#finral roulacase x finesse calmreich

[acacia-may]

Treasures

Description: When Finesse falls ill, Finral wants to send her a gift to show her that he's thinking of her and wishing her well. Of course, this is easier said than done...

Rating: G

Warnings: Very Slight Hurt/Comfort due to Finral's insecurities and Finesse being ill, but it's really just fluff here

Fandom: Black Clover

Genre: Fluff (and extremely slight Hurt/Comfort)

Relationships: Finral Roulacase/Finesse Calmreich

Characters: Finral Roulacase and Finesse Calmreich

Word Count: 1893

Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another site.

Many thanks for this request and the opportunity to write about such a sweet pairing and two of my favourite Black Clover characters! Much love! 💕

Story Below the Cut. Thank you for reading!

Finral hummed thoughtfully as he perused the shop aisles. He set the handkerchief he had been carrying around with him for the past five minutes or so back down and realized that he had walked in a complete circle around the store. He fidgeted. There were far too many choices, and as much as it pained him to admit it, he didn’t have the slightest idea what Lady Finesse would like best if she was here to pick out a gift for herself. Finral sighed. The problem was, of course, that Lady Finesse would never pick out a gift for herself. She was far too humble and gracious for that. Finral smiled slightly at the thought. It was just one of the many things that made her such an incredible and kindhearted person, but it also made her difficult to shop for. He supposed he didn’t really need to shop for her at all—in fact, she would probably insist that he didn’t need to get her anything, if she was here. But she wasn’t here. She was at home—ill, which was the reason he wanted to get her a present in the first place.

Sighing, he examined a whole line of vases again, but they were all starting to look the same the longer he stared at them. Maybe he should just pick one and send it with a fresh bouquet of cut flowers… But that seemed a little generic, and he felt that Lady Finesse deserved something very special—she was his fiancée after all. But even more than that, she was probably the kindest person he had ever met in his life and an absolutely amazing woman. Beautiful and generous with a real gift for seeing the best in people, even in him. He wished he could be the man she saw when she looked at him, and he wanted nothing more than to be the best he could be for her—to be worthy to stand by her side and spend the rest of his life trying to make her happy. It was still a work in progress, but he felt he was making good strides in the right direction. Or at least he would be if he could decide on this present.

After at least another hour of aimlessly wandering around the shop, Finral left emptyhanded, feeling rather defeated. He shuffled his feet as he walked through the town to clear his head and hoped that maybe some inspiration or new idea would come to him. Unfortunately, he kept getting distracted by the sounds of fallen leaves and branches crunching and snapping under his feet as he walked. It was a beautiful Autumn day, crisp and clear with a slight wind and a bright blue sky. He wished Lady Finesse could see it, but she had been trapped inside with a terrible cough for the past few weeks. In all the time Finral had known her, Lady Finesse had never complained about being ill, though he was sure it must weigh heavily on her to be so frequently stuck indoors and under the weather. He had been hoping to cheer her up by bringing her a present, but after the fiasco of indecision that had been his shopping experience, he supposed he should probably let go of the idea. Besides it wasn’t as though there was anything that he could possibly buy for her could make up for the fact that she was unwell and couldn’t go out into the garden she loved so dearly. Finral sighed. She must miss the outside. But he couldn’t exactly give that to her…could he?

Finral’s brow furrowed as he was suddenly struck with an idea. Perhaps, taking a walk for inspiration was a good idea after all.

*-*-*

It wasn’t one day later before Finral found himself fidgeting in the Calmreich’s front entryway. Lady Calmreich, Lady Finesse’s mother, blinked at him somewhat confusedly from her seat in the nearby parlor where she was working on her needlepoint as their house steward whispered something to her.

Finral swallowed hard as she frowned at him, carefully setting down her needlepoint and walking towards his general direction. He had always gotten the impression that Lady Calmreich was not particularly fond of him though Finesse had assured him that it was not personal and that her mother was simply confused and exhausted by all of the drama surrounding their engagement, particularly the fact that his parents had failed to clarify for several years which of their sons Lady Finesse was actually going to marry. Though that had all been sorted now, the entire situation had left Lady Calmreich with a distaste for the Vaudes in general. Finral wasn’t sure that he could blame her for that, and he probably wouldn’t blame her if she was disappointed that her daughter was now going to marry him rather than Langris who was much more successful, responsible, and accomplished. Lady Finesse always encouraged him that eventually her parents would warm up to him when they got to know him better, and in the meantime, of course, Finral tried his best to be cordial and, hopefully, earn the Lord and Lady Calmreich’s approval.

“Good afternoon, Lady Calmreich,” he said with a polite bow, but Lady Calmreich merely sighed wearily.

“I’m not sure if Finesse is feeling well enough for visitors today, but I suppose I can ask.”

Finral’s cheeks flushed. “Oh please don’t—that isn’t…um…I mean, I didn’t want to cause any trouble. I was just worried about her and wanted to drop off this gift.” He wrung his hands around the handles of the basket he was holding as Lady Calmreich’s eyes narrowed at its contents.

“I see...” she replied with a stern but subtly disapproving expression that caused Finral to fidget even more nervously than before.

“I’d be happy to visit with Finral for a little while,” Lady Finesse gently interrupted as she slowly made her way down the main staircase into the foyer. Finral could scarcely hold back his smile and his relief to see her up and about with a tint of color in her pale cheeks. Though he certainly tried to respect her wishes, he never could manage to stop himself from worrying about her every time she fell ill even when she asked him not to.

“I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced like this,” he said as his cheeks grew warm, but Lady Finesse merely smiled at him with a kind shake of her head.

“Oh no. There’s no reason to apologize at all. I’m glad you’ve visited. I—” She paused as her cheeks flushed a faint rose, and she smiled slightly. “I missed you.”

Finral’s own face turned red, but he managed an understanding nod and an “I missed you too.” Almost without thinking, he reached out for her hand, but before he could take it, Lady Calmreich cleared her throat pointedly. His blush deepening, Finral recoiled and curled his hand into a somewhat awkward, loose fist. He was definitely out of practice in the world of "proper" courtship for the Clover Kingdom's upper crust nobility.

Lady Finesse gave him an apologetic glance, and when her mother had returned to her needlepoint, asked, “How have you been? It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you.”

Finral shuffled his feet feeling suddenly guilty for having not written to her. He had worried about bothering her when she wasn’t well and had only been trying to be polite. In all honest, he was also still trying to get used to how much contact was appropriate—he already knew he and Lady Finesse talked to each other much more than other engaged couples in similar betrothal situations and the last thing he wanted was for his obvious affection for her to be deemed unseemly and cause her some sort of scandal or distress since this was technically still an engagement for an "arranged marriage."

“I’m sorry,” he said, deciding it was probably best to offer apologies rather than explanations. “I’m alright—a bit busy but alright. How are you? Are you feeling better?”

Lady Finesse nodded. “Much better. The doctor says that I might be able to go out again soon.”

“I’m glad.” Finral smiled. “Until then, I thought…” He stopped, his face growing suddenly warm again as he began to trip over his words. “Well…I thought…I thought since you couldn’t go out, I would…um…” He held out the basket to her, and she gasped in surprise. “This is for you.”

Lady Finesse tilted her head curiously at the basket but kindly insisted, “Finral, this is so sweet, but you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I wanted to,” he said as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “But…um…it’s nothing really just a couple of things that I thought you might—” Miss… He mentally finished his sentence, suddenly worrying that if saying that aloud would have been insensitive. Maybe his entire gift was insensitive… His stomach churned, and he suddenly wished he could just grab the basket and disappear through a portal. It was too late, however, as Lady Finesse had already taken a seat by the parlor window and begun to empty the basket's contents: brightly colored leaves, two pinecones, a handful of acorns, some nuts and berries, a branch, a few sprigs of thyme, a thistle, a squash, two potatoes, a few bird feathers, a chrysanthemum, and an apple that Finral was sure was as bright red as his face as Lady Finesse carefully lined each of the treasures up beside her on the windowsill. He made the mistake of glancing over at her mother who was side-eyeing the gift over her needlepoint with a sort of disdain that made Finral feel queasy.

He opened his mouth to begin to apologize, but Lady Finesse immediately cut him off with an excited, “They’re wonderful!”

Finral sighed in relief as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “I’m glad you like them,” he said meeting her eyes. “I was trying to decide what to get you, and I know you’ve been stuck inside for a while so I thought maybe I would try to bring some of the outside, inside.” He chuckled lightly as he sheepishly rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “I can get you another present…something better if you don’t…”

“Oh no, please. This is perfect. Thank you. Very thoughtful,” she insisted as she reached out and took his hand, giving it a shy but reassuring squeeze. Finral’s cheeks flushed.

“You’re welcome.”

“Would you…would you mind telling me a little about where all of these came from?”

Finral nodded. “Sure. Of course,” he said with a smile before he told her about some of his adventures and favourite nature spots. His heart soared when he watched her eyes light up as she listened to him tell her about the changing leaves in the forest behind his squad’s hideout or the family of birds that lived on Mount Anahu or the field of chrysanthemums outside Nean. Someday, he promised himself, he would take her to all of these places to see them for herself and their basket of treasures would become happy memories. But for now, he had made her happy, had made her smile, and that was enough.

[vilandel]

Black Clover Next Generation I ♣️💘

Family Tree of Vaude-Roulacase-Vermillion

And with Langris x Mimosa, I introduce a new crack ship. @mamavino made me ship it^^

Yes, there is a reason why none of the children wear the name Vaude. I have a story for it and I probably need to write it one day... To sum it up, at a certain point, Langris cut ties with his parents, as he realized their toxic love for him and prefers to stay in contact with his brother. The engagement between house Calmreich/Kira and house Vaude almost broke because of that, but thanks to Finrals determination, as well as Finesses, Langris' help and Finesses mother's ruse, Finral and Finesse still got to marry each other.

Since Langris later married into royalty and took the Vermillion name, none of the brothers children got the name Vaude. Ledior and Lillian had a distant cousin who would now one day take over the Vaudes. They're not happy about it.

Their children don't have much contact with their paternal grandparents. It is of course for the better. Lillian complaints more, but only because her grandchildren are royalty. Ledior sends some gifts for birthdays, even to Finrals children, but he never tried to mend the bonds with his sons.

Since Finesse has a poor health, it wasn't certain if she could even bear any children. So, Finral and Finesse considered adoption to have children, even though it's not considered as "proper" for nobility.

Joshua originally came from the streets and had to steal to survive. He once stumbled upon Finral, who decided to take him in momentarily since he obviously needed help. Soon, Finral and Finesse got attached to Joshua and offered to adopt him. Joshua, while growing attached to those two, was a bit hesitant, but a word from his new uncle Langris made accept the offer.

Lemony came from the orphanage. Finesse met him when she visited that orphanage for charity. She immediately took a liking into him and discussed with the director so that she could adopt him as soon as possible. She surprised Finral with a new child when he came home.

Anastasia was a surprise pregnancy for everyone. Of course, Finral was worried for Finesse, but she took a lot of rest during those nine months. After a difficult birth – which ended up leaving Finesse sterile for good, but she was fine thanks to Owen and Mimosa – a little girl was born, named after Finrals mother. Anastasia thankfully didn't got her mother's frail health, on the contrary, she is as healthy as an ox.

Joshua and Lemony are VERY protective of their little sister.

Mimosa and Langris were first friends before slowly starting to fall in love. Mimosa always put him in his place with that calm face she always has when angry... and surprisingly, Langris started to fell for her partly because of that. Really need to write at least one oneshot about them one day^^'

@acacia-may Lemony is named because I thought about you while creating him and because I remembered that you love ASOUE as well ;)

Jacinto is their first born, their two daughters are closer to age together.

They love to prank their father^^

Joshua has very pale purple wild hair and orange eyes, he has Spatial magic (which was handy during his stealing period). Lemony has emerald green hair, rather long & wavy and lemon yellow eyes, his magic is Obsidian. Anastasia has her mother's black hair and her father's pinkish purple eyes, she got Light magic from her mother.

Jacinto has the orange hair of his mother, chin length, and the blue eyes of his father, he got Vine magic. Iris has brown hair like Langris and green eyes like Mimosa, she is the only one of her sibling to got Spatial magic. Amaryllis has her mother's orange hair and her eyes are a mix of her parents, a bright blue-green, she has Leaves magic.

The two brothers are really close now, even more with their respective families.

[iamatriangle]

Hi there, friend! I'd love to hear you ramble about two of my favorite Black Clover pairings Langris x Finesse and Finral x Vanessa, if you don't mind? Also, can I hear your Duck x Fakir from Princess Tutu opinions as well please? The awesome fanart you've been reblogging of them recently has given me life! Cheers!! 💖

Hi Acacia, thank you so much for the ask!! 💕 I’m having a horrifically busy semester, so I greatly appreciate the chance to sit down and talk about some of my favorite characters. This is SO EXCITING, prepare for a very lengthy post 😅

💛💙 Duck x Fakir (Starting with these two because they are my everything right now.)

My roommate convinced me to watch Princess Tutu a few weeks ago and I totally fell in love with it! The character arcs are so spectacular. I actually thought about asking you if you had seen it, as it seemed like something you might like based on the other shows you post about (But then I had already pitched it to everyone I knew irl so I figured I should just relax 😆).

But getting back to Duck and Fakir, I think they’re absolutely perfect for each other. Personally, it makes sense and compels me. I believe it’s canon that they have feelings for each other, or at least it’s strongly implied? Either way, Duck inspires Fakir and Fakir believes in Duck, which i think is so sweet, and I feel like Duck and Fakir bring out the best in each other. Also, the way they change together throughout the story is so beautiful! They both end up in way more mature and healthy places than when they started and were a big part of the other person’s growth. I think the best ships are the ones where the narrative weaves their stories together in that way.

This is just me ranting, but I need to mention how beautiful it is that Fakir loves Duck not as Princess Tutu, just as Duck. In Mytho’s case, he thought of Duck as a friend and he was very kind to her, but he didn’t love Duck, he loved princess Tutu. For Fakir to love the real her ties in SO WELL with how she grows from her insecurities and confusion about her identity. I could also scream for a very long time about the fact that Fakir would stay with her forever, even if she was only a duck. The love they have for each other is so mature, but also so sweet and innocent at the same time. They’re perfect!

That’s why the conclusion of their arc broke my heart so much, because they were perfect for each other and would have made each other so happy. It’s so bittersweet. I wouldn’t change it for anything, but I’m a sucker for the fics on ao3 where Fakir writes her back to being a girl. I can envision them having such a happy future together.

🩵🖤 Langris x Finesse

Im so excited to get the chance to talk about these two. They’re one of my all time favorite pairings and they’ve been on my mind recently! In my opinion, they make sense and are super compelling.

I sort of feel like at this point, I’ve thought about them so much that they’re more like my headcanon characters than a faithful representation of the actual characters in the show (I tend to do that lol😅). But even if I try my hardest to separate all of that from what is officially canon, I personally think that Langris and Finesse make more sense than Finesse and Finral. I could see those two being good together under different circumstances even if they aren’t my favorite ship, but I’m really not on board with the way the show is handling it. I’m not gonna open the can of worms that is Finral returning to his abusive household right now, but that is very unhealthy (and it seems like the show is encouraging it??) Even beyond that, I feel like Finral isn’t in the right headspace right now for a healthy relationship. He’s trying his best and I wholeheartedly believe that he cares about Finesse. But he’s been using romance and idealizing girls as a coping mechanism for a very long time, and from what we see on the show I feel like he’s romanticizing Finesse to a degree that wouldn’t be healthy in the long term. She’s his childhood crush and dream girl, and he feels like if he becomes “good enough” for her he can “win her heart.” I don’t know if I’m explaining this right at all, but in my opinion he’s not really treating her like a partner, as much he’s treating her like an ideal to someday be good enough to achieve, which is more tied in with his own self worth than actually seeing her and loving her for all she is. (Although I would totally see them together under different circumstances if he takes time to work on himself!)

Anyways getting back on track, we don’t see that kind of idealization with Langris. He seems to see her and what she wants more clearly, and loves her enough to accept that she is more interested in Finral and step aside. I feel like they so compatible as well, because neither of them are very passionate people like Finral or Vanessa are. I feel like they would have a beautiful, more subdued kind of love and would be able to fit neatly into each other’s lives.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the time period before Langris was possessed when they were engaged. My heart always breaks when I think about the fact that Langris truly believed Finesse hated him. I think he always felt that she would rather marry Finral, and that he was never able to be really open with her because of this, and even that he resented her for it. I think it’s so compelling that all of this is essentially a misunderstanding, because Finesse does like him, and clearly cares about him and trusts him because even after he went crazy at the royal knights exam she tried to defend and protect him and wasn’t afraid of him (I love Finesse, she has such a beautiful heart). I think that after some character development on Langris’s end, they would be good for each other.

💚🩷 Finral x Vanessa

Vanessa and Finral my darlings!! They have such a sweet canon friendship and seem to support each other so well. For me they make sense and are compelling.

I love how on Vanessa’s end, she is gentle with him when he needs support, but she also isn’t afraid to speak her mind to him in the early seasons when he’s being a sleaze. She keeps him in line, both in the sense that she helps him be a better person and also that she pulls him back to reality when he’s spiraling and feeling insecure. And since I mentioned Finral’s idealization of girls before, I should say that I personally can’t see this happening with Vanessa because they’ve been friends for so long and have both seen each other at their worst. He knows her so well that he couldn’t idealize her if he tried. If he falls in love with her, it’s because he truly sees her and loves her for all her faults. I think they would work so well in a relationship together in a hypothetical future when Finral has decided that going back to House Vaude isn’t the right choice and has gotten over Finesse.

Also on the topic of the future, I see them being incredible parents. They are both passionate and caring people, and I believe they would fully devote themselves to not repeating their parent’s mistakes. It would need to be a slow burn and they would both be very cautious because they value their friendship so much. But I think they make so much sense together!

Thanks again for the ask, I had so much fun with this!!

[the-black-bulls]

For the 2 ships or friendships ask:

—For friendships how about Gordon, Gauche, & Grey vs. Magna, Asta, & Noelle?

—For ships, Finral x Finesse vs. Finral x Vanessa, I guess? (I personally like them both so I understand if you don’t feel too strongly one way or the other on that one 😅)

Cheers!! 💖

Hi there, thank you for the double asks!

(send me two ships or friendships and I'll pick one)

Gordon, Gauche, & Grey vs. Magna, Asta, & Noelle

this is hard because both are great trios with established moments, but nostalgia is one of my weaknesses and I'm even weaker for my man magna's big brother vibes!!

HCs bonus: 

Gordon, Gauche & Grey:

much to gauche's annoyance, the trio does in fact visit the agrippa house at least once every two months, mostly because the granny is senile beyond help and really believes gauche is her dead husband.

gordon and grey have a weekly drink making competition and will constantly ask gauche to be their judge and taste-tester.

library is their favorite place to hang out because it’s quiet and peaceful most of the day.

Magna, Asta & Noelle:

magna tried to teach asta and noelle how to ride a broom but had to stop at some point after noelle nearly killed them both.

noelle will often crash at the silva castle with asta and magna by her side for absolutely no reason, she just feels powerful showing her brothers around.

sometimes magna will enter broom racing contests and ask them to cheer for him because as a senior he always gets pumped up when they watch him.

Finral x Finesse vs. Finral x Vanessa

this is an easy one, finral and vanessa have better chemistry and I'm not a big fan of finral returning to his abusive father, but also I found finral’s silliness with vanessa is more entertaining than his smitteness with finesse, I’m cool with both ships however.

HCs bonus: 

Finral x Finesse:

in my ideal conclusion for this ship, finesse will run away and live with finral in the black bulls mansion.

they're way so smitten and lovesick with each other, but are even more passionate about langris in platonic way.

if they ever had kids, I see them with two girls who reflect finral's relationship with langris but with actual loving parents.

Finral x Vanessa:

they're the exact kind of couple who'll have matched shirts and matched hairstyles and matched makeups.

they don't shy away from showing affection in front of everyone, it's not rare to spot them making out in the squad's favorite sofa.

if they ever had kids, I see them with a boy & girl twin who idolize the witch queen, and one adopted witch who idolizes langris.

[loosesodamarble]

Hi Erika! Congratulations on your 300 followers! That’s wonderful! You are a fantastic writer and deserve this recognition! 💙 I apologize for sending my request in a little late (it took me a while to decide what to ask for 😅). I hope you still have spot open for this, but I would absolutely love Finesse x Finral fluff with a little bit of hurt/comfort (given the prompt) for B7, if it’s not too much trouble, please? Either romantic or platonic would be fine with me, so it’s really up to you & what you’d like to write most. They’re just so sweet, and I wish we got more of them in the series. Thank you so much, dear! 💕

I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to fulfill your request, Acacia. I just got hit with a serious case of writer's block and my brain was just... in a place to put it vaguely. I've managed to pull out of that mental state and now I have a fic for you!

Thank you for your patience! I don't know if just fulfilling the request is enough to make up for the wait. But I hope to continue interacting with you in the future! I opted to make the fic a RalEsse ship fic because well honestly, your "Treasures" fic inspired me to start making ship content for them. Heh heh... 😅

Summary: Finesse and Finral have a late night conversation about family and the future they have. Genre: general, fluff Word count: ~1000 Content notes: Mentions of pregnancy. Also, I couldn't help but include Josele and Sterling's presence in the fic. It is a little relevant to the topic of the fic.

..........

Finesse hummed as she set a bouquet of flowers into a vase that rested atop the nightstand. The bouquet consisted of asters, shellflowers, holly, and flax. It was a rather chaotic choice of flowers, but Finesse appreciated the thought behind them. With the bouquet in order, Finesse picked up the letter that had come with the delivered flowers and went to her armchair to read it.

[Greetings from the Fausts to Finral and Finesse Roulacase…]

While the introduction was phrased formally, it was clearly written by a child’s hand, making it feel more casual.

She didn’t get any further before the door creaked open and Finral stepped in. His gait wobbled and his eyes were half closed. He walked for a bit, paused in the center of the room, and let out a sigh.

The sight made Finesse smile. One secret of hers was the fact that she found Finral’s exhausted state to be rather cute.

“Good evening, Finral,” Finesse greeted from her seat. “You’re looking quite chipper tonight.”

“Yu-aahhhhp. I’m in tip top shape…” Finral said without letting his yawn disrupt him. “What about you, love? How are you tonight?”

“Well, the Fausts dropped by with a bouquet and letter.” Finesse pointed to the flowers in the vase for Finral’s eyes to follow. “I was just about to read the letter.”

“Mm, that so?” Finral remained silent for a moment. “Was it just to deliver or did they stay a while?”

“They stayed for a bit of tea. And I got a chance to play with Sterling, the darling she is!” Finesse cooed, unable to hold in her adoration.

The thought of Josele and Nacht’s young daughter made Finesse’s eyes drift back to the bouquet. To her recollection, the holly and flax blossoms included in it represented domestic happiness. Domestic matters, like that of children, were something that Finesse and Finral were working on recently.

“Say Finral, what do you think of the bouquet?” Finesse asked as her husband examined the flowers more closely.

Being a former flirt, Finral surely knew the language of flowers as well and would understand what Finesse was getting at.

“I’m glad they’re showing their support, but it’s a little embarrassing that they’re so blatant about it,” Finral answered with a chuckle.

Finesse giggled. It wasn’t a humorous remark by any stretch of the imagination. It was simply that Finral’s laughter brought out Finesse’s own. That was the effect he had on her.

“Finral…” Finesse stood up and approached her husband to stand by his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Do you believe we’re ready to be parents yet? That we’re prepared for children?”

“Kids, huh?” Finral removed Finesse’s hand from his shoulder but kept it in his grasp. “We’ve got most things regarding our home settled and we’ve been researching plenty so perhaps we are.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Finesse whispered. She pressed her face to Finral’s shoulder to hide her smile. Not out of guilt, but embarrassment and glee. The news wanted to pass through her lips so very much and bring a smile to Finral’s face.

“Good news: your recent bouts of nausea and lightheadedness aren’t a result of your constitution, Lady Finesse,” Doctor Owen stated with a smile a couple days ago.

“Well yeah. I’d like to think we’re ready right now but… There’s no need to rush things either,” Finral said carefully, gently. He turned so he and Finesse were face-to-face. “Why are you bringing this up, anyways?”

“You see, Finral, I just learned something today,” Finesse started as she leaned in closer. “That, when it comes to kids…”

“Wait… I just realized, we haven’t been discussing names whatsoever!” Finral suddenly gasped, making Finesse reel back in surprise. “We keep on talking about kids and the responsibilities with them! And we’ve been trying and trying these past weeks! But do we even know what we’ll call them?”

Finesse blinked a couple of times. A smile crawled onto her face as she choked down a laugh. She had summoned all her courage to say it, but the attempt ended in failure. Awkwardly, she averted her eyes.

“Pff—!” Finesse slapped a hand over her mouth to mask a most unladylike snort. “F-Fi-Finral! C-can’t-t that wait? Pfff fee hee hee!”

“But Finesse! There are so many names out there! Do you expect us to just know the right one the second the baby is born?”

“You don’t— Aha! Even know if-fffsssshh! A baby’s been conceiv— Ehee hee!” Finesse’s laughter went on and on. So overtaken, her knees buckled beneath her.

“Ah, Finesse!” Finral yelped. He eased her backwards and onto the bed. He sat beside her, still holding her hand and rubbing her back. “I didn’t mean—! You’re not unwell are you?”

“Ahaa… No no… Just overcome.” Finesse took a few deep breaths to calm herself. A couple of coughs escaped her but her heart wasn’t in any pain. She noticed Finral opening his mouth and placed a finger to his lips. “No apologizing for that. I found it quite delightful.”

Finral sighed and muttered, “Caught me, love.” Slowly, his hand came to a stop in the middle of Finesse’s back. She leaned against his arm, taking in his warmth. “You were going to say something earlier, right? I interrupted. Go on and tell me now.”

“Right, what I wanted to say…” Finesse sat upright and looked Finral in the eyes. “About kids… You did have a point regarding names because…” She took one of Finral’s hands and held it to her stomach. “Doctor Owen confirmed… We’re expecting.”

Finral’s eyes went wide. And his lips spread even wider into the brightest smile Finesse had ever seen on Finral.

“We better prepare more earnestly,” Finesse whispered. “Nine months will surely pass quickly.”

Finral nodded. Nodded and pulled Finesse into his arms.

He hugged so tight. Because he held not only his wife at that moment but their future child too.

[lyranova]

Can I request Finral/Finesse for your event, with "wedded" and "stay with me"? you don't need to do it if you don't like the pair, it's just that I sometimes feel alone loving it.

Hiya anon! Of course, and tbh I don’t mind the Finral/Finesse pairing I think they’re cute and sweet 🥰! Please don’t feel alone loving the pair 🥺, I know a lot of people that enjoy it and even though I enjoy the Finral x Vanessa ship, I also love the Finral/Finesse one too! So I hope you enjoy this I apologize it’s so short!

Word Count: 652

Warnings: None

Finral sighed as he looked in the mirror, tomorrow he was going to be a married man. He was excited yet nervous to be wedded to the woman he had been in love with for as long as he could remember: Lady Finesse Calmreich. He couldn’t believe it when Langris had told him their parents would grant the marriage, when asked why they did, Langris didn’t answer. All he did was smile at his older brother.

“ Ah, why won’t the suit fit right?!” Finral grumbled dramatically as he tried to fix his shirt for what felt like the millionth time. He wanted desperately to look good on their wedding day, he didn’t want Finesse to be embarrassed or regret marrying him. So everything needed to be perfect.

He turned as he heard a soft knocking on the bedroom door, he frowned, who could it be this late at night?

Finral walked over and opened the door, his purple eyes widened when he saw who was standing there.

“ F-Finesse? What’re you doing here?” He asked in surprise before Vanessa’s words about not seeing the bride until the wedding day repeated in his head. He quickly slapped a hand over his eyes. “ I-I’m not supposed to see you until tomorrow!” He added, his voice getting higher pitched.

“ It’s alright that’s just a superstition,” Finesse told him with a giggle as he allowed her inside the room, she walked over and sat on his bed. “ Besides, I wanted to see you.”

“ You wanted to see me?” Finral asked as a small blush appeared on his face, and Finesse nodded.

“ I figured you’d be nervous about tomorrow, so I wanted to see you and try to calm you down.” She told him kindly, and Finral nodded as he closed the door.

He could see that Finesse wasn’t feeling well, and that she looked tired, and yet instead of worrying about herself, she was worried about him. He shook his head, of course she was, because that was the kind of person she was.

“ Finral? Are you okay?” She asked, her voice laced with concern. Finral was pulled out of his thoughts by her question and he smiled at her.

“ I’m fine, how about you? You look tired.” He said as he walked over to her and crouched down, he reached out to cup her cheek but froze. His hand hung hesitantly in the air.

Finesse grabbed his hand and pulled it towards her and placed it against her cheek, a soft smile appeared on her face as she nodded. Finral could feel how cold and clammy her cheek was and sighed, she was pushing herself.

“ Will…Will you stay with me tonight?” Finral asked, seeing her like this worried him, and he wanted to make sure she would be alright and get enough sleep. He watched as her eyes widened in surprise at his question.

“ W-What?”

“ Will you stay with me tonight?” Finral’s cheeks suddenly turned a bright red. “ I-I’m not meaning anything by it! I’m just worried about you and if you stay with me it’ll ease my worries a bit!” He added hurriedly and he watched as she covered her mouth, trying to hide her giggles.

“ I know you didn’t mean anything by it Finral, I was just surprised by how forward you were.” She told him kindly as she moved over on the bed and patted the spot beside her. “ I’ll stay with you, since it’ll ease both our worries.”

Finral moved and sat next to Finesse on the bed, and the two then laid down next to each other and began to talk about the little things. About their shared childhood memories, about how excited they were about tomorrow, and about their future together.

Soon the two fell asleep, and when Langris found them the next morning they were holding each other tightly as though they were afraid to let the other go.

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day 🥰~!

[acacia-may]

For the shipping bingo, Yami x Charlotte (a classic, at this point) and Finral x Finesse (not very much about them, but really sweet)

Aw hi, anon! Thanks so much for the ask and for playing bingo! 🥰

Yami and Charlotte:

(Not quite a bingo—the randomly generated cards haven’t been too kind to me 😅 But it’s a good ship all the same)

Finral and Finesse:

(Close but, alas, not quite a bingo… I love them—they deserved one 😔💚)

Discussion and headcanons under the cut (Warnings: mentions Finral’s chilhood trauma in a vague, non-descriptive way)

Yami and Charlotte:

I absolutely agree that this is a classic! To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting it at all. I remember when my sister and I were binging the anime, we actually had to pause because we were laughing so hard at Charlotte's internal monologue in the cave during the Eye of the Midnight Sun first encounter arc, when we first learn about her secret, not-so-secret affection for Yami. It was definitely one of those, "not what I was expecting but I'm totally here for it" kind of moments! They are certainly a frustrating ship in that Charlotte is so stubborn about admitting how she feels, Yami is so dense about it, and they both struggle so much to express their feelings. I'll admit that Charlotte is making progress and I'm proud of her for that, but Yami is...well...he could use a good (affectionate) smack on the back of the head and someone telling him to "get on with it already."

There is something very sweet in Charlotte who is so independent and so strong opening herself up to love and realising that it doesn't make her any less strong or independent--if anything she and Yami are stronger together. Charlotte and Yami are equally matched--they're both captains and powerful in their own right, but they both have their flaws too. Even so, they choose to care about each other. It's clear that their care is built on a strong foundation of friendship and mutual respect, not just some fleeting whirlwind of emotions which I really appreciate. The fact that they can also bicker like an old married couple just adds to the fun! 💖

I will say that I wish it wasn't played for laughs so much because I do think their relationship could be great and has lots of potential, if they'd only learn how to communicate with each other a bit better. (I'd love to see them actually have a real, honest conversation that doesn't end with Charlotte descending into flustered, tsundere mutterings and/or Yami emotionally shutting down and saying something stupid, inappropriate for the situation, and/or totally oblivious. Here's hoping!) I really think they're at their best when they're being honest about the genuine care and respect they have for each other. Those moments in the elf arc where Yami is telling "Charla" about the admiration and high esteem he has for Charlotte or when Charlotte is thinking back to the day that Yami helped break her curse because she decided to care about him are some of my favourites.

I've only written about them once (so far) because I find their perspectives difficult and struggle with writing romance in general (it's just not my wheelhouse 😅), but I am rooting for them and have been from the beginning!

Some headcanons about them:

When Yami and Charlotte finally get together, they know (and everybody knows) "this is it" and they're going to stay together. Though they expected some of their friends to be surprised that they're dating, barely anyone is with the exception of Sol who didn't really want to see it and Asta and Magna who (bless their hearts) were too oblivious to see it. The overwhelming response from everyone who knows them even remotely well is: "it's about time..."

Yami makes the mistake of hinting to his squad that he plans to propose to Charlotte, and they all jump on the topic, demanding to know how he plans to do it. Yami just shrugs and explains he wasn't planning anything special, he was just going to ask her, but his squad (resident romantic, Finral, especially) insists he can't 'just ask her'--he has to make it special. He ends up with an elaborate proposal plan including a suit, flowers, a romantic hike, a picnic with wine (courtesy of Charmy and Vanessa), and notes for a speech on some cue cards, but after trying his best to fumble his way through this 'proper proposal,' he eventually says 'to hell with it' and just asks her, like he was intending to do in the first place. Of course, she accepts.

Yami is the first of the Black Bulls to get married, and he often jokes that his squad is more excited about the wedding than he is. To be fair, Yami is looking forward to actually getting married and starting their lives together not to the rigmarole of the actual wedding itself (which is a whole lot of work, planning and details). He probably would've been happy just skipping the big spectacle and eloping, but he knows it's important to Charlotte to do things properly. The Blue Roses get more into the wedding planning than Charlotte who hadn't given much thought to what she wanted her wedding to be like, but the day turns out beautifully and goes incredibly smoothly in the end.

Shortly after getting married, Yami and Charlotte decide that they're ready for a quieter, slower paced life and retire from being magic knight captains passing their squads down to Nacht and Sol respectively. They still do some consulting work for the magic knights but, for the most part, settle down with their pensions near the Black Bulls hideout in a quaint, little house with a lovely garden.

They're the first of their friends to have children and go on to have three in total: a son, Katsu, then two daughters, Hana and Marceline, who are all positively doted upon by their Blue Roses and Black Bulls uncles and aunts.

Yami always had a strong paternal streak and is a wonderful father. Even if he can be a bit stern and surly at times, his children always manage to bring out that softer, gentler side of him. Charlotte is a great mother a well, a bit firm at times (when she needs to be) but very loving and always looking out for her children's best interests.

Yami's kids think he tells the best stories and tell all the Black Bulls cousins about it so he is constantly begged for tales from his days in the magic knights. He is fairly good at saying no to his "nieces and nephews," but if his kids ask, he'll usually concede and tell them all a story or two. Charlotte thinks this is very sweet. 💕

Even after getting married, Charlotte and Yami are fairly private about their relationship, believing it's really not anybody else's business. Neither one of them are particularly good at expressing how they feel with their words, but their actions speak louder and they are constantly doing nice things for each other as a way to show their affection.

~~~

Finral and Finesse:

Oh I'm so happy you asked me about them! I love them so much, and this ship is criminally underrated! 💕 But, gosh, I have thoughts... I apologize in advance for all of the ramblings.

I'll admit that it threw me for a loop in the beginning. No one even hinted at the fact that Finesse existed until well into the story (one of my favourite episodes (80) and chapters (126) though). Given the fact that up until that point we had kind of seen Finral throw himself at pretty much every woman he ever met, it was definitely quite the surprise to learn that he had someone in his past that he really and truly loved (even if she was now engaged to marry his brother). [And the fact that I started with the anime rather than the manga also didn't do me any favours either, since the anime almost seemed to be entertaining the possibility of Finral and Vanessa around that time. (Heck even in the same episode! The emotional whiplash was intense! What a rollercoaster...😅). The manga was much more cut and dry in this regard, in my opinion. Obviously, Finral and Vanessa are still friends but without those added things, they don't feel like much of an option there so when Finesse is introduced, it's a little more clear that if Finral's heart was with anyone all this time, then it would probably be Finesse].😊

Finral and Finesse fall into a trope that I like to call "The Boat and The Lighthouse" inspired by one of my favourite songs by Death Cab for Cutie "Little Wanderer" [You Tube link here, if you're interested. It's also on my Finral x Finesse playlist (yes, I have one of those...😅😂 It’s actually my favourite of all the ones I’ve made for Black Clover ships)]. If this trope has an actual name, please let me know, but in my terms, this is how it works: The "Boat" in the ship (the pun is just a happy accident 😂), in this case Finral, is restless and wandering, often going through a period of personal growth and finding themselves which leads them far away from home and their beloved who becomes their "Lighthouse"--a gentle, steady safe-place that the "Boat" can eventually find its way home to [one of my favourite classic Disney songs "Candle on the Water" comes to mind (also on my Finral x Finesse playlist 💕)]. The "Lighthouse", in this case Finesse, has an unwavering loyalty and deep devotion to the "Boat" and wants them to find themselves, even if it means they will be separated, possibly forever; however, they never stop lighting the way so the "Boat" can find their way home and never give up hope that the "Boat's" journey will eventually bring them together again. It's a particular favourite of mine (when it's done well) as it really is so incredibly sweet! 💖

In the case of this ship specifically, I think that Finral and Finesse met in what I imagine was a very dark time in Finral's life. Before he finally left House Vaude, the years of abuse weighed very heavily on him, and he was so beaten down and broken emotionally that it was hard for him to have any confidence at all. It's heartbreaking that he felt so unwanted at his home and felt he had no choice but to leave, but ultimately, it was really the best thing for him to break free of that toxic situation and forge his own path for a while. Though it must've been really hard for him to leave at the time--he was young and leaving his home and his family (even though they're awful, they're still his family)--in the end, as even he realized in the canon in that great moment in the sea temple (which I keep mentioning... 😅 It's one of my favourite arcs) joining the Black Bulls and having a safe place where his squad mates loved and accepted as he was, really helped him to build courage and confidence and inspired him to become the best version of himself (and a man well on his way to being worthy of Lady Finesse)!

I'd really like to think this kind of growth is what Finesse wanted for him when he left House Vaude as well. She's so kind and believes he's too hard on himself. I don't know the extent to which she understands the reality of how awful things are at House Vaude at this point, but I think she knows Finral is very insecure and suffering emotionally and hopes that leaving home will help him find himself and build the strength and confidence to come back home (and back to her) someday. I'm not sure how openly supportive she could be given the circumstances, but I think at least on the inside she would be wishing him well and believing that it's for the best that he goes out on his own for awhile. Finesse is so compassionate and knows both of her boys so well, after all. (I sometimes think she knows them even better than they know themselves--especially when they're young and pre-character development). It gives me all the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it! 🥰

As much as I love Finral and Finesse as a ship, I adore their friendship too, and I feel like it isn't discussed enough when really it is beautiful in its own right. He wants to be his best self for her and is an incredibly kind and attentive friend, and she builds him up, shows him kindness, and believes in him even when no one else does, including himself. The fact that he fell in love with her for it, does not change the fact that they have a deep affection and strong foundation of mutual respect and friendship that I believe would persist in any universe (even one where they did not end up together). After all, if the betrothal isn't dissolved, she is going to marry either him or his brother meaning that, if she doesn't marry him, she will be his sister (or, I suppose more accurately, his sister-in-law), and I like to think that, in that case, they would still be very good friends, take care of each other like family, and have a deep familial affection for each other.

In a romantic sense though, if it was just their dynamic alone, I really wouldn't have many (if any) reservations about it. I mean they really are just lovely together--what's not to love? But... all that House Vaude drama and the whole arranged marriage business really gets in the way of their potential, and I do have some issues with and reservations about how the relationship has developed, the surrounding circumstances, and the way it's been handled in the story that, I am sorry to say, leave a bit of a frustratingly sour taste in my mouth, if I'm being perfectly honest. I think most of my issues fall under the umbrella of the fact that, in my mind, there is really no believable way that Finral marrying Lady Finesse and becoming the Head of House Vaude could be mutually exclusive (they would really have to deus ex machina or 'power of love' their way out of it and I don't particularly care for those plot devices), and the idea of Finral returning to his abusive home makes me feel sick, like I've been punched in the gut. I want to believe that the love he and Finesse have for each other will weather whatever kind of hell is waiting for Finral if he takes over as the heir to the House of Vaude. Believe me, I desperately want to believe this...but the way the relationship is being handled in the canon is not making it easy (i.e. the fact that Finral is hitting his head against the wall whenever he even sees another woman and is going on these long almost desperate tirades about how Finesse is "the only one for him" (almost like he's trying to convince himself more so than anyone else...) I know it's played for laughs, but it is excessive in the anime and more than a little concerning in every medium...). Based on that, I would be lying if I said it wasn't difficult at times to quiet those fears and those questions of 'what if, what they (Finral especially) think will make them happy, isn't necessarily what will ultimately make them happy?'--and when the story wants to sell me on the fact that Finral's love for Lady Finesse somehow justifies him returning to the toxic House Vaude, those kinds of questions should not be there at all (in my opinion). So in that way, I am incredibly frustrated with the relationship--mostly because I love it so much, and it could be so, so good! I mean, I have absolutely no doubt that Finral and Finesse care for each other very deeply, but it's the nature of that love and whether or not things would work out between in them in the long term that I'm not so sure about given the complicated surrounding circumstances... I think if we had more time and more content with them in the canon, I would feel much more assured in it. It's really that lack of content you mentioned in your ask, anon, that is giving me some pause.

All of that said, I really am rooting for them and want nothing but good things for the two of them. I do genuinely and wholeheartedly believe that they can/would be very happy together since they really are just so incredibly sweet--I couldn't agree with you more, anon! I can't imagine them ever fighting or arguing, and they're both just the kindest people who generally look on the bright side and want to believe the best about others even when/if they're mistreated (though I wouldn't suggest even trying to mistreat Lady Finesse unless you want to be on the receiving end of some very powerful spatial magic that will blast holes into you and/or send you to the middle of nowhere, depending on which of the spatial mage brothers happens to be around at the time or hear of your unforgivable transgression). They are also both so incredibly generous and such natural givers--very selfless and always looking out for other people before themselves. They never really ask for much for themselves so I just love the idea of them being loved and cherished by someone who is as equally selfless and generous as they are. They absolutely deserve that level of devotion and deserve the world really! Finral and Finesse is definitely the "Fluffy Fluffy! Cute Cute!" ship of Black Clover, hands down! Gah, I really do just love them so much!! 💖🥰

Some headcanons about them:

Finesse was Finral’s first love (not sure if this is a headcanon or actually canon 😂), and despite him being incredibly obvious about his affection and devotion to her, she wasn't aware of it at the time (being humble and chalking up Finral's awkwardness to their situation of being betrothed to each other when they were practically strangers and he was still so young). The moment when he "declared war" on Langris after the elf arc, was really the first time Finesse had ever even considered the possibility that he might actually be romantically interested in her (beyond just friendship or even the arranged marriage), and one day, when he mentioned to her offhand that she was his "first love," she was caught by genuine surprise. Finral was shocked, since he was sure it had always been so obvious.

On Finesse's side of things, she had always considered him a dear friend and had made her peace with the idea that they would eventually wed one day--truthfully, she was just grateful at the prospect of being married off to a decent man who would be good to her (since she knew many noble and especially royal girls did not have this luxury). However, there was not much more to it than that, until they were much older, and he started actively pursuing her. His kindness, attentiveness, and thoughtfulness really endeared him to her, and she slowly began to fall in love with him. By the time they married, Finesse could confidently say she returned his romantic love for her just as ardently.

Langris was the savior of this relationship. He realized that Finral could make Lady Finesse happy when he couldn't, and once his brother proved he was worthy of her, Langris stepped aside and relinquished House Vaude to Finral so he could be the one to marry her. In accordance with an old Clover Kingdom law for situations where there was a question of rightful succession, Langris challenged Finral to a duel for control of their House, but he threw the match on purpose (similar to how he relinquished the Golden Dawn to Yuno in the anime), leaving Finral the victor and the heir to House Vaude.

The first time Finral kissed her was not until after their official engagement following Langris's abdication and Finral's reinstatement as the rightful heir to House Vaude. They were in her garden, supposedly chaperoned by some of the gardeners and servants but they weren't really watching. It was a short, chaste kiss (before someone noticed them and got them into trouble for breaking the very strict rules of courtship), but they were both practically beaming for the rest of the day.

Finesse loves the Black Bulls very much for taking such good care of Finral and being the family he always wanted, and they love her just as much--almost immediately adopting her right in as an honorary member. (Heck, with the way Yami gives out capes willy-nilly, the squad would probably give her one (or an honorary one) just for marrying Finral 😂).

Vanessa and Finesse become very good friends with each other right away--though Finral is a little embarrassed when Vanessa starts telling her fun and silly stories about him and their time in the magic knights. Vanessa embroiders white lilies (Finesse's favourite flower) on Finesse's wedding dress--insisting that she deserves something personal and special to her on her wedding day, and when Finral and Finesse have their daughter, they ask Vanessa to be her godmother. 💕

Since Finesse is royalty and Finral is nobility, they have to follow all the customs and traditions for their wedding which makes it a bit stuffy and stressful for Finral (who is worried he's going to mess everything up by using the incorrect fork at dinner or forgetting the proper address for a duke or something) and for Finesse (who doesn't like to be the center of attention and finds it exhausting to be in the spotlight). Even so, it is still the happiest day of their lives, and Finral is this big, blubbering mess when Finesse walks down the aisle. Luckily, she pulls out a handkerchief for him from the pocket Vanessa has sewn into her dress. 💚

Due to Finesse's often poor health, they live a slower paced life together, but it is a very happy and content one. They rarely ever disagree, and if they do, the disagreement is solved quickly. They spend a lot of time taking walks together through the gardens at House Vaude.

They have three children together: two adopted sons named Blaise and Felix and a biological daughter named Vivienne. They probably would have wanted more children, but Finesse's frail health prevented them from having a big family. For a long time, they were not sure they would be able to have any biological children at all given Finesse's illness, so Vivienne was a bit of a surprise but a very much welcomed and wished for one. 💖

Even though he was ecstatic that Finesse was expecting, Finral was a mess of stress and anxiety throughout her entire pregnancy which she spent mostly on bedrest. He and Langris would stay up late into the night in House Vaude's library researching everything that could possibly go wrong and how to prevent it. Finesse was so worried about them that she called in Vanessa to intervene, and she separated them saying they were a terrible influence on each other. Then they just stayed up late into the night researching worse case scenarios separately. 😅

Finral cried when Vivienne was born--both out of the pride and joy of a new father but also out of overwhelming relief that mother and baby were both perfectly fine. Uncle Langris may have also gotten a bit misty-eyed when he held his niece for the first time (though he would probably never admit to it).

Finral and Finesse met and adopted their son, Blaise, when they were fundraising to build a proper orphanage in Tota. He is particularly close to his Uncle Magna because they both have flame magic. His younger, adopted brother, Felix was living on the streets in the Royal Capital and using his spatial magic portals to pick-pocket and steal food to survive when he met Finral. He noticed Finral's fancy clothes and had tried to steal some money from him, but Finral, having defensive spatial magic himself, recognized/could sense(?) the type of magic and stopped him. He insisted to the local magic knights/royal guard that he didn't want to press any charges and instead brought Felix home so he could have a nice meal and a place to stay for the night. They were initially planning to send him to the orphanage, but Finral and Finesse grew to care about Felix so much that they asked him if he would like to stay with them permanently as their son. He said yes, and they formally adopted him. 💚

Finral, Finesse, and their children are all very close to each other, and love sharing meals together, going on outings, and playing games as a family (it's even better when they can get "Uncle Langris" to join in). Both Felix and Blaise are incredibly protective of their little sister, Vivienne, but all the children get along very well with each other and love when their dad plays with them and tells them stories.

Finral likes to show his love for Finesse by surprising her with little gifts and treasures--sometimes just things that he finds (like a pretty flower or a rock that is roughly the shape of a heart) and other times things he has bought (like a bracelet, book, or scarf). She'll sometimes ask, "What's the occasion?" only for Finral to reply, "There's no occasion. I just love you." Then, he always smiles at her and often gives her a kiss which sometimes elicits murmured "ew..."s from their boys. Their daughter, however, always thinks it is sweet! 💖

Thank you so much for bearing with all the ramblings and for the ask! 🥰

[acacia-may]

How about Finral x Finesse for your new game, please?

Hi Anon-Friend! Thank you so much for the ask and for playing my song + headcanon game! Aww Fin Fin: the "fluffy, fluffy cute, cute" ship of Black Clover. It's always a pleasure getting to make any sort of content for these two--they're so sweet! 💕

Your song and headcanon are below the cut!

I'll admit I used up most of my Finral x Finesse songs for this previous ask (that's on me for going overboard with all the songs lol), but wouldn't you know, I did think of another one (and just added it to my Fin Fin playlist): "My Eyes Adored You" by Frankie Valli. All the details don't work, but I think the overall sentiment of the song: that the singer "adored" this girl who was "so close and yet so far" from him (in this context, I was kind of thinking of the whole arranged marriage situation where he could have been with her if he was the future head of their household but since that role went to Langris he was the one that was ultimately engaged to her). Then the whole final verse I think is very fitting for Finral because even though he eventually did leave home and built a new life for himself he still thinks of Finesse and "the love [he] left behind."

So here is a "Finral Remembering/Pining For Finesse From Afar" headcanon:

While Finral was not really in contact with Finesse after he left House Vaude, he always thought of her each year on her birthday and made sure that a bouquet of her favorite flowers were sent to her anonymously. She secretly suspected (and hoped) they were from him, but he didn't confirm this until years later.

My Eyes Adored You - YouTube

[acacia-may]

For A Limited Time Only Shipping Writing Requests (Inspired by Ship Bingo)

I never really thought I would do this, but I have been having so much fun writing the headcanons for shipping bingo that I thought I'd give it a try. 🥰

For a limited time only, I will be taking up to 10 romance/shipping writing requests for the ships from the bingo game that I have listed below (some of which are from asks I'm still working on replying to 😅). Requests can be made anonymously. All requests must be safe for work, but I will write any SFW romance genre (hurt/comfort, fluff, angst ect.). 💖

The ships included in this event are as follows:

Grey and Gauche

Vanessa and Finral

Vanessa and Nozel

Charlotte and Yami

Finesse and Finral

Charmy and Rill

Finesse and Langris [I didn't actually get asked about this ship (you are welcome to ask me about it though 😁), but I'm including it as a bonus for kicks & giggles because I actually like this one even if it's out of the box]

Request Slots Filled: 9/10

These will probably be shorter than the stories I've been writing for Friendsgiving (I am still working on those requests as well 😊). I usually write about family and friendship, so this is just a very small, focused, and limited attempt to test the waters of romance writing. If it goes well, I might broaden my horizons and open these types of requests in the future too. 💚

Please feel free to reach out with any questions, and thank you in advance for the requests! 💕

[acacia-may]

What are your songs for Finral x Finesse (FinFin is their shipname, right)?

Hi anon! Thank you so much for this ask! I'm still getting to know all the ship names, but, yes, I think FinFin is the name for Finral x Finesse! I am so excited that you've asked me about them because their ship playlist is actually my favourite to listen to (linked here if you're interested. Though I will warn you it does contain some angsty songs and a few songs that are mainly (affectionate) jokes at Finral's expense).

My most listened to song on Spotify this year "Line Without a Hook" by Ricky Montgomery and mxmtoon is actually from my FinFin playlist, but since I already made a post about it and talked about two of my other favourite Finral x Finesse songs "Little Wanderer" by Death Cab for Cutie and "Candle on the Water" (one of my favourite Disney songs) in my post about them for the ship bingo game, I've decided to choose some other favourites for this ask!

"Oceans Between Us" by The Icarus Account

"Make You Mine" by PUBLIC

"Only Us" by Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay (originally from the musical "Dear Evan Hansen" but I like this version a lot)

"I Wanna Make You Happy" by Victory

"The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles

"It Only Takes A Moment" by Kate Baldwin and Gavin Creel (from the musical "Hello Dolly")

"Maybe Don't" by Maisie Peters and JP Saxe

Bonuses:

A Bit Angsty: "Nicest Thing" by Kate Nash

A Bit Cheeky: "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors, "You're the One" by the Vogues, and "Honey, I'm Good" by Andy Grammer

The song "Oceans Between Us" by The Icarus Account could have been written for this ship. The lovely, overarching theme of this song is just so fitting for Finral and Finesse. Though the singer is traveling far away (with "miles and miles that [he's] yet to go" he hasn't forgotten his beloved who is waiting for him to return ("But tell me you love me and tell me again/ You wait for forever, you wait till the end"). If that isn't enough, there are also lines like "You're the only reason I come home/ My love" and a whole section of "You're the only one"s. It's an incredibly sweet song (for an incredibly sweet ship), and I think it really suits them. The ending, "You're mine forever and I'm yours/ Yours till the end" always brings a smile to my face.

The Icarus Account - Oceans Between Us (official audio) - YouTube

"Make You Mine" by PUBLIC was my fifth most listened to song of 2021 (probably because it was on my Finral x Finesse playlist). Every time the line "put your hand in mine" comes up I always think of Finesse grabbing his hand when he's dropping the letter out of the spatial portal in Episode 154 (one of my all-time favourite Black Clover episodes). While I don't see them hurting each other all that much and there are a few bittersweet moments in this song, I mainly disregard those and focus on the bits I think are very fitting to this ship given that "You know that I want to be with you all the time/ You know that I won't stop until I make you mine" is a pretty good way to summarize all of Finral's newfound motivation to become a man worthy of Finesse's love.

PUBLIC - Make You Mine (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

"Only Us" was originally from the musical "Dear Evan Hansen," but I've linked the version by Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay. I'm not sure where to even begin with this one since I'd really like to just copy and paste all of the lyrics into this post. The opening of the song just screams Finesse to me. She recognizes that Finral is insecure, but she loves him anyway and encourages him that he doesn't have to convince her that he is enough for her (i.e. "I don't need you to sell me on reasons to want you/ I don't need you to search for the proof that I should/ You don't have to convince me/ You don't have to be scared you're not enough"). She knows that the past is painful, but she wants to move forward from that into something better, brighter, and happier together ("And what came before won't count anymore or matter").

Then the second verse just perfectly captures how I think Finral feels in this relationship. Finesse is his first love, but he never could have imagined that she would actually love him in return (i.e. "I never thought there'll be someone like you who would want me"). I think one of Finral's biggest motivations as a character is that he is starving for the unconditional love he didn't receive as a child, and when we meet him in the canon, we see that he is looking for it in all the wrong places (i.e. by practically throwing himself at every woman he sees). On a certain deep level, he really feels like he doesn't deserve to be loved, especially to be loved unconditionally, on the merits of just being Finral, but that doesn't stop him from wishing for it. I think the lines ""But if you really see me/ If you like me for me and nothing else/ Well, that's all that I've wanted for longer than you could possibly know" really speak to that.

What's so beautiful about Finral and Finesse as a ship is that she does see him for who he is and loves him for that, and I think that this song really captures that (especially the lines "You and me/ That's all that we needed to be/ And the rest of the world falls away"). That "'Til you're the only one, I still know how to see" line is just an added bonus.

Carrie Underwood & Dan +Shay - Only Us (Lyrics) - YouTube

"I Wanna Make You Happy" by Victory is a little on the nose given Finral's vow to "be the one to make Lady Finesse happy." However, it's a cute song full of warm and fuzzies for a cute ship full of warm and fuzzies.

Victory Boyd - I Wanna Make You Happy (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

"The Long and Winding Road" is a Beatles classic, and one of my favourite songs of all time. I think it fits the context of this ship extremely well because even though Finral has left Finesse to find his own way in the world, he is coming to realise that "the long and winding road" of his life's journey will eventually lead back to her. It's almost as if his heart has been with her all along, he just didn't know it.

"The long and winding road/ That leads to your door/ Will never disappear/ I've seen that road before/ It always leads me here/ Lead me to you door"

The Long And Winding Road (Remastered 2009) - YouTube

I know "It Only Takes a Moment" is a showtune (from the musical "Hello Dolly") so it's a little out of the box, but it was just too perfect to pass up. I mean, if anyone is going to believe that "It only takes a moment/ To be loved a whole life long," it's Finral. This kind of hopeless romanticism just fits him so well, and I imagine that if he was to tell the story of how he fell in love with Finesse if would very much be a love at first sight kind of thing (on his side. I think it was a slow burn thing on her side). She was his first love, and, yes, I might be teasing him a bit with this song choice but it's pretty undeniable that he really was taken with her from the first time he saw her. When I listen to this song, I like to think of Finral explaining to his squad that he loves Finesse and has since the very beginning. These lines: "It only takes a moment/ For your eyes to meet and then/ Your heart knows in a moment/ You will never be alone again" especially just feel so much like him and his attitude towards his relationship.

Not to mention the fact that the line "I held her for an instant/But my arms felt sure and strong" always makes me think of this:

It Only Takes a Moment - YouTube

"Maybe Don't" by Maisie Peters and JP Saxe was a big inspiration for my Finral x Finesse story, "I'll Be Waiting," (especially the lines "We should never speak again/ Because I like you/ And lately it's been only getting worse/ So we should never speak again/ Because I want to/ I've run through every outcome and in every one I'm hurt.") I think this song as a whole really captures Finral's conflicted feelings in trying to reconcile the fact that he loves Finesse with the fact that she is probably going to marry his brother (which, I think, he knows will leave him heartbroken if he doesn't emotionally distance himself). Meanwhile, Finesse cares about him and is trying to gently suggest that maybe he doesn't have to do that. (The gentleness and almost shyness of that "maybe don't" sentiment feels a lot like her to me). I especially love the line: "I should always be alone/ You said maybe don't" and think the line "'Cause I run from the things that I want the most/ You said I get that's what you do but, maybe don't" is particularly fitting for these two.

Maisie Peters - Maybe Don't [feat. JP Saxe] [Lyric Video] - YouTube

Bonuses:

If you want something angsty, there's the song "Nicest Thing" by Kate Nash (YouTube Link Here). I like to imagine Finral as the singer and Finesse as the "you", and I especially like the line: "I wish you'd never forget/ The look on my face when we first met" since it always brings up a mental image of this:

He looks like he’s been whacked on the back of the head, bless his heart. 😂🥺💕 I really think the opening lines of this song sum up how he feels about her too (even if he knows (or thinks he knows) that it’s nothing more than a pipedream to imagine they’d end up together):

"All I know is that you're so nice/ You're the nicest thing I've seen/ I wish that we could give it a go/ See if we could be something."

If you're feeling a bit cheeky and want something that's more about poking fun at the situation there's always "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors (YouTube Link Here). No offense to Langris intended. The song is nice enough to admit that they're both "princes who adore [her]," after all.

"Marry him, or marry me/ I'm the one that loves you, baby, can't you see?/ I ain't got no future or family tree/ But I know what a prince and lover ought to be"

Or if you'd rather the song poke fun at Finral (in the most good-natured and affectionate way, of course), there's "You're The One" by the Vogues (YouTube Link Here; Spotify link here since Tumblr won't let me embed more than 10 songs). Don't get me wrong, I love Finral and am rooting for him and Finesse, but he can be a little too insistent with his "I want you only, you must believe me"s for my taste, so this song is poking fun at that a little.

"Honey I'm Good" by Andy Grammer (YouTube Link Here) is also good for poking fun at Finral for the same reason. Plus, it has this great (and very catchy) refrain:

"So nah, nah, honey, I'm good/ I could have another, but I probably should not/ I've got somebody at home, and if I stay I might not leave alone/ No, honey, I'm good, I could have another, but I probably should not/ I've gotta bid you adieu, to another I will stay true"

(Warning: there's one bad word in this song)

Thank you so much again for the ask and for indulging me (and bearing with me to the end of what turned into a very long post)! Cheers!!

[vilandel]

Silver Cats & Black Roses

Chapter 6 – Nobility

A/N @just-a-little-fan-1793 In case you need a bit more fluff and comfort... It's maybe not much, but there is a hug, so maybe it will help 💜💙

Ao3 link

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Two weeks later

“It was so nice to see you again, Fin.”

“Um, to which one of us are you talking to?”

“Both of you, obviously. Both your names can have Fin as a nickname.”

Finral just rolled his eyes with a smile and Finesse chuckled, amused. Vanessa just giggled, she was really happy to see them again.

The newlyweds just returned from their honeymoon and before they got back to their own house, Finral and Finesse decided to make a stop at the Black Bulls hideout. They were lucky, most of the Bulls were away today, so that the hideout was unusually calm for a change. The big Welcome Back Party for Finral was only planned for the day after tomorrow, when he was officially back to work.

Vanessa smiled at her best friend and his wonderful wife. Those two just looked so happy and it was pretty much obvious how good those two weeks of honeymoon did to Finral. That poor man was doing a lot to hold the squad together and given who the Black Bulls were, it was truly a stressful activity.

“Well, I’m happy that the squad didn’t burned down while I was away,” Finral said, looking at the basement with relief.

“Don’t worry, Finral, you’re not always the only one to hold the squad together. Most of us realized how much you did while you were away with your little darling and since it was forbidden to interrupt your honeymoon, we had no other choice than to give ourselves a good kick in the butt. Well, must of us.”

“Yami will using me as a taxi again once I’m back and I bet paperwork will fall on me again.”

“Oh, you know, Gordon took a liking to it while you were away and Noelle did a lot of it too. Even though, she probably did it to get out of cleaning duties, leaving it all to poor Asta. As for Yami… well, there wasn’t a day without him complaining that without you, he had to travel with broom, how much magic he had to waste on that and that he looked ridiculous. You know captain Yami, he can be pretty lazy.”

“Oh my, are you allowed to talk about your captain like that?” Finesse asked and even though she smiled, of course, there was some concern in her voice.

“Doesn’t change that it’s true,” Vanessa replied with a giggle. “But well, if we don’t want to get his wrath, which is often, we obviously don’t say that directly to captain Yami. Although, I don’t think he would do anything to you if you were to tell him that, Finesse. Even Yami finds that you’re too nice for this world, he won’t try to scare you or anything. Besides, you’re an honorary Black Bull and not a knight, so he can’t delegate the worst cleaning duties to you as a punishment.”

“But maybe he would punish me,” Finral mumbled. “I’ve missed you all, I’ll admit, but there some things I haven’t missed at all.”

“Which is fair, Fin. So, now you better go away before captain Yami and puts you to work two days before your officially first day of work after your honeymoon.”

Vanessa hugged them both as goodbye and waved at them as went through Finrals portal.

She still smiled when the portal disappeared. For an arranged marriage, Finral and Finesse looked very happy together, anyone who didn’t see that must be blind. Well, their case was probably a rarity within all those arranged marriages within nobility and royalty, so it was most certainly not be expected in most cases.

Vanessa stopped smiling as her thoughts lead her to Nozel again. Whenever he would choose someone in a political marriage, he won’t choose someone to be happy with, but because of duty. Nozel took duty very seriously, more so than anyone she knew. Remembering their talk in Spade and what Finral told her at his wedding, he would do it for his siblings, so that they will be free to choose.

But at the same time, he was around 31 now and he still haven’t choose someone. And from what Vanessa directly witnessed since she met up with him, he never seemed to really search a potential spouse.

And honestly, this was reassuring. Vanessa knew that Noelle would never accept that her oldest brother would sacrifice himself into a loveless marriage just so that she would have her freedom. Nebra probably won’t be happy about it either. Vanessa didn’t know Solid at all and to be fair, she didn’t like him, but if he cared about Nozel just half as much as his sisters, then he also wouldn’t be happy about that sacrifice.

Also… Vanessa came to care for Nozel, after those months following the raid in Spade. More than she would ever imagined, to a point that she sometimes wondered if Rouge would work on him as well. She didn’t want him to be in an unhappy marriage. So, the fact that Nozel didn’t actively searched for a potential spouse was also reassuring for her.

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Vanessa said softly.

What was Nozel for her, anyways? A question she asked herself from time to time again, especially those last two weeks. He opened a bit more since she brought him back to his mother’s favourite café and they met up more often in person, instead of just talking through the communication device or short meetings at the Silver Eagles headquarters.

Vanessa would like to think that Nozel was a friend. But if he was that, it felt so much more different than with any other friends she had, be it Black Bulls or people outside the squad. Maybe because he was Noelles brother? Maybe because of what she learned from him at first and how different he seemed from those prejudices since Spade? Maybe because he was like no one else she knew, still mysterious?

Whatever he was for her, well, Vanessa was determined to find out. She got a lot glances behind that cold mask of his lately, but never fully. But Vanessa hasn’t given up. Honestly, the more Nozel grew important to her, one way or another, the more she wanted to know him better. And even though that was probably too much ask, she also wanted him to know her.

For him wanting to know her.

Too much to ask, Vanessa knew that. But still, it would be nice.

Maybe she should go to the Silver Eagles basement? No, that might be too bold and as much Vanessa loved to tease Nozel, he was really like a bird and too much boldness would make him flee away. Vanessa didn’t want him to flee from her.

But if she had a reason to come to the Silver Eagles headquarters? Another reason than delivering rapports from one squad to another, than Magic Knight duties?

Maybe she could go to the royal capital, buy something nice for Nozel and bring him that gift. He deserves some kindness like that, he surely didn’t get it often. Except his siblings, maybe. But Noelle would maybe give him presents not in person and that was certainly a Silva thing.

That wasn’t Vanessas style, she find it nicer and more exciting to give gifts directly.

“Now, that’s a plan,” Vanessa said, grabbing her broom and leaving the Hideout.

While she was flying, Vanessa wondered what kind of spontaneous gift she could get Nozel. Maybe something sweet? He was a sweet tooth, just like Noelle and since the café, Vanessa learned that it was always a good argument to get him somehow out of work.

Or maybe a new quill, a good one? A new quill holder, one of those modern ones, which included an ink bottle? Nozel might appreciate it, but at the same time, it was something good for work and he clearly needed to work a bit less. If Vanessa didn’t find anything else, maybe she could get him something like that, still.

How about something with a water lily theme? She didn’t forgot that this were his mother’s favourite flowers and maybe he would be happy about something that remembered him of Acier Silva? But at the same time, it might be difficult for him. He clearly was still grieving about his mother and Vanessa wanted to risk to open old wounds while he was trying to heal.

But she could find something with another flower theme. Just like Noelle, Nozel didn’t show it, but seemed to like flowers. At least, from what Vanessa observed those last two weeks. Maybe something with roses. He told her once indirectly that he liked the scent of her rosewater and Vanessa had been touched by that, despite the fact that her perfume was a cheap kind. Or maybe she could find something with lavender? Nozel had slight scent of lavender soap on him, he might like that plant. Noelle told her though that lavender wasn’t considered fine enough for royalty and nobility. But if Nozel had lavender soap, he might appreciate that scent and didn’t mind if it was not fine enough for royal or noble standards.

Vanessa smiled. His view on lavender could told a lot about how he truly views royalty and nobility.

When she arrived at the royal capital, Vanessa still had no idea what she could get Nozel. Well, whatever, she would just go through the shops and if she saw something, she would buy it, then fly straight to the Silver Eagles basement.

Vanessa giggled happily. She loved spontaneous plans like that.

So, she took her time.

Slowly walking through the streets, stopping by from time to time to look at the ship windows or to let the warm afternoon sun shining on her face, Vanessa just enjoyed this day.

After a while, she came to the street where the café was. Acier Silva’s favourite café, but Vanessa also liked to call it their café, thinking about Nozel. That was sometimes the term she used to invite him and even though he always replied that this café didn’t belong to them, he couldn’t resist long to come with her.

She saw the café, the cosy, old-fashioned style of the house and the windows, even the table at which Nozel and her used to sit. They came here quite often during those last two weeks. But Vanessa hasn’t told anybody about it. She knew that Noelle would freak out if she ever learned about it and even though Vanessas meetings with Nozel were so innocent as innocent could be, Noelles vivid imagination would go nuts. And the Bulls would maybe follow her, out of curiosity or out of overprotectiveness or willing to fight in Lucks case, which was something Vanessa didn’t want, for Nozel and herself.

For now, she enjoyed to have such an innocent secret.

Vanessa stood right in front of the fashion shop of Soie Velours, that modiste who had such a renown in the whole kingdom. At least for nobles and royals, Vanessa never heard of her before Nozel told her about that woman.

The dresses and gowns that modiste created must be highly expensive, which was maybe the reason why Vanessa never heard about Soie Velours before. She had quite a good salary as a Magic Knight, true. But she was still a Junior Magic Knight and compared to the fortunes of nobles and royals, it was probably nothing. Not to mention that Vanessa loved spending her money. Clothes, mostly second hand, plants and other potion ingredients, magical items, silly things, also fabrics, needles and some threads for her needlework. And wine, of course.

So, yes, it was very unlikely that Vanessa could ever afford herself a dress from Soie Velours.

But Vanessa also loved fashion, so she couldn’t help herself but stop at the shop window every time she passed by and admiring the dresses presented.

Today, four dresses were shown. Two very similar dresses with silver embroidery at the sleeves, on the corsage and on the under half of the skirt, representing some branches and flowers. One dress was in a dark blue-green, the other one in a lilac purple.

Next to them, a dark pink gown with an open skirt, showing the under skirt. At least, Vanessa called them like that, she didn’t know the proper terms. The gown was unicoloured, but the under skirt had embroideries of butterflies in burgundy, cream and many shades of purple.

The last dress was in a bright spring green, with garlands of pink flowers, which Vanessa suspected to be cherry blossoms. There were always gowns with garlands of flowers, so maybe Soie Velours liked it.

Vanessa sighed deeply. What a shame that she couldn’t afford one of those gowns. And she certainly won’t beg anyone who was richer than her to buy a gown like that for her. Not Finral and Finesse, not Nozel either. All she could do was dreaming about it and to be fair, it was enough. At least, it could gave some inspiration for her needlework.

Vanessa walked away, leaving the fashion shop and the café behind her. Maybe she could come back later with Nozel, for a hot chocolate. Or they could go to the park, under the willow at the pond with the water lilies.

Vanessa grinned. She knew that Nozel would come with her, he learned that it was impossible to say no to a witch and live to tell the tale.

Soon she saw a noble restaurant, the Finest Desire. Vanessa saw it many times before and even though the wine must be exquisite, it was a noble restaurant. Not only was it of course too expensive for her, but she also doubted that she would be welcome. Besides, every time they passed by, Nozel made a subtle face, so maybe he didn’t like this place for various reasons.

There weren’t many people on the outside tables, only three young men and given by their expensive looking clothes, it had to be nobles. Vanessa wondered if she could just walk by quickly or take another path altogether. She knew from experience that most noble young men, especially those who weren’t knights, weren’t the kind of people she would want to hang around.

But while she was thinking about how to avoid them, she heard them say Nozels name. And she couldn’t help but eavesdrop…

“I swear it’s true! My father saw them two weeks ago, in the parc, under that stupid willow at the pool with those ugly water lilies!” the first noble yelled, a skinny lad with pink hair and turquoise eyes. Colours that looked somehow familiar to Vanessa.

“Come on, Reginald,” another one replied, with cupper hair styled in a bob, a pointed chin and small yellow eyes hidden behind small round glasses. “It’s an open secret that your father is kinda desperate to find a suitable sixth wife and to marry your siblings, he probably started believing that his worries are reality.”

“Not true, Airain! Okay, I’ll admit my father is not the most calm on that topic recently. But seriously, do you think he would invent something like that? I mean, he would never invent something like that about Nozel Silva of all people!”

Vanessa froze. She had no idea what this conversation implied and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know or if she would like it…

“Well, if what Reginalds father saw is true,” the third noble said, a rather fat one with pale blonde hair and greyish blue eyes, “then maybe it would explain why Noelle Silva wasn’t thrown out of house Silva, despite having being sent to the Black Bull squad..”

What?

“Don’t be stupid, Stanislas,” the noble called Airain replied, sounding kinda irritated. “No royals had been thrown out since the time of the first Wizard King. That is not how it’s done today and if it was, there would have been a royal hearing. But there wasn’t one for lady Noelle.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Stanislas said shyly, putting a whole slice of cake in his mouth.

“But even so, why would he his sister where his mistress is?” Reginald asked in frustration, clearly trying to bring the conversation back on his topic.

Vanessa didn’t know if she just couldn’t understand who he was talking about… or if she didn’t wanted.

“Once and for all, Reginald, we have no idea if what your father believed to have seen is true or not. There may be rumours already, but you should only feed them when you definitely know if it’s true.”

“But Airain… Argh, come on. It’s Nozel Silva we’re talking about, of all people! It would sound like something he would do!”

“But… he has such a perfect reputation as royal and as a head of house,” Stanislas replied, but his shy voice didn’t sound convincing at all. Vanessa almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

“Just because he acts with perfection doesn’t mean that he’s truly perfect! It’s scandalous how liberal he leads house Silva!”

Vanessa flinched slightly. She didn’t liked how this Reginald talked about Nozel. Disrespect and insults covered his voice. And Nozel, liberal? Okay, the captain of the Silver Eagles wasn’t really one of the most open-minded royals and he was only carefully changing his ways, like when he accepted a bastard daughter in his squad. But how was that considered too liberal?

Vanessa already had suspicions that Nozel wasn’t as respected by some nobles, like two weeks ago with that jerk who tried more or less subtle to make marriage proposals. But this? This wasn’t subtle anymore.

She really wanted to run away, to ignore and forgot this conversation, those three nobles. Their opinion shouldn’t matter. But somehow, Vanessa found herself unable to move.

Airain just let out a deep sigh, as he was dealing with two stupid five year old children, while he didn’t look that much older than his companions. Then he spoke, “Stanislas is right, lord Nozel is definitely an exemplary royal. But only on some topics and sadly for him they are few. He was already unable to lead house Silva from the start.”

“Wasn’t he only fifteen when he took over the house? And the late lady Acier died not so long before that. At least, that’s what my grandmama told me.”

“My point still stands, Stanislas. His age wasn’t important. Once you take over the position of a Head of House, you had to do it perfectly from the start. No excuses, those are for peasants, commoners and weaklings. This is common knowledge. And well, it was his own fault to even grieve for his mother to begin with.”

Vanessa gasped. She couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“Lady Acier was one of the strongest Silver Eagles out there, there’s no denying of that. But just because she was amazing, it doesn’t mean that she was without fault. From my uncle’s stories, lady Acier was not stern enough and it is most probable that despite not showing it, lord Nozel got more from her soft, weak personality than from his father’s strong will and perfection. There are a lot things that have gone wrong with the Silvas and this for century. Maybe lady Acier should have let her husband take over the house, even though it would have been uncommon, since he only married into royalty. Lord Nozel was definitely not the best candidate to take over her legacy. He made many things wrong. For example, he should’ve never let lady Nebra become a Magic Knight, mist magic isn’t that strong, even for royalty. Lord Solid isn’t controlled enough, it is only a matter of time before he’ll bring another scandal upon the Silvas. No wonder that he apparently gets less marriage proposals than his siblings. And lady Noelle, well, sending her to the Black Bulls was one mistake. I might understand why he didn’t called a hearing to kick her out of royalty, it is always a delicate subject. But she’s definitely not a fit for the Magic Knights. Even as a no knight, I can tell that.”

“Um, Airain, maybe you exaggerate,” Reginald replied, but he didn’t sounded convincing.

“I would if I was talking about another family. But this is the Silvas we’re talking about. The royal house were all of their members either die young or in celibacy, were most branches are disappearing left and right, leaving only four Silvas today. Marry the most renown names of nobility and more importantly, conceiving heirs, this is the only way for the Silvas to survive, otherwise we’ll see a royal family fall and that would put the kingdom of Clover in a fragile state. With her past reputation, lady Noelle should have been married to an advantageous party in order to keep it in check. In fact, she should already have been at least engaged when she got her grimoire and lady Nebra should have been married a decade ago. But well, that’s probably not the biggest problem here. Oh, it’s just my opinion, but I’m probably not wrong. I think lord Nozel should have been married a long time ago, in order to really make house Silva stand tall again. But he haven’t done anything of it and this is all on him. Let’s hope lord Lac will soon come back from his diplomatic trip and put an order into this mess.”

Vanessa swore that she was close to puke. She didn’t know what made her the most angry. Basically everything that Airain jerk said in his speech would be enough to make her blood boil. Even more so, that pointed chin said all of this bullshit with such calm while sipping his wine, as he was just stating facts or talking casually about the weather.

Were most nobles always this awful?

What was worse in Vanessas eyes, Airain not only somehow insulted Noelle, but also Nozel. Making it sound as if Nozel was just a marionette without any strings, unable to do anything right. Heck, even Nebra and Solid!

Vanessa already knew that Noelle was practically a black sheep of royalty. Even though she got stronger and more confident, she was still a Black Bull and even though it sucks, it wasn’t surprising that arrogant noble jerks would spit on this squad, just by principle. But the whole house of Silva? Nozel even? She just had doubts at this point and Nozel wasn’t very talkative about his worries yet.

But he wasn’t present here and those three scumbags were insulting him more directly.

She should go away. She really should do that exactly. Doing what she always did, what most Black Bulls always did. Ignoring so called nobles being jerks and prove them wrong one day.

But she was still frozen. Why were her feet unable to move? Why was she still listening to this nonsense? Why was she staying and risking to become angrier, instead of following her original plan and find a nice gift for Nozel?

“Well, whatever, back on topic,” Reginald replied arrogantly, flicking his hand. “If the Black Bulls witch really is the mistress of Nozel Silva, you would understand that this is just intolerable!”

Vanessa felt even more sick, unable still to understand and the same time, almost connecting the dots.

Did… did someone actually saw her with Nozel in that parc, two weeks ago? But no one had been there, the parc had been pretty empty and the willow had more than enough leaves to hide them from unwanted glances. Okay, there had been that noble jerk who tried to engage one of his kids to the Silva siblings, even suggesting he was an option. But he had left before Vanessa met up with Nozel.

But what if he came back shortly, just to see the both of them walking together?

Come to think of it, that Reginald jerk has some similarities with that man from two weeks ago. Same bright pink hair and same turquoise coloured eyes. Vanessa already found those beautiful colours wasted on the father, the same applied to the son.

“For heaven’s sake, Reginald, don’t overreact like your father,” Airain said calmly.

“And besides, it’s normal for nobles to have mistresses, right? My father has one too,” Stanislas added and Vanessa couldn’t choose if she should roll her eyes or if she’d rather feel sick again because of that word. Mistress…

“But it’s never a… a WITCH! That’s worse than a commoner or a peasant! I don’t want one of my sisters or cousins married to a man who has a witch as a mistress! How would you think, Stanislas, if your youngest aunt Donatella would get married to someone like that? And you, Airain, how would you feel if Cuivre has to share her husband with a witch?”

“Calm down, Reginald, you start to sound like your father,” Airain said, sounding vaguely irritated. “First off, we can’t be sure that what he saw was the truth, with all due respect. Second, lord Nozel has many faults, but even he would never choose someone from lower class, not to mention a witch, as a mistress. I dare to doubt that he would ever take a mistress in the first place. After everything he tried and in many cases failed for the Silvas to stand tall again. We should be happy that your father isn’t one to spread rumours and that he only told you about this… illusion. Nobility can’t manage to break into chaos, especially since the marital questions are more important than ever. As far as we know for sure, Nozel Silva and the Black Bull witch don’t even know each other, which is how it should be, of course. But I do agree with you that witches are a plague. It’s scandalous that those are accepted as Magic Knights, even squad captains. We have tolerance with the Witches Forest, it’s more than enough, we indeed don’t need some of those in the kingdom. Those witches should just come back where they belong and don’t mend with us.”

Finally Vanessa wasn’t frozen anymore. Her first initiative was to turn away from this nobles and get quickly out of their reach. She was already lucky they haven’t noticed her presence.

She hated the discussion she overheard. Every bits of it. She was also angry and sad.

Angry because those three jerks insulted Noelle and basically the Black Bulls, they also insulted her fellow witches, especially Dorothy Unsworth, who was a Magic Knight just like Vanessa. Granted, they weren’t that close, but still. And they insulted Nozel and somehow, everything they said about him made her blood boil more than anything else. Because she knew that none of it was true! Vanessa was certain of it, since she saw the cracks of his mask in Spade.

Vanessa was always angry when people close to her were insulted and looked down upon. But… it was something else entirely when she was involved.

Vanessa was used to be looked down upon. She was Black Bull, she was a witch, never had it made her angry. She was always angry for others, not for herself. It never made her even sad before. Nobles weren’t in her circles, so why getting upset over something that wasn’t in her general reach to begin with?

But now… She was upset, she was even sad. Because Nozel was involved.

Why would people even think that she was his… his… mistress? Why was he even that hard to even think that word? She wasn’t Nozels mistress, he was always polite with her, trying so much to act like a gentleman. A TRUE gentleman, not like Reginald, Airain and Stanislas! They were just…

What were they actually? What was between them?

Vanessa stopped walking at all, stunned by this question.

That question always had been there, but Vanessa just ignored it most of the time. But now, she couldn’t help but ask herself.

What was she to Nozel? What was between them?

Vanessa would like to think that they were friends. But she had many friends and what she felt for any of them was not what she came to feel when she was with Nozel. It was different, totally different. Just subtle, but once you realized the difference, you couldn’t ignore it anymore.

She was still curious about him and she wondered about the real Nozel the more they met up. But never had she thought what others would think of her interacting with the captain of the Silver Eagles, the head of the house of Silva?

“I never cared about what noble’s opinions are, why would I now?” Vanessa groaned, putting her head between hands.

Why would she, indeed?

Maybe… because Nozel wasn’t a Black Bull? He wasn’t a misfit, at least officially? Maybe she cared because he had a reputation, a position, because everyone looked at him? Some with admiration, some with the hope he failed, in order to use and manipulate him?

What would it mean for him if he had a witch as his… mistress? Was it really that scandalous, even more than a commoner or a peasant? But Nozel and her never did anything shocking, they just meet and talked, it was innocent and sweet.

But… nobles wouldn’t consider it that way, right? They would just saw what they wanted and be offended, demanding Nozel to break any bonds and ordering Vanessa to go back where she belonged in their eyes.

Back into the Witches Forest.

Back into the cage.

A cold shiver went through Vanessa. It had been long since she hasn’t thought about the cage, about her past.

Why did that memory still shiver her? It was behind her, she was somehow on better terms with the Queen of Witches, even though they were not close, and she was able to come visit the witches in the forest, if she wanted to.

So… why did she reacted like that at the memory? Was it really behind her?

No! No, she shouldn’t think about it again! It was behind her!

Vanessa felt close to cry right now. She didn’t want to remember her past and the cage, she didn’t want to let those three nobles conversation bother her that much, even though it did.

Was she a bother, a burden for Nozel? She really hoped it wasn’t the case, because she liked more and more being with him. She also didn’t want to cause him problems. But she also didn’t want him to be out of her life. She wanted to hold what they had, whatever it was.

“Vanessa?”

She flinched as she heard that specific voice. Looking up, Nozel was in front of her. Looking as royal and posed as ever, but the glance in his eyes…

He was concerned. Concerned about her. It was somehow scary, because it was new. But also comforting, so comforting.

“What happened?”

Of course he knew that something was bothering her. Well, she wasn’t hiding anything right now, but it felt nice.

Vanessa gave him a small smile. A sad one. She wasn’t fine at all right now, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to worry. Nozel already had so many worries that burdened him and what he needed was to relax more. So, Vanessa didn’t want to tell him.

“I’m… well, a bit upset. Can you hold me?”

That was bold, but honestly, she was always bold with.

Nozel blushed a bit, like always. But he didn’t really hesitated as he slowly put his arms around her.

The hug was awkward, but Vanessa didn’t care. Not one bit. It felt comforting, it helped her feeling better.

As if it was exactly what she needed.

Nozel just hold her, he didn’t say anything. He wasn’t asking what happened, probably understanding that she didn’t want to talk about it.

Vanessa sighed softly. She wasn’t used to be vulnerable, to be the one to get comforted. With the Black Bulls, she was always the one who comforted and encouraged others, she was one of the strong and happy Bulls, who didn’t give a crap about what others thought.

But… it was nice to be vulnerable one for once, to be the one to get comforted. And Nozel Silva of all people was giving her that!

It was strange, how he appeared so suddenly when she was feeling bad. But he did, almost like a guardian angel. Exactly what she needed in this very moment…

Vanessa smiled. He certainly didn’t appeared like that at first sight, but Nozel was a good person deep down. If only he would show it more often. Unlike those three noble jerks, Nozel had nobility in his heart. Vanessa was certain of it.

♣♣♣

“Ah, I swear, it is not easy to deal such a big family when you’re Head of House, but at least, I’m reassured that house Évantail isn’t filled with scandals. I heard that house Dragonstone changed from high nobility to medium nobility again, can you imagine that?”

“Oh yes, lady Bianca.”

“Of course, lady Bianca.”

“What a scandal indeed, can’t the Dragonstones just stick to one level of nobility and stop making fools of themselves.”

Charlotte said nothing, preferring taking a sip from her tea before she risked to say something insulting. As much as she wanted to, it wasn’t the moment and it would have consequences she couldn’t have the nerves to deal with.

“Oh course, given their scandalous history of scandals… Oh, I’m shivering by just thinking about it,” lady Bianca, current head of house Évantail continued. “I’m grateful that the members of my house are acting more accordingly to the etiquette.”

Because most Évantails were just that good at hiding their own scandals under the carpet, preferring to ignore them forever instead of facing the consequences of their actions. But of course Charlotte wouldn’t say that. Today, it was almost like an unspoken rules to never deal with scandals and their consequences.

Charlotte sighed. She didn’t want to be there. Until now, she had managed to avoid every meeting for tea her mothers and aunts invited her to. Because it was obviously attempts to find a potential future husband for her.

But today, she had no other choice than to be here. Not because her mother and her aunts forced her too, thankfully. Also not to search a husband, good Lord. Now, she was here as a distraction, while Yami somehow talked to the servants of house Roselei, in order to find a clue about her lost half-sibling and his poor mother.

Basically, she was here because of another scandal hidden under a carpet. What a small world, honestly.

Today’s tea party was organized by her aunt Rosamund, who certainly haven’t given up to marry her to lord Reginald Évantail. Heck, why lady Bianca, his mother and head of house Évantail had been invited today. Together with her youngest granddaughter. Or was it the youngest great-niece? Or a great-granddaughter? Charlotte couldn’t tell, it was already difficult to keep track with the family tree of house Évantail. There were so many members and sometimes generations were crossing, having for example uncles and aunts being younger than some of their nephews and nieces.

Blanche Évantail haven’t said anything yet, just drinking tea with a neutral expression. Charlotte wondered if she even wanted to be here in the first place. But obviously, she couldn’t disobey her head of house, poor girl.

Besides Charlotte and Rosamund, the other Roselei present were her mother, lady Orchidea and another aunt, Florence.

“Oh, lady Charlotte, how is Églantine doing. I recall that she’s a member of your squad,” lady Bianca said, taking small sip of her tea.

“Since four years, yes. She is one of your great-grandchildren, isn’t she? She’s doing very wonderful. Églantine is a wonderful asset to my squad, she might reach the rank of Senior Magic Knight before her 21st birthday,” Charlotte replied politely. Thank goodness, she was able to get one of the rare nice and not lazy Évantails out there. Églantine was also one who wasn’t offended that the Silver Eagles took her bastard half-sister as a knight and that alone made her more than honourable in Charlottes eyes.

“Already? Goodness, today’s Magic Knights are getting ranks so quickly, despite not having the experience,” Rosamund said, with the subtle venom only she could do. Charlotte decided that it wasn’t worth to reply her taunt.

“It is, but well, times are changing and one day, it might not be bad,” Orchidea replied, always the diplomat. “But back on the topic that interest us more.”

“Ah, yes, I almost forgot. Lady Charlotte, you seem interested to be court by my son Reginald, I recall?”

No, she wasn’t interested to consider Reginald Évantail as a potential future husband and to become his sixth wife. It was her aunt Rosamund who seemed so strangely decided that her niece should marry him specifically.

But before Charlotte could even think of a polite answer, “I must admit, having you as a daughter-in-law, the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, would be most appropriate for house Évantail. And to be fair, Charlotte Évantail would sound nice.”

Charlotte took a sip from her tea, to avoid making a face. Even though it wasn’t unusual anymore that a husband marries into the family of his wife, it still wasn’t the norm and house Évantail wasn’t known to let their members marry into other houses.

Honestly, if she had to marry, Charlotte always hoped that she could still keep her name. If she wanted to make house Roselei better, she couldn’t become a member of another noble family. And if she would take another name, she would only accept Yami’s, of course.

Charlotte Sukehiro… How many times did she dreamt of that night after night, in her wildest fantasies? But of course, that wasn’t for soon. They weren’t even dating yet and given how dense Yami was, it would take a while. It was highly inappropriate to already dreaming of taking his name!

From the corner of her eyes, Charlotte saw aunt Florence and her mother share a worried glance at lady Biancas last sentence. Which meant that they wouldn’t like Charlotte quit the Roseleis for another noble house. Good, at least they could be kinda allies on that topic.

Unlike Rosamund, who sweetly replied, “It does sounds really good, very melodic. Don’t you agree, Charlotte my dear?”

Charlotte did her best to not glare at her aunt. Seriously, what would she gain if Charlotte would marry Reginald?

“To be fair, I haven’t thought about it.”

“Of course, lady Charlotte, we’re barely in the process of considering all of our assets before choosing any potential candidates,” lady Bianca replied, negating thankfully the angry look in Rosamunds eyes. “I have myself all hands full with my own candidates, not only my son Reginald. Blanche here will get her grimoire very soon and so, I will have another one of my family to search a spouse for.”

Poor Blanche. Charlotte gave her a sympathetic smile and for the first time since she came here, Blanche actually smiled. A small smile, a bit sad. But with a hint of gratitude.

“I was thinking that house Roselei would might be a good fit for her,” lady Bianca continued.

Charlotte frowned. Again, house Évantail wasn’t known for letting their members marry into other families, except for the disliked ones. And with that lady Bianca might have just implied… was that the case for poor Blanche? That poor girl, being disliked by her own family before she even got her grimoire.

“What an excellent idea,” Rosamund said, finding her good mood again. “A double marriage between our houses is always better than just one.”

What was Rosamund gaining from this? If Charlotte wouldn’t already dealing with her love for Yami and her lost half-sibling, she might have started an investigation around her aunt.

“Oh, we would be glad to welcome Blanche into our family, if we’ll come to that,” Orchidea said and despite her faults, Charlotte was glad that her mother was at least diplomatic as well as nice and polite to every visitor.

“Yes, of course, of course,” lady Bianca replied with a flick of her hand, clearly not caring if Blanche would be welcome or not. “And as I said-“

There was a sudden noise, as if a tiny stone had been thrown at the window. Charlotte did her best to not sigh in relief. That was Yami’s signal, he was done investigating the servants. At least some of them, the Roseleis had a lot of servants.

“Goodness, what was that?” Florence yelped. Her nerves never had been pretty strong.

“It was probably nothing. But I’ll go see, to make sure everything is alright. After all, I’m a Magic Knight captain, it is my duty to take care of the safety of the kingdom, which includes of course all of you.”

Oh, how Charlotte loved to say this. It always gave her a wonderful excuse to go away from stressful talks like this one without giving others a valuable excuse to hold her back.

“But please don’t take too long.”

“Don’t worry, aunt Rosamund. Lady Blanche, I fear your nose is a bit glowing, should I also accompany to the nearest bathroom so that you can powder it?"

Blanche didn’t answer, but her eyes were full of gratitude. She was obviously forced to come here and it was the least Charlotte could do to help her to went away from this painful tea party.

With a nod from lady Bianca, Blanche got up and followed Charlotte out of the salon.

Just as Charlotte closed the door, she heard her mother say, “We indeed search for good potential spouses for our dear Charlotte. We also consider to marry her into royalty.”

Goodness, it was really the time to flee.

After giving Blanche the direction not only to the bathroom, but also the library just in case, Charlotte quickly went to her meeting point with Yami. They had agreed to meet at one of the servants entrances, the one which was used the less and at this time of the day, servants were preoccupied elsewhere. Hopefully, no one would catch her with Yami like that.

She met no one as she reached the servants entrance and went outside. Yami was there, about to pull out a cigarette.

“Don’t you dare smoke here! It’s not because this entrance is barely used that you can nonchalantly smoke a cigarette, the scent can be smelled even outside this area.”

“Geez, don’t get paranoid, Prickly Queen. A cigarette smells barely anything.”

Still, he put the cigarette back.

“So, did you find out something?”

“Not much for now. It’s not an easy task, don’t forget that, Prickly Queen. With no leads, we can’t except something after two weeks already. But I have to say, I didn’t know that some servants could be as much as jerks as nobles.”

“It is not uncommon, sadly. The more powerful the noble house is, the more arrogant are also the servants, at least those with the important roles, like the first butler or the governess. And well, house Roselei is from high nobility. I already had to deal with one of our butlers with another one, just because that one served a house from low nobility.”

“Geez, even the servants sucks, then.”

“Please don’t be so rude on them. Servants don’t have the easiest job too, you know. It always depends on who they serve.”

“Still sucks, though. Well, the most jerky ones didn’t want to take a drink with me. As if they were better than me just because they’re servants of nobles, but well, details. The others I met were more willing to drink and talk. But gosh, the crap they had to say about most of your family, geez. Some know curse words that might even make Sisgoleon blush. I pity those poor lads, dealing with those crappy masters.”

“I’ll admit that the Roseleis aren’t the kindest nobles to serve. Sometimes, I really feel ashamed of my family.”

“They should be ashamed, not you, Prickly Queen. If it’s comforting you, they had no nasty things to say about you, only compliments and flattery and all kind of sickly sweets positive things. And most also had good deeds to say about your mom. Didn’t know she was liked within servants.”

“My mother has her flaws, but she was never unkind to servants. She always told me to respect those who served us. Respect and gratitude can be sometimes the best salary for their loyalty. Sadly, most people within nobility don’t have that philosophy.”

“Woah, I better respect your lady mama for that.”

“Thank you. So, you found no lead?”

“Nope, not really. Or well, there is one that’s maybe promising, but the old maid was already pretty drunk when she told me that, so don’t know if it’s something or not.”

“What did she say?”

“That your old man had two butlers or male maids or whatever they’re called who served him and followed him when he had to travel… like twenty and something years ago. Which does cross with the time your pops conceived that half-sibling of yours with that poor single mom.”

Charlotte only nodded. It seemed to match, indeed. Whoever those two servants were, they might know something about that half-sibling and where her father met the mother of this child.

It was kinda exciting, to search for her lost sibling like that. She still had no idea what she should do once she find her brother or sister and the mother, but she hoped that it wouldn’t be too late to apologize.

It was also good to have Yami at her side for this task. Charlotte knew she wouldn’t have been emotionally able to do this on her own and it was a topic she couldn’t just confide to anyone. As much as she was proud be independent and strong, she knew now that sometimes, there were duties and tasks she couldn’t do alone.

Yami always said that she needed to lean on others from time to time.

He had been right.

Also, doing this quest together allowed to interact more with him and Charlotte couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to spend time with the man of her dreams.

But…

Charlotte almost sighed. She wanted more than just being partners on some kind of mission. The more she spent time with Yami, the more she realized that she longed for him. Terribly.

That was the other side of this whole teamwork. She wanted to be so much more, to do so much more. Well, Charlotte already longed for Yami years before, but it was nothing compared to those two last weeks. And she had no idea what to do with those longing emotions.

Again.

Was it always going to be like this? Every time she did a step forward, she would be stuck her for a while before she would have the knowledge and the courage to take the next one? It was so frustrating.

She hated and loved the proximity they had since two weeks. So much better than running away, stuttering or insulting him on instincts. But still… Charlotte wanted more. It was selfish, she knew, but she couldn’t help herself.

The closer they were, it became more and more impossible to go back. Not that she wanted to anyway. But with every step forward, Charlotte feared each one would be the last, that she would be forced to stop before the end. And that uncertainty was a much heavier burden than anything she’d knew before.

Charlotte closed her eyes. She shouldn’t focus on that right now.

“I will search into the servants papers about those two who served my father closely around that time. It might take a while, but at least it’s a lead.”

“Hold up, you guys have a whole paperwork for your servants?”

“Of course we have, you idiot. How do you think we could give them their salary if we don’t even know them?”

“’kay, fair enough. But how was I supposed to know that, Prickly Queen? Geez, you’re still very harsh on my poor little and delicate heart. Although, I don’t complain too much about it. Would be not you if you’ll stop being harsh on me.”

Charlotte had absolutely no idea if she should take this as an insult or as a complement.

“Well, my job here is done, guess I’m off. Until next time, Prickly Queen.”

Yami turned and waved casually at her. Charlotte flinched her fist. She had no reason anymore to hold him back. But she didn’t want him to go away already.

She didn’t want him to go away at all.

“Yami, wait!”

He turned around again, giving her a stunned look. But Charlotte was just frozen, cursing that tongue that acted on its own before she could even think about her words.

They just stared intensely at each other, just like at that wedding, even though they weren’t as close this time.

Charlotte just dived into those dark grey eyes, softly imagining those muscular arms around her, her body against that majestic chest… Him being here for her, her being here for him. Her ears full of his sweet teasing or even love confession, not big ones, but typical Yami love confessions and his lips…

His lips on hers…

“Goodbye Yami. See you soon.”

Her tongue acted again against her will, she could curse it. Before letting Yami reply, Charlotte turned and went back into the house, closing the door behind her.

Good Heavens, those thoughts again, those daydreams she couldn’t stop. They were getting more and more intense and Charlotte had no idea if she could handle them any longer, especially during the night.

When she wasn’t having nightmares of losing Yami again and for good this time, she was having dreams about him that were everything but innocent. And since two weeks, they came almost every night.

Yami was everything she loved in a man, he was more a noble than all of those lords her family tried to marry her with. But how much time would she stay strong before she couldn’t hold back that cursed longing anymore?

[vilandel]

How about Rill x Charmy and Finral x Finesse?

Thank you for the ask anon and for requesting two Black Clover ships I really like 🥰

So, yeah... Both make sense and both compels me 🤩

For Rill x Charmy, what can I say? Just look at them, they're so adorable! I already loved them both individually and together, they're just so perfect. They're both so passionate about their respective hobbies (painting & cooking), have fascinating magic and the vibes are just cuteness overload for me. So, yes, I really love them and I would love if they would become canon.

As for Finral x Finesse, kinda a funny story actually. I admit that Finesse was introduced rather late (and I support everyone who ships her with Langris and Finral with someone else), but I was on board rather quick. On one hand, I shipped Finral with no one before Finesse was introduced, so there's that. On the other hand, I loved how kind Finesse was to him and how kind she was in general to anyone, even too Langris. I just loved her from the start and I thought that she is wonderful for Finral.

[acacia-may]

I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song (Black Clover Spatial Brothers Family Fluff Fic)

Description: Langris loses more than he bargained for when he loses a bet to Vanessa and she takes the opportunity to throw a concert staring both him and his older brother, Finral. He should've never told her he could play the lute...

Rating: G

Warnings: None besides Langris being Langris, I guess, but really this is all just fluff & shenanigans

Fandom: Black Clover

Genre: Family Fluff, Friendship Fluff, Shenanigans, Sea Shanty Langris & Ukulele Finral (Basically an AU), Tsundere Langris Vaude, Platonic Use of "I Love You," Spatial Mage Brothers Fluff, Langris Vaude Is Bad At Feelings, and (Somewhat Silly) Warm & Fuzzies

Relationships: Langris Vaude & Finral Roulacase Brotherly Relationship Centric (A/N: look at my boys actually getting along...sort of...), Langris Vaude & Vanessa Enoteca Friendship, Langris Vaude, Finral Roulacase, Vanessa Enoteca & Finesse Calmreich Friendship, Some (Minor) Langris Vaude/Finesse Calmreich

Characters: Langris Vaude (POV Character), Vanessa Enoteca, Finral Roulacase, and Finesse Calmreich (Charmy & Rill are briefly mentioned)

Word Count: 2201

Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another site.

Note: This story was specifically written for and gifted to another writer friend of mine who had the idea of "Sea Shanty Langris" having a double act with Finral (who plays the ukulele). It was heavily inspired by the song "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" by Jim Croce (YouTube), and the song is (briefly) quoted in the piece denoted by italicized text & quotation marks.

Story Below the Cut. Thank you for reading!

Langris always knew his competitive streak would get him into trouble one day. What he didn’t know was that this “trouble” would land him behind the curtains of the little stage at Charmy and Vanessa’s restaurant, nervously twisting his hands around the neck of his lute. He should have never told that drunk witch he could play. That was his first mistake. His second was underestimating how good she was at cards.

“You ready, Langris?” she asked with a wink and a smile.

His brow furrowed, and he frowned at her. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered bitterly, but Vanessa just laughed.

“A bet is a bet, and you lost,” she insisted with a slight shrug of her shoulders and a pointed tilt of her head.

Langris huffed. He was sure that a normal person would have wanted money as spoils of gambling, but Vanessa wasn’t a normal person. He should have known she would want to humiliate him if she beat him—his third mistake. He huffed again. “Can’t you just take my money or something?”

“Nope.” Vanessa winked at him again. “I want to hear you play, and this is my only chance.”

“I already told you I’m terrible at it. It was just a hobby I tried to pick up…”—he shook his head—“I’m not musician.”

“We’ll see…” hummed Vanessa.

Langris wrinkled his nose at her. “Don’t you think you’re taking this too far? You picked my song. You made me wear this ridiculous outfit—”

“Hey!” she interrupted. “I made that.”

Langris blinked at her. He was honestly a little surprised that she would take ownership of having sewn these clothes. He certainly wouldn’t have. The shirt was striped in blindingly bright colors and had a deep v in the neckline that laced in the front for goodness only knows why, and his pair of dark, skinny pants were too snug—Langris suspected on purpose. To top it all off, Vanessa had also given him a pair of bloodred boots with curled, pointed toes and an earring that she, herself, had clipped onto his right ear. He shook his head. “I look like a pirate.”

“It’s a good look for you—very handsome.” Laughing, Vanessa ruffled her hand through his hair, and Langris glowered at her though his cheeks grew warm, in spite of himself. “Mmm…” she hummed thoughtfully, taking a step back to look at him.  “Though now that I’m seeing it all together it kind of reminds me of Finral.”

Langris bristled. That only made it worse.

“I hate you…” he muttered dryly, under his breath, but Vanessa just ruffled his hair again with an affectionate smile like he was just a huffy little kid.

“I know that’s not true,” she replied playfully tapping him on the nose. Langris’ cheeks flushed pink, but he crossed his arms.

“What if I just…refuse?”

Vanessa quirked an eyebrow at him, but she shrugged. “You won’t. I know you won’t. You lost, and you know it. You won’t be able to live with yourself if you don’t hold up your end of the bargain.”

“But I didn’t agree to any of this,” Langris protested more forcefully than he had been intending.  

“Look,” sighed Vanessa. “You can get huffy with me all you want, but I won fair and square and I’m not the one who had an existential crisis and learned how to play the lute.” She chuckled before she teased, “How exactly did that happen again?”

“I don’t know,” hissed Langris through his teeth. “You tell me.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes, but she eventually played along and bantered. “Well, I think it was probably something along the lines of: your brother ripped the rug out from under you and stole everything you ever wanted”—she began counting on her fingers—“your home, your title, your future, the only woman you ever loved—”

“That’s not—!” Langris stopped abruptly as he watched Vanessa’s mouth twitch into a smile at his flaming cheeks which told a much different story than his impassioned protestations.

Her smile widened. “So then you decided you had nothing to lose by just picking up the lute and following your dreams of singing sea shanties in bars.”

Pressing his palm to his forehead, Langris let out a long and disgruntled sigh. “I wish I had never told you about that.”

“Well, you did so no use in getting upset about it now, and come on... I’m not even making you play in front my customers.” She paused. “Because I want them to come back.”

Vanessa winked at him. Langris, however, was entirely unamused.

“And you don’t even have to play by yourself,” she continued.

Langris snorted. “What? Are you going to play with me?”

“Not me,” said Vanessa with a bright smile.

As if on cue, Finral appeared out of a shiny, spatial portal in the wall wearing a nearly identical outfit. Langris’ eyes narrowed, but his brother beamed at him with an exuberant wave of his hand. “Hi Langris!”

“No.” Langris turned to Vanessa with a pointed glare. “Absolutely not.”

“Aww, but Langris I’ve been practicing,” Finral insisted. “I felt bad that you had to play all by yourself, so I thought we could play together.”

“No,” Langris repeated even more forcefully than before. “This is humiliating enough. The last thing I need is you showing me up on the piano.”

“I wasn’t going to play piano.” Finral explained with an understanding nod. “I’ve been practicing the ukulele.”

With a proud smile, Finral held up the instrument, and Langris buried his face in his hands. This couldn’t be happening.

After a deep breath, he turned almost pleadingly to Vanessa, but the amused look on her face made it abundantly clear that she could never be persuaded to see reason. That didn’t stop Langris from trying, however.

“Vanessa please. I’ve been a good sport up until now.”

Vanessa just laughed, and Langris supposed he probably deserved that after having been basically forced into this concert kicking, screaming, and complaining the entire time.

“Try again,” she quipped teasingly. Langris rolled his eyes but sighed.

“The song. How will we split up the song?”

Vanessa hummed. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“I’m not here to steal your thunder,” Finral interjected, and Langris shook his head.

“That’s not what I’m worried about…I…” He stumbled over his words, scrambling to find the most compelling argument he could think of. “You really think I should be singing a love song with my brother.”

Vanessa’s brow furrowed thoughtfully, but a smile tugged at her mouth. “It’s not necessarily a romantic love song. I think it’s the perfect song choice.”

Something sparkled in her eyes as they met his, and Langris huffed. She had planned this all along. Of course, she had.

“Fine. Whatever…” Langris conceded at last. “Let’s just get this over with…”

*-*-*

After around five minutes of hushed mumblings and scrambling to figure out who would sing or play what and Vanessa’s insistence that Langris himself sing the chorus, they finally walked out onto the stage with lute and ukulele in hand. Thankfully the restaurant was empty, as Vanessa had promised, and they were the only ones there save Charmy and Rill who were seated with Vanessa at a table closest to the stage. Langris tried his best to ignore them as he began the intro, and Finral quickly joined in on the ukulele. He could feel himself unintentionally speeding up the tempo as he grew more and more nervous and more and more eager for this nightmare to finally be over. Finral quirked an eyebrow at him but continued strumming his ukulele trying to keep Langris’ uneven time.

When it was Langris’ turn to sing, his voice came out emotionless, disgruntled, and almost flat. Vanessa looked far too happy about this. He glared right at her as he half-talked, half-sang through his teeth, “Every time I tried to tell you, the words just came out wrong so I’ll—” His voice cracked, and he stopped abruptly as his eyes widened. In the back wall of the restaurant near the bar stood Finesse, still dressed in her coat and scarf.

“Langris?” whispered Finral in confusion before he, too, noticed their unexpected guest. “Finesse?” he exclaimed with a bright smile. “You came!”

“You invited her?” choked Langris with red cheeks.

Finral sheepishly scratched the nape of his neck. “Well…you know…she loves music and so I thought she’d like to see us play together.”

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” said Finesse as her face flushed.

“You’re right on time,” insisted Vanessa with a reassuring smile as she draped an arm around her and led her off to their table. “Finral and Langris were just warming up. Right, boys?”

Langris could have sworn she winked directly at him. He swallowed hard.

“Yeah…that was just practice,” said Finral with a bright smile before glancing over at Langris who barely managed a nod between his pounding heartbeat and trembling hands. He couldn’t believe Vanessa…or perhaps he could believe her which only made things worse. If he had to venture a guess this had been her plan all along. Langris huffed. If he wasn’t so livid, he might have been a little impressed. As it was now, however, he was much too nervous about the situation at hand to feel much of anything else.

When he and Finral began their song again, Langris found he couldn’t look at their audience, so he turned his attention to his brother and tried to lose himself in the music.

His shaking fingers somehow plucked the strings on the lute, and his singing voice, though it wavered a bit, rang out clear and crisp in the empty restaurant, “Every time I tried to tell you, the words just came out wrong…So I’ll have to say ‘I love you’ in a song…”

Langris’ brow furrowed as he heard his brother sniffle. He shook his head slightly as he began to play the interlude. His dumb brother…There were tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

Something suddenly panged in Langris’ chest, and he immediately felt very exposed—vulnerable. His cheeks flushed. Was his brother picking up some emotion in his words that Langris’ hadn’t intended? He had started to sing to him only because, in the moment, he had thought it would be the least embarrassing—that his brother was the least likely person in the room to judge him for singing something so soppy, but now he has to go and…and cry like that…like he had never heard…

Langris stopped abruptly—before realizing almost immediately that he was still supposed to be playing. He willed his trembling hands to find their notes as he ignored the blinking light suddenly clicking on in his brain. No wonder Finral was crying. He had never actually heard Langris say he loved him before.

His face grew incredibly warm, and he was certain he was blushing a bright red. He had been so worried about inadvertently expressing romantic love to Lady Finesse that he hadn’t even considered the possibility of expressing familial love to his brother instead, in his quest to avoid spilling the contents of his heart. Resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands, Langris let out a long and heavy sigh. After all that time that Vanessa had pushed and prodded him to tell his brother how much he meant to him and to tell Finesse how he really felt, she had essentially tricked him into singing it. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at what was surely an incredibly smug expression on her face. The last thing he needed right now was one of her teasing winks and knowing smiles. That brilliant, conniving drunk witch covering all of her bases…

Yes, he conceded, she was brilliant—infuriating but brilliant, and—his mouth twitched just barely in the corners—he had to admit she had got him. So, he sighed with a tilt of his head in her general direction as he started the chorus again.

*-*-*

“So I’ll have to say I love you in a song…”

As soon as the last chord sounded, his brother threw his arms around him and hugged him tightly with tears in his eyes. “I love you too, Langris!” exclaimed Finral far too loudly.

With flushing cheeks, Langris wrinkled his nose and patted his brother on the back. “Yeah…yeah…whatever.”

Over Finral’s shoulder he could see Lady Finesse sniffling with misty-eyes, but she said gently, “I had no idea you had such a nice singing voice, Langris.”

Langris cleared his throat and ignored the blush creeping into his cheeks. He met Vanessa’s eyes which were much more empathetic and touched than vindicated. Still she gave him that all-too-familiar knowing smile, and with just that hint of bantering smugness, she mouthed the words, “you’re welcome” at him.

Langris rolled his eyes, but he sighed and patted his still crying brother on the shoulder. He would have time to get back at her later, but, for now at least, he supposed she was right—he really did have to say ‘I love you’ in a song.

[lyranova]

If I may, I would love a Finral x Finesse template, but if I'm too late, just ignore this ask, okay?

Hiya anon! You’re not too late so don’t worry 🥰, I hope you enjoy this!

I do not own the template used!

[acacia-may]

Spite

I swore I wasn't going to ever post this one but have to decided to say "to heck with it" and put it up anyway. 😂 I have nothing to say for myself and apologize to Langris, Vanessa, Finral, and Finesse (whose situation I have just made all the more complicated than it already was in the canon 😅)...

Description: "Did you just kiss me out of spite?" Never in a million years would Langris have ever believed there was anything in the world that could have possibly led him to a moment in which that drunk witch would be saying those words to him. But somewhere between too many drinks making him honest and revelations from Finral regarding his relationship with Finesse drudging up something he had long kept buried, Langris lost his grip on his tightly guarded emotions and began to live the impossible. And Vanessa was not going to let him off so easy for it.

OR There are a lot of very good reasons that Langris Vaude doesn't drink. This is the story of one of them.

Rating: T (For Language (including some crude insults), Drunkenness, and Descriptive Depiction of Kissing)

Warnings: Unhealthy Coping, Excessive Drinking, Drunkenness, Jealousy, Unhealthy Relationships, Language (including some crude insults), and Poor Decision Making

Fandom: Black Clover

Genre: Unrequited Love, Jealousy, Drunken Confessions, French Kissing, Friendship/Love, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Strained Friendships, Unexpected Friendships and Eventually Friendship Bonding and Hurt/Comfort. Definitely Canon-Divergent--AU.

Relationships: Vanessa Enoteca and Langris Vaude (Friends, Pairing, It's Complicated...so whatever you want honestly), (onesided) Langris/Finesse, (unconfirmed?) one-sided Vanessa/Finral, Finral/Finesse (have a happy and functional relationship that is mentioned here), Finral, Vanessa, & Langris friendship, Finral & Vanessa friendship, and Langris & Finral brotherly relationship

Characters: Langris Vaude, Vanessa Enoteca, and Finral Roulacase (Finesse Calmreich is mentioned)

Word Count: 2483

Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another site.

This story was inspired by something @delirious-donna said in a response to an ask of mine once about whether or not there's a universe where Vanessa had kissed both Finral and Langris. This is what I came up with for such a universe, and it wouldn't leave me alone until it was written.

Thank you for indulging me and reading!

Story below the cut:

“I’m sorry…you’ve what ?” hissed Langris through his teeth—his fingers beginning to shake as they curled around his nearly empty glass. He had lost track of how many drinks this was, but it was more than enough to make him feel woozy and agitated. Probably why his emotions were currently getting the best of him. 

Finral blushed a beet-red and stared at his twisting, fidgeting hands. He swallowed hard before taking a long swig of the clear liquid swirling around in his glass. “Well…um…look…it’s really not that big of a deal…” 

“Not a big deal?” Langris interjected, more forcefully than he had been intending. 

“Boys. Boys. Calm down. You’re both pretty,” Vanessa teased—drunk and giggly—in what was clearly an attempt to defuse the tension. It didn’t work. 

“When did this happen? Where was your chaperone?” he demanded—realising only after he had asked that he didn’t really want to know the answers to these questions. 

Finral spluttered—his cheeks flaming, but he eventually stumbled, “We were outside—in her garden. The groundskeepers and servants were supposed to be keeping an eye on us, but they weren’t really watching. It wasn’t a long kiss. There wasn’t even any—” His brother stopped abruptly as he caught sight of Langris glaring daggers at him, positively infuriated and, due to copious amounts of alcohol, unable to even try to hide it.

He immediately pushed back from the bar—standing up to his full height and waving his finger in Finral’s face as his words slurred, “You…you rake! You cad! You… manwhore !” 

“Hey!” interjected Vanessa pushing him back—causing him to teeter just a little in his drunken stupor and to remember exactly why he hated drinking. “That was uncalled for.” 

With a mortified expression, Finral fidgeted, but he sighed, rubbing his temples in confusion. “I don’t understand, Langris. She’s my fiancée, and I just kissed her. You were engaged to her a lot longer than me—didn’t you ever…?”

“No,” Langris cut him off with a stern glare, though a blush rose quickly and infuriatingly in his cheeks. He scowled. “Unlike you, I actually have self-control.” 

“For goodness sakes, Langris,” laughed Vanessa sloshing around her wine glass before refilling it for the umpteenth time. “Don’t be such a prude. So he kissed her—from all accounts chastely —it’s not the end of the world. It’s not Finral’s fault that you didn’t kiss Finesse when you had the chance.” 

Langris’s face grew incredibly hot. He was sure it must be flaming red as he slammed his glass down on the bar counter and curled his shaking hands into fists. “That is not what this is about! I couldn’t care less about that.” 

It was a bold-faced lie, and Langris was sure Vanessa knew it from the way she quirked her eyebrows at him. “They’re engaged to be married, Langris,” she said, pointedly meeting his eyes. “Of course they’re going to kiss. It’s really not a big deal.” 

Despite being a blushy, flustered mess, Finral somehow managed, “Yeah, Langris. Really…it really wasn’t this big…” 

“Oh really?” he spat—a fire rising in his chest as he cut his brother off. “Not a big deal, huh?” His legs began to shake as much as his hands which he unfurled and waved about in the flood of feelings he couldn’t even begin to stifle. His grip on his emotions was slipping farther and farther away, and his thoughts were quickly becoming an emotionally-charged, impulsive and intoxicated jumble. More concerning than that, however, was the fact he didn’t care in the slightest and just allowed them to spill into his movements, his expressions, his words… “Fine. I suppose if that’s true, you won’t mind if I do this—!”

Langris was sure he would’ve never performed the actions which followed if he hadn’t been completely and utterly drunk. He would have never leaned across the bar. Would have never flung his arms around Vanessa’s neck. Would  have never pulled her flush against him. And definitely would have never pressed his trembling lips against hers. Even looking back on it, he could never be sure what exactly had been going through his head at the moment. It was entirely possible that for once in his life, it was completely and totally empty . 

Only when he felt her startle and stiffen in shock and confusion, did his mind fill with realisation and panic, and he immediately felt overwhelmingly guilty and embarrassed. He pulled away from her—red-faced and ready to apologise, but she merely laughed at him with something sparkling in her eyes—disbelief? Amusement, perhaps? 

“Did you just kiss me out of spite?” 

Wondering if he had ever been quite so embarrassed, Langris descended into strange, indistinguishable flustered splutters and almost completely forgot to turn to look at the expression of utter horror on his brother’s face. After several deep breaths that did very little to calm him down, Langris bristled and a frown spread between his crimson cheeks. “Well…I…” 

Rather than smack him, as he was sure he probably deserved for that indecent display, Vanessa snaked her arms around his neck. He could have sworn he saw her glance over at a bewildered Finral before she turned her attention back to him with a wink—her mouth twitching in amusement with a low, flirtatious, “That was a good try, baby. But you’re so stiff—it’s like kissing a brick wall.” Chuckling, she winked at him again and licked her lips. “Let me show you how it’s done.” 

Langris swallowed hard as she tangled a hand in his hair and stroked his cheek with the other. Her gaze was focused, intense enough to make him shiver, before her eyes fluttered closed and she tilted his chin towards her—stopping a mere breath away from his lips. He supposed he deserved to be teased like this, after having kissed her like that, and he was about ready to pull away with a scowl on his face that he was sure must be blushing furiously, when she cupped his chin in her hand and whispered, “It’s about the anticipation.” 

“Va…Vanessa…” Finral squeaked—his voice cracking like a lovesick schoolboy, in protest. Vanessa had such a soft spot for his brother—surely, she wouldn’t kiss him after that, Langris thought, even if she wanted to teach him a lesson. But he was wrong. 

Her lips were soft as they first brushed against his, but they quickly turned frantic, coaxing and, dare he even admit it, fiery . He nearly yelped as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth and felt her tongue dart into his mouth as soon as he parted his lips enough for it to slip through. What the actual hell? 

Though he hadn’t the slightest clue what was going on, or where this fire—this spite, perhaps—of hers was even coming from, he wasn’t about to let her have this power play, and he poked at her tongue with his own—eventually darting around it to her lips—a bit chapped and winey as he ran his tongue across them, causing her mouth to curve into a smile. 

“You Vaude boys really have no idea what to do with your hands, do you?” she teased as she pulled away just enough to catch the warm breath that brushed up against his skin. Langris frowned, following her gaze to his hands which were frozen—like rigid and awkward claws in front of his chest. He might be drunk and clueless about what was going on, but he wasn’t about to admit she was right. “You can put them in my hair if you want. Or around my neck.” 

“That is enough!” insisted Finral who was probably even redder than Langris was, which was saying a lot. “I am never going to unsee that! Alright, Langris, you were right. It was a big deal, and I’m sorry.” 

Despite his complete and utter embarrassment, Langris couldn’t help but feel a bit smug about seeing his brother admit defeat and grovel like this. Vanessa, however, seemed intent on adding insult to injury and continued, “That was good though. I especially liked what you did with your tongue.” She winked at him, and Langris’s stomach coiled as his cheeks burned. What in the world was wrong with this woman? He knew she was touchy feely but goodness! Was she in the habit of kissing men she barely knew in this way? 

Wait… The thought gave him pause and though his mind was clouded, something began to click in it. “Have you kissed my brother too?” 

With a hum, Vanessa’s mouth twitched into a teasing smile, “Yes. Want to know who was better?” 

Langris cleared his throat—blushing furiously. That hadn’t been his intention in asking. 

“It’s not a competition!” Finral stammered, clearly flustered in drunken ramblings. “And besides, that was my first kiss. I’ve gotten a lot better at kissing since then so it wouldn’t really be a fair comparison.” 

“My hair got caught on your earring. I’m going to say Langris wins just for that,” teased Vanessa, and Finral frowned. “Though if you’d like to try again, be my guest…” 

Flushing, Finral shivered and spluttered before declaring in a shaking voice, “I am…I am in a relationship! Lady…Lady Finesse is the only…the only one…! I’m not going to kiss anyone that isn’t her anymore!” He nodded though his face swiftly grew splotchy with flushes of pinks and beet red. “O…Okay?” he asked, and Langris couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to convince himself more than him and Vanessa. Langris scowled. He knew Finral had issues with commitment, but this was just ridiculous. 

It seemed Vanessa also thought so, as she huffed—rolling her eyes before finishing another glass of wine. “Fine,” she replied through her teeth as she poured a shot of something clear and swirling for herself and downed it as well. Something in her expression made Langris’s stomach twist. 

“Goo—good! That’s settled then.” Finral swallowed hard. “Let’s just agree to never talk about this again, okay?” 

Vanessa nodded, and Langris, in his mortification, wasn’t about to argue. Finral rubbed his head. “I think I need to lie down. I’m gonna be so hungover tomorrow…” He stumbled over to one of the long, leather benches in the restaurant’s waiting area, and it wasn’t long before his groggy, disgruntled mumblings about being “scarred for life” drifted into steady, deep breathing and quiet snores. 

Vanessa poured herself another shot—before returning to wine which seemed to be her liquor of choice, if Langris had to venture a guess. He, however, decided to cut himself off before he did something else he’d no doubt regret as soon as he was sober again. He swallowed hard. “Look,  Vanessa…” 

“Don’t worry about it,” she cut him off with a wave of her wine glass. “It’s fine. Besides, you’re a good kisser.” She winked at him. “Though I suppose Finral’s right in that it isn’t fair to compare you since that was his first—”  She paused, Langris presumed, noticing the bright flush of red that filled his cheeks as he fidgeted uncomfortably. He didn’t say anything, but clearly he didn’t have to. “Oh… shit… ” She sunk down in her seat and shook her head, setting her wine aside in favour of something stronger. 

Langris pursed his lips and swallowed hard. He supposed there was a cruel sort of irony to it—the way he always played second fiddle to his brother in this regard. The universe seemed intent on forcing them to share things—particularly in matters of the heart. “Not my plan, believe me...” he mumbled, but whether it was in response to himself or Vanessa, he wasn’t entirely sure. 

“That was bold for a first kiss,” she chuckled. “But I guess jealousy and alcohol will make you do that…” Her voice trailed before she sighed and shrugged her shoulders with a sympathetic smile. “If I had known, I would’ve never…” 

“It’s fine,” Langris interrupted. “It’s my fault anyway.” He swallowed hard—her words suddenly registering through the haze of alcohol. “And I’m not jeal—” As she crossed her arms and tilted her head pointedly at him, however, he stopped. Shaking his head, he decided it was best not to try to argue with her, and instead he merely sighed and ruffled his hand through his hair before changing the subject, his curiosity getting the better of him. “So you were my brother’s first kiss, huh? Was he yours?” 

Vanessa nodded, and Langris could’ve sworn there was a bit of an uncharacteristic tint of pink in her cheeks. “It didn’t mean anything. We were young, dumb, and drunk. It was sloppy and a mess and…” 

“It’s stupid,” Langris cut her off abruptly with slurring words, and Vanessa’s brow furrowed. 

“Huh?” 

“That you’re jealous.”

Vanessa snorted a laugh under her breath as she reached for her wine. “Who said I was jealous?” 

Langris blinked at her. “I may be plastered and inexperienced, but even I know you’re not really supposed to be kissed with such vitriol.” 

“Well I’m sorry it wasn’t fun for you, but you’re the one who kissed me out of spite,” she bantered as she crossed her arms. 

“That’s not…well…that is…uh…” Langris stumbled over his words before he glanced over in Finral’s general direction to make sure his brother was, in fact, fast asleep. Still, Langris lowered his voice, just to be safe. “Look, I didn’t just kiss you because you happened to be here. My brother’s always been a little bit in love with you. If you wanted him, you could have him…in an instant.” Langris scoffed with a somewhat bitter shake of his head. “He’d probably thank you.” 

“You have such a dismal view of Finral. He’s engaged to Finesse. They’re happy.” 

Something twisted in Langris’s chest. “You don’t think I know that?” he snapped, more loudly than he intended. Finral stirred on the bench where he had passed out but quickly sunk back into his deep sleep as Langris took a few breaths to regain enough composure to speak quietly again. “Look…I know—I know that better than anyone. But you’re not like me. If you really do love my brother, that’s something he could actually return . But I…Finesse could never—“ Langris stopped abruptly, something panging in the ache in his chest.  He swallowed hard, and his eyes and throat burned. “Sorry…I didn’t…didn’t mean to…” he began to stumble, but before he could finish, Vanessa poured a drink and slid it across the bar counter for him. 

“It’s okay…” Her face softened with something kind, empathetic, perhaps even a little sorrowful as she met his eyes and patted his hand with a sympathetic, bittersweet smile. “I won’t tell if you won’t.” 

[loosesodamarble]

Erika's Next Generation OCs

So I've been having brainrot about next gen ocs. This is partially thanks to @lyranova's Children of the Future series. But also I like to imagine the BC characters having a happy and stable future where building families is possible.

I've shared about the future Nacht x Josele and Nozel x Helia children before but i've got more to share.

I haven't been thinking about the next gen for too long so details are sparse but I hope to build upon the foundations as time goes on. (Maybe if my school work lightens up...)

The children are grouped up by family.

The Faust Family (parents Nacht Faust and Josele Canty [oc]): Sterling, Dawn, Dusk, Sirius, Merel, and Vivian

The Roulacase Family (parents Finral Roulacase and Finesse Calmreich): Caelum and Rapahel

The Adlai Family (parents Gauche Adlai and Grey): Silver and Clara

The Yami Family, Part 1 (parents Yami Sukehiro and Charlotte Roselei): Saki, Ann, and Kenzou

The Yami Family, Part 2 (parents Yami Ichika and ???): Kai'ichi and Shigehiro

The Enoteca Family (parents Vanessa Enoteca and Selen Nymvire [oc]): Cynthia

The Voltia-Swing Family (parents Luck Voltia and Magna Swing): Jesse

The Silva Family, Part 1 (parents Nozel Silva and Helia Nymvire [oc]): Aecor, Fleuriana, Chalivas, and Soleil

The Silva Family, Part 2 (parents Nebra Silva and ???): Skylar and Elana

The Silva Family, Part 3 (parents Solid Silva and Holly Whitmore [oc]): Eirlys and Ferro

The Silva Family, Part 4 (parents Asta and Noelle Silva): Aimee, Naru, and Filomina

The elves (parent Patry): Avery, Elfrieda, and Alfred

The Cresswell Family (parents Jack the Ripper and Kathline Cresswell [oc]): Daniel and Jill

The Heartha Family (parents Lolopechka and Gadjah): Maris, Neave, and Petrus

Other: Leoray, Kohaku, Gogyō Guardians