mama was shaking two cups together and slowly pouring the liquid into those with their cups raised to him.

The air was starting to filter Coraline's sense and now the colors of the room began to look more vibrant than before.

Armaan slipped his arm around her waist, "May I suggest we leave?"

Her eyelids began to feel heavy as she rubbed at her nose, "What about Mama?"

By the minute she was starting to consider that leaving Mama's was the best decision. Her chest started to feel like crowded clouds. And the loud noises from the crowds of people were becoming too loud for her mind to handle.

Armaan met her with silence and the warm feeling of his hand was leaving through her clothes.

"Let's go," Coraline slyly laughed as she fell further in her seat.

Armaan brought her closer to his side and they discreetly tried to squeeze through people to take their leave. With each person they passed the more giddy Coraline became. Her thoughts felt hazy to herself and the only thing in her focal point was Armaan.

He looked unaffected by the aroma or the loud sounds—like he had built up a strong immunity to it. His breath was steady and all his movements looked fluid.

Coraline took his hand from her waist and filled it with her own.

He was shocked by it at first but then gave her an expression that'd suffice to create butterflies.

Armaan grasped her hand tighter as they went past the last few people.

"Heya! Missy yur leavin'?" A drunk woman bubbled from her stomach. Her face was flushed red and she spilled whatever was in her cup as she went to clench onto Coraline's dress.

Coraline used her other hand to bring her dress closer to herself, "Pardon me."

Armaan hoisted her away from the woman as she could hear her faintly yell, "What about thur show?"

'Show?'

She tried to peek over to Armaan to see if he had any reaction to the woman's words but his face looked uninterested from anything. His broad shoulders covered any further glances she could sneak in.

"Where are we going?"

He abruptly stopped a few feet away from Mama's place. And lowered his line of sight to meet Coraline's wide eyes.

"Anywhere is fine," he took her two hands and used his strength to bring her closer to him. As if he was going in for a hug.

His grip stayed on her wrists, so Coraline used her chin to look up at Armaan.

It was to no one's surprise that he had no place of his own in Sangriles, it was probably Mama who housed him.

On the other hand for Coraline to request to sign the marriage papers as her first impression of him—would be anything other than proper.

Her cheeks flushed pink at the funny thought.

She lightly let her eyes do the talking, "Would my place work?"

Armaan took his hand and let it trace through her hair, "How about we make one stop before that," he lessened his grip on her wrists and brought her to his side.

Coraline's drowsiness and vivid vision began to deplete with nature's air. The fresh breath of the sky's children was enough to make her clear-minded.

Yet she still had the urge to cling onto Armaan like he was one of the soldiers ready to leave home at any moment.

It increased after she saw how he wasn't bothered by her noting having any space in proximity. It was like he was encouraging her to feel free to connect their warmth.

Armaan held her shoulder as she held her arms around his waist—her hair tickling his revealed skin.

They continued treading through the grass until they reached a place that looked run down. Large parts of a building were now etched into the dirt.

Coraline's arms slipped from Armaan and trodded closer to the scene, 'How does he know about this place?'

She could hear his footsteps following behind her but she kept her back faced to him.

"Mama said you would know about this place."

It was as if the events could still be visually imagined in the eyes of the toddler she was. The walls of the building came crumbling down in the rage of an enraged fire.

Everyone still inside screamed curses at the royals. From that day on she would never know whom her genes were inherited from.

That was when her aunt became her sole caretaker from the day onwards.

Armaan nudged his shoulder next to her, "We have a lot in common than you think."

A hoarse, "How?" Shriveled from Coraline's throat.

"We're both still trying to seek love and our origins."

Now they were both meeting eyes.

A mix of emotions of impairment, pain, and loneliness was clogged in her stomach.

Armaan held her face and squished her cheeks with his fingers. Bringing her face close to his, "And that's how I fell in love with the girl I barely met."

His words felt like getting better from a medicine that left a bad taste on her tongue. She closed her eyes and fell under his touch.

They shared a sentimental kiss in front of the pieces that had broken Coraline's soul.

He started to playfully bite at her lips until she could feel a pierce—she winced at the pain and pulled away from him.

As she stood further from him than moments ago, a crimson red began to trickle from her lips.

The white in her eyes began to have an irritated redness it that matched her eye color. And the pressure building up in her mind was starting to become harder to suppress.

A soft chuckle escaped from her and the repeated giggling she had from earlier returned.

"What else did Mama tell you about me?"

Armaan's eyes began to remind her of the hypnotic snakes Vivianne would tell her about. She wiped at the blood and looked at how it had a darker look to it than it should've.

He took her by the forearm, "More than she should've," a grin formulated on his mouth.

Armaan carried himself with a sense of innocence—making it hard for anyone to try to think of him as capable of doing evil.

He used his foot to sweep her firm balance on the ground until she was lying on her back.

Residing his weight on her, and resting his head near her collarbone. She could hear his soft breaths making her ache at the feeling of it on her skin.

"Coraline."

Her breath became unsteady as his hands began to travel on her body. His tone felt more pleading the more he called out her name.

"Coraline."

She tried to fight the force he had on her arms, gasping each time he made another sound.

"Coraline."

Her face felt like it was being melted by the temperature Armaan had created. The heaviness in her head became unbearable.

To the point she was in tears, the urge to fight him off started to slip away from her as he continued his pleas.

Coraline propped her knee up to push into his ribs, "Armaan, not here."

The sound of her voice woke him from his trance he looked up from where his eyes once resided—noticing the river that had flooded from her eyes.

He lifted her up from her back, bringing her close to him once more. This time he handled her more gently and didn't try to force any more advances on her.

Armaan's hoarse voice began to fill with hushed repeated apologies as he kissed her face and the side of her neck.

She had no strength in her to get up and run away from him so she softly wept in his arms. This was the man she had to be the closest to in mind, soul, and body.

But trauma also has its ways of making one respect its dues.

The memory of men only going after her for one thing always came to the surface when another man let his hands roam all over her.

She could feel her consciousness began to slip away but the drumming in her lower lip kept her awake.

Armaan no longer repeated his sorry's and now breathed slowly again—this time he kept his hands from trailing away from her back. Resting his head on the curve her shoulder made.

The tingly feeling that her skin had, now faded away. Her migraine was starting to be caressed by the sound of Armaan's drumming heart.

Like a lullaby, Coraline started to drift to sleep.