#but i was eo taken aback

[ekparavani]

the most surprising thing in the new season is how open they are about the fact they're in canada??? help?? like, the ogs didn't try so hard to hide their accents all this time for you to come in and send a box of Canadian hugs or wtv!!! have some respect...

[howdoesagrapewrites]

Hobie x spiderperson!reader where they both have COMPLETELY different types but they're so attracted to eo for some reason???

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚

Cw: Hobie Brown x reader, just fluff

>I don't think Hobie has a defined type, like, as long as you're not a fascist he's not one to be like "not my type"

>But he has something I would call "type by proximity" you know? He always hangs out with the same kind of people, so all his dates and hookups were always similar in style

>He has dated a variety of people though, different in a lot of aspects, just that they're all punks

>There are some views he has that he needs to share with his partner, but they're pretty down to earth and some very logic considering his political background

>He wouldn't get surprised or weirded out when he realizes he's romantically attracted to you, it just happens very organically

>His friends would be the ones to point it out (the ones from his dimension)

>"they certainly ain't Hobie's regular", "But he looks happy, innit?"

>But if you happened to be just the tiniest bit taken aback because of your new found crush, he'll notice, and definitely tease you about it

>If all your previous partners were goody goody two shoes, he's definitely, laughing, I'm sorry (though is unclear if he's laughing at them or you)

>He's honestly all up for the opposites attract kind of thing

>He'd definitely hype you up if you wear any kind of alternative fashion, it doesn't matter if it's something not even remotely close to his aesthetic

>I think he keeps a piece of you in his attire, maybe a necklace (pendant, choker, whatever) or a piece of fabric of an old item of clothing you threw out for any reason, if this is a "he was a punk they, did ballet" situation he finds so cute to have a pink article of clothing in his battle jacket, maybe it's cute earrings with the shape of a heart, teddy bear, ice cream cone, or anything adorable, or maybe it's a patch of pink fabric sewed in between all his pins and patches, to add a little more color

>If you mention he's not your usual type at a confession, he has the knowing smirk of someone who will weaponize this your entire relationship

>"No, it's not like that, it's just that you're far from my go-to type when it comes to dating"

>"So ya don't find me pretty, sweetheart?" He get really close just to fluster you

>"I do, but you're, um, a little different"

>"Why bother being so consistent? You may get impressed if you give good ol' punk scoundrel a chance"

>He likes that you're different, that you can show him new things, he's not one to stay in the same unmoving place for a long time, if he's serious, he needs you to know he'll never stay still, he craves the constant dopamine hit of learning new subjects

>He'd feel really flattered if you incorporated something of him to your daily life, whether it's his guts, disregard for the authority or black nails and spikes

[churrorat-art]

@heropartnerweek --farewell

Take care of yourself while I'm gone...

Ft. The ending scene from eos with Bela and Volt

Okay so for this prompt I knew I HAD to draw this absolutely tragic, heartwrenching, emotional scene. When I first played the game I was lowkey SOBBING when I got to this part. I was so taken aback by how tragic it was (I didn't have any spoilers so I had no clue what would happen). Even now, when Im replaying it I still bawl. It is so sad in the most perfect way. And I kid you not, this is the absolute best pokemon game I have ever played in my entire life. NOTHING will ever compare to this PERFECTION of a game.

Not to mention the song that plays while this scene is happening... it fits the scene perfectly. It definitely adds to the emotion, I probably wouldn't have cried without the volume.

This art piece wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I only used 30 layers this time! But I feel like maybe that's cause I've drawn it a few times before. But this Is a whole new piece. This is Belas first time crying throughout the whole game, though it's not Volts first time.

If you are still reading this please REBLOG !! GIVING THE POST A ♥️ DOESN'T HELP SHARE THE POST FOR OTHERS TO SEE! ALL IT DOES IS BOOKMARK IT!PLEASE REBLOG! :)

[olivia200312]

Chapter 2: Staying || Bound By Destiny (Ardyn Izunia x Reader)

Summary:

You may have read stories of girls (and boys) being teleported into gaming worlds such as Final Fantasy XV, but have you ever imagined that one of them gets teleported into our world? Y/N is a 25-year-old young woman who just escaped from an abusive relationship. One night, an unexpected thing happened while Y/N was about to sleep. A canon character got transported into her world. Chancellor Ardyn Izunia is known as a tragic man with a devastating past. The Gods from his world decided to punish him by cursing him that he'd never find love and sending him into a new world called Earth.

What would happen when Ardyn meets Y/N? Will he love her?

---------------------------------------------

Ardyn was awake and he grinned at her, causing Y/N to blush. Just why? Why did she have to have a crush on Ardyn, who is a fictional character? Yet, he was here. She stuttered, trying to say words while placing the fedora hat away on the chair and where Ardyn's trench coat was. 

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't expect you to wake up fast!" Y/N stuttered 

Ardyn showed a sly smile and sat up. "I was just teasing you, my dear." He then looked around, and his sly teasing dropped to a frown. He looked even more concerned. "Where am I?"

"You are at my apartment," Y/N answered Ardyn's question. "I was minding my business when I found something glowing and that's when you appeared."

Ardyn was a bit impressed but he felt also... thankful. This young woman saved his life. If no one stepped in to save him, he would have lived on the streets, on this unknown planet. Wait, this is planet Earth like Shiva said? Is this his punishment? Being stuck on this planet with possibly no way home? How can he work then as the chancellor? Not to mention, he was someone shrouded with mystery. Y/N tilted her head a bit to the side and Ardyn looked at her. 

"Is this planet Earth?"

Y/N nodded. She was surprised. How did Ardyn know that this is Earth? This is not Eos, that's for sure. "Can I ask what happened?"

Ardyn decided that it was best to explain so he did. Y/N listened to every detail. She never heard anything like that before. Sure, some people wrote about a canon character being teleported to Earth, someone being teleported into the franchise world, or a franchise being collaborated with another franchise. She wondered if the government held a deep secret, a special connection with the outside world somewhere in the universe. Was Eos connected to Earth? 

Once Ardyn finished explaining, he didn't stop looking at Y/N. He just noticed something. She was a beauty. And also, she looked a little bit similar to his deceased lover, Aera. Y/N may not have the same blond hair color or blue eyes, but she had some similarities. Y/N was clueless about it but she went on: "Wow... That must suck." She then became suspicious and crossed her arms. "You aren't here to make here forever dark, are you?"

Ardyn couldn't help but chuckle. How foolish she was. He did want to bring darkness in Eos after being betrayed by the Astrals and younger brother, Somnus. No one helped him. Even perhaps Aera knew what was going to happen to him. Why didn't she warn him about it? Or tell him? Ardyn held even anger towards his once beloved. But he missed her dearly. What if... Y/N was a reincarnation version of Aera? Impossible. "No. I failed to bring darkness for my revenge. His Majesty defeated me in a battle."

Y/N couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "It's because of the betrayal, right?"

Ardyn looked at Y/N with his dark eyes, causing her to shudder. She should've been more careful. "How do you know that, my dear?"

Y/N wanted to come up with something, to make Ardyn feel that he wasn't bad. But Ardyn detests lairs and he can detect it easily when someone is lying. She sighed softly and decided to tell the truth. "You are a... a..."

"A what, my dear?"

"Fictional character," Y/N responded nervously.

Ardyn was taken aback. How was this possible? Was he a fictional character on this planet? How? He saw Y/N looking nervously at him. He remembered so many victims... The ones he made nervous and killed them. But he could've killed Y/N right now and there. Or some minutes ago but she... saved his life. She was also a beauty and she reminds him of Aera. She was also like a new creature that he had met on Earth. But she was a human like him. He also wanted to see if magic existed on this planet. He has Starscourge after saving many infected ones when he was not immortal at the time. He was only 33 years old and stuck forever in this body. 

"I-I'm sorry to disappoint you, sir. I know that it's a lot to take in."

Ardyn chuckled and even heck, he even laughed a bit! "We are not in public, my dear. This is not Eos now, isn't it? Just call me Ardyn."

Y/N smiled a bit. "Very well then, ... Ardyn." She then stood up and went to her closet. She opened it and searched for a baggy shirt that would fit Ardyn. He couldn't help but watch her. Just as he was about to ask what she was doing, Y/N let out an "Aha!" and showed Ardyn a baggy black shirt. "You can stay here if you want. I don't want you to sleep on the streets."

"That is very kind of you, my dear," Ardyn said with a genuine thankful smile as Y/N gave him the black baggy shirt. "Where may I change?"

"Follow me." Y/N led the way as Ardyn followed her. The bathroom was not far. Y/N turned the light on as she entered her bathroom. There was a bathtub with curtains and a toilet. Oh, the bathtub also looked nice and big enough for your legs to be in the water too. Just imagine a hot relaxing water in the bathtub...

"You can change in here."

Ardyn entered while Y/N closed the door to give Ardyn privacy. She went to the kitchen to make something for Ardyn. What was his favorite food to eat? She decided to make him some (choice). She knew that Ardyn lived for many years to taste all kinds of foods. So, what was his favorite? Ardyn came out through the door and heard noises in the kitchen. He wore now a baggy shirt and he took out his shoes as well. He saw a small corridor/hallway that led towards the front door to the outside and there were Y/N shoes so he placed them down next to hers. He went to the kitchen and there he saw Y/N making food. 

"Ah, you're done. I made some food for you," Y/N said as she turned around with a plate of food on it. "Have a seat."

Ardyn did as told and he sat down. This world is indeed a bit strange for him. He was treated all the time as someone important since he was a chancellor, the one of Niflheim. Y/N set the plate down in front of him and sat down across from him. He began eating while the girl watched him. "How does it taste?"

"Splendid!"

After eating, Y/N led him to the living room. "Now about the sleep. When looking at you and since you are a chancellor, you sleep in beds?"

Ardyn smirked with a chuckle. "My dear, I am immortal, I don't need sleep. But yes, I sleep in beds."

Y/N nodded. "How about I take the couch and you sleep in my bed?"

"Now, my dear, it's not wise for a gentleman to let a woman sleep on the couch," Ardyn said with a frown. "How about we share the bed?"

Y/N stiffed. She blushed. Never had she shared a bed with a man before. But Ardyn is her damn crush and yet he was here! Ardyn grinned once he noticed her blush. Y/N grumbled a "Fine" before walking to her bedroom, Ardyn following close behind. What he was saying is the truth. It's not wise for a gentleman to let a woman sleep on the couch. Y/N was already in her short pajamas and laid down in bed. Ardyn laid down next to her and closed his eyes. Like he said, he didn't need sleep since he was immortal. Y/N moved to sleep on her stomach and slowly closed her eyes. Sleep took her in rather quickly. 

[mrs-monaghan]

Hey! Really enjoy your blog.

I don't put a lot of stock into social media interactions as indicators of closeness but then as one of your anons rightly mentioned - the members are also co-workers and public figures who have a responsibility (kind of) to keep up an image of ot7. Given how vocal almost all of them have been about returning as a team in 2025… how does that tie in with the perceived lack of closeness and basic congratulations (on SM) for vmin?

Wouldn't there be some kind of hesitancy from v and Jimin if such a possible lack of closeness existed? Especially since they've been very loud about their friendship/soulmate status and it maybe does hurt on loosing friendships (or maybe not loosing but cooling down of) ..

Also I haven't been here in the fandom for a long time (less than a few months frankly, so maybe my opinions are not that well formed or accurate) but is this lack of closeness something that has been observed by you since some time or is it a new development?

It's a new development for me tbh. For some people they think there has always been something shady going on with Vmin. Like when V said Jimin likes men at a radio station, something that had the potential to go really bad if Jimin hadn't been quick witted with his reply. "I don't like you." But that could be chalked to immaturity and the fact that BTS did not have mouth filters back then. I mean, can u imagine 2023 BTS admitting they watch porn?

Coz I sure can't. The bigger they got the more careful they had to become.

Another example from the past i see people giving is this one. As u can tell from Jimin's face he wasn't expecting that question

I would go as far as to say he was taken aback. As we all know Jimin is sensitive with the weight topic. So some people think V should have known that. But as usual Jimin diverted the situation and the interview continued.

But what if this was just their dynamic back then? Picking on eo? Like when every member was asked who they would introduce their sister to and they all said Jimin except V. And that other time Jimin was asked what he would do if he was king for a day he said he would make V his slave so he could stab him?? 😂😂 I can't remember exactly what he said but it was something along the lines of making V suffer. For soulmates they sure used to fight alot. 😂

I have always found them to be cute and adorable but even as u watch their early content u will notice V treats JK now the way he used to treat Jimin. He used to be all over Jimin, used to tell him I love u all the time, used to always choose Jimin, etc. But Jimin seemed to have put up some boundaries between them in recent years. If this has to do with JK, idk.

Because Jimin is not as touchy feely as he used to be... with all of them not just V. So this skinship part of things could be Jikook related. Yes I know he kissed Jhope on his birthday but I dare u to find JK "jealous" moments when it comes to Jhope. Real ones, not out of context ones. They are close to none. Very, very, few. JK doesn't have an issue with Jihope moments.

While we are on the topic have u guys ever noticed when Jhope hugs Jimin he turns his body so they're not hugging front to front but rather front to side?

So yes... I wonder what's Jikook related and what isn't. 🤔 maybe Hobi knows how JK can get? Idk. Just food for thought.

Anyway, I digress. Back on the Vmin topic. I honestly didn't see it as anything. Not even after Jikookers started having an issue with it. But now it's kind of hard to ignore. He really is doing it on purpose and I can't help but side eye him a little bit. U know?

But like u said, would Jimin want to come back as ot7 if there was animosity between them? I think from the latest ot7 content (Jhope BB) its safe to say there is no animosity.

I'm not sure i answered your question but I'm not the best person to ask this. Because I didn't have an issue with this until I saw he keeps doing the same thing over and over without fail.

But I still maintain my stand that I hold nothing against the man as long as Jikook continue to be okay with him. And that seems to be the case rn. So if Jimin and JK don't have an issue with V, neither do I. Haters will always hate no matter what. But I can and will listen to other Jikookers who have an issue and I do see where they're coming from.

[tracybirds]

Just a note to remind you that you are amazing 😁💚

Also Virgil prompt with ice cream 😁😁😁💚💚💚 Do with it what you will 😁

you funny <3

okay just some solid fun which I'm hoping you will enjoy too :D I never had a pool but a family I knew did and I have lots of fond memories doing dumb stuff all summer long with them and my siblings!

---

There were times, thought Virgil, that they really were the luckiest people in the world.

The sun shone bright in a clear sky, with nothing but birdsong and the laughter and chatter of his family in high spirits to disturb him.

He grinned as he reached over and prodded John, catching his eye and nodding at the pool.

"My money's on Scott."

He was rewarded with an amused glance as John weighed up the odds with careful consideration.

"Surely you can give me a better shot than that."

There was a loud shriek as Scott fell backwards on top of Alan, water splashing high around them both, and escaping his grip with ease. There was a playful gleam in his eye and he turned towards Gordon as Alan spluttered behind him. Gordon darted away hurriedly, speed trumping power in the wrestle to drag Scott under and dunk him.

Virgil shrugged. "It's two against one, I'm not giving you better odds than that."

John scoffed, but his eyes narrowed as he assessed the scene. His lips moved soundlessly and Virgil gave him a light punch just above the elbow.

"Back to Earth, space boy," he said, grinning. "No cheating and asking EOS to help analyse the situation."

"I wasn't," said John, indignantly. "I was..."

He shut his mouth abruptly and Virgil knew he'd been caught.

"What are we playing for?" John asked instead, as though the question would scrub the flush in his cheeks.

Another hollering yell and Virgil shrugged.

"A hundred dollars?"

John scoffed. "Oh, so pocket money then. If you're not going to make it worth my while, why even place a bet?"

"Fine, what do you want?"

John's eyes flitted sideways as another shout and splash filled the air. This time it was Gordon flailing in the water as Scott mercilessly yanked him down by the ankle. Alan dove to his brother's rescue, but he lacked the strength needed to save him.

"Tick tock, John, fight's nearly over."

"I'll take the hundred dollars, but I want exclusive dibs on the mint chocolate chip ice cream."

Virgil's mouth fell open. He and John were the only ones on the island who had any appreciation for mint and chocolate anything and the ice cream was Virgil's own particular indulgence. With the only brother liable to steal it living out beyond the stratosphere, he could keep it safely in the open, not smuggled into hollow spaces in the floorboards or under lock and key from hungry family members.

And John was brazenly asking for it.

His brother's eyes glinted green.

"What's the matter, Virgil? It's a safe bet, isn't it? I've never known you to doubt your picks." His voice pitched down in a gloat as Gordon threw Scott over his shoulder. "Of course, if you don't think Scott can take them on...well... tick tock and all that."

Virgil's mouth snapped shut and he sat upright.

"Scott can take Gordon and Alan any day," he said, no doubt in his voice or in his mind. "Fine, I'll give you first pick at the ice cream. If I win, I want a hundred and you down for an extra three days dirtside."

John looked taken aback.

"Come on Virg, that's not what I meant."

"Three days," snapped Virgil. He grinned. "Still wish you'd raised the stakes?"

John squared his shoulders.

"Deal," he said with an outstretched hand, and Virgil shook it gladly.

Three days would do John good, and with any luck, he'd be around to enjoy them too.

A ferocious roar lifted into the sky as Scott sloshed through the shallow end like a fierce sea monster fighting to free itself from the cruel bonds of mankind. Or perhaps brotherkind, with Alan and Gordon each hanging from each arm. He stumbled, sodden weight dragging him forwards and shook himself free. Alan and Gordon floated free, looking up at him half in awe, half in terror as he towered over them, preparing to dunk them both in triumph.

"NOW!" shouted Gordon, and he and Alan dove at Scott's legs, knocking him backwards.

At his cry Kayo leapt from the bushes and into the pool, securing his arms with a laugh as he thrashed about in the water. Three was too many even for Scott and soon his defiant resistance fell into laughter.

"Okay, fine, you got me," he called. "You got me, GORDON, I SAID YOU GOT ME, DON'T DUNK ME!"

"Sorry Scooter, them's the rules," said Gordon cheerfully as he shoved Scott under the water.

Scott rose spluttering and hoisted himself out of the pool.

John reached over and flipped the lid on the mini freezer, smiling brilliantly at Virgil as he snagged the first of his prizes.

"You knew Kayo was hiding there all along," Virgil accused.

"I saw her," agreed John, removing the wrapper. "Didn't know she'd get involved but I hoped. This is really good by the way."

"I know," grumbled Virgil.

"Oh, sorry, did you want one?" asked John with a cheeky grin. "I think there's more up at the house."

"Hang on," said Virgil, squinting down at John. "You said Gordon and Alan would win against Scott."

"I did." John's eyes widened. "No, no, wait, I said Scott would lose not that Gordon and Alan would win."

"No way," said Virgil loudly. "You lost!"

"Well, you lost too!"

"Doesn't matter!"

The rest of the family looked over at them curiously, Virgil grinning like a madman and sitting upright in victory while John lounged with a pale green ice cream halfway to his mouth which hung gaping open.

"You owe me three days," said Virgil merrily.

John opened and shut his mouth a few times and the ice cream dripped over his hand.

"Fine," he said at last. "But I still get the ice cream."

"Deal," said Virgil stretching out his hand once more.

They shook, John's fingers sticky and Virgil's sure.

Three days. It was worth a few ice creams.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hii. It's hit me with a bunch of feels watching the Loustat dance at the end of ep 7 and how in love they looked at eo and Louis smiling gorgeously at Lestat when he twirls him and how they kissed and smiled and looked at eo but and yet Lestat knew Louis and Claudia were going to kill him but Lestat never regretted meeting Louis and being in love with him 😭😭😭😭

Hey nonny!!!

I knooooowwwwwwww 😭 It's so terribly... perfect.

I adore this scene. The bitter sweetness of it all. That is their helpless love right there, despite the circumstances. I'm always a bit taken aback (in a good way) seeing Louis smile when Lestat twirls him, because they've done that since the beginning, and they've practiced this dance, and they like to dance it alone, too, and this smile there, that little smile that is a reaction to the careful twirl, the twirl that doesn't take the wig off, the twirl that calls back to all their other... dances. Intimate or otherwise.

And you know... Lestat doesn't do things half-way. He always goes full in. So that, there, that were his feelings. And if the night would prove his last? Well, then so be it. He fully expected to either win Louis back or die trying.

It is no coincidence imho that Lestat calls his fall for Louis fatally.

He is well aware of how... irredeemably he has fallen :)

And we know from the voiceover Louis feels it, too.

[savage-rhi]

Immortal Shield  Chapter 25: Vesperpool

**DM or comment if you want to be tagged in updates on tumblr

**To read previous chapters, hit this link

Tagging: @seradyn​

“Do you think destroying the lab was worth it?” Caelan asked, turning her head to Ardyn while he continued to drive the Scepter. She watched him hum in thought. There was a look of uncertainty in his features. Maybe he was second guessing much like herself. It had been three weeks since they saved each other from the clutches of that horrible place. The memory of it all had yet to leave. Even though Ardyn and she had talked at length about what transpired, and he had reassured Caelan of her actions, she was still processing and integrating all of it.

The first few nights after Ardyn and her destroyed the lab and the creatures within, Caelan had difficulty sleeping. That's when everything spilled out. She told Ardyn in great detail what happened with Julian. How she ran away, hunted the Einherjar, then stupidly realized she needed them alive to clear her name hence her reluctance to kill them off, and how she never wanted this life.

"I just wanted to go to school and be a normal kid," Caelan said to him. "I didn't desire any of this."

The exhaustion in her voice had Ardyn furrow his brows. He had been listening to her for hours, not interrupting, and every once in a while made sure she had something to drink when she needed to rest her throat.

"I wanted to be a generous king and take care of my people," Ardyn shrugged. "I didn't desire to become the Adagium."

"You mocking me?" Caelan teased, her tone was still morose as she said the words. She huddled a blanket around her body more while she checked the fire nearby. Ardyn stood up from the boulder he was sitting upon and joined her on the ground.

"I wouldn't be so bold," Ardyn smirked. His features softened as he scooted closer to her. "I guess what I'm attempting to convey and doing a poor job of, is that I understand how you feel about your peculiar situation."

"You said we always have choices," Caelan remarked. She watched his eyes lock onto hers, curiosity brimming behind his golden hues while she continued. "It's my fault things turned out the way they did."

"Not necessarily," Ardyn sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked to the fire, watching the flames dance while enjoying the warmth radiate through his clothes. "We do have choices, yes. However, at times outside forces beyond our control play a hand and we are left with few options. So we have to make the most of what is given. Even if said choices are downright scandalous and go against our conscious."

"Are you saying that you never would've damned Eos if you had more options?" Caelan was curious. The silence between them added a tension neither of them wanted to acknowledge. However, Ardyn wasn't going to leave Caelan in the dark.

"Had circumstances been different, I might've taken a less destructive path." Ardyn admitted. His eyes met hers. "Everything pointed to being killed by Noctis. It didn't matter the road, the destination was all the same. I may have been influenced by a certain madness. I was quite vulnerable of mind when Verstael took me away from Angelgard. Its why I've pondered if someone else found me, would I have been the same. I'll never know, of course."

"But you do know," Caelan interrupted. She somewhat smiled, watching Ardyn's expression change. He looked taken aback and then some. "You came back. You woke up on Angelgard. You were found by people who took care of you, then you went to Galdin Quay and lied low until we met. You didn't automatically wake up and decide to go kill the king or mess with folks. You just--lived."

"How do you do it?"  Ardyn huffed. His eyes never leaving her.

"How do I do what?"

"Twist my words and conviction to get me to see another point of view. It's quite dangerous." Ardyn mused.

"Pfft," Caelan shook her head, waving him off. She averted her gaze, once more focusing on the fire. There were many witty comebacks and remarks she could've easily tossed his way, but she didn't have the energy. Not when his words about choices played through her head.

"Cahl,"

"Hm?"

Ardyn hesitated, his gaze traveled over Caelan's form as he breathed out. "May I join you under the blanket? I'm rather cold."

Caelan nodded, lifting the material off of herself as Ardyn moved closer to her. She was surprised when he sat behind her and didn't venture off to the side. His legs were on either side of her body as he pulled her back to his chest, a free hand grabbing the blanket and tossing it over the both of them. Caelan secured the blanket from the front using her hands, then felt the weight of Ardyn's head resting atop of her own. Her face blushed. This was now the second time he had done something like this to her. Not counting when he stopped her from killing Serpo.

Maybe there was a part of him that enjoys this, Caelan thought to herself.

"Ardyn,"

"Yes, sweet girl?"

Caelan resisted a laugh from the nickname. He hadn't called her that in sometime. She had missed it.

"Where did you get the alias Adrian from?"

"It was my mothers name," Ardyn answered. He nuzzled the top of her head for no reason, other than to remind himself she was safe. "It's masculine and feminine enough. I thought I'd honor her in some way during this lifetime."

"I think it's pretty." She could've sworn she felt his lips turned into a smile against her scalp.

"It takes beauty to know of another."

“In the grand scheme of things, yes.” Ardyn replied in the present, breaking Caelan out of her thoughts about their camping night. She could feel the memories returning to her subconscious, to be relived at another time. “The kind of knowledge Serpo had at his disposal, if fallen further into the wrong hands, would’ve been catastrophic for Eos. Leaving no trace behind was the best course of action.”

Caelan furrowed her brows. Unsure of how to respond while she tried to be in the moment and not dwell on past experiences.  “It’s hard to believe you helped with so much of it. His research and all. I get why you did what you did way back when, but--this really took the cake.”

“Do you hate me for it?”

Caelan met Ardyn’s gaze as he looked over to her, taking his eyes off the road momentarily. Caelan and he had discussed for days about what Serpo intended to do. Ardyn’s original intentions to bring back Aera, and how he scrapped the idea. There was a part of Caelan that hurt from the ordeal. Knowing there was a chance he could’ve gotten what he desired had Serpo succeeded. Nevertheless, her answer to his question was simple. She shook her head, giving a smile.

“No, no I don’t.”

“Then I have nothing to fear.” Ardyn smiled. He focused back on the road, not before turning on the radio to listen the news. Neither of them had checked in on the world in a while. It was time to catch up.

An anonymous tip sent to a Niflheim representative regarding the Formouth Garrison, has led to several arrests of Insomnian troops. The Formouth, once a Niflheim stronghold, had been converted into a check point for refugees of the war between Lucis and the empire. It has been tragically discovered that heinous crimes have been conducted at the base with the focus being on imperials. Several men, women, and children who have been reported missing over the years have been found.

The harrowing discovery has made citizens of both Lucis and Niflheim concerned about the stability of their countries truce. “...The King and his counsel have spoke directly with Niflheim leaders regarding this grievous situation. Both countries have been communicating 24/7 since the discovery was brought forth. Niflheim and Lucis remain amicable.”

When reached for comment, King Noctis had this to say, “...It’s beyond horrifying that so many still have hatred in their hearts from the war that they would fall below grace. I want it known across the lands, that anyone who was caught aiding this disgusting act with the kingdoms coin will be dealt with according to our laws. I will personally see to it they answer for this.”

It has been reported from the crowns highest that King Noctis will be taking a leave of absence from royal duties after the trials are complete. Rumors have circulated amongst the public of Insomnia that the King has fallen ill. The Queen has come forward with a statement, “...My husband has worked hard these past several years aiding in the rebuild of Lucis and Eos. Unfortunately, it has caught up to him. I assure the people and allies beyond, that the King is in good health and is surrounded by his family while he recoups.”

The King is expected to return to his duties within 30 days. Ignis Scientia, one of the Kings most trusted retainers, will be conducting actions on behalf of his majesty until the latter's return. Due to the Kings exit, the monthly Restoration Summit meeting will be postponed until further notice.

Gladiolus Amicitia, the kings shield and Head Commander of the crownsguard has been sent to assess the damages and crimes committed at Formouth. “...I can’t say much other than it’s bad. Real bad. The guard will be doing everything in their power to gain the people’s trust and ensure---”

Caelan quickly turned off the radio before the rest of Gladio’s speech could be heard. Ardyn made a face at her. He adjusted the clutch of the Scepter and sped past a car, then made his way back into the right lane of the road. He would've thought Caelan to be excited that something had been done about the Formouth considering what she endured rescuing Kurt.

“That’s not like you at all!” Ardyn said in playful surprise, trying to lighten up the obvious tension in the vehicle. “You were fine moments before we began listening to the local gossip. Did something make you upset?”

“Yeah, a little.” Caelan admitted with a sigh. She slouched back in the passenger seat, looking out the window to take in the scenic features of Vesperpool. The lake was quite pristine and welcoming, a stark contrast compared to how murky it was several years ago.

Caelan rubbed the back of her neck, grimacing at the sweat that pooled on her flesh. Prior to the drive, she and Ardyn had finished up helping some farmers hunt and relocating the giant purple serpents known as Midgardsomr. To say they were both filthy was an understatement and she couldn’t wait to jump into the warm waters.

“May I be so bold as to ask what has you dismayed?” Ardyn asked.

“It has something to do with the King er--kinda--and I’d like to leave it at that.” Caelan sighed.

“It can’t be that you fancy my grand nephew, could it? Why, think of the consequences!”

Caelan turned her head, making a face at Ardyn. The bluntness of her features had him let out a hearty laugh. It became worse after she hit the right side of his shoulder in retaliation.

Ardyn winced and rubbed at the spot with his left hand for a time before settling it back on the wheel. He had healed from his battles at Serpo's lab, but there were nerves in his shoulder that remained on the fritz from Tempus’s attack, yet he didn't hold Caelan's action against her.

“It’s not about the king directly. It’s about the Head Commander of the crownsguard.” Caelan muttered, furrowing her brows as she went silent. Her face started to turn red. An observation Ardyn was quick to latch onto as he pried further.

“Did the brute harm you at all?”

“N-no, he didn’t. You went from a five to a ten just now. You sound pissed.” Caelan let out a nervous laugh.

“Forgive my sudden outburst,” Ardyn sighed and shook his head. “Out of all of Noct’s retainers, Gladiolus was the one I happened to like the very least. Little brains, much brawn. So, what’s the situation between you and him? I’m assuming it was in poor taste given how you reacted.”

“Well,” Caelan faltered. Gods, she didn’t want to have this conversation with Ardyn. Nevertheless she knew from experience being around him for so long he’d never stop prying. Sure, he could offer reprieve for a time but would always find a way to slip a subject back into the conversation. It was better to pull off the band aid with him than to carefully pry it inch by inch.

“Remember when I told you, I kind of had a fling with a crownsguard during the Dark Decade?”

“Yes, I remember that night we were--” Ardyn stopped. His mouth lightly parted and his eyes widened, a series of surprised chuckles began to fall past his lips.

“No. No way.”

Caelan tensed, biting her bottom lip. Her face felt like it had been dunked in gasoline and lit aflame. She could swear blood vessels were breaking in her cheeks with how embarrassed and put on the spot she had become.

Ardyn turned his head to her. The look of shock, surprise and disdain painted his features over and over as he put two and two together.

“The man you laid with, that was…him?”

“I told you I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“My gods!” Ardyn laughed hard. So much so he could feel tears beginning to pool from the corner of his eyes.

“You don’t have to rub salt in the wound! By Shiva’s shit have some tact!” Caelan exclaimed, turning away from him. She couldn’t look Ardyn in the eye. Not like this.

“Forgive me,” Ardyn said in between breaths. He reached his right hand out to Caelan, giving a few comforting pats to her left thigh before placing his palm upon her shoulder, offering a friendly squeeze.

“I assure you I’m not laughing at your expense.”

“You kind of did just now.” Caelan said as a matter of fact, letting out a disgruntled sigh.

“Why would you think so little of me?”

“I mean…you’re Ardyn? Humiliating people further is one of your signature moves.” Caelan teased.

“Fair point,” Ardyn chuckled. He let go of her, retreating his hand away.

Ardyn sighed deeply through his nose. His left hand rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to abate the sudden influx of tension throughout his body. His face became flushed over time and his teeth clenched. Expression pinched while he looked ahead of the road. The muscles in his arms tightened which traveled to his fingertips while he gripped the steering wheel with more weight. Ardyn wasn’t going to lie to himself, he felt angry. His heart thudded deeply in his chest the longer he thought about Caelan’s situation. He knew he had no right to be upset, but couldn’t help it. Especially when his stomach churned in painful knots imagining her being taken by his former adversary. He bit the inside of his lip, trying to placate his emotions.

“Remind me,” Ardyn finally piped up. Getting Caelan’s attention. “Was dear Gladio to your satisfaction? I can’t quite recall.”

Caelan hummed in thought, furrowing her brows as she tried to recall that night. It had been long time and not something her thoughts often lingered upon. She hesitated to answer Ardyn’s question, not sure why it made her uneasy but like her previous justification, Caelan didn’t want him to bring it up randomly at a later point. She did make a note that like before, he sounded mad.  

“No, it was pretty bad.” Caelan snorted. It seemed to humor Ardyn as she watched him crack a smile.

“It wasn’t his fault. We didn't communicate well. I met him at a volunteer camp preparing to ambush a fleet of daemons. He had no idea who I was, and you know, too many beers. We both just went ‘you only live once’ and that was that. If its all the same to you, I’d rather this go back in my memory bank and remain locked.”

“Of course,” Ardyn nodded. His fingertips tapped the side of the steering wheel as he thought his words over.  “I will say this though, you deserved better. To be treated better intimately.”

Caelan couldn’t help but smile big from his comment. She didn’t say a word, but from the small grin he had, she knew Ardyn understood she was thankful for the remark. Even though said comment did make her blush more.

After searching for a good spot to park with some privacy, Ardyn pulled the Scepter over nearby the lake. He got out of the vehicle around the same time Caelan did. He and her both went to the backseat to pull out some bags that had a change of clothes. The two began their venture towards the shore soon after.

Ardyn held up five fingers. “How many?”

“Kyom,” Caelan replied, holding up her right hand and displayed them. She then subtracted two, putting her thumb and pinky down. “Zyi, three and if I add one that makes Tse, four.”

“Let’s make this more interesting,” Ardyn mused as he began to look around and pointed up at the sky. “What do you call a cloud in God Speak?”

“Tya. C’mon, you can hit me with something harder.”

“Gladly,” Ardyn laughed. “Mdenʦ vleˈntikme.”

“I--” Caelan paused, biting her lip as she tried to translate in her head. “I like to chase?”

“Good!” Ardyn smiled. “Baya yssa vaah sol.”

“She is the sun.”

“Mdents sha ot diirae a biseeculum.”

“Fuck,”

“Give up so soon?” Ardyn taunted.

“No,” Caelan murmured. She let out a sigh, her mind going through the bits of the language Ardyn had been teaching her. “I know the last one word is bicycle. I like to ride a bicycle?”

“Incorrect,” Ardyn remarked and smirked. “You were close. It’s I want to ride a bicycle. I’m frankly disappointed. You were showing so much potential.”

Caelan made a face, shooting a glare towards Ardyn as they continued to walk. “Ackt ji tarms ssaswe.”

“Oh,” Ardyn’s eyes widened for a moment and he chuckled, shaking his head. “I didn’t teach you how to curse!”

“You so did! My first lesson if I recall was don’t say ‘fuck me’ in the middle of public. Ackt mdents.” Caelan laughed. If Ardyn still had his hat from when he was chancellor, she could easily visualize him pulling it downward to cover his face. He didn’t hide his embarrassment from the memory as she continued.

“I may have heard you drop more curses from time to time and figured things out on my own too.”

“How perceptive of you,” Ardyn laughed. His eyes then settled on Caelan’s features, looking over her while he sighed contently. “Ji re ulfitae ot mdents, da amdents shiiva ot ellt ji.”

“I know you said something about me, but I question if I want to know or not.” Caelan teased as they came upon the waters edge of the lake. She started to take her shirt off, eager to cool off.

Ardyn chuckled, his gaze watching her intently. He blushed some as he spoke. “Maybe someday you’ll decipher it.”

They stopped talking while they stripped down. Much like the time they were at the spring while hunting the Behemoth, Caelan unclothed herself faster than Ardyn.

As she was soon left with her bra and underwear remaining, Caelan’s eyes couldn’t help but look over Ardyn’s chest and back after he pulled off his white overshirt and cast it aside, the garment landing on top of the bags with their extra clothes they packed. He was lean yet fit and some nice defined muscles here and there. Something Caelan didn’t notice before when she had last seen him without a shirt. Her eyes traveled to the light grey covered patches on his skin that were scattered about. Her expression was one of concern seeing how ravaged some of the patches were. No one would be able to tell he had any marks upon him unless they were in close proximity like she was. Caelan had her own scars, but nothing quite what she was seeing on him.

“Do your wounds still hurt?” Caelan gestured to him.

“Hmm?” At first Ardyn was puzzled, but then his expression softened. He waved her off. “I wouldn’t fret. The utter bastard Tempus may have impaled me, but my arm feels better than ever. I dare say he might’ve fixed it. I could’ve sworn it was dislocated at one point.”

“No,” Caelan shook her head, letting out a laugh before she corrected him. “I mean these. Are they from your time at Angelgard?”

Ardyn froze in place when he felt Caelan’s fingertips travel across the skin of his ribs. To say he didn’t know how to react was an understatement. A part of him wanted to guide her hand away, put up a barrier yet as her thumb stroked over his old scar tissue, he found it quite comfortable.

“No, they don’t hurt.” Ardyn murmured. A shudder went down his spine. “Some of these are from Angelgard, and others from being poked and prodded when I was examined by Verstael.”

“I know you can regenerate but god damn,” Caelan shook her head in disbelief. Her hand finished trailing over the scar along on his rib, making way to another on his left hip. The rough texture was a sharp contrast how soft his skin was everywhere else.

“I must admit at times I get something akin to phantom pain at these spots here and there. Like this one,” Ardyn carefully took hold of Caelan’s hand, moving her fingers to the lower left of his chest, close to his arm met his body. The rounded edges made the scar tissue look rather haggard.

“Where did you get this one?” Caelan asked, tilting her head curiously.

“My brother. The day of my coronation, when I lost Aera.”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I don’t want to force anything.” Caelan reassured him, sensing the hesitation in his words. She was surprised when he shook his head, smiling at her sincerely.

“I thank you for your consideration, and I don’t mind telling you about what happened. First, let’s swim for a while. Then we’ll talk. I’m feeling hot.”

“You sure are,” Caelan huffed under her breath.

“What was that?”

“I said yeah, I agree!”

“Sure,” Ardyn snickered. He gave a playful roll with his eyes. His gaze landed on Caelan’s body. He too noticed some rather nasty cuts and gashes along her legs that had healed over time. Then there was her tattoo. The crownsguard one. It hit him that the ink had been scarred over too. The jagged motions indicated the injury had been self inflicted. He considered the possibility she tried cutting it off. Ardyn couldn't blame her, considering the circumstances and associations. Yet it hurt him to know Caelan felt that alone in her plight. He quickly averted his eyes, feeling his face growing warm by the second.  

After stepping out of his pants and remaining his boxers, Ardyn kicked his boots and trousers to the side and started walking into the shallows of the lake. He took his time getting to where the water was at his hips, feet digging into the rich soil below him as the cool mud soothed the aches in his muscles. His approach was in sharp contrast to what Caelan did. From the corner of his eye he saw her sprint from the shore, then jumped up excitedly and canon balled herself. A small wave hit his upper chest while he laughed, watching her pop up to the surface with a gasp.

“Do you think this water is safe to drink?” Caelan asked while she swam towards him.

“Not anymore since you submerged yourself. I’m sure all your impurities have poisoned this place,” Ardyn teased. “Why do you ask?”

“I swallowed some. It wasn’t pleasant.” Caelan rolled her eyes at his other remarks regarding her. “You shouldn’t lecture about impurities being who you are, so speak for yourself hypocrite.”

“Serves you right,” Ardyn jabbed as he smiled. A mischievous grin formed on his lips as he chuckled. He watched as Caelan glared his way.

“What’s funny?”

“Oh, its a silly thing,” Ardyn teased out, shrugging nonchalantly before he leaned forward into the water when he came upon the deep end and started moving his arms about to swim. “I was just thinking of all the poor fish you traumatized and said a prayer to them.”

“You're such a jerk!” Caelan exclaimed. She bounded for him, splashing his way while Ardyn laughed and shielded himself with his arms. When he became overwhelmed, he took in a deep breath and sunk below.

“Oh crap,” Caelan mouthed out, looking around for him. Despite the lake being safe to swim in, the waters were somewhat cloudy. The dark blue coloration of the surface didn’t allow her to see much of what was underneath. To make matters worse, Ardyn burst up from behind her. Caelan screamed as he grabbed a hold of her waist and flung them both backward until they sunk underneath. Seconds later, they popped back up. Both attempting to drown the other playfully while they laughed. The antics between them both settled as time went on and they swam around.

As the afternoon gave birth to dusk, Ardyn and Caelan left the cool waters behind them. They settled by some trees overlooking Vesperpool. Small remnants of what was once a wall of ancient Solheim decorated the grass they were relaxing on. The scenery felt ethereal. As if they were both on another plane of existence.

Caelan sat crisscross, Ardyn’s head rested in her lap while he watched the leaves dance against the wind and their respective branches. Her hands were working to squeeze the water out from his wine colored locks and untangle strands that became knotted. She combed through his scalp with her fingers, hearing Ardyn sigh contently and watched him close his eyes. She couldn’t help but smile, observing how relaxed he had become.

“You look like you’re in paradise.” Caelan teased. The chuckle that emitted from Ardyn had her legs tremble.

“It’s not everyday I get pampered from a shield,” Ardyn opened his eyes, tilting his head back a little to look at her. “Tell me, what do I owe you for such services?”

“Hmm,” Caelan hummed. “I’m in a good mood, so nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nada.”

“Is that so?” Ardyn mused. For whatever reason, both of them laughed. A sense of peace washed over him while Caelan continued her ministrations. It felt good to be alive. That was the first time Ardyn allowed himself to feel those words in full. It was overwhelming, knowing soon enough it would be over.

A sigh escaped him. His brows furrowed while his thoughts danced away at contemplations. He had done well to hide much of feelings towards his primary objective from Caelan, but now even he was at a loss.

“Cahl,” His right hand reached around and gently grasped Caelan’s wrist, preventing her from touching his hair. “Would it be alright if I sought your counsel?”

“Of course,” Caelan was taken back, her head canted while she peered down at him. “You don’t have to ask permission. I’m here if you need me.”

“I love giving you freedom of choice,” Ardyn said honestly. His smile deepened seeing her blush from his comment, up until his thoughts caught up with him. He breathed out, eyes blinking as he stared at the sky. His fingers absentmindedly stroking Caelan’s wrist now.

“When Serpo took you, I had a vision the second night I was on my search. The King was dying. I tried to run for him, but before I could touch the ground an entity pierced me through the heart. The night we over indulged during Lestallum’s founding day, I also had a dream. There are words that keep invading my head.”

“Tell me what they are.” Caelan murmured. Her other hand that wasn’t being stroked by Ardyn’s fingertips began threading slowly through his hair, offering physical comfort as his features grew more worried and uncertain.

“Youngblood king walks tall. Shards of crystal, the dragon calls. Heavy heart, young blood falls.” Ardyn tried recollecting the rest, relenting when nothing more would come.

“Do you think this has something to do with the king taking a leave of absence?” Caelan furrowed her brows.

“That’s precisely where my mind went,” Ardyn admitted. He swallowed. “Something is wrong with the boy. I feel it in my gut, and I believe the Astrals are playing a hand in Noct’s ailment. What do you think, based on what I’ve shared? Give me an honest thought.”

Caelan blinked a few times, trying to compose her contemplations. She looked away from Ardyn and glanced around the lake.

“In my heart, you’re onto something. You mentioned dragon, I bet you anything it has to do with Bahamut. Why else would there be an emphasis placed on it? I think the visions you’ve had, they’re warnings,” Caelan paused. She didn’t want to say the rest, knowing the implication but given Ardyn trusted her, she had to proceed.

“I think you need to see the king. You need to go to Insomnia, and get the answers you seek. Do not do this for the Astrals, but for yourself. The king might not have much time, and if he’s gone, you can’t fulfill your original goal. That’s what I’d do.”

Caelan could feel her heart being squeezed. Tears were threatening the corners of her eyes and she gulped, trying to hide the fact she was upset. Upset that Ardyn’s time was running out as was her time with him.

“I thought so,” Ardyn said quietly. He slowly rose up, adjusting himself until he was sitting by her side. His right hand gently guided her chin to have him look into his eyes. He greeted her with a morose expression.

“I know I promised to take you to Niflheim, for this I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be,” Caelan let out a small laugh, shaking her head while his fingers remained on her face. “I’m not upset about it.”

“Yet you look so sad.” Ardyn furrowed his brows.

“I’m a little scared. Talking of dragons and prophecies is new for me. I’m not used to this stuff like you are.” Caelan knew she was lying, but it seemed to stop Ardyn from prying further as he nodded. He let her go, getting up and venturing over to their bags that were by the base of a tree. He crouched down, searching for his phone. Once he found it, Ardyn returned to Caelan and sat beside her. He scooted close, his eyes on the screen while he typed away.

“I made something for you,” Ardyn spoke softly and grinned. He watched Caelan’s expression change to shock while he handed her the phone after logging in.

“You made a Kwee! Account?”

“Now before you lecture me,” Ardyn chortled. “I set it to private. It's not public.”

“I should be pissed.” Caelan sighed with a laugh.

“And yet, you’re not.” Ardyn smiled, then gestured, flicking his left index finger for emphasis. “Have a look.”

Caelan let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head then her thumb began to scroll. There were many posts with pictures pertaining to them both.

“I didn’t know you had a photography passion.” Caelan said in between scrolling, her eyes not leaving the screen.

“I truly don't. I find these trivial things rather sentimental and dull," Ardyn mused. “Though I admit I may have found inspiration, courtesy of one of his majesty’s retainers. It helps that the muse is someone like you.”

Caelan didn’t think much of his remark at first, until she realized all the photos were of her. Moments in time that she didn’t pay attention to nor considered of importance, yet somehow, Ardyn captured everything. There were so many smiles, flaws, and humorous moments. Caelan wondered how she didn’t catch Ardyn snapping photos with his phone. A few selfies of Ardyn were sprinkled in between. Each one carried a central element: he was doing something silly, and Caelan was present in the background. There was one though in particular that stood out. She was asleep, curled up next to Ardyn while he smiled at the camera. He looked beyond tired, but content with his arm wrapped around her It was a few nights after the Behemoth attack. She was beyond speechless. Her heart pounded deeply in her chest. It took all her might to not lean over and kiss him. He really saw her as she was.

“Cahl,” The softness of Ardyn’s voice pulled Caelan away from the phone. There were tears streaming down her face. Ardyn glanced over her eyes and mouth before letting out a sigh.

“When I see the king, and when the time comes, I want you with me.”

He didn’t have to explain further for Caelan to understand the implication. She blinked, more tears ran down her face. She couldn’t help it even if she tried.

“You want me to watch you die?”

“I want you with me,” Ardyn’s enunciated each word with care while he leaned forward, pressing his face into her hair. He nuzzled, inhaling her scent as he closed his eyes.

“That’s all I ask of you.” There was a tremor in his voice. His hands shook while they wrapped around her body, pulling her close.

Caelan put the phone down and embraced him. They didn’t speak of Aera’s death like they planned. Their silence was too strong to break.

Notes:

Ackt ji tarms ssaswe= Fuck you, smart ass Ji re ulfitae ot mdents, da amdents shiiva ot ellt ji. = You're so beautiful to me and I'm scared to tell you

[eonash]

“Tough Villain”

Eobard Thawne x Female!Reader

Summary: Eobard is on a deathly rant about people who have gotten in the way of his plan, Y/N calls him cute while in the process of this and the “tough villain” becomes all red and flustered. (AKA the story where Eobard is a soft boi)

Warnings: None, just fluff

Word Count: 601

A/N: this is just a kinda short story that i wrote that has been sitting in my drafts. props to @yetanotherwells for like naming half my stories *cough*

Masterlist

@yetanotherwells @fandomdancer

—

Eobard Thawne sped into the room as Y/N was sitting on the couch watching TV. Eobard stomped about, waiting for a response from her. When he didn’t get any he started anyway.

“I am tired of The Flash always getting in my way!” He said, angrily. Y/N, still did not turn her head to Eobard. He huffed at the lack of attention. “I always get so close to winning, so close! But then he one-ups me!” Eobard made a fist with his hand and held it close to his body.

Once again, Y/N refused to listen to Eobard. Impatient, the man sped over to Y/N, the remote was then in his hand instead of hers. He turned off the TV with just his finger pressing down on the button.

“Y/N? Are you listening?”

“Oh yeah, I was.” She said admittedly. She tried to grab the remote back from Eobard, but he kept it away from them.

He scoffed, setting down the remote on the coffee table behind him. “Then what was I on about?”

“Oh I don’t know. Big Belly Burger messing up your order again?”

“What? No! I don’t fuss over that.” Eobard crossed his arms.

Y/N gave him a knowing look.

“Okay, okay! Maybe a little bit..”

She rolled her eyes and mumbled, “A little bit is an understatement.” She looked at him, standing over her. “Remember the time when Big Belly messed up your burger and you threatened to hunt down the people who ruined it?”

“I did not do that. I simply went back inside and asked for a new burger.” She said proudly.

“Uh-huh.. You totally did not rant to me in the car about burning down the building.”

“That’s in the past, Y/N!”

“You were still so cute during that.”

Eobard looked puzzled at her, but then shook his head, forgetting the topic.

“What I was trying to tell you was my conflict with The Flash!” Eobard said aloud.

Y/N shrugged. “What about him?” She knew deep down inside that Eobard would become more frustrated and impatient with Y/N’s response.

“He’s not even the perfect hero. I made him into who he is today!”

Y/N looked down at her fingernails, trying to seem as unamused as possible to mess with Eobard. “Yet, look at him now, huh?

He shook his head, agitated. “You know what, I'd kill him! All this talk of The Flash and he isn’t even worth anything!” He turned around facing the other way. “I’m so much better than him in every way.”

“Awww, Eo!” She stood up from the couch, stepping forward towards him. He turned around to her. Eobard was taken aback by this action. He took a step backwards. “You are so cute when you go on your death rants.” She finished.

“What did you just say..?” Eobard said, more confused than anything.

Y/N smiled, stepping forwards again and placing her hands on Eobard’s cheeks. “You are just so adorable. Threaten the Flash again!”

Eobard suddenly got red at Y/N’s actions. He was still confused, but enjoying the much attention that she was providing him.

“Oh wow, aren’t you red.”

Eobard shook his head, stepping away from Y/N. “I am not.” He protested.

She giggled. “You are too! Like a tomato.”

Eobard shook his head once more. Speeding off instead of listening to her.

Y/N grabbed the remote off the coffee table and landed back in her seat on the couch, amused with herself. She flicked on the TV again.

She knew he’d be back.

[mulderscully]

eo brainrot at midnight again but once again thinking about one thing that i really adore about how elliot's return has been handled is how elliot clearly knows he's on thin ice with liv.

there are so many times where he is openly suprised that she still cares about him or his kids because he knows he doesn't deserve it. starting with the letter and "read it. don't read it. throw it away. whatever you decide, i understand." and then him saying "i really needed to hear you say that." when liv tells him she's worried about his well being. he honestly expected her to want NOTHING to do with him and he is so grateful that isn't the case. then this season even after he went uc and was forced to cut off communication with her again he is visibly taken aback when liv asks him how he is/if can see his kids even though she is obviously angry and upset? god.

i see a lot of the eo fandom kinda yelling for elliot to just tell her he loves her etc and ofc i understand that knee jerk feeling bc we've been heterobaited for 22 seasons BUT i think something people might not be fully grasping is that while elliot knows he is in love with olivia, he doesn't know where he stands with her anymore and i get the sense he is afraid to say anything too much and ruin everything again. we understand that liv still loves him and defends him every chance she gets - but he doesn't. and i think that's really important. he doesn't think he has the right to tell her he loves her after what he did to her, and he's right! but at the same time he knows owes it to her to explain and he cannot explain without telling her he loves her. the complexity of that entire situation is so fckn delicate.

and just - the way that he cannot stop pouring his feelings out for her bc for the first time in two decade he is allowed to openly love her and it keeps overflowing because he has held it in for so long. it's like he's finally letting himself LOOK and accept and how emotionally intense that must be for so many reasons and how terrifying it must be to even consider telling her he loves her after all this time must be. like damn, give him a second.

[wine-dark-soup]

i Wish to Meet the Lizard part 2: 12 to 23, 17, 18 👁👁

MORE LIZARD MORE LIZARD 👁👁

12. How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

abandons all hope immediately and tries living her life as usual (if not working, uses medicinal plants)

13. What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

Brown as in (more often than not) leather but like, medieval way of using leather (shes not fond of the biker-like glams for example). she loves felt fabric too. she looks her best in brown, though she likes to balance it with white or red for an additional effect.

14. What animal do they fear most?

Eos doesn't really have a fear for animals in general. she grew up taking care of livestock. if anything when she found out what chocobos are when she first set foot in eorzea she was a bit taken aback, but moved on since.

15. How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

she's a quiet person and rather calm too, but she's fierce and talks accordingly. what i mean by that is that she'll never be very angry or show visible excitement but won't let go of the idea she has in mind. when she talks about someone she cares about she'll adopt a very protective tone. she's quite blunt.

16. What makes their stomach turn?

inaction. though she won't blame a random person for not personally being involved in, idk, overturning a government. but she really lives by the "actions speak louder than words" motto. what really makes her stomach turn is the (deliberate or not) inaction of leaders, because she's aware it's not her little actions that will durably change anything. it feels unjust she, as a nobody, has to act just because someone richer or more powerful decided not to.

17. Are they easily embarrassed?

not really. but she'd like to avoid answering questions about what she does on the road. theres no real explanation for that. she just wants her privacy. (cf previous ask)

18. What embarrasses them?

see previous question! but to add to this, she has a soft spot for eorzean fashion and would be very embarrassed if she met an au ra from the steppe. like, you got to explain why you LEFT your peers AND don't wear traditional clothes anymore, that's unpleasant...

19. What is their favorite number?

I'd say 7 based on vibes only lkjflkfjdsklfjdslkfdjslk

20. If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

she'd probably say that all love is made of flames. familial love is the flame of the campfire, platonic love is the flame you carry with you on a torch, and romantic love is the flame within that you can use to lit a campfire or a torch.

21. Why do they get up in the morning? 

there are things to do.

22. How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 

Eos isn't prone to jealousy. but when the feeling does take seed, depending on who she's jealous of, she'll either just be heartbroken or will go punch a wall where nobody can see her.

23. How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? 

if envy is "omg, these people are happy, i envy them" she'll double her efforts to reach the same point in life in her own way, sometimes unhealthily. if envy is "i want this", she'll probably take it if there's no risk to harm anyone. she learned how to steal while she was on the run. but she's not a bad person; her envy is balanced out by the thought someone might need what she wants.

Ask me questions about my ocs

[greyghoulclub]

OC drabble: Frost's summoning Part 1

She didn’t understand what was going on, too many weird smells, lights, and sounds. The world was swirling underneath her. She heard chanting, not in a tongue she understood though. It was one of those human tongues, ‘Latin’ she thought it was called. All she knew was that it was old in human terms. Was she being summoned? She better not be. She had a good deal back in the depths of hell, in the icy circle. She didn’t care much for the human realm, she thought they were too squishy for their own good. No claws to defend themselves? What was the point?

The chanting was getting louder now, and she was able to make out a lone figure standing by a pentagram. This figure looked young, with a round face and curly blonde hair. They were dressed simply, a while blouse and slate grey pinafore. They had their arms raised above their head with a black candle clasped in between their hands, hot wax dripping down onto a pile of various herbs inside a salt circle. Was this a young witch? If so, she didn’t think they were trying to summon a ghoul. Well, they were about to get a nasty surprise. The witch was nearing the end of their chant now, so she took that as her cue to start pushing through the barrier of the two realms.

Now this was the tricky part for the ghoul being summoned, if they didn’t wait for the right moment for the barrier to be weakest, they’d be pushed back to whence they came. The barrier was weakest at the crescendo of the chant. Any time now.

“Te invoco a profundus inferni ...ad constringendum, ad ligandum eos pariter et solvendum et ad congregandum eos coram me!” Now.

The young witch could see something happening when they finished their chant. It wasn’t what they were expecting to happen, something seemed to be coming out of the ground, no not the ground, another world. This was supposed to be a simple protection spell, oh how had they got it so wrong?

What they had summoned had horns, webbed ears, some pale grey-blue skin, and sharp teeth like needles. It stood in a hunched posture, glowing blue eyes glaring at them. It did not look happy to be here. The witch tried not to make any sudden moves so as to not anger the thing. It made a low, guttural growling sound in its throat. It dropped down to all fours and made to move towards the witch, however, the salt circle prevented it from any forward movement. It slammed its fists against an invisible wall in frustration and made that guttural sound again, and, if the witch was not mistaken it sounded like it said “let me out”.

The witch against her better judgement, swept away some of the salt circle to allow whatever it was out. Now that it was closer the witch could see that they had summoned a kind of ghoul. They did some study on ghouls in their spare time. By the looks of this ghoul it was a water ghoul. Not the most dangerous ghoul type, but could still do a fair bit of damage. They still felt anxious about the ghoul they had accidentally summoned but a little less knowing it wasn’t a fire ghoul.

But they weren’t expecting to be interrupted. Not by another human. And this one wasn’t as welcoming as the witch.

“What the bloody hell are you doing summoning a demon?” the other person was shaking out of either fear or anger she couldn’t tell. “It’ll kill you!”

The witch was taken aback by the outburst, stepped back before they spoke, “but it hasn’t tried to attack me, I think it’s docile.” The other person was incredulous at this, she could see the cogs in its head turning as it tried to think of a reason to berate the witch’s actions. The witch was right, she had no reason to attack these humans. But it was that inherent fear of the supernatural that humans have.

She observed the two humans from afar, not sure what her next move should be. She wasn’t worried about the witch but this new human was a possible threat. She wasn’t wrong. This new human decided that their best course of action was to start swinging at her. She hissed and showed her teeth. The attacker saw this as game on.

The human rushed at her, and wait, did they have a knife? Oh no that wasn’t good. That could cause some damage. She may have to use some magic. The human was running towards her and slashing indiscriminately with the knife. She tried to dodge but still got wounded on her shoulder. Luckily the cut wasn’t too deep, it only let out a trickle of blood. She lashed out with a clawed hand, catching the human on the cheek. She hoped it would scar. This only infuriated the human more, the witch just looked on in shock.

She pulled back into a crouching stance, going on the defensive. She felt the magic flow and tingle in the ends of her fingers, she could hear the ice crackling, forming into shards. She launched them at the failing pinkish body. Ice pierced the flesh, blood flowed. They fell to the ground.

Dead.

She looked up at the witch, breathing hard, her breath becoming condensation in the cold from the ice magic. The witch was gone. She was on her own with a dead body and no way home.

[rahleeyah]

After watching the episode, what are your thoughts on Barba’s choice to defend Wheatley and how things were left between him and Olivia? I can appreciate that even he himself is unclear by his decision, as evidenced by the scene in her office, but am confused by how stunned he looked when Olivia said she felt betrayed. She flat out had asked him not to do it from the beginning.

I also keep going back to him starting to say “Stabler coming back has made things more complicated.” There are SO many ways to interpret this (and try as I might I can’t help but wonder about WL’s implications).

I want to be clear this all comes from a place of me shipping EO and loving the Barba/Olivia friendship as well. I’m just…really curious by the choices made and how they intend to play it all out, and always love your take!

so here's the thing, right, is that i do think there's an argument to be made that barba's decision makes sense. i don't think it's the best argument they could have given him, but it's there.

rafael's thing was initially sort of. "fuck your feelings the law's the law lmao" and yes there's the whole "olivia softened him up and now he understands nuance" thing, but what this does is kinda marries the two? in that he fully believes that the law must be applied justly, across the board, and that the means to the end do matter. he looks at this case, and he knows wheatley is a criminal, but this case - not the raketeering case, not the other murders he's been accused of, just kathy's murder - stinks. there is sufficient evidence to make it appear that he has been railroaded, by a police force that rafael believes must be held accountable for its violence and it's attacks on the public. wheatley is a dick, but he is, as rafael points out, a great test case. even an unabashed criminal is entitled a good defense and due process; that is the foundation of the system, that everyone is entitled to those things. so rafael choosing to take this case makes sense in terms of his morals.

and he knows it's going to upset liv but i got the impression that he was taken aback by the vehemence of her response, and that he maybe didn't fully understand it. we have been talking, so much, about the person liv had to become without elliot, and how no one really got the full picture of her without him there, and this is the consequences of that. rafael just met 1.0 liv for the first time. the full olivia. the one who defends stabler, instead of joining rafael in admonishing him. rafa's liv wouldn't do that for anyone else, and so he doesn't expect her to do so now, and maybe doesn't quite know what to do with that.

and the stabler coming back has made things more complicated thing felt sort of out of place to me bc like. what the fuck does rafa know about it lmao like are people talking to him about it? does he know how this has impacted liv? has he noticed a change in her since elliot came back? absent those details it feels like a comment he doesn't actually have the knowledge to make, you know? and if he and liv have been communicating about this i wanna know what that looked like.

i would love to see them bring rafa back, and have him reconcile with the totality of olivia - and to have olivia reconcile with it herself, instead of sort of having each foot planted in two worlds, caught between the two. i wouldn't be surprised if they do eventually do that, just to mend that fissure.

[amenomiko]

Linguist MC Gets Angry

Nobunaga - East Malaysia (Borneo)

It was that moment when he lift her chin during their argument with "You have become very bold in lecturing me, aren't you, fireball?" And he expect for her to pout, or maybe sulk, just like she always do, but..

"OI. Ko pikir ko siapa oh??" (Translated: Oi. Who do you think you are??)

He blinked. Thrice. "..What-"

"Lucky charm la, bebola api la. Sa sumbat nasi lemak dalam pantat kau biar ko jadi api naga sana nah baru ko tau apa maciam jadi fireball. BUDUH la ko sana!" (Translated: Lucky charm, fireball. I will shove nasi lemak in your asshole and let you become a fire dragon so you know how a fireball is! IDIOT!)

Then she roll her eyes, flipping her hair before stomping off angrily, leaving bewildered Nobunaga alone in his Tenshu. "As expected of my lucky charm.. She is very unique indeed. Hmph."

Somehow he is happy. Not knowing what he is called just now.

Hideyoshi - Indonesian

"MC! Stop running in the hallway!"

"MC! Don't carry those stuffs! What if you fall and scrap your knees??"

God..! Another day, another nagging. What is he? Disciplinary teacher??

"MC--"

She fumed, turning to him with a gritted teeth, "Iya udahlah. Brisik, lebay banget sih. Cerewet betul orangnya. Anjir." (Translated : Yes, enough already. So noisy-- you are overreacting. Such a naggy person. You dog.) then earn a very confused Hideyoshi.

He literally froze, even when she look at him, up and down, shaking her head and continue with her task in hand.

It took him few minutes to realize that she is somehow cursing him, ...in a weird language.

Masamune - Korean

MC is a lucky woman. She got a handsome lover, the most good looking warlord (as voted by the women of Azuchi town), which is Date Masamune.

She would always be happy and giddy around him. If this is an animated world, she could see flying hearts all around her when he is nearby. But today..

Is not the best day. EVER.

Everything pisses her off. Ah yes, it's just what you think. That damn time of the month. Oh gosh she is angry, she was so, so angry thanks to her mood swings, and was trying her best not to show it away. Which she failed miserably.

Masamune had brought her to the tea house, not knowing she was cursing the whole time when she was walking. "Let's get an anmitsu, shall we? They say it was good as they imported those 'ice cream' thing." She smiled (not reaching her eyes) and nodded.

He had realized this; it could be those time of the month again, he thought. But maybe with some sweets and kisses, she would be better. Ah..! Good timing. The dessert has arrived and he instantly let her have a taste first. And another perfect timing. There was a stain of vanilla near her lips.

"Kitten."

"..Hm-"

His lips pressed against hers, aiming for the vanilla, yet also a sweet gesture that makes the people around them gasped. However..

"....YA!!" (Translated : HEY!!)

SMACK!

"OPPA MICHYEOSS-EO?? AISH- JINJJA!" (Translated : Oppa (A way to call a lover other than brother) are you crazy?? Aish- really!!"

His only eye widen like plate, taken aback and rub his painful cheek that were smacked by her. "K-Kitten- I didn't mean to--" What language is that anyway??

"Wait..! Lass!"

She already walk away, back to the castle before he realized it.

Note taken. No affection should be given when she is in a bad mood. "Ahh.. That time of the month is horrifying indeed.."

Mitsuhide - West Malaysian (Semenanjung)

If Mitsuhide could choose one thing that he like about MC, it would be (obviously) her interesting reactions to his teasings. Her angry face, her pouting face, and her frowning is his favorite, yet there's one thing he always be curious about.

She never get angry. As in really, really angry. Especially towards him. Sometimes he think she is too pure for him, loving him to the point she won't do such thing no matter how hurt she is.

"AMBOI." (Translated : Interjection word used to express angry/admiration/wonder feelings. But in this case, it's for feeling angry)

'Amboi' what now? For as long as he live, such word is new to him. He read her gesture-- furious expression, hands on hips,.. Ah, it could be an angry word? "I believe I require for you to explain what does that mean. Is it a new language other than Japanese back in your time--""Hang diam." (Translated : You be quiet.)

Miraculously he stopped, somehow feeling uncharacteristically nervous to her unknown language. She huffed, shaking her head, "Hang ni memang dah takda keja ka hah? Dok asyik nak cuba buat aku marah. HAH tahniah pada hang la aku dah marah ni. Perangai poyo. Nasib hang hensem kalau tak dah lama aku hantaq hang ni pi kahwin ngan Hideyoshi. Hisshhhh!" (Translated : Don't you have any other work to do, huh? Do nothing but keep on trying to make me angry. HAH. Congratulations to you, I AM angry. You act like a damn show-off. Thankfully you are handsome or else I would've sent you to get married with Hideyoshi. Hisshhhh!)

"....." He watched her turn around with a groan, and couldn't bring himself to call out for her. Trying to understand what she's trying to say (which obviously NOTHING), all he can understand is the word 'Hideyoshi'. "Somehow I don't think it's a good thing."

Duh.

Ieyasu - Chinese

"How many times do I have to tell you to NOT overdo it?"

"But-"

He takes the bow and arrow from her, despite the adorable way she pouted; which is very hard for him.

...Not knowing she was not pouting, but being angry. Seriously angry.

"I know you are worried about me, but just give me chance to learn more about this..! Bow and arrow is way better than a sword itself don't you agree?"

"No."

"It is not for the purpose of killing, obviously. It's for me to protect myself! I'm determined to do it! H-hey wait..!"

He already walk away from her, giving the weapon to a nearby vassal before continuing with a grunt, "No means no. I've told you that there's no such need to do so as I will be the one to protect you, have you forgotten that?"

"Of course I didn't! But let me just--"

"No buts."

"Ieyasu--..!!"

"...No."

"Stop right there!"

He ignored her, and continue to walk yet about to give another answer when she suddenly shout on top of her lungs;

"Ni zhè wángù de háozū. Ni yiwéi ni shì shéi? Ni bixū ganxié wo méiyou zài ni yan li sāi jièmò!" (Translated : You stubborn porcupine. Who do you think you are? You have to thank me for not stuffing mustard in your eyes!")

...in a weird language.

Making the nearby vassal goes (　☉д⊙)?? until the bow and arrow in his hands loosen its grip.

"Hmf! Fine!"

Ieyasu swallowed the lump in his throat, he didn't know why but he got a feeling he will be sleeping in a different bedchamber tonight. Obviously.

Mitsunari - Romanian

Being a chatelaine; particularly appointed to be the tactician's assistant, is NOT easy.

Yeah, okay. He is the less complaining type. The one who is easy to discuss with, and the one who won't make your eyes roll. Haha. Ha. Ha. Nope.

Mitsunari as a whole is easy. But to ask him to eat is NOT easy. There were time when he mistook MC's hair as ramen, and her fingers as crab stick, to MC's misery. It will take half of her life to successfully feed him completely, making the bowl empty until there's no rice grain left.

Eyes glaring at the book in his hands, MC tried for another method. "Mitsunari. Look at me."

"....."

She take the book away from him. "Mitsunari. Look. Here."

"....Hm? Oh- oh..! Hello princess I didn't see you there-"

His cheeks were then cupped tightly with her hands as she said with a gritted teeth; "Hei! Vrei să-ți dau una peste față cu un dicționar sau cu un morcov. Alege!" (Translated : Hey! Do you want me to smack your face with a 1000 pages of dictionary or a carrot? Choose!) ...while squeezing her cheeks inwards until his face literally goes like this ( O)3(O ).

"Mmh- mmmh- mmm." He nodded, silently gulped to the flare of glare in her eyes.

"(눈‸눈)....(❁´◡`❁) Good!" And she hopped away happily, placing his meal in front of him before tossing away such book from his room (which got a handful of nagging session because the book accidentally knocked on passing Hideyoshi).

Kenshin - East Malaysia (Kadazan)

He is strucked with nightmare again. Nightmare of MC leaving him, but it was.......

Ridiculous.

"I saw an animal, similar to Motonari's pet. But bigger. We were about to get married, and it came. Placing you in its pouch, jumping away no matter how I've tried to reach to you. Even with my fastest horse-- I- I couldn't--"

MC watched as he cupped his face, being emotionally emotional, secretly pursed her lips to hold back her anger. Yes. Anger. It was not of pity but anger.

First, she had a rough day lately. Lack of sleep, that's for sure.

Second, when she FINALLY get some rest, certain good looking dragon shakes her in the middle of the night, telling a story about a kangaroo kidnapping her during their wedding.

Problem is--

They are already married for fu- fish sake.

"I see now. There there. It's just a silly nightmare. You will be fine."

"It's not MC..! You were kidnapped..! Just like those days when you were attacked and I wasn't there-- and--"

"Yes, yes, I understand. Now let's forget about it slowly and once you get some sleep those dream is nothing more than a dream itsel-"

"I can't forgive myself..! MC-- I--"

"Kada agagau, Avantang tanak laja do kusai! Siodop noh ku tih!" (Translated : Shut up handsome prince! I want to sleep!) She said under one breath, and with a grumpy huff, she takes all the blanket and sleep facing the other side.

Meanwhile, Kenshin: (　ﾟдﾟ).... (He was dumbfounded until sunrise)

Shingen - Tagalog

She had found herself being kabedon-ed again.

In any other normal days, this is how he start their daily routine - flirting session. Her eyes stared at those openly broad chest in front of her, ah that is so nice. That will be a very nice feeling if she could feel it with her palms now but--

Ah, she is tired. Her body feels like a log-- heavy and tired, and slumpy. It is as if all, ALL the fatigue in the world just slapped her-- no, just KICKED her on her lower belly area; yes, that time of the month is coming soon. There comes the usual pre-menstrual syndromes, she feels fatigued, clumsy, and most importantly,.... irritation. Irritated to the point his handsome voice couldn't reach her ears.

He then let out a chuckle, lifting her chin to kiss it, when her already bored eyes changed into menacing ones as she grunted, "Hoy! Dyan ka lang, poging oso na to. Subukan mo kong halikan, pagtatatadyakan ko kalamnan mo hanggang walang matira!" (Translated : Hey! Stop right there you charming bear, if you dare to kiss me I will kick your guts until there's nothing left.).

It instantly send jolt of cold shivers all over him, hands automatically back away from her and legs took a step back cautiously. "I- I'm.. sorry..?"

"Hmn (눈‸눈). You are lucky. For now."

Shingen gulped, lips pressed tight as he watch her go with the same scowl on her face all the way. "Somehow I... Escaped a death warning.. Maybe? Heheh. Heh. Uhm--" Feigning a cough, he pats his chest to calm his rapid heart beat of fear.

Yukimura - English (Just assume all this while they were speaking Japanese and suddenly she let out this language)

"H-hey wait-- MC..!!" He chased after her, who have been stomping her way off from another of their short arguments of the week. Yukimura realizes this, it's good for relationship bond they say, but he can't help but to be afraid of it. Usually it will be him to start it, but this time,...it came from her.

With "Get away from me, damn it!" As a morning greeting. All of sudden. Making him confused, thinking if he had offended her a day before, of which he just came back from long mission that took him a week. And to assume he will be greeted with a hug, or a kiss, or maybe a word of "I miss you" plus a cute smile of hers, is indeed wrong.

"MC please..! Just tell me what's going on?? Did I make you wait for too long? But I have informed you that I will be in a long missio-- hey MC did you hear me?? Just stop stomping off like a REAL wild boar will you--"

Ah. She stopped. That is definitely an ultimate magic word.

"Inform-- informed you say--" He stared at her trembling fists, but before he could hold her shoulders, he was startled to her change in language--

"(English) Informed MY FOOT! There's no single letter coming, NONE! I don't see any damn birds nor eagle or those pelican whatever bird that is assigned to send your letter! I've been worried sick, and you came back yesterday to just casually slipped into the bed to sleep?? To. Just. Sleep?? Even without KISSING or HUGGING ME?? YOU- YOU- *sniffs* EEEHHHEEEE ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥A˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚!!"

"Wha- wha- WHAT LANGUAGE ARE YOU SPEAKING AUDJSHDKSKSF (　☉д⊙) SPARE ME WILL YOU--"

Too late. Shingen and the others has appeared to separate him away from her, and Sasuke has made him feel EXTRA guilty after translating it.

Sasuke - Nepali

Sasuke blinked at his wife, who is currently glaring at him. "MC, you look like those meme with a bald man with hands on hips." He said casually, earning a loud sigh from her as reaction.

"I believe you are still injured from your previous trap check in the ceiling, and I believe I've told you to have a meal and rest, so why are you still here, sitting on your futon, and clean your weapons?"

"...MC, you will be a good inspector because you have a very detailed report (´・_・｀)👌."

"..Honey. I am NOT in the MOOD to be playing around now ʕʘ̅͜ʘ̅ʔ."

Pressing his lips shut in instant, he nodded at her while placing his weapon away. "I apologize, MC. I will eat my lunch now, as you wished. I wouldn't want to make my wife worried."

She huffed through her nose, pursing her lips before narrowing his eyes at him. "Really? You promise."

"Yes. ..But may I have the permission to clean another set of my shuriken and kunai, I will be rest assured if I do so--"

"...SARUTOBI SASUKE! TYO FERI GARA ANI MA TIMRO SISA SANO THUKRAMA FUTAERA TIMRO CHAMAL SANGA MISAUCHU (　☉д⊙)!" (Translated : Do that again and I will break your glasses into small pieces and mix it with your rice!)

"....." The box of weapon in his hands fell, despite having expressionless emotion on his face.

"EAT. NOW." She groaned before stomping away angrily, continuing to curse in any other languages.

Meanwhile, Sasuke who turned to his phone after MC stomped away be like

"...If only my phone is alive. I want to translate that (´◦_◦｀)."

[a-blue-secret]

CHAPTER XX

BACK TO MASTERLIST

Chapter XIX | Chapter XX | Chapter XXI

GENRES: royal au; fantasy au; magic au; friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; king!beomgyu, vizier!taehyun

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: none! (apart from a horseriding stunt that you should definitely not try at home)

WORD COUNT: 5.8k+

AN: Here's some more fluff!! Lots and lots of it! But unfortunately, unlike last time, this isn't all fluff....

SUMMARY: Best friends turned enemies, Kang Taehyun has managed to trick Choi Beomgyu into his service, and to rule for a year and a day, until his youngest brother would be old enough to take the throne. Choi Beomgyu has no intention of being obedient however, and tries to thwart Taehyun’s orders at every turn. With a growing amount of distrust and lies within the court, will Taehyun manage to keep the kingdom of Gojongja from falling apart?

Perhaps you’d expect Taehyun and Beomgyu to be a little awkward around each other, but that was certainly not the case. Sure, they were shy, and flustered, but not awkward. Remember: they’d known each other their whole lives. With how well Taehyun knew Beomgyu and with how in love Beomgyu had always been with Taehyun, they had nothing to be awkward about.

The overexaggerated flirtings had died down after Taehyun had gained his confidence in the whole ‘love’ thing and had begun to flirt back, leaving Beomgyu an incredibly flustered mess. One particular day, the two of them were in Beomgyu’s study, tidying up several months’ worth of papers that Beomgyu hadn’t bothered tidying away until that day while Taehyun kept on teasing him by speaking in an extravagant way.

“Oh, let me get that for you, my love,” Taehyun said in an exaggeratedly formal tone. Beomgyu groaned, covering his face and repeatedly hitting his forehead against the table.

“Stop bringing that up, will you?”

Taehyun laughed. “What, are you flustered? Wow, after all your teasing, you can’t even take it yourself!” His words were teasing, and Beomgyu gave a laugh.

“I don’t even know what came over me,” Beomgyu said, cheeks flushed. “It was just… I don’t even know what I was thinking. You just looked so small and cute and, well, court-able.”

The tips of Taehyun’s ears pinkened, but he still laughed. “Well you look very small and cute and court-able right now.” Beomgyu groaned again, face over his hands. Taehyun chuckled, and continued to pick up and sort the parchments strewn all over Beomgyu’s desk. He continued to shuffle through the papers mindlessly, when he came across a pencilled parchment, much different to the messy, ink-scribbled documents he’d picked up.

It was a pencil sketch of… him. Taehyun stared at it, eyes wide. The Taehyun in the drawing wasn’t doing much. He was just sitting down, hands folded in his lap as his gaze was tilted upwards, presumably up at the sky. Everything about this Taehyun was beautiful. His eyes shone like stars, lips slightly parted in wonder. It was obvious that a lot of care had gone into this sketch, the pencil lines precise and delicate. The parchment on which it was drawn on was different, too: it was thicker and sturdier, like the artist had deemed the drawing important enough to want to make it last a long time. Taehyun took in the careful details, and unexpectedly felt his heart warm with affection. He looked up at Beomgyu, a small smile on his face.

“Beomgyu?” Taehyun said, holding the paper up. “Is this…?”

Beomgyu looked up, and his eyes widened when he recognised the paper. He bounded across the study to whip the paper out of Taehyun’s hand, clutching the sketch close to his chest.

“It’s not mine,” he said. “I’m… holding it for someone?”

Taehyun laughed at Beomgyu’s comical expression. “Beomgyu, I can literally see your initials at the bottom of the paper.”

Still, Beomgyu shook his head fervently. “A mistake, I assure you. It’s not BG. It’s… EO?”

“I don’t believe you,” Taehyun laughed. “Come here, let me check.”

Beomgyu bounded out of Taehyun’s hold, lifting the paper high into the air. “Nope, you’re not getting it!”

Taehyun rolled his eyes affectionately, and leaned upwards to press a kiss onto Beomgyu’s cheek. Beomgyu gasped, taken aback, unintentionally lowering his arms. Taehyun used that opportunity to whisk the sketch out of Beomgyu’s hands, dancing away happily.

“I suppose beauty really is in the eye of the beholder,” Taehyun mused, staring at the drawing. “I look beautiful.”

Beomgyu, having given up trying to hide the drawing, came and sat down in the chair next to Taehyun. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”

Taehyun’s ears pinkened, and he grinned up at Beomgyu. “Wow, I never knew you could be so romantic, my love. You have a way with your hands. I never knew I could look like this.”

Beomgyu recognised the exaggeratedly formal tone to Taehyun’s words, and rubbed his nose, embarrassed. “That’s going to become a joke between us, isn’t it?”

Taehyun laughed, resting his head on Beomgyu’s shoulder. “I’m afraid so, love. But I liked it, you know. It was a nice way for me to get used to this whole ‘love’ business.”

Beomgyu smiled. “I like that nickname too. ‘Love’.”

“So do I,” Taehyun agreed. He held up the drawing again, admiring it. “This is amazing though, Gyu. It’s so realistic. Did you use any references? Any of my prince portraits?”

“Nope,” Beomgyu said. “This is purely the Taehyun I see in my mind all day.”

“Wow. That Taehyun is beautiful.”

“He is, isn’t he? He’s almost as beautiful as the Taehyun right by my side,” Beomgyu said, hugging Taehyun to his side.

Taehyun squirmed with embarrassment, but didn’t take his eyes off the sketch. “Can I keep it?”

“The drawing? Sure. I have loads more, anyway.”

Taehyun gave a gasp, lifting his head off Beomgyu’s shoulder. “No way! Show me!” Beomgyu shook his head, leaping away.

“Never!” he laughed.

“Show me!” Taehyun said, grinning as he chased Beomgyu around the study, tidying up forgotten.

In the end, Beomgyu showed Taehyun all the sketches he’d done of the vizier. And Taehyun loved every single one of them.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Their relationship grew like that. They bickered and laughed and made each other flustered, and they loved each other in a way that they’d never been able to before. They’d become close again: but not just as friends, but as something more. And they could not have been happier.

“Hey Taehyun, wanna go on a horse riding date?”

Taehyun looked up from his book at Beomgyu who was mindlessly swinging on the swings, and gave a confused laugh.

“Uh, that’s kind of random?”

“I was just thinking of the time that you became jealous because you thought I’d gone on a date with Yeonjun,” Beomgyu said, grinning mischievously.

The two of them were in their secret garden. Since their joint confession a few weeks ago, they’d begun to spend an increasing amount of time together, in their garden. The crystal rose that they’d made together had its own small stone stand in the corner of the garden, covered with a glass dome: a symbol of their delicate but oh-so strong relationship. Slowly, gradually, they’d become practically inseparable again, just like they had been when they were kids.

“I didn’t get jealous!” Taehyun defended. “I was just… annoyed.”

“Yeah, because you were jealous,” Beomgyu said, laughing at Taehyun’s offended face. “Hey, don’t worry, love. If I were you, I would have been jealous too.” He gave a faux sigh. “Yeonjun is just so amazing…”

Taehyun rolled his eyes, smiling. “Haha, very funny. Anyway, what were you saying?”

“Ah, right. A horse riding date!” Beomgyu beamed, swinging his feet. “We used to go horse riding together all the time, so I thought, let’s go on a date doing the thing we used to do all the time!”

Taehyun couldn’t help but laugh at how eager Beomgyu looked. “Alright. Let’s go, then.” He put his book down and stood up, offering a hand to Beomgyu.

The other looked at him, confused, accepting Taehyun’s hand and standing up from the swing. “Wait… now?”

“Sure,” Taehyun shrugged. “Our schedule’s pretty clear today. All we have is a meeting with the Royal Antiquarian to talk about replacing the crystals in our chandeliers, but that’s in the evening. So yeah, we don’t have much to do today. Let’s go on a date.”

Beomgyu stared at him, eyes sparkling. “You’re so beautiful when you talk all business-like…”

Taehyun’s ears flushed, but he quirked a grin. “Do you want to go on a date or not?”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

“I’m still surprised that you remember that incident, though,” Taehyun said, as they walked to the stables. “I completely forgot about that time you and Yeonjun went horse riding. Wow, that seems so long ago.”

“I treasure every moment I spend with you,” Beomgyu replied easily, practically skipping in his eagerness. “I really did love you, Taehyun.”

Taehyun smiled. “I’m glad that someone like you loves someone like me.”

Beomgyu looked at Taehyun, smiling a smile so bright that it rivalled the sun shining in the sky. “Well I’m just glad that someone like you loves someone like me.” He walked into the stables, leaving a flushed Taehyun standing just outside.

“I… hey, that’s not fair! You can’t steal my line, and say it in an even more charismatic manner; that’s just not fair! Come back here, line-stealer!” Taehyun was about to chase after Beomgyu, before he stopped in front of a stable, in which the new, red serpentine horse was staying. “Wait… Beomgyu? When did this horse come in?”

Beomgyu poked his head up from Toto’s stall. “Hm? Oh, Yeonjun found him. It’s been ages since we’ve had a serpentine horse, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it has been,” Taehyun said, smiling at the horse. “I like it.” He stroked the scales of the horse’s nose fondly, laughing when it nuzzled further into his hand. “I’ll call you… Aengdu.”

A laugh came from Toto’s stall. Beomgyu was looking at Taehyun, smiling. “You’re calling the cherry-red horse ‘Cherry’?”

Taehyun shrugged, still smiling at Aengdu. “It’s cute, isn’t it? Come on Aengdu, let’s get you saddled up.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

“Whoo!” Beomgyu yelled happily into the wind. Taehyun galloped by his side, grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s been ages, hasn’t it?” Taehyun called, and Beomgyu gave a loud whoop in reply.

“Do you think you can still do the trick?”

“What?”

“On the horse! The one we did together!” Beomgyu yelled back. Taehyun’s eyes lit up with understanding.

“Oh yeah! I think so! Wanna try?”

Beomgyu nodded, smiling against the wind. “On three!”

Taehyun nodded, bringing his legs up onto Aengdu’s back. Beomgyu did the same on Toto, until he was crouching on the saddle.

“One!”

“Two!”

“Three!” the both of them shouted together, standing up on their horses’ backs. Taehyun gasped happily, and Beomgyu laughed. The younger called out up towards the sky, the wind messing his hair. Beomgyu couldn’t help but laugh at how young and beautiful Taehyun looked at that moment, also turning his face up to the sun, giving a loud whoop. The two of them had their eyes closed, heads tilted back against the wind, arms outstretched. The wind whipped all around them, howling and whistling as loud as anything, but Beomgyu didn’t try to quiet it. It was almost therapeutic, how deafening the cold air was, and he loved it.

To his side, Taehyun gave another overjoyed yell, and he opened his eyes to look over at him. Taehyun was grinning– grinning so wide that his cute little teeth were on full display. His eyes were still closed, but his mouth was open in a radiant beam. Beomgyu’s lips curved into a fond smile, and he reached over to grasp Taehyun’s hand in his own. Taehyun opened his eyes, smiling down at where their hands connected. He leaned his body down ever so slightly, and kissed the knuckles of Beomgyu’s hand.

Beomgyu laughed at how sweet and gentle Taehyun was being, and Taehyun grinned. The two of them clambered down their respective horses’ backs until they were sitting comfortable in the saddles again.

But they still continued to hold onto each other’s hands for the entire ride.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Taehyun gasped as they trotted up to their destination, still holding onto Beomgyu’s hand.

“This is our lake!”

Beomgyu smiled. “Yep,” he said. “The very same lake. I thought this would be a good ‘date’ spot.”

“Why do you say that like it’s not a date?” Taehyun asked, slowing Aengdu down to a stop.

“So you know how I’ve been in love with you for a long time, right?” Beomgyu said, releasing Taehyun’s hand to dismount Toto. “I always imagined that my ideal date with you would be to take you out of the palace, maybe even into a different Kingdom, where we could just be you and me, without having to worry about formalities or restrictions. We could go around in public, like we were normal people, doing normal things. I wanted to take you on a date away from the stifling royal court. That was my ideal date.” He offered his hand up to Taehyun, who was still sitting atop his horse. Taehyun pursed his lips at the hand. “Oh, just take it, Taehyun. I know you can get down yourself, but let me do this romantic thing for you.”

Taehyu’s ears pinkened, and a soft smile tugged at his lips. He accepted Beomgyu’s hand and dismounted from Aengdu. But, not being accustomed to someone helping him off a horse, he stumbled into Beomgyu’s chest, and Beomgyu’s hands immediately wrapped themselves around Taehyun’s waist to steady him.

Beomgyu quirked an eyebrow teasingly. “Wow, did the great and amazing Taehyun just fall for me?”

Taehyun coughed, embarrassed, but managed to keep his composure, pressing a quick peck onto Beomgyu’s cheek. “I fell for you harder than you know,” he grinned, lacing Beomgyu’s hand with his as he began to walk towards the lake. He could hear Beomgyu’s flustered stutterings as he let himself be dragged along by Taehyun, and the smile grew on his face.

As he neared the lake however, the satisfied smirk quickly melted a look of awe. He slowed his steps, and Beomgyu stopped next to him. This time, Beomgyu was the one with the look of supreme delight on his face.

“Do you like it?” he asked, smiling at Taehyun’s wide-eyed wonder.

While they had been riding up to it, the lake hadn’t looked any different. The willow tree to the left of the lake had its long, green branches hiding the surprise from sight, but once they had drawn nearer, it became clear what the surprise was.

It was nothing special: just a simple picnic set up under the shade of the willow tree, with small golden lanterns threaded into the willow’s branches. There were several wicker baskets, presumably packed with food, and one of the willow boughs even held a new small wooden swing. It was a little cliche, perhaps a little generic, but for Taehyun it was incredibly special.

“I…” Taehyun was speechless. He continued to stare at the scene in front of him, before suddenly turning to Beomgyu at his side to pull him in for a hug. Beomgyu staggered a little, taken aback by the hug. He’d always thought that hugs were his thing, but it seemed that Taehyun liked them just as well too. His stance softened, and he hugged Taehyun back, stroking his hair.

“I really like it,” Taehyun said softly, arms still around Beomgyu. “God, I love you Beomgyu. I really think I do.” He blinked quickly, surprised to find tears in his eyes. He had no idea that someone would love him enough to be able to do all of this, and it made him feel just a tiny bit overwhelmed.

“Did you have this all planned?” he asked, once he’d pulled away.

“Yep,” Beomgyu grinned. “I might not have been able to go on my ideal date with you, but I’d give you a horribly cliche but incredibly romantic one instead.” He offered his hand to Taehyun, a playful gleam in his eye. “May I?”

Taehyun gave a small laugh, and placed his hand in Beomgyu’s. “You may.”

Beomgyu took Taehyun’s hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow. He fondly patted Taehyun’s hand, before leading Taehyun down towards the willow tree.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Taehyun sat cross-legged on the picnic blanket, boots placed on the grass.

“Aren’t you worried about if someone comes and sees us?”

“No one comes down here, so we’re safe. Trust me, it’s too far out for anyone to be bothered to ride all the way out here, so we’ll be fine,” Beomgyu replied, opening one of the many wicker baskets. “Ooh! We have some lemon cookies here!” He looked up at Taehyun. “Plus, I knew that you might still not like to be seen in a… situation like this, so I specifically prepared something more secluded and private, with less chance of us being found out.”

He gave Taehyun a quick grin before diving back into the baskets again.

“Wow! Chef even gave us a chocolate cake!”

Taehyun brought his legs up, hugging his knees. He pressed his cheek against his knee, watching Beomgyu with adoring eyes. God, he loved Beomgyu so much. The fact that he’d thought about how Taehyun would feel, respecting his opinion, and even planning around it so that Taehyun could still have an enjoyable time… he had no idea why he hadn’t realised how lovable the selfless side of Beomgyu was. Everything about Beomgyu was just so lovable, really. His bright, passionate eyes, his beautiful, silvery words, his selflessness, his hard-working nature, his innate love of everyone who ever loved him… It was impossible not to love Beomgyu.

And the more Taehyun thought about it, the more he realised that he really had been in love with Beomgyu for years. It had felt so normal, so natural, that he hadn’t even realised it. While he may have only found it out a few weeks ago, that wasn’t going to stop him from being endeared by everything he did. In fact, he felt even more inclined to adore Beomgyu, to make up for lost time. Several years of it.

It helped that Beomgyu had always been someone that Taehyun had found adorable, even when he was supposed to ‘hate’ him. (Barring that one time when Beomgyu had been super mad, after the disaster revel. He was anything but adorable then. Taehyun couldn’t lie: that particular Beomgyu wasn’t adorable; he was hot.) The way he tilted his head when he was confused; the way he pouted softly when he was sad; the way his eyes sparkled when he was happy and the way he gazed at the natural world with a look of pure awe on his face: his whole demeanor radiated adorable energy. Even now, as he rambled excitedly, Taehyun could see Beomgyu’s eyes alight with happiness.

He hadn’t noticed that he had zoned out, too intent on staring at Beomgyu. Beomgyu looked up, grinning. He reached forward and gently bopped Taehyun’s nose.

“Hello, earth to Taehyun,” he said teasingly. “Love, I know I’m gorgeous, but you’ve got to pay attention to what I’m saying.”

“Huh?” Taehyun gradually came back to what Beomgyu was saying, and his ears flushed. “Oh, shut up.”

Beomgyu laughed. “It’s so weird. I’m used to you being all stoic and stone-faced. I forgot how much of an adorable little bean you are.”

Taehyun frowned, but he couldn’t help his cheeks pinkening. Beomgyu laughed again, pinching Taehyun’s flushed cheeks.

“You’re lucky I love you,” Taehyun glared, voice distorted by Beomgyu repeatedly pinching his cheek.

Beomgyu’s eyes softened, hand relaxing against Taehyun’s cheek so it was softly cupping his face.“I still can’t believe you actually love me,” he said, gentler now, gazing at Taehyun with warm eyes. “I still think I’m dreaming.”

Taehyun’s heart warmed from Beomgyu’s soft words. He smiled, leaning forward to place his lips against Beomgyu’s for a sweet, chaste kiss. “If you’re dreaming, then I must be dreaming with you,” he said. “I can’t believe this is happening either.”

Slowly, Beomgyu brought up his other hand to Taehyun’s cheeks, so he was cupping his face with both hands. “As long as you’re with me, then I suppose I don’t mind this dream.” And gently, in a tender, unhurried manner, he brought Taehyun’s face closer towards him. Their eyelids fluttered shut, their lips meeting in the middle in a soft collision of sugary sweet love and tinkling laughs and delicate sunshine.

They slowly parted, lips pink and stretched into beautiful smiles. Taehyun rested his forehead against Beomgyu’s, bringing his own hands up to cup Beomgyu’s face.

“My sunshine,” he said softly.

Beomgyu smiled wider. “My moonshine.”

“My bright ray of happiness.”

“My gentle beam of serenity.”

“My source of joy.”

“My place of peace.”

“My Beomgyu.”

“My Taehyun.”

Their smiles had grown impossibly bigger, the both of them beaming so much that they both seemed to glow with happiness.

“I love you,” Beomgyu prompted, kissing Taehyun’s nose.

“I love you too,” Taehyun smiled, burying himself into Beomgyu’s warm embrace.

Needless to say, they had a beautiful picnic date by the lake, content with their new young love.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

“Beomgyu, you haven’t been getting enough sleep, have you?” Taehyun asked concernedly, as they rounded another corner. “You keep rubbing your eyes.”

Currently, the two of them were on their way to visit Yoongi, and Taehyun was interrogating Beomgyu about his lack of sleep. Again.

“That’s the fifth time you’ve said that, you know,” Beomgyu said, chuckling as he continued to rub at his eye. “I’m fine. My eyes are a little dry, that’s all.”

Taehyun hummed, unconvinced. He brought his hand to Beomgyu’s forehead, and frowned. “You don’t have a temperature,” he said, hesitantly, bringing his hand away.

“You worry too much. I told you, I’m fine. I feel fine. Don’t you worry,” Beomgyu said, waving away Taehyun’s concern with a bright smile. “Ah, this is the Royal Antiquarian’s study, right?”

“Yep,” Taehyun said, the two of them stopping in front of a door. He turned and nodded to Heeseung, who automatically stationed himself outside the door. “We’ll be back in a few hours, okay?”

And then, Beomgyu softly knocked on the door, and they entered.

“Hello, Kang Tae– oh, you brought Beomgyu with you?” Yoongi looked up from his armchair, smiling at them. He raised his eyebrow. “Oh, I supposed it would happen sooner or later.”

Taehyun gaped, and Yoongi smiled, tapping the side of his nose. “Did you think I wouldn’t know? I’ve known you both since you were little babies. But of course,” he rose from his seat, sitting them down on the sofa opposite, both of their mouths still wide open, “I wasn’t here for the whole of my life, so I missed both of your births, and even most of your childhood. But I still knew how inseparable you two were back then. To me, it was perfectly clear that this –” he waved his hand between the two of them– “was going to happen someday.”

They gaped at him, eyes wide.

Taehyun’s mouth opened and closed, speechless. “We– we just walked in… How did– how did you know–”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell!” Yoongi said, chuckling. “Goodness, you both looked so terrified.”

“I– Sir Yoongi– you said it so fast…” Beomgyu blinked in shock. He blinked quickly, thinking, before leaning forward curiously. “Are you also homosexual, by any chance?”

Yoongi chuckled again. “Good observation. Indeed, I may be.” He chuckled to himself for a few more moments, clearly delighted with the whole situation. Taehyun and Beomgyu looked at each other. Beomgyu shrugged, and Taehyun just shrugged back.

“Oh, I had such a laugh,” Yoongi said, smiling. “It’s nice to see that something I had merely assumed would happen has actually come true!” Taehyun and Beomgyu sat there, not quite knowing what to do, grinning awkwardly as Yoongi smiled at them.

“Wow, I always knew this would happen. But anyway, back to business,” Yoongi said, clapping his hands together, and immediately the two of them relaxed. “You came because of the chandelier crystals, am I correct?”

Taehyun shook himself back into his business state, and nodded his head. “That’s right.”

“You’ve ordered the crystals, haven’t you?”

“Yep, five thousand kilos of it, all being stored in our ballroom,” Beomgyu said.

“I have the order details here,” said Taehyun, handing Yoongi some documents. The Antiquarian adjusted his glasses, staring at the paper.

“Hmm yes, that all looks fine to me,” Yoongi commented. As he scanned the document, he nodded thoughtfully. “Oh, you’re harvesting your crystals from the Barumin Kingdom?”

“We are,” Taehyun responded. “I asked Yeonjun to pull a few strings.”

Yoongi frowned, before his face cleared. “Ah, Lord Hyunjin’s cousin is a Duchess there, right?”

“Her Grace, the Duchess of Wansan-gu, yes,” Taehyun said, nodding. He paused, staring at Yoongi curiously. “But how do you know Hyunjin, and also Yeji…?”

“You forget that I am originally from Aruyeo,” Yoongi said. “I know these things.”

Beomgyu blinked. “Hold up. Hold up. I think you skipped the part where you explained to me about your Aruyeonan roots.”

“Ah, apologies, Your Greatness. I am descended from one of the oldest Aruyeonan clans, the Yeoheung Min clan,” Yoongi said. “Aruyeo was my first home, until I moved here.”

“You’re here to stay forever though, right?” Beomgyu checked. “It wouldn’t look good for us if our Antiquarian suddenly disappeared back to his home Kingdom.”

“I assure you, I am here to stay,” Yoongi smiled. “Gojongja is now my home.”

Beomgyu nodded, satisfied. “Good.”

“So then, nothing seems to be the problem here,” Yoongi said, returning his focus to the order of crystals. He handed the papers back to Taehyun. “It all looks good. Was there anything you were unsure of?”

“About our chandeliers,” Taehyun explained. “The gold was like, thousands of years old, and because it was shattered, we don’t have any of the original moulds that were used to make them. And because of that, the huge chunks of crystals that we freshly ordered are rendered useless until we figure out what the chandelier will look like, and thus the size the crystals need to be cut into.”

Yoongi nodded thoughtfully, understanding their predicament. “I would suggest that you design your own chandeliers, but–”

“–we might not have enough gold or crystal for that,” Beomgyu finished.

“Exactly,” Yoongi nodded, tapping his chin.

“That’s why we came to you, to see if you might have the casts used to forge the chandeliers,” Beomgyu said. “I know it may have been before your time, but maybe someone passed on a document to you?”

Chuckling wryly, Yoongi stood up. “You test an old man’s memory, you two,” he said jokingly. “Though you are right in the fact that the chandeliers were made before I became Antiquarian – I was still in Aruyeo at the time – I think that I may have some sort of records as to what the dimensions of the original moulds were. Just hang on a second.” He disappeared through the door beside the bookshelf: the door that Taehyun had assumed led to the Antiquarian’s chambers, which actually led to another, smaller office connected to the official study.

Taehyun and Beomgyu twiddled their thumbs and sipped their tea, waiting for Yoongi to come back. Suddenly, there was a loud rustling of paper, and the Antiquarian’s voice emerged from the room.

“Ah! I think I’ve found something which may be of use to you.”

The two of them stood up, Beomgyu staggering a little on his feet. Taehyun held his arm, steadying him.

“I’m fine, I'm fine,” Beomgyu said, before Taehyun could ask. “I just stood up too quickly. I’m fine.”

Taehyun stared at Beomgyu concernedly, unconvinced, but Beomgyu waved his hand carelessly.

“Come on. Yoongi said he’s found something.”

Taehyun followed Beomgyu into the adjacent room, ducking under the slightly small door frame. The room, compared to the study they’d just come from, was rather void of any personal items and felt almost draughty. The walls were white and bare, large oak drawers took up most of the space in the room. The drawers were roughly shoulder height, and were around one and a half meters wide. Yoongi was standing by such a drawer, the top drawer open.

“Come, come. Here. I have the blueprints for the chandeliers themselves. These would be sufficient enough, I believe.” Yoongi looked up at them, and squinted at Beomgyu. “Your Greatness, are you alright? Your eyes look a little… dark and, well, tired.”

It was true that Beomgyu had been looking increasingly tired throughout the day. While in the morning, he looked fine, as the day had gone on his eyes had begun to look rather panda-ish, with dark rings around them, and his face looking quite pale. However, he still sounded fine, and he waved away Yoongi’s words.

“Just tired,” Beomgyu said. “I just didn’t sleep that well last night. Don’t worry about it.”

Yoongi pursed his lips. “You didn’t touch the chamomile tea I gave you, did you?” he said. When Beomgyu tugged on his ear awkwardly, the Antiquarian tutted. “Chamomile tea is best for fatigue, along with headaches and dizziness. Before you leave my office, I want you to finish that tea, okay? The same goes for you too,” Yoongi said, turning to Taehyun. “Neither of you get enough sleep. Don’t you deny it – you both probably function on an hour’s worth of rest between the two of you.”

Taehyun bit his lip, unable to refute. “We’ll finish the tea and then leave,” he promised. He held up the old blueprints which Yoongi had given him. “This will be very helpful for us,” he said, unrolling the paper. “Yep. Oh look, these are the little engravings Lord Soobin told me about!” Taehyun said, pointing at a close-up drawing of one of the parts of the chandelier arms. There were tiny little Latin words which would presumably have been engraved into the gold. “The King who had been around when these were made had commissioned for his chandeliers to be engraved with Latin phrases. The phrases apparently meant something to him, and were almost like an inside joke between him and his closest friends. Only, instead of a joke, they were meaningful, heartfelt phrases.” Taehyun looked up at Beomgyu, smiling. “We could write our own words into these new chandeliers,” he grinned. “Soobin knows Latin. I can ask him!”

“Hold,” Yoongi said. “What did you say was that Lord’s name?”

Taehyun blinked unsurely. “...Soobin?”

Yoongi frowned. “If I may ask, do you know what surname clan he belongs to?”

“I’m afraid not,” Taehyun replied. “Beomgyu and I have no idea.”

“Why? Is there something wrong about Soobin?” Beomgyu asked curiously.

“No, no,” Yoongi assured them. “I just thought I’d heard that name in Aruyeonan court before. I didn’t even know we had a Soobin in this court.”

“Well, don’t worry,” Beomgyu said, a smile on his face. “He’s good.”

Yoongi returned the smile. “That’s good to hear, Your Greatness. Now, let’s get out of this chilly room and back to my office, shall we?”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

The two of them spent about an hour more with the Antiquarian. It was interesting to talk to him, because he knew so much about practically everything.

“What’s it like being able to tell the near future?” Beomgyu asked curiously.

Beomgyu and Taehyun had been allowed to stay in Yoongi’s office while they finished their tea, and were taking an extremely long time to finish their tiny teacups in order to talk to Yoongi for a little longer.

Yoongi smiled amusedly. “I suppose it’s what everyone would like to be able to do, isn’t it? Well, it is rather bothersome at times,” he said. “I can’t see the future when I want to: it is when my ability decides it will allow me to see in the future, which is actually surprisingly often, compared to some recounts of what my ancestors have said. Most of the time, it’s random, though. Nothing happens to me when I have these visions; I just become a little dizzy, but that is all. I suppose it’s alright, but our ability to see the near future has led many of my clan to be prematurely killed or tortured because of our advantageous ability.”

Beomgyu nodded thoughtfully. “Ah… I suppose the disadvantages to having an ability like that mean that you’re heavily targeted. Is that why the Yeoheung Min clan is so small?”

“Indeed,” Yoongi said. “Though we are not endangered. We are simply rare, which I think is much nicer than being on the verge of becoming extinct, like some clans are. For example– oh Taehyun, don’t touch that!”

Taehyun widened his eyes, still clutching onto the marble. While Yoongi had been talking to Beomgyu, he’d been trailing his gaze idly around the office, and his eyes landed on a small, hollow marble on one of the many round tables dotted around the room. This marble was familiar: it was small and hollow, and inside there lay a pile of dark powder which crashed against the walls of the marble when it moved, like mini waves. It was Hueningkai’s hybrid marble. The eavesdropper/ data collector marble, which Hueningkai needed back before someone discovered what it could do.

As recognition struck him, Taehyun had leaned over and grabbed the marble, a movement which Yoongi saw and scolded him for.

“You shouldn’t touch it,” Yoongi said. “Taehyun, put it down.”

Taehyun only closed his hands more firmly over the marble. Yoongi frowned.

“Taehyun. That’s Hueningkai’s. It’s–”

“Hueningkai?” Beomgyu interrupted. “The Hueningkai from Aruyeo?”

Yoongi blinked. “I– yes, the Hueningkai who, like Yeonjun, is a–”

Taehyun’s eyes were wide and urgent, almost glowing in the firelight, ultimately cutting off Yoongi’s sentence. His eyes flashed urgently again, their message loud and clear.

Beomgyu doesn’t know they’re spies.

Yoongi paused. “Yes, Hueningkai, who like Yeonjun is also an Aruyeonan.”

Taehyun relaxed. “I need the marble, sir,” he said. “This is Yeonjun’s, and it was made for him by Hueningkai. He thought that he’d lost it, and I need to return it to him. He’ll know what to do with it.”

Beomgyu tilted his head, lifting Taehyun’s hand to stare at the marble curiously. “That’s a cool marble,” he said. “I didn’t know Yeonjun owned marbles.”

“This is the only one he owns,” Taehyun replied. “So I really need to return it to him.” He gulped down the rest of his tea, before getting up and bowing. “Thank you for the blueprints, and the tea, and the chat,” he said. “Beomgyu and I need to get going now, though. Thank you!”

With that, Taehyun dragged Beomgyu out of the door, the King barely having time to bow his head towards the scholar.

Yoongi watched as the door swung shut, a small smile on his face.

“Oh, Kang Taehyun,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “You forget I can see the near future. I know that marble, and what it can do. You don’t need to hide from me.” He closed his eyes, and chuckled again. “Look at me, talking to myself. Am I really reaching that sort of age?”

Suddenly, his body stilled. His ability was showing him what would happen in the future. He gave a gasp, eyes shooting open.

“Oh my… Choi Beomgyu?”

He was shaking. His hands came up to cover his mouth, shocked at what he’d just seen.

“The dear Choi Beomgyu… will he be okay?”

taglist: @my-moarmy-heart, @arohabangtan​ @a-fragmented-world

[carewyncromwell]

42, 43, & 45 for my dear Carion 💚

42. Who is the neat freak?

LOL, Carewyn -- but mostly in the organizational sense. She likes knowing where certain things are and doesn’t like when she can’t lay her hands on important things. She has both her office at the Ministry and her kitchen and bookcases at home meticulously arranged and she doesn’t like when people take things and then don’t put them back in their “proper” place. This is one of the biggest advantages to Carewyn and Orion having two different households, as Orion is very prone to let the chips just fall where they may and doesn’t see the need in putting everything in perfect order the way Carewyn does. Though there are times when Carewyn will be taken aback by how Orion will be able to quickly retrieve a certain file of paperwork from its spot between the rafters of the roof because he remembers offhandedly reading through its contents while he was sitting on the roof watching the sunrise last Tuesday. (Basically, Orion doesn’t organize, he just remembers where almost everything’s been so he can “catch up with it” later.) 

43. Who wins the stuffed animals at the carnival for the other one?

Aww, I could see Orion actually doing this for his daughter Eos very easily: he already gifts her Mooncalf plushes frequently. ^^ I could see Carewyn suggesting they team up to win Eos a prize, so as to better their chances of winning. If the prize were a stuffed winged horse, though, I could see Orion sneakily suggesting they try to win it and then giving it to Carewyn when they win it. (She is his Abraxan, after all!!) 

45. Who is more likely to get drunk?

Orion, but only because Carewyn actively avoids getting drunk. She hates losing control, and drinking to excess definitely makes you more likely to do that. Plus Carewyn isn’t exactly a happy drunk (she’s much more melancholic and moody), and she doesn’t like showing off the sides of her that aren’t that pretty. Orion is more of a happy and affectionate drunk (he would 100% be cuddling with Carewyn a bit more than usual, like some quiet, lovey-dovey cat), but he really doesn’t drink that much either, largely because he sees any kind of excess as disruptive to one’s center of balance. 

OTP Ask!