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draw-you-coward · 5 years

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ao3

Ikael is getting yelled at over a bear.

Although perhaps “yelled at” is stretching it a bit. “Scolded” would suit the situation better—scolded by a quite irate Tataru, it seems. Irate enough that Thancred can hear nearly her every word, even though he is patiently waiting outside the archway.

“And what am I going to do now? Oh, what am I going to tell Minfilia?!” Tataru’s voice sharpens in pitch. “That’s a lot of money, Ikael! And you spent it on a bear!”

Thancred tilts his head, leaning closer to listen in despite himself. Ikael bought a wild animal? This is new. He simply kidnapped the last one.

“I-I-I’m sorry.” Ikael’s voice is trembling. “I-i-it was a—i-it was a mistake. I-I didn’t m-mean to—mean to charge the Scions. I-I-I’m sorry.”

Poor fellow. He’s had a few rough days as of late—apparently he still hasn’t gotten over them.

“Yes, well.” Tataru’s voice gentles somewhat as she, too, seems to realize he is taking this badly. “That won’t get our money back! You have to go and tell whoever you bought it from to switch the transaction to your personal account.”

Thancred hears a shuffling sound. Then, in a small voice:

“I-I-I know. ‘m sorry.”

“It’s alright, as long as I get my—our money, okay?” The short scratch of a chair as Tataru settles into it once more.

“I-I’ll… I’ll just return him.” Ikael sounds quiet, but miserable. “m sorry.”

“Now, you don’t have to return it.” Tataru seems to have regained at least some of her cheer. “I don’t know why you’re buying giant children’s toys, but feel free to spend your own money however you want!”

A pause.

“I’ll return him.” Ikael’s voice is an almost indecipherable mumble, already retreating. “I-it’s okay.”

Thancred hears footsteps heading towards the archway, and steps back just in time to avoid colliding with Ikael. He is about to make a good-natured joke to save face, but stops when their eyes meet.

Ikael looks like he is about to cry. His gaze skitters down nearly as quickly as it had darted to Thancred's, and then he abruptly walks past, tail tucked between his legs.

Thancred blinks after him, his own imminent dealing with Tataru momentarily forgotten. Poor fellow indeed.

Ikael has been quieter than usual these past few days. There had been a small incident earlier in the week involving him admitting to breaking an item of Thancred's (and thus ruining a prospective courtship), but that had been easy enough to forgive, especially once Thancred had realized that Ikael was taking the blame to (badly) cover for the true perpetrator. Nothing too out of the ordinary for the Waking Sands, to be honest. Although Thancred is quite curious to know where Alphinaud has since mysteriously disappeared to.

Perhaps Ikael’s mind is still on the matter. Or perhaps Thancred's thinking is too narcissistic and it is something else. Ah well; Ikael will get over it eventually, whatever it is.

~*~

Thancred traipses to the kitchen the next morning to find breakfast non-existent. Ikael must be pausing in his newly-adapted routine, then. No matter; he makes better eggs than Thancred does, Thancred will admit, but it is only a small luxury to miss.

Thancred is in the middle of scraping the blasted sticking yolk off his frying pan when Ikael passes by, backpacking a rather large mound of woolly, red-brown fur. Thancred pauses in his rigorous egg-scratching to stare.

One look at the downturn to Ikael’s face shows that he is still rather miserable; indeed, it seems as if this is the last thing he wants to be doing. Thancred considers Ikael's temperament (poor), considers his accounting skills (also poor), considers Tataru’s reaction if this goes wrong again, and makes a split-second decision. Just for… insurance. Perhaps literally.

It is not difficult to tail Ikael in general, and even less so when he is lugging a giant stuffed bear on his back. Or perhaps “hugging” would be a more accurate term—Ikael has its arms wrapped around him as if he is giving a ride to a particularly delicate child.

Thancred follows him—stopping to snag a muffin from a traveling baker to eat in lieu of his burnt eggs—to the merchant plaza of Vesper Bay, where he stops. Thancred stops as well, feeling oddly guilty for spying even as he ducks behind a cart.

Ikael unwraps the bear’s arms from his neck with care. He gives it a long, tight hug.

“I’ll miss you, Bigsy,” he mumbles in a tight voice. Thancred hears a sniff, and watches as Ikael buries his face into the bear’s shoulder. He stays like that for a minute, and then reluctantly lifts his head, pressing a kiss to Bigs—the bear’s furry cheek and giving him one final squeeze. Thancred shakes off the strange sense that he is witnessing some tear-jerking farewell. Rubbish. The bear isn’t even alive. Yet…

“I love you,” Ikael mutters, voice breaking. “I-I’ll never forget you. Ever.”

Oh, come on. That isn’t even fair.

Finally, Thancred watches as Ikael goes over to who seems to be a children’s toy vendor, and begins to mumble about a return and “undoing the money check.” It is painfully obvious he has no idea how the process actually works (he seems to have written out a check from the Scions instead of himself, from what Thancred can gather), but the vendor seems to understand that a charge has to be withdrawn. They give the bear—which Ikael does not seem to want to let go of, if how desperately he is clinging to it is any indication—a onceover, and nod when they are satisfied that it is undamaged.

“Just your name, please, sir,” they say, reaching for a small book and beginning to rifle through it.

“U-um,” Ikael stutters, “Ik—Ikael?”

The vendor pauses before giving him a polite smile. “The name under which the check was made,” they clarify, not unkindly.

“O-oh. Scions of the Seventh… Dawn,” Ikael mumbles, turning red at the reminder of his mishap. “U-um. We live by the—by—over… there?”

He points. Thancred lets his head drop against a wall. Yes, perhaps it is a bit much to presume that they are still a secret organization, but they can at least pretend.

The vendor finds the check, and the return proceeds smoothly. Ikael wanders away looking absolutely devastated, but at least he does not cause any more monetary problems.

As soon as he is out of earshot, Thancred smoothly steps in, giving the vendor his most charming smile.

“What a lovely assortment of toys you have here, my dear,” he wheedles. “Say, that giant bear—how much for it?”

The vendor glances in the direction Ikael left, something like pity flitting across their face. But Thancred is a willing buyer, and of course they will not turn him down. They rattle off a price, Thancred barters with a smile and a few honeyed words, and a few minutes later Thancred is the owner of an only-slightly-overpriced Bigsy. Paid for directly, this time.

Ikael does not seem to have returned to the Waking Sands, so it is little issue to drop the bear off in his room. Thancred sets him—it; Thancred sets it—down on Ikael’s bed, giving its stomach a little pat before leaving. Hopefully, Ikael will return ere long. Thancred fancies that Bigsy will feel his absence if he does not.

~*~

Thancred is just about dozing off when he hears a timid rap on his door. He allows himself a smile before schooling his expression and getting up.

Surely enough, it is Ikael. But something is wrong; his face is twisted, and although he will not meet Thancred's eyes, there is a set to his own that makes Thancred think the avoidance is not out of shyness.

“Can I—can I speak with you?” Ikael requests in a soft voice. Thancred nods, stepping back, but Ikael instead turns on his heel and totters off. Thancred closes his door and follows him.

They go to Ikael’s room. Thancred sees Bigsy, lying on the bed, blankets lovingly tucked around him. He has to smile at the sight. He turns to Ikael to make a comment, only to find sharp eyes watching his expression intently.

“It was you,” Ikael blurts before Thancred can say anything.

Thancred smiles once more, even as Ikael’s expression twists. “Yes, it was me,” he says. “But do not worry ab—”

“Why would you—why would you do that?” Ikael demands, voice wet. “I-I-I—was it to get me in trouble with—with Tataru?” He smears a wrist across his eyes. “I-is it to—I-I don’t know how to—I can’t—I…”

He takes a slow, shuddering breath, closing his eyes. Thancred frowns, fearing that he has greatly misunderstood something. “Ikael,” he begins.

Ikael shakes his head vigorously. “No!” he says. “No—stop. I-I… I can give you the money, and then you go back and pay, alright? Or—or…” His face creases. “I-I’ll have to go return him again. Did you—did you want me to get arrested? I-is that it?”

This time, Thancred looks at him in some shock. “You think I stole him?” he exclaims, any momentary sympathetic thought fleeing at that presumption.

Ikael looks at Bigsy, and what is left of his expression crumples. He stumbles his way over, climbing onto the bed and curling up against Bigsy’s woolen torso. He wraps himself in his arms.

“I don’t know,” he cries, voice muffled. “Didn’t you? To—to—make me get into trouble?”

Thancred sits on the bed. “Whyever would I do such a horrid thing?” he says. Ikael peeks at him. Thancred's deep frown seems to be indication enough that he is perhaps jumping to at least one conclusion, if not many, because he untenses somewhat.

“So you… you didn’t steal him?” Ikael ventures. He sounds incredibly hesitant.

Thancred's mouth twinges. “No,” he says shortly. “And I dread to imagine why you would think me willing to do such a thing.”

It stings a little, to be quite honest. But perhaps it has been a rougher week for Ikael than Thancred had guessed, and the assumption is owed more to that than his character. Hopefully, at least.

Ikael straightens up, ever-so-slowly. “Because you… still hate me because of the vase thing,” he says in a small voice.

It is because of that, then. Thank the Twelve.

“I would not hold such a trifling incident against you,” Thancred says, lessening his frown a little.

Ikael says nothing in direct response, apparently rendered momentarily speechless. He shifts Bigsy’s arms to hug himself tighter.

“Besides,” Thancred continues, “It would be remiss of me to hold you accountable for a crime you did not even commit.”

Ikael immediately stills. “U-uh,” he stammers, “What do you—what—what do you mean?”

Even now, he is bad at this. Thancred gives him a pointed look, raising his eyebrows. “Really, Ikael,” he says, “You are a terrible liar. And if you are going to cover for someone, at least have a solid alibi. Or one at all.”

Ikael opens and closes his mouth uselessly for a few seconds, as if the possibility that Thancred had easily seen through his flimsy lie is unfathomable to him. He probably does not even know what an alibi is.

“So you… don’t hate me?” he manages after an awkwardly long minute. “You—you—why did you… why did you steal Bigsy, then?”

“I didn’t steal him,” Thancred gently reminds him. He reaches forward to pet Bigsy’s soft arm. To his mild amusement, Ikael takes Bigsy’s other arm and pets him back. “You seemed very attached to him. It seemed a shame to break up such a strong relationship, so I bought him back for you.”

Ikael’s already teary eyes become shinier. He squeezes Bigsy tightly, much like he had earlier that day in the market.

“Today’s been such a—such a—horrid week,” he sobs. Thancred makes a sympathetic noise, politely not pointing out how little sense that makes. “And—and… you hated me because of the vase and then Bigsy was my only friend and then he left and…”

Thancred pats Ikael on the leg, offering what compassion he can give. Bigsy seems better-equipped to handle a crying Ikael than he is.

Thankfully, Ikael seems to get over himself before too long. He pulls Bigsy over, sniffling only a little, and drapes them both over a surprised Thancred.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, squeezing very gently. Thancred feels a touch of wetness on his neck.

“You are very welcome, my dear friend,” he replies, slowly hugging back. He feels an unbidden smile tug at his lips and allows it, only lightly rolling his eyes at himself. Gods forbid he is surprised at a sincere hug from Ikael of all people.

But he supposes a good deed does, as they say, eventually return to those who perform it.

~*~

#ikael #thancred #writing #drabble #hello hello!#it is i with a Writing

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kyunsies · 3 years

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hey there mädch!!! how are you? and how’s school? i hope it’s going well!! i’m sorry for not checking in for a while 😞😞 my phone has been all wonky so i had to get a new one. (also ive never realised you could change the colour of text in until now Jajsns this is so cool.) ahh i have sm to catch up on 😩 i saw that kyun has a small documentary!! oh my im so excited i want to watch, im glad he’s getting to express himself like this 🥺 also?? monsta x coming out with a new song?? AHH im so exited. ANDDD kyun’s photoshop?? HE LOOKS SO AMAZING AHH he’s such a model 😩. ajjsjd mädch there’s sm things to look forward to and i wish i could do it today but my mum’s been telling me i need to rest :(( i’ve gotten my first dose of the vaccine today!!! and i’m fine, i haven’t been feeling much symptoms except for some tiredness but i know best not to argue with my mummy 😂 mmm i’m thinking of what else to say aisjsnnd ahh i really hope you’re well mädch!!! i missed you lots— oh wait! i remember something i can talk about widjdj i got my ears pierced this week, i’ve gotten my ears pierced before but i’ve always been scared of needles so i was so nervous ajdjdn it turned out well but it ended up getting infected 🥲 and now it hurts, for something so small like this it shouldn’t hurt sm 😭 but it looks pretty so i can’t complain tooo much. my mum also got a piercing too!! she got a nose piercing and she looks so cool (as she should, she looks so pretty 😌) — oh right, let me continue where i left off. i hope you’re well!!! and i hope school isn’t being too hard on you :( ik school and be tuff and exhausting so hope it’s been easy for you so far. you’re amazing mädch so no matter what ik you’ve got it ❤️ - 🐺

hello my sweet 💕💞💖💓💘💗 sorry I took so long to respond, i needed time off to clear my head for the most of the day yesterday and last night :’) school is going okay hun, i just got back from my home health rotation for the day, i have another one tomorrow !! it went well :) how are you today? don’t be sorry okay? i know you’re busy 🥺

and YEAH lol you can play around with the colors !!!! and the fonts and other things, it’s really nice <3 we’re you able to watch the documentary hun?? it was really lovely wasn’t it? 🥺 i was so happy that baverse gave us a chance to learn more about him, ahhh 💗💞💖 AND RHE CB YEA !!! i’m super duper excited about that I don’t even care like i just really miss mx so much right now :(((

you for your vaccine !!!!!!! congratulations my love i’m sure it’s relieving yes? the first dose really isn’t too bad, i just worry about the second :( i’m sure u remember me saying this but it really wiped me out and i was bedridden for the whole day 😭 i hope you don’t feel as crummy as i did :( just take it easy a little bit !!! and oh my Ghosh you got your ears pierced !!!! i’m sure it looks so pretty 🥰 so you like good jewelry more or silver? i never wear silver lol i think it looks terrible on me :’) and your mom got one too !!!!! she’s a stunner, i can see it already <3

but i’m doing fine bubbie, uni really is okay so far !! i had my first exam in monday and i got a pretty good score on it, so it was nice to just get that out of the way you know? thank you so much for checking in 🥺💖 i love and miss you so much !! you know i’m always always here if you need it okay? 💗💞💖💓💕💘

#asks #🐺 anon #sorry to make u wait angel :( hope you’re taking care today !!!

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