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mozart-the-meerkitten · 2 years

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Time for another obscure character comparison post! This time through excerpts from each story.

Connecting thread: a sad, traumatized man who just wants to go home to his family and thinks he’s a coward but is just out there doing insanely brave things like rescuing girls from crazy people who are trying to kill them.

Suddenly, Slarb’s growl was cut short. Trembling, Leeli opened her eyes and saw the Fang’s claws clutching desperately at an arm locked tight around his throat. She couldn’t see the person’s face, only a tuft of white hair sticking up from behind Slarb’s shoulder- but the arm around Slarb’s throat had a dirty knitted sock pulled up to the elbow. Slarb’s black eyes wheeled in their sockets as he scratched and dug into the socked arm, but it did no good. The arm held firm. Slarb staggered backward and turned away from Leeli, revealing lanky Peet the Sock Man, who was either brave enough or foolish enough (and maybe both) to attack a Fang barehanded, or sock-handed, as it turned out. Peet’s eyes were squeezed shut as he hung on desperately to the thrashing Fang. Slarb’s teeth were bared and oozing with yellowish venom, but his movements were slowing down. Leeli began to hope that just maybe she would live to see her family and Nugget again. Peet was grunting, straining to keep his grip on the twisting beast; though blood was soaking the sock where Slarb’s claws were digging into Peet’s forearm, he showed no sign of pain. Slarb spun around, so fast that Peet’s feet flew out behind him. The Fang lurched this way and that, his tail whipping the underbrush. Finally he fell first to one knee and then to the ground, unconscious. Peet lay on top of Slarb, gasping for air. After a moment, he loosened his grip and carefully slid his arm out from under the creature’s neck. When Peet saw Leeli, he relaxed and stood up, brushing himself off as if embarrassed Leeli was still crouched down in the brush at the edge of the trees, looking warily at her rescuer. “Thank you,” she said timidly. “That was very brave.”

-The Wingfeather Saga book one: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (tv show based on the book coming December 2nd!)

“Well how about it?” inquired Dustfinger, taking a step back. “Do you dare come in here with me, or would you rather go on hitting little girls?” Basta stood there motionless, like a child whose ears have been suddenly and unexpectedly boxed. Then he seized Meggie’s arm and dragged her toward him. She felt something cold on her throat. She didn’t have to see it to know what it was. Her mother screamed and pulled at Dustfinger’s hand but he only held it higher in the air. “I knew it!” he said. “What a coward you are, Basta! You’d rather put a knife to a child’s throat than venture in here. Of course if Flatnose were here to back you up, too, with his broad back and his great fat fists- but he isn’t. Come along, you’re the one with the knife! I’ve got nothing but my hands, and you know how I hate to misuse them for fighting.” Meggie felt Basta’s grip relax. The blade was no longer pressing into her skin. She swallowed and put a hand to her throat. She almost expected to feel warm blood, but there was none. Basta pushed her away so hard that she stumbled and fell on the damp, cold floor. Then he put his hand into his pants pocket and brought out a bunch of keys. He was panting with rage like a man who had run too far and too fast. Fingers trembling, he put the key into the lock of the cell. Dustfinger watched him, his face impassive. He gestured to Meggie’s mother to step back from the grating and retreated himself, nimble as a dancer. You couldn’t tell from his scarred face whether he was afraid or not, but the scars looked darker than usual. “What’s that for?” he said, when Basta came into the cell and held out his knife. “You might as well put it away. If you kill me you’ll spoil Capricorn’s fun. He won’t forgive you for that in a hurry.” Yes he was afraid. Meggie could hear it in his voice. The words were spilling out of his mouth a little too fast. “Who said anything about killing?” growled Basta as he closed the cell door behind him. Dustfinger retreated as far as the stone coffin. “Am you were thinking of adding a few more decorations to my face?” he was almost whispering. There was something else in his voice now- hatred, scorn, rage. “Don’t expect it to be so easy this time,” he said softly. “I’ve learned a few useful tricks since then.”

…

“I’ll cut your filthy fingers off if you try to touch me!” yelled Basta, his face red with rage. “Every one of them, and your tongue into the bargain.” He lunged with the knife again, cutting through the air with the bright blade, but Dustfinger avoided it. He was leaping around Basta faster and faster, ducking, retreating, advancing, but suddenly he found that his fearless dance had trapped him. He had only the bare wall behind him now, and the grating cutting off his retreat to the right- and Basta was coming straight at him. At that moment Meggie’s mother raised her hand. The stone hit Basta on the head. Astonished, he spun around, looked at her as if trying to remember who she was, and put his hand to his bleeding face. She never knew how Dustfinger did it, but suddenly he had Basta’s knife in his hand. Basta was staring at its familiar blade in amazement, as if he couldn’t grasp the fact that the faithless thing was pointing at his own chest.

-Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke

Tillman had knocked the white ironstone bowl off his tray, shattering it on the tile next to him. “I told you!” he yelled, swinging his feet off the bed, and kicked at the shards to make room to stand. “I said they were here!”

Belle wasn’t sure whether the bowl being sent to the floor was purposeful or an accident, but it had to be cleared up either way, before he cut his feet on it. “Stay right where you are,” she said. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

“I don’t take orders from your kind,” Tillman said, fixing her with that severe look again.

Turning back to Captain Gold, she sighed, giving him a smile. “I’ll be right back - I’m going to clean up before he and Gardner can start something over it.”

Belle took the tray from the end of the bed and sat it on the floor so that she could place the broken pieces on it. Tillman squatted down next to her, apparently having snapped out of it and deciding to help. “Thank you,” she said. “Be careful, don’t cut yourself.” At least ironstone didn’t shatter to virtual sand as some china did. She concentrated on picking up the small fragments he’d scattered, and he reached for a larger piece.

Before she knew it, he’d hauled her to her feet, holding her against him with an arm wrapped in an iron grip around her chest and upper arms, pressing the point of the ironstone shard to her neck.

Belle pulled at his forearm on instinct. “Lieutenant Tillman!” she cried, and she heard running footsteps. “Lieutenant Tillman, it’s all right, it’s Nurse French! You know me!”

“I know damn well what you are, and you’re no nurse,” he snarled near her ear.

Rummond’s heart pounded so hard against his ribs that his breastbone ached. He’d been watching Belle; it was difficult to take his eyes off of her. Tillman moved so fast, though, he hadn’t even time to get a word out before she’d been grabbed up in a hostage hold.

He knew he couldn’t have gotten across the aisle quickly enough, but as soon as Tillman turned and Rummond was out of the Lieutenant’s line of sight, he slipped from the far side of his bunk and crossed to the other side of the ward, where he could move more quickly without being seen.

“Crazy bugger thinks she’s a German,” Lieutenant Booth snorted as his bunkmate snuck away.

Belle vaguely knew as more and more people gathered. Other nurses and orderlies dared get closest, their voices muddled as they all tried to talk to Tillman, each thinking they could talk sense into him. Her ears hummed and she felt lightheaded and too hot, and she knew it was adrenaline, but that didn’t help to clear her whirling thoughts. She had been in dangerous situations since becoming a nurse, but this was the first to threaten her so directly, and terror grew in the pit of her stomach.

“Lieutenant Michael Tillman! Let her go!” Dr. Whale barked above the other voices, and Belle zeroed in on him. Dr. Hopper stood next to him, face blanched, and Ruby stood on the other side. Graham stood beside Dr. Hopper, his hands raised, and Belle couldn’t hear what he said over everyone else, but he looked frightened. Well, at least she wasn’t overreacting to her situation, then.

Some of the patients were hovering at mid-range, most keeping a few feet back from the staff, and she saw worry in their faces, as well. Dr. Glass watched from the ward doors with an almost neutral expression. She didn’t see Captain Gold, though. She should have been able to see him on his bed when she shifted her eyes that way, but he was gone. If she could only see him, see the look on his face, she thought she might be better able to gauge just what kind of trouble she was in. She felt as if his face would give her the truth.

Jefferson whispered, “What are you doing?” as Rummond passed. Rummond swatted a hand in his direction, giving him a look sharp enough to quiet him immediately in return for the question.

He crept between the beds at the far end of the room and made himself as small and low as he could as he moved back up the other aisle. Less than half the length of the room away. He slowed himself to silence the pat of his bare footsteps.

“No one would believe me! And look where we are now!” Tillman ranted, shaking her.

“Lieutenant,” Belle said, praying she could calm him long enough for his delusion to break, or for something to stop him. “I know it feels real, but I promise you-”

“Shut up!” he snapped, shaking her again.

Belle clenched her eyes shut, feeling the piece of ironstone move on her skin. When she opened them again, Tillman had turned enough that she caught movement in the reflection of the window beside his bed. She saw just enough to tell her who it was. Captain Gold.

She could have sobbed, though whether in relief that someone was making an effort to do something or in fear for him, she couldn’t be sure. Tillman was easily fifty pounds heavier than Captain Gold, and if he turned the shard on the other man…

“It’s all right,” she continued, hoping to distract Lieutenant Tillman and keep him from noticing the reflection. It was right in front of him - he only needed to look that way to see. “If you’ll just let me go, we can finish cleaning up the bowl, and perhaps you can talk with Dr. Hopper? I’m sure he-”

“Shut your mouth!” he yelled right behind her ear, digging the shard harder against her neck, and she choked back a cry when she felt the sharp point puncture her skin.

Tillman stood against the side of his bunk, and Rummond could see there was no way to get between. He would have to go over top, and that would mean a very narrow moment during which he could do anything before Tillman knew he was there.

His lungs burned when he held his breath to cut off that sound, as well, and he stepped between Tillman’s bed and the one to the left of it. With his knees at the edge of the mattress, he leaned, putting all of his weight on his good foot, and lunged. He had his hands on Tillman before the springs squeaked, wrenching the hand holding the piece of broken ironstone to force it as far away from Nurse French’s skin as he could.

Belle felt herself yanked backward, and for a second she feared Tillman had done it, slit her throat. But then she heard, “Drop it, boy. Drop the weapon,” in a low voice, somehow dispassionate and chilling at once, almost as near her ear as it was to Tillman’s, and it made her skin crawl. It took a very long beat of her heart to recognize that Captain Gold had gotten to them.

Rummond snaked his hand in behind Tillman’s arm across Nurse French’s chest, wrapping his hand around the Lieutenant’s wrist from the inside with a vice grip. With a sudden push stronger than the pulling hold Tillman had on her, Rummond gave her room to get away, and she took it.

When the grip on her loosened, Belle dropped away, hitting her knees hard enough to bruise, her hands flying to her neck. Graham rushed in to get her, pulling her up and away, and she was surrounded by he, Ruby, and Dr. Hopper as they saw blood and tried to check her. She turned among their hands, trying to see what happened between Captain Gold and Lieutenant Tillman.

Tillman twisted his hand, trying to cut his attacker’s arm, but found himself held at the wrong angle to accomplish it. “I won’t be held prisoner again!” he shouted, fighting. “I’ll kill myself first!”

“Graham, help him!” Belle pled, pushing his hand away from her neck and urging him toward the patients who were still the center of spectation.

The adrenaline in Rummond’s system was waning, and he wasn’t strong enough to hold onto Tillman without its help. He felt his muscles beginning to tremble. To his relief, Humbert knelt one knee on the mattress and Gardner overshadowed them on the window side, each taking one of the Lieutenant’s arms, and he could let go. He scrambled backward off the bunk, just keeping his footing as he put the piece of furniture between himself and Tillman.

-Better to Face the Bullets by @ishtarelisheba

how did it ever get into their heads that they’re cowards

#the wingfeather saga #inkheart #better to face the bullets #I am hyperfixating HARD on these three right now #peet the sockman #artham wingfeather #dustfinger #rummond gold #this came to me on my drive home from work #all three scenes aligned in my head and I was compelled to get the books and type these up aghajkfsjf #thankfully one is a fanfic and therefore on ao3 #also I think these three boys would get along #they're just sitting in a quiet room talking drinking tea and playing cards or something #meanwhile Idk what they'd be doing but Arendelle Belle and Roxanne would also get along #they're talking about women's rights in their worlds (or a lack thereof) ajhgaksf #nia is also there #ANYWAY #I have been having THOUGHTS

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onepiece-imagines-bartoloclub · 5 years

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(Damn, I hope your day get better and since it would help, I'm gonna all three related to it. Thank you for the request anon, I hope you enjoy and that you're week goes great!)

~ Sanji, Luffy and Barto comforting a friend who broke up headcannons ~

- Sanji -

•He does not waste time making tea for them and bring it to them while they stay in their room.

•Sanji tries his hardest to stay calm while they explain to him what happened; he knows that he can direct his anger at Zoro later, what matters is to make them feel better.

•He listens to the whole thing and while he tries to provide some sort of comfort by offering them a cigarette, he stays quiet the whole time.

•It's hard for him to relate since even though his heart was broken not so long ago, it is nowhere near the pain they must be going through.

•He tells them that it's awful what they went through, but it'll get better soon. The fact that they've been in a relationship for so long speaks miles of what kind of person he sees them to be, considering that he himself hasn't been in one yet, and that he knows that they'll find their All Blue someday.

•Sweets and cold drinks will be their recovery menu while you have Sanji comforting you and it doesn't matter to him how long he stays awake, so long as they're feeling better with a shoulder to cry on.

- Luffy -

•He notices his friend's mood and how they don't want to participate in his usual escapades in the morning and attempt to motivate them to join him and Usopp in a game to get them out of their stump.

•When it doesn't work, he asks them what's wrong. He's quick to anger when he hears that someone else is part of the reason why they're sad, but since he can't fight the perpetrator, the second best thing to do is to ask Sanji to cook them something to calm them down (and something for him as well).

•Even after they spent hours just talking their heart out to Luffy, it still wasn't enough and he tells them that he'll figure out how to make them happy again.

•The rest of the day was spent with our favorite captain trying to figure what to do that'll cheer them up, and then an idea struck.

•Getting the rest of his crew on board, the next day was all about them with Luffy, Usopp and Chopper getting them to play games, Brook playing music, Sanji making special treats for them (and Nami and Robin), so on and so forth.

•Luffy isn't great with at expressing how he feels verbally, so what better way to show that he cares and that he'll be here for them than to have his family do the same?

•They don't have to deal with this alone, and Luffy will never let them forget that because so long as they're his friend, his whole crew will have their back.

- Bartolomeo -

•There aren't words to describe the cycle worry, panick and anger when he sees his friend look so down and forlorn.

•"Who did this?! Who hurt you?! I'll cut off their tongues for making you cry!!"

•They're gonna get pampered the whole day by Barto and his crew. Any friend that's sad is gonna get food, comfort and affection from these people until they know they feel better.

•He might even let you hold Luffy's vivre card so a few seconds.

•Part of having him as company and a shoulder to cry is that he'll either end up crying with you or that he'll spend the whole day telling you stories about the strawhats to keep your attention away from the break up.

•For Bartolomeo, friends are the second most important people in his life, the first one being the strawhats, and he cannot sit by idly while they try to handle their hardships alone.

•"Remember, if you're ever feeling down, just imagine Luffy-senpai telling us unworthy mortals that it's going to be okay and that we'll make it through this! There's never a reason to be sad when you exist on the same planet as the strawhats!"

#one piece #one piece headcannons #sanji #monkey d luffy #bartolomeo

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clanwarrior-tumbly · 6 years

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May I request an angsty and fluffy story where the reader starts to get sick and the septicegos tell them that they should talk to Schneep before it gets worse, but they decline saying they're alright and it's just a little cold and Schneep has been working a lot and they don't want to bother him. However their sickness grew serious and they pass out from the sickness or something and the egos call Schneep and he rushes back to take care of them. Thank you so much!! :D

Awh sure! Ty for the request :) (ahh I love me some good fluffy angst)

Hope you don’t mind the addition of a Drunk!Schneep :v

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright, [y/n]? You look awfully..pale..” Marvin remarked as he looked up at you after laying the cards out on the table.

You glanced at the concerned magician, giving him a small, yet tired, smile. Truth be told..you haven’t been feeling 100% today, but you didn’t want that to stop you from playing a nice little game of cards with the egos.

“I’m fine, it’s probably the light-” For a second you paused to cough into the crook of your arm a few times, before you cleared your throat and looked up. “-and the fact that I might have a tiny cold..but I’ll get over it.”

“Probably?” Jackie muttered, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. “If you’re not entirely sure, you should go see the doc just in case it’s not something-”

“I’ll be fine, really..I don’t wanna worry him when he’s been working all day today.”

Chase sat down in the chair beside you, sliding over a cup of steaming hot tea your way. “Just a cold you say?” He chuckled. “Well it’s nothing a good ole’ cup of tea can’t fix~”

Nodding in agreement, you took the cup, muttering a small “thanks” to him before the four of you started playing cards.

Marvin was still skeptical, as occasionally he’d glance over to you and see that your reaction time was slow, your coughs became harsher to the point where you began wheezing, and you seemed to be sweating despite the A/C unit being on.

Just as he was about to tell you that you should go rest, you took a sip of your tea and it went down the wrong pipe in your throat. You began to cough violently and gag, to the point where it felt like your lungs were on fire.

The others looked at you in alarm, seeing you get up from the table and attempt to head to the bathroom, only to collapse to your knees as your vision was growing blurry.

Then you all heard a sickening, squeamish sound amid your fit and, for a moment, everything was silent as you stared down at your hand…seeing tiny, red specs in your palm.

“I-Is…that..blood..?”

As you lost consciousness, Jackie sprinted over and caught you, wasting no time in carrying you to Henrik’s clinic, with Chase and Marvin not too far behind.

……….

“Mein Gott..you should’ve come to me sooner, [y/n]..”

“S-Sorry,” you managed to chuckle, giving the doctor a nervous smile as he set a cup of water on the table next to you. “I thought it was just..a normal cold..”

“I vouldn’t consider “coughing up blood” as a symptom of a “normal cold”,“ he muttered, sighing and removing his blue gloves to run a hand through his hair.

Then he looked back to see you curled up on the bed, taking small sips of the drink.

Thankfully, he was able to treat the ailment that infected you before it could get any worse, although that meant you would have to sleep overnight in the clinic just so he could monitor your progress.

But seeing you relaxed and able to hold down some kind of drink brought him relief that he did everything correctly.

It was “another success for Dr. Schneeplestein”, he’d say.

Once you were finished, you set the cup back down on the table and laid back, resting your head on the pillow and pulling the blanket up to your chin. Both materials smelled nice and clean, as the rest of the stark-white room did save for the chemicals.

“Now..[y/n]..”

You hummed in response, looking over to see him sit down next to you, a frown on his face. “I don’t vant you to ever be afraid of disturbing me should you feel ill. Quite frankly..I’d rather be here taking care of my own friend zhan do all of zhat bullshit paperwork..”

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled. “I…I was just being dumb..thinking that it was-”

“No vorries,” he sighed, patting your head. “I appreciate you vanting me to do my vork in peace…but your health is and always vill be my number one concern. Don’t ever forget zhat, okay?”

Nodding slowly, you turned your head away and closed your eyes, finally getting some much-needed sleep. For a few moments longer Henrik looked at you, before he got up and glanced at the clock, realizing how late it was.

“Hmm..I suppose I can go for a drink…or two…”

……..

At some point during the night, you woke up to the sound of..quiet sobbing?

You sat up and rubbed your eyes, feeling a lot more refreshed than you did before. After you put on some slippers and your hoodie, you made your way out of the room to go investigate the source of the sound. Thankfully there were some lights on so you weren’t trekking through total darkness.

Before long you reached Henrik’s office, where you could hear the crying on the other side.

But once you opened the door slowly and stepped in, that’s when you saw a rather…heartbreaking scene:

Papers were strewn all over the floor and desk; there were a few bottles of whiskey lying around, one of which was half-empty and in the doctor’s hand. His face was buried in one arm and his back heaved with every sob that left him. You could see that his sleeve was dampened with tears as well.

Of course, you remembered that he was the “weepy” and “clingy” kind of drunk that the others often found annoying, although you hated seeing him like this when he was all alone.

So you made your way over to him, grabbing the chair in front of the desk and setting it down next to where he was, before you took a seat in it. “Henrik?” You placed a gentle hand on his back, rubbing it in hopes that the gesture would bring him out of whatever thoughts were clouding his drunken mind.

And it did as he slowly lifted his head up, his sobs ceasing for a moment as he stared at you, glasses askew on his face. “…[y/n]…?” He sniffled, rubbing his nose with his sleeve. “Vh-Vhat..are you doing here? You should be..rest-”

“I was for a few hours…and then I heard you crying,” you told him, frowning slightly as you removed his glasses and set them on the table, before reaching over to wipe away the tear tracks. “What’s wrong?”

That one, simple question was all it took for the waterworks to start up again.

Henrik let go of the whiskey in favor of throwing himself into your arms, sobbing into your shoulder with little to no regard of the fact that you were still a bit sick. You held him tight and hushed him softly, worried that the others will wake up.

“I-I…I vas just s-so scared zhat you’d b-be a goner. Losing P-Petah vas one zhing..al-almost losing Jack twice vas another…b-but I couldn’t bear zhe thought o-of losing you!” He wailed.

“But..you didn’t lose me, Henrik,” you reassured him, rubbing his back once more. “And you aren’t going to anytime soon. C’mon now. How about..we get you to bed? You must be tired.”

He sniffled lightly, calming down a bit after a few moments as he looked up at you and nodded. “J-Ja…it’s…it’s been a long day for me. C-Can you stay vith m-?”

“I’ll have to decline because I don’t wanna get you sick.” You chuckled. “Besides..you said that I should stay in the clinic and rest, didn’t you?”

The doctor blinked slowly, as though you had asked him a million-dollar Jeopardy question, before a bright smile appeared on his face and he laughed. “Ah, of course! Good on you for following zhe good doctor’s orders~!”

You simply sighed and shook your head, helping the drunken ego out of the office and to his bedroom, before you found your way back to the clinic.

He had taken care of you, so it was only fair that you returned the favor.

#clanask #jacksepticeye x reader #schneeplesteinxreader #reader insert

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misslunafreya · 7 years

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Since requests are open, i wanted to ask for a scenario where ignis' s/o would start to be a bit sad but then it gets worse and worse. When iggy finds out, it's because the s/o feels that they don't deserve him because they're not THAT pretty/handsome, not THAT good of a fighter and can't cook for shit. They feel like a huge burden and undeserving of ignis' love. How'd iggy handle that? Wow sorry forthis

You kids are throwing so many emotions at me I don’t know what to do with myself I love it though don’t stop.Fem!s/o for ease of reading/writing!

Unkiss Me

She flopped onto the motel room bed with a heavy sigh. The mattress was lumpy and uncomfortable, but at least it wasn’t camping.

Through the paper thin walls she could hear Gladio’s deep voice followed by Prompto shrieking something in dismay as Noctis laughed. She could almost see Ignis rolling his eyes.

Her eyes grew hot as emotions began to make themselves known yet again. They were all so perfect. Funny, strong, attractive… everything she felt she wasn’t. How could she possibly fit in with them? Not only that, but how could she be worth Ignis’s time?

She quickly wiped her eyes as the door opened and the four men entered, Prompto chattering away while Gladio occasionally interrupted with sarcastic remarks.

“We missed you at the Crow’s Nest!” Prompto’s voice finally reached her ears as he gave her a playful nudge. He wasn’t quite sure what was wrong, but it was obvious Prompto could tell something was off.

“Yeah, yeah,” she smiled slightly, “I needed a shower and some rest.”

The chatter and card games continued into the early evening, but she didn’t say much. She was much quieter than usual - normally she was in there with the boys, laughing with and teasing them.

Rolling off of the bed, she quietly slipped out of the motel room. She need some time to herself. They had gone on a hunt that afternoon, but things had gone terribly wrong. It ended with Ignis and Gladio both taking harsh blows in her stead. If only she had been stronger…

Wiping her eyes again, she made her way to a bench and plopped down, leaning her head up against the wall behind her. Her eyes fluttered closed in an attempt to stop the tears from rushing down her cheeks.

She didn’t deserve Ignis. Why was he wasting his time on her? She was such a mess… she couldn’t cook, she always forgot which cabinet she had stored the spices in, she was always having to be saved during battle…

The sound of the bench creaking startled her; she hadn’t heard footsteps. Opening her eyes, her gaze fell upon Ignis. He was sitting beside her, a cup of tea in his hand. But he didn’t drink tea.

“For you,” he said with a small smile, “Chamomile with a bit of honey.”

Hesitating slightly, she took the cup of tea, halfheartedly smiling at him in thanks. Chamomile was her favorite. He was always taking such great care of her. Yet another reason she didn’t deserve him.

The two sat in silence, Ignis watching the stars beginning to speckle the evening sky as she quietly sipped her tea beside him.

“This has gone on long enough.”

His voice finally broke the silence. She froze, unwilling to even steal a glance in his direction.

“You haven’t been yourself for quite some time. You need to tell me what’s going on. Are you alright?”

“I…” her voice caught in her throat, so she cleared it, hoping it would come out firmly, “I’m fine.”

Crap.

That hadn’t sounded convincing.

“You’re not fine. Please talk to me.”

She finally looked over at Ignis; he was looking at her, searching her, his green eyes filled with concern.

“I…” she started again, but this time she couldn’t continue. Tears began streaming down her face, and she let out a small sob, looking away from Ignis.

“Darling…” his voice was soft and quiet, warm and gentle… home.

He gently placed his hand over hers, lacing their fingers together. There was a long silence, only occasionally broken by her sniffles.

“You’re too good for me,” she whispered, still not daring to look at him.

Another pause.

“What?”

“I can’t cook. I can’t fight; you’re always having to save me. You take better care of me than I do of myself. And I’m not of noble blood. And…” she paused for a sniffle and a shaky breath, “And I’m definitely not pretty or smart or even worth your time in any way. Why do you even waste your time with me? You could find someone so much better so quickly… There are tons of people that would line up just for a possible for a chance with a guy like you. Just… just leave now so you can find someone better… quit wasting your time on me, okay?”

There was another gap of silence as Ignis processed the flurry of words that had spilled out of her. His grip on her tightened, gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. He reached out his other hand and touched his fingers to her jaw, turning her face towards him. He brushed the hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear as a soft smile played across his face.

“You don’t need to be spectacular, darling. You just need to keep being you. That’s why I fell in love with you.”

She let out another shaky sob as Ignis pulled her into a tight hug. He kissed the top of her head, allowing her to release her tears for a few quiet minutes.

“Now, are you done?” he said as he leaned back, a glint of amusement in his eyes, “You’re being rather melodramatic.”

Iggy had finally gotten the response he wanted. She gave his chest a playful shove, muttering something to the effect of, “Oh shut up.”

He pulled her in for a quick kiss, smiling slightly after.

“You know it’s frustrating when you’re so hard on yourself. Even if that, there’s no one I would rather walk this life with. Please allow me to bear your burdens with you.”

She smiled and nodded, snuggling in closer to him. She rested her head on his chest, and his fingers were soon gently combing through her hair. He was so good to her. He always had been… how did she get so lucky?

“I love you, Iggy… thank you for loving me even though I’m such a mess.”

“I will always love you so much more than you know, darling.”

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