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#and anyway i'm sure he'd appreciate the sentiment
teatreeoilll · 3 months
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|| Missions (Gojo Satoru X Reader) ||
(Reposted from my old blog which I don't have access to anymore (thanks Tumblr), if you liked it reblogs or likes would be appreciated to get me back on track since I've lost all my followers and half my work :(
There's not much to do after Geto leaves everyone heartbroken, (mentions of geto X reader).
MDNI just in case; language, mentions of sexual acts. So much angst.
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"Coming back?" Gojo laughs at the sentiment, he runs his hand through his hair, but it just keeps falling back to cover his eyes. He knows he shouldn't say it, but he feels sorry for you, almost as sorry as he feels for himself. He looks at you, replacing the bandages on your arm, trying to keep your wound sanitary until someone finds Shoko.
"Yeah, you just saw him - you and Shoko. When's he coming back?" You wince at the pain radiating from your arm to the rest of your body.
"Suguru's not coming back."
"Then bring him back," you hiss at him, "what's the use of all that power if you can't even do that?"
Gojo knows you don't mean it. He knows you're hurt because you were away when Geto finally called because of your nasty habit of keeping your phone off when you're away on missions. But even though he knows you don't mean it, he's not in the right mood to exercise any self-control.
"Not my fault he didn't want to fuckin' see you, is it?"
"Get out," you try to keep your composure, but anger bursts through easily a moment later, "Get the fuck out!"
When Shoko comes, you're the only one left in the infirmary. The floor is full of bandages you tried to wrap around your wound but kept ripping up, too tense to put them on gently.
She picks them up silently while listening to the sobs you try to muffle by burying your face in the palms of your hands. Unlike Satoru, she doesn't say a word. Even her cursed technique couldn't mend a broken heart, and words seemed futile.
"He didn't call me," you turn your puffy eyes to her, to which she promptly stops her actions, "He didn't text, he didn't say anything. He had no problem fucking me in the showers because he was so sad, and you know baby, you're the only thing keeping me sane," you grumbled, imitating Suguru's deep voice with a raspy tone, "'keeping me sane' my ass."
And just as you wished she'd say something like 'Suguru said he tried to reach you', or 'He said he was sorry', she simply took your wounded hand in hers, "Don't move, okay?"
-
It's been three full months. Three months was longer than your entire relationship - if one could even call it that - with Geto Suguru. You kept your distance from everyone but Shoko, going in and out of Jujutsu High almost daily.
"Let me take this one," Gojo meets you when you come out of Yaga's office after a quick mission debrief. You walk past him, but he easily matches your pace, following you down the hallway. "Come on, you look like you need a day off."
"I'm fine," you walk faster now, there's a limit to how long he'd follow you, isn't there?
"Yeah, you look just as fine as me."
You stop in your tracks at his comment. Only when you finally turn to look at him, do you notice the remnants of dark circles under his eyes and the light creases on his uniform, giving him an uncharacteristically disheveled look.
"Satoru, you look horrible," you mutter, widening your eyes.
Gojo laughs, putting a long arm over your shoulder, "Me? Have you looked in the mirror recently? If you keep looking like that, someone might accidentally exorcise you."
Something about his demeanor lifts the horrible mood you've been in, you burst out laughing at his statement, "Exorcise me?" You breathe, still smiling, "You're so pale they might accidentally bury you."
He lets his arm hang loosely over your shoulder, "Go to sleep, I'll take this mission. Shoko said she's tired of seeing your face in the infirmary every other day anyway."
"She did not say that!"
"Well, she didn't say that, but I'm sure she wants to."
-
Gojo was quite sure that taking the load of missions you've put upon yourself would make you feel better, and that doing something for someone else would help him focus on anything else. Unfortunately, the consequences were quite the opposite. Your days moved slowly and uneventfully, trapping you in a constant state of reminiscing in the familiar environment you desperately wanted to get away from.
Gojo was gone for days at a time. After a while, you decided to camp out in his room, waiting for his eventual return. You already drifted to sleep on a chair in the corner when he opened the door.
"Got our rooms mixed up?" You jolted awake at the sudden voice, seeing Gojo's outline take his shoes off at the entrance to the dark room.
"No, I was waiting for you," you muttered, still wiping the sleep off of your eyes.
"Oh - as much as I'd love to, I'm not doing this to get any favors back."
You frown at his comment, "stop taking my missions, Satoru. I agreed to it just that once."
"You look like you're finally getting enough sleep." He settles himself on the bed, taking his jacket off.
"It's because there's nothing to do but sleep, I think I'm going to lose it." You get up from the chair, making your way to the door, "thank you, but please tell Yaga you'll stop covering for me."
"Ah, don't thank me," the small smile he has on his lips is illuminated by the dull light coming off the alarm clock on his nightstand.
"No, really. Thank you." you smile back at him.
"No, don't thank me, 'cause I'm not going to do it."
"You what?" You freeze, "It's not funny."
"That's good, because I'm not joking."
"I don't think you understand, I'm not asking you - I'm telling you." You make your way to the middle of the room, standing above his bed, looking down on his unbothered expression.
"I don't think you understand, I'm not giving you back your missions until you get your act together. D'you want me to call Ieri to count the amount of times you were close to losing a limb?"
"I don't think it's for you to decide just how together my act is."
"Then who's it for, huh? You clearly can't. Now, d'you mind? I'm tired." He gets up from the bed to fix up his sheets, paying no mind to your growing impatience.
"I'm not leaving until you give me back my missions," you cross your arms.
He shrugs you off, opening a drawer to pull out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. You try to ignore the heat rushing to your face as he shamelessly starts to change in front of you.
"Quit it, Satoru." You're mesmerized by the way the muscles on his back move when he pulls the top of his uniform off, throwing it on the chair you were sleeping on moments ago, before putting on a gray t-shirt. When his hands reached to unzip his trousers, you grabbed his arm, trying to pull it away from performing the action, "Quit it!"
He shakes your hand off of his, finally turning to you, locking his eyes with yours, "I'll quit it when you stop moping around."
"I'm not moping!" You exclaim so suddenly that it even startles you a bit.
"Yeah, sure you're not." His eyes inspect your face.
"I'm not." You pull back your shoulders in a desperate attempt to seem more assertive.
"M-hmm," he utters, his face leaning closer to yours, a knot forms in your stomach when you see his eyes shift their gaze to your lips. You find yourself drawing closer to his lips, tipping your body just slightly forward, close enough to feel his breath on your skin.
"I'm not," you're so close your lips brush against his when you whisper, your hands run up his back, lifting his shirt, your cold fingers sending a chill up his spine. He presses you against his chest in one swift move, locking you within his arms before pressing his lips to yours.
"You better not," he breathes into your mouth.
-
"Does it mean I can have my missions back now?" you look at his crimson-colored face, still panting softly.
"After that? You can have mine too," He laughs.
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lucettapanchetta · 13 days
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[LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment
[ If you didn't know, I have a messenger in the works ever since the initial broadcasting attempt. ]
[ Oh really now? ]
[ Yes. I made this one long after the unfortunate demise of my previous messengers. ]
[ Well, that seems to be rather proactive, especially coming from you. ]
[ Well, it's always nice to have a template, wouldn't you say? ]
[ Yes, I agree with that sentiment quite a bit. ]
[ ... ]
[ I do have to ask though, what will you change with this messenger in particular? ]
[ Well, considering that this is our "final" attempt to get in contact with Moon, I did a fair share of modifications to its anatomy. ]
[ Such as? ]
[ For one, its esophageal wideness and gastric pouch capacity have doubled. ]
[ Isn't that interesting. Why specifically those parts though? ]
[ For storing pearls of course. My messenger must be able to protect our information in order to aid Moon and Five Pebbles. ]
[ Oh? I wonder what you wrote on them. ]
[ Nothing. I haven't started them yet, but I can give a gist of what will be written. ]
[ Go ahead. I'm listening. ]
[ The first one is for context. The messenger will give this to Five Pebbles as an instructional guide of sorts. ]
[ Made this one to ensure he doesn't do anything drastic. I personally don't like his way of thinking. ]
[ Well, I wouldn't mind lending a hand in writing that one. Honestly, it would probably make Five Pebbles a lot more reassured if it was written by me. ]
[ Fair enough, I don't think he'd appreciate my style of humor anyways. ]
[ With that being said, the second pearl is a fail-safe if all goes wrong. ]
[ Doesn't seem quite helpful if you ask me. ]
[ Well, this pearl is also a broadcast amplifier in the event it is overwritten or erased. ]
[ A broadcast amplifier? ]
[ Yes, it would probably be a good idea to let him speak one last time if anything bad were to happen. ]
[ Eh, that's not at all depressing to think about. Could we move on to something else? ]
[ My apologies. ]
[ Anyways, once the fail-safe pearl is added to the communication pylon, it will brute force Five Pebble's voice to the other broadcast groups without seniority privileges. ]
[ Oh, so you are jailbreaking pearls now? How uncouth! You know our creators would find that quite apprehensible~ ]
[ Haha well, if our creators didn't want us to do that, then they should've made us all lobotomites instead. ]
[ Nice one. ]
[ When do you think it'll be finished? ]
[ Give or take, 25 cycles at most? Not sure honestly. ]
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misc-obeyme · 26 days
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can you imagine everyone's reactions to mc saying "i would die for you!" like say someone gets a thing mc was really hoping for and they're so grateful they say that only to get met with a horrified look ranging from "please don't say that :(" to "how DARE you WE are going to be TOGETHER FOREVER >:((("
LOL!
Listen I think this is especially funny considering that MC is still mortal and will eventually die anyway.
I personally would be more likely to say "I could kiss you!" because I want to see the reaction, but "I would die for you!" is so good too.
I think Lucifer would be in the "please don't say that" camp. You're definitely getting a "yare yare" out of him for that.
I actually see Mammon reacting this way, too, but more like "don't say that! quit temptin' fate!" He just strikes me as the superstitious type.
Levi would say "NO I will die for you!"
You're gonna get how dare you from Asmo and Satan, I think.
Beel also feels like he'd be in the don't say that camp. You're making him sad just thinking about it.
Belphie, I'm not so sure. I think it depends on your relationship with him. Considering certain Lesson 16 happenings, he might just react with surprise and concern and guilt.
Diavolo would just laugh and say he appreciates the sentiment.
Barbatos would smile indulgently and tell you that won't be necessary.
Simeon would also laugh, but then follow it up with the "please don't say that."
Solomon would definitely laugh and he'd probably say something about how cute you are, but underneath that smile he's thinking "don't you dare" lol.
Thirteen would tell you not to die before your time, she's content to wait for your shiny soul.
I like to think Mephisto might start with something like "aha of course you would!" dfladfkjdf he's so funny to me.
Raphael would get confused because like okay he understands the sentiment but he doesn't really want you to die for him, so he's not sure how to react.
In the end i think you'll definitely get a general consensus of NO DYING, THANKS.
They're all in denial about MC's mortality. Except Thirteen. Hmm. Hmmmm I'm getting Thirteen fic ideas about this now. I just really love the concept of the reapers in general.
Anyway, this is just my opinion as always lol!
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thezombieprostitute · 2 months
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Changing Minds - Part 1
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Summary: Your long time work acquaintance Nick Fowler offers to take you to a fancy fundraiser as a way of cheering you up. He insists it's only as friends but when he sees you falling into the grasp of someone he knows is no good, he might change his mind on that.
Word Count: ~1200
Warnings: Implied violence and attempted murder. Please let me know if I missed any.
A/N: Reader is an older female (late 30's +). This is part of the Garbage Men AU. I'm not yet sure if this will be a full series or just a two part story.
Part 2
Series Masterlist
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Nick pulled up to the City Clerk’s offices. He had all the off times memorized so he could always get a good parking spot. He had some clues to follow up on with McMann. 
He also had your work schedule memorized so he knew he'd get the right help. He once made the mistake of thinking someone else could help him while you were on vacation. Never again. Thankfully your quiet demeanor didn't seem to extend to him and you would let him know when you'd be out, barring a sick day here or there.
He’d asked you before about why you worked so many hours. “You have seniority here. Have some of the younger people work the overtime.”
“They’re just kids,” you chide him. “Let them enjoy life a little. If they want the overtime, they get it but I’m happy to see them actually having lives. If I can help keep the world from breaking them so quickly I’ll happily do it.”
Nick smiled at the memory of your conversation. The smile dropped when he walked up to your desk and noticed your red, puffy eyes; your trash bin filled with tissues. “What happened,” he asked. 
“Oh,” you sniffle, “it’s just some allergies is all.”
“You’ve never had allergies before. What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter, Nick,” you objected. “Now, how can I help you?”
“You can help me by telling me what happened.”
You tried to stare him down but knew from experience it would be a losing battle. When Nick wanted answers, he got them somehow or another. You sag your shoulders and tell him, “you remember I was visiting family recently?” He nods. “I…my ex-boyfriend…hooked up with my sister. They got married last month and no one told me. It was a big wedding, too.” 
Nick nods in sympathy, “no notice or anything. Doesn’t sound like good family to me.”
You agree, “and I know it shouldn’t bother me. He is an ex-boyfriend after all. But…it still hurts. My sister said they didn’t tell me because they didn’t want me to ruin their special day by being upset.” You laugh harshly, “I guess I’m just proving their point.”
“No,” Nick demurred. “They are in the wrong here. Someone should have at least told you they were together. I’m sorry they hurt you.”
You sniffle, “thanks Nick. It’s nice to have someone on my side.” You smile up at him and he smiles back. “Anyways, what are you here for? How can I help you?”
The two of you easily step into your usual work rhythm. You spend a couple hours finding all the documents Nick is looking for, getting them scanned, and everything else he needs. The work is intermingled with the occasional joke or story. You and Nick have gotten along well ever since he learned you could help him with the most detailed of requests. Where others would give him a binder to sort through, you seemed to always know where in the binder the exact information was. Nick appreciated that kind of skill. 
As he’s wrapping to go he takes another glance at the tissues in your trash bin, a reminder of your tears and hurt. He turns to you and asks, “have you heard the phrase “the best revenge is living well”? It’s not the exact line, but you get the sentiment.” You shake your head no and he continues, “I know you don’t like hurting people but I don’t think you should wallow in your pain. Your best option to get revenge on your family for excluding you is to, well, live well. Show them they didn’t hurt you as much as they think.”
“That’s a nice idea, Nick, but my life is so dull I don’t know that I can.”
“Well,” he hesitates, “I’ve got a charity event coming up. It’s nothing too fancy, not a black-tie thing. But I could use a plus one.” Your eyebrows raise in surprise. “It’s not a date,” he quickly assures. “I just get tired of inane conversation and could use a friend to help me out.”
“Why go at all if you don’t enjoy it?”
“Work requirement. My bosses want me to schmooze a few people. Having you with me might actually be helpful. If you’re up for it.” You consider his words and he goes on, thinking to sweeten the deal, “the drinks are free, you can dress up, and maybe you’ll meet someone who’ll help you completely forget about that ex of yours.”
You smile, “you know what, Nick? That sounds absolutely lovely.”
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The day of the event you get the notification from Nick telling you he’s outside your building. When you step outside he immediately spots you and his eyebrows raise.
“Is..is something wrong with my dress,” you ask.
“Not a thing,” he whispers. “I just…I never would’ve figured you to have something so…high class.”
“Oh, yeah,” you smile, heat hitting your cheeks. “I honestly was never expecting to have an opportunity to wear it. But sometimes you just need to treat yourself. I’d sometimes put the dress on and walk around my apartment just because it made me feel pretty.”
“Well, please allow me to confirm that you are very pretty,” Nick smiles as he opens the car door for you. You thank him as you get in, completely unaware of Nick’s internal dialogue about whether or not to make this an actual date. 
Nick continues to be a gentleman as you arrive at the event. He opens your door for you and offers his arm to walk you inside. You eagerly accept, surprised at how beefy his arm feels. He generally wears long sleeves so you had no idea he was hiding so much muscle. 
You walk inside and breathe a little easier when you see that Nick was right in saying it wasn’t an overly formal affair. Part of you had worried you would be under-dressed. Nick walks you around, showing you where things are (especially the open bar), and answering your questions about the event’s etiquette. Remembering that you’re supposed to be here as just friends, once you’re comfortable, you let Nick get to work and wander around on your own.
Nick is trying to focus on his work, getting intel and talking up influential people. But he makes sure to keep an eye out for you, making sure you’re having fun. He finishes up a conversation and hears you laughing loudly before quickly trying to muffle yourself. Nick smiles as he looks for you, but it quickly drops when he sees who you’re with. 
Clark Kent, nicknamed Man of Steel because of his near monopoly of the industry. His union busting and bribery has kept him on top and made him richer than any one man should be. Nick’s been working for the Family to try to find anything that can bring him down. Unfortunately, he’s bulletproof. Nothing sticks and he gets to keep his incredibly clean record and reputation. And he’s chatting you up, making you laugh. 
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Part 2
Series Masterlist
Please let me know if you'd like to be tagged.
@alicedopey
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thatfreshi · 6 months
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Radio Silent (Uni AU P. 10)
tw - mentions of abuse, themes of anxiety, general insecurity
The night fizzles out the way you expect it to, disappearing without a word to your friends in the diner, letting your new, yet reluctant friend, drive you home. You'd simply deal with Shadowheart when she got back to the dorm.
Just as Astarion said, he's gone the next morning, but the two of you text quite often. He finds it easier to talk to you through pixels on a screen, where he can pretend like you're not this very real person who knows far too much about him. On the plane ride to LA, he doesn't sleep, which isn't odd for him. Instead, he thinks about the past couple of days and how you've wriggled your way into his life, into his head. Instead of trying to put his feelings into tangible sentences, he makes a playlist while waiting the hours away and catches up on some much-needed reading.
Thursday comes around, and the group is pissed at him, as you expected them to be.
"Damnit, he's the reason we picked my lunch break to do this during anyways! You think he'd at least stick to plans like a reasonable individual."
"Gale, it's not like he chose to go on a spur-of-the-moment trip to California. It's a work thing, not in his control."
You almost sound a little angry when the words come out, knowing that he's probably going through some hell that all your friends don't know about. Gale picks up on this sentiment, and leaves the conversation at that, mumbling something about how they'll all just update him on the project details later. Indeed, you all talk in the group chat with him about plans for the upcoming assignment, which he sporadically responds to. Although, he always responds to your texts, even if he ignores the group chat. Astarion argues with himself about it in his head, trying to reason with himself, saying things like 'it's just because the group chat is overwhelming.' For how good of a liar he is, he's not good at lying to himself.
Friday morning, he goes radio silent, which you're not concerned by at first. He's busy, probably busier than you've ever been in your life. Yet, he had made time to text you since Monday night. It starts to worry you when Saturday and Sunday both pass with nothing new. You hold yourself back from asking if everything's alright, knowing if something is stressing him out it's probably better to just let him deal with it and get back to you. And yet, you don't talk to him until he's back, and you're not even the first one to hear that he's back on campus.
"Oh yeah, I saw him in the elevator earlier. Tried being nice like you said, I even waved! You should be proud. Doesn't seem like he appreciated it though."
Shadow rolls her eyes, almost covered by her bangs that she desperately needs to trim. You're not sure exactly why, but you rush to his dorm room, knocking frantically. It's Monday night, which is surprising. You could've sworn he said he'd be back Tuesday morning, but maybe you misremembered. The door creaks open.
"Oh, hello Tav."
Astarion's eyes are weary, which you chalk up to not being able to sleep on the plane.
"Hello? You haven't texted me since Thursday, what the hell? I thought you like died or something."
"Nope, not dead, very much alive. Got wrapped up in some work affairs over the weekend, fashion people can be quite dramatic. Either way, I apologize. I'm still quite new to the 'having a genuine friend' thing."
"Well, how's your arm?"
He scoffs.
"It's... it's fine. Weird to have someone ask."
At this point, he's opened the door and let you in. You're welcomed to a sight of half un-packed luggage and a stack of leather binded books on the coffee table.
"Holy shit Astarion, did you rob a bookstore while you were in California?"
"Nope, all from the library. Missing out on a week of school when you're a senior here comes with its disadvantages. For example, I have had no time to work on my thesis essay, and I've barely even unpacked from the trip itself. Although, I did snag this."
He takes out a garment bag that has been carefully finessed to fit in his suitcase without wrinkling whatever is hidden inside. His fingers nimbly move to unzip the bag, revealing a white faux fur coat.
"Now, do I wear too much white? Absolutely, but passing up on this? I could never."
You almost feel bad, not knowing anything about clothes or what makes them cool, but to your credit, you know it's a nice coat. He slips it on, happy with his latest thievery.
"Well, what do you think? Is it stunning, or is it stunning?"
In that moment, while you're about to make some quip like 'go look for yourself, you realize he has no mirrors in the dorm, not even in the bathroom that you've only ever caught a glance of.
"I would say look for yourself, but you don't have any mirrors. That's shocking."
"Well, I had the one in the bathroom removed. Guess I'm just not particularly a fan of reflections."
"How come?"
He stares at a detail on the sleeve of the coat.
"You get tired of seeing your face after a while."
"Well, I think it looks fabulous, and so do you."
"Wish I felt just as fabulous."
He lets out a small laugh, shrugging his way out of the blinding fabric. There's something left unsaid in the air, you can feel it as he goes to hang up his new treasure.
"What really happened this weekend?"
Astarion tenses, almost dropping the hanger he so delicately placed the jacket on.
"I... I'd rather not say. I know I told you a lot the other night, but there are truly some things best left as skeletons in the closet. Maybe in time, but not today. I can't today."
"That's okay. I was just worried, that's all."
"Funny, I'm so used to people prying all the time. It's pleasant, getting to have secrets when I talk to you."
He comes back out into the living room.
"Would you like to stay for a while? You don't have to help unpack or anything, just be here."
"Sure, as long as you don't mind. And I would gladly help you unpack. Besides, you have a master thesis to get back to."
"I suppose I do. Thanks, I won't forget this."
"What, like you need to trade some favor back or something? Because that's not necessary."
"You're too nice for your own good."
The pale man puts some soft R&B on, and the two of you go ahead and start putting all his things away. Although, he doesn't let you handle any of his nice clothes. You learn that the hard way when he bats your hand away from a pair of very expensive jeans.
"They're just jeans, I promise I won't taint them!"
"Yes, they are just jeans, but they're also 800-dollar jeans, and I am not risking it."
You continue to ask him about various articles of clothing, what shoots he took them from. He remembers every single one. Although, he does skip out on some details, brushing past parts of his tales without a second thought. You don't mind though, knowing it's probably just things he isn't ready to talk about. At some point you become distracted by the stack of books on the nearby table, and start looking at all the titles. They're all related to ethics, morality, or philosophy in some way, but particularly focused on the psychology of abusers and the abused.
"I thought you weren't a philosophy person?"
Astarion's voice almost makes you jump, taking you out of reading the back of one of the books.
"Is this what you're doing your thesis on?"
"I mean I'd like to, but I'm still not sure. Feel as though the head of the department will be surprised when I present it to him."
"How come?"
"Because I've always made my projects, lifeless, I guess. I've always written and studied by the book, never touched on emotional topics. Just don't want people asking questions."
"So, what specifically are you going to look into?"
"The philosophy of abusers, how power imbalances change our moral codes, that kind of thing."
You lightly place the book back in the stack.
"I think you should do it. If anyone asks, just say you were curious about it."
"That's true, I am known to be quite curious. Now, are you going to help me with the rest of this, or have you given up?"
The night passes by too fast for his liking, as the two of you talk while he prepares for the week ahead. It's past midnight when you finally check your phone, seeing that you've received a couple of cheeky messages about your absence from Shadow.
"Is it late already?"
Astarion checks him phone as well.
"Perhaps it's time for you to go get some sleep darling. After all, not everyone is as extreme of an insomniac as I am."
"Yeah, I guess I should probably get back. Happy you're back though, and that you're okay."
Without really thinking about it, you go for a side hug, and make your way to the door.
"See you tomorrow?"
"Sure. See you tomorrow Tav."
And his smile is warmer than normal, knowing there's something to look forward to after a torturous night of barely any sleep. Maybe opening up to a single soul isn't so bad after all.
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good-beanswrites · 8 months
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heyo!! i thought I sent this in already, but I guess not o.O
for the writing ask game, morning! :D
Woo thank you pal! :D Fingers crossed for an upcoming inno sweep, have something with Kazui and Fuuta in the morning
(From this ask game)
Kazui's body remembered the sunrise. His mind wouldn't have thought much of it, stuck in a place like this, but his body pulled him from sleep at the same time each morning as if he were still in the habit and standing on the balcony watching the sun with his morning coffee.
He couldn't quite replicate the experience, though not for lack of trying. He'd dress, pick up whatever drink he could grab from the dining hall before it officially opened for breakfast, then move to the common room to sit and enjoy the morning in solitude. Even Kotoko, the next earliest riser, wouldn't make an appearance for an hour or so.
Which is why he nearly spit out the orange juice he'd swiped when Fuuta strolled in just after him and sat himself down directly next to him. It looked like his little silent retreat was out of the question for the day.
"Can I sit here?" Fuuta said, already taking a seat. He rubbed his good eye groggily.
"Uh, sure! I'd love the company." Kazui nodded to him, trying to hide the surprise in his face. He must have failed. Or maybe Fuuta would have leapt to defend himself regardless.
"I couldn't sleep, okay? I hear you come out here at the ass crack of dawn every day, I just wanted to see what you were up to."
Kazui gestured a hand across the empty room with a dry smile. "Just this, sorry to disappoint."
It was easiest to leave it at that. He wasn't sure how to articulate the reason early mornings were so sacred to him -- the peace and the solitude and the ability to be himself without a single expectation put on him. He could take some time to prepare himself for the day ahead without putting up any airs for anyone. It probably would've sounded pathetic to a kid like him, anyways. He was always so full of energy, Kazui doubted he'd need more than a minute to get himself ready for his day.
Fuuta sank deeper into his hoodie. "Hmph."
The two fell silent. Kazui grew antsy as he sipped his drink. At first it had been nice, sitting in something reminiscent of his old fishing trips. But he didn't think Fuuta appreciated the quiet the same way. Was he looking to talk? Was he waiting for more from him? Kazui had never wanted kids -- not like Hinako had dreamed of them -- so he didn't know the first thing about starting a conversation with someone his age.
As he scrambled for something to say, Fuuta whispered. "It's nice."
"Hm?"
"This. No prying eyes, nobody trying to start shit."
Kazui didn't mention that Fuuta was usually the one starting shit.
"I hope I didn't interrupt."
"Not at all! I'm glad you think it's peaceful too."
"Yeah... I do."
This time when neither of them spoke, there was no anticipation in it. Kazui breathed deep. His thoughts were allowed to drift freely. His mind felt at ease. He closed his eyes. Though there was no need to, he found himself opening his mouth.
"You know, I didn't realize how much I'd miss the sunrise."
Fuuta shifted. "Eh, I never saw it. I usually slept pretty late." He added, "I'm sorry you miss it, though."
"Thanks. I just hope I'll see it again..."
He wondered if the thought was too suddenly sentimental, but Fuuta nodded gravely. "I hope so too."
By the time prisoners started trickling into the common area, Kazui was calm and ready to begin his day. Fuuta stood to leave.
"Thanks for letting me hang out," he said.
"Heh, I should be thanking you. I didn't expect anyone to stick around for a boring old man like me."
Fuuta's expression twisted up. There was the energy Kazui had been expecting. "Jeez, you keep thinking you're so special! You're just like everyone else, you hear? You're not some boring old man no one likes. There's a lot of people just like you. A lot of us are just like you."
Kazui sat for one more moment after he left. He took the final sip of his drink.
A lot of them just like him? Now, that was a nice thought.
29 notes · View notes
larsnicklas · 29 days
Note
"#he legitimately goes into the category of players i can’t think about too often or too long for my own wellbeing LMAO" -> i'm hanging out in your matthew tkachuk tag rn and this is something i definitely can understand because i fell so fast and hard (was a Very Casual Very Chill Occasional Watcher hockey fan of the new york rangers almost exclusively until a month ago when i watched a few different games with one of my best friends and she introduced me to matthew and then....things escalated Very Quickly All Around) anyway this video was an absolute delight thank you so much for sharing it and for your lovely gifs and also please let me know if i am being too intense by randomly yelling in your ask box!!!! i just have so many hockey feelings that i don't know what to do with myself and i need to yell all the time and matthew is definitely the worst offender in being the cause of them all (but he's also the very best and i love him) anyway!!! thank you again for all the fabulous content you provide!!! i appreciate you!
asdlfkjalskj i stand by the sentiment!! he does bounce around in my mind but i'm not rotating him there on purpose he's just. rattling around in there. i'm delighted that he has ensnared you — he's very compelling i think, both on and off the ice! just one of the most exciting players to watch right now, with his high skill and hockey iq + the snarl his game has... he's just fantastic. thank god he can't skate (i say this affectionately) because he'd be too powerful if he could.
that vid is pretty old but it's one of my favorites!! i adore the dynamic between matthew and benny and i think matthew is very himself in this little segment — he's very personable by all accounts and does well on camera; whether that's innate or a product of growing up with a hockey-famous father (probably both!), it really plays to his benefit.
you're not at all being too intense!! you are always welcome to yell in my inbox about hockey!! i love the game and love a lot of players in their own ways and i always want to talk hockey hahaha. and omg thank you for the kind words about my gifs :') i'm so happy you enjoy them <3 and i hope you stick around since i am sure matthew will compel me to gif him again lots in the future!!
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shanesboyfriend · 1 year
Text
Like the Sun (Sam x Reader)
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been thinking about sam a lot lately. hope you enjoy!!
Sam x transmale!Reader (he/him)
Summary: You tried to figure out how to say this, if you wanted to say it at all. Everything could go wrong. He'd be the first person in the valley to know you were trans. That scared you. "If I tell you, you'll hate me." You settled on. "And I can't... I can't-"
WARNING: transphobia (not by Sam), semi-suggestive themes (16+)
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"You're comfy." You mumbled sleepily, curling more against Sam's chest. The two of you had been tentatively dating for a few weeks now. You'd dated people before, sure, but Sam was different. You wanted to take things slow with him. The two of you had been friends for a few seasons now and the last thing you'd wanted was to ruin that. So, the two of you were friends first and dating second. You'd watch him attempt his kickflips when you weren't busy with work and visited him at work. He invited you to play Solarian Chronicles with him, Sebastian, and Abigail and snuck you into his room some nights.
He was warm, like the sun, and had energy and charisma you could barely keep up with. A part of you always worried if, one day, you'd be caught in his light and burned up to ash if you stared at him too long.
But right now, listening to the sound of whatever movie he'd chosen to watch, you tried not to worry about that.
Sam blinked down at you where you lay curled up like a baby in his lap. You sat on his thighs with your legs curled up and your head tucked into his neck. His arms were around your waist to keep you from falling off. You loved being held by him. Definitely one of the top experiences of your life.
"Yeah?" Sam's voice was soft, almost surprised by the sentiment. "It's cause I'm in a sweatshirt, huh?" He teased, kissing the top of your head.
You nodded sleepily. "Mmhm. You should gimme it when I go home. Bet it'll smell like you..."
Sam blushed. "Y-yeah, alright. I can do that..."
It was nearing the middle of Fall so warm clothes would definitely be appreciated. Them coming from Sam just made them all the better. He always smelled good too but maybe you were a little biased.
You sat up slowly, straddling his thighs and gazing down at him. Soft blue eyes focused on you, not a second thought spared for the movie. He looked soft with his blush-warmed cheeks littered with freckles. His eyes were like the ocean in summer, bright and beautiful. You felt overwhelmed, running your hands through his gelled blonde hair, careful of his ear piercings. "You're beautiful." You said softly, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
Sam lit up with a bright smile. "Really?" He seemed surprised. "Yoba, I never- I've never-"
"You're beautiful," you repeated again. Sam's face softened and you kissed each of his cheeks.
He took the sides of your face in his hands, the metal of his rings chilling you a bit. "Is it okay if I kiss you?" Sam's voice was soft, almost inaudible over the sounds of the movie behind you.
The two of you hadn't kissed yet. It wasn't for lack of wanting it but simply because you were worried how it'd progress. You weren't out yet. Everyone in town addressed you as a man and no one batted an eye because they didn't know different. You were worried how the town would take it if they found out. But the idea of Sam finding out and being disgusted by you made you hesitate whenever initiating any kind of intimacy with Sam.
Like if you took things slow, it'd hurt less when he broke up with you.
"You may." You choked out anyways. When his lips met yours, you felt yourself burning up. He was bright, beautiful, and you didn't deserve him.
His hands rested on your waist, one hand traveling up to hold the back of your head as you kissed. You placed your hands on his shoulders and let yourself melt, like a pile of molten lava in his hands.
You loved him. You loved him. And the realization of this nearly made you burst into tears.
When the two of you finally separated, Sam stared up at you like you'd hung all the stars in the skies. His expression changed to one of concern. "What's wrong?" His hands were suddenly on your face, wiping your cheeks.
Guess you did burst into tears.
"You- You're-" You tried, words dying in your mouth. "You're so-"
Sam gave you a nervous look, running his hands through your hair in a soothing motion. "Look, I know I'm not that good a kisser. What's wrong?" He asked, looping his arms around your waist and clasping his hands behind your back.
You tried to figure out how to say this, if you wanted to say it at all. Everything could go wrong. He'd be the first person in the valley to know you were trans. That scared you. "If I tell you, you'll hate me." You settled on. "And I can't... I can't-"
"I could never hate you!" Sam interrupted, looking aghast. You had to avert your eyes. Looking at the sun always blinded those who stared too hard. "Babe, what's-"
"But you could hate me and that's- that's what scares me." You sniffed, more tears falling out of your control. You couldn't even register the pet name - that was definitely new, neither of you had done that until now - as your tears began falling faster, harder. "I can't- I can't lose you Sam. But I'm scared to- to tell you..."
Sam was quiet as you spoke. Then, he pressed a soft kiss to your lips and you felt your eyes flutter closed. "I mean... only reason I could hate you is if you, like, killed someone? But even then, I know you'd only be pushed to that if you had to. So my first question would probably be 'what did they do' rather than 'what have you done.'" That made you smile a bit. A sight Sam relished in.
You took a slow, deep breath. If you didn't do it now, you'd never do it. And Sam at least deserved to know the truth before he got more invested in you. "I'm trans." You said, squeezing your eyes closed. Here it came. He was going to dump you and tell the whole town and you'd have to move away again and-
"Alright. But what's got you so upset?" Sam asked, his tone filled with worry.
Slowly, you opened your eyes to stare at him. You opened and closed your mouth for a minute, stunned. "Sam, I'm trans."
The blonde nodded. "Yeah, you said."
"Doesn't that... bother you?"
Sam blinked at you, looking as stunned as you were. "No? Why should it?"
Your chest clenched and you felt like it was hard to breath. A wave of emotions hit you and you started crying again, burying your face in his neck now as you sobbed. Sam held you close though, quickly whispering soft reassurances in your ear. He could never hate you for that, he said. He loved you for you, you being trans wasn't a dealbreaker for him...
And so you told him.
You told him about your family. How you'd moved to Zuzu City from Grampleton because your parents weren't supportive of you. "You'll always be our little girl." Your moms cold voice echoed in your mind at the memory of the last fight. "Nothing you do will change that."
"She sounds like a bitch." Sam frowned, brow furrowing.
A soft giggle crawled its way from your throat, smiling at him. You clutched the soft material of the sweatshirt he wore, a thoughtful look on your face. "My friends at the time dropped me when they found out." You said softly. Sam's grip on you tightened. "They didn't waste time telling everyone in school too. I had to move in with my aunt in Zuzu City because my parents wanted nothing to do with me." You choked back a sob.
Sam held you close, a hand on the back of your head as his other hand rubbed slow circles into your back. He didn't say anything though, letting you let it all out.
"S-so then came the issue of my grandfather's will. H-he'd left the farm to me but my mom wanted to give it to my brother. S-so as soon as I turned eighteen I claimed it and- and I moved here a few years later... H-here I am." You chuckled wetly. "Twenty and living on a farm and- and crying all over the local rockstar."
The blonde snorted, kissing the side of your head. "Hey, I don't mind. You're only, like, a year younger than me." Sam nuzzled you, rubbing his cheek against your temple. "And I'm not gonna just drop you 'cuz you're trans. You're- I love you for you."
You clung to Sam helplessly. Like if you let go he'd disappear.
Sam continued rubbing circles in your back. The two of you sat in comfortable silence. A thought came to Sam and he smiled to himself. Carefully, he lifted you up into his arms and blushed at the soft squeal of surprise you let out. "Sam?" You asked as he carried you towards his room.
"Trust me." He said simply, opening the ajar door with a bump of his hip. Then, with his foot, he shut the door. Slowly, he lowered you to the bed and you stared up at him, his blonde hair illuminated by the sun leaking through the open bedroom window.
"Sam, I don't- What are we-?" You stuttered nervously. Your legs were still clamped down on either side of his hips and a rush of anxiety hit you.
Sam blinked before a blush returned to his face. "Oh! No- um, nono that's not what-" He sat on his knees with a nervous chuckle. "No, um. We're not- Not right now anyways."
You felt your heart lurch at that.
"Take your shirt off." Sam asked, blue eyes making you feel trapped under his gaze. He looked holy, the light giving him an almost-halo appearance. Your angel, bright as the sun.
You trusted him, like he'd asked you to. Your shirt came off slowly to reveal your binder underneath. Sam lowered himself on his hands over you with a warm smile. Somehow, even with the light no longer shining behind his head, he was still as bright as ever to you.
"What are you... what are you gonna do?" You asked quietly, wrapping your arms around your torso, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
Sam pressed a soft kiss to your cheek. "I want to show you how much you mean to me." His voice was low in your ear and made you shudder. "How handsome you are."
You went to protest but you were cut off by Sam kissing his way down from your cheek to your neck. You felt yourself heat up under his attention, his fire-hot hands running up and down your skin. He took your cold hands in his hands and tugged them gently away from your chest, pinning them on either side of your head. Instinctively, you tightened your legs around his waist. "Sam-"
"Easy," he said softly, kissing over your collarbone. Every spot he touched you felt burnt. "You deserve to be told you're perfect. Deserve to be shown..." Sam mumbled between kisses. At one point, he bit down softly on your neck and you had to clap a hand over your mouth to keep yourself from making a sound.
Sam giggled impishly into your neck and you felt your blush only worsen. "S-shut up..." You mumbled, no anger behind your words.
"You're my favorite, y'know that?" Sam said, voice quiet and meant just for you. You looked away from him, his gaze too much for you. But he didn't let you go far, cupping your cheek to turn your head back to face him. "I mean it. You're my favorite farmer in the whole valley. Favorite person even." Now Sam looked bashful, trying not to grin when you trembled.
Slowly, the hand not holding your face trailed down your torso, the featherlight touch making you shudder more. "Tickles," you whined softly.
Your boyfriend just snickered, pulling you more onto his lap, your legs practically wrapped around the middle of his back now. He leant down to kiss your stomach, working his way up - not even hesitating to kiss on the binder over your chest, like it was natural - to kiss your lips again. "You're perfect." Sam said plainly, like it was fact.
Covering your face with your hand made Sam whine, like a kicked puppy. "Don't hide your face, it's my favorite face." He pouted dramatically.
You scrunched your face up as you removed your hands, putting them on Sam's shoulders contemplatively. An idea struck you. "Gimme your sweatshirt."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "I don't have anything on underneath, y'know."
"Good," you mumbled, leaning up to kiss his lips. "Let's trade spots."
Sam lit up, happily shedding the article of clothing to pass to you. When you kissed him again, your own hands running down his chest, you felt yourself burning to ash.
And you liked it.
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Text
Broken Bloodlines Chapter 8
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Part 8!!!
we are now in the latter half of chapters!
this Story contains mentions of Vore, Dont like dont read. (also i drew a cover!)
CW; mentions of injuries, mentions of corpses, mentions of death.
have fun reading!
and as always reblogs are appreciated! (Also ASK’s are open so feel free to bother me!)
AO3 Link for those that prefer the layout there; https://archiveofourown.org/works/44627188
—————————————————————————— (the Cover i mentioned)
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Before I had made it even a few steps though I heard my name being called.
Looking to whoever was demanding my attention I saw Nea sitting on an empty cart and holding the smaller Arduas arm in an inescapable grip.
At least I didn't have to go up the slope now.
I went over to both of them and the little guy immediately darted behind Nea as best as he could.
Considering Nea was holding his upper arm that didn't do much though.
His reaction was understandable though, 
seeing as I had headbutted him into a boulder.
How did he recognize me anyway? 
Probably the bracelet if I had to guess.
I climbed onto the cart and sat down across from Nea and the little guy.
Though I was pretty sure Nea shouldn't sit like that with her injured foot.
Man, people around me really liked getting shot in the foot.
Nea held out the second Bracelet to me with her free hand, 
being careful not to put any of her fingers through it before stashing it away again.
“Took ya long enough! 
Last I saw of ya was when ya rammed one of tha catapults over!”
She pulled the little guy out from behind her and he looked absolutely spooked at me.
“So what are ya gonna do with the tiny here? 
He hasn't said a word and refuses ta speak”
Silent treatment eh? Well fair all of this must be rather scary,  especially after being rammed by something three times his size.
Yeah I messed up back there, I should probably apologize for that.
I crouched down a little to try and seem less threatening.
“Heya, what's your name?”
Maybe asking basic and simple questions would get him to talk?
I really hoped he didn't have a concussion though.
He just shook his head and shrank back further.
Still scared then, maybe he'd open up a little after I apologized?
“Look, i'm sorry for ramming into you like that,  i thought you'd be bigger and heavier and i really miscalculated there, i didn't intend to knock you out”
He just blinked for a second but still looked like a scared deer.
Nea then just lifted him up and set him down in front of her, 
effectively trapping him in the cart with one of her knees one one side and her arm on the other.
He looked panicked for the second Nea held him up like he weighed nothing, and to be fair that would freak me out too.
But I did not for a second doubt she could actually lift me up.
“Stop fussin lil’ lad, Donovan here won't hurt ya! He's a wuss like that!”
I wasn't a wuss, Nea was just very stab happy.
“I'm not a wuss Nea, i just don't want to hurt people that's all,  not everyone is as stab happy as you are”
I rolled my eyes at her and she shrugged.
“Eh, whateva, now back to ya Lil Lad,  ya have a name or did that Usurper take it from ya?”
He pressed his lips together till they almost disappeared for a second or two before he said the first words I ever heard from him.
“I- im Rowley”
His voice was raspy like he hadn't had water in some time and I decided that after two more questions I'd get him some.
“Rowley is a nice name, haven't heard that one before,  So say how old are you?”
“I- uh i'm thirteen”
Thirteen? He looked like he was eleven at most! Well he was malnourished so that could be the cause.
Also thirteen was not an age anyone should go into battle,  a sentiment that was shared by Nea judging by her expression.
I was actually kinda glad Rowley couldn't see her face at the moment.
 “Thirteen? You shouldn't fight at that age! 
and why did Winton drag you to war anyway?”
He shrank back at the mention of Wintons name and my suspicions were confirmed.
That fuck did something to Rowley, and possibly not only him.
It took him a god two minutes to start talking but both me and Nea were patient, which was unusual of her.
“I- the king knew what that bracelet did and wanted a Giant soldier, but the ones that tried it on died so he had Orphans test it for him.
He just picked off street kids and forced them to put the Bracelet on.
Then when i put it on i turned into that four legged thing and he threw me into a tower”
Before I could say anything to that horrible revelation Nea had stood up despite her injured foot and pulled her way too big sword from behind her where it had leaned against the cart.
“Im gonna murder that fuck! Where did ya guys bring him? 
I ought ta cut both of his arms off!”
I catched Rowley who had fallen forward as Nea leapt up in her fury.
“Nea, Rikaad and Norrin are interrogating him right now,  you cant just barge in to wherever they are and start stabbing that fuck, even if he does deserve it”
She still looked angry but at least seemed to hear me out as she lowered the Giant sword again mumbling about not being allowed to fight and now not being allowed to kick ass.
“Hrmf, fine whatever,  i'll go get water so now it's yer turn to keep an eye on tha lil’ lad”
She got off the cart and picked up her crutch before she went limping away.
So now I was alone with Rowley.
Remembering what Nea had just said I held his upper arm like she did, though I was probably not as strong.
He glanced up at me with a confused and still scared look.
“That's one scary lady”
That was also one of my first thoughts upon properly meeting Nea,  well still was actually.
“Boy you don't even know half of it, she's a royal Guard for a reason”
At the mention that she was a Royal Guard he looked just Confused.
“I thought only men could be guards?”
“I asked her the same thing and she said she beat a Drake with an old helmet, not sure if a really believe that, Drakes are rare after all”
Rowley fiddled with the hem of his near threadbare shirt.
“I've seen you before, but you were bigger back then, they had locked you in the same tower they tossed me in after i changed to that thing”
He wasn't looking at me and still fiddled nervously with his shirt instead.
I remembered that day as well, and now I had confirmation that this was the same little guy from the rooftop back then.
“Yeah I remember, if rather negatively that place was awful.
But you were the guy on the rooftop right? You waved at me”
He nodded.
“I think that's why Winton wanted your Bracelet, but then he found one in the treasure chamber and used people to experiment with it.
I'm not sure why i didn't die like everyone else though”
Maringand had a Bracelet the entire time? 
Why? Well maybe a slayer got to it.
As for the Not dying I could answer him that.
“Well, I can tell you the not dying part if you want?”
He looked up and nodded.
“Ookay, so Oakley explained to me that that thing is tied to genetics, which I guess means one of your ancestors was also an Ardua?
The thing is magic and apparently just kills everyone that doesn't have those genetics.
That pretty much all i know, well aside from how to use it”
He looked pensive for a bit.
“Well, my mom was Elven so maybe-”
“Nope, not Elven or my half brother would be one too”
He fell silent.
“Eh don't worry, i thought the same thing, 
but after talking to Fable i just feel like an idiot”
Before Rowley could retort anything Nea shouted from over the place.
“Ya are an idiot!”
Considering how far away she was she must have only heard the last sentence and immediately took the opportunity to insult me.
I'd be offended if it wasn't just How Nea worked.
“I'm not the one that keeps ignoring what the medics said!”
I retorted and she threw a tightly closed waterskin at my face.
I hoped that it wouldn't bruise.
I handed the water to Rowley who struggled to open the container.
Nea hopped on and opened it for him in less than a second.
Rowley drank greedily and I tried to think of what to do now.
The little guy was still a child, one that had gone through something horrible so he probably shouldn't be alone for some time.
Also he was an Orphan as he had admitted so there was no one to take him in.
Seeing as he was a Bastard i doubted that there was anyone that wanted to, 
especially after today and him turning into a fuzzy four legged beast.
So, what now?
Nea was of little help there seeing as she was a warrior.
I'd just have to ask Rikaad or Norrin then, 
Rikaad was the king so he could probably assure his safety and Norrin had experience so he'd know what to do.
“So what to do now? I mean, this guy is no criminal, not even any sort of fighter at all so we can’t feasibly throw him in prison.
Maybe Rikaad will know what to do?”
Nea just shrugged while Rowley continued to drink an absurd amount of water.
So much water couldn't be good though.
“Slow down, you're gonna choke.
I think Rikaad is at the castle so I suggest we bring him there?”
Nea snatched the water skin from Rowley who flinched back in startlement.
“Ya sure, maybe he’ll let me stab that fuck! And you lil lad shouldn't drink so much water at once or yer gonna vomit!”
He looked unhappy at that but I did have to agree with Nea on this.
Besides I didn't want the guy to throw up,  He was already thinner than a stick.
“Alright then, let's go to the castle and see if we find them.”
Nea climbed down from the cart once again and I helped Rowley get down.
How he hadn't keeled over by now was a miracle considering he couldn't weigh more than a baby goat.
I debated shifting so he could hitch a ride but that was a bad idea for two reasons.
One; the way bigger Ardua from might scare him, especially after what had happened and two; I was covered in bandages and I had no idea if they would stay in place.
So I just ended up offering a normal piggyback ride to the kid while Nea shoved everyone out of the way with her crutches and sword.
I did wonder about the sword though, it was huge and if she was a guy I'd say she was compensating for something.
Also how the fuck could she hold it with only one hand? 
The thing was as big as her!
“Hey Nea, why do you have that oversized sword? And how the fuck can you hold it with only one arm? It looks heavy as fuck”
She looked at the sword for a moment.
“That's a Claymore, they are like that,  well mines specially made from casted iron instead of forged.
It's actually hollow on the inside, well it's still at least half an inch thick on either side but it's not as heavy as it could be.
I like it because it does a ton of damage if you know how to use it!
Also I have hidden snacks inside of it in the past but don't tell anyone!”
I let out an amused snort at the last addition,  I didn't expect her to do something like that.
Then again I also hadn't expected the sword to have a hollow part inside.
The hike uphill was largely uneventful considering nobody was on the slope.
At some point halfway up Rowley did fall asleep,  His adrenaline had run out no doubt.
Nea and I went to the main gate as the other ones were probably bolted shut right now, though something seemed amiss.
Eh it was probably nothing.
Walking into the throne room I realized I had no idea where the castle's prison even was.
Basement probably but I had no idea where that was either.
Luckily Nea did but I thought that we shouldn't bring Rowley underground, not after what happened to him at the tower.
Not that I knew much of that.
We left the sleeping boy in the care of an older wall Guard who Nea assured me was nice before she led me to a side corridor and opened a sturdy looking door that was largely painted like the wall.
No wonder I hadn't found it.
Seriously, why was the entire thing built like this?
The way down was dark and the stone was cold, 
which honestly made me a little uneasy.
“Aight, they ought ta be down there! There are high security cells deeper down too, but i don't think anyone wants ta free that jerk”
She used the metal railing to stabilize herself and went down the surprisingly roomy staircase.
Some torches were lit and we followed them till we heard voices.
Nea stopped then and put a hand on my shoulder.
“Oi, can ya like, not tell them I tried to get ta tha battle? 
They'll lock me in my room or summat”
I gave her a thumbs up and reassured her I wouldn't,  she did help me after all.
After that we went to where the voices came from and there was indeed Rikaad and Norrin as well as some other Guards I did not know.
“Rikaad! I need to talk to you!”
He turned to look directly at me.
“What about? I'm currently trying to get this tyrant to talk”
My eyes flitted to the other Guards,  I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk to Rikaad while they were here, 
Not to mention that Winton was also right there in a cell.
Rikaad caught where my eyes went and sighed.
“Alright, I'll need some fresh air anyway,  and it's better Winton knows as little as possible.
Nea you can try to get the guy to talk, just don't Permanently maim him, and please remember that the other Guards are here too”
“On it boss! That swine will talk like a waterfall when I'm done with him!”
Nea cracked her knuckles and I really wished she didn't always sound so cheerful when she talked about being violent.
She patted me encouragingly on my non injured shoulder as she went past me which still made the area feel sore.
I was kinda glad now that we were leaving,  I really wasn't keen on seeing what Nea did.
Rikaad led the way back out in silence and as soon as we were back above ground turned to face me.
“What did you want to talk about? Also i'm glad you survived the river, what were you thinking jumping in like that anyway?”
Well the river thing was pretty self explanatory but there were more important things right now.
“Well I got the other Ardua, but as it turns out that's a thirteen year old child Winton locked in THAT tower for who knows how long,  also he put the bracelet on humans to see if it worked on any of them.
And now, well i felt sorry for the guy so i brought him with me, 
but i have no idea what to do, like what do we do with another Ardua?
Oakley is dead so he can't help- and and that's my fault, i should have-”
Rikaad put a hand on my shoulder.
“Calm down, you are talking yourself into a panic attack, and I can assure you Oakleys death is not your fault, he chose to go on the battlefield and could have ditched anytime he wanted, okay?”
I nodded slowly and tried to calm myself as he instructed me.
“Good, now as for the Boy you said he's only thirteen? 
By God Winton is the worst!
He can stay here for now till we get a better idea,  in the meantime we could go get Arthur and tell him we know which tower his cousin is locked in.”
“Oh thank you, it's just that I feel really sorry for the little guy,  I mean he's tiny!
Also I thought Arthur was with you? 
But i'm sure he’ll love to hear you know where his cousin is”
Rikaad nodded.
“He was, let's say displeased with Winton so i told him to go look for Robin instead”
Ah, good call, Arthur would have immediately maimed Winton.
“Yeah that was probably a good idea,  So wait, does that mean we are going to Maringand?”
“Very probable, though we’d need Arthur to guide us through the terrain”
True, we did not know tha area at all so having someone that did was practical.
Also we were going there to find Arthur's cousin sooo.
“You said he's with Robin? 
Last i saw him he went to the kitchen to protect the staff there”
“The kitchen? Alright let's see if both of them are there”
To get to the Kitchen we walked around the castle as neither of us wanted to deal with the stupid hallways right now.
And after the wide open battlefield being inside felt, well, strange.
We reached the kitchen door and window soon enough and Rikaad politely knocked.
Good idea, just barging in might scare someone.
Myril was the one to open the door with the biggest rolling pin in one hand and a mean looking firehook in the other.
“Oh, it's you! Thank God, everyone had been worried! 
Is the battle over? Did you win? Wait let me get you some soup”
She turned away in a hurry before anyone could say anything and we just walked in after her.
I looked around the room and sure enough there was a familiar mess of red hair right next to Arthur.
“Robin! There you are!”
He turned around and as he saw me leapt up and went to go hug me.
“Donovan! You're alright!”
While it was nice that he cared he was holding on rather tightly which my wounds did not agree with.
“Ow ow don't squeeze! A lot of people threw stuff at me today, I'm sore!”
He immediately let go.
“Oh, I'm so sorry! I won't do it again!”
I doubted that he wouldn't do it again,  his brain was all over the place on a good day.
“Eh, it's fine don't worry, but i'm definitely gonna feel that tomorrow”
Arthur also came up to us,  well more came up to Rikaad and i knew what he was gonna ask.
“So did he tell you where Amicia is? Please say he did”
Rikaad nodded and the relief was very visible on Arthur's face.
“He said she was on the south tower,  not sure which one exactly that is but it is something”
“Oh I know that one! She's probably locked in the top part of it! 
I need to go and see if she's alright!”
He turned to leave but was stopped by Rikaad who had grabbed his lower arm.
“I'm not sure if you should go alone,  Maringand might still have some Guards or who knows what else”
Arthur turned back looking disappointed.
“So what now? 
I'm not leaving the only family member i actually liked in that tower”
“I'm not saying you shouldn't go, im saying to at least take proper safety precautions, i'll come with you,  i have to declare the defeat of Winton to Maringand anyway”
Oh right, the people of Maringand had no idea that Winton was now locked in a dusty basement prison.
Rikaad was right in that, someone did have to inform them.
“So we are going to maringand? Who else is coming with us then?”
Rikaad shrugged and out of the corner of my eye I could see Robin sneaking some snacks while no one was looking, well aside from me.
“Id say whoever is fit enough,  some Guards and Soldiers, maybe a medic will join too”
Robin had finished stuffing leftover cookies into his pockets and turned to face Rikaad.
“Oh so we're gonna see Maringand? That's cool! Where is Oakley? Maybe he wants to come too! He does know a lot of stuff after all!”
There was dead silence after.
Of course Robin had no idea that the winged man was dead,  he hadn't been there.
Now more than ever I was glad he stayed behind and didn't have to witness that.
The Ginger seemed to notice that it had gotten uncomfortably silent around him.
“I- is there something wrong? What happened?”
I really didn't want to say it out loud, not again, that just had such a weird sense of finality.
Luckily I didn't have to, seeing as Rikaad stepped up to speak.
“Robin, Oakley is dead, he got hit by a burning net and didn't make it”
The rustheads face fell and I could make out the beginning of tears in his eyes.
“Wh- what? No that can't be, he's Oakley,  he can use magic and all that he can't be dead!”
Nobody gave a retort to that, even the kitchen staff had gone silent.
Then Rikaad sighed.
“Come on let's go outside, at least for a bit”
We left the kitchen and ended up in the shade of a large tree.
Robin looked like he was doing his best not to cry.
He just clung to the next best person,  in this case Arthur and refused to let go while he was shaking.
Well, at least he wasn't squeezing my wounds.
Nobody said anything for a good two minutes.
“I think we should get ready to go to Maringand,  Robin if you don't feel up to it you can stay here if you want”
Robin shook his head.
“Gimme a bit, i'll be fine, and i wanna see Maringand”
It still took some time for him to calm down but with mine and Arthur's combined efforts we managed it.
While we calmed the poor ginger down Rikaad was assembling whoever was fit and wanted to go to Maringand.
It was an hour or so later that he had everything set up and we were ready to go in an actual fancy carriage.
I had never sat in one before and I wondered if Arthur would be okay sitting in that thing.
He did have horrible Motion sickness after all.
Yep, judging by his face he was not thrilled at all.
But he seemed willing to bear it to go help his cousin.
It still didn't make the ride anymore pleasant with him hanging out the window and throwing up.
At least the cushions and the rest of the carriage was nice.
Robin spent most of the ride in silence and Rikaad was sitting outside of the carriage to give Orders to the riders who had come with.
He had also taken the crown Winton had been wearing as a sign that he was defeated.
The only good thing that had happened today was Arthur's look of joy when we told him that Nea was keeping an eye on Winton.
I also hoped that the little guy, Rowley, was alright.
He looked so scared when we brought him to the castle, scared and frail.
The carriage had to go back and forth for a bit to find a stable bridge over the river but after some time over uneven terrain and avoiding what I hoped was just stone and fallen wood we reached Maringand.
I knew though that it had not been stones and tree trunks.
The carriage stopped and I pulled Arthur inside again.
He looked rather green in the face though.
The door was opened and I saw that we were standing on some sort of Plaza.
Rikaad had already gone and began telling the population that Winton was defeated, holding the crown he took up in the air as he did so.
From the threehundered people that were here only about nine started to fuss about it, all some rich fucks by the looks of it.
The rest of the crowd seemed to be relieved that the tyrant was finally gone.
There had been some questions about who was in charge now since Winton killed the competition.
Rikaad simply answered that we were on the way to the castle to sort it out.
While he spoke Arthur made sure to not show his face in case anyone recognized him.
Since the rich fucks here had seemed to side with Winton that was probably a smart move.
We stopped two more times on the way to the Maringand castle until we finally reached it.
The castle itself was very different from the Kamerasc one. 
This one had a different shape and was built with a dark gray stone and reddish brown roof shingles and was located right into the mountainside.
But it was easy to make out the south tower seeing as south was where the ocean was.
Though somehow the place where it was built seemed oddly familiar, and not from the time I had spent trapped in that outpost tower.
Then I realized it, that was the place from the book! 
The place where the Maringand creature had gone to die!
That really made me wonder how historically accurate it was.
But that could come later, for now we needed to find Arthur's cousin.
Luckily he already knew where to go and led the way through the way less confusing halls of the Maringand castle.
Man, why couldn't the Kamerasca Castle have been built like this? 
This was way easier to navigate!
Arthur then led us to a door that opened to reveal a lot of stairs going upwards in a spiral.
I hoped the Tower wasn't too tall but was disappointed in that as it took a good ten minutes to get to the top.
At least the sight from the occasional window was pretty.
At the top was a blue painted door with silver ornaments and Arthur immediately went to open it in his anticipation of seeing his cousin he even forgot to knock.
He had barely made it two steps inside before what looked to be the leg of a chair collided with his abdomen and he went to the floor.
“WHAT THE FUCK!”
A figure appeared from the blind spot of the door and I could definitely say that this must be Arthur's cousin.
They had the same eye and hair colors and looked similar overall.
She was also wearing what appeared to be a hastily sewn pair of pants and clutching the chair leg.
“ARTHUR? Wait, what the hell? I was told you were dead!”
She went to hug the fallen man but did not apologize for hitting him.
“Yeah yeah, why'd you hit me? 
And where did you even get that chair leg?”
Arthur slowly got up and Amicia tossed the wooden furniture piece aside.
“What leg? Now please tell me how you are alive! 
Winton said you got eaten by some beast he refused to describe!”
I felt my ears heat up, right I kinda had brushed off that part.
And I was actually glad Winton didn't describe what I looked like or else this would have gotten extremely awkward.
Arthur finally got up and brushed some dust off of him before he was immediately swept into a hug again with Amicia holding and poking his face as if to make sure he was real.
“Amicia, I'm fine, I'm here to rescue you! Winton lost! 
Kamerasca won and he's rotting in a dark cell for now.
We also left him with one of the most terrifying guards so he wont have a good time”
Yep, Nea was probably making this hell right now.
Amicia looked past Arthur and seemed to see us for the first time.
“And who are these guys? They don't exactly look like soldiers”
That was true, I was still in my normal everyday clothing aside from a new shirt, Robin was wearing a sleeveless red tunic with an off white undershirt and Rikaad was wearing what I assumed to be some uniform.
Yeah we did not look like soldiers.
“Oh, those are my friends! After I uh, ‘left’ the castle I ended up in Kamerasca, they were nice enough to help me when I needed it!”
Amicia waved all of us inside her little chamber which was surprisingly well decorated and looked all of us directly in the face as we passed her.
Being stared at made me uncomfortable on a good day and today was not a good day.
I self consciously put my hands over my ears as she looked at them.
She seemed to get it and instead scrutinized Rikaad’s uniform.
“Are you a General or something?”
She looked rather distrusting of those in power which nobody could blame her for, but she also looked like a weird mirror of when Arthur was distrusting of me.
Yep, definitely related.
Rikaad didn't seem bothered by the hostility though,  Instead he bowed and introduced himself.
“My Name is Rikaad Drayton, and I'm the King of Kamerasca.
Pleased to make your acquaintance Lady Amicia”
I found him to be overly formal now but considering that Arthur planned to give Amicia the right to rule it was probably just some dumb formality.
Amicia blinked for a second before turning back to Arthur.
“What the Hell? You're friends with the King? 
Wait, I thought the King was some old guy?”
I started to wonder how much she knew of what had been going on, considering she was trapped in a tower for who knows how long probably not much.
Arthur just shrugged.
“I mean yeah? Didn't know he was the Heir when i met him though, besides the only reason we became friends is because Robin started hanging out with both of us”
He turned around to try and introduce Robin but the ginger had climbed into the bay window that faced towards the sea and looked out to the land below.
Yep, Brain all over the place once again,  i'd better get him in case the glass wasn't stable.
“Robin? What are you doing? C’mere and say hello”
I lifted him up from where he was like one would hold a cat they just caught and carried him over to where we were before setting him on the ground again.
He pouted up at me but I ignored it,  he could at least say hello to Arthur's cousin after all.
He then turned to face Amicia who was the only person in the room that had the same height as him.
“Hi! Im Robin”
Amicia just stared at the cheerful little rusthead for a few seconds before she answered him
“Nice to meet you? It's nice Arthur finally found some friends!”
Then her eyes flitted to me once again.
“And you are? As far as I recall Fae are banished from Kamerasca, where are you from?”
Oh, was she under the impression I was a full blooded elf?
Well that wasn't correct.
“Im Donovan, and well, i'm only half Fae,  Besides with Rikaad in charge the Fae Ban doesn't exist anymore”
She looked briefly to Rikaad, now with just a tiny bit less hostility.
“Well that's nice of him, since i'm freed now or whatever why don't we get some tea? Or some other beverage you want”
I could tell she wanted to get out of this room already,  not that she could be blamed for that.
She spent possible months here without being able to go wherever she wanted.
But that also meant going down all those stairs again.
Damnit.
But we did end up a little while later in a smallish room adjacent to the kitchen that had a table and six chairs.
Tea and some sort of tiny little cakes were served that smelled of Lemon.
The meager staff here then left as fast as they could and closed the door behind them.
I doubted any of them would lock it but even if there was a window and we were only on the second floor.
Amicia then addressed us again.
“So you guys won? With how Winton bragged about a secret superweapon that would make you turn tail and flee,  I'm surprised you were this fast, what was the weapon anyway?”
Secret weapon? Oh, she must be talking about Rowley.
Rikkad leaned forward a little before speaking.
“Secret weapon? Well there was a magic based being do you mean that? Also what do you mean by ‘this fast’?”
I was glad Rikaad didn't mention the Ardua or Rowley, 
who knew what kind of problems that could cause.
But yeah what did she mean by this fast?
“Oh well Winton was really just setting himself up for failure,  Almost everyone hated him! 
Of course his Soldiers would half ass the fights and turn as soon as they got the chance!
I mean come on, he was THE most disliked person in the Kingdom!
I'm not surprised he lost, nobody is, I just find it funny he lost so fast!”
The most disliked person in the Kingdom sounded accurate enough, If the only people that like you are some greedy rich fucks you are doing something severely wrong.
“Thats, well you are right it is not surprising, he’s currently being questioned by, how do you put it? Most skilled Guard”
Rikaad assured her and I had to hold back a laugh,  most skilled Guard, that was one way to put it.
Well she was skilled, a lot so but she was also somewhat unhinged and I would not be surprised if there were broken fingers when we came back.
“Most skilled? I hope so,  Winton deserves every bad thing he's got coming!”
As much as I was against violence I did have to agree with her.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Robin eyeing the tiny cake I had gotten with the strawberry tea and I shoved it in his direction.
He happily went to munch on it.
If I was honest this entire thing was weirdly uncomfortable,  at least for me.
Arthur was happy that his favorite cousin was alright and Rikaad seemed to be at least somewhat okay.
Robin of course had no concept of awkwardness and just munched his small cake which was previously mine.
I just slowly sipped my tea to try and avoid talking.
Amicia then decoded to make it awkward for everyone as she addressed Arthur again.
“So you still like boys or was I wrong about that?”
Arthur spit out the Tea he'd been offered and started coughing.
Liked boys? Amicia was really just outing the poor guy in front of us? 
That was really fucking rude.
Being rude must lay in the family, at least this branch of it.
Arthur slammed the cup angrily and flustered back on the table.
“I told you before that I like both! Men, women who cares! 
Now shut the fuck up thats not even any of your business!”
He was redder than he'd ever been before and looked like he wanted to disappear into the chair he sat on.
Well what Amicia just did was rather uncalled for.
It took me a few seconds to register that another reason why Arthur was so upset about it was that a LOT of humans didn't take kindly to men liking men or women liking women.
So having that information out in the open could be really dangerous to someone, especially if the church heard about it.
I didn't care about all that though. 
If Arthur liked both so be it,  it really wasn't any of my concern what he did with his life.
Though now I was convinced that Amicia liked chaos,  at least judging by the look on her face.
It was not the most surprising thing though.
Considering the circumstances of everything she either had to be a Noble lady with barely any freedom or was locked in a tower for possibly months on end.
Saying stuff out loud and seeing people's reaction to it was probably her only source of entertainment for years.
To be honest in the past i would have found it funny to see Noble fuckers react vividly to stuff they deemed improper.
Still, that had been really inconsiderate of her.
“Arthur, you told me before you left that by a specific date you'd tell people, did you not check the calendar? That date was four weeks ago”
Wait, so she just assumed we already knew? Well this had gotten even more awkward now, but at least she didn't do it out of Malice.
Arthur however still looked extremely embarrassed.
“I fucking forgot, there was too much going on at the time,  you could at least make sure in advance before you just say it outloud”
Amicia now looked actually regretful but still tried to cheer him up.
“Oh come on it's not that bad, I mean, Robin, right? what do you like?”
Robin looked up from where he tried to sneak Rikaads tiny cake.
“Cake!”
Rikaad shoved his cake as well to Robin who immediately bit into it.
“Yeah okay that question was badly worded, What about you Donovan?”
Me? I didn't actually know,  I had been preoccupied by surviving instead of figuring that out.
Also I really did not care.
“Dunno, was more busy with not getting murdered,  also i kinda don't care”
Why were we even talking about this now? 
That was not what we were here for.
Luckily Rikaad interjected before she could ask him as well.
“As nice as talking about mundane things is that is not what we are here for”
Amicia looked confused at him.
“What else are you here for besides freeing me? 
Oh wait, with Winton in jail Maringand has no king!
You're here to give Arthur his title back!”
Close enough, probably,  but Arthur did not want the title nor rule this place.
Amicia was nice enough if a bit tactless,  but she was the only other living relative that could lay claim to the title.
Which Arthur just told her bluntly.
“No, i'm not gonna be King, i don't want to lead people that did not give a fuck about me when i need help,  you can have this entire shitshow but im leaving”
Amicia just stared at Arthur.
“...are you sure? I know most people still think you are dead but if you show them that you are not maybe they'd change?”
Arthur just shook his head and I felt like we should have left these two alone to sort it out.
“Yeah, I'm sure, this place has been hell to me and I'm not staying here!”
“So, I'm the one in charge now? Some people wont take kindly to that”
“Eh just don't tell anyone that i'm still alive and they cant really complain”
“Okay, but only if you come visit at least once a month! 
And write me letters!”
“Sure! Now have fun sorting out all the logistic stuff!”
While they talked Rikaad motioned for us to sneak out, which we did.
Robin did snag Arthur's small cake as well before we left though.
We quietly closed the door behind us.
“Amicia is very similar to Arthur”
Robin mumbled into his cake.
“Yeah, they are for sure related, should we go back? 
To Kamerasca i mean,  Arthur can just come back later after he's done with whatever this is”
Rikaad nodded.
“He's probably going to take a while,  i’ll inform him, you can go ahead to the carriage”
He knocked on the door we had just left and I steered Robin outside again while he was munching on what I assumed to be his fourth cake.
“You really like that Cake huh”
He nodded.
“Mhm, it's good”
I could see that, he had crumbs all over his vest and his fingers were sticky with what was probably jam.
“Sure, now let's go to the carriage, i don't like being out in the open here”
He nodded and followed me while trying to flick the jam off his fingers.
“Maybe you should get a hat? 
If you don't like people looking at your ears”
Of course that was the thing he picked up on.
“I don't like hats, besides that could fall off or someone could yank it from my head, also i just don't have a face for hats”
I generally didn't like them, it alway felt like something was about to fall on my head.
“Mhhm then not, do you have a cloth for my hands? 
I don't wanna make the pretty carriage dirty”
I fished out the new handkerchief I got some time ago and handed it to him.
“Here ya go,  now let's get a move on or Rikaad will end up there before us”
He laughed and quickened his pace while he cleaned his fingers.
“He does have longer legs than us, well at least right now”
That drew a laugh out of me,  yeah i could just shift and then he wouldn't even reach to my knee.
But shifting here probably was not a good idea.
“True, but i'm not gonna shift here, i'm not keen on causing a panic”
I was not keen on getting shot at again.
“You would be faster than the carriage though!”
“I'm also covered in bandages and i have no idea what would happen to them”
While it was true that my clothing shifted with me I didn't know how that would be with wounds covered in bandages,  Would the bandages fall off? 
Would they also disappear like my shirt did and reappear? 
Yeah not testing that.
We reached the carriage pretty quickly and hopped in before any of the Marignand people could get a closer look at my ears, Man id be glad as soon as all of this was over.
Just then the door of the carriage opened again and Arthur and Rikaad came in.
And Amicia.
What?
———————————————————————
NEXT / PREVIOUS / OVERSIGHT
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snifsnoof · 1 year
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Hii how are you?<3
Do you mind if I ask you some any suggestions/ideas for something I might do in the future? This is a Mini-AU where Soap and Ghost have adopted two children, a little girl and a little boy (both are around 10-11 years old), however the little girl is obviously very scared to be at the house of two 'strangers' so I wanted to ask you...How Ghost and Soap are going to act on this, so how are they going to make her feel at home (The girl's name is Olivia and she's from Russia).
(I hope I write it well because English isn't my first language, and that I'm not bother you, I suffer from anxiety so it is a bit difficult for me to ask for anything.😅)
hii!! first of all, please dont be afraid to ask me anything! im happy to talk to you guys :DD
onto the question, i think i have some ideas:
soap: i personally see him as a very good cook, so maybe he'd try to warm up to her by making her some delicious treats (maybe cakes, cookies, and her favorite foods). he’d be a great dad too i’m sure, maybe a little chaotic at times but i think kids like that? i dont know, but he for sure would do a family game night or something where he pulls the family together to play some board games or something like that! (ghost thinks it’s stupid, but if the kids like it he’ll play along). then, i feel like he’d do a good job at being there for olivia, comforting her whenever she needs it but giving her enough space as to not scare her. he also loves play fighting!
ghost: he’d be just as unsure as the kids are at first, they both need warming up to each other but i think he has the potential to be a great dad! i feel like he really tries to be better than his dad was and if he ever fails he beats himself up for it but soap is there to tell him mistakes happen and that he’s fine. he’d be a good listener and he’d read the kids bedtime stories, stuff like that. olivia always falls asleep quickly, sometimes even in ghost's lap and it makes him feel very very proud. he’d have a bit of trouble expressing himself at times but he truly does love his kids, and he couldn’t be happier with his life. he’d also love to show the kids little tricks around the house for their futures (simple stuff like how to clean the dishes properly, laundry, etc.) he’d also be a great hugger i dont make the rules💪 ghost would definitely be that dad that just spoils their kids with toys and stuff so that’s nice!
bonus: i think it’d be sweet if soap and ghost tried to put some effort into learning some russian to make her feel more at home, and to help with the language barrier a bit. it’s very chaotic and often times the accents are VERY HEAVY so olivia ends up not understanding them anyways but she appreciates the sentiments😭
i hope this answered your question and gave you a little inspiration idk, this was really fun to think about so thank you for the prompt!!! i didnt proof read it so im really sorry if it makes no sense :'DD
(ps: your english is great! <33)
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pavo-ocxllus · 10 months
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"it just so happens that i don't mind either."
"wonderful, the two of you are getting along!"
you had a feeling that shinobu doesn't get to sound so enthusiastic very often—and a glance in ALHAITHAM's direction proved your theory. 
after a few begrudgingly long seconds, the two of you answered in a way that definitely didn't return the green-haired woman's energy in kind. 
"right."
"okay, alhaitham, are you sure you got this—itto, what the heck did i say about the cops—"
her voice trailed off while she started walking farther and farther away from the two of you. you'd much rather be getting an actual tour from her than an impromptu one with alhaitham... so much so that you didn't even clock that he was moving away from you.
eventually, he noticed that you weren't following him, evident by him turning around to face you. "what are you waiting for?"
his words bringing you back to reality weren't exactly appreciated, but you still followed him wordlessly as you passed through an aisle of cubicles.
"one of these doesn't have your name yet," he said, not looking back at you and continuing forward. "it should probably be yours."
well no shit, you bit your tongue, but you figured your facial expression was more than enough to display your sentiment if he'd just look back at it.
"we already walked past heizou's office... hr is over there to your left, and yanfei's office is right here to your right," his directions were clear and concise, something you wished he wouldn't be so much of in regards to you.
it was if memories from your first day of university were rushing back to you right now...
fresh out of senior year and thrust into your first year of university, if everybody didn't know any better, they would've assumed you were a fresh-out-of-middle school student at their first year of high school. 
wandering the halls, you couldn't believe that a few months ago, you were given your acceptance letter in the postbox.
it was obviously bigger than your high school... you really can't believe you go here—
"can you walk any faster? i need to get to class."
poor, naïve little you. you thought that you'd see the last of him. it was university after all, there was no way you'd have to see him every day. maturity regression aside, that one lecture turned into too many, disagreements over the last ramen cup in the convenience store nearby turned into full on battles, and eventually, the two of you had learned each other's names.
"if you keep walking slower, i'm going to have to leave you behind lost and confused."
"i'm not lost and confused! it's my first day!"
"which i believe is one of the few requirements to be lost and confused... anyways, my office is here, where we'll meet DILUC for the case later, and that over there should be the pantry—"
"what," your question came off as more of an demand. "you have your own office?? we've only graduated a few months ago..."
"closing a case in a day has its benefits. let's say i'd prefer to get this one done quickly... it might benefit you as well. it seems to me that you're already behind in your career."
"right..." you snidely replied, for a lack of anything better to say.
for a moment of brief silence that, for some reason, felt a little uncomfortable, alhaitham led you into his office. it wasn't anything grand, understandably, though you had to admit—you were a bit envious.
"get yourself situated, mr. ragnvindr should be coming in very soon."
speak of the devil, a knock on the door caught his and your attention while you were just about to get your papers out.
"i'll get it," the silver-haired man said before briskly getting to the door. in spite of alhaitham, shinobu, and you discussing the case a few minutes prior, you couldn't help but still be surprised at the scarlet-haired businessman standing before you in a matter of seconds.
there was something rather threatening about him, in spite of his arm in a sling and bandages still covering parts of his face. maybe vulnerability can make someone that scary.
"mr. ragnvindr!" once you got a hold of yourself, you quickly greeted him, trying not to be so affected by his frightening face. "it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
seemingly surprised at the energy you tried to put out, he quickly returned the favor and shook your hand. "the pleasure is mine. and please—refer to me as diluc."
"ah, i'll keep that in mind." 
he glanced behind you to find alhaitham, diluc seemingly not being as fazed as he was with you.
"i'm glad to be working with you."
"i'm sure."
good! the two of you aren't at each other's throats so far! (of course, a high profile client is right there, but baby steps.)
the three of you were quick to get situated: diluc was sitting on the couch in front of alhaitham's desk, facing you and him. 
"can you get us all some coffee?" alhaitham asked, his face remaining blank at the way your features twisted up at his question. unfortunately it wasn't like you could say anything right now...
"of course," your voice seethed through your plastered grin, then going past diluc and outside in search for the machine. fortunately enough, there was one conveniently located right outside of his office—close enough to eavesdrop, yet far enough to get under diluc and alhaitham's notice. "is this your first time seeking for legal aid, sir?"
"yes. i tend to settle things quietly, but as of late, that seems as though that's not an option."
"i see... i don't mean to pry, but you're saying that as if you have been in altercations like this before."
"...you can say that."
you noted how he worded that in the back of your mind as you moved on to diluc's cup. suspicious, but it wasn't like you were playing detective or anything... it wasn't your business.
"okay... did you bring your documents with you?"
"right, of course," you only just noticed that he had a backpack with him rather than a fancy briefcase. he pulled out a folder and slipped it towards alhaitham.
after squinting your eyes, you came to realize it was a hospital bill. the one too many zeroes on the bill aside, you took note of the services charged. anesthesia, surgery, pharmacy, physician fees, pulmonary services... how bad was this crash?
"you plan to sue them...?" 
"that's correct."
"..." you took a good look at your co-worker, almost forgetting that you were close to overfilling what was now your mug of coffee. for once, he seemed absolutely astounded. "this provides very little—if not—no basis to take legal action—"
"that's the point," diluc cut him off. "fontaine legal firm has the reputation to taking matters into their own hands to get the to bottom of their clients' case. my name may have been through a lot, buti trust that you can help prove my innocence."
for a second, you noticed alhaitham flickering his gaze towards you (well, more like the wall), and back at diluc. "...alright then, let's get to work."
then it hit you.
you blinked once.
then twice. 
diluc isn't taking as you as seriously as alhaitham...?
maybe you were look too deeply into it—for all you know, it could've been a poor choice of wording on his part! never mind him being a millionaire from an established family with undoubtedly high education... though, if that's the case, maybe tonal issues would be at fault...?
though, alhaitham was the only one talking with diluc right now... maybe you have to step it up.
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↳ take charge of the conversation.
↳ stay quiet.
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𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫? 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞! <𝟑
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mutedsilence · 1 year
Text
Engraving (new fic Johnlock)
There's the link but it's also under the cut as it's not too long.
It had happened while they were on a case. Sherlock and John were both running after the suspect. John had his phone in hand as he tried to get Lestrade on the phone. They were running through the damp London streets, both panting and knowing they couldn't go on for much longer. 
That's when John was knocked down. 
He came down hard. The suspect had landed on top of him and had begun to lash out without any thought. Just mindless panic. Sherlock had grabbed the man and started punching. John tried to get his bearings back. He had hit his head when he fell and the suspect hadn't helped at all. 
John found himself in A&E. Sherlock was seated beside him. His leg bouncing uncontrollably. He had started biting his nail - a nervous habit John had noticed over the time he'd known the man. John reached out and took Sherlock's hand. He was always so lost in thought that he didn't notice he was doing it until he really hurt himself. 
Sherlock looked at John curiously and then relaxed. His leg bouncing slowed but didn't fully stop and he buried himself in his phone. And he didn't let go. His thumb started to rub against John's skin. He didn't know what to think about it, but he wasn't going to complain. It was nice. 
They were seen relatively quickly. He wasn't sure why, and frankly, he didn't want to know. He just wanted to get home and get to bed. 
Sherlock had gotten them a taxi and made sure John was sitting comfortably before giving their address to the cabbie. He paid and even helped John upstairs. He didn't really need help, but he appreciated the sentiment. 
It was a concussion as well as a couple bruises and scrapes. He'd be fine. He knew that. Sherlock, however, needed the constant reminder. "I'm just going to bed, Sherlock." 
Sherlock had hummed as if he heard and acknowledged what John had said, but his mind was already working on something else. John was used to that sound. Sherlock hardly ever stopped, he was always on the go. 
After slowly climbing the stairs, John face planted his bed. He would have liked to stay like that, but his belt was digging into his stomach. So, he pulled off his clothes and flung them over the edge of the bed before rolling back onto his front. 
John slept deeply. He could see the sun through his closed eyelids once he woke up. He refused to move. It was so warm and cosy and his alarm hadn't gone off yet. It was sure to start blaring at any given moment. He snuggled further into the bed and the arms wrapped tighter around him.
Wait.
That's not right.
"I called the surgery and left a message saying you wouldn't be in all this week," John could feel Sherlock's breath against the back of his neck. It was warm and far more familiar than he remembered them being. But, this was Sherlock. He didn't understand boundaries at all. John relaxed, determined to enjoy the sleepy warmth at least until he had to find his phone and shut it off. Phone… "Your phone broke last night, I ordered a replacement for you." 
John groaned. 
He couldn't afford a new phone, especially because Sherlock had said he wouldn't be going to work. He'll have to tell Sherlock to cancel it for the time being. He only really uses the phone for work and Sherlock anyway. John started turning over within Sherlock's arms so they were face to face. 
Sherlock opened his eyes and looked at John with an air of annoyance, "Why are you squirming about?" 
John cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you in my bed?" At that, Sherlock huffed and John felt it against his face. He started shifting again and John noted that Sherlock was only in his boxers, much as he himself was. Before John could say anything more, Sherlock had shifted enough that his legs were tangled in John's and his face was pressed against John's chest. 
Which was most peculiar. 
John held onto Sherlock as well. 
He was about to go into the dozen or so things running through his head. All of them concerning Sherlock in his bed and the situation with his phone. Before he could, Sherlock spoke against his chest, "Just go back to sleep, John." 
So he did. 
The next day Sherlock had crowded him on the sofa. He had been a lot closer lately and John couldn't quite place why. It was strange. Then again, so was most of what Sherlock did. They had hardly left John's bed the previous day. John would wake up to Sherlock climbing back in with tea or food. It must have been because of the concussion, Sherlock always seemed closer and more caring after John got hurt. There were other times too, but he was much closer after an accident. 
Wasn't John closer too? 
Sherlock had the post in his hand and John had a plate of toast. In one move, Sherlock grabbed the toast from John's hand and took a bite. Before a word could be said, Sherlock thrust a parcel towards John. 
It was addressed to Sherlock, but he nodded for John to open it as he kept munching on John's breakfast. He opened it to find a phone. The exact same model that Sherlock had. 
He turned to look at Sherlock, "What is this?" 
Talking around a mouthful of toast, Sherlock answered, "It's a phone. Obviously ." 
John handed the phone over to Sherlock and took his breakfast back, finishing off what was left of it as Sherlock started fiddling with the phone. "Your phone is broken. So… I got you a new one." 
John didn't know what to say. He had so many things running through his head. Most of them along the lines of, you didn't need to do this. Or, I have to repay you . 
Instead what he said was, "We'd get confused on whose phone is who's." 
Sherlock had taken the phone out of the packaging and was inspecting the back. He had a smile spread across his face. "John, this is a gift. I wanted to get you a new phone and have wanted to for a while. Your old one was extremely out of date. It's a gift, you don't need to repay me." 
With that, he handed the phone over to John. He kept looking as John looked over it himself. He was turning it over in his hand when he saw a mark on the back. 
John Watson,
Love, Sherlock
xx
John's breath caught as he looked down at the engraving. 
Somehow, it was more than just a phone. It was more than an engraving. It was them. Those words held everything John could ever need to know about him and Sherlock. 
He turned to look at Sherlock, about to thank him and say how it really wasn't necessary, but Sherlock looked… Lost. He looked so lost within his mind. John thought how Sherlock must have been nervous. Love, Sherlock. His entire heart was on the line and John had control over it. 
Sherlock had a soft smile as he looked down at the phone in John's hand. Just looking at the engraving, probably waiting for John to say he didn't feel the same. 
"Sherlock-" 
It was a puff of air. Enough to get the man's attention. 
John leant over and kissed him. 
Sherlock stiffened and made a surprised sound before he relaxed into the kiss. As John went to pull away, Sherlock followed and they began kissing again. John's hand on Sherlock's waist, and Sherlock's hands on John's cheek and nape. Sherlock licked along John's bottom lip and John let him in. 
They stayed there, exploring each other. 
And John realised how much love that man felt for him and how much he loved him. It was clear in the hand holding at A&E, it was in the bed sharing the day previous. It was in everything they did. And now John had proof. 
He just needed to prove it to Sherlock.
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misc-obeyme · 10 days
Note
Giving diavolo and Barbatos gift boxes for Father's and mother's Day. Full of different things each time more sentimental than monetary value honestly. Diavolo would have stuff like tattoo or piercing sets(clip ones probably. because let's be honest barbatos and Lucifer aren't letting him get them, permanent ones at least) and other stuff like refillable pens or jewelry.
Barbatos would get stuff like rat poison, rat traps, tea, hair clips and some form of jewelry to match diavolo and maybe me to, I'd probably forget and just leave myself out though. What do think? (Barbatos would be frustrated because Diavolo got temporary ink of his clothes)
-bows for barb
Wow, Father's and Mother's Day, I think they'd be touched!
I wonder if they have some sort of equivalent thing in the Devildom? Or if they've maybe adopted it because they seem to do that with human world holidays?
Either way, I think they would appreciate more sentimental things anyway. Considering Diavolo is a prince, he probably has all the money he needs to buy whatever he wants and Barbatos is likely the same. So I think they would appreciate gifts that you chose simply because you knew they would like them or need them rather than because they were costly.
I kinda like the idea of secretly rebellious Diavolo getting some tattoos and/or piercings in places that are easy to cover up. Refillable pens are handy, too. I wonder if he uses fountain pens the way Lucifer does? (Or at least, I seem to remember Lucifer using fountain pens... but I could misremembering.) I dunno, it just feels like the kind of thing royalty would have, you know? I mean, okay, I have many fountain pens myself and I'm not royalty, but I also have the more affordable fountain pens. There are fountain pens that are thousands of dollars, so that's what I'm imaging Diavolo has lol.
Anyway, getting off topic here. I'm sure he doesn't use expensive pens for regular paperwork and he has so much of it, I'm sure he'd appreciate any such pens you gave him!
I also kinda feel like Diavolo likes jewelry. He just gives me that vibe. So again, I think he'd cherish anything you chose for him.
Barb is more practical, so I think he would fully appreciate the rat traps and such! But he would also like the tea, hair clips, and jewelry.
I think they'd love it if you got a set that matched for all three of you. I see them wearing theirs all the time... precious!
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suugrbunz · 11 months
Note
hi girly!!
1. love love your stuff
2. hope you’re doing well fr
3. could i pls request a bob ship?
appearance wise i’m 5’5 with an average build. ngl i’m a little heavy on the top iykwim so my back always hurts fr. LOL anyways i have blue/green eyes and brown hair that has like goldfish highlights in the sun. i’m half asian half white so do with that what you will. i’m pretty pale honestly oh and my hair is long, like almost to my butt long. id like to think i have a nice smile lol and i love making a pouty face, it’s just so fun.
personality wise i’m an ENFP-T so i’m naturally extroverted and outgoing. i make friends wherever i go and i’m a great people person. i can hold conversations with really anyone and people always tell me i’m very mature and good with adults and older people. i’m also a 2w3 so i tend to be a bit of a people pleaser. i naturally am drawn to leadership positions and taking charge but when i do i often over extend myself trying to accommodate everyone and their every need. i am a generally funny person. sometimes i make a joke that goes too far but i love making others laugh. i also am always complimenting people. i can be insecure myself but i love making others feel good.
i can get into a mood very easily tho. i do my best to hide it but i am very busy so i am not always the greatest in the morning and if i spend too much time around certain people i get cranky. i don’t snap nearly as much as i used too but my friends can tell when something’s off. i hate getting in those moods where im sulking but it happens sometimes. usually after some joking around or spending time with other people i snap out of it. what can i say im stubborn.
i love being involved in school. student council, SPIRIT WEEK, choir, clubs— all that jazz. i’m a pretty good student yk like i have a good rep at school and am pretty well known. i am also a theater kid. i know im sorry. i have been singing for a really long time and it’s like my thing.
i love you sing, dance, act, read, write, listen to music, shop, and spend time with people. my love language is for sure quality time but i do love words of affirmation. i often get called an “old soul” because i am very sentimental with old school values and i am drawn to anything 40s-90s. i am a die hard 80s music and movie fan and my friends think it’s funny im so obsessed with the classics (if you couldnt tell i am a history and english nerd, my close friend calls me her “favorite history buff”) but yeah i love spending time with others. me and my dad bond over watching movies together and listening to music and you bet im the life of the party wherever i go. always the first to do or initiate something, jumping onto the dance floor first and being the last too leave — i don’t like missing out so i take all the chances i can.
anyways i hope that’s enough info and i’m sorry if that’s too much or i rambled. honestly id be grateful if you even read up to this point. if you get a chance to write a ship i would really appreciate it but if not i totally understand!! no pressure whatsoever. thank you bestie boo :)💛💛
I've not felt quite that happy in the past week for numerous reasons. I think with time I'll be fine. Dumb memories, yknow? I know what you mean I'm heavy on top as well lmao. I like the way you speak. You seem really exciting. Thanks for the request
here's your ship!! (🚢)
꒰ I ship you with . . . Floyd Talbert ৎ୭ ꒱
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A mutual friend decided to hold a party that was themed to a 1950s sock hop. Dancing to 1950s music was an ideal situation for you especially with the fashion you'd dawn. It seems absolutely perfect, right?
In the corner of the dance hall, he kept glancing at your. Sure, he could probably dance with anyone he'd want to but he had formed a soft spot for you. Even if he didn't know you. Something about your energy was so lovely.
He fell from the start, something about you was... Well, he couldn't put his finger on it but he knew you two were meant to have a relationship... Even if he has some red flags (he comes off a bit player-ish but it's ok)
Your first date is shortly after your first meeting; The way you two met was romantic and by the end of the night had been obviously flirting. So, he asked for your number and when it'd be best to call you.
You two ended up planning the date at the local mall; There's an arcade and theatre nearby, plus mall food. So you two can window shop, go play games, or maybe watch a movie. Maybe all of the above. It seems quite wholesome.
Floyd kissed you goodnight, it wasn't on the lips. That'd be too much at a far too quick rate. He kissed your forehead and for a moment you saw him blush. It's been quite clear he isn't shy, but hey, he's got a soft spot for you. And he can't hide blush.
Your second first kiss— aka your real first kiss...
You initiated it. You gave his lips a quick peck at the end of one of your dates. He was awestruck by the feelings that fluttered around his stomach. You were everything he wanted to fall in love with. You're the measure of his dreams.
The song that represents you two is ; I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles (pretty cute for you two <3)
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pascal-oswell · 1 year
Text
fighting for my life to post this on tumblr apparently. anyway dante and faust go shopping
There was no real reason for Dante to invite Faust to come with him. He's always done the grocery shopping by himself. It can be a lot to carry at times, but he's always managed- and anyway, he wouldn't want to trouble any of his sinners with something so trivial. (Rather, he wouldn't want them to think he can't even do this much on his own.)
Despite that, Dante saw Faust just sitting there on his way out, not visibly busy, and the invitation spilt out of his non-existent mouth before he could stop it. She looked up at him then, staring silently. She was no doubt as conscious as him that he'd never asked anyone to come with him before, and that he did not even provide an explanation as to why he was inviting Faust now, too embarrassed of having done so in the first place.
And yet Faust only shrugged and stood up.
"I suppose me coming with you would make the process a lot more efficient." And with that she walked past him, "Let's go," and out of the bus.
Dante is thankful she didn't ask him for an explanation. If she had, he's not sure sure he could have come up with anything but the truth, 'I wanted to spend time with you'. But perhaps she already knew that.
---
"Dante."
He freezes as Faust walks over to him.
"Don't."
"But-"
"There's no need for such expensive meat."
"I know, but..." He looks down. "I thought Rodion would enjoy it. She doesn't really like the usual meals..."
Faust sighs. "That woman just loves to complain. The meals provide sufficient nutrients already." She shakes her head. "Besides, if you indulge her once, she won't stop asking for more."
"I understand, but..."
"Also, we can't afford it with the allotted money."
Dante's silent for a minute. Then he suddenly perks up, taking out his wallet to check its content.
"Well, that's fine. I'll pay for it with my own paycheck."
"... You really shouldn't."
"It's alright! It'll be just this once. Just a little treat for her!"
Her manager is too kind for his own good, Faust thinks.
---
"Oh, they sell that tea here..." Dante splutters upon checking the price. "... Of course Hong Lu would have such expensive tastes..."
"... Dante..."
Dante places the box of tea in his bag. Faust knows he is not getting paid enough for this.
---
"Faust, do you know anything about fishing?"
"Of course I- Dante." She gives him a blank look. "Ishmael does not need new fishing equipment."
"But-"
Dante can only weakly protest as Faust drags him away from the shop before he can squander whatever's left of his paycheck. He won't have anything left for himself if she doesn't stop him.
---
"Let's see, that... should be everything."
"Indeed. Shall we head back?"
"Yes, just... actually, hang on a second." Dante stares at the shop opposite of the one they just exited. "Do you like chocolate, by any chance, Faust?" He knows she likes sweets.
"Mh?" Faust turns to him. "I do, but why-" He begins to walk away and she realizes too late he's heading towards a chocolatier. Her eyes widen. "Dante!" But he's already inside. She chases after him.
Running in, she finds Dante already holding a box of fancy looking chocolates. "Dante, I don't need anything," she quickly breathes out.
Dante looks down, gloved thumbs rubbing against the box. "I'm sure you don't, this is just... I merely wanted to thank you for accompanying me today."
Faust furrows her brows.
"You don't need to buy me chocolates for that. A 'thank you' would be more than enough."
"Perhaps, but..." he trails off, unsure how to word this. It's just that, surely chocolates would make her even happier, wouldn't they? She always looked just a little bit brighter whenever he brought her pastries. She even smiled, sometimes, when it was just the two of them.
Dante merely wants to see her like that again, but he would never say so out loud. At his silence, Faust sighs.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Dante, but I've already watched you spend far too much of your money on others today. Save whatever you have left for yourself." She tilts her head. "Isn't there anything you'd like to buy?"
"Well, right now, I'd like to buy you this box of chocolates."
"... You know that is not what I meant."
"What's the difference, though? It'd make me happy, if you got to enjoy these sweets." He straightens up, looking at her. "Isn't that good enough?" He sounds more confident.
"... I suppose."
"Then I'll be buying these."
Faust silently watches as Dante walks up to the cashier to pay for the chocolates. She could argue further, and could certainly list a number of things that'd be more beneficial for him to spend his money on. But she won't. She understands it wouldn't be the same, not to him.
It's just like him, really, to believe making her happy just for a bit is so worth it. Her manager is nice like that. Caring. That'll probably get him hurt, one day. It's not a good quality to have in his position. Or ever, if you ask her. ... She would not trade him for anyone else, however.
He hands her the box and they leave the store. Faust looks up at the sky, feeling strangely relaxed all of the sudden.
"So, Dante. How much do you have left now?"
"Um..." He checks. Faust hears a loud ticking noise. "I'd... rather not say."
She huffs, amused. "I see." She already has a rough idea, knowing how much he earns and how much he spent today.
Dante just stands there for a bit, feeling sheepish.
"... Shall we-"
"Dante." Her gaze is still fixed on the blue expanse above.
"Yes?"
"Are you familiar with this town?"
He pauses. "I mean... I remember Vergilius' debrief, of course. But I'd never been here before, if that's what you're asking. Why?"
"Further down this road, there's a large park, the pride of this town. Most would say it is beautiful."
"That seems nice."
Faust finally looks at him once more. "Would you care to accompany me there, before we head back?"
"Oh! Of course!" Dante sounds surprised. But happy. The idea sounds lovely. "I didn't take you for a nature enjoyer, though, I must admit."
"I'm not." She can appreciate it just fine, of course, but she does not actively care for it. "But I believe you'll like the place."
"Huh?"
He stills, processing her words. His fire burns a bit brighter.
"Faust, you... I don't need-"
"Are you truly going to argue with me after today?" She raises an eyebrow. "Or do you doubt me, perhaps?"
"O-Of course not!"
"Then, surely there's no issue?"
"There... there isn't, but-"
"Then let us go." She turns, waiting for him to follow. She looks at him over her shoulder. "You'll enjoy it, I promise." There isn't a trace of doubt in her voice.
"I... Thank you, Faust."
"Thank me when we actually get there." Still she smirks, the corner of her eyes crinkling in amusement. There's an unmistakable hint of fondness there that makes something in Dante's chest flutter.
For someone so happy to care for others, he isn't so used to others caring for him. Faust kind of wants to help him with that.
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reira-layla · 1 year
Text
Valentine's Day
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Plot: Akito and Shigure spend their first Valentine's Day together as a couple and exchange meaningful gifts.
"Shigure…" Arms outstretched towards his side of the bed. It took her a moment to realize that the smoke alarm was going off. Sitting up in bed, she panicked when she smelled the burnt smell coming from the kitchen. Given that this had never happened before, Akito was understandably shaken. Without hesitation, she got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, not bothering to put on any clothes. 
When she approached the kitchen, she saw Shigure attempting to pour water on a burning pan. The flames were instantly extinguished but the smoke alarm continued for a few moments before silencing. Smoke rose from the pan in Shigure's hand. Akito looked around the room, wondering where the maids were. 
"What happened? Where is everyone?"
Shigure looked her over, smirking as his eyes went wide when he saw her nakedness. "I gave the maids the day off. It's Valentine's Day. I'm sure even the ones that are thousands of years old have someone to spend the day with." He laughed, amused by his own idiotic humor. "Besides, I wanted to make breakfast for you. As you can see, that didn't work out so well." The pan was still smoking in his hand. 
Valentine's Day. Akito had never been a fan of the holiday. In the past, Shigure had always come to visit her. Sometimes he brought chocolate and other times, he simply came to sit with her. This year was different. It was their first Valentine's Day as a couple and clearly Shigure had wanted to make it special. She just wished that he wouldn't have sent the maids home in an attempt to cook for her. As sweet as the sentiment was, there was a reason Tohru had done all the cooking when he'd lived at his old house. 
Remembering that she was still naked, he carefully set down the pan and made his way to her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. "I love you," he whispered. She closed her eyes, relaxing in his warm embrace. It was hard to believe this was her life. She had never been this happy before. Not only did she have a man that truly loved the darkest parts of her but he also went out of his way to do things for her. 
"I love you. Probably a little too much. I don't think I could ever live without you… Wow, I never thought I'd say those words to anyone, especially you." Akito had always loved Shigure but she never thought that they'd end up being so happy together. "Anyway, what are we going to eat now that breakfast is ruined?"
"Fortunately, I had a backup plan." He left her side and went over to grab a container he'd set out. "I had a feeling this plan of mine might fail so I asked Tohru to make pancakes." Akito laughed a little. He was hopeless at times and it had always been amusing to her. 
The lovers ate their breakfast together, talking about their plans for the day. "Since breakfast was a failure, perhaps we should go out tonight. I have a gift for you but you'll get that tonight, after dinner."
Naturally she wondered what the gift could possibly be. Although she hadn't said anything, she had a gift for him as well. Her gift for him was so sentimental that she honestly felt a little embarrassed about giving it to him but she knew him well enough to know that he'd appreciate it. 
"Dinner sounds good," she said, finishing up the last bit of food on her plate. 
"Then it's settled. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something I need to do." He stood up and kissed her head before leaving the room. Akito watched him leave with wide eyes. Given that she'd never had a 'normal' relationship before this, she didn't quite understand why people made such a big deal out of Valentine's Day. Shigure had always been a fan of the holiday, even when they were children.
"Akito," he called. Confused, she stood up and made her way towards their bedroom. A bouquet of camellias and a big box of chocolate had been set down on the futon. Although she had been expecting something like this, it was still a bit shocking that he was doing all of this for her. It was hard to believe that less than a year ago they'd been at each other's throats. 
"I love you. Thank you." The look in her eyes was genuine. Truly, she felt so thankful that he'd stayed when all the others had left. He wasn't bound by obligation but had made the choice to be by her side. Carefully, she sat down and grabbed the camellias. This special flower seemed to be a representation of their love throughout the years. It had taken them a while to get it right but they were finally happy. 
Shigure went to sit beside her, taking her into his arms. "I love you. Now let’s eat these chocolates together and then I'll have my way with you until it's time for us to leave for dinner." Akito blushed but nodded in agreement. 
The lovers spent the majority of their day in bed, making love, eating chocolate, and reminiscing on the past. The ugly parts of their past no longer mattered. Neither spoke of Kureno or Ren. Their conversations mostly centered around the memories they had together as children. Shigure had told her the story of their first meeting for the hundredth time. She knew it by heart now. They'd spent hours talking about the love they'd had for one another for years. Both expressed the gratitude they felt for how things fell into place. 
After hours of talking, they decided it was time to get ready for dinner. As Shigure was getting ready, Akito thought about the gift she had for him. Something about giving it to him made her feel vulnerable in a way that she wasn't used to. The plan had been for them to exchange gifts after dinner but Akito felt that if she didn't give him the gift now, she'd lose all nerve to do so later. 
Moving a bit uncomfortably in the dress he'd picked out for her, she made her way over to the cabinet which had once housed the empty box she'd been told held her father's spirit. Now the cabinet was used for storage. Carefully, she took the photo album from the cabinet and held it behind her back. 
"I know we said we were waiting until after dinner but I feel like I'd lose my nerve to give it to you." Akito handed Shigure the photo album. "You'll be surprised to know that I had help from Ayame with this. It was excruciating and I left his shop with a horrendous headache so I hope you appreciate it."
Shigure laughed, thinking about Akito having to put up with Aaya was amusing. Taking the photo album from her, he began to flip through the pages. Most of the photos were recent, photos that had been taken over the last year. The photos at the back of the album were what surprised him. There was a copy of the photo of the two of them that he'd kept with him for years, the one from Ayame's camera. He had never seen the other photos. Again, he found himself feeling amused. Of course Ayame would take photos of them without their knowledge. They were just children but it was clear from the photos that there had always been love between them.
Most of the photos were taken outside. Many of them were of them playing together. As a child, Akito had frequently asked them to play with her. There were a few photos of them playing in the dirt which he had many memories of. There were photos from their water gun fights. His eyes went wide upon seeing photos of them asleep. He remembered this time in their lives fondly. It was before her father died. After school each day, he'd come over to read to her and somehow, they always ended up napping together. 
"Aaya had these? I'm surprised he never showed them to me before."
"He said he held onto them because he knew you'd want them someday. Do you like it?"
"Yes, I do. Very much, actually." The gift meant more to him than he could express. The photo album was evidence that they'd loved one another for a very long time. Her love had never been as obvious as his. In fact, there were many times before they'd decided to be together when he'd questioned whether she'd ever loved him at all. Little did he know that she'd felt the same at times, wondering whether he truly loved her or not. 
Without another word, he made his way to her and pressed his lips against hers. "I love you. Thank you for such a meaningful gift. I fear the gift I have for you isn't as sentimental." He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small box, handing it to her. She looked at him before opening the box. Inside was a small ring. Her eyes went wide.
"It's not what you think. Not yet, anyway. When I do ask you to marry me, the ring will be a lot bigger," he said as he chuckled. She blushed. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd marry her someday but he planned to make the proposal as special as possible. "It's a promise to you that I'm yours, as long as you'll have me. It's also a promise that someday I will give you another ring."
Akito blushed once again. Since they'd made their relationship official after the curse had ended, she'd dreamed of being his wife one day and now she had the promise that her dream would come to fruition someday. She took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. 
"As I said, it's nowhere near as sentimental as the gift you've given me but I do hope you like it." 
Her eyes were damp, just as he'd expected. "I love it. It is sentimental." She looked down at the ring and kissed him for what was likely the hundredth time that day. 
He smiled one of those rare smiles, one reserved only for her. "Now, shall we go to dinner?" She nodded, taking his hand. 
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