#greybane insp

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Nyar just rocking out to The Story Of Us

#last time im gonna use the tag bc i can use it to clean stuff off my blog which feels good #greybane insp #nyar insp #my ocs are free single and healthy #we love recovery from toxic relationships here!!!

[childrenoflight-darkness-nothing]

Always Will

There was a small commotion outside of the room that paused Nyar's hand over his tie. A grunt, followed by a thud that sounded not unlike a body dropping to the ground. The door to his rooms opened only a moment later, with Nyar's hand reaching for a weapon he didn't have.

A short figure entered, dressed in the uniform of one of Lillians guards. Though the scarred face wasn't one Nyar recognized. Certainly wasn't the face of the guard posted outside his door the last he'd entered it.

The guard offered a smile and a small bow as their eyes flicked around the room. "Are you alright, my lord?"

Nyar nodded his confirmation, brow furrowed amd the tension in his shoulders not leaving as the guard continued to search around. Eyes scanning over every surface and ducking into the other rooms for a moment before reappering. Something about this wasn't right.

The guard nodded once before turning back to Nyar, satisfied the prince was alone. "Captain Greywolf sends eir regards," they finally said.

Nyar's heart lept, but he kept his expression as nuetral as he could. Only letting out a sharp intake of breath he couldn't hold back. "Who are you?"

He couldn't stop the voice in the back of his head telling him this was some sort of trick some sort of test. One he'd no doubt fail, if Jace was involved in any capacity.

"Cyrus Doyle, at your service should you wish it," the guard introduced. "A friend of your captains. And a messenger." Cyrus paused, giving Nyar a chance to speak should he take it. Only continuing on when Nyar stayed silent. "You're weddings today," they said, and Nyar's hand tightened at his side.

Wedding. His wedding. To Lillian. Scheduled only a short time from now, he'd been readying himself for it. Attempting to garner some sort of peace with it while he'd stared at his reflection in the mirror dressed in a suit she'd picked out. One of her roses pinned to his chest. The tie around his neck tightened like a noose, that spelled not his death but the next step trapped in a life not of his choosing. It might as well of spelled his death.

He wished it did.

"I've come to ask if you wish to go through with it."

Nyar blinked, his ears thundering. Throat thick. A test this was a test, one final one before his life was tied to Lillians forever. A last time of Jace dangled in front of him like a threat. Answer wrong...

It didn't matter if he answered wrong. There was nothing more that she could do to him. Nothing more that she could do to Jace.

He couldn't bear to answer the question correctly.

"No."

"Then you shan't," Cyrus said. "Greywolf is here, with a means to put an end to all of this. The only thing ey need is your consent, none of this happens without it."

"Can I talk to em?" Nyar asked, heart thundering almost as fast as his mind was racing. He tried not to put too much faith in Cyrus' words. Jace, here? No. That'd be an insane risk... coming back for him... it wasn't worth it. But when Nyar spoke again, he dared to let himself hope for a moment that perhaps it was true. Perhaps this wasn't some sick trick of Lillians meant to torment him. "What are ey planning? Where are ey?"

Cyrus shook their head. That wasn't information they could give. "All you need to do is play your part, go along with everything you're expected to. Wait. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Ey didn't give me anything to prove my legitimacy," Cyrus said, frowning a little. "Ey were stripped of anything ey had that you would recognize when her majesty had em abandoned for dead. But I can tell you of a scar, eir left shoulder blade. It came from a wound won while protecting you from a band of thieves that attacked your caravan. The two of you were the only survivors, and you spent the night under the stars. Stripped of your possessions and horses. You insisted on tending to em, despite eir protests. Offering your own shirt for a bandage

You awoke the next morning with Greywolf tucked under your arm and asleep against your shoulder."

Nyar sucked in another breath, pulled into the memory. He hadn't been supposed to fall asleep, had promised to keep watch while Jace slept. It'd been a cold night, the pair sharing their cloaks having not dared to light a fire. And they'd argued. First over Nyar cleaning and wrapping Jace's wound the best he could with what they had available. It wasn't his place, ey'd insisted. It was the least he'd owed em after saving his life as many times as ey had, he'd countered. And secondly, over Jace getting any sleep. He'd one both arguments, Jace surrending to sleep on the forest floor beside him while he'd promised to stay up and keep watch. While he'd promised to wake em halfway through the night to switch places.

He hadn't kept either promise.

And he'd never dared breath a word to the exact even'ts of that night to anyone.

To hear the story now, from someone else... It had to be Jace. Lillian never knew, she'd never been allowed that glimpse into the memories he kept locked close to his heart. And he had kept that night locked tightly to his heart.

And the morning after, when Jace had shifted against his against his shoulder; waking with the rising sun. When ey'd smiled at him a little, blinking against the cold of the morning.

Jace had pulled away suddenly, coming back to eirself. Ducking eir head and mumbling an apology.

Ey hadn't even chastised him for falling asleep.

"Tell Jace to go through with what ey have planned," Nyar said, clearing his throat while he pulled himself away from that morning. "Ey have my trust, and full support. Ey always will."

Cyrus nodded, and ducked back towards the door. He opened it just a crack, "do you have all of that, Loyd?"

A confirming knock resounded against the wood and Cyrus glanced back towards the prince.

"I'll be outside your door until you're ready, you should finish getting ready to see your Captain again."

#1060 words of no one getting hurt #an au of the greybane royal au for your enjoyment #part one of two #bonus points if you can guess the taylor swift song before i post the next part #(its really the insp for the next part and has little to do with this but. i wanted to write this bit too) #i'm *almost* done with part two and for suspense reasons i want a bit of time in between posting #so you can have this now #i feel confident about getting the next part finished

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Breathe

"I love you." Jace says it while hugging him from behind while he's doing the dishes. Nyar freezes a little, blushing and grinning.

"Thanks." He mumbles. The reminder is well timed. All day he'd been in a bad mood, wondering if maybe ey'd be better off with someone else.

"I love you." Jace rests eir chin on top of his head while he edits a video.

Nyar snorts. "Sap." But his heart is pounding wildly in his chest and he can't fight the little grin. He sighs, and a weight he didn't even know he had been carrying lifted.

"I love you." Jace whispers it over and over to him; hands running over his back and face, forehead pressed against his. "I love you, I love you; it's ok, I love you."

Nyar gasped and sobbed, clinging to Jace like a lifeline as he fought back the nightmares and memories and panic.

"I love you, it's ok, just breathe, lover. Just keep breathing. I love you, I love you, Ny; its ok, I'm here..."

"I love you." Jace tries to hide eir tears as ey say it. They're tucked into a dark corner on base, and Nyar is getting ready to leave for a mission.

"I'll be back before you know it." He promises, eyes half closed as he leans in and presses a small kiss to eir forehead.

"I love you." It's a sob. Nyar isn't awake. He's laying deathly still and his skin is frighteningly pale, and colder yet. Jace presses a kiss to the back of his hand and says it again. "I love you."

Nyar's fingers curl a little tighter around eir's and he lets out a soft moan as his eyelids flutter.

#greybane insp #nyar insp #jace #id like to take a stab at part 2 with him saying it in his own way but im not sure #only 2 ideas so far

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

rogues reactions to finding their partners angel tattoos? and also joint reaction if it ever come up in conversation maybe and they realize that all three of them all have angel tattoos? or would it not be that big of a thing to them?

Nyar: probably gently reminds jace about it anytime ey try to pull that "I dont belong anywhere" shit. "You sure about that lover? 'Cuz you've got some feathers that say otherwise." Got a huge grin the first time he saw the tattoo BC he was just like. "This is a sign, right? This is what signs are??" 10/10 makes him soft and happy but this boy drinks so much fcking i-love-my-partner juice that this isnt even kinda a surprise.

Caelum: probably finds it on accident and asks how long Dragon's had it. Doesnt say much about it, but its his favorite of Dragon's tattoos. He gets a stupid grin on his face every time he sees it. 10/10 will kiss it anytime it is exposed.

Avanda: tbh she noticed it pretty early on bc Ewan has had this tattoo forever. It did Not™ add to her pining, no sir. She did Not™ start thinking that it was a sign that maybe she should give this dipshit hick with a terrible accent a chance the second she saw it, and she does Not™ think that its very sexy of Ewan to have this tattoo in the first place. 100/10 denial. Refuses to mention how much she likes the tattoo yo Ewan, but he never misses the way her fingers trace it when they kiss so. Theres that.

If Ewan doesnt see them/find out on his own; he'd probably mention his own during recovery? Like Dragon wondering why all three of them went Rouge, when they're some of the most important members of the Revolution, and Ewan maybe shrugs and scratches his tattoo and says "Well you wear the wings and they call you their's...and none of them are exactly the type who take loyalty lightly..." But tbh I like the idea of him finding out about the tattoos on his own somehow and just...quietly claiming them as his bros now. If either of them volunteer for a mission, you'd better believe he's going too bc he has to now, he doesnt really have a choice now does he? And if they ask him about it maybe he just shrugs and says like "Well someone has to watch your back...and your wings." And then teases them about bringing them back to their boyfriends

#ewan: proud self proclaimed guardian angel of two dumbass kids #i love this ok #ewvanda insp #greybane insp #caelum x dragon

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Roses

You're up and about I see."

Nyar felt his blood run cold as Lillian's voice spoke from behind him. He struggled to stand up from the bench he'd come to rest on. He forced a smile as he turned to face her. 

 "Yes, yes m'lady I am."

Lillian raised an eyebrow, surveying him as he shook with the effort of staying upright.

"And the first place our mighty Future King goes is to the gardens to check on his roses." She mused. 

Nyar felt his stomach drop. He'd hoped that maybe an attempt on his life and three days spent fighting poison would earn him some respite from her judgement. "I just--needed some fresh air, m'lady."

Lillian ignored him, walking instead to the rose bush and curling her fingers around a small, pink bloom. "I'd have expected you to visit the dungeons to condem your would-be killer." She waved to one of her guards, who stepped forward and offered her his dagger. Nyar felt his heart stop as she took the dagger, but instead of using it against him, She took it and clipped the rose from the bush, then returned the dagger to the guard. She turned next to Nyar, a dangerous smile written across her face as she offered the rose to him. 

He flashed her a smile as well, not daring to refuse a gift from her. He was about to take it gently, when she curled his hand tightly around the stem. He fought not to wince as she squeezed the thorns into his palm, smiling all the while. 

"To your health, dear husband."

Nyar composed himself more, smiling at her and nodding his thanks. 

He didnt exhale or release his death grip on the throns until she was out of sight. Once she was gone, a sigh of relief was torn from his lungs and the rose tumbled to the ground as he lowered himself back down onto the bench. 

"Captain, I think prehaps it is time for me to return to my chambers

#lillian insp #nyar insp #greybane insp #royal!au #tw domestic abuse mention #tw domestic abuse #tw abuse

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

#ewvanda insp #greybane insp #bed sharing #I'm #i'm so soft

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

The echo of the bowl Jadè had been holding rang through Nyar’s ears as he looked up, first at his youngest crew member, then as followed her gaze. Time slowed, inching forward as he stood up from his seat on the couch, his eyes fixed on his lover as ey stood in front of him, like something out of a nightmare.

“Jace? Tell me this is some sort of sick joke…” Caelum’s voice shook as he stood up as well, hands shaking. 

“It’s not.” Nyar shook as he spoke. His fists were clenched and his throat was tight. He tried desperately to find any way to prove that this wasn’t happening, any way at all for this to be some twisted dream. 

But when the apartment door opened, and Regimental soldiers spilled out of his bedroom, he knew that there was no way around it. This was happening. He had prayed that it never would. He didn’t resist as he was cuffed, his hands trapped behind his back as he was forced to his knees, a gun pointed at his head. 

The rest of his crew were not as cooperative. Carina’s scream was cut short as a cloth; probably drenched in chloroform-  was clamped over her mouth, and she fell limp into the arms of the Regimental soldier behind her. Caelum swung an angry punch at one of them, and was dropped like a stone to the ground as the butt of a rifle was smashed into the base of his skull. Jalev let out a horrified scream, scrambling away from their captors, trying to reach their boyfriend before they were dragged back. Avanda screamed and shouted in Gaelic, insults and threats he had no doubt. It was Thane that broke his heart the most though. Thrashing and writhing against the grip of his captors, sobbing loudly as he pleaded for mercy. But not from the Regiment.

“Jace! Jace, please! Please, don’t do this!” He begged, “Jace! Jace! You can stop this, Jace, help! Stop this, stop it! Help us, Jace, please!”

Nyar wanted nothing more than to be begging the same thing. Finally, he found his words.

“Stand down.” It was quiet, barely a whisper, spoken with eyes still fixed to Jace. “Stand down!” He bellowed it the second time, eyes finally breaking away from Jace, glancing to his crew. They all froze, staring at him wide-eyed as their guards took advantage of the pauses, grabbing hands and forcing them to their knees. His gaze shifted back to Jace now as he spoke again, tears rolling down his face in thick rivers.

“It’s not worth the fight.”

********

Nyar hadn’t said anything else after that moment. He had sat silent in his cell, back to the wall, and eyes staring at the bars before them. The last time he had been here, he’d had Caelum to share a cell with. This time, however, they had been separated. He could hear his crew, but couldn’t see any of them in the dark around him. Caelum was in the cell to his right, whispering prayers between panicked gasps as his claustrophobia got the better of him. Thane had been humming to himself a little earlier, but had fallen silent now, save for the sniffles as he tried to hide the fact that he was crying. Avanda had sang the Keridwen national anthem at the top of her lungs. The act of defiance had earned her a beating, and it had broken Nyar’s heart that she had kept singing between pained gasps and grunts, only falling silent when she fell unconscious. The rest of the crew had begged her to stop, pleading and sobbing with both her and the guards.

Nyar was glad he had the cell to himself. His crew couldn’t see him cry that way. As far as they knew; he was in his cell, angry and planning an escape. They had no idea that he was actually crying silently. That the tears hadn’t stopped flowing silently down his face since Jace’s promotion. 

The questioning would start soon, no doubt. And Nyar was confident that it would start with him. Mentally, he was already preparing himself. He had nothing to tell them, no information to give them. And the Regiment had nothing that they could use against him. Not anymore. His lover had abandoned him, for reasons unknown. And his crew? His crew was no safer if he spoke than they were if he remained silent. No matter what, they were doomed. Hope was lost. This was the end of the Archangel crew, and Nyar was beginning to accept that.

#tw drugging #tw beating #tw imprisonment #greybane insp #ask to tag #nyar insp #it's a start anyway

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Yes, I Do

Nyar was silent as Jace spoke. He listened as ey explained eir past to him, one piece at a time. He’d known as soon as he walked into the apartment. As soon as he saw em standing, the posture unmistakable, the calculation in eir gaze...and he’d felt his heart sink. Ey were Regiment. Ey were here for him, for his crew. He wondered how long Jace had been...toying with him. If ey’d enjoyed watching him fall in love with em. He felt his body tense, waiting for the fight as ey took him in, took him back, took his crew back...

And then ey kept talking. Ey told him about eir crew. About how ey’d been taken...ey were so young...and eir discharge...how ey’d joined the Renegades to atone. His heart lifted again as he realized that ey weren’t going to take him back after all. That he’d jumped to conclusions.

Jace tore eir eyes away from his, the tears barely held back. “I’ve never told anyone… Not even Castor or Tyde. Swore I never would. But you deserve honesty…. from  me most of all. You said you love me… You deserve to know that what you love is a carefully constructed lie. We were never supposed to go this far...and while I’m deeply regretful of every lie I’ve ever spun...every hurt I’ve caused you in the world, that is not something I will ever regret. Us. Even if it’s to end now.”

Nyar was silent for several moments, his mind reeling. Jace was crying, silently, hands gripping the back of the couch. Nyar took a step forward, hesitantly, afraid that ey would back away from him. He took eir wrist in his hand, turning it over and running his thumb over the six stripes there. He looked back up at Jace now, leaning down to kiss em. He pulled em around the couch, motioning for em to sit down next to him. Once they were both sitting, he took both eir hands in his and licked his lips, laughing a little as he tried to decide where to start. 

“You...You said at least I deserted. That there was some honor in that. I didn’t want to leave, Jace. I would have stayed in the Regiment until the day I died. If it weren’t for my crew.” He shook his head a little, “But that’s--that’s not important right now. What is important is that this,” he squeezed Jace’s hands a little, “Us? This isn’t going to end. Not over this. I mean look at how far we’ve come. I have grown so much since I met you. And you’ve been here through it all, even though most people would have turned and ran, you’ve put up with so much.” He laughed. “And I’m not in love with a lie. I’m in love with you.” 

Jace shook eir head and started to speak, but Nyar leaned forward, stopping the words with a kiss.

“I mean it. I love you. I’m in love with you, with all of you. With you now, with who you’ve become, with who you are...Jace, it’s going to take a lot more than just a past in the Regiment to get rid of me.”

Jace laughed a little and eir arms wrapped around his neck. Nyar wrapped his arms around Jace, running his fingers through eir hair as ey cried, face buried in his neck. He held em for a long time, before he pulled em so that the two of them were lying on the couch, Jace lying on Nyar’s chest. His fingers traced up and down eir spine, and he pressed a kiss to eir temple. He wanted to ask em about the brand, wanted to trace his fingers over it and kiss away the pain that he knew must still haunt em; if it was anything like his own. But he kept his hand in the middle of eir back. Ey would show him the scar when ey were ready. He sighed a little, wondering if he would ever be ready to show em his own scars. After another ten minuets, Jace shifted, propping emselves up so that they could look at Nyar. Ey leaned forward, kissing him gently. 

“Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

“Do you mean it?”

Nyar frowned a little as Jace’s hand rested on his chest. “Mean what?”

“That you love me?”

Nyar smiled, his hand reaching up and taking Jace’s. “Of course I do.” He kissed em and smiled, “I love you very much. You’re my best friend, and my lover, and I would move mountains for you.”

Jace laid back down, resting eir head on his chest. “That’s the sappiest, cheesiest shit I’ve ever heard. But I love you too, you dumb idiot.”

Nyar laughed a little, rolling his eyes. 

Nyar’s fingers ran up and down Jace’s forearm for a while before he wrapped his fingers around eir hand, twisting it so that he could see the six marks there. He traced each one gently with his thumb. He swallowed hard, biting his lip a little.

“Tell me about them?” He finally asked, his voice just above a whisper. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But I’d like--I’d like to know your crew.”

Jace bit eir lip, looking at eir wrist as well. Ey sighed a little, blinking away a few more tears. “They were my family. I loved them, more than anything.” Ey finally said.

#greybane #greybane insp #jace #nyar insp #ugh finally #i've been trying to figure out how to do a part 2 on this since light did part 1 #glad it finally got written #4741 words #and scribbles has mixed feelings lol #as usual

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

OH HEY NOW

GUESS WHAT JUST CAME ON THE RADIO?

IF THE WORLD WAS ENDING

FUCK

#greybane insp

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Castor: you keep hugging Nyar when he's upset

Castor: next thing you know, he's gonna fall in love with you. Is that what you want?

Jace: uh

Tyde, loudly over the speaker: Yes

#all i could think of tbh #greybane insp #incorrect greybane

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

#greybane insp #nyar insp #social media!au #greybane music

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

25. “Let me cuddle you forever.” OTP of your choosing.

Nyar sighed a little, flipping a few pages in his book to see how much longer he had in the chapter. Fighting a yawn, he flipped back to where he left off, shifting and frowning a bit as he struggled to focus again. He didn't even realize that he was drifting off until Jace pulled the book out of his hands. 

"Hey, no." He made a grab for it as ey set it on the coffee table, "I need to get that reading done by Tuesday!"

"Yeah? Well good thing it's Sunday then isn't it? You've got plenty of time." Jace said, pushing it farther away from Nyar's reach. 

"I do not." Nyar mumbled. "I still have other assignments to work on too."

"Ny. It's 11:30. You've been studying since 4:00. That's it. You're done."

"But-"

"No! No 'but's. You're gonna drive yourself crazy, you need sleep. Hell, forget you, I need sleep."

"God, thanks for the sympathy."

Jace shrugged. "What can I say? It's my soft and nurturing nature."

Nyar rolled his eyes. "Well if I can't sleep, and I can't study, and I can't get my brain to shut off, then what am I supposed to do?"

Jace wrapped eir arms around his neck as ey sat on his lap. Ey sighed a little as ey kissed cheek and made emself comfortable. “Let me cuddle you forever.” Eir fingers traced over his shoulders and neck, sending shivers down his spine. "Let me cuddle you until you fall asleep and relax, and forget all of your stress."

"Think it'll work?" He mumbled into eir hair. 

"Worth a shot, isn't it?"

#greybane insp #greybane fluff #nyar insp #man #am i projecting study/school stresses onto my son? #oh yeah #blatantly #shamelessly #sorry baby #ily #jace

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Oh. Oh, I see how we're playing tonight then Pinterest.

#greybane insp

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

I have made a very important decision: Ewan, Adair, and Nyar will all kiss the backs of their partner's hands. No I will not be taking criticism. I will be providing headcanons though.

Ewan

Typical bodyguard/princess dynamic.

Avanda rolls her eyes and tries to act like her heart didn't just stop. Mutters something about "ridiculous traditions, enough of that, please..." But secretly thinking "oh wow that was really the most tender thing to have ever happened to me in my whole life ....wait am I having feelings for him?? No, nope, nuh-uh."

Ewan down on one knee, vocally declaring to keep her safe no matter the cost. Mentally swearing it too, mentally promising his heart to her already.

When 'tradition' or 'royal expectations' dictate a repeat of this, Avanda keeps her hands tightly out of reach. Ewan sighed, nods, and says 'yes m'lady'

Avanda lets absolutely no one else kiss the back of her hand, ever, for any reason. Will occasionally relent to Ewan's doing it pre-relationship if some asshole dignitary is annoying her "to prove a point"

Avanda gets hurt on a mission, wakes up in the hospital to Ewan by her side (of course) and he apologizes for what happened then swears it will never happen ever again, he'll never fail her like that, not in his life--

Avanda rolls her eyes and kisses the back of his hand this time and he just stutters to a stop.

"This wasn't your fault. I'm ok."

And thus the relationship turns from mutual pining to secret relationship.

Avanda doesnt stop him anymore, and somehow the formal 'i'm kissing your hand bc you're the princess and its required of me' kisses feel....different

Adair

So Aislin kisses him when he's rambling, right?

Kinda the same thing her.

He notices her eyebrows pinching together and her chewing on her bottom lip, or sees her hand reaching for her scars...so he takes her hand and kisses the back of it

Sweet whispered promises that he's there for her, she's safe, don't worry....

Bringing her back and centering her, trying to give her something soft and gentle to hook onto in the midst of the worry.

Kisses on the back of her hand before he goes into the ring for a match? Oh absolutely.

That's the time he takes after his father most. Cocky and hyped for a fight, promising to win for his love, to be her champion, maybe jokingly asking for a 'token of her affection' with a wink as he presses his lips to the back of her hand and she rolls her eyes at the theatrics of it all

Nyar

Like Ewan, it starts out semi formal.

He is pining so very hard for Jace....so hard...

And they just finished a concert, probably one that highlights em a bit. At the end the two of them are taking their bows, he holds up eir hand, motioning for the audience to direct the applause to em, smiles at em and bows to em now, a quick little peck on the back of eir hand

Worries for weeks that maybe that was too much maybe now ey know maybe he shouldn't have done that that was too forward--

Doesn't do it again until they start dating.

The two of them sitting on the couch, snuggled up, arguing over something small, like what to watch on tv. He finally relents and kisses the back of eir hand and sighs 'Yes, lover.' before letting em pick what to watch

That quickly becomes a thing for them. Almost like the 'As you wish' from Princess Bride

Jace asks for help getting something off the top shelf? Quick bow and a kiss to the hand 'yes, Lover'

Telling him to be safe on a mission, tucked away somewhere out of sight pre-relationship reveal? Soft lingering kiss to the back of eir hand with 'yes, Lover' whispered against eir skin

Oh wow ok wow man just wow why the fuck is greybane so fuckn soft y'all WOW

#look #all im saying is that *i* want someone to kiss the back of *my* hand so i'm making sure my sons give their partners that kind of tenderness #am i living vicariously through my ocs? #always but who cares #that's why we have ocs in the first place tbh #fluff #hands #hand kissing #idk how to tag this yall #otp: red is the rose #ewvanda insp #otp: i was kind of hoping you'd stay #aislair insp #greybane insp #light please feel free to add on to this if you have any extra points you'd like to make

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

Russian Roulette

A repost of an older(ish) Greybane!

Nyar laughed a little as he and Jace packed up their music and instruments. Jace pulled eir phone out and frowned as ey checked a notification on it. 

Nyar frowned a little as well, then cleared his throat. 

"Hey, I was gonna go to Katzin's and look at some new music. You wanna come with?" Jace hesitated and he grinned a little. "I'll get you Starbucks."

Jace smiled a little, snapping eir violin case shut. "Yeah, ok. Sounds like fun."

The walk was comfortable, the slight fall breeze lending a slight bite to the air. Nyar pulled on a jacket and a beanie, then offered Jace his scarf. Jace raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed. 

"C'mon. We both know you'll get cold halfway to Starbucks and be asking for it anyway."

Jace smiled a little and took it. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The walk was comfortable, and the line at Starbucks was surprisingly short. He ordered their drinks, then held the door open for Jace once they reached the music store. 

"Hey Mr. Katzin." He nodded to the owner of the store, then held up his case. "We're gonna shop around a bit, mind if we stash our violins up here with you?"

The older gentleman waved his hand, hardly looking up from his book. But once the two of them set their violin cases on the counter, he closed his book and took them aside. Nyar grinned, stepping over to the wide selection of music. 

"Alright. What are we looking for?" Jace asked, flipping through the books. 

Nyar shrugged. "I dunno. Just….looking, I guess."

Jace sighed. "Ok. What if, and hear me out here: we do something fun."

Nyar felt his shoulders and his right eyebrow drop. "I thought….that's what we were doing…?"

Jace rolled eir eyes. "Well yes, this is fun. But I meant like--fun fun ya dumb tree."

Nyar laughed a little, then went back to flipping through the music. "Call me a tree one more time…"

"Oh c'mon, Juniper." Ey grabbed his hand and pulled him around to the section where all the instruments were kept. "Ok. Russian Roulette. I pick an instrument, any I want, and you play it. Then you pick one for me."

Nyar laughed. "Alright. Ok. Let's give it a shot."

Jace bounced a little on eir feet, grinned, then pointed at a saxophone. Nyar wrinkled his nose and sat down, picking up the sax. He was able to coax a sound out of it, a long, high pitched wail that inspired an angry 'ahem' and raised eyebrow from Mr. Katzin.  Nyar mumbled a quick apology, setting the saxophone down. The two of them played the game a little while longer, laughing at each other's attempts on some of the instruments. When Nyar set down the flute after a clumsy scale, Jace stomped eir foot. 

"Oh c'mon. This isn't fair!"

Nyar laughed. "It's your game!"

"I know, but like...how do you know how to play all of these?"

"I can't play any of them well." Nyar defended. 

"Maybe not, but at least you can get a sound out of most of them! How? How do you know all this?"

He shrugged, sipping his tea. "School."

"School? You got this all at school? Mr. Captain man learned how to play music alongside battle strategy?"

"Yeah." Nyar fidgeted a little. "I mean like...I was in the Young Soldiers Program, it's not like I had tuition prices to worry about. So I tried a few different things until I found one I really liked."

Jace nodded. "Makes sense I guess." Ey tossed a glance around the room, and tilted eir head to the side. "Last one, ok? Here we go." St pulled him over to the guitars, grabbed a green pick off the shelf and offered it to him. 

Nyar traded his tea for the pick and one of the acoustic guitars, giving it a quick strum and adjusting a few strings. Have rolled eir eyes at him and he smirked. He bit his lip a little, tossed a quick glance at Jace, then grinned a little wider. He played a few chords, the intro of the song a little shaky as he got back in the groove of the instrument. He heard Jace let out a soft snort of laughter and he bit his lip again before he started singing. 

"When I look into your eyes, It's like watching the night sky, Or a beautiful sunrise, There's so much they hold…" He swallowed a little, trying not to get too nervous as he kept playing. 

"And just like them old stars, I see that you've come so far,To be right where you are,How old is your soul?" He looked to his fingers, trying to remember the fingering as best as he could. 

"Well, I won't give up on us. Even if the skies get rough. I'm giving you all my love, I'm still looking up…"

He was glad that they were the only two customers in the store, really. He swallowed, trying to ignore the fact that Jace had sat down in one of the other chairs to listen now. 

"''Cause even the stars, they burn, Some even fall to the earth,We've got a lot to learn,God knows we're worth it, No, I won't give up…." And then he was committed. He sang the rest of the song with only a few fumbling fingers, full of emotion. Hoping that maybe this would be enough. That the song would say what he couldn't find the words to say. The words he may never be able to say. 

He finished the song, letting the chord ring out, then smiled sheepishly as he looked back up at Jace.

"Show-off." Ey said softly as a grin crept across eir face. "I didn't know you could sing."

 Nyar shrugged. "Well. 'sing' may be stretching it a bit. But thanks." 

*******

Nyar stepped into Katzin's, nodding to Mr. Katzin before heading towards the room where he did his tutoring. 

"You forgot your guitar here last week, Mr. Frostbane."

Nyar frowned. "What? I don't have a guitar."

Mr. Katzin looked at Nyar over the rim of his glasses. "My dear boy. Every day, young men like yourself come in here and pick up that guitar and sing to the person they're with. They strut and they show off, and I never see them put as much actual emotion into it as you did for your companion. The guitar is your's, son."

Nyar smiled widely as his fingers curled around the case's handle. 

"Thank you, Mr. Katzin."

#greybane insp #nyar insp #mr katzin insp #music #greybane music

[mrs-mikko-rantanen]

First Dates and Bandaids

Um. My hand slipped. Oops. 700 words, so a little short thing.

          Nyar frowned at his reflection as he pawed at his hair a little, trying to get it to lie flat. When it didn't cooperate he let out an angry groan and ran his fingers through the front part, trying to get it looking a bit more….what? Casual?

          There was a knock at the door, and he heard Alexei shout that he would get it, summoning him out of his room in an instant. He relaxed a little as Carina and Thane stepped inside, pushing his two young sons back into the apartment. 

        "Hey you guys. Thanks for coming over." 

        Thane said nothing, having tossed a giggling Dimitri over his shoulder and ruffling Alexei's hair. 

        "Anytime." Carina smiled at him. 

        Nyar had decided that the two of them would be the best options for babysitters tonight, seeing that they could both be trusted to keep a secret for him, and more importantly, lie convincingly if any of the rest of the crew came over asking where he was. 

        Carina giggled a little, hands resting on her hips. "Nervous?"

        "No." He was very glad that she would be the one lying to the crew tonight, not him. 

        She raised an eyebrow. "So the crooked buttons were intentional, then?"

        Nyar frowned as he looked down at his shirt. Sure enough, it was crooked, with one extra button sticking up at the top. 

        "I would have noticed when I went to put on a tie…" He mumbled in a half hearted form of defence. 

        "C'mon. I'll help." Carina pushed him gently to his room, pointing as she went. "When was the last time you went on a date?"

        "How old's Dimitri?" He grumbled. 

        "Really? You and Lillian never had like...date nights?"

        "Not ones I want to remember, no."

        Carina winced a little, flipping through his closet as he returned to fighting his hair. "Right. Sorry 'bout that."

        Nyar shrugged a little. "It's fine. Over with now and all." He started to reach for a tie, but Carina stopped him, offering him a sport jacket. 

        "Time's too much for a first date. Well. For you anyway. Bit stuffy. Pop another button open."

        "That's not too--"

        "For God's sake, Ny, this is your first date in four years. I think you're allowed to show a little cleavage." She teased. 

        He frowned at her and she grinned, offering him his shoes. 

        "Maybe I should call it off." He said, holding the shoes in one hand. "I mean, Dimitri's still sick, that fever won't go away; and Alexei started coughing this morning, I'm wondering if he--"

        "I do have Avanda's number, you know. I'll call her if anything comes up."

        Nyar made no move to put on his shoes. 

        Carina crossed her arms over her chest. 

       "And I'll call you in an hour and a half if I haven't heard from you. If it's not going well we can make up some reason for you to come home."

        Nyar still didn't move. 

        Carina's expression softened. "Nyar?"

        "I just...after Lil…" he cleared his throat, shaking his head. "I don't...they….she was just…." He sighed. "I don't want my sons to have to go through that again." He admitted, sitting down on the edge of his bed. 

        "Hey," Carina sat down next to him and patted his hand, "It's one date. If she turns out to be a total nut job, then you block her number and try out a new grocery store. That's it. If it goes well, then you go to a movie next time. It isn't an all-or-nothing dive-right-in kinda deal. It's just one step."

        Nyar nodded. 

        "And Lillian's gone, Nyar." Carina reassured him, "She can't get you guys. You're safe. Your boys are safe."

        "I know." He whispered. "I just….it's a big step."

        Carina grinned. "Yeah? So chin up and show a little skin. Have fun. Loosen up. Fake it till you make it and just relax some. Go on a date. Flirt and lie about your job, hell, quote Friends and ask 'how you doin'?' There's no such thing as a perfect first date, Nyar. Trust me, I've been on lots."

#first dates and bandaids #uh oh #look all i have is that Scenr ok? #i just reallt wanted to write about carina Helping him get reafy fir his big date #single parent!au #greybane insp #also: #using the wrong pornouns foe jace (bc like....carina wouldn't know yet......) #caused actual physical pain