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dalmascan-requiem · 15 hours ago

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Curry and Carnations: Chapter 1

(A modern AU)

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The chef and the florist (finally) meet.

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Read on AO3 or keep reading after the jump

content warnings: none

Next Chapter >

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Welcome to the modern AU that consumed my life in like... April and May. I actually wrote the whole AU before starting to post it, so you'll get to enjoy all 12(!) chapters without me taking like 2 years. \o/

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"There, that should do it…"

Gale takes the chopped onions and throws them into the simmering pot before placing the lid on it. The Viera looks around the kitchen while tapping a finger on his cheek. "Now then, the curry will be ready by lunchtime… no meat, so I don't need to worry about a separate vegetarian version."

The chef's eyes eventually fall on the chicken thighs. "Granted, I don't want him to throw a fit. I'll make chicken katsu…" Gale scans the kitchen again, brow furrowed. "But what should I do for a side?"

Gale had only recently moved to the area, but within just a few months of opening his small, unassuming diner, he'd already gained a small gaggle of local regulars. He was happy with that alone—Gale didn't open a restaurant to become well-known; the diner and the fresh start were simply what he wanted to do.

That said, he never expected more than a handful of customers to visit a hole-in-the-wall curry diner, let alone get regulars who enjoyed his food. Gale was confident enough with his cooking skills at home, but a setting where he served others was a different story, and he had a few blunders along the way.

"…On second thought, I don't need a side today. The curry is spicy, so a small dessert will serve better—"

Gale jumps slightly when he hears a knock on the front door. After checking the clock on the wall and ensuring that it was still a few hours before opening, he sighed. "Who on earth could it be at this hour?"

After wiping his hands on a washcloth, Gale makes the short journey from the kitchen in the back to the front door, opening it without hesitation. "Hello! What can I do for y—"

The chef's words caught in his throat once he saw who was outside. Another Viera stood a few feet away from the door with a basket brimming with white flowers on each arm. The man simultaneously cut an intimidating figure while seeming so skittish that he'd flee if Gale moved too suddenly. The whole scene was so absurd that, for once, Gale was stunned to silence.

"…Oh. Hi. Am I too early?"

Gale regains his composure after the man talks, and he offers him a warm smile. "Well, you're too early if you want a meal, but I would never turn away an admirer."

The other Viera freezes when Gale winks at him, his eyes darting between him and the basket with a look of realization. "No, it's not—I mean—Figured I would—"

Well, this isn't how I expected to spend my morning… "It was just a joke, honey. Come in."

The man breathes a sigh of relief and steps inside while Gale quickly pulls up two stools to the counter and gestures at one of them. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure, and what should I call you? I'm Gale."

"Oh, right. My name's Laurent." Laurent gingerly places the baskets on the counter before sitting down. "I… wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."

A bit late for that, seeing as I've been here three months… but it seems like it took him that long to muster up the courage. Is my RBF really that strong? "That's very kind of you, Laurent, thank you." Gale beams at him, then turns his attention to the flowers. "These are quite beautiful… are you the florist a few doors down?"

"Yes!" Laurent suddenly perks up at the mention of his flowers. "I grow them all myself."

Gale chuckles. "Really, now? I can see how much love you put into them…" He gently strokes one of the petals. "I don't think I've ever seen such healthy blooms before! And so many of them, too!"

"R-really? I…" The florist trails off, blushing slightly before quickly turning his attention to the flowers. "These are carnations… the white ones are meant to bring good luck! For the diner, that is. And I thought it'd brighten the place up—" Gale raises an eyebrow at the comment, and Laurent quickly backtracks. "—I mean, not that it's not already nice in here, just… um…"

"I knew what you meant, Laurent." Gale chuckles again and smiles warmly at his guest. "I do think it'll brighten things up… and if nothing else, I'll certainly enjoy looking at them throughout the day."

Gale suddenly frowns, tapping his cheek. "I'll need to repay you, though…"

"O-oh that isn't—"

"Ah, I'll bring you some of the leftovers when I close for the day! There always are some, after all. Flowers for a meal. How does that sound?"

Laurent doesn't seem to know how to respond to the gesture, eventually nodding lightly as he stands up from the stool. "Sure… I should get going. I know you must be busy with preparations."

A shame, I wouldn't mind talking to him a bit longer… Gale smiles again. "Thank you again for the flowers, dear. I'll see you later, then?"

"…Right, yes, later. Goodbye!" Laurent quickly retreats out the front door, nearly slamming it shut in his rush to leave.

Gale stares at the door with a perplexed expression before looking back down at the flowers. "Well… he's certainly an interesting sort…" He smiles as he takes one of the baskets and tries to find something to place them in, eventually settling on a cup. "Both he and these flowers are easy on the eyes, though… it'll be nice to talk to him later."

The cook's ears twitched at a noise behind him, and he turned to find the curry pot nearly boiling over. "Hell, I lost track of time…"

#ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv fic #ffxiv oc #my oc #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ao3 #modern au #series: curry and carnations

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dalmascan-requiem · 15 days ago

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Technical Difficulties

(An office AU, and part of the @ficwip5k challenge)

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Every IT worker's worst nightmare: Dealing with the bigwig who can't use a computer to save his life.

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Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV Relationship: OC / OC Rating: Teen 4,980 words

Read on AO3 or keep reading after the jump

content warnings: none

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What's this? Another AU? It couldn't be-

Anyway, this is a part of #ficwip's 5k challenge, which was to write a complete AU in 5k words or less! It was a fun challenge.

So this time, we have an office AU. Kris is (still) terrible with technology, and Laurent's the poor new IT guy who gets stuck dealing with the man. No matter the universe, Laurent's always suffering. But that's okay! That's... how love blooms, right...?

I usually don't post a fic like this in one chapter, since there's time passing between some scenes. But given the short length, I figured it was just easier to put it out all the once. It should still be easy to read! So enjoy :)

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"Hi. Are you Kris? I'm here for an IT request…"

"Oh, you're a fresh face! Come in, come in."

Laurent looked over the other man in confusion. Messy, shoulder-length steel blue hair, a pair of thick rimmed glasses, and piercing emerald eyes—all punctuated by a bright, loud outfit that stretched the definition of 'business casual' very thin.

Kris certainly made an impression, but Laurent didn't think it was that of an average office worker… granted, he wasn't one to talk. With hair running halfway down his back and an entire sleeve of tattoos on his left arm, he got more than a few raised eyebrows during the interviews, but his resume (and a few pointed answers) won out over surface impressions.

My boss said he's a graphic designer, so he would be… eccentric. Best not piss him off, given he's a bigwig. I want to make it through my first week. "What's the issue, sir?"

"God, please don't call me sir. Kris is fine. Or you can use my last name if you need to be…" Kris sighs dramatically, waving his hand over his head, "…respectful. Good luck pronouncing it, though. And what's your name?"

"It's Laurent, si—Kris." I doubt I'll be able to pronounce Olivisbur, so I won't even try…

"Nice to meet you. Now, I'm having a problem… My tablet stopped working."

"Let me see…" Kris hands the tablet over with a smile, and Laurent taps on it a few times before finding the issue. "…The tablet is disabled. You didn't put in the right passcode…"

"Passcode? I didn't set one…"

Laurent furrows his brow, eyes still on the tablet. "But, you have to with this model…"

"Maybe your predecessor set it. I don't know."

Why do I feel like the passcode was 1234… "Regardless, we'll have to reset it—"

"What!? No, you can't do that!" Kris jumps up from his chair in a panic. "My work is on there! If you delete it, Tataru will have my head!"

"…I… um…Your work should be backed up on the cloud—"

"I don't know what that is!"

I'm seeing why my boss told me 'good luck'. Laurent clears his throat. "I… should be able to fix it. If you give me a moment…"

"Perfect! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Kris smiles again, his theatrics ending as abruptly as they started. "I'm counting on you, Laurent!"

Sure enough, all of the artist's work was backed up after Laurent reset the tablet. Laurent quickly downloaded the files and handed the tablet back to Kris—he had a feeling an explanation about how the cloud works wouldn't stick.

Kris looks at the tablet, jubilant. "My savior! I'll live to see another day."

Laurent offers a shadow of a smile in return. "Happy to help. I should be going."

"Of course. I'm sure we'll see each other often, my technologically gifted friend!" Kris immediately starts sketching on the tablet, his attention wholly on his work, and Laurent heads out of the office without another word.

It won't be that often… right…?

˗ ⚡︎ ˗

Unfortunately for Laurent, Kris's statement was not off the mark. The artist called the IT department nearly daily with a problem so off the wall that Laurent was almost impressed by it.

His boss called it the K.O. Challenge. The newest team member was burdened with Kris's constant IT issues as a rite of passage. 'You won't make it in the corporate world if you can't handle a bigwig's unique issues,' his boss said. Laurent thought he was exaggerating, but he quickly learned that working with Kris was, indeed, a challenge.

Oddly enough, Laurent didn't mind answering Kris's constant calls. If anything, it brought some excitement between all the mundane password requests, and the graphic designer's overblown reactions were amusing.

Then one morning, Laurent got a frantic call from Kris yelling about 'the computer being on fire again'. He didn't take the statement literally, but when he walked into the office to find his PC smoking, he realized the true extent of Kris's track record with technology.

"Good God… what did you do to it?!" Laurent kneels down and lightly touches the tower, only to quickly snatch his hand back with a hiss.

"I was just working! I had my art and other work programs up!"

"…And what are those?" Laurent remembers, with dismay, that Kris said 'again' on the phone.

Kris counts on his fingers as he lists them off. "Photoshop, GIMP, Premiere… Spotify, of course… the, uh, suites, whatever they're called—oh! And I was following a tutorial on… what's it called… Blender? Weird name."

Laurent stared at Kris in shock. I'm only vaguely aware of these programs, but the processing power they use… "You really have all that open… every day?"

"Of course!"

"I-I…" Laurent stands, running a hand through his hair and trying not to look utterly defeated. "I might… be able to build something better, but it'll take a while. I can bring a replacement in the meantime—"

"You can build computers!? That's incredible!" Kris's genuine praise catches Laurent off guard, and he clears his throat awkwardly.

"Y-yes… But you can't have that many apps open at once. It's a fire hazard."

Kris taps the stylus on his lips. "I think I can do without those 'suites'. How's that?"

Laurent bites back a retort and decides to prioritize building the new computer instead of belaboring the point.

˗ ⚡︎ ˗

"Building a PC for Kris? That seems like a waste."

Laurent carefully starts screwing a sixth fan into the tower. "If it lasts longer than a week, it's worth it."

His boss shrugs. "As long as you're getting your other work done."

"Right…" Before Laurent can say anything else, his phone rings, and he picks up the receiver with a frown. "IT depa—"

"Laurent, my favorite friend!" Kris's voice booms through the speaker. "I need your help! Something is very wrong…"

"Sure, Kris. I'll be up in a moment." Laurent hears Kris continue to yell as he hangs up, and his boss's eyes widen slightly.

"Brave of you to talk to him like that."

"He doesn't seem to care as long as I fix the problem."

"Your funeral." He shrugs and walks off, and Laurent sighs. I'm never going to get this tower done at this rate…

It's been two weeks since Laurent promised Kris a new computer, but between his constant calls and other people in the company needing help, he's found little time to actually get it done. Let's see what Kris has done this time…

** **

"Laurent, look! My monitors…"

"Kris…" Laurent pinches the bridge of his nose. "…How did you do this?"

All of the designer's monitors were broken beyond repair. Kris crosses his arms with a pout. "I was just trying to move where they were, but I dropped one…"

"…You have four monitors."

"When I dropped the first one, the wires from the others got caught on my arms and I fell over…"

Oh my god… Laurent coughs to hide a laugh, but given the annoyance that crept onto Kris's face, his attempt is unsuccessful. "We can get you new monitors, but yours are color calibrated for your work."

Kris furrows his brow. "They're what?"

"…Uh, it means we need to order special replacements, then change the settings. It'll take a week."

"What!? No, no no no…" Kris frantically paces around the office, a scene Laurent has since gotten used to. "Tataru needs this big project done by midday tomorrow! I can't push back the date… Not with so much riding on it…"

Oh, that's right… Laurent remembers that the company is revealing a new clothing line—leading to a deluge of IT requests as deadlines loom and everyone starts panicking. I suppose these aren't theatrics for once…

"Can we get the special monitors faster? Or… something? Anything?" Kris grabs Laurent's arms, anxiety and fear clear on his face.

"L-let me think…" Laurent takes a small step back, feeling his cheeks warm up from the artist being so close. Given Kris's track record, I'm sure there's something... Ah, right. "We should have a laptop with the correct settings you can use."

"That'd be perfect!" Kris's face lights up, and Laurent offers him a small smile—only to frown immediately after.

"But… I can't leave it with you unsupervised."

Kris growls in frustration. "Come on, do you really think I'd—" Laurent gestures to the four broken monitors, and Kris scowls at him. "What's the point of the laptop if I can't use it, then?"

…If word got back to Tataru that her reveal failed because I didn't give Kris a laptop, I'd never find work again. "I can stay until you're done, so I can… troubleshoot when something happens."

"When? Have you no faith in me?"

Laurent doesn't answer, turning to leave the office. "I'll be back shortly. Try not to get tangled up in any more wires."

** **

I suppose I have time to finish this now… Laurent looks out the window at the now setting sun, suppressing a sigh before screwing a tenth fan into the PC tower. The stillness of the after-hours office put him on edge. It didn't help that he was also stuck in the office of one of the most important people in the company.

Laurent steals a glance at Kris. His attention was wholly on the tablet, his stylus moving across the screen with a confidence he wouldn't expect given their previous encounters. Now that I think of it… I don't know anything about Kris. I wonder how he got this position—

"Why are you staring at me?"

"O-oh, I…" Laurent quickly looks away. How long was I looking…?

"If you want to ask something, feel free. I don't bite—unless you want me to." Kris looks up from the tablet and winks at Laurent, softly chuckling when he becomes flustered. "Go ahead, I know you weren't just admiring my looks."

"I was just wondering… how you got here."

"Hm? I suppose it's unusual for an artist to be the CEO's right-hand man…" Kris idly twirls the stylus between his fingers before continuing. "Kris isn't my real name. It's Gale. You know, the artist Gale."

"Huh…? You're that Gale?"

"The one and only." Kris's tone is flat as he continues. "Tataru is an old friend. She asked me if I could help with her apparel lines. I agreed—but I didn't want to put my name on it. I don't want her success attributed to something I did, because… she doesn't need me. Tataru's a genius fashion designer.

"So instead, I invested in the company and I'm here under a different name!" Kris grins at Laurent, as if he didn't just tell an absurd story. "That said, she'll still put my head on a pike if I miss a deadline, even as an investor. So I didn't detain you for the hell of it."

"…Wow." Laurent wasn't sure what to say. Eventually, though, a question bubbles up. "Why did you tell me, though? If you're hiding your identity…"

"Because you asked."

"…That's it?"

"That's it! You're the first person who doesn't look at me like a deer caught in headlights—let alone ask anything about me." Kris shrugs, then begins typing on the laptop. "Your attitude is refreshing."

Really? That seems lonely… Laurent frowns at the half-built tower.

"What do you want to eat? I'll order dinner." Kris taps on the keyboard again, but then curses under his breath. "Why isn't this damn site working…?"

Ah, hell. "Hold on, I'll do it. Please don't touch anything else…"

** **

"So, what about you?" Kris looks at Laurent expectantly between bites of chow mein.

"Um… what about me?"

Kris leans closer to Laurent on the couch they're sharing. "What made you want to work with computers and the like?" He waves his chopsticks at the PC tower, then at Laurent. "You don't exactly fit the archetype of a tech nerd."

Laurent frowns. "Nothing special. I was good enough at it, and I need money to pay rent."

"Just 'good enough'? The average person can't build a whole computer. You should give yourself more credit. So why this company?"

"You were hiring and the pay was good…"

Kris tries to stifle a laugh. "So honest… Most people would say 'the company shares my ideals' or 'I look up to my boss'. It's very… fake."

"No one wants to get fired—of course they're going to say something like that."

"So then, why are you different?" Kris takes off his glasses and looks at Laurent inquisitively, and he can't help but notice how pretty his eyes are.

"…I… I mean, I'm not different. You're easy to talk to, and I have no reason to lie."

"Hm." Kris lightly hums, a small, sheepish smile crossing his features before standing up. "Well, I don't want to keep you captive too much longer. I'll get back to it. Oh, and your hair is beautiful, so don't chop it off just to look more like an IT worker. It'd be such a waste."

"U-um… thank you?" Laurent can feel his cheeks burning, and he quickly looks away, only for his eyes to catch something on the table. "Wait, you forgot your glasses…"

"Don't worry about it, they're fake." Kris waves him off and turns his attention back to his tablet.

…Why…? He's so strange…

** **

The sun has long since set, and Laurent stifles a yawn. Let's see, twelve fans, a liquid cooler, a heatsink… the graphics card has fans, too. I might just be able to keep this thing from catching on fire. Now—

"I'm sorry about this."

"Don't worry about it," Laurent taps the screwdriver against his cheek while looking at the PC tower. "I finally had time to work on the computer for you, after all."

Laurent hears Kris give a disapproving hum, and he looks up to see the designer giving him an unreadable expression. "Not just for tonight, for everything. I know IT sends new hires to deal with me. I've made… some of them quit from the stress." He gives a mirthless laugh. "And now you're forced to build that tower and stay here so late instead of going home to your partner—"

"I don't have a partner." Laurent shrugs. "And no one's forced me to be here, or to build this. Isn't it my job to support you—er, the company—anyway?"

Kris gives Laurent a playful smile, much to his confusion. Did I say something weird? "Well, if nothing else, I'll… request that you have some time off. I wouldn't want my savior to get burned out."

The artist looks at the laptop in exasperation. "Though speaking of my savior… I think the program froze again."

"Oh… What happened this time…?"

** **

Laurent opens his eyes with a groan as sunlight hits his face. Wait… when did I fall asleep? He rises from the couch, trying to rub a crick out of his neck, when he notices a coat draped over him.

He vaguely remembers that it got very late, and Kris offered to get him a cab home. But Kris wasn't done with his work, and Laurent was loath to leave the accident-prone artist alone. 'I can't very well keep the laptop from catching fire at home,' he said with the slightest hint of humor in his voice.

But it seems that he was more tired than he thought. Laurent looks around the office with bleary eyes, but Kris is nowhere to be found. Makes sense… the reveal is probably in a few hours at most. As he gently sets the coat aside, he notices it smells of lavender and vanilla—a calming fragrance practically the opposite of the man who owns it.

"Must be how I slept so heavily…" Laurent chuckles, and he finally spots the laptop on Kris's desk with a sticky note on top.

Thank you, my savior~ ♡ Take the rest of the week off.

"I suppose he was fine on his own after all…" Still, I would have felt bad if I left him alone—Laurent frowns at himself—and I would have lost my job if the laptop exploded.

˗ ⚡︎ ˗

The next day, Laurent gets a text from his boss—though it wasn't the complaint about his sudden 'vacation' he expected.

» the reveal was a success!

» the dept would have been eviscerated had you not helped

» you passed with flying colors

"Passed…?"

« What do you mean?

» we have a new hire on mon

» you're free from KO's requests

…Free? Kris isn't a burden… Laurent begins typing an angry reply, but deletes it halfway through and sends a more succinct response instead.

« No need. I'll continue to take his requests.

» why?

« Used to it. Can help faster than a fresh face.

» but how will I test the recruits

« Exam?

« Send them to Tataru?

Have them deal with you? Laurent keeps the last suggestion to himself.

» if you insist

» i'll find a new challenge

« Okay. See you Monday.

God, what an—whatever. Where does he get off treating Kris like that? Laurent mutes his notifications with a low growl. Why am I even so mad about this…?

˗ ⚡︎ ˗

"Here we are."

A week after his vacation, Laurent brings the computer tower to Kris's office and sets it under his desk, wasting no time in plugging in the myriad of wires. The artist kneels beside him to watch. "Wow, that looks great! It looks like the entire thing is made of fans. I suppose it can keep me cool when I work!"

"Provided you don't overheat it."

"That sounds like a challenge."

"It isn't." Laurent turns on the tower, watching the monitors turn on and letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Looks like it's working…"

"How lovely! And all of my programs are here, too. Let me test them."

Kris immediately attempts to open all his programs, but after a few moments of frantic clicking, a pop-up appears on his screen.

Limit reached. Close a program before continuing.

"Huh?" Kris presses the 'OK' button and tries to open the application again, but gets the same alert. "Laurent, this thing's broken already!"

"No, it's not." Laurent leans over Kris's chair and takes the mouse from him. "I limited the number of programs you can have open at once. Just close something, and you can open something else." Laurent closes Photoshop and then clicks on the web browser that Kris attempted to open. It starts up without any further warnings.

Kris looks up at Laurent, scowling. "But I need all of them to work!"

Laurent scoffs at Kris's expression. "Do you need them all open at the same time? You were fine with fewer programs on the other computer while I built this. Besides, you can have most of the programs running."

"Hmm… But what if I need to look up something while the programs are open?"

"Use your tablet."

"Why?"

"It's easier. And faster."

Kris crosses his arms, staring at the monitors with an angry, pouty expression. After a moment, though, he sighs. "I must say, it's impressive… it'll be quite a feat if I break this."

"Well… you're very adept at breaking things, so I wouldn't go that far." Laurent smiles at the artist when he scowls at him again. "But it should last you longer than the standard towers from IT."

"I suppose I have to thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Just making my job easier." Laurent steps away from the desk, belatedly realizing how close to Kris he was, and heads toward the door before anxiety gets the better of him. "Do you need anything else?"

"Well, I do have a question." Kris takes off his glasses and lifts his gaze so he's looking directly into Laurent's eyes. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Laurent knits his brow. "Isn't it Saturday? Nothing, I guess…"

"Would you like to go out? On a date, that is."

"…Huh?" Laurent's cheeks almost instantly become a deep shade of red. "But… why?"

"Why? You're smart, kind, and terribly attractive. The whole package, really. And it's adorable when you get flustered." Kris shrugs with an amused chuckle. "Your choice, though—I'm not going to get you fired for refusing, if that's your concern."

"I-I didn't think you'd do that…" Laurent runs a hand through his hair, looking away before responding. "…Sure, that sounds nice…"

Kris's face lights up. "Great! I'll text you tomorrow, then?"

"I, um… o-okay…" Laurent gives a slight nod before turning away. "See you tomorrow, then…" He quickly retreats from the office, but it's only after taking a breath that Laurent realizes something.

…Can Kris actually text without breaking his phone?

˗ ⚡︎ ˗

Laurent was surprised to actually get a text from Kris the next day—though he was significantly less surprised when the address link he sent was unreadable.

"I hope this is the right place…" Laurent managed to decipher a location between the link and Kris's cryptic texts, but he didn't see the artist near the fountain where he ended up.

"There you are!" Kris waves Laurent down with a grin and makes his way over. With his understated outfit and hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, Laurent would have walked by Kris by accident—he looked nothing like the flamboyant artist from the office.

As if sensing his thoughts, Kris's expression turns playful. "Sometimes I want my good looks to speak for themselves. As do you, I see. You can't beat a well-fitting t-shirt and jeans—and I never realized you had a whole sleeve of tattoos! You cover them well in the office. A shame, really, they're very nice."

Laurent huffs, trying not to get flustered within moments of the date starting. Kris continues without any further teasing. "I didn't think a sit-down restaurant date was your thing—it certainly isn't mine. It's a beautiful day out, so let's enjoy the weather with a walk!"

Thank God, a restaurant would have been nerve-wracking… "That sounds nice." Laurent gives Kris a small smile, and the artist returns the look with a self-satisfied grin.

"Perfect. Let's get some coffee before we start! It's right over—" Kris turns Laurent towards a nearby cart, but then his eyes widen and he freezes. "—you know what never mind let'sjustgetgoing—"

"Don't try to run off, Gale!" A woman's booming voice carries over to them, and Laurent tries not to snicker at Kris's look of dismay. "Bring your friend over, too."

"Dammit…" Kris trudges to the cart with Laurent in tow, giving the woman an annoyed look. "Gemna, can I have two cof—"

"Stop being so grumpy!" Gemna laughs at Kris's glare and turns her attention to Laurent. "Now, who is this? He's quite the catch."

"He is, so don't scare him off." Laurent lightly coughs in hopes of looking less bashful. "This is Laurent. He fixes my computers and stuff. We spend a lot of time together at work."

Gemna gives Laurent an apologetic look. "I bet he never leaves your office, given how you break everything. I bet you like that, being able to oggle—"

"Give me two damn coffees, Gemna." Kris's face is bright red, and Laurent can't hold back his laughter any longer, making Kris turn on him. "What's so funny!?"

"It's fun to see you being teased, for once."

"Ugh! You both are the worst."

Gemna chuckles, setting two coffees on the counter. "I like this one, you better keep him around."

"I didn't ask for your input…" Kris sulks as he pours cream into his coffee.

"I know, but you get it regardless!" Gemna waves them off. "Go enjoy your date. You're scaring off the customers."

Kris rolls his eyes and stomps off. Laurent goes to follow him, but Gemna calls out before he gets too far. "It's not my business how your relationship turns out, but… take care of him, okay?"

Gemna gives Laurent a sincere smile, but he looks at her in confusion. "Of course I will… isn't that what anyone would do?" He walks away to find Kris without waiting for a response, so he fails to see Gemna's shocked expression.

"What an earnest young man…"

** **

"You're an enigma to me, Laurent."

"I'm not sure what you mean…"

Kris steps in front of Laurent, forcing him to stop walking. "You're just so… confident, and honest. It's not as if you don't care about anything, but you don't sweat the unimportant stuff and you're just… yourself."

Laurent frowns. "…Is that really so strange?"

"I'll have to take you to an art show sometime." Kris's smile doesn't reach his eyes. "It's a den of snakes. But hell, I'm not one to talk—I rarely act like myself most of the time."

"Is that true?"

"Huh?"

"I don't think you're hiding who you are. I suppose you're using a different name at work, but otherwise? You seem the same to me, Gale."

"O-oh, I…" Kris averts his eyes as a blush creeps across his cheeks, then he suddenly huffs and gives Laurent an indignant look. "Well, what if I'm acting right now?!"

"You're not," Laurent sighs and steps around him. "If you were, you wouldn't be annoyed right now, and you'd take that barista's teasing more in stride. Besides, I don't go on dates with people who aren't sincere."

"Always the blunt one…" Kris laughs when Laurent rolls his eyes. "But, I'm glad I asked you out, regardless. Anyway, it's near lunchtime… I know a quiet cafe nearby if you want to grab a bite. O-or we can end for the day—"

"The cafe sounds nice. And so does more of your company." Laurent smiles warmly at Kris, and the artist gives a wide, genuine smile in return.

** **

"Sorry for holding you hostage! I lost track of time…" Kris offers Laurent an apologetic look when they reach the door to his apartment complex, the darkening sky making it clear they spent the entire day together.

"You weren't holding me captive, I could have left if I wasn't enjoying myself." Laurent shrugs, which makes Kris huff. "But you know, it's strange…" Laurent taps a finger to his lips as Kris gives him an apprehensive look. "Usually I'm so nervous about stuff like this, but I don't feel that way around you."

"R-really?"

Laurent nods. "I feel comfortable around you… and it's cute that you're the nervous one."

Kris turns away with a pout, his bangs falling over his face. "It's not weird that I'm nervous! Anyone in their right mind would be."

"…Am I not in my right mind, then?"

"No, you're not!"

God, he's adorable… Laurent chuckles and gently pulls Kris closer to him, noticing the same lavender and vanilla fragrance from when he woke up in the office. Helps to calm my nerves, I suppose. "Right mind or not, I had a nice day…" He pushes some of Kris's bangs aside as he looks into his eyes. "…Can I kiss you, Gale?"

Kris's body relaxes, and he smiles. "Yes, of course…"

The two quickly close the distance, sharing a warm, tender kiss. When Kris pulls away, he lets out a slow breath, the flush on his cheeks evident. "Would you… like to come upstairs?"

"O-oh…" Laurent feels his cheeks heat up, and Kris gives him a triumphant grin at making him blush—though he doesn't retract the offer. After a moment of thought, he nods. "If you're not teasing me… then yes. I want to spend more time with you…"

˗ ⚡︎ ˗

"Seems like everything's okay." Laurent stands up after examining the computer tower. "I'm surprised it's been two months without any incidents."

"Well, you shouldn't be—" Kris throws his hands up dramatically when Laurent looks unconvinced. "Those limits you built in are so annoying. That thing is practically a hurricane at my feet, surely it can handle the rest of the apps."

"If the fans are running that quickly… no, they can't. Maybe I should make the limits more stringent…"

"O-oh, there is no need!" The artist grabs Laurent's arms and turns him away from the computer, but then his expression turns mischievous. "Now, how do I thank my savior…"

Laurent blushes and looks away from Kris. "We… we're in the office, can you not…"

"Don't you want to have some fun?"

"No. Not at the place that pays my rent." Then again, it sounds a little thrilling…

"Oh, come on, no one will know—"

"Last I checked, sexually harassing the IT workers isn't an appropriate way to say 'thank you'."

Laurent's blood runs cold as they both look to the office door and see Tataru standing there, looking less than pleased at Kris's antics.

Oh, fuck… I'll get fired and never find a job again and—

"Ta…Tataru! To what do I owe… the pleasure…" Kris trails off when the fear in his voice becomes evident.

"I came to talk about the new design, but I didn't expect you to be… occupied."

"Ha… whatever do you mean… I just…"

"I've been standing here for three minutes. Don't bother. You." Tataru gives Laurent a pointed glare. "Get out. I need to speak with Kris."

Laurent feels frozen on the spot under Tataru's fiery gaze, but he eventually speaks up. "Am… am I fired…?" He coughs, realizing how small his voice sounded.

"No, of course not. You're the only one who can deal with his 25 IT calls a day. But I might change my mind if you don't get out."

"I-I, yes ma'am." Tataru's warning spurs him into action, and he quickly retreats to the office door.

"Wait, Laurent! Are you going to leave me like—"

"Yes. See you later." Laurent grabs the knob to the office door and shuts it behind him, hastily leaving the future murder scene.

Hell, she's even more terrifying in person… it was nice knowing you, Gale.

#ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv fic #ffxiv oc #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ao3 #office au #series: technical difficulties #ficwip 5k 2025

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dalmascan-requiem · 18 days ago

Text

Kris' Life Graph

From a wolqotd on Bluesky

Yeah man ain't having a good time for a lot of his life huh. Quite the roller coaster. That massive shoot up between Stormblood and Shadowbringers is the end of Bozja lol

#final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv oc #my oc #wol qotd #wolqotd

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dalmascan-requiem · 23 days ago

Text

~Planet Vibes~

(I'm not sure what exactly this one is called so let's just go with that. Tagged by @ravandfriendsxiv!)

Bold for the traits that decidedly apply, and italics for the traits that conditionally apply/there is some nuance involved.

(I also added colors because it makes it easier for me to read. I answered for three OCs after all lol)

~*~*~*~

Kris

SUN || egotistical • melted wax wings and fingers • stretching sunburnt skin • the most generous soul • blood in the fruit • halos • anger on fire • high vitality • thunderous laughter • is pride really a sin? • halogenic aura

MERCURY || expansion of the mind • silver-tongued • an everlasting wanderer • polyglot • high dexterity • handwritten letters • innately critical • en vogue • eyes in the trees • hidden libraries • there’s always room for improvement

VENUS || in love with strangers • iridescent waters • love potions for your mirror • selfless devotion • shattering crystal • seafoam upon sand • the golden ratio • drowning in your own passion • material value & high principles • luring • plush lips

EARTH || fresh springs • tree hugger • we can start again tomorrow • a blazing rainforest • respects survival of the fittest • nature’s adversity • lazy bones • constantly evolving • flowers sprouting from wounds • a granite altar • fossilized remains

MOON || illusory • silver shimmer off the ocean • secrets and gossip • cycles of reincarnation • a crybaby • physically ethereal • shared glances with a stranger • cat eyes • mistrusting their intuition • fear is a prison • ornate magic wands

MARS || healthy competition • attraction and repulsion • magma and rubies • a blade being forged • wrath wrath wrath • malefic • intense eye contact • cannon fodder & fireworks • blood floods • copper taste on your tongue

JUPITER || red robes and a suit of armor • beacon of stability • leader by birth • thunderbolts and lightning • guilty but can’t stop • secret rich kid • golden touch golden tears • innate optimist • failure isn’t an option • constantly reaching for more • unfinished symphonies

SATURN || traditional • overbearing energy • a sculptor of reality • this existence is a karmic one • has a heart it’s just.. way down deep • law, order & justice • avoid all necessary risk • the sound of shackles clanging • sisyphus’ struggle • grappling with the reality of time • self-governing

URANUS || psychedelic funk music • overflowing cups • a rebellion with skin • looking good in photo id • oblivious but caring • middle fingers in the air • double rainbows • icy diamond exterior • holographic • afraid of their own mediocrity • pearlescent smoke

NEPTUNE || an elegy for the lost • dissolving boundaries • white horses • the burden of mystical conditions • deceptive • escapism is their reality • a polarizing entity • artists soul • paranoia • searching for the unseen • a siren’s swan song

PLUTO || angel statues over graves • power • the cycle of necrosis • transformative • unfathomable depths • an ivory tower toppling over • screaming at the sky • violets and irises • eclipsed darkness • speaks with their shadow • sex, death, rebirth

~*~*~*~

Laurent

~*~*~*~

Katerina

~*~*~*~

I'm not sure who all has done this, so I'll go ahead and tag @irisopranta, @thefreelanceangel, @pyxisfelixhaven, and anyone else that wants to do this :)

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