#Edens Zero Fic Exchange

[aaarianna-actuallywrites]

Over A Cherry Cosmos, Part 1

I wrote this as part of the Edens Zero Fic Exchange for @indraaas​. Hope you like it! (Part 1 of 3)

“Here,” the voice of Lieutenant Justice, Rebecca’s direct supervisor, spoke as a file smacked down on her desk.

“What’s this?” Rebecca asked, reaching for the file.

“Your next bounty. You said you wanted a challenge; Weisz Steiner, high-ranking member of Sibir’s gang, and a thief wanted across nearly half the country. Every bounty hunter that went looking for him couldn’t catch him.”

“Every bounty hunter so far,” she corrected. “I’m on it, sir.”

Lt. Justice only nodded and returned to his office.

Rebecca opened the file to see Weisz Steiner’s mugshot: blond hair coiffed to the side, a half-amused, half-annoyed smirk on his face, and a flirty glare thrown at the camera with steel gray eyes. From the angle of his head, she could just barely see enough to guess that he was leaning against the wall as if he were leaning against a tree in the park.

‘He’s pretty cute.’

Her eyes scrolled down to the section about his family background, muttering quietly to herself as she read.

“Mm.. Only child… Mom is.. Maria Steiner, deceased…”

When Rebecca first caught the father’s name out of the corner of her eye, she nearly gave herself whiplash with how fast she did a double take.

“Doctor… Weiss Steiner… No way...”

‘The old Doctor has a son?’ she thought.

Memories came flooding to the surface of her mind: running into the street after her little blue cat Happy, the swerving car with screeching tires that seemed to come out of nowhere just as she caught up to him. Then, she was weightless, flying through the air for what felt like forever.

She didn’t remember hitting the ground. Only waking up in the hospital the next day.

“Where’s Happy?” a seven-year-old Rebecca demanded of the old doctor in front of her.

“Happy?” Doctor Steiner asked.

“M-my kitty. We were playing and he ran away from me, so I chased him. And-” she paused, tearing up, though she pretended she wasn’t. “I-I don’t remember what happened after that.”

The look that came over Doctor Steiner’s face was one Rebecca had seen from a lot of adults: a tight smile, slight tilt to the head, squinted eyes. It usually meant something she couldn’t name, but definitely didn’t like. And it always left her feeling frustrated and small.

Except this time, Doctor Steiner looked sad, too.

But in a flash, that awful, hated, and now confusing look was gone, replaced with a wide smile.

“Well, I sure don’t know, little one, but I can ask the nice people that brought you in if you want?”

Rebecca blinked in shock as his offer sunk in. Then, grinning from ear to ear and practically vibrating in her hospital bed, she shouted, “Yes, please!”

She quickly covered her mouth when she realized how loud she’d been on accident. She looked at Doctor Steiner, eyes wide and half curled in a ball, waiting for him to scold her for yelling.

Instead, he gave her a kind smile, one she couldn’t remember ever seeing before, especially not from an adult.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” the Doctor said, patting her gently on the head.

Rebecca smiled at the memory.

‘How can I arrest the son of the man who saved my life?’ she thought, her smile faltering. ‘I know it’s my job, but…’

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, stretching her neck in the process.

‘First thing’s first. I need more information.’

Rebecca stood up, grabbing her messenger bag from the back of her chair. She slung it over her shoulder and tossed Weisz Steiner’s file inside as she left the precinct.

~~~~~~~~~~

“What’cha got for me, Quinn?” Rebecca asked her friend and professional hacker.

“Well, he’s old fashioned,” Quinn said without looking up from her deep dive into Weisz Steiner.

Rebecca shook her head in confusion. “What?”

“No social media whatsoever. Even eighty-year-olds have Twitter these days.”

Quinn turned her chair around to face Rebecca, grabbing a coffee mug as she spun. Rebecca could tell that it was the hacker’s “Special Hot Chocolate” by the smell, the secrets of which she kept hidden behind a firewall the NSA itself couldn’t crack.

“Seriously, who doesn’t use social media these days? Even if it’s for no other reason than to keep up with the news?” Quinn shook her head in disbelief as she sipped on her drink.

“Not important. What did you find?”

Quinn raised her eyebrows. “Mm! Right.” She spun back around to face her main monitor. “So, I think I found a place where he likes to hang out. Edens Bar. Only two of the multiple credit cards he’s stolen in the last six months have turned up charges there, as opposed to him crawling over half of the bars in Norma.”

“So what makes you think he’s there? Maybe he just got kicked out or something.”

Quinn shook her head. “Nah. I hacked into their security cameras and found footage of him at the bar.”

“Of course,” Rebecca sighed. “Look, I know it’s not a big deal to you, but can you at least not openly mention the illegal hacking you’re doing for me directly to me? I need plausible deniability!”

Quinn waved off her concerns. “Don’t worry. Even if they could catch me, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you from my new seat at the NSA. Anyway, he seems on good terms with the staff, so he wasn’t banned.”

Rebecca groaned, but let it slide. Even if she gave Quinn trouble for it, she knew that she’d never be caught.

“Plus, I found footage of him there that doesn’t line up with any cards he’s been linked to, so it’s more likely that he’s just trying to keep people from tracking him there. Which is backed up by the fact that I tracked him with traffic cams before he showed up to Edens Bar and he’s checking for tails two miles out. And he takes the scenic route there.”

“Pretty solid plan,” Rebecca admitted.

“Yeah, until someone smarter came along,” Quinn said smugly.

Rebecca laughed. “Thanks, Quinn. Can you keep an eye on the bar and let me know when Weisz shows up again?”

“Of course.”

“Awesome,” she said. “Oh, and can you do one more thing for me?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Rebecca flexed her fingers in an attempt to shake away the anxiety. ‘This is research,’ she told herself. ‘In order to find a wanted criminal… Who is the son of the doctor who saved my life..’

“Damn it,” she muttered to herself, dropping her head on her steering wheel. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of her car.

‘It’s not too late to turn around and drive away,’ her thoughts taunted her.

Chants of ‘it would be easy,’ ‘no one would ever know,’ and ‘Quinn can probably find out all you need’ stayed glued in Rebecca’s mind as she stalked forward. Instead, she tried to focus on anything else, her eyes fixating on the row of expensive houses in front of her.

They were all wide two-stories, mostly white or off-beige, occasionally lined with light hints of pastels for what Rebecca assumed these rich idiots called “flavor.” It was simultaneously extravagant and so boringly tasteless that she wondered how anyone could think it was nice to look at.

‘Exactly like the rich owners. All style, no substance. It feels like I’m looking at the wall of a padded cell.’

She finally reached the end of Doctor Steiner’s walkway and stopped, looking again at the house in front of her.

Compared to the rest of the nearly-identical houses on the street, his was easily the nicest to look at. The house itself was a very subtle off-yellow color, almost impossible to tell from a distance, accented with a light pastel baby blue color that outlined the windows and covered the pillars in the front. As she got closer, she noticed the front door was also the same shade of blue.

Rebecca tapped her leg as she stood in front of Doctor-turned-Professor Steiner’s door, working up the courage to knock. After nearly a minute of frantic leg-tapping, she finally forced herself to.

‘No backing out now,’ she thought. Her fingers were starting to get tired from tapping so much.

A few seconds later, the lock turned and the door opened.

“Can I help you, Miss?”

“Um, yeah,” she took a slow breath. “Are you Doctor Weiss Steiner?”

“Yes.” His eyes narrowed slightly, but didn’t say anything else.

“I’m Rebecca Blue-Garden. I’m a Bail Enforcer and I’m tracking your son, Weisz.” She had to fight to keep her voice even as she spoke. “I was hoping there might be something you could tell me about him.”

He blinked. “Such as?”

“Anything you think might be useful in bringing him in safely would be a good start.” Rebecca realized she’d been twisting her fingers together and forced herself to stop.

Doctor Steiner smiled kindly, and it matched up almost perfectly with the smile in her memory. “I don’t think I know anything that could help you.”

“A-are you sure? Nothing at all comes to mind?”

‘I read that Weisz ran away when he was fifteen in his file, but I thought that I’d at least get something useful from his dad.’

“I wish I could help you, Miss Blue-Garden, but I’m afraid not. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more use.”

He started to close the door. “G-”

“Wait!”

Doctor Steiner raised an eyebrow.

Rebecca sighed. “Y-you saved my life when I was a kid. And I’ve always wanted to thank you in some way, but I didn’t know how I could. I didn’t want or expect this..” She waved her hand around. “.. situation.”

“I.. operated on you?” he asked after a moment of silence.

“Yeah. I was playing with my little blue cat Happy when a drunk driver hit me. You even offered to ask the paramedics that brought me in if they saw him. Looking back now, it’s obvious that he… but it meant a lot to me back then.”

“You were the little girl with the blue cat? … Now that I think about it, your name does sound familiar..”

She tried to contain her rush of excitement.

“Come in,” he said, smiling with warmth and opening the door wider.

Rebecca blinked as she processed the offer. It’d been more or less what she wanted, but it surprised her that she actually got it. Then, she returned his smile and stepped through the door.

“So, you’re a Bail Enforcer?”

“Yep.”

Rebecca tried to calm her nerves. ‘What was my plan again?’ she thought, flexing her fingers at her sides. ‘Did I even have a plan?’

“And you’re looking for my son?”

“... Yep.”

‘This was a bad idea.’

Doctor Steiner chuckled sadly before speaking again. “Well, I wish I could help you, but I haven’t seen, much less spoken to my son in… almost ten years.”

“I see..”

‘He never once tried to contact his dad? I mean, I know I kinda assumed that was the case, but… hearing it confirmed makes me a little sad for the Doctor.’

“Weisz left when he was still a teenager, but even before then he wasn’t very talkative.”

Rebecca nodded slowly, following silently as he led the way to the living room. Doctor Steiner gestured to the couch as he sat down in a recliner chair a few feet away.

“So, how long have you been a Bail Enforcer?”

“Huh? Oh, about three years, now. Why do you ask?”

Doctor Steiner hesitated. “About how many of the people you’ve arrested ran away from home when they were younger?”

Rebecca paused. Broken homes weren’t exactly an uncommon denominator across all of the bounties she’s hunted down, but she didn’t want to sound like she was accusing the Doctor of being the reason his son ran away.

‘Maybe their relationship sucks and he doesn’t care about his son getting arrested.. That would make me feel less like a complete ass about doing my job…’

“Um.. Well, I don’t know numbers, but there’s been a few. It’s not rare.”

Doctor Steiner only hummed in response, eyes narrowed and slightly hunched over. Looking at him now, Rebecca could barely see the jovial doctor that saved her life; instead, all she saw was a worn down and sad old man.

‘Ugh, crap! I can’t do anything right today, can I?’

“Hm. I wonder why they felt the need to leave.”

The quiet, contemplative look on his face pulled at Rebecca’s heartstrings.

“Weisz was headstrong, stubborn… and full of hot air.”

She chuckled. “Aren’t all teenagers full of hot air?”

“Usually. But… I just wonder what was going through his head. I’ve always wondered why he left in the first place.” Doctor Steiner’s hard gaze at the floor became unfocused, distracted by his thoughts. “Or maybe I kind of already know. We couldn’t seem to see eye-to-eye. And I know that Maria’s family didn’t make it any easier. Maria was my wife, and Weisz’s mother,” he added.

Rebecca swallowed hard, nodding slowly. She didn’t know what she could say in response. Doctor Steiner’s entire being seemed steeped in sadness; the kind of bone-deep sadness that never truly goes away.

“Sorry, I’m not sure why I’m telling you this.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay.”

“You’re wondering what happened.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Well…” she trailed off. ‘Yeah, sort of.’

Doctor Steiner hummed. “Well, Weisz was always a troublemaker. He got into it a lot as a kid, and evidently, that’s never changed.. But Maria was always patient with him. Much more so than the rest of her family.”

Rebecca tried to hide her grimace, but the corner of her mouth still twitched.

“I don’t mean to sound like I’m judging. But they were… notoriously difficult to deal with. Any time Weisz got in a fight or let his grades slip, someone had something to say about it. Of course, never to us. But Weisz took notice.”

Doctor Steiner heaved a tired sigh.

“One day, he overheard a… particularly nasty comment from Maria’s sister. But before anyone could say anything else, he decided he’d finally had enough, I suppose, and he started yelling at them. When he finished, he said that… everyone would be happier if he left. And then he did.”

Rebecca bit the inside of her lip. She could practically hear him blaming himself.

‘People like that are impossible to please. They didn’t want Weisz to be a person, they wanted him to be a puppet.’

“I hoped he was just blowing off steam. He left before anyone could say anything to him. So I waited for him to come back, but… he didn’t,” Doctor Steiner sighed again. “And then, about eight months later… Maria died. I had hoped he’d go to the funeral, although it was probably for the best that he didn’t, in the end.”

She nodded. ‘His mom’s family are a bunch of judgmental dicks. I feel for him on that.’

A vibrating in her back pocket brought Rebecca to reality. Pulling out her phone, she saw Quinn’s name flash on the screen.

“My friend’s calling, I should take this,” she said, smiling politely as she stepped away. “Hello?”

“Hey, your criminal’s on his way to Edens.”

“Okay, thanks. Keep an eye on it.”

“I will. Want me to call Shiki and Homura?” Quinn offered, followed by the distant sound of her sipping on a drink.

“No, it’s fine,” Rebecca said, uttering a quick goodbye before hanging up. She walked back to the couch. “Okay,” she muttered. “Well, I should get going. It was nice talking to you.”

“Wait. Before you go,” Doctor Steiner said, standing quickly. “I was hoping you might be able to do me a small favor.” He walked to a nearby desk and pulled a pen and a pad of sticky notes from it, scribbling something.

“What is it?” she asked.

“If it’s at all possible, I was hoping…” he pulled the top sticky note off. “I might be able to see my son. I don’t know if you can do that, but I just want to talk to him again, and tell him something.”

Rebecca took the sticky note from him to see a phone number on it. She folded it carefully and stuck it in her phone case.

“I’ll do my best,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you, Miss Blue-Garden.” He walked with her back to the front door.

She nodded at him as she stepped outside.

‘Okay, Weisz Steiner. I am gonna get you into a conversation with your dad, even if I have to drag you by your pompous hair to do it.’

~~~~~~~~~~

Rebecca adjusted the rose barrette in her hair and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Before going to Edens Bar, she changed into a black mini skirt, over the knee boots, and a blue halter top. Now, she made her final subtle adjustments before walking up to the empty seat next to her bounty.

“This seat taken?” she asked, with a sweet smile on her face. Rebecca made sure to throw a subtle, yet impossible-to-miss flirty glance his way.

“No. Go ahead.”

“Thanks,” she said as she slid into the bar chair. “What’s your name?”

“Weisz.”

“I’m Rebecca.”

Weisz flashed her a flirty smirk reminiscent of the one in his mugshot, and she had to correct an earlier thought.

‘Shit. He’s not cute, he’s hot.’

“Just a Cherry Cosmos, please.”

“So, what are you doing in this little bar?” Weisz asked, taking a sip of beer.

“I’m.. expanding my horizons. I’ve been in Norma for a while, but I haven’t really been a whole lot of places.”

Weisz leaned in. “If you want, I can give you a few places to check out.”

Rebecca mimicked him, leaning forward and slowly pulling her handcuffs out of her bag and under the bar. “Are you offering to show me these places yourself?” she flirted as she slid her hand closer to his.

“Well, if you want-”

The click of the cuffs closing around his wrist cut him off. Rebecca closed the other cuff around part of the underside of the bar.

“Well that’s not exactly how I prefer to be asked out on a date, but…”

Rebecca chuckled. “Funny.”

“I assume these aren’t for fun?” Weisz asked.

“Nope.”

“Too bad,” he sighed. “Will you at least let me finish my drink?”

Rebecca eyed the beer bottle in front of him. ‘Less than half full,’ she thought.

She sighed. “I guess.”

He sipped his beer calmly.

“Y’know, for someone who’s as high up in Sibir’s gang as you, I gotta say, you’re taking this whole ‘getting arrested’ thing pretty well.”

Weisz’s easy going smile faltered, fixing Rebecca with a cold stare. “I’m not with Sibir anymore.”

“Fine. You’re still under arrest,” she said flippantly. “I don’t know why so many other bounty hunters couldn’t catch you before, this was pretty easy.”

Weisz finished his beer, setting the empty bottle on the bar as he leaned towards her again. “If I may, Rebecca, I just have one question for you: how are you going to arrest me when you’re the one in handcuffs?”

Rebecca looked down at the space between them just in time to watch Weisz clasp the handcuff, previously on him, around her wrist.

“What-?”

She looked up at him, stunned. He winked at her, then leaned in.

“Drive safe, Rebecca.”

And then he was slipping out the door.

Rebecca sighed, turning back towards the bar to unlock herself when she noticed that Weisz had left enough money for both of their drinks.

‘He’s a thief, but he left money for the tab? A little “Robin Hood,” if you ask me.’

Her phone vibrated in her bag as she finished unlocking the handcuffs. Rebecca had barely put the phone up to her ear when Quinn started talking.

“Y’know, you never realize how much easier social media makes my job until you find that rare specimen without it and I have to actually try a little.”

“Meaning?” Rebecca asked, too annoyed for pleasantries as she stood and walked out of the bar.

“I was looking into Sibir’s gang, trying to see if there was something you might be able to use, and I just found out that-”

“That Weisz and Sibir aren’t ‘buddy-buddy’ anymore? Yeah, he just told me.”

“Okay, but did he say why?” Quinn asked.

Rebecca paused just outside the door. “No. Do you know?”

“Yeah. It’s messed up stuff, Becca. You know his mom died, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s all his file said about her.” She set out towards the small parking lot next to the bar.

“Well, I hacked the text messages of a few of Sibir’s guys and found out that, apparently, after Doc Junior joined up with Sibir, it was Sibir who did the hit and run that killed his mom, but he tagged the place with Rogue Out’s logo. Guess he wanted to cut off Weisz’s escape route. But when Weisz found out...”

“That’s… awful.” Rebecca’s hand hovered over her heart.

“Anyway, what’s happening at Edens?”

The hand over her heart tightened into a fist. “He got away,” Rebecca grumbled as she unlocked her car. “We’re gonna need to come up with a new plan.”

#Edens Zero #Edens Zero Fanfic #Weicca #Edens Zero Fic Exchange #Over A Cherry Cosmos #OACC Part 1

[bisexualninjafae]

Mistletoe

(Here is my fic piece for the Eden's zero secret Santa. So here is a short little fic. Sorry it's not very long. I had a hectic week. Merry Christmas to my person who has the name of Mercu. I really hope you enjoy it. I also added a little shicca coloring I did at the end.)

The whole ship and crew of Eden's Zero have really gotten into the Christmas spirit. Witch and Hermit are even wearing santa hats. Weisz and Shiki helped set up decorations. Homura and Rebecca handled food. Everything was turning out great. Finally the day arrived and it was time to exchange gifts.  Rebecca was nervous to give Shiki his gift. She got him a new outfit that was easier to move in when using his Ether gear and offered some protection. She worries about him and would be less worried if he was just a tiny bit safer.

They all exchanged gifts finally it was her turn. She handed Shiki the gift. He opened it and gave her that cute goofy grin of his. "This is great, Bec!" He said and Rebecca blushed. He handed her a small gift and she opened it and smiled. He got her a new B-cube. "Thank you, Shiki!" She hugged him. Happy then speaks up. "Ohhhh, look up you two." He says. She looks up and blushes. Shiki just seems confused.

It was a sprig of mistletoe. "What is the big deal Happy? It's just a decoration" Shiki shrugs. Happy snickers and explains it. Shiki's face flushes too. He and Rebecca have gotten closer. Neither have admitted it to each other so to be put in such an awkward position isn't ideal. Happy nods to Weisz. They both push the nervous couple closer and they stumble.

Shiki falls on top of Rebecca and their lips touch. Both are wide eyed and flushed but neither one pulls away. It's actually quite the opposite. They are melting into the accidental kiss. Rebecca wraps her arms around shiki's neck as they kiss. As they break the kiss both are breathless and blushing. "Um, I'm sorry Bec. I shouldn't have done that." Shiki panics as he jumps up. "N-no, it's fine." Rebecca stuttered.

Happy had made sure everyone left so they could have some privacy. "Um Bec, I like you alot. I talked to Weisz about it and he explained it to me and even explained some stuff I didn't want to know. So would you be my Girlfriend?" Shiki asked nervously. Rebecca rolled her eyes and giggled only imagining what Weisz told him.

"Yes, I will be your girlfriend.  I like you too." Rebecca replied. They both smile and kiss again this time less awkward. 

After that they find everyone and continue  the Christmas Party as well as celebrating the new couple. Rebecca smiles watching Shiki being his normal dorky self. She loves him just the way he is and he feels the same for her. Happy smiles wearing his Santa hat. His plan worked out perfectly. He knew this would happen.

He just figured some Christmas magic was in order. The Star Shines, not used to celebrating holidays, were really enjoying themselves. Weisz was flirting with Homura and she was ignoring him. Shiki kisses Rebecca in the middle of her filming the party on her new B-cube. She blushes at that and smiles. This became one of her most viewed videos. All in all it was a great Christmas for everyone. 

#eden's zero rebecca #shicca #eden's zero #secret santa #fic exchange #shiki granbell #rebecca bluegarden

[fc5holidayexchange]

Far Cry 5 Holiday Exchange 2019 Fic

Hers to Keep

Lilly Devin x John Seed, Fluff

@spicyinsanity

-Here is my gift, I hope you enjoy it!! (from: sleepydaydreamz)

****

“Keep your eyes closed and no peaking!”

Lilly Devin giggled as she rocked on the balls of her feet while John Seed could be heard moving things around in his large hanger. Lilly could hear him grumbling curses as she smiled to herself.

“If this is another extravagant way of showing me your new plane…” trailed off Lilly but was interrupted by John’s laughter.

“No, this is something completely different, my dear,” he said. “Since your car is currently out of commission, I figured you would need another way of getting around. Alright, now open!”

Lilly removed her hands from her face and let out an excited squeal while John grinned with a haughty look on his face. A brand new, four-wheel quad with a shiny blue bow on top stood in the middle of John’s hangar. Lilly jumped up and down as she circled around it, brushing her fingers against the plush leather seats and gun metal gray exterior.

“You didn’t have to get me this,” said Lilly as she spotted the price tag still hanging from the handlebars. Her jaw dropped at the multiple zeroes. “John, this is too much!”

“Nonsense. I’m not going to have my girlfriend- I mean, I won’t have you simply walking around this beautiful county of ours on foot. So, do you like it?”

Lilly turned to look at him and she could see the need of approval in his eyes. She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing as she slowly walked up to him and gave him a small boop on the nose.

“I love it,” she squealed. “Now come on! Let’s take it for a ride!”

She grabbed his hand as she sat in front while John awkwardly took a seat behind her. Lilly revved the engine and then sheepishly turned around as she stuck out her tongue.

“You don’t happen to have the keys?” she asked.

“Of course,” sighed John as he shook his head. He pulled a large black key out of his pocket and made a move to hand it to her, but pulled back when she reached for them.

“Hey! What’re you-”

“Promise me you’ll be safe? This quad is a lot faster than the other ones you have ridden in the past. You’ll also need to wear your helmet, I will not allow anymore accidents to happen to you.”

“That was one time! And I know, I know, I shouldn’t have made that jump on that muddy slope while it was raining. But everything turned out great in the end!”

“You broke your arm and made me your personal slave for weeks!” exclaimed John.

“But we had fun though, right?” grinned Lilly as she quickly grabbed the keys out of his hand. “Now hold on tight!”

Lilly stabbed the keys into the ignition and revved the handlebars as the engine roared to life. She could hear John saying something but Lilly quickly set the quad into drive and sped off down the dirt road. John instantly wrapped his hands around her waist tightly, making her laugh as the wind ran through her blonde hair.

It was around mid-afternoon as Lilly drove through Holland Valley, passing by the large apple orchard. The smell of apples tempted her to pull over and pick a few of the sweet fruit, but she kept driving and followed the winding road.

A sharp jab to the ribs made her turn her head as John yelled over the roaring engine.

“Pull over right now!”

Lilly gave a small pout as she begrudging slowed down and pulled them over to the side. John immediately got out of his seat and checked the gages on the front of the bike.

“Oh darling, did you even look at the gas before we left?” he asked.

Lilly’s eyes widened as she looked at the red arrow that was now pointing near the empty sign. She blew out the air between her teeth as she got off the bike and threw her arms around him.

“I am so so sorry, John! Can you ever forgive a filthy sinner like me?” she asked as she fluttered her eyelashes. John rolled his eyes but let out a small smile as she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“Another atonement?” murmured John. “I still remember yours like it was yesterday.”

“Mmm, maybe not,” said Lilly. “I was thinking more along the lines of me, you, a trip to the lake…”

“Ah, so it’s a baptism you seek,” smirked John. “Well, it shouldn’t be too hard to arrange-”

“John? John, are you there? We must speak.”

The radio attached to John’s hip crackled to life with Joseph’s voice coming out from the other end. Lilly scowled at the interruption and snatched the radio but John was quick enough to get it back.

“Joseph, we can meet the ranch in say, about an hour,” replied John.

“I’m actually just around the corner,” replied Joseph. “Would you mind preparing some tea for me?”

“Actually Joseph, I’m not exactly home right now,” said John. Lilly narrowed her eyes and grabbed the radio out of his hand and pressed the talk button.

“He’s with me right now,” said Lilly. “We’ll be home soon, don’t you worry your pretty little man-bun about it.”

John snatched the radio out of Lilly’s hands and gave her a glare that she hadn’t seen in a while. She gave him the same look back and brushed past him as she took a seat on the quad.

“My apologies, Joseph. We’re actually off the highway, we’ll be home soon…”

Lilly picked at her nails as she listened to John talk to his brother and then called his men to pick them up. John sighed as he clipped the radio back to his belt and slowly turned to face her. He gave a look that reminded Lilly of a lost puppy, begging anyone to give it love and attention.

She had to keep herself from rolling her eyes as he walked up to her and kissed her on the forehead. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head, his hug more crushing by the second.

“You know I care about you, right?” said John.

“Yes, I know,” sighed Lilly. “It’s just your brother ruins all the fun.”

“I have responsibilities,” said John. “You should understand more than anyone else.”

John took a step back as he cradled her face in his hand, placing a chaste kiss onto her lips. Lilly eagerly kissed him back as she ran her fingers through his hair, messing it up from its usual style.

“I do understand,” whispered Lilly. “I just wish we could spend more time together.”

“We will,” promised John. “I have another cabin we can visit, it would just be the two of us…alone.”

John made a move to kiss her when the sound of a car honking made the two turned to see John’s men pull up in a black SUV. Lilly scowled at the ruined moment as John gently tugged her into the car. They sat in the back and when John tried to hold her hand, Lilly let him, only because she knew it would hurt him if she didn’t.

The car finally pulled up to John’s ranch and Lilly had to keep the frown on her face from growing. It was no secret that she didn’t care for Joseph, but she did tolerate him for John’s sake. Even through their hardest moments, she still couldn’t convince John that he didn’t need his brother’s approval to succeed in life.

Before they entered the house, Lilly grabbed John’s hand and held it tightly. He gave her a small smile and took a deep breath as they walked inside to see Joseph sitting down on one of the couches in the main living room.

“Ah, John, you’re finally here,” said Joseph, pointedly ignoring Lilly. “Would you be so kind as to make us some tea?”

“Of course,” said John.

Lilly went to follow but the sound of Joseph’s voice made her stop.

“He can do it on his own,” said Joseph smoothly. “Or is he not capable of such a simple task?”

Lilly narrowed her eyes at him as she shrugged and gave John a kiss on the lips, making sure to add a little bite to his lip. John’s face turned slightly pink as he cleared his throat and excused himself. Lilly watched him until the kitchen door closed behind him and turned to sit on the chair across from Joseph.

“He bought you something again, didn’t he?” asked Joseph quietly.

Lilly crossed her arms and turned her face away from him, hoping he would get the hint that she did not want to speak to him.

“What was it this time?” continued Joseph. “Another car? Jewelry? Or maybe something that is only for him to enjoy when the two of you are alone…”

“It’s none of your damn business,” hissed Lilly. “He earned his money, he can do whatever he wants with it.”

“John has been blessed with many gifts that got him to where he is now,” said Joseph. “He’s always been a hard worker; determined and focused…well, until lately that is.”

Joseph got up from his seat and Lilly copied his motions, not about to let him stare her down. He took a step near her and Lilly flinched when he wrapped his arms around her. Unlike John’s embrace, Joseph’s didn’t have warmth or love. Instead, it felt like he was crushing her back but Lilly made no move or noise of discomfort.

“If you want to be a part of this family,” whispered Joseph. “You will do what is best. Do not let your selfish desires blind you.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Accidents happen, especially in times like these,” said Joseph as he released her. “John is happy, for now. It would be a shame to see his smile disappear.”

Lilly felt her face turn red as she clenched her fists at her sides. Joseph tilted his head and smiled as John came in from the kitchen.

“Is everything alright?” asked John hesitantly. Joseph turned to face him and Lilly tried to put on a happy face.

“Of course,” said Joseph. “Lilly?”

“Everything’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be?” said Lilly with a strained giggle.

“It’s nice to see you two get along,” smiled John. “I made some chamomile, hope you like it.”

For the next hour, Lilly sat through John and Joseph talking about plans for the Eden’s Gate while she sipped on her tea. Every now and then she would catch glimpses from John and would give him a reassuring smile even though she was bored to death.

It had been almost two hours before Joseph got up and said his goodbyes to both Lilly and his brother. After embracing John, he hugged Lilly once more, only to whisper softly into her ear.

“Remember what I said.”

Lilly faked another smile as she said goodbye and watched him walk out of John’s ranch. Once the front door was closed, Lilly grabbed John by the shoulders and kissed him hard.

“Well, well, someone’s excited to see my brother gone,” chuckled John. “Shall we start dinner?”

“John, wait,” said Lilly as she grabbed his hand. “Remember how you said we’d go on a small vacation, just the two of us? How about we go tonight? I don’t pack much and I’m sure you have everything ready for us there-”

“This is about Joseph, isn’t it?”

Lilly mashed her lips together and looked to the side, trying to find the right words to say around him. John was loyal to a fault, even if he didn’t see the malice behind his brother’s eyes.

“I just want you to myself,” she mumbled. “Is that too much to ask?”

“I’m already yours to begin with,” said John. “We can’t go tonight, I have a few things I need to clear up with some outposts. But tomorrow would be perfect.”

John kissed her one last time and she knew that he had meant what he said.

“I love you.”

The words had slipped so easily from her lips and she froze, wondering how he would react. She meekly looked up at him and his eyes were bluer than the Montana sky itself.

“I love you too, Lilly.”

It was the words she was so desperate and yet so afraid to hear that Lilly couldn’t move as he held her closer. He brushed her hair back as he hummed into her ear, kissing her on top of her head. Lilly let out a sigh, knowing that whatever may happen in the future, it was going to be okay because in the end, they had each other.

#john seed/oc #john seed #oc #fluff #lilly devin x john seed #gift: fic #fc5holidayexchange #spicyinsanity #submission

[bigbad-tardis]

Fic for @i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate

Part of the Edens Zero Fic Exchange

The young blond man sighed. Marrying some girl from the future was never anything he wanted. He wanted to travel the world making money and causing as much trouble as he could, but his tycoon parents wanted to make a publicity stunt, so when a girl from the future accidentally came into his parents lives he couldn’t say no. All of his exploits would’ve been ruined. So now marriage was on the horizon. The Steiner Corporation’s only heir would be married in one week’s time.

The young Steiner however had never met his future bride. His parents assured him that she was simply delightful company though. Weisz didn’t want delightful. He wanted out! Was this girl actually from the future? She was probably just lying. This marriage was a trap. He wanted to be free. Freedom was what every young man in his early twenties wanted! Why couldn’t he have his? He collapsed onto his bed and brooded. Maybe he could fake his death? He would need a body… no that was a ridiculous idea, but running away however. That was entirely possible. He had to withdraw enough money in able to continue his exploits.

Then an idea, a terrible one, but yet it couldn’t escape his mind. This was the 19th century for goodness sakes! His daring plan was sure to work. Ransom. Ransom himself. He’d get “kidnapped” and make his parents give his “captors” over 1,000,000 dollars and then he just wouldn’t come back. He’d change his name and run away to the New World (by the New World he meant India). The perfect plan. Of course he’d be able to get away with it. He was Weisz Steiner, the scourge of those with a heart. Now that he had his plan he just needed someone to kidnap him. That meant a trip in the dead of night to the local pub.

That was going to be an unsavory trip. A knock came from Weisz’ door. “Enter!” He shouted rudely.

“Weisz! It’s your mother!”

“I said come in!” Weisz’ Mother opened the door and looked down at her son. He could feel her thoughts. Failure. His mother clearly didn’t care much about him at all. She was your stereotypical wealthy upper crust woman. Magda Steiner married Janek Steiner at 18 and gave birth to her first and only child 10 months later. Since it was a son she didn’t feel the need to have anymore children. Magda only cared about gaining more wealth for the Steiner Corporation.

“You are to meet your bride today.” Weisz sighed again.

“Has she arrived at the manor yet?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“Cancel it.” Magda frowned.

“No, you’re going to see her.”

“You’d been so comfortable in the fact that I hadn’t even met her before you had her engaged to me! What’s a few more days?”

“Get out of bed, you’re seeing her young man, or else I will cancel your trip to Hungary!”

“Oh no, not Hungary,” Weisz said sarcastically. Magda went to the balcony and closed the curtains. The room filled with darkness and Magda got serious.

“Behave yourself. She’d coming and that’s final.” Magda left the room and him alone in the darkness. He didn’t want to have to see this future girl. The faker would probably be insufferable. Whatever proof she gave was definitely forged. The conspiracy went deeper than his parents knew, but still they fell for it. He sat in silence for many minutes thinking about escape plan. He could just jump off the balcony, but he didn’t have anything to break his fall. A knock at the door came again.

“Go away mother!” Weisz shouted.

“It’s me,” a soft voice called. His future bride. What was her name again? Marie?

Letrexa? There were many possible options, but he didn’t want to think about them.

“You aren’t permitted either,” he replied.

“Please, just a minute?” Weisz sighed and opened the door for her. She was short with long dark hair. Her eyes were bright blue and her eyebrows were ash blonde. She couldn’t be real. She wore men’s clothing except for the skirt she wore. She wore a brown suit and a long brown skirt and white and blue boots. She had a cube on her neck and a pale sack that held god knows what. She entered and closed the door behind her. Her soft spoken demeanor changed in an instinct. She put her hands on her hips.

“It’s so dark in here. Did you do this so you couldn’t see the decor?” Weisz gave her a slight chuckle. “Do you mind opening the curtains?” Weisz nodded and opened the curtains and all of a sudden a gun pressed against his temple. In the corner of his eye the dark hair had fallen to the floor. Of course it was a wig. The smell of the ocean filled his nose. He lived by the sea and when he was younger he would use the curtains to climb down onto the beach without his parents knowing. They would get so mad.

“So… all that work of getting engaged to me and pretending to be from the future was just to kill me?”

“No, now we’re about to jump off the balcony. Try not to hurt yourself.” They walked out onto the balcony and she shouted a name, Shiki. The gun was taken off his head and they took the plunge. Weisz prepared for death, but it never came. They were caught by a floating man. A FLOATING MAN. Weisz was screaming internally. The floating man carried them down onto a ship on the ocean. It was a pirate ship. Weisz hadn’t seen ships like that since he visited an old ship wreck a few years ago. It had the name Edens Zero on the side. They were set down on the deck and he finally got a good look on his captor’s true appearance. Her hair was long and the same ash blonde hair as her eyebrows. 2 women and a child were looking at him.

“How much is he worth again?” A white haired woman asked.

“He’s worth whatever we can squeeze out of his parents,” his captor said.

“Wait…” Weisz said. “Are you ransoming me?”

“Yes,” Shiki said. He had spiky black hair and large eyes. Weisz sat down on the deck and frowned.

“That was literally my plan. Jeez, now I’m not even going to get part of the cut!”

“Huh?”

***

After Weisz explained his plan the crew that kidnapped him all simultaneously burst out into different types of laughter.

“What a coincidence.”

“But, does this mean we change our plan?” Shiki asked.

“You’re the captain,” the white haired woman Weisz learned was named Ivry. He learned all of their names. His captor specifically was named Rebecca. Shiki was their captain and they really were from the future. The floating proved it. Shiki touched chin in thought. He was on the brink of a decision and then his face shown.

“You should join the crew.” The woman known as Witch frowned.

“Are you sure, Shiki? You don’t even know him.”

“We’ll put it to a vote. All in favor, raise their hand.” Weisz was so stunned he couldn’t even talk. They didn’t even ask him what his opinion was. 3 hands were raised. His captor wasn’t one of them. “Rebecca?” Shiki said quietly.

“I abstain,” and she walked out. Shiki turned to Weisz.

“Well… It’s 3 to 2 so if you want to join the crew, it’s up to you.” Weisz shrugged.

“Can I leave anytime I want?”

“I guess,” Shiki replied.

“Then sure. Now let’s go scare my parents half to death.”

Then preparations started. Rebecca wrote a ransom note and Weisz signed it. She handed it to Hermit and she got it sent to his parents. Now all they had to wait. Weisz was given the cabin next to Hermit and Rebecca. Hermit showed Weisz all about what she could do. Weisz turned to Rebecca.

“So you are all really from the future?” Rebecca nodded.

“That part wasn’t a lie. Just our intentions.” Weisz raised his eyebrows and sat back on his bed.

“So… you’re perfectly comfortable sleeping next to a guy?” Rebecca and Hermit nodded.

“It just isn’t a big deal in the future. Gender roles are the same. As long as you aren’t inappropriate we’ll get along fine.” Rebecca was fiddling with her necklace and staring wistfully.

“Why did you guys decide to go to the past?” Rebecca raised her eyebrows and stopped fiddling.

“Money. We found a time machine and decided to use our knowledge of the past to get rich.”

“Rebecca is right. We decided we would in order for Captain Shiki, so he could be able to afford to buy a special headstone and a place in his city’s cemetery. We’re going to need a lot of money to be able to afford it,” Hermit added.

“Why?” Weisz asked.

“There’s limited space in the future. Shiki’s grandfather remains in stasis until we can afford to get him a spot in the cemetery. We aren’t worried about time because we’re time travelers. We have the date set in our time machine ready to go. We just need the money from your parents and we can save Shiki’s grandpa.”

“What happens to me? When you go back?” Hermit shrugged and Rebecca fell back onto her bed.

“This is why I abstained. What is going to happen? It’s up to Shiki, so I think he’ll probably want to take you with us.”

“Why was I invited to join the crew in the first place then?” Rebecca looked at Weisz and shrugged.

“I don’t know. I guess we just have to trust in Shiki’s judgement.” Hermit stood up.

“We’ve got anchor ourselves out in international water really quickly so no one can chase us. I’ll be back. Rebecca can take you on a tour.” Rebecca nodded and the two of them got up and she led him around Edens Zero. Everything was of Edens. Crew of Edens, Bath of Edens, even Washroom of Edens. It was absolutely crazy how high tech everything was. He never expected the future would be like that. All of this nearly blew his brains out of his head. They were moving so fast too, but it felt like nothing. He realized he was in something unlike he had ever been in before. Before long they were nearing the captains quarters.

“Shiki and Witch always discuss everything that happened today before dinner. Witch basically raised Shiki after his grandpa and all of his friends passed away.” Rebecca knocked on the door and it opened. Shiki popped his head out with a smile.

“Hello Rebecca, hello Weisz, what can I do you for?”

“I was just taking Weisz around and I had a question. This job will bring us enough money to get you the headstone, right?” Shiki nodded.

“I think so. Lemme ask Witch real quick.” Shiki popped his head back in and reappeared a few seconds later. “Yeah, as long as your parents come through we can get my grandpa Ziggy a grave.” Shiki sighed in relief. “Thank you for being cooperative, Weisz,” Shiki looked down nervously, but looked back up and gave him a smile. He stuck his hand out. “Would you be my friend?” Weisz looked back to Rebecca who gave him a small smile and a nod. Weisz shook Shiki’s hand thus sealing their friendship. Shiki gave Weisz a nod and he went back to his business. Rebecca and Weisz walked away to the kitchen where Homura was overseeing the food.

“What was that about?” Weisz asked. Rebecca gave him a small smile.

“We’re all friends here. Shiki didn’t have a lot of friends back when we were younger. He really values friendship.”

“So what about us?” She wacked him slightly on the arm.

“We’re friends. Just like everyone else on the crew.” Weisz turned around and met her face to face.

“Can you really be friends with someone you don’t even truly know?” Rebecca nodded and rolled her eyes.

“People over complicate everything. Trust me, we’re friends.” She was different than what he thought she was like. After all, she kidnapped him. She was actually kind of sweet. “I didn’t hurt you, right? When we jumped off the balcony?” Weisz shook his head.

“I was more shocked than hurt. Shiki floated.” Rebecca laughed.

“I keep forgetting you’re new to all of this.”

“Soups on!” Called Homura. Then the two went to eat.

***

A letter accepting the terms of the ransom came the next day. They would meet on a neutral ship and exchange Weisz for 100,000 gold pieces. Weisz would then meet then later when he got home and come back to the ship. They would discuss what else to do from there. Weisz sat on a bed while Rebecca tied him up gently.

“Are you nervous?” He shook his head.

“My parents aren’t very smart, so it should go smoothly.” Rebecca smiled as she tied her final loop.

“All set,” she told him. He looked back to her.

“What about you? Are you nervous?” She shook her head.

“We’ve done more nerve wracking jobs for less money. One time we stole the most expensive diamond in the world. It failed miserably and we almost died. I don’t think it can go more wrong than that, so don’t worry. It’ll be ok.” Then his parents arrived. A plank was moved in between the ships and they met for the exchange.

“Weisz! Are you hurt?” His mother called. He shook his head.

“I’m fine, mother!” Magda turned to Janek and gave a sigh of relief. Magda was clutching a case which held the gold coins.

“Give us Weisz first and we’ll give you the case!” Weisz nodded and gave Rebecca the slightest of whispers.

“If they decide not to give it to you, then I’ll just get it for you myself. Don’t worry.” Rebecca gave Shiki the go ahead. Weisz walked across the plank and into his mother’s cold hands. Magda opened the case revealing the shiny galleons and… She dunked the gold into the ocean and threw the case to the Edens Zero. Rebecca and Shiki paled. Shiki looked down to the coins and frowned deeply. Weisz lost it. He moved his arms around his mother keeping her in a tight grip. He ran with his mother across the plank and back onto the Edens Zero. Now they had his mother. Janek wouldn’t pull the same thing with his wife on the line. Shiki looked to Weisz and a stunned Rebecca.

“Checkmate.” Shiki grinned to Weisz and Rebecca. They may not have had their money right now, but with Weisz on their side Shiki had no doubts they would be able to come up with it.

I know it’s not very romantical, but if I ever decided to make more it would definitely be. It’s just got a lot of Weisz and Rebecca interactions. Lol i don’t think I’m very good at writing that. I hoped you liked it Kae!

#ezficexchange #edens zero #weicca #weisz x rebecca #little bit of swashbuckling

[i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate]

This is my EZ fic exchange fic for @vi-the-former-seaturtle !!! 

I honestly.... have no idea what this AU is... XD I had this CRAZY idea and I guess I had to write it. I think it probably could have been like... a multi-chap fic tbh, but I hope you enjoy it! 

I’d say I was kind of inspired by like a mix of... The Little Prince and just fairy tales in general. XD

#ezficexchange #ez #edens zero #weicca #weisz steiner #rebecca bluegarden #weisz x rebecca #rebecca x weisz #weisz and rebecca #rebecca and weisz #shiki granbell #homura kogetsu #myfic #iwritefanfictiontoprocrastinate

[smartcookie727]

Starfarers: Chapter 1

Happy birthday @whereisthefood123! I am so excited to finally bring yall my Day 2 prompt for Fallfest. I’ve been in love with the idea of an Eden’s Zero crossover and here you have it. This was originally a oneshot, but I’ve expanded it into at least a three part fic. In honor of my co-mod’s birthday, have Part 1 of Starfarers! WTFood is a fantastic writer, friend, and really helped pull the event together. Happy birthday, darling. I hope you have a fantastic day and all the sweets your heart desires. I hope yall enjoy. Leave me a comment, reblog, tag, anything so I know what yall like. Be sure to check out my writing blog @luminescent-words for all fics, WIPs, and everything literary!

Pairing: Gajevy

Prompt: Adventure

Length: 1k

Levy McGarden has a thriving business and a comfortable life on Blue Garden. But that life was turned upside down the night she crashed into the Captain of the Iron Dragon. Space pirate: Gajeel Redfox. She saved his life that night, and they’ve only grown closer since. Now, he’s got a proposition: come with him and he’ll take her to find what she’s been searching for her entire life.

Chapter 1: Risk & Reward

Levy turned the note over again in her hands. Remnants of the daylight that had streamed through her window when she'd sat down cast shadows around her room. But she didn’t need the light to know what was written there; she'd read it countless times over the past three days. Fifty-seven words scribbled into parchment were now burned into her memory.

How about a little adventure, Shrimp? Meet me where I first swept you off your feet. Four days from now, just before first light peeks out over this planet. I’ve got something special I wanna show ya, if you’re not afraid to sail with pirates. I’ll bring the rum this time. You bring better running shoes. -CGR

Levy buried her face into her knees thinking about that night. Swept her off her feet—more like tossed her over his mechanical shoulder kicking and screaming. Still, she wouldn’t have changed anything about it, despite the rather unfortunate circumstances.

That had been six weeks ago. Six heart pounding, gut wrenching, butterflies running races through her stomach weeks of all-day texts and late night video calls. And Levy hadn’t been able to stop smiling since. Especially now that his studded face graced every other wanted poster on Blue Garden.

His strong, chiseled face with that cocky grin. But the posters never truly did him justice. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye that you could only see in person, and Levy longed to experience that flash of dangerous excitement again. Some days it felt like it had all been a dream, but the universe had quite literally shoved her into his arms.

Being friends with a real pirate was nothing like the tales in her books. He was so much more complex than the characters she’d fallen for between pages. Brazen and terrifyingly powerful one moment, he’d slip into something gentle and sweet the next. Levy couldn’t care less about the sharp edges of his personality. Every beautiful rose had thorns. Nothing worth having came without risk.

Each day her heart would flutter at the telltale vibration of a new message on her communicator. There was hardly a morning she awoke without a text from one mysterious CGR. Her mind flicked back to the basement of Lily’s bakery and words she hadn’t been supposed to hear. Smitten after just one night, Captain. Levy bit down on the memory. Had it even been real or just something she’d pulled from the depths of her imagination?

Her face warmed. He’d left her trinkets, small gestures of thanks at the shop before, but this was different. This was much more serious than their usual playful exchange of wit; it was an invitation. One he’d managed to sneak onto her ship without tripping any alarms.

Levy’s gaze drifted to the window. The street lights were now lit, turning the darkness of the night into something eerily romantic. She smiled. It had been a night so similar to this—except for the rain—and the rum.

She’d taken a chance that night. To go out by herself. To save him. To turn the wildest string of coincidences into a friendship. But the thought of accepting his offer still set her heart racing. She wasn’t afraid of his crew. It almost felt like she knew them from the stories he loved to tell. No. This would lead her down a path she couldn’t control. And that was something Levy had promised herself she’d never do a long time ago. Still, she wasn’t sure if she was more scared to stay or to go.

Falling back against her pillow, Levy tossed and turned in her bed. A small voice in her heart told her that he cared—more than what was due someone who’d saved his life. If she got on that ship, there’d be no telling when she’d come back. Levy had opened up to him about the pieces of her life she’d lost along the way. Maybe this was his way of saying he—

A ringing bell in the distance shook her from her thoughts.

It was one in the morning already, and nothing had changed save for the light outside. Head and heart still fought to tear her apart. How much could she trust a man she’d met once but had been with every day in spirit? Was she brave enough to take that chance? A chance at happiness, a chance at heartbreak, a chance at romance—maybe. Heavy lids pulled her down into slumber. She’d have her answers tomorrow.

It had been the rain that had convinced her, tapping on her window and stirring Levy from a restless sleep. He was a risk worth taking. With a steaming cup of coffee in hand, she found herself just a few streets away from her favorite barcade in the heart of town. Water splashed against her feet as Levy tried and failed to avoid a puddle. She smiled. These were definitely better shoes, and she was grateful to have an umbrella this time.

Levy stopped cold as the bright neon letters of Domus Flau came into view. The establishment still hummed with life, even in the dusty hours just before dawn, when everyone—including her—should be asleep. But the bubbling excitement in her chest was too much to ignore. Levy had no idea what might happen next, but she’d made her choice. There was no turning back.  

Light filtered through the clouds, warming her spine. Levy tossed her head back and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d made it on time. Resting a hand on the bench that faced the barcade, she bit back on her nerves and took another sip of coffee.

“Time for a leap of faith, Lev,” she murmured, pulse drumming in her ears. “You’re brave enough to—”

“Hey there, shortstuff.”

Levy’s breath caught in her chest. His voice was deeper in person, laced with adventure in a way that could never be conveyed across a communicator. It made goosebumps race across her neck. Her grip faltered, and the cup tumbled to the floor, straight into the metallic hand of the man she’d been waiting for.

“Glad ya got my note.”

#gajevy #gajevyfallfest #gajevy fanfiction #fairy tail #fairy tail fanfiction #cookie writes #gajeel redfox #levy mcgarden #happy bday to my fallfest co-host!!!! #ily wtf <3 #edens zero au #expect at least two more parts to this story~ #starfarers collection #starfarers; risk & reward

[aaarianna-actuallywrites]

Princess Pino’s Birthday

My fic for the Edens Zero Big Bang, to go with @i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate ‘s lovely artwork. Have some Weicca, with a side of Weisz-Pino Brotp.

~~~

“Oh, but you have to come to my birthday party, Mr. Weisz! Say you will, pleeeeeease?”

Weisz chuckled at the memory as he finished buttoning up his shirt.

‘A personal invitation when there’s already an open invitation to the public,’ he thought. ‘I’ll never understand that kid.’

He’d been in the middle of designing a new piece of tech with Hermit when the Princess of Granbell Kingdom burst through the door.

“Mr. Weisz, Miss Hermit! You know what next week is, don’t you?” she spun around the lab as she shouted, skillfully hopping around the machine parts and workshop debris like a bunny.

Hermit turned away from the blueprints in front of her, smiling wide. “I sure do!”

“No? What’s next week?” he raised an eyebrow in false confusion.

“It’s my birthday! I’m turning eleven, remember?”

“Eleven already? Geez, you’re ancient!”

Pino pouted briefly, before her excitement took over. “I’m gonna have a biiig party!” She spun on her toes with her arms out. “Everyone will be there, it’ll be so fun!”

“Really? Everyone, huh?” Weisz asked.

“Yeah. And that means you and Miss Hermit, too. You’ll be there, right?” she asked, clasping her hands together.

Hermit smiled. “Of course.”

Weisz feigned reluctance. “I don’t know. We’ve got a lot of work to do here.”

“Oh, but you have to come to my birthday party, Mr. Weisz! Say you will, pleeeeeease?” she begged, tugging on his arm.

Weisz looked at the giggling princess and couldn’t pretend anymore. “Yeah, sure thing, kid.”

“Yay!”

Weisz straightened his collar as he thought about having to socialize for hours on end.

‘Eh, I’ll find a way to ditch and go back to work.’

Just as he began to regret accepting Pino’s invitation- he was never not going to make an appearance at the party, but he should’ve at least been smart and not given her any expectations- his thoughts turned to a certain Nobleman’s blonde daughter.

’At least she’ll be there.’

Weisz watched in the mirror as his face rapidly turned pink. Then he shook his head, clearing that thought from his mind as he walked out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~

Happy meowed indignantly.

“Too bad, cat! You need to get off Pino’s present so I can finish wrapping it.”

The blue feline grumbled at being moved from his chosen spot. Not one to be inconvenienced, he took his revenge by walking across Rebecca’s hands as she tried to wrap the handmade bow, nearly tearing the paper in the process.

“Get. Off,” she said firmly, tossing him to the floor. He grumbled and sulked out of her bedroom and towards the sun room in defeat.

Rebecca finished wrapping and tied a ribbon around it. Sighing, she walked over to her mirror and fidgeted with her bangs.

‘I wonder how long it’ll be before Weisz tries to ditch the party,’ she thought, chuckling to herself.

Looking at her reflection, Rebecca realized that, in messing with her bangs, she only succeeded in pushing them too far to the side. She combed through them with her fingers, reshaping them over and over again, to disappointing results.

Rebecca groaned and shook her head, resetting her bangs. Opening her eyes, though, she found that they’d fallen more towards the center instead of pushed to the side, and her curly hair was half-draped over one shoulder.

She took her hand away and stepped back to look at her full reflection. The pin in her ash blonde hair matched her dark blue halter top and detached sleeves, and with her new bang style, black jeans, and boots, she liked the ensemble even more.

‘I wonder what he would think.’

The thought had her turning her head away from the mirror and her cheeks blushing bright red. Her hand moved to fidget with her bangs again, but she forced herself to stop in time to avoid ruining them.

Before she could let her nerves ruin something else about her outfit, Rebecca grabbed Pino’s present and left for the castle.

~~~~~~~~~~

Homura stood in the hallway outside the royal bed chambers, her back and shoulders perfectly straight, waiting for the Prince and Princess to leave their rooms for the party. Her red and orange shirt was in pristine condition, no wrinkles or creases to be found.

The bedroom door to her right opened and Prince Shiki stepped out, adjusting his wrist cuffs.

“Allow me, your Highness,” Homura said as he stopped next to her.

Wordlessly, Shiki offered her his wrist. As she fixed his cuff, she stared at the shape of it, the Crest of Granbell Kingdom: a heart with a dot in the middle, resting soundly in the crevice of two horns. It clicked into place and she stepped back.

“Thanks, Homura!” Shiki said with a bright smile. “You ready for the party?”

“I am prepared.” She nodded, clasping her hands together in front of her.

“‘Prepared’ makes it sound like a mission, not a party,” he chuckled.

She nodded again. “Duly noted.”

“I like your shirt.”

Homura stiffened. “Thank you,” she said, semi-monotone.

“I really like the ocean waves at the bottom.”

A blush rose on Homura’s cheeks, getting brighter the longer Shiki focused on her outfit. She brought her hand up over her mouth out of habit.

The sound of a door down the hall opening interrupted Homura’s embarrassment. It was Princess Pino’s bedroom door, and she came bounding down the hall at Shiki.

“Hi big brother!” she yelled, tackling him.

Shiki caught her easily. “Hey Pino! Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday, your Highness.”

“Thanks!”

“Princess,” a smooth voice spoke from down the hall. “You need to get dressed for your party.”

It was Witch, the “Shield” of Granbell Kingdom and the Princess’s personal guard. Her long, green hair was tied back in a loose french braid that swung lightly behind her as she walked.

“Okay, Miss Witch!” Pino said, releasing her brother from her iron grip.

“Hello, Prince Shiki, Lady Homura.”

“Hey, Witch,” Shiki said with a small wave.

“Good Morning.” Homura nodded.

“Come, now, Princess,” she said softly, her hand placed gently on top of Pino’s head.

Pino nodded and spun around, waving to her brother. “I’ll see you at the party!”

He smiled. “Sure will, kiddo.”

“Yay!” she clapped her hands together, smiling brightly as she ran back down the hall.

Shiki looked back at Homura and met her eyes.

“Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~

As Pino ate her curry burger breakfast that morning, she couldn’t sit still; kicking her legs and bouncing in her seat, it was enough to catch her grandfather’s attention.

“Excited?” King Ziggy asked.

“Mhm! I can’t wait!”

Ziggy smiled as she took the last few bites of her food, jumping out of her chair and running to the door. Witch, who had been standing diligently in the corner, followed her to her room.

“Alright, Princess. It’s time to get ready. Your guests will be arriving soon,” she said, gently closing the door behind her.

“Are you excited, Miss Witch? Everyone’s gonna be here!” Pino jumped backwards onto her bed.

“Inviting the entire Capital City to the castle for a birthday party is sure to have interesting results. I look forward to it.”

She sat up. “I thought it would be cool for everyone to see it! And it’s more fun with more people, anyway. It’s such a big place, but there’s never anyone here.”

Witch smiled. “Your kindness and consideration for others is admirable, Princess.”

“Thank you!”

Her head snapped to the side at the sound of voices in the hall, looking at the door before leaping off her bed and running out the door. Witch sighed in amusement and followed after the rambunctious birthday girl.

“Hi, big brother!” Pino yelled, launching herself at Shiki.

He caught her easily as he and Homura gave their ‘Happy Birthdays.’ Witch smiled at the scene. She’d always appreciated the bond the two siblings shared.

“Thanks!” Pino said.

She hated to ruin the moment, but time was of the essence. “Princess,” she spoke as she walked down the hall towards them. “You need to get dressed for your party.”

“Okay, Miss Witch!” Pino said, letting Shiki go.

“Hello, Prince Shiki, Lady Homura.”

“Hey Witch.”

“Good morning.”

“Come now, Princess,” she said calmly, resting her hand on top of her head.

She spun around and waved to her brother. “I’ll see you at the party!”

Shiki smiled. “Sure will, kiddo.”

“Yay!” she clapped her hands together, smiling brightly as she ran back down the hall.

“Princess, you need to focus,” Witch lightly admonished her as she followed the bouncing girl into her room.

“I’m excited!”

“I know,” Witch hummed in amusement. “But it’s almost time for you to be ready for your guests.”

Pino skipped to her wardrobe. Witch stood behind her as she flung the doors open, trailing back and forth in front of it, examining her options.

She chuckled at the ecstatic princess marching in front of her wardrobe, looking at each article of clothing with a critical eye, like a general to their soldiers. An illusion only enhanced by the contrast of her spinning on her toes to turn around when she got to either end of the closet.

“I got it!” Pino said, grabbing a white and blue dress shirt and matching skirt, black leggings, short brown boots and a yellow necktie with a heart on it.

“An excellent choice, Princess,” Witch said.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay! We’re all gonna play hide and seek!” Pino said to the silent crowd below her. “You’ll all hide in the castle and the courtyard, and I’ll find you!”

The people exchanged tiny whispers and confused glances, the slightest murmurs of which drifted up to the balcony.

“Participation is mandatory,” King Ziggy’s deep voice silenced the crowd’s whispering, paired with a serious look in his eye, before looking back at his granddaughter and returning her bright smile.

“Okay, everyone, go hide! And good luck!”

Rebecca reached forward and grabbed Weisz’s wrist as he started moving.

“You’re coming with me,” Rebecca stated. “What? Why?”

“Because I’m not gonna let you sit somewhere you can easily be found just so you can say you participated. You’re going to actually participate. Play like you wanna win.” She dragged him towards the hall.

“Rebecca!”

She ignored him.

“Rebecca, wait!”

No answer.

“Seriously?”

Still nothing.

Weisz groaned. “Fine.”

Only then did Rebecca turn around and acknowledge him with a satisfied smile.

“Good. Now come on, I know a good place to hide.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Shiki and I found this place years ago. I don’t know what it was supposed to be, but it never gets used anymore.”

Weisz helped her move the tapestry, behind which was panelling nearly indistinguishable from the wall it sat in. Rebecca pushed on it, then slid it to the side.

Behind the panelling was a dark tunnel that stretched beyond where the light reached.

“I’m coming to find you!” Pino’s gleeful voice sang from the PA speakers.

“Come on, let’s go,” Rebecca said, stepping into the tunnel.

Weisz rolled his eyes and followed her.

It was a tighter fit than he had expected; the tunnel was narrow, only a few feet wide, and Weisz was almost too tall to fit inside, with only an inch or two of clearance above his head.

“Great hiding place you picked here, Rebecca.”

“Yeah, I remembered it being bigger,” she said as she settled her back against the wall. Weisz leaned against the opposite wall.

“Now what?” he asked, turning to face her. He froze when he realized there was only about a foot of space between them, maybe less. With nowhere to go to widen the gap, he was glad it was pitch black in the tunnel so Rebecca couldn’t see the bright red blush he was certain was spreading across his entire face.

“Well there’s nothing to do but wait for Pino to find us or the game to be over.”

“Yeah, which is exactly why I wanted to get found quickly and then go back to my workshop.”

“Boo hoo. It’s not so bad. It’s not like we have to sit in silence or anything,” she said.

“Won’t voices coming from inside the wall be a dead giveaway?”

“Oh? I thought you wanted to be found quickly.”

He couldn’t see Rebecca, but the tone of her voice told Weisz she was raising a smug eyebrow at him.

“Shut up. You’re the one who wants to take this seriously,” he said, turning his head away from her.

Rebecca chuckled. He turned his head back, staring at the place he assumed her face was, conjuring her image in his mind.

“So, what’s it like working with Hermit?” she asked.

“It’s fine. She gets on my nerves a lot, but I think it helps in the long run that we piss each other off. Spite is one hell of a motivator and source of inspiration.”

Rebecca chuckled again. Weisz’s heart skipped a beat.

“Yeah, you’ve always been like that.”

“Like what?”

“Not a people person.”

“What’s so great about people?” he asked sarcastically.

“There’s a lot to like when you’re not being shy.”

“Wha- I’m not shy, I’ve never been.”

Rebecca snorted. “Okay.”

“I’m not!”

“Even when we were little, you would rather play with machines than kids your own age.”

“Well machines tend to be more interesting and less talkative than people.”

“That’s a sad life, Weisz.”

“Shut up.”

Rebecca laughed again, louder than before, and Weisz thought that he might just be able to listen to that sound forever and never get tired of hearing it.

“Hey,” she said when she calmed down.

“Hm?”

“Do you remember when we first met?”

“Of course I do. You wouldn’t leave me alone until I played that stupid game with you, Shiki, and Homura.”

“Oh, bull! You wanted to play, you’re just a shy boy who couldn’t admit it.”

“I was not.”

“Whatever, tsundere.”

“What the fuck does that even mean?”

Rebecca burst out laughing again. “It means you’re shy as hell.”

Weisz groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Toasted marshmallow boy.”

“I hate you,” he chuckled.

“And the way you acted around Homura is the textbook definition of a tsundere with a crush.”

“I never had a crush on Homura.”

“M’kay,” she said, her tone very clear about how little she believed him.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes again.

“I didn’t, but whatever.”

“You’re kinda cute when you’re in denial, y’know.”

The air in Weisz’s lungs evaporated and he struggled to breathe, nearly choking on his sudden lack of oxygen.

“You okay?” Rebecca asked. Weisz imagined her raising her eyebrow.

He cleared his throat. “Y-yeah.”

The calm in the air was replaced with a silence nearly as thick as the darkness they sat in.

‘Cute? She didn’t mean it like that, though.’

It was Rebecca’s turn to clear her throat. “So, um… yeah..”

On the other side of the wall, distant footsteps were walking down the corridor towards their hiding spot. Though the tunnel was still pitch black and silent, Weisz could feel Rebecca’s tension; He was surprised to find he was a little tense, too.

“There’s no way she’ll find us,” Rebecca whispered confidently.

“If that’s even her.”

They waited with bated breath, listening to the footsteps grow louder as they moved down the hall towards their hiding spot.

They stopped breathing entirely when the footsteps did, just on the other side of the wall. The lack of noise in the hall only made their breathing and racing hearts seem louder.

Weisz glanced in Rebecca’s direction; though they couldn’t see each other, he knew that she was looking at him, too. His racing heart surprised him, and he didn’t know if that was because of the possibility of being found, or because Rebecca called him cute.

It could’ve been either, and he decided not to look too deeply at the implications of the latter.

Eventually, the footsteps on the other side of the wall moved on, going further down the hall and away from their hiding spot.

Weisz and Rebecca let out a collective sigh of relief when they couldn’t hear the footsteps anymore.

Rebecca chuckled quietly. “You’re so into this.”

“Shut up.”

The sudden light was blinding.

“I found you!” Pino’s voice sang from the entrance.

“What? How? We heard you walk down the hall!”

Rebecca’s indignance at losing a children’s game was only irritating to Weisz because he was indignant, too.

“Oh, that was Witch. I knew this tunnel was here, Shiki showed me forever ago. So I decided to trick you!” Pino explained, as bright as ever.

“An excellent idea,” Witch said proudly as she walked back towards the tunnel. “Truly worthy of a Princess.” She patted Pino on the head. 

Rebecca groaned and Weisz made his way out of the cramped and dark tunnel, stretching as he did. He wasn’t sad to put it back behind the tapestry where it belonged.

“Damn,” Rebecca sighed as she stepped into the hall. “I was hoping we were gonna stay hidden for a little while longer.”

‘She just wanted to win the game,’ he reminded himself

“You wanted to stay hiding in that tunnel with Weisz?” Pino asked.

Her question was innocent enough, but there was something about it that Weisz didn’t like; the tiniest glint in her eye, the smallest twitch of the corner of her mouth.

‘She’s always been too clever for her own good.’

“I-I wanted us to be the last ones found! Or at least as close to it as possible. I really thought we were gonna get more mileage out of that hiding place,” she said, dejectedly crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well everyone I found so far is going back to the ballroom. Grandpa said the food would be set out, so you can eat now.”

“And suddenly I don’t mind losing so much.”

Weisz chuckled at Rebecca’s obsession with all things edible. “You do that, I’m gonna go back to my workshop.”

“You don’t wanna stay?” Pino asked, her eyes widening. “You’re not hungry or anything?”

“Look, kid, I told you, Hermit and I have a lot of work to do. I’ll make another appearance later, okay?”

Pino’s expression completely redefined the phrase ‘turn that frown upside-down.’

“Okay! But you have to promise.”

Weisz chuckled and rolled his eyes. “I promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, Weisz made his promised reappearance in the ballroom. The crowd seemed a bit thinner, though not by much.

He scanned the room, looking for Pino, and found her playing with city kids her own age near the kitchen doors. Moving towards her, he stole a mini biscuit off the table to pop in his mouth.

It was at that moment when Pino looked up and saw him, running over to him as best she could through the thick crowd.

“You came back!”

“I told you I would. Didn’t you believe me?”

“Of course I did! But I’m still happy you’re here,” she said, with a bright smile to match.

Weisz patted her head. “Well, I guess I can stay for a while,” he said, feigning reluctance. “You go back to your friends over there, they’re probably more fun to hang out with than me.”

“That’s not true at all! Oh, but I should, we were talking.”

“Go on, kid. You can hang out with me whenever you want.”

“You mean it?! I can come hang out with you and Miss Hermit in your workshop, too?”

‘Opportunistic little shit.’

“Eh heh… Only if you be careful around the equipment. And only if we’re not too busy.”

He had a strong feeling that, even with these vague guidelines, he’d just bitten off way more than he could chew.

“Yay! Okay, I’ll see you later, Mr. Weisz.” With a final wave, she made her way back through the crowd to the city kids.

Weisz shook his head. In doing so, he caught sight of Rebecca, chatting in the corner with Homura and Shiki. Even at this distance, her smile made his heart skip a beat. Immediately following this heart anomaly, it became way too hot for comfort in the ballroom.

It wasn’t until he stepped out on the balcony that he could breathe and relax. The cool dusk air was soothing, and the view of the sun setting over the city, casting it in a golden glow, was not one to be missed.

‘What’s wrong with me?’ he thought. ‘Why am I so focused on Rebecca? Do I… Do I really-’

“Hey, Weisz,” Rebecca’s voice spoke from behind him, interrupting his train of thought.

He jumped slightly, his shoulders hunching up. He forced them back down in an attempt to look normal and unaffected. “Hey.”

She moved to stand beside him, tapping her fingers lightly on the railing as she did. Her back was ramrod straight, much more rigid than normal.

‘Why do I know that?’

The implications were adding up, and Weisz wasn’t sure if he was prepared for the final solution.

When she spoke, her voice was quiet “I, um…” she cleared her throat. “I… had fun.. t-today, um…”

Her eyes were closed tightly, her tension palpable in the air that occupied the space between them. It was somehow both too much space and too little.

“Uh, yeah, me too. Surprisingly.”

She hummed in amusement. Another tense, awkward silence followed. No matter how hard he tried, Weisz’s shoulders wouldn’t stay down and his muscles refused to relax.

Rebecca took a deep breath, leaned her head back, and groaned at the sky before bending over and laying her forehead on the balcony railing.

“Why is this so hard?” she muttered, just barely loud enough for Weisz to hear.

The question wasn’t directed at him, but he responded anyway. “What is?”

She stood up. “I-” she sighed, scratching the back of her head. “I just- I… likeyou.”

She spoke quickly, and her voice was barely above a whisper, but her words had Weisz’s shoulders hunched all the way up to the moon that was just starting to appear in the sky all the same.

“What?”

Rebecca turned her face away from him and gripped the rail in front of her tightly. “I… oh, come on, don’t make me embarrass myself again.”

Weisz couldn’t form a coherent thought or sentence even if he wanted to. Somehow, his brain was working in overdrive and also stalled at the same time. He could just imagine the smoke coming out of his ears.

“I- ... um…”

“Just say ‘thanks, but no thanks’ so we can move on already, okay? We don’t ever have to bring it up ag-”

“I.. think I like you, too.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened and a bright red blush spread across her face; Weisz knew he had a matching expression.

“Think, or… or know?” her voice gave away her vulnerability.

“I… think I know.”

Rebecca chuckled once. Then again. Soon enough, she was laughing even louder and more brightly than she had been in the tunnel, which dragged a small chuckle out of Weisz.

“Sorry, I don’t know what was so funny about that,” she said when her laughter subsided.

“Neither do I, but at least it’s not as awkward anymore.”

She smiled, then tugged at her lips slightly with her teeth. “Did you mean that?” she asked, her voice back to being small and vulnerable. “About… a-about, y’know..”

“... Yeah. I-...  you’ve been on my mind all day, and… now that I think about it, kind of… everyday? I- I mean… like, I…” he sighed, releasing the tension in his body only for it to return almost immediately. “I know what you meant about this being hard, now.”

She hummed in amusement. “Yeah, but… it’s out there, now, right?”

“Y-eah.”

“Hey, Weisz.”

He glanced over to see her looking at him, biting her lip slightly, eyes darting back and forth. “Hm?”

She nodded to herself, took a deep breath, stood on her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.

His eyes widened so much, he thought they might just pop out of his head. His shoulders hunched up to an all new height, and he found himself unable to look at Rebecca out of sheer embarrassment.

“Uh, I… uh..” he mumbled.

Rebecca chuckled. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

Weisz just leaned down and hid his face in his arms on the railing. If he added together all of the embarrassment he’d suffered throughout his life, he was certain it wouldn’t even be half as much as what was making his body curl in on itself at that moment.

“Shut up.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Later That Night

“Happy Birthday, Pino!” they shouted as the Birthday Princess blew out the candles on her cake.

The crowd of citizens had cleared out of the castle nearly an hour ago, and of the few close friends that remained, Rebecca was the only one who didn’t either live or work in the castle.

“Thanks!” She said, the same bright smile she’d been sporting all day still shining. “And thanks for letting me invite the city into the castle, Grandpa, I’ve never played a game with so many people before!”

King Ziggy patted her on the head. “Of course, Pino. It was a grand idea.”

“It was pretty fun,” Rebecca said. “Even Weisz had fun, didn’t you?” she added, taking a sip of water.

“Not even a little bit,” he said, a half-smile on his face.

“Not even hiding with Miss Rebecca was fun?” Pino asked. Her words were innocent enough on the surface, but for the second time that day, Weisz felt what the little princess was really saying, and, for the second time, didn’t like it at all.

Rebecca choked on her water and his shoulders hunched up for what must have been the hundredth time that day.

“Not. In. The. Slightest.”

“Awh, that’s too bad,” she said, though he could see the slightest sarcastic curl to the corner of her mouth. “Did you at least have fun in your workshop?”

“Yeah, machines are more fun than people any day.”

“I can still hang out with you and Miss Hermit in the workshop sometimes, right?”

Hermit looked at Weisz with one eyebrow raised and a smirk. She would never mind an interruption from the energetic princess.

“Only if you do what I said earlier. Do you remember?”

“I have to be careful around the machines and only when you’re not busy, right?”

“Yep. Too bad we’re busy all the time.”

“That’s no fair, Mr. Weisz!” Pino pouted.

“Don’t worry, Pino, you can come see us whenever you want,” Hermit said. “Though I don’t know why you’d wanna hang out with Weisz, but you’re always welcome.”

“Yay! Oh, but Mr. Weisz is really cool, and he always talks to me even when he says he’s busy.”

“Aw, you have a fan,” Rebecca teased him quietly.

“Shut up.”

#Edens Zero Big Bang #Edens Zero Fanfic #Edens Zero #Weicca #Weisz-Pino Brotp #Princess Pino's Birthday #i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate #so Pino was the Princess on board the Edens Zero all along huh? #We shouldn't be surprised.