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twstbookclub · 1 year

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Please Look at Me

Summary: Can you stop calling Epel cute? Can you not look at and gush over him like a cute toddler? Please, just look at him as someone you can love for once. POV: 2nd Person Pronouns: Gender Neutral Admin/Writer: Cressa🦋 Tags: Fluff, Romance, Two Idiots in Love, Unrequited was actually Requited Feelings, Angry Epel Felmier and his Country Accent, Abusing the word Cute, MC is a bit Silly and Goofy like that Word count: 1,790

“I wish I was as cute as you, Epel.”

The Pomefiore freshman’s eyebrows rose so high that they disappeared behind his fringe. Epel turned to you in disbelief. Sat beside him on a stone bench in the courtyard, you fiddled with your popsicle stick as you stared at the clouds. Your eyes absent-mindedly drifted from one cloud to another. Epel could see flecks of gold in them as the scattered rays of sunset gave you an ethereal glow. Your lashes brushed your cheeks when you blinked, and your lips turned a bit redder after you gnawed on it.

Epel shook his head. He shouldn’t get distracted by how pretty you are when you literally said you wanted to be cute like him.

“What in tarnation made ya say that? And I ain't cute.”

You huffed, propping your elbow on your lap, and placed your chin in your free hand. Epel noticed the frown before he even processed the next words that came out of your mouth.

“Yes, you are! Literally, everyone mistakes you for a girl, and they start liking you for how adorable you are!”

Epel didn’t know whether it was a compliment or an insult. Judging by your pinched eyebrows and pout, you were praising him for his looks. He leaned back on his arms and tilted his head at you, as his gesture to elaborate.

“I…” You groaned, dragging a hand down your face. “For once, I just want someone to look at me like that. Just someone who would like me at first glance, or think that I’m attractive enough to flirt with.”

I do, Epel thought. I always have, so why can’t you see me?

“Ya say that like it’s a bad thing,” Epel gritted out. His harsh grip on his popsicle stick made his knuckles white, and the poor stick was on the verge of breaking into splinters. “Ya don’t need someone ta complete ya, y’know.”

“But I want to,” you sighed, wistful eyes brimming with longing. “I want someone to cuddle with me at night. I want someone to hold me close and exchange sweet nothings with them. I want someone to have arcade dates with. I want to make dinner with them, then eat together while talking about our day. I want to experience all of those moments with a partner at least once.”

So, why can’t you do them with me? Epel couldn’t find his voice. He settled with, “Maybe someday, you’ll find someone to spend the rest of your life with. Then, ya can experience all that mushy lovey-dovey stuff.”

You snort, turning to Epel with the grin that held his heart in a vice grip. “I swear you don’t want anything to do with romance because of what you say about it.”

I don’t mind it if it’s with you.

“C’mon, let’s go,” Epel stood up from the stone bench and held out his hand towards you. “We can’t have Vil hounding us for staying out past curfew.”

“You mean, Vil hounding you. I’m the Ramshackle prefect, remember?” The grin never left your face, and Epel wished he could just kiss you right now. “I can make curfew any time I like.”

As he felt your hand softly squeeze his, warmth spread from his fingertips to his entire being. Like a soft, fleece blanket in front of a gentle fire during winter in Harveston. It reminded him of home. It felt like home with you. Epel wanted to be with you, if you let him. He wanted to do all of those things with you and more. He’d do anything for you, even if it meant the world turned against you two.

For now, he’d settle with being your cute, effeminate friend who’d roundhouse kick anyone who looked at you wrong.

The next few days were the most dreadful ones Epel had. His conversation with you that day never left his mind. It haunted him every time he saw you glance at every passing student in interest. Hell, you even looked at the Vil Schoenheit as if you were considering dating the strict and demanding housewarden. Great Seven, no. He’d rather die than see you hanging off of that royal pain in the ass.

Every glance of yours was another drop of frustration for Epel. The proverbial cup was dangerously close to spilling over. It didn’t help that most of his competitors are literally taller and bigger: two things that Epel aspires to be, but cannot be. You could pick anyone, and still deserve the happiness they’d give you. Epel, though? He didn’t deserve you. You deserve someone big and strong enough to protect you whenever you, yourself, couldn’t; someone who could drop everything to cheer you up. Epel isn’t any of those. He’s tiny and dainty and cute.

“Ah, you’re seriously so cute, Epel!” you cried, hugging him after he handed you another popsicle for your Thursday hang-out. It’s been a full week since that day, and you never stopped gushing about how cute he was.

It was that vile word again. Cute. Was that how you saw him? Was that all he’ll ever be to you?

“You know,” you hummed. “I think… I found someone already.”

Epel froze, his popsicle melting in his grasp. The harsh heat of the sun felt blistering on his skin, yet his hands grew as frigid as snow. The forgotten treat started dripping onto the ground as the sound echoed in his ears.

Drip.

“What?” Epel gaped, lips slightly parted in surprise. “Since when?”

“Since a few days ago,” you hummed with a smile softly curling the corners of your lips.

Drip.

“It’s only been a week,” Epel exasperatedly claimed, desperately holding himself together. “You found someone already? Isn’t this happening too fast?”

The gentle smile on your face never left. “I mean, yeah, but… I’m sure about who I want to be with.”

Drip. Drip.

“Do I know them?” Epel whispered, barely heard among the chirps of the birds and the rustle of the leaves in the breeze. Somehow, you heard him through it all. He just hoped you didn’t hear the sound of his heart starting to crack and break.

You laughed, smiling so wide that your eyes narrowed into crescents. Epel grew jealous of the person in your mind that made you smile so happily. “Of course you do!”

Drip. Drip. Drip.

“Oh.” Epel stared at the grass peeking through the crevices of the cobblestone. His mind grappled for something—anything—to ground him back to reality. He’s slipping. He’s losing. Epel should have taken the poison of rejection over the sting of losing you to someone else.

Your smile felt like a slap to his face. What once brought him so much joy and warmth filled him with dread and misery. Epel drifted in and out of consciousness, only catching bits and pieces of what you were prattling on about.

It was when he heard the word cute again that something inside him spilled over into tears and screams.

“Stop calling me cute!” Epel snapped, abruptly standing to face you. The popsicle fell to the ground with a splat, melting into dirt and stone. The world stood still and held its breath while Epel lost his own to his pent-up frustration.

“I feel like you only see me as—as a cute lil’ kid,” the petite freshman struggled with his words, but he was too afraid to stop lest he lose the sudden courage to tell you the truth. “Cute, tiny Epel. Dainty, harmless Epel. Well, that’s enough of that!

I can cuddle you. I can—I’ll hold ya close and tell ya everything I like ‘bout you. I’ll take ya to the arcade and win y’a plushie for our date. I’ll be the one to make dinner and talk about our day over the table. Just—see me as someone who can be with you!

I love you, dammit!” Epel yelled, chest rising and falling from spilling his heart out. You stared, eyes wide and mouth agape. He noticed how you clutched your uniform coat tightly, right above your heart. How you had forgotten your own popsicle that the orange juice stuck to your fingers and trailed down your palm. How you dropped the stick to reach a hand out to him. Although, you retreated when you saw the mess from your ruined treat.

“Epel, I…”

Oh no, Epel thought. Oh hell no. He did not just ruin his friendship with you.

“I’m so sorry—”

“You dingus,” you laughed, but tears started pooling in the corners of your eyes. “It’s you. It’s always been you. Why do you think I gush about you being cute all the time? How I always hug you whenever I could? I was about to confess until you beat me to it.”

Oh. Epel robotically sat beside you again and buried his tomato-red face in his hands. Oh.

“Oh Seven above,” he muttered, voice muffled by his hands. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Yeah, but you’re my idiot.” Epel felt your hand, the non-sticky one, slide into his. Your fingers found themselves intertwined with his, warm and accepting. He squeezed your hand, still too embarrassed to look you in the eye after his outburst. Despite his shame, his heart still jumped at the affection in your voice. It was reserved for him. Just him. Epel couldn’t ask for anything more at that point.

“I kept dropping hints, but I thought you didn’t want to date anyone since… Well, you always call it mushy, cringe, and cliché. I tried to forget my feelings for you, but I just can’t,” you caressed the back of his hand with your thumb. Thoughtfully looking at your joined hands, you continued, “Stay with me? For as long as possible?”

“Always,” Epel replied, squeezing your hand and sliding his thumb over your knuckles. “You bet I’ll make you the happiest person alive. I swear it.”

Your smile, wobbly and wide, said more than enough. Epel felt the brush of your lips on his cheek. Light as a feather. Gentle as a warm summer breeze. The kiss lingered for what felt like hours, and he wished that you two could stay like this forever.

Your lips left the spot on his cheek, searing and begging for more of your kisses. Epel looked at you, who leaned back and laughed at his wide, doe eyes and red cheeks and parted lips.

“I’m counting on it, cutie. You better not disappoint me.”

Epel smirked, raising an eyebrow as if to challenge you. With his cheeks still rosy red, he pulled you close and grabbed your chin to look into your eyes.

“Then, I’ll just make sure you’re always looking at me, darlin’.”

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v-toast · 9 months

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Please explain your Nailmaster Oro and Lost Kin headcanon, I would like to hear it very very much.

GLADLY !!!!!! (thank u sm for this ask :]]] )

so, assuming the vessels all have the same base experience when they escape the abyss and head into hallownest, Lost Kin in theory starts off with the same base abilities that you have at the start of a playthrough. no nail arts, charms, etc.

i bring up nail arts specifically, because one of the attacks that LK does in the boss fights: the dash attack

which. to me, personally, looks like the dash slash !! which is the nail art that you can only learn from Nailmaster Oro (in-universe, maybe you could also learn it from Sly, or one of the other Nailmasters despite it not being their speciality? but this is just going off what i think would be most likely rather than all the possibilities ever)

it has the same moment of charging up, and then the overall appearance of the attack just looks like the dash slash. it has further range, but LK is bigger than Ghost, so that could be one explanation for that

also, relatively to the rest of hallownest, the two of them aren't actually that far from one another ! and the path isnt too complicated. Oro is definitely the easiest nailmaster to get to from LK's room, so i dont think it'd be a stretch to say that they could've made the distance while not infected

the final 'evidence' point (and the weakest) is that LK does the same bow the nailmasters do, when they are beaten in the dream realm

i say that this point is a bit weak, because other characters also do a bow, like grimm and the mantis lords, so it may be more widely known in Hallownest's society to bow after a fight/duel/whatever. however, LK's room's closest (least complicated to get to might be more accurate?) character that canonically bows in respect after a fight is... oro ! so i choose to believe this is where they got it from

AND NOW... THE SPECULATION

this part comes second to the previous stuff i provided and is more just things i think about now that im committed to the hc

Oro is very reluctant to take Ghost on as a pupil, and remains very distant emotionally, especially when compared to his brother Mato. this could, technically, be explained by the feud between him and Mato leading to his isolation, and some other stuff going on in his past. which i do believe contributes to it !

but another thing that may also contribute to specifically having an aversion to accepting students and getting close to them... well... what if he previously had a student that left, or he got separated with for whatever reason ? and that student never came back ? the only company anywhere near his isolated hut, and theyre gone and he doesn't know where they went or what happened to them

final and strongest propaganda point: reluctant mentor figure that eventually has to admit that he does enjoy the company of his mentee, and mischievous mentee that incessantly bothers the mentor trope dynamic. that is all

#id in alt #gif #hollow knight #nailmaster oro #lost kin #silence silence silence ka ching !#holy shit i typed so much #thank u for this ask fr these two weigh on my mind A Lot (if it wasnt obvious)#i have ideas about how i think they would meet and how their relationship develops but thats just purely going off the rails lol #i might make a separate post about it or talk abt it if there are any more asks that pop up #i have so many hollow knight hcs and opinions #flashing #<- just in case for the gif ? not sure. but just in case

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