#ren the king makes me feel shrimp emotions

[freswoe]

for hermit fanon swap thingo

cat grian

cyborg impulse

monster gem

guardian ren

ok so i May have started writing a bit for guardian!ren and then it kind of got away with me (also some cat!grian towards the end, and a bit of avian!mumbo because i can't help myself). so. please enjoy and there Will Be More :]

There’s a reason why Ren wears sunglasses, and there’s a reason why he’s the king. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. 

“Are- do you like them, sire?” Bdubs asks as Ren turns the diamond sunglasses over in his hands, the stone cool against his skin. With the blue tint they’ll provide, it’ll almost be like he’s back again, in amongst the stone and faint light and almost-perfect silence. He holds the glasses up to his own eyes, stares into the lenses. They weigh less than he thought they might, but- no, wait, there’s the telltale purple enchantment shimmer. His current glasses - tinted black, for when he first emerged and the sun made his eyes ache - are heavy on the bridge of his nose, almost always slipping down just the tiniest amount. Not like they really have anything to rest on beyond his face.

(Where Ren’s ears should be is only a mass of hair, sticking upwards like the ears of a dog. It’s a good thing no-one’s ever tried to pet him like one; he isn’t certain they’ll like what they feel there).

Ren shakes himself, shoots a grin at Bdubs. Of course he noticed that his glasses were slipping, so he enchanted them to make them lighter. Feather-falling isn’t just good for boots, apparently.

“Absolutely, my dude! It’s super thoughtful of you. Thanks!”

Bdubs looks at Ren, unmoving. Ren looks at Bdubs, also unmoving. 

“Um, are you- are you going to put them on, sire?” he asks tentatively, and internally Ren curses.

“Oh! Oh, yeah, sure thing but- ah-” he stammers, searching for an excuse, something-

“I should put them on alone first,” he finishes lamely. “Ceremonial, right? All my subjects witnessing me in my new gear at the same time?”

Bdubs’ face falls and Ren wishes that he could tell him the truth - take off his glasses, take off the crown, fall before him and take his hands and tell him I’m sorry, it isn’t you, I’m just trying to protect you but he doesn’t. Bdubs bows deeply and leaves the throne room, shutting the door behind him, and Ren buries his face in his hands and sighs. 

The climb to the beacon is more difficult than he remembers. Then again, he still isn’t used to the diamond-encrusted robe and the weight of the crown on his head, but even so, when he reaches it he has to pause for a moment, survey the lands.

Under his kingship, the server is cleaning up. The redistribution of diamonds is working well, and it seems folks aren’t just completing his quests, but enjoying them too. Of course, there’s talk of a rebellion on the horizon, but frankly if there wasn’t talk of one, he’d start getting worried. They’re happy. More than that, they’re safe. 

That’s the duty of a king, isn’t it? Courage in battle, making strategic plans, governing frugally and governing generously, all of that stems from one simple goal: keep your people safe. 

A king is a warrior, a strategist, a friend, a protector of his people.

Ren tilts his head up, the beacon’s beam thrumming deeply next to him, shooting a bright beam of pure white into the heavens. He closes his eyes, and with one shaking hand (the other clutched so tightly to his new glasses that he’s thankful they’re made of diamond) he removes his old sunglasses.

A king is just a guardian by a different name. 

Ren opens his eyes.

“Grian,” Mumbo calls distantly. “Did- did you see that?”

With a herculean effort, Grian forces himself to stop batting at the hanging vines dangling from his bridge and latches onto them instead, clawing his way up to where Mumbo stands. His brow is furrowed slightly, and his wings (dusty grey-black, fading to red at the tips) are fluffed up the smallest amount. Grian’s ear twitches, but he manages to ignore the instinct for now. He can sneak-attack Mumbo later. 

“See what?” he asks nonchalantly.

“That,” Mumbo points, nodding towards Ren’s castle. “The beacon. For a second- I don’t know. I might’ve been seeing things.”

“No, you can’t just leave me with that! What did you see?” Grian pesters, tail flicking from side to side. 

“I’m really not sure,” Mumbo replies. “But it looked like- like, for just a second, there was a second beacon beam.”

“Huh,” says Grian. “Weird.”

And then he sneak-attacks Mumbo, of course. 

[potionofinstantdamage]

I know we’re past all the ren the king stuff but just wanted to share that doc singing the whole ‘no matter how high the cost may grow’ part in the plagues animatic still fucks me up to a degree I didn’t anticipate

my dear anon i am NEVER past the rentheking stuff. he lives in my brain 24/7. and thank you!!!!! doc's plagues animatic segment makes me feel shrimp emotions

[seasonofthegeek]

Here’s another before Just for Tonight drabble because I can’t leave Nino and Felix alone.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7:

22 Years before Just for Tonight

Even though he had been expecting it, Nino still flinched when he heard the soft knock on his door. He had felt sick all day; Gabriel finding reasons to check in on him and Adrien more often than ever before. 

“Nino,” Felix said quietly on the other side of the door. “Are you there? We were supposed to meet half an hour ago.”

He pushed himself off the bed and went to the door, pulling it open. “You can’t stay long.”

Felix frowned and slipped inside, letting Nino close the door behind him. “What’s going on? We were supposed to get Adrien and leave--”

“We can’t.” Nino sat down heavily on the edge of his bed. “It’s over, Felix.”

He froze. “What are you talking about?”

“Your...your dad knows everything. He visited me when I came back here last night.”

Felix paled and sat down beside Nino. “What did he threaten you with?”

Nino let out a humorless chuckle. “I’m not the one he threatened.”

“We can still run.”

“We can’t.”

“Marigold can--”

Nino grabbed his hand. “Felix, breaking the bond will kill me. Even if we still run, all your dad has to do is call me back. I’m not strong enough to fight the sire bond.”

Felix shook his head. “No, that’s not...this isn’t how it’s going to go. I’ll go talk to him. We’ll figure something out.”

“He said you can stay here if we don’t interact anymore,” Nino whispered, rubbing his thumb across the back of Felix’s hand. “So that’s what we’re going to do, okay? You can’t go to England.”  

Felix straightened, emotion leaking out of his expression as he mentally shifted gears. “What did he say exactly?”

Nino’s shoulders sagged. “He said there are plans for your assassination already being put in place in England, but he would still send you because he has to keep Adrien safe as the heir and if you were here and we were still trying to break the bond, Adrien wouldn’t be safe.”

“Fine. We’ll both go to him and tell him we won’t try to break the bond.”

“Will you still look for a way to do it?”

“Of course.”

Nino sighed and realized just how exhausted he was. “He said you would.”

“What has to happen for me to stay here?”

“He’s going to move you to the other side of the estate and make sure I’m not allowed there. We aren’t supposed to see or talk to each other.”

Felix nodded. “He thinks if he keeps us apart long enough, this will go away.”

“I guess.”

“Fine.”

Nino looked at him in surprise. “Fine?”

“Last night was... Nino, nothing in my life has meant as much to me as last night did. No one means as much to me as you do.” He swallowed thickly, jaw clenching. “If this is what we have to do for now, I can do it.”

Nino glared at his lap, willing away the tears stinging his eyes. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Felix whispered, squeezing his hand. “It might take some time, but this won’t last forever, I promise.”

Nino swallowed thickly and nodded. “You should probably go. I’m sure he’s timing us.”

“Let him,” Felix spat. “If this is the last time we’re going to be together for the foreseeable future, I’m spending the whole night in here. He can move me tomorrow.”

Nino glanced towards the door uneasily. 

“Please, Nino.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

Both men stretched out on the small bed, Felix curled against Nino’s chest. “You love me,” he said so quietly that Nino wasn’t sure he really heard it for a moment.

“I love you,” he agreed, kissing the back of his head.

Felix nodded and closed his eyes. “It’ll be okay then.”

________________________

2 Weeks Later

Nino dropped down beside the short bookcase. The sooner he read a book to Adrien, the sooner he could put him to bed, and the sooner he could escape to his room and let his depression take him over for a few hours. “What do you want to read today, buddy?”

“Fiyah truck,” Adrien sounded out carefully.

Nino gave him a small smile. “Good job, shrimp.”

The small boy beamed at him. “I talk good.”

“Yeah, you’re talking good.” Nino reached for the book and a slip of paper fluttered to the floor. He picked it up, unfolding it but quickly folded it back up and slipped it into his pocket as soon as he saw Felix’s cramped handwriting. He swallowed against the lump in his throat and pasted on a smile. “Ready to read about fire trucks?”

________________________

Nino’s fingers trembled as he carefully unfolded the letter. His room was dark except for the small lamp at his bedside and he leaned closer to it to see the dark blue ink painted across the paper.

I’m sorry it took me so long. I wanted to make sure my father wasn’t suspicious. I’ve been refusing my meals since he moved me so I think he’s starting to get desperate to get in my good graces again. He’s been letting me visit with Adrien while you are in guard training. Don’t worry. My new room has an apple tree outside my window so I haven’t been completely starving myself, though I’ll admit that thought has been tempting some nights. Adrien’s been sneaking me animal crackers too. He seems fond of giving me monkeys for some reason.

I miss you. I hate everything about this. He didn’t even move my furniture over. Everything is new and nothing smells like you anymore and I hate it. 

I hope you’re okay. You’ve stopped drinking enough again. You’re too thin. I saw you from my window last night when you were outside cleaning up Adrien’s play area. Please take care of yourself, Nino.

You can write me back if you want. You don’t have to. I think Adrien’s books should be safe enough for now, but we should switch them up. I miss you. I know I already said that, but I do. I haven’t been sleeping much, and I’ve been sleeping too much. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t want to do anything. 

I guess that’s all for now. I love you, Nino.

F

Nino didn’t realize he was crying until a tear hit the corner of the paper and dropped off. He wiped his eyes and read the letter five more times before reverently folding it and tucking it under his pillow. 

________________________

17 Years before Just for Tonight

“What are you doing?” Adrien peered at the book in Felix’s hand.

“What does it look like I’m doing, Ren?”

“Reading.”

“Then I believe you have your answer,” Felix replied dryly.

Adrien stuck out his tongue and Nino shook his head, taking a seat in the armchair by the couch. “What’s a half-blood?”

Felix paused, putting his finger as a placeholder and looked at the young boy at his side. “Where did you hear that?”

“Jean-Luc called you a filthy half-blood and told me I should be ashamed to have you as my brother.” Adrien picked at the cuff of his shirt sleeve. “Nino told me I couldn’t hit him so I told Nino to beat him up but he said no.”

“I happen to like my head where it is, thanks,” Nino commented, picking up a book from the coffee table. He glanced up and caught Felix’s eyes, the other man giving him a slight nod. “Also he was eight or I would’ve been more tempted.”

Nino opened the book, slipping the folded piece of paper the fell into his lap into his left pocket and placing his own letter in the book before closing it again and setting it back on the table. He picked up the book beside it and began to flip through it as the brothers talked.

“Yeah, but what is a half-blood?” Adrien pressed.

“It means I’m only half vampire,” Felix answered. “My mother was human.”

“But how?”

Felix gave a small huff. “What do you mean ‘how’?”

“I thought we were all vampires.”

“We are, Ren. Don’t worry about it.”

Adrien frowned. “I knew Jean-Luc was a jerkface.”

Felix sighed. “I’m different and some people think that makes me...less.”

“Less what?”

“Important, I suppose.”

“But you’re Felix,” Adrien answered simply. “You’re super important.”

Nino hid his grin, holding his book higher. He peeked over the top to see Felix flush.

“You’re the smartest guy in the world and you’re really tall,” Adrien continued. “And you have blue eyes like Father and he’s the king so that’s important.”

“All good qualities,” Nino agreed in amusement.

Adrien nodded enthusiastically. “So why does it matter what kind of blood you have?”

Felix studied his younger brother for a moment. “You know, you’re pretty smart too, Ren.”

“Really?”

“Mmhmm.” Felix tapped his book. “This used to be my mother’s favorite book. Would you like me to read some of it to you?”

Adrien beamed at him and then turned to Nino. “Can we please stay?!”

Nino glanced at the clock. “You have lessons in fifteen minutes but we can stay until then.” Felix gave him a grateful look and Nino felt his heart clench. 

________________________

6 Months before Just for Tonight

“I’ll wait for you outside.” Nino leaned closer to his best friend, casting a wary eye in Gabriel’s direction. “Don’t fight him on this, Adrien.”

Nino closed the door behind him and turned to see Felix leaning against the wall. “Do you think my father will actually send you two out?”

“I guess,” Nino shrugged. “He seems to be planning to anyway.”

“How likely that Adrien brings back someone he approves of?”

“The odds aren’t good,” Nino chuckled. “I’ve seen the women he eyes when we’re in the royal village. I’m guessing I’ll get a stern lecture on what to look for and we’ll come back empty-handed. Honestly, I don’t really get it. Why wouldn’t he just pick someone from the courts anyway?”

“I doubt he could even answer that for you,” Felix sighed.

“Have you still been going to that bakery? I was thinking of trying to visit it while we’re in the city.”

“I’ll get you the address. It’s the best one I’ve found.” Felix pressed his thumb against the corner of the book he held, not meeting Nino’s eyes.

“It’s okay, you know.”

“It doesn’t feel okay,” Felix said softly.

Nino stepped closer. “It was never going to work with us, no matter how much we wanted it to.”

“Not while he’s here.” Felix glanced towards the library door.

Nino reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it quickly before dropping it. 

Felix gave him a small smile. “I really do like the croissants.”

Nino laughed. “I’ll be sure to try one then.”

The door flew open and Adrien stormed out, pulling it closed behind him angrily. “I want a drink,” he growled, stomping down the hall.

“Duty calls,” Nino grinned. “Tell your bread girl hello for me.”

Felix shook his head, a melancholy feeling settling over him. “Sure.”

Buy me a coffee?