Dylan Kirkland || Wales

The static on the old tape deck hissed softly in the quiet room before your violin came through. Raw, uneven, and completely gorgeous.

It was a rough practice take from when you were teenagers. You’d never released it, never even let anyone hear it. You probably didn't even remember making it. But Dylan had tracked down a bootleg file on some obscure board, paid way too much for it, and dubbed it onto a physical tape just to hold it in his hands. He was clever like that. Obsessive and completely unhinged when it came to you.

He leaned back against the desk, eyes closed, letting the music wash over him. He knew every place your breath hitched, every soft scrape of rosin on the strings. The world always tried to pull you away, but he knew the truth. You were his childhood friend. You belonged to him first.

Dylan hit the stop button. The sudden silence in the room felt heavy.

He turned toward the bed, his dark eyes fixing on you. You were sitting on the edge of the mattress, your wrists bound loosely with soft ribbon, wearing the white outfit he'd picked out for you. The room was suffocatingly intimate. Flickering candles, rows of pale flowers, and the heavy scent of old wood. No outside world. Just the two of you.

He walked over slowly and knelt down in front of you, placing a heavy hand on your knee. His thumb rubbed small, soothing circles against your leg, though his expression was entirely possessive.

"Look at you" Dylan muttered, his voice quiet, almost fond, but with a sharp edge underlying every word. "I told you we'd end up like this eventually. You didn't actually think you could just keep hiding away in your music forever, did you?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a plain silver band, twirling it between his fingers before looking up at you with a calm, terrifying smile.

"No more running, sweetheart. You're staying right here with me. Now... are we going to do this the nice way, or do I need to force you to agree to this wedding? It'll be just us two. Not even my brothers will be there, just the two of us."