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nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos · 10 months

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I can't believe I missed chapter 7, is there some kind of taglist?

Anyway, I absolutely love Kaya and Karimi. I loved Kaya in the live action (the writing and especially the actress did her Right) and the sweet and protective older-sister-like relationship Karimi takes with her is so sweet, even if we haven't seen much of Karimi with the straw hats I can imagine how she was with them and it ties into her making the deal to save Zoro. Even if we didn't see them interact much before them it still makes sense for her character to have done that

On another note, idk what it is about this chapter that got me to think on it but the two main powers of One Piece are Odas representations of humanities powers - dreams and willpower.

The devil fruits are manifestations of humanities dreams and desires and goals - that's why they're so fantastical and crazy and why they seem to go to people who 'fit'

And haki is a manifestation of will

Thematically, I love it and could ramble for ages about it in Odas writing, but specific to Karimis story;

There's something about the fact that she hasn't mastered her devil fruit abilities. That she actively suppresses them. That the closest she's gotten to improving her control isn't even about advancing her abilities but suppressing them and their range.

And she by no means has mastered haki, but the fact that the haki she can use is armament haki? And she mastered it in order to surpress her devil fruit abilities?

Idk if it was on purpose but the thematics of it is PALPABLE

Bc Karimi has identified her goal as meeting her father. That's why she set out on the ocean. That's the thing driving her. But it's not her dream. And in the way that it is her goal and fits into the general scope of devil fruit representing goals, it's not a goal for Her. She doesn't allow herself to have her own dreams. She allows herself to have a goal but that's different and the goal she does allow herself to have isn't about her (it's still a good goal, and something she wants tho)

The fact that all the characters that master haki have dreams that they use haki (their willpower) to acheive. She hasn't mastered her willpower because she doesn't have a dream to direct her willpower to achieving. The only haki she's successfully trained is armament haki. The haki of protecting herself and others. Because that's all she's ever done. But she's doing that before she even has a dream to protect herself For. The fact that she trained her willpower for the purpose of suppressing her dreams.

I've been trying to write more but nothing I write out makes sense or is too rambly and repetitive but you get the gist, right? You Get It.

It's like that post about the Airbnb that painted over a kid's room and missed one glow in the dark star that's been painted landlord white. "You get it. You get the themes. I can't do it justice. Just look at the ceiling"

Like, "oh, her willpower manifests in protection of herself and others. Oh she's not mastered it because her grandmother would do it for her and she didn't prepare herself for the possibility that she wouldn't always be protected like that. Oh she's using her willpower to block out the manifestation of dreams. Oh her dream is to get back to her family but she fears it because she lost the last family she had and she blames herself and worries her father will too. Oh, her father wasn't there for most of her childhood and she barely knows him but she's still desparately trying to get to him Like a Child Would. Oh, he never got to see certain parts of her childhood and such milestones but she's clumsy with her powers of dreams and willpower because she doesn't know her dreams to direct her willpower towards, like a child learning to walk for the first time because it's her first time traversing these powers and she's doing it to get back to him. Like a child learning to walk just to reach their parent. So it's like he is still part of those milestones for her but he doesn't know so she can't share that with him. Oh, she loves fiercely and wholly but is still guarded because she doesn't know how to let herself be loved in return after the last person that loved her died protecting her. Oh she keeps sacrificing herself to protect others after losing a loved one for something she blames herself for. Oh she's trying to replicate her grandmother's sacrifice for her into her own sacrifices for others, even if subconsciously. Oh she wants to honour the sacrifice and make it Worth It but can't see that her living is what makes it worth it so she's trying to sacrifice herself in turn. Oh she resents the deal because it takes her away from her goal which she's devoted so much of herself to and what happens when she no longer can because of her year internship? What happens when you've devoted yourself to something before even knowing yourself? What's left when you can't get it?"

I can't do it justice. You Get It. You get the themes. Look at the ceiling.

HI!!!! I'm very normal about this and will respond in a very normal way and

Sorry I lied please forgive me ilu

Soooooo anyway I’m gonna address this a piece at a time because there’s a lot I want to address. Also about the taglist, I haven’t had anyone ask to be tagged, but I’ll be glad to tag you in the coming chapters!

So since this is so long, the rest is below the frightened Nu.

There will be a great deal more interaction with the Strawhats in the future. She especially took on a sort of big-sis role where Luffy was concerned, but she related more to Nami and Zoro. Nami because she’s on the verge of losing her home and everyone she cares about, something Karimi has already endured; Zoro, because he’s been on his own for a long time and has similarly closed himself off behind a mask of dry sarcasm and aloofness. Where Luffy wants to see everyone follow their dreams unapologetically, Karimi wants to see everyone free of the shackles that bind them; Nami from the Arlong pirates, Zoro from his own emotional shell, Usopp from his fear and tendency to lie to himself even more than he lies to others—and Kaya, from the oppression she endured under Kuro’s thumb, which alongside the Strawhats they were able to achieve. This was the first time Karimi acted of her own free will to help someone else in years; everything she’s done for the past six years has just been contract after contract. In helping free Kaya from her oppression Karimi quickly formed a soft spot for her, and wants nothing more than for her to continue to be able to thrive.

On another note, idk what it is about this chapter that got me to think on it but the two main powers of One Piece are Odas representations of humanities powers - dreams and willpower. The devil fruits are manifestations of humanities dreams and desires and goals - that's why they're so fantastical and crazy and why they seem to go to people who 'fit' And haki is a manifestation of will Thematically, I love it and could ramble for ages about it in Odas writing, but specific to Karimis story; There's something about the fact that she hasn't mastered her devil fruit abilities. That she actively suppresses them. That the closest she's gotten to improving her control isn't even about advancing her abilities but suppressing them and their range. And she by no means has mastered haki, but the fact that the haki she can use is armament haki? And she mastered it in order to surpress her devil fruit abilities? Idk if it was on purpose but the thematics of it is PALPABLE

You hit the proverbial nail on the head. She detests her devil fruit power and definitely wouldn’t consider it a good fit herself; but honestly, it does fit her and she just refuses to accept it. She acquired it far too young, spent ten years not having to contend with it due to her grandmother keeping it at bay (for more reasons than only Karimi’s comfort and sanity; Helena honestly wasn’t keen on her granddaughter knowing about her past, she wasn’t the most peaceful pirate), and then had to contend with it again after so long barely even being aware of it. But, despite her reservations, it fits her. Many given the ultimate power of auditory espionage would use it without reservations, but she considers it a violation of privacy of the most deplorable degree, and will only use it on her own behalf as a last ditch effort when everything else fails. It’s subtle compared to most devil fruit powers, and she uses it subtly. It’s a roguish power, and the majority of her other abilities and strengths rely on stealth and agility as well rather than raw physical strength.

And as someone that constantly has their guard up in every other way possible, armament haki would end up being her strongest haki, even if she were to train in another type.

Yup, once again, nail on the head. She wants to find her father because she feels he has a right to know the truth of what happened. It was his home, too. It was her grandmother, his mother. It was everyone he knew and grew up around himself. She doesn’t know at this point if he’s even aware of what happened, if he is alive. But if he is alive, she knows she’s the only one who can tell him everything. Her opinions of her father at the moment aren’t exactly the highest; all she knows is that she ate a devil fruit, he took her to her grandmother, and she never heard from him again. There’s a little bitterness there. But she feels he deserves to know…and, to her knowledge, apart from Benn Beckman, he’s the only other family member she has left that might potentially still be alive.

I get it one hundred percent. Karimi has never really had a dream, so to speak. She didn’t know about her grandmother’s past, and by the time her grandmother died all she really remembered about her father was that he was a pirate—nothing else. Her grandmother was essentially the village elder of their town (being that it used to be her base of operations when she was still a captain, and most of her crew lived there as well), and Karimi figured that was what her life was headed for. She was content with it. She looked up to her grandmother immensely, practically hero-worshipped her, and all she wanted to do was follow in her footsteps—at least, the footsteps that she knew about. She had her suspicions as she grew older that there was more to her grandmother’s past than she was willing to share, but she didn’t care about that. She cared about Helena the Grandmother, Helena the Stoic Elder, not Helena the Siren. So that was the closest thing she ever really had to a dream. Since the village was destroyed, she’s been goal-oriented. The life she wanted was torn out from under her and she doesn’t know what she wants anymore. She hasn’t taken the time to actually consider it, because she’s been too busy following that goal, made it her reason for living on—to either find her father, or at least find out what happened to him. And she has to ensure she’s well-protected to do so, so armament haki would be a given for her.

This is difficult. She has very skewed opinions of her father. Part of her, deep in her subconscious, feels there has to be a reason her father never came back, never so much as tried to contact her. But the more time that has passed with her not knowing where he is, not knowing why or how he disappeared, that part grows ever quieter. When she first set out, those were definitely her sentiments; she blamed herself, and she was terrified others would blame her, particularly her father. For most of her first year on her own, there was still news surfacing of her father’s crew here and there, and she followed it constantly; and then it just stopped. No explanation, no definitive answer, nothing. A year passed before she met and joined the Red Hair Pirates and discovered no one had heard hide nor hair of any of the crew for around a year. Benn Beckman’s opinions of her father definitely didn’t help her own already wavering opinions. Now, ten years after she first left home, she has all but convinced herself that she honestly doesn’t care what her father thinks…but a small part of her still wants to believe that there’s a good reason for why she hasn’t heard from him in so long.

“Oh, she loves fiercely and wholly but is still guarded because she doesn't know how to let herself be loved in return after the last person that loved her died protecting her.

To be fair, her grandmother wasn’t the last person she loved. Definitely the person she loved the longest and the most dearly, but not the last. There was the two years she spent with the Red Hair pirates. Shanks essentially treated her like a daughter, from day one, from the moment he knew she was Lyon's kid. While it took a bit for Beck to trust her because of his ill will toward her father, over time he became even more fiercely protective of her than Shanks, because she reminded him far more of his sister than she reminded him of that dumbass Lyon. She came to be close with the entire crew. They were like the extended family that she never had, and she still loves them dearly. Leaving them was the hardest decision she ever made—but from the start, she had never intended to stay. She never lied about that and made it clear from day one. She needed a way to familiarize herself with a life at sea, to prepare herself before she went off on her own, because her goals were hers alone and she didn’t want to wrap anyone else up in them. She also didn’t want to get close to anyone else and risk losing anyone else she loved. She failed at the latter abysmally, because even six years later, as a mercenary with no other worldly ties, she would still call Shanks her captain if anyone asked; and she would still recognize Beck as the only living blood family that she knew for a fact she had left.

Her connection to the Red Hair Pirates was a huge part of what bonded her so quickly to Luffy. Around the exact time that Karimi lost everything at fourteen years old, was when Luffy ate his devil fruit at seven years old, when Shanks saved his life and left Foosha Village for the last time after a year of making port there. While her own path didn’t cross with Luffy’s until ten years later, they both ultimately found both a mentor and a father figure in Shanks at around the same period in time.

“Oh she keeps sacrificing herself to protect others after losing a loved one for something she blames herself for. Oh she's trying to replicate her grandmother's sacrifice for her into her own sacrifices for others, even if subconsciously. Oh she wants to honour the sacrifice and make it Worth It but can't see that her living is what makes it worth it so she's trying to sacrifice herself in turn.

This is one hundred percent. Karimi considers the past ten years of her life to be “borrowed time.” Time that, essentially, she borrowed from her grandmother, who might still be alive if Karimi had just listened and done exactly as she was told in their last moments together. She has never looked at it in any other way than that, and it makes it difficult for her to place any actual value in her own continued existence. She exists, in her own mind, solely for the sake of relaying the details of the massacre of Conch Cove to her father; and beyond that, her only reason left to live is because it would be an insult to her grandmother if she didn’t.

“Oh she resents the deal because it takes her away from her goal which she's devoted so much of herself to and what happens when she no longer can because of her year internship? What happens when you've devoted yourself to something before even knowing yourself? What's left when you can't get it?"

Ooooh, she resents the deal she made with Mihawk so much. Mihawk all but makes it clear that he intended to let Zoro live (albeit clinging to life) regardless of her deal, which makes it all the more empty. An entire year that she could have spent trying to find her father, gone. All because she got drunk and prattled off some stupid offer that this self-centered and self-serving warlord decided to take her up on. All the same, she accepts it as just being par for the course, because it’s not really like she’s made any progress at all in finding anything out over the past six years. All she managed to do was amass a fair amount of berries and belongings, the majority of which was sunk to the bottom of the ocean along with her sloop by Buggy when she failed to deliver on their contract.

As a side note there I am jonesing to write Janx when he finds out his lil bro is such a ruthless mfer, to the point that I’ve already been drafting it out. Like he’s so so proud. And Karimi is borderline homicidal about it.

"That jackass is your brother?! He destroyed the past six years of my life! He's a complete psychopath!" "I know isn't it beautiful?" twitch twitch snarl "Well, you know, if it was anyone other than you." internally screaming and ready to commit murder "In my defense I haven't seen him in twenty years." "Go fuck yourself." "Fair."

I think you did it justice. And I really, really love delving into characters’ psychologies, whether it’s my own characters or otherwise, so this has been a positively wonderful experience. I’m not familiar with the post in question, but I can picture the premise. And it definitely fits Karimi. Everything has been painted over. The life she knew with her grandmother was burned and destroyed in no more than two days. But there’s still one little star left. It’s dim, it’s barely visible, but it’s there. Maybe, amid the unending disappointments of the past decade, there might be a glimmer of hope left. Maybe, maybe, her father is still out there somewhere, and maybe he isn’t the uncaring monster that she’s secretly afraid he is.

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thenbywitch · 2 years

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we all know the post about not being able to write a poem about something because it’s too obvious and the poem is already there, about the glow-in-the-dark star on the ceiling painted over in landlord white. but the candle i was given for christmas two years ago by somebody i used to consider family melted and wrinkled in the heat this summer. you get it already

#poetry talks

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tr1shv3nt5 · 9 hours

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There's a post I think about sometimes about things that happen in your life that you can't even make a poem out of because the event or observation in question is a poem all on it's own. The example in the original post is that when the person went to an airbnb or moved into a new house or something, I can't remember; When they laid down to go to sleep on their first night, they noticed the shapes of glow in the dark stars on the ceiling painted over in landlord white.

A poem I noticed recently in my own life has to do with the fact that I'm still in contact with my ex. We're on good terms and nothing bad actually really happened between us, just our different mental illnesses clashing against each other. We've communicated that we both still love each other and that we want to stay friends but that we're probably not going to try again.

He used to call me his "strawberry girl." While we were talking the other day, we both mentioned that things had finally stopped being so tense between us after the breakup. Things have felt like it did before everything between us, back when we were friends and before things got complicated. He said things feel right, like it's supposed to be like this, and I agree.

He said something about ice cream, that he wanted ice cream. I said "Ice cream sounds good! What kind would you get?" and he said,

"Something with strawberries..."

Which could mean nothing. but there's some kind of poetry in it. At least to me, it feels like there is.

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daffodilfool · 1 year

Text

Diary Entry.

Wednesday 04-10-2023

It's spooky month

i missed the first couple days but god damnit who cares

I keep this diary for ME and MYSELF ONLY!

i had a thought this morning which i dont know how to feel about it

i find a strange comfort in knowing the last thing ill ever remember is Outer Wilds

when im 90 years old and riddled with alzheimers and dementia and i've forgotten who i am, who my friends and family are, and everything ive ever made, i will still cry when i hear the calm guitar of timber hearth and the rushing water of the geysers

theres a tumblr post i think of from time to time, while its not exactly a poem in the traditional sense i do think it would be fair to call it such

"I hate it when I can't even write a poem about something because it's too obvious. Like in the aribnb I was at I guess it used to be a kid's room cause you could see the imprint of one little glow in the dark star that had been missed and painted over in landlord white. Like that's the poem already what's the point? You get it. You get the themes. I don't have time to do it justice. Just look at it. It's on the ceiling."

[Permalink to the tumblr post]

theres a lot of stuff like this

i too have a painted over glow in the dark star in my room

well

a chunk of it

the adhesive stuck to the wall so well we couldnt get it off and the arm snapped leaving only the tip glued to the wall

i still see it through the paint sometimes and wonder if someone in the future will see it and think about it when we eventually move out of the house

fossils too

a living being from millions of years ago frozen in time, quite literally set in stone

as little as a half mandible is enough to reconstruct an entire animal and its life

the lives of those around it

here we are, millions of years later, fawning over a rock with an odd shape

we give it life

we give it personality

we study every inch of its remains all to craft a story of the unknowable world before us

part of it is pursuit of knowledge, sure

but deep down do we really ponder the past because WE want to?

or do we remember the lost souls who have slumbered within the earth for eons to keep the memory of those who are no longer with us alive

Death in life is the death of the body, yes, but so long as you've made a mark, any mark, any sign of your existance, did you ever truly die?

Outer Wilds is poetic

it drives us to find out the dreams and goals of the Nomai

and we say we do it because we want to figure out the mystery

but if it really was just that, how come i still think about Outer Wilds despite knowing everything that happened

to the Nomai

to the Hearthians

to the Owlks

I'm done with Outer Wilds

I've done everything

theres nothing more for me to learn

and yet i keep returning to the game

if for no other reason than to simply say hi to the Hearthians

and to honour the dreams of the Nomai

and to help the Prisoner move on

why is it that when i open the game i spend my first 10 minutes simply standing in the middle of the town and listen to the rushing waterfall and the soothing music

and why is it that when i hear the banjo and the crackles of the Hatchlings campfire get lit, I cry?

by the time im old

when my brain has rotted

i will be looking through everything ive ever written

everything ive ever said

ill be looking through this very diary

you wont remember me

you wont remember baba

you wont remember thyme, or ava, or nessie, or ash

you wont remember your sister, your dog, your mom or dad

you wont remember all the poems you wrote

you wont remember all the drawings you did

you wont remember all the characters you've spent so much time playing with and putting in silly situations

you wont remember the nomads

you wont remember the Janitor

but I know for a fact that whoever is taking care of you by then will put on the theme of Outer Wilds

and i know for a fact that you will remember

You'll shed a tear, and it will be the product of every piece of art you've experienced, everyone you've ever cared about, everything that has had an impact on you, molded you and changed you as a person.

In that moment, though you may not remember me, you'll know that we're still the same person.

Deep down I know you're aware that, despite everything,

I love you.

#diary #outer wilds #echoes of the eye #art #poetry #poem

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teruthecreator · 3 years

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i can't find it but you know that post that's like "what do you say after you kiss someone" "don't forget to like and subscribe" after berdly and kris kissed for the first time they both panicked and blurted that in unison. gamer love wins

hi roswell i'm finally deciding to answer this after sitting on it for like 2 weeks bc i think this idea is very good and i wanna walk it out with you.

bc like. the setup of a first kiss for these two sounds like a Nightmare. just how does one give berdly enough confidence to even make those big of moves??? kris certainly isn't going to do anything abt it. not that they can't; they just simply don't want to. they know they like berdly, and they understand that there is a definite possibility that the feelings are reciprocated. but they're not rlly a...confession person. they'd rather sit with the feelings until it withered up within them or they died (though, with berdly, it seems like the latter is becoming the more likely outcome).

but i think it would happen and i think it would be very dumb and completely unexpected. they don't go on a date together--they're not even somewhere private for christ's sake, they're seated in the living room of berdly's house bc he needs to babysit his step-sister (aka make sure she doesn't die and isn't upset) and kris wants to play Babysitting Mama on the blintendo wii just to rub the salt in berdly's prideful wounds. so now berdly is sitting with this dumbass fake baby doll as he fails miserably to rock it to sleep, meanwhile kris is laughing under their breath like the evil little bastard they are, and robin (berdly's step-sister) is matching crying-frequencies with the fake baby on the television.

berdly gets so frustrated that he Does end up chucking the baby doll at the wall and hastily storming up to the wii to snap the game disc in half (he doesn't end up doing that bc Gamestop Resale Value, but he does very angrily place the cd back into its case). kris' laughter dies down bc they can see berdly is very much tilted, but it doesn't stop them from teasing him about being so "ungentle".

"i am plenty gentle!!!" berdly squawks back, crossing his arms as his feathers puff out (a deeply-ingrained intimidation tactic that all bird monsters do). "a-and the word isn't ungentle--it's just 'not gentle'." kris points out how his step-sister would probably disagree with that slightly, which is when berdly realizes robin is still very upset. so he sighs, quickly getting to his feet so he can walk over and pick her up out of her little playpen (she's like 2 or something. very young). as much as he outwardly loathes having to deal w her, berdly is very gentle as he bounces her in his grasp and mumbles soothing words to help her calm down.

kris watches this happen and feels a completely normal amount of completely-definitely-platonic fondness swell in their chest. berdly looks up at them and nods up the stairs, indicating that he's gonna try laying her down for a nap. kris decides to follow him bc they assume the two will move into berdly's room to play something else while she naps. they watch the bird monster carefully climb up the stairs, taking extra care to not jostle the young one around in his arms too much, and then follow behind. by the time kris makes it up there, the door across from berdly's room is open just a crack, so they approach the door carefully.

robin's room is simple and neat, but still full of things that a kid her age would love. the walls are painted a soft cream color, with some small paintings of clouds scattered across the open space. the ceiling is dotted with glow-in-the-dark stars, and kris spots a few of berdly's old plushies (they know they were berdly's bc most of them are old anime stuffed animals, like those cute lil ones tiktok kids destroy on my fyp) stacked in a corner of the room with a bunch of other toys. they watch berdly (with that same sticky warm fondness rising up their esophagus--are they sick or something?) lay his step-sister down in her crib, pressing a little birdie kiss on the crown of her head as he then clicks on the baby monitor. he turns around and spots kris, giving them a small wave (so unlike his usual greeting, which is loud and bold and full of false bravado).

kris feels like they're gonna throw up.

they don't, luckily, but the feeling doesn't go away as berdly slips out of the room and faces them. it feels like kris witnessed a switch be flipped from "on" to "off" in their friend--he looks tired but content, not really attempting to make himself look bigger or be superior. as much as he complains about having a baby sister, he's taken the role of big brother quite nicely. kris can't help but fall for that.

"do you want to play super smashing fighters or something?" berdly's voice is still a bit quiet (probably due to the pair's proximity to robin's room) and it does no favors for the warmth building in kris. they feel like they're going to explode if they don't do something. impulse control has never really been their strong suit, anyhow, (it's why them and susie are such good friends--enabler to enabler communication) and their usual no-emotions-necessary attitude is crumbling under the intense urge to do anything to rid themselves of this awful, wonderful feeling.

they manage to nod as their grip on sensibility loosens, and berdly smiles brightly (as best as he can with a beak, but kris has learned to pick up on other ways that show his happiness. like how he puffs his chest out, or how his eyes crinkle at the ends. or how a faint hum buzzes from the back of his throat and--jesus almighty what is wrong with them) and they finally snap when they're both standing in front of berdly's door, berdly facing away from kris as he opens the door and waits for kris to step inside.

this is when the misunderstanding happens.

you see, kris stands there too long. they're too busy staring at berdly and asking their brain you want me to do what now for them to even notice the door being opened. and, well, berdly's just trying to be polite! but when kris doesn't immediately step past him to enter, he gets confused. so he turns his head to ask kris if they're alright--

--just as kris leans forward to press a kiss to berdly's cheek.

and now they're kissing.

like, kissing kissing. not a cute lil peck on the check; no, this is full on mouth-to-beak contact. and neither of them really expected it, so when it happens they both freeze. their eyes are also both blown wide open, so they can watch the embarrassment rise on each other's faces. once berdly's brain kickstarts to life, he manages to pull away (more like "jerk his head back so fast he bangs it into the door and nearly collapses", but i digress). leaving the two to just...stare at each other.

an incredibly long pause follows the kiss. neither are sure what to say. should kris apologize? should they explain what they were intending to do? what can of worms would that open? meanwhile, berdly's brain is short-circuiting on the fact that--after fantasizing about making his move and wooing his human friend into falling in love with him, bestowing on them a wonderful first kiss in some grand display of affection--this was how their first kiss was. how his first kiss was! after a moment of playing any improvisers worst game: "Who Is Going To Initiate This Fucking Scene?" they both open their mouths in unison and squeak out:

"don't forget to like and subscribe!"

then they stare at each other, unable to believe that that also just happened, and immediately burst into laughter. it's enough of a breather that berdly doesn't feel too weird when kris finally moves around him to enter his room, their arms brushing past each other in a way that gives kris goosebumps and makes berdly's soul practically rattle around in his chest, and he just hopes he can keep his heartrate to a minimum during his intense gaming battle with his rival-to-friend-to-lover(...?).

#deltarune #berdkris #krerdly #kerdly #berdly #berdly deltarune #kris dreemurr #kris deltarune #ignorance cloud on #(banging two pans together) WAKE UP BERDKRIS NATION AUNTY MICH HAS SOME NEW CONTENT FOR YOU #anyways THANK YOU ROSWELL i loved this idea the second u sent it which is why i waited until my brain Sorta functioned to type it out #also yes i used a lot of my own berdly family hc in this post. fuck you. its my city.#i think berdly should have a little stepsister whom he pretends to hate but is actually smitten w bc shes so little and cute #he's a good big brother!!!!!!!#in conclusion: your mother.

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samstree · 3 years

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for the drabble thing: “you weren’t there”

maybe post mountain geraskier? i’m in an angsty mood rn but whatever you wanna write will be good :)

Creatures of the Night (2)

It's the night of Jaskier and Valdo's wedding. Geralt needs to do something.

(endgame geraskier, background valdo/jaskier, angst, infidelity)

Previous | AO3

The Oxenfurt Observatory might just be the grandest building in Redania.

The great hall is decorated with countless flowers and candles, giving the ancient walls a soft glow. Through the tall glass ceiling, stars are shining in the clear night sky, the perfect weather for a wedding.

It must be Jaskier’s idea, to be handfasted at midnight, to have his guests slow-dance under the moon and the stars until dawn breaks. Their new life will begin when the candles burn out and the first ray of light spills into the room.

If only there’s a competition for the biggest romantic on the continent. Jaskier could win without breaking a sweat.

The room is being filled up with guests—mostly bards and professors, old schoolmates of the two grooms. After all, both Valdo and Jaskier are Oxenfurt’s children, which means everyone is dressed in the most colorful clothes one could imagine. In another word, the room is being filled up with Jaskiers, and it’s getting loud.

It’s more difficult to locate the bard himself through the din of the room, but Geralt hears him, unmistakably. Jaskier’s heartbeat approaches the Observatory, thrumming with nervousness.

No more nervous than Geralt.

He breathes in, and exits the room in a few strides. And there Jaskier is, surrounded by pale moonlight, with jasmine flowers braided into his hair and pure joy painted across his cheeks. He seems to be murmuring a private joke to Essi, and they both burst into strings of giggles.

Geralt almost backs out.

“Geralt!” Jaskier notices him. “You came! I was worried for a moment.”

“Of course.” Geralt gestures to the outfit he helped pick out. “You look nice.”

“Thank you. Now, Poppet, can you give us a few moments?” Jaskier sends Essi inside with the sweetest smile. She shoulders past Geralt a little too curtly. There’s always an air of wariness whenever Essi regards Geralt, an untrusting side-eye here and there.

“Don’t mind her.” Jaskier waves when they are left alone. “Little Eye is a tad too protective. She’ll get over it.”

“Hmm.” Geralt swallows hard. “Can we find somewhere more private? I want to talk to you.”

Jaskier blinks, but leads them away anyway until they are by the side of the road, the celebrating crowd and the orange glow of candlelight in the distance.

“Here to make sure I end up someone else’s problem, aren’t you? Don’t worry, in about half an hour, I will be legally required to only bother Valdo for the rest of eternity.” Jaskier nudges Geralt in the shoulder, a jasmine slipping by his ear.

Geralt rights it without thinking, his fingers trembling.

Gods, he can’t say it. He can’t. Jaskier is so happy and Geralt will only ruin their friendship. His second chance is too precious to be risked—

“No, actually,” Geralt heaves out a breath, his heart pounding. “The opposite."

Jaskier snorts, “And, my dear witcher, what is the opposite?”

Here it goes.

“I am in love with you.”

The words sink into the silence. Geralt’s world narrows down to the steady rise and fall of Jaskier’s chest and the little hitch in his breathing. In the darkness of the night, Jaskier’s eyes stay in the shadows, his emotions obscured.

“No, you are not.” When he finally answers, it comes out in a snort. “Ha! A good one, Geralt! And they say witchers don’t have a sense of humor, idiots!”

Jaskier lets out another dry laugh, although the waver in his voice betrays everything.

“I am,” Geralt stresses again, “in love with you, Jaskier.”

Jaskier is staring, the upturn of his lips freezing into shock, the rise and fall of his chest picking up into a frenzy and suddenly he’s breathing too fast. “You can’t. You just can’t…” Air seems to trap in his lungs and a salty tang of tears hits Geralt full-force.

“I wish I couldn’t love, like what they say, but Jaskier, I can and I do—”

“You can’t do this to me!” Jaskier shouts, crying openly. “No, no! You don’t get to tell me this now! We had twenty years…”

Geralt wants more than anything in the world to pull Jaskier into his arms and wipe away the tears, but the space between them is too great. “I didn’t know for twenty years, Jask. Forgive me. It was only after the mountain that I learned how important you were to me. I couldn’t go on like this—”

“The mountain?” Jaskier chokes out a whimper. “You realized after the mountain? You mean when I bared my heart to you and you stomped on it like it was nothing?”

Geralt shakes his head, the guilt constricting his chest. “I’m sorry. For all the pain I caused you.”

“For months I thought I was but a mistake to you, that you hated me for two decades and couldn’t wait to cast me aside like dirt stuck on your shoes. Do you even know… Geralt, do you have an ounce of idea what I went through?”

Jaskier sways and Geralt catches him in his arms, placing his head on his shoulders and feeling the uncontrollable shakes running down Jaskier’s spine. The sight of Jaskier hurt because of him, again, pains Geralt more than any monster’s claws or talons.

“I love you, Jaskier,” he vows. “You were never nothing to me. You are everything. I was an idiot. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Jaskier struggles and swats at his shoulders and Geralt takes it all the while murmuring more sweet nothings into his ear. Finally, when Jaskier calms down, it’s with another whimper. “You are an idiot.”

“I am.” Geralt cradles the nape of Jaskier’s neck, running his thumb in circles, soothing the last of the trembling away. “Just one word from you, Jask, I can take you away. You don’t have to marry him. Just give me the word and I’m yours. Gods, I’ve waited for so long for this day. At last, I’m sure of my heart, just as I’m sure of yours.”

He buries into Jaskier’s hair and inhales the grief and the flowers, and something that is distinctly Jaskier, expecting a whispered plea. Just one word from Jaskier and they can start their new life together.

What he doesn’t expect is the way Jaskier goes stiff in his arms and the hand that pushes him away.

The soft moonlight catches a glint in Jaskier’s eyes, and it speaks of determination. “Valdo,” he says, as if in a dream.

“You don’t have to marry him. We can lea—”

“Valdo will be here soon.” Jaskier sniffles and wipes at his tears frantically. His whole face is puffy from crying and there’s no way he can hide it. “It’s almost midnight.”

Geralt’s world comes to a stop.

“What?”

“Get inside, and don’t say anything about this.”

“I don’t understand. Jask, you don’t need to go through this anymore. I’ll give you anything you ask. Just say the words, please,” he begs for the first time in a century, catching Jaskier’s hand.

“I am saying it. Get inside. Sit in the back row and don’t speak to me. Valdo might be able to tell.” With a few deep breaths, Jaskier school his features back to neutral. “Only the gods know how he can read me like an open book.”

Geralt’s blood runs cold. “Do you love him?”

The anguish by the corner of Jaskier’s lips says everything. It remains as he smiles a crooked smile. “He loves me. Oh, Geralt, he loves me. I can’t hurt him like this.”

“I thought,” Geralt looks down in shame. “I thought I knew your heart.”

“I thought I did too.”

“Then why?”

“You weren’t there,” Jaskier shrugs like it’s the easiest explanation. “He was.”

Despite every cell in Geralt’s body screaming against it, he nods and lets go of Jaskier’s hand, allowing his limp fingers to slip from his grasp at last.

Jaskier has asked it of him after all.

He doesn’t know how he got back into the crowd, the warm light only a blur in his vision. Another group is stopping near the hall, among them is the other groom-to-be. Valdo’s worried voice when he sees Jaskier is another blow to Geralt’s chest.

“Oh, Julian, are you crying?”

“Just…too happy.”

There’s the sound of kissing, and Geralt can’t tune it out. He laughs at himself for the masochistic tendencies, but maybe he deserves the torture.

“No more tears. Let’s get married, my love.”

The guests settle, and the music begins.

The happy couple walks towards the altar in the witness of family and friends, and Geralt watches every moment of it.

If the smile on Jaskier’s face is a bit strained as the priest ties the ribbon, no one seems to notice.

---

A big thanks to anon for the prompt! I asked for some one-word or one-sentence prompts and the next thing I knew they were connecting into a whole story.

Each chapter of this story will be based on a prompt, so send in one if you want to steer it in certain directions ;)

Tagging: @wanderlust-t @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @kitcatkim3 @endless-whump @rey-a-nonbinary-bisexual @llamasdumpsterfire @dapandapod

Please feel free to tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3

#geraskier #geraskier fic #angst #background valdo/jaskier #geralt x jaskier #weddnings #unrequited love #requited unrequited love #valdo marx #endgame geraskier #ignore the fact that glass ceilings weren't a thing back then #also 'Oxenfurt Observatory' looks so nice

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capricioustenets · 2 years

Text

A Gambling Troll: Part 1

chimericArchitect

Aaaannd sent! One wretched .zip file full of incriminating selfies and inflammatory sneak-shots, a collection of and testament to the months-long labor she is finally bringing to a close. Even deep as she's gone into their systems and their lives, choosing to do something so direct and confrontational... it brews up a pot of anxiety in her cool cucumber chest. Surely though, none could debate the presence of the pointed humor her lovingly-selected photographs contain.

((RP logs for Grand's current plot with chimericArchitect are under the cut! Please be advised, this is a long fucking post. Enjoy!))

Perched atop the back of the enormous cushioned 'throne' sits Saness, swinging her legs over the spine of it and looking distantly through the slanted glass, her back to the room and pulpit. Her mind is far away as the stars, thumbing over feelings and emotions that have since gone cool and numb. It's a beautiful thing, this glass, touching all the room in its luminous stain. Holiness. It feels like the color could seep right into her soul, if only she could learn how to let it in. The scenes themselves are easy enough to understand, things she could parse even if she hadn't spent so long studying them all. The Twain. The path. Colors and blood. Grand. Signless. The Makara descendant. Wings. The meteors.

Her hair hangs loose around her shoulders, waves magicked a dark black that doesn't bleed the light as well as her froth of white would have. It shifts when she yawns, all alone now that her 'friends' have left to sleep. She feels very small, perched up there. She hopes Prediger doesn't see her message too soon; she wants to stare at young Gamzee's smiling face a bit longer, idolized as he is in glowing white and black. It doesn’t look very much like any Gamzee she knows, but largely, her mind is wandering. It's all feelings in her chest and very little concrete thought, the majority of her attention fixated rather firmly on the security bugs she'd spiked their systems with, waiting for her cue to abandon ship... but not before she has her chance to rub it in Prediger's smunky face.

Trolls shackled to the pews behind her weep and babble softly, cursed by the hue of their blood to suffer in this otherwise quiet place, as if she'd needed some solemn reminder not to enjoy the view too much. She's had a lot of practice ignoring the troubled warmbloods though; neither their miserable voices nor the smell of their blood on the walls reach across the gated bridge in her pusher.

They are the living sadness of this place. Scenery that begs to be ignored. She could relate, she guesses... Now that she has no purpose here, maybe she ought to spend this time inflicting her morality on this place, untethering the wounded and whisking them away in a shock of light. A little impromptu rescue-kidnapping, to properly burn the bridge in her wake.

It is as this debate worms its way back up through her resistant mind that Saness is interrupted, still swinging her feet with that faraway look of contemplation steeped into the canvas of her paint.

capriciousTenament

Somewhere else on the ship, a chief Investigaterror grumbles and reaches for his phone, wondering who the hell is messaging him at this hour when he is supposed to be settling down to sleep. A bleary eye looks at the zip file, sent from someone he knows is not of this universe, and he barely restrains a low growl.

Time to see what the fuck that's all about, he supposes.

However our attention isn't on the greasy man with prank problems.

The Grand Highblood is restless. He should be sleeping himself, by now, but his mind is too full of racing thoughts. His dreams have been so consumed by his wiggler lately, perhaps... Perhaps soon. He wants it to be soon.

He lies in bed, staring up at the colors on his ceiling and the light passing through his own personal stained window, before a sudden decision has him swinging his legs out and standing with a long stretch.

He needs to pray. The glass in the throne room is the best place to be, right now. Standing in front of his wiggler's angelic face. Watching his smile. Maybe that will settle his thoughts. He throws on a clerical robe over his thin underarmor and begins his solemn march down to the cathedral.

Upon arrival, he's greeted with the sight of the smaller clown who has come here for much the same purpose. Perched on the back of his throne, staring out at the galaxy they're passing through. There's only a moment of thought before he grins a wicked grin, pulls out a bike horn, and walks quieter than anyone his size has the right to walk.

HONK.

chimericArchitect

Try as he might to beat a proper flight-or-fight response into his spade, Ringleader’s response lessons have a harder time sticking than some of the other ones. In truly dramatic fashion, the young clown on the throne sucks in a breath and squishes away from the sudden sound with the tense speed of a startled octopus, losing her balance, teetering forward and then sharply overcorrecting toward her dorsal end. Saness falls heel over horn into the seat of the throne, bouncing once upon the cushion with a thuff and a sharp fart, then settling into it with the continuous sound of a slow fffppfpffpfeeee as she lays there akimbo on the seat - where a whoopee cushion had been hidden in wait of the Grand enormous ass.

She doesn't immediately move into a position of greater dignity, staring alarmed and bewildered up through the frame of her knees toward what little she can see of the other person in the room. What... just happened? This is a stupid angle, the arm and back of the comfy chair blotting out most of her sight, but she definitely sees the color of clownly purple in the fabric of their dress - that's enough to spawn understanding. Little hands cover her mouth to stifle her near-silent laughter, eyes crinkled to the absurdity of it all. Clowns are so stupid. A jumpscare? At this hour? Here??

Of course here. Of course at this hour. Of course a jumpscare. Forgetting for a moment to attend to her security feed, Saness waits in the too-big seat like the prize her tumble has become. A good little clown, a giggling prankster's treat, patient for the victor's delight.

capriciousTenament

The laughter comes nearly immediately, a delighted sound even as muffled as it is coming through stitched lips. It only gets louder and more wheezing as the fart sound slowly peters out. The old, tall clown comes around the throne at a leisurely pace. His eyes are sparkling with mischief, a wicked grin stretching the stitches. He's still holding the horn, proof of his victory over the startled little clown in his seat.

There he is, in all his glory. Not as tall as her Aeshma, quite a bit leaner. The resemblance in the face is there, though. His cloud of hair is tied back with a purple ribbon, and it poofs out behind him in a massive tangled ponytail. Once she's seen him, and once she's seen the silver horn in his hand, it poofs back into his sylladex and he raises his hands to sign at her.

{good morning little sister.}

chimericArchitect

"Uh- oh, uh-"

The Grand himself. She's seen him around plenty of times while she's been working here, and came uncomfortably close to an interaction once or twice, but- they're all alone right now, right?

Overcoming the additional surprise of seeing Him, Saness rights herself (less than gracefully) and winds up sitting cross-legged on his throne cushion, hands on her shins, where she has a quick peek around to see if they truly are alone. No armed guard… Her attention comes back to rest on the man addressing her, soaking him in. There is a stark contrast between them. She, small, cast in the shadow of the chair below. He, large, bathed in the broken light above... He's very pretty with his hair pulled back like that, she thinks. Rather fetching. It accentuates the sharpness of his features, the shallower lines over familiar bones. ...He could be due for a bit of brushing. Saness studies him a moment longer, then laughs again very softly. Circumstance is the touch of divinity. This may as well happen.

{Good morning, big brother. You gave me quite the fright!}

She pantomimes her pusher thump-thump-popping right out of her chest for a silly bit of extra flair, palms immediately falling back to her ankles afterward to patiently await his reply. Etiquette! Even outwardly though, Saness seems expectant - almost voraciously curious, very openly interested in his person. Some of her hair is caught over her horn, but she either doesn't notice or doesn't care.

capriciousTenament

A soft snort as she rights herself, and he looks at her almost as curiously as she's looking at him. He doesn’t recognize her, that’s for certain, but with a flock as large as his he’s sure to miss a face here or there. There is fondness in his expression, even without recognition. He likes the smaller clowns of his congregation. Those not yet hardened by their eternal crusade, the kind who still dramatically fall off chairs when he honks at them. It reminds him, often, of his own clumsy little self.

{pratfalls are one of comedy's finest gifts ta the masses, sister. ain't no troll i know what wouldn't get a chuckle outta a good faceplant. sorry for interruptin your reflections or prayers. seems like a good light for them at least.}

He reaches down, once he's done signing at her. Offers her a hand back to her feet with a soft smile. His hair really could use a brush.

chimericArchitect

She takes his hand with a nod that acknowledges his sentiment and allows herself to be pulled upright, a firm and confident touch in his. It's strange how warm his skin feels, but a helping hand deserves a friendly squeeze. It's kind of a rule, to her at least. She takes the liberty of propping herself up on his palm for just a moment extra, stepping spritely up onto the arm of his chair before releasing her tiny grip. There is care in the way she keeps her claws from prickling at his skin.

Now that she's standing upright it is clear that Saness is nearly the same height as Naxmyr, but her features are a bit harder and longer. Their eyes are similar in their round and friendly way, but other than that the only commonality remaining between them lies in the bell-like rubber goose energy they both contain. Saness's thoughts are wistfully on what he has said on his blog, amused by the Grand's encouraging speech. Wrigglers and chests puffed with charming pride, right? He chooses to take the sting out of his little victories and encourage his younger family.

Is that what brings him here, all rumpled and restless?

{There aren't many with heads so heavy. What is it that has brought you here, at an hour such as this?}

capriciousTenament

He gives her another little smile as she perches on the arm of his throne. It's so much easier to make eye contact now that she's anywhere near his height. His own energy has softened, from the amusement of a prank gone well to a thoughtfulness covered by his smile.

At her signed words, he sighs softly, and his gaze travels past her to the window himself. There's a long moment as he watches the slowly passing galaxies behind his descendant's likeness before he turns his attention back to the little clown.

{sleep is coming hard this light. too many busy thoughts whirling in my pan. thought i'd come down here and do some prayer and reflection of my own, see if i can't calm the racing a bit.}

A small gesture toward the window with the grubling. {when i get caught up thinking about his coming it is hard to settle my pan.}

chimericArchitect

Saness is reluctant to stare into his eyes overmuch and tends to deflect to the bridge of his nose, the paint on his cheekbone, his ear... The eye-contact she makes is sparing, patient, and studious.

She turns when he turns, to watch what he watches. Gamzee. Resplendent. Joyous. Her eye is more often drawn to the elder representative, with his meteors and his wings. No Gamzee she has known... has ever been so lucky, as to be happy. He is the sign of a coming, but hardly the source.

And in the end, it's just glass. Strange how much it aches.

Saness is quiet beyond her apparent sweeps, taking the time to choose gentle words. {What was it like? Adding his face to the glass.}

capriciousTenament

He turns to her, when he's done talking. Patiently waiting for her to sign in return, as she clearly seems to prefer it. And the quiet is nice, he thinks, for a light like this. Only broken briefly by joviality.

It's strange how much quieter the chained trolls are, when he is present. No one wants to draw his notice.

The question she finally asks brings his smile down, a bit. It makes him solemn. Wistful, perhaps? He looks back at the figure of his coming descendant, this time similarly focused on the angelic rendition. He'd heard the words so many times. Asked for clarity and was told his descendant's paint. Told that the boy will share his curls, his horns, his face... Told that his descendant will be the end of the universe and the beginning of everything that comes after.

{...never before him has there been so clear and descriptive a prophecy. i do not see, i only listen when my messiahs speak but the description has always been achingly close to my pusher.}

A slow breath, hands still raised to continue his sentence.

{you know, most stained glass before i took the throne was historical. like the first three there. but i wanted him there. i wanted him to know how important he is, and how excited i am to finally meet him. i know it's a lot of weight.} Another solemn sigh. {mayhaps i wanted the rest of my bretheren ta be as excited as i am. but i will be there for him every damn step he takes on his righteous journey. i will help him with whatever weight i can.}

chimericArchitect

Soft, damnable pusher, breaking in inches with every weighted sigh that bleeds out of the Grand. It's too easy to relate to, the act of waiting for a fantasy. Only she knows that the rug won't stay under his feet. Is it guilt she's feeling? Knowing too much. Lying to him, pretending not to know how this story ends. It is NOT with a family reunion.

It's loneliness, isn't it? Steadfast impatience, eating away at him. No quadrants.No proper friends. No equals. All his hopes, the culmination of his faith pinned on a troll that hasn't yet hatched. The Grand is in pain, because he is alone, and when his little descendant finally arrives, he won't have to be alone anymore. The only things he is allowed to have... are his gods, and his heir.

Saness... hesitates. She wishes, with all her heart, to be able to offer him some sort of comfort in this moment. To lie to him. 'He will be loved.' 'He's lucky to have you.' 'Gamzee won't be alone, as you are.' Is it obvious to him, the way it's obvious to her? He'll give it all for that little phantom.

...She is staring at him. Burdened by his burden. All the while keeping tabs on security. What could she say that won't inevitably turn to poison when she wounds this clown's pump?

{What kind of romantic do you think he will be? The poetic type?} There is a pause, as she tries not to be too obviously sad, but her hands are still up to continue speaking. {I think... he will be good at pratfalls.}

Her hands stay up a little longer, then slowly fall.

capriciousTenament

He meets her eyes again, as she signs. The first sentence gets a soft smile from him, at the thought of his descendant being romantic. Poetic. He was never really good with words himself, not until he started learning how to preach. Even that took so many, many sweeps of practice. Dedication. And some help, here and there. Something else pangs in his pusher for a moment, but it's a much, much older wound.

But then the second sentence gets this... Smile, from him. Not the kindly smile of a mentor, or the dark smile of a commander. For just a moment, you can see the younger troll beneath his paint, the Kurloz who favored Comedy, the boy who joined the circus. There is mirth in his face, and a happy chuckle rumbles up and out of him.

{he'll take after me, then. i can't wait ta throw a pie in his motherfuckin face and get one right back.}

chimericArchitect

{Oh, you know he'd love that.}

Nimble in soft harem pants, Saness hops back up to perch atop Grand's throne, only juuusst taller than him. Now her silhouette causes a break in the light, teal on a coil of hair, jade on a shoulder. Her legs swing again, very lightly.

{What's the most ambitious prank you've ever pulled? He's gotta have some big clown shoes to fill.}

capriciousTenament

He comes around the side of the throne, now. Leaning on the back of it near her, the comedic smile not quite faded from his face.

{most ambitious prank? i roped in some a my best heavy lifters and some equipment, back on alternia when not everyone lived in the church so we could get away with the noise. shuttered the windows, and it took all light, but the motherfuckin faces when my churchgoers walked in and saw the whole inside of the cathedral upside down...}

He can't stop his own chuckling, but it doesn't mean he can't sign. {had straps ta hold me, the clergenerals, and the calliopist in place. i were purple in the face both from hangin and from laughin at the shock of everyone lookin up at me.}

chimericArchitect

She laughs when he does, easily coaxed by the sincerity of his chuckling. It hurts, though. She didn't expect it to do that. The prank he chose as his most ambitious is so benign that it physically burns against the malice she brought into his home, and her laughter peters out too soon.

This Grand is very much not like her Aeshma.

She smiles through the window, and then down at her boots.

"You are a very funny clown."

capriciousTenament

There's a moment of sincere surprise when she speaks aloud. Big smile. He mimes honking his nose and tips her an exaggerated wink.

And then his gaze travels back to the window again. He feels strangely better now. A bit of comedy to lift the pan out of melancholy, that's what he needed. He's glad there was someone here, he thinks to himself.

{glad to hear my charm ain't run thin quite yet. next big prank i pull will be on fishbitch's ship, you mark my motherfuckin words. i'm thinkin confetti cannons, silly string, or some glitterbombs.}

chimericArchitect

What a charmer, all silly and surprised... She wonders what his stitches are made of, and how he eats. Does someone help him with his hair? Is a warm block better, or a cold one?

The way he looks out the window seems different now. Or is she imagining it? His posture looks easier...

Maybe she'll be alone again soon.

{...I'm a bit of a fan of glitter myself, though you know it would irritate the gills.}

...

...Should she ask? If he feels any better? Maybe she should like, yawn. Coward.

She yawns.

capriciousTenament

{yeah well. she deserves a little gill irritation sometimes.}

The yawn gets his attention, and he yawns in return which looks remarkably silly on his stitched face.

{tired, sister? i am still not quite ready for rest myself. want to stay here baskin in color a while longer.}

chimericArchitect

Uhh...

Guess that won't work then.

Slowly, Saness shakes her head no and goes back to staring out the window.

{I guess I'm not quite ready to leave either.}

capriciousTenament

{what's got you in such a contemplative mood, sister?}

Curiosity piqued, he arches an eyebrow at her. A lot of his attention remains on the stained glass still, however.

Somewhere, Prediger is staring disbelievingly at the pictures he's been sent. There is rage boiling in his blood. He gets dressed as quick as he can, and starts a quick march to the security office, calling the clown on duty as he walks. Nothing on Saness's side yet, but the lockdown process is soon to begin.

chimericArchitect

Saness pauses again. The smartest thing to do would be to lie... but would that be the kindest thing?

...Do big shitty joke-missions have room for kindness? Saness runs her thumb over a narrow scar on her knuckles, then watches the Grand, close enough to touch. He has a strong profile. It catches the light of his fixation well.

She hadn't expected to like him and had been very careful about not catching his attention or his ire... but he's actually very silly, and very warm. He must have started out kind. Is that where she's going?

Saness looks briefly over her shoulder at the dead and the dying that remain in the pews, and cannot bring herself to sigh.

{It might ruin the mood if I brought it up now.}

capriciousTenament

The next look back at her is one of near-worry. A little church sister having a bad night, and what does he do but burden her with all of his nonsense. Really now, Kurloz. The leader of the church pouring problems onto someone who couldn't even be a tenth his age.

So the brows get more furrowed, and he reaches up to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. It's steady, and big, and he's not as careful about his claws as she is, but the gesture is certainly not unkind. If allowed, he will rest his hand there for a long moment before taking it back to sign at her.

{if a big motherfucker like me can burden you with my own buzzin thoughts about the future, a big motherfucker can also listen and help a sister out if it's somethin that can be helped.}

chimericArchitect

What a surprise... that he would be the one to initiate contact. She'd resisted the urge to do the same for him earlier... Saness doesn't shy away from the touch, though it rushes her pulse with adrenaline and slowly twists her up the longer it stays. What could he be thinking, behind those eyes? His hand is so heavy, brow weighted to match; he must think she's some sort of troubled wriggler, which is...

Ugh, she's going to hurt his *feelings.*

{What do you think Messiahs want us to do, when they speak to us in chance?}

capriciousTenament

He hums to himself. The sound of it hints at what would have been a lovely baritone voice, not as deep as Aeshma's. It's a bit crackly from underuse. He takes a moment to choose his words.

{it depends. a gamble will always be a gamble, but if it is a matter of faith then i think messiahs will always want your trust in their outcomes.}

chimericArchitect

...Well. That part is easy. She doesn't really believe that the sphere of her gods' influence is truly so broad, but faith is to look for the strokes and attribute it to them anyway. To make those strokes into a gift, perhaps.

Whatever the outcome, pray that it be funny.

{I like that answer. I think it fits with where my own thoughts are at. Are you more of a gambling troll, or not?}

capriciousTenament

{depends on what im gambling i suppose. i don’t mind a bet here and there but i don't like puttin anythin important in the line a fire.}

Like his family, or their future. He glances back at the window, at the fiery rain, for a moment.

chimericArchitect

A nod. Saness follows his gaze... and Wonders. It's a clingy emotion, a feeling oozing into her subconscious more than anything. Their Future, huh...

{...I tend to think of myself as someone who doesn't really like to take many risks, but it seems like I keep looking back and realizing 'oh, that was much bigger than it seemed at the start.' Did you have a lot of moments like that when you were younger?}

capriciousTenament

A small snort, and a nod. He was such a little shit when he was a kid.

{oh all the motherfuckin time. got myself into loads of trouble. you take a big gamble, sister?}

chimericArchitect

Fuck dude, you could say that. It's almost funny on its own, sitting here, knowing what she's about to do, looking right at him from a foot away.

{I am, yeah. You see, this guy made me really mad. He has a whole attitude, and he's sooo superior - he insulted something I care a lot about. Normally I'm a bit of a pushover, but this time...}

Saness shrugs.

{I decided that I wanted to knock him down a peg. It's probably a bit excessive, because...}

Saness pauses again. Glances at Grand's eyes, looks away. Swipes her palms over her thighs and kicks her foot in an awkward fidget, then looks at the Grand again. This is stupid. She's so stupid. He's going to think she's stupid.

capriciousTenament

The focus has shifted again. Away from the stained glass and toward the little clown. He’s no stranger to listening to problems from his flock. When it’s clear she needs a bit of prompting, he does so.

{because?}

chimericArchitect

She makes a little face at him, screwing up her mouth distastefully.

{Because what if I hurt somebody else I didn't mean to hurt in the process?}

capriciousTenament

...A pause. A solemn nod at her.

{i know the feelin of wantin someone knocked down. the rush you get when a motherfucker gets whats COMIN. but it's all too easy ta lose sight of those who might be nearby when all you can see is red. have you hurt someone else?}

chimericArchitect

The question weighs heavy on her. Only a particularly keen eye would interpret the solemnity of her being as anything more directed than a general mournful air, but... the way she looks at him...

{I will soon. It has become inevitable. So maybe all I can do now is mitigate it.}

capriciousTenament

...The lockdown has begun. There are no loud alarms. No one would want to alert a spy that they'd been found, to give them any notice before they're trapped like a rat. But with her hook into the security system she can see the moment that all the outside connections blink off, she can see the transportalizer network shutting down. She still has her backdoor entry into their systems for now. Prediger must be making the best face. She’s seen the way he grimaces when he’s upset, like he just licked something so bitter it hurts.

The Grand is keen of eye, certainly, but he has a bit of a blind spot when it comes to himself. Why would anyone care if they hurt him of all trolls? But there's something about her stare that makes him wonder, even so.

{i think that's for the best, sister.}

chimericArchitect

"I-"

Her eyes widen just a fraction, like something has startled her, or perhaps like she's had some kind of epiphany.

...That's her cue. Saness really needs to run. The original plan had been to watch security so she could take some choice footage of Prediger's fury, or to somehow lure him to her location so she could take one last asinine picture together--

But she's been so caught up in this conversation, she didn't... do... that.

Saness uncaptchalogues her palmhusk. Little booted heels press against the back of the throne as she opens the camera app.

"Would you take a selfie with me?" Her arm sticks out as far as it will go, so they both appear on the tiny screen. "Make a funny face."

capriciousTenament

He nods, and leans in. She can get them both in frame easy enough. He even scrunches his nose up a little and crosses his eyes for her. He can do that, to cheer her up a bit.

chimericArchitect

Snap. The device is immediately drawn back to her person so she can examine the captured image, held in such a way that he can see too, if he wants. The technology of the device is not particularly local in design, though who knows if he's tech-savvy enough to catch that. Probably not. In the photo itself, the lighting is inconsistent, but very pretty. She's got a scrunched wink, her tongue out, and a peace sign to accompany his crossed eyes and scrunched nose. They look pretty stupid.

"Nice." She closes the camera app and opens the gallery, tinier thumbnails on the already tiny screen. "Do you want to see some funny pictures I took? They're all of the guy I was one-upping."

capriciousTenament

He is definitely looking. The faces make him smile a wistful sort of smile. At her question though, he nods.

{oughtta get at least a little fun out of it, right?}

He's squinting at the thumbnails a little. He might be getting older but his eyesight is still as sharp as ever.

chimericArchitect

She opens the first picture, leaping straight off the cliff that overlooked her safety.

It's a picture of a group of trolls on Grand's ship, not particularly clear nor ambitious regarding her target. It could have been anyone.

"When I first got here, I was really very careful. Studious, too. The whole thing was something petty I was doing to make myself feel better; he was the butt of a private joke, and that's all it really was."

The next picture is more clearly of Prediger, but still taken from pretty far away. He's not even doing his job, it's just a crowded area he happened to be in.

"I didn't even think to start taking pictures until a bit later-- I only sent him my favorites, just this light."

She's swiping without lingering too long on each image, trying not to talk like she's in too much of a hurry, but it's hard to control the pacing when she's falling equipped with such a fragile parachute. The next picture is of Prediger mostly alone, then closer, then while he's clearly busy, and then they become condescending. She starts starring in the photos, pretending to pinch his coat when he walks, putting weird stuff in front of his mouth when he yawns, and being a generally disrespectful nuisance. There's a lot of photos, based on the sea of thumbnails from before... and each one she's shown him seem to be from different times, different dates.

"He never caught me," smugness lives in the words, satisfaction in the power of the deed mingling with this... pressure to fill Grand in, to mitigate the harm, "it started to be like, 'what will it take before he notices?', but he never did, it kept getting bigger and the ramifications less pleasant, and..."

It's a lot of talking all at once, after sitting in such silence. Saness abruptly slows back down, lowering her palmhusk to her lap. She looks at the window before them, expressionless and mild.

"I came here tolight to say farewell to this place. I would've liked to hear the calliope in person though."

capriciousTenament

The Grand watches. Taking in each photo with keen eyes. Prediger. She had a grudge against Prediger.

He's entirely silent, as she shows him her crimes. As she shows him that she's been sneaking around the church, managing to take pictures of one of his top ranking clergenerals without his knowledge. His face has gone stony, and the color of his eyes has just begun to deepen toward red when the phone finally falls.

The pieces have clicked. No wonder he didn't recognize her. He's still looking at her with just-tinged-orange eyes as she stares at the stained glass in front of them both.

In contrast to his obviously rising anger, his signing is still as fluid and calm as before.

{thank you for mitigating. i'd like ta ask a few more questions somewhere a little more private, if that's alright.}

chimericArchitect

Her focus is drawn to his face, looking between his dangerous eyes and his words, blinking slowly.

What kind of response is that?

...This Grand really isn't like anyone else she knows. She doesn't know him at all.

Saness doesn't sign in response, nor does she speak. She merely nods her unblinking acquiescence, just once, and her phone disappears back into her sylladex. There's really nothing to it.

capriciousTenament

He nods at her, and offers a hand out towards one of the doors of the cathedral.

...Right as the main door is pushed open and a greasy troll, still purple in the ears with his anger, comes skidding in.

"sir, there has been an incident-"

..............The Grand takes one look at his face and cannot hold back the slowly rising laughter.

{this incident?} He signs, and gestures toward Saness with a grin on his face.

chimericArchitect

Just about to hop off the chair and head in the direction Grand indicated, Saness flinches when the great double doors are thrown open behind her, the urgency of the voice--

Prediger.

She looks over her shoulder at the same time that Grand turns, the alarm in her eyes already dialed back to smug disgust by time she sees the color in his ears. Look at him, skidding in on his shoes in such a tizzy, clammed up in such apparent shock and fury... Good.

She turns fully around atop the throne, swinging her legs up over the side to properly face Prediger while Grand laughs, introduced as his little pet incident. Her eyes narrow at Prediger in grim satisfaction. 'The Incident' is a really cool title.

"Bitch."

capriciousTenament

The Grand's laughter only gets harder at her single word. He is a bitch sometimes, isn't he? Prediger's ears turn a darker color and he raises a lip to snarl at her from a little ways down the pews.

The Grand gives him a glare through his laughter, and the snarl fades quickly.

{she has turned herself in. i assume you have a questioning room ready for us. we will be having a talk later, prediger.}

Her victory is absolute. Prediger's ears fall and he takes a step back from the admonishment from his superior. A long moment of silence, as the Grand snickers, before the grumpy man turns on his heels and begins to march toward the door the Grand had already motioned her towards.

chimericArchitect

'Turned herself in'? Is that what it seems like she's done? Although, it doesn't really matter, she supposes. Either that's really what the Grand sees here, or that's what he's telling to Prediger. If anyone is being manipulated here, it's not in a way that is a cause of concern for Saness... Seeing Prediger cowed by the biggest boss in the church there is - on her behalf no less - is pretty fucking sweet, especially when the situation is still like, ninety-percent under control.

More concerning than her safety is the sound of Grand's voice. His laughter is coarse and wispy even in its harshness and power, same as that baritone hum from before... It's all rough from disuse. Or maybe he needs a drink. And a silly straw.

She watches Prediger retreat with narrowed eyes and a very satisfied set to her lips. Once he has gone on ahead and the door has closed behind him, she hops down proper and waits for Grand's snickering to subside. Already she misses being able to look at him from up high, and up close. Quite the specimen, when wearing amusement...

She straightens her top, business-y.

"Will Prediger be joining us?"

capriciousTenament

It takes a minute for the snickering to stop, after the doors slam behind Prediger. It builds to a soft crescendo, and then peters out as he wipes tears of mirth from the corners of his eyes. A roll of his shoulders and he watches her get down. She's so small, really. Easy not to notice. He certainly hadn't figured there was anything wrong, which...

Hm. Perhaps he needs more security training. Perhaps they need better measures in general.

{i think for now that we should keep this between us, least until i know the situation a little better. it's still a pretty high clearance topic, people from elsewhere.}

A gesture toward the door again. Looks like he expects her to walk first.

chimericArchitect

"Sure."

She doesn't really extrapolate further before leading the way, though inwardly, it is quite a relief not to be stuck in a small room with Prediger just yet. His pride must be in such burning shambles.

"Oh, uh-" They only make it halfway across the room before Saness is looking up and back over her shoulder to Grand. "Tap me if you need my attention, okay? Otherwise, I won't be able to hear you." A meaningful claw tapped against the side of her skull, to be more specific, and then she just keeps moving, heading straight for the door with her hands in her pockets.

capriciousTenament

...His eyes narrow a little, a question behind his expression at her assertion that she wouldn't be able to hear his voodoo. But he nods, and continues along the way. A small walk down the hallway, and then he eventually stops and opens a door to gesture her inward.

There's a table and two chairs, the table bolted to the floor. It's as bloody as the rest of the church in here, though the smell is sharper. Probably fresher. There is a layer of violet on the wall that doesn't look entirely dry yet. He gestures to one of the chairs, and takes the other himself, sitting with a slow, tired sigh.

{you're from another universe, then?} He starts, once she's sitting down.

chimericArchitect

Ew, yucky. This room is Extra yucky. She knows what all this violet is from, and she doesn't like it... This is what a "ready" room looks like, huh? Guess Grand really DOES think she's turned herself in...

She makes her way around the table at a more measured pace than she'd used in the throne and in the hall, genuinely discomforted by the fresh blood. It's harder to draw her thoughts away from it when it shines, when it smells with such tang. Still, she takes her assigned seat, criss-cross upon it as she had been in Grand's cushioned seat before, looking up to him in much the same way. The gulf of the table between them feels infinite.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry for keeping you up about it."

capriciousTenament

It's certainly a difference. The throne room smelled of blood, but it's also so much bigger. So much easier to ignore the fresher spots that happen, when they do. This room is small and oppressive, the Grand looks so Big in this room.

He folds his hands in front of him. His eyes have faded back to yellow, after his laughter before, though he does seem... Perhaps worried? Distracted, at the very least. Agitated.

{i would have been woken for this anyway. you came to humiliate prediger, you've said as much. how did you get here?}

chimericArchitect

Ouch. When he puts it so bluntly, it sort of takes some of the zest out of her win.

The question though, it confuses Saness somewhat. How do people get anywhere? It's not like she walked onto his ship. It's always either tech, or it's magic, and she hasn't seen much magic in this place. She assumes it must be a posterity question then, and dutifully fills her part of the form.

"I arrived via transportalizer. Or more accurately, by sendificator, though they are often colloquially referred to as transportalizers regardless."

She visibly resists the urge to ask him a question, resigned to merely watching him with her immense and unreasonable focus.

capriciousTenament

Something twitches in his face at her answer. That’s not quite what he was getting at.

{right. but how did you get our coordinates? i gave explicit instructions that those were not to be motherfuckin shared. that's what's scarin me right now, sis. a prank is one thing, but with the apparently dire motherfuckin lack in our security...}

He glances once at the camera watching them, then back at her.

chimericArchitect

What he wants clicks for her at the elaboration, the inclusion of his admitted fear granting her a personal sense of urgency. Saness quickly pulls out her phone, points at and turns the screen toward him. She'd clicked on the tumblr app, but predictably, it shows a loading error, the little circle spinning uselessly away without a connection. The color scheme should be recognizable enough.

"It's a ping-and-response system, something you could use from and on any active data connection. In this case, I used an ongoing communication from the tumblr messaging system to receive a set of coordinates." She pulls her device back toward her person and pokes at the screen a little, finally looking away from Grand so she can fuss with something therein. "This is super easy to fix, and can be done with little more than a location scrambler, which would work by sending back completely random coordinates when pinged."

capriciousTenament

He listens with more comprehension than someone might expect from a big old clown like him. He may not be up to date on his memes, but he knows enough technology that her words make him sigh softly in comprehension, and his shoulders droop just a little from their tense position.

{that somethin most people on that fuckin hellsite are able ta do? i know we scramble our location for local transportalizer connections but i aint never heard of it gettin stripped from a fuckin messenger before.}

chimericArchitect

Watching his shoulders droop from the edge of her vision draws Saness back up and out of her device, slowing her down closer to the pace she'd been when they were alone in the fractured light. The way she looks at him is curious and lingering. Yet another surprise... Nothing like her Aeshma at all. Then again, Ringleader is much older, and from a vastly different circumstance.

"...I wouldn't say "most" people, but it's a percentage high enough to be both a risk and a consistent annoyance." A click and her screen turns off, palmhusk left on the table as she lowers her legs and scoots the chair closer. They dangle quite comically where no one can see them. "It's... interesting, that the local interference is strong enough to knock out my connection to the servers in the Furthest Ring. You're definitely starting from a place that's pretty easy to bolster, technologically speaking."

capriciousTenament

He nods at her, his fingers steepling a little as he thinks about everything. Risk and consistent annoyance in-motherfuckin-deed. But... It does mean that no one on his ship was the slip up. Not a leak, just an oversight. That's at least somewhat relaxing to think about.

He has to wonder if she's the first, or even the only one who has been here.

{i have a very skilled team of technincisions and coderadicators. apparently even the best ain't fully equipped ta deal with the multiverse at large though. i'll be briefin them. you said it was a simple fix with a scrambler?}

chimericArchitect

"Yes." She nods as she says it, injecting the simple affirmation with sincerity and confidence. "That alone would be enough to keep out all but the most competent, or those with magical ability."

capriciousTenament

He gets a sour look. Grumbles something about magic under his breath.

{guess we need ta figure that out, then.}

chimericArchitect

"It's... There's... magic tech, but, it's a lot harder to vet something you don't understand, or couldn't replicate..."

She twists at one of the rings on her fingers, thoughts on Velius.

"A non-magical person utilizing an item crafted by someone with magic... requires a different sort of faith."

Then abruptly, she shrugs.

"Or maybe just some recklessness. We employ a type of magic shield around important areas in our timeline, so people can't just let themselves in willy-nilly. There are lots of artificers for hire out there."

capriciousTenament

He seems to genuinely think about that for some time. Magic shielding, huh... That would certainly be something. Imagine, being able to keep out the Demoness, or fucking with Fishbitch's powers while she's visiting. Recklessness, though, doesn't really sound like his style.

Magic tech is genuinely frightening to think about.

{i don't know that i'd trust someone from outside my flock not ta give themselves a back door into whatever defenses they put up.}

chimericArchitect

"Mhm..."

Saness folds her arms on the table and rests her head there, short enough to make it easy. She's staring at his fingers.

"It's not an easy urge to resist. Mitigation isn't the same as prevention, but... there are ways."

capriciousTenament

His fingers fidget, as she watches. When he's nervous, apparently, since they were very still before. Little twitches like he's puppeting unseen strings to somewhere.

{how long have you been around?}

chimericArchitect

"A few months now. Four, if my memory fails me not. I believe the exact date was... in May."

She wonders if he is aware of his little quirks and is comfortable with them, or if...

...Eh. It doesn't matter. She kind of wishes there were little threads though, and that she could put some gentle resistance in them. It could be a cute game, and potentially very calming.

capriciousTenament

Right when the first investigation was going on. Was that what offended her so much? It must have been. His fingers keep up their little dance in the air.

{can i ask what prediger did that so offended you ta go to these lengths for a prank against him?}

chimericArchitect

Mmmnnh... mnnghg... What should she say? He's asking so nicely, and it makes her feel kind of bad... What she did is objectively not a Good Thing, but *they* definitely started it...

Her cheeks squish unhappily into her arm like a little pudding or a slime, a line of tension in the paint between her brows. A steep inhale through her nostrils, exhaled just as sharply.

"We were invaded. A lone troll, but an uninvited visitor nonetheless, snooping in on something given freely to another. There was no attempt at a good-faith request, despite proven lack of hostilities, and in fact, a willingness to be on good terms. He was pushy, and insistent, and would not speak plainly no matter how much I tried to volunteer to him, but I took it in stride. I chose to tolerate his behavior and give him a tour, bring him into our home, because I understand the concern that spurred the visit, the threat you are facing, the steep cost that comes from lack of knowledge, and furthermore I understood that this was far beyond the normal scope of diplomatic experience he could be expected to have. I exercised my patience to its fullest, because when family is out of their depth, we guide them."

Don't be angry. Don't be angry. Let the emotions pass over and through you. (Her claws drum once upon her arm. She could see in Prediger's flat and lifeless eyes how little he cared for her family, how disgusting her beloved were to him. And then she read exactly what he’d thought in that lowly report.)

"In a continued gesture of goodwill, I reached out to continue communications some time after he left, and to offer my aid. After a few lights passed without a word, I requested permission to visit, under terms set by you and yours. That request was denied. All requests to know more about your assessment and further intentions were denied."

She takes another little breath, this time more audibly exhaling it with a hum. Her eyes flick up from Grand's hands to his face, though the flintiness within them is not directed at him so pointedly. Saness reasons that it's possible her personal requests never made it to the very top.

There is more she would say, but she's courteous enough to give Grand a chance to process what she's saying before pressing on.

capriciousTenament

There is certainly emotion there. A furrowing of his brow, his fingers twitching against his invisible controls. He listens without interrupting, patient at least enough for this.

His eyes remain as yellow as ever, though. Despite the twist of distaste on his lips, he still doesn't look angry. Worried, yes. Fretting for the sanctity of his church, his flock. But something about the way she says invaded grips at something in his pusher.

{there is a reason he's a high investigaterror and not in the motherfuckin pr department. i never wanted him to be pushy or rude to you and yours, but i did want answers. suppose things slipped cause i was havin a rough time of figurin out the multiverse and my place in it. i put him in charge of multiversal security, which is why you were denied so often.}

His fingers stay in the air, dancing for a moment to bridge the gap between one set of thoughts and the next.

{my messiahs were very clear that we weren't to allow outside influence on our church.}

chimericArchitect

For being the head of multiverse security, Prediger sure is a fucking hack. But...

Hm. Just how much of this good grace is Grand willing to give her? Saness studies him from her low angle, some of the resonant sharpness cooling from her features as the seconds pass under the pressure of his level-headedness. He looks... worried. Unhappy. But not angry. That feels important, somehow.

Still watching his eyes, she uncrosses the pillow of her arms and lays them across the table toward him, moving to rest her cheek on a bicep. It's clear she isn't reaching toward him so much as taking up space in the grey area between them. She drifts back to watching his twitching fingers. At first it had seemed erratic, how he moved in his distress, but the longer she watches the more it feels like it has a rhythm to it. ‘His place in the multiverse’ stands out.

She still has a LOT to say about Prediger, and a lot more to tell Grand, but...

"...Your family will be safer with your help. If something goes wrong, your gods will tell you how to fix it. Their design is much larger than I am." Gentle eyes flick once more up to his face, and then back down. "...If that is any comfort."

capriciousTenament

There is a sigh, at her words, and a nod. The barest hint of a smile before it retreats again.

{i know they will guide me through any adversity and i know that they are more powerful than any interloper from beyond. it is a comfort indeed to have my gods at my side. i worry, however, when they give me such clear instructions and there is something i cannot follow.}

He shakes his head, waves his hands as though he's brushing his own words aside. He's too talkative, she got him in a... Mood.

{i will be rethinking our approach to outside visitors. you are dangerous, seein how well you hide yourself amongst my own. perhaps allowing smaller visits will save us from not knowing who could be here.}

chimericArchitect

Oh. He called her dangerous. And gave her a compliment pertaining to her competence. How distinctly unusual. It centers this feeling in her chest that she can't quite place, but she realizes that it's a pleasant thing. Maybe something like surprise, but also, pride? She's... technically being rewarded for what she's done too, isn't she? Allowing smaller visits, a means of more mitigation of harm... It feels like another win. They're really hitting it off. Part of her wants to thank him for his generosity, but she knows he's making the most practical choice he can anyway.

Besides, it's not really a decision, it's just a bit of rethinking and revision, but it doesn't matter too much how concrete it is, because he'd smiled at her. It perks her up and waters the tendrils of optimism she keeps in a pot.

He is like a shiny marble to her. "Would it be out of turn to offer my opinions or advice on any given thing or situation?"

capriciousTenament

{i would listen. i was going ta ask if you'd mayhaps help with our security here. i don't know the ins and outs of the motherfuckin multiverse yet but you seem well informed.}

His fingers are starting to settle a little. He's focusing in on solutions now, which calms his pan quite a bit.

chimericArchitect

"Really?" She sits up, arms drawn back like spaghetti on the fork of surprise. "I would help you. Absolutely."

The words are shocked out of her mouth before she's really had time to think about them. These guys are oldschool Alternians. They kill people, they've got gnarky rules about it and everything... But this troll right here, and a few of the trolls she's met in the past few months... She'd like an excuse to continue seeing them.

Plus this Grand makes her sad, and she'd like to help him patch up a bit.

capriciousTenament

A little snort of surprise at her sudden willingness. She gets another of his little stitch-stretching smiles and his fingers go still for a moment as he has to stop and chuckle.

{i think havin you on the team would put salt in the wound for motherfuckin prediger too}

chimericArchitect

Mentioning Prediger again isn't enough to sour her mood; Saness beams up at Grand and rolls her shoulder.

"Good. He can take notes, and maybe when he licks his wounds and tastes the salt the lesson will stick with him."

capriciousTenament

{let's fuckin hope it does. it's been a while since he was knocked down a peg and he needs ta feel humble now and then. everything you do as a security advisor is of course going ta be triple, quadruple checked by my coderadicators and technincisions but i am not so high and mighty ta think i can handle every problem mineself when i ain't got the scope of it in general.}

A slow sigh, his smile fading again.

{...i do have ta ask if the prank's really the only thing you came ta do.}

chimericArchitect

She nods along, making small gestures with her hands that wordlessly speak to her agreement. Naturally, mhm, of course they should triple and quintuple check, it's the correct thing to do. Yeah, yep, mhm, that's all hunky-dory... It seems to hold her attention then, when he sighs, the smile on her face following the shifts in his mood as though they were her own.

She continues looking at him for a moment, easing back the rest of the way into respectful seriousness.

"Technically no sir, though ruining Prediger's night is the reason that I stayed. The initial purpose of my visit was to follow up on that report he'd made. I had to make absolutely certain that my family was safe, given how... obvious his disdain was..."

Her focus goes faraway for only a few ticks on the clock - thinking about the opinions in Prediger's shitty report - before she resumes her earnest attention.

"...Then I got so mad about what he said in it and how he'd spurned our hospitality that I decided to fuck with him, and here we are."

capriciousTenament

He listens and nods when appropriate. Keeping family safe isn't a bad thing, certainly. He really shouldn't have put such an asshat in charge of outer security.

{for the motherfuckin record, i intend ta stay well out of any business that doesn't come into our universe. i ain't planning on tryin ta enforce anythin outside my own damn scope of things. it would be a fool's errand anyways.}

He hums after a moment. {having you here, however, is gonna be problematic. you've already proved your competence at getting around our security.}

chimericArchitect

She thinks she really believes him, now. Before it was just words, but after seeing Grand handle very serious problems in real-time - catching and rolling around each electrified bombshell with grace beyond any other she’s known - there’s no doubting the reality of his sentiment.

"I'm not sure how to help with that one." But his reassurance regarding his intentions means she feels willing and obligated to think up and offer suggestions regarding how to make her own on-the-clock containment work. "You could have somebody grubsit me every hour that I'm here - which is what I would do in your position - but the utility is lessened when the observer doesn't understand everything I can do. Literal handcuffs... are also not very useful. Um."

Gee, when did this become difficult? She's checking more things off her mental list of options than onto it. Shock collars might work at controlling her, but she would be hard-pressed to suggest it.

"...I am drawing a smidge of a blank," she says with a soft bit of sheepishness. It is apologetic. "Did you... have something in mind? I could tell you if it would work or not, at least. Unless you're saying I ought to leave, and only assist you remotely."

Though that's basically the same as trusting her to run shop unsupervised, in her personal opinion.

capriciousTenament

{you'll be under lock and key at the very motherfuckin least. someone grubsittin ain't a bad idea, just someone smarter than me or prediger. one of our top technincisions probably, ta keep an eye on whatever the fuck you're doin.}

His fingers are plucking slowly at the strings again. Thinking, mulling it over. {i'll have ta keep the lockdown up until you're done and gone. if you can get in so easy i won't put it past anyone motherfuckin else.}

chimericArchitect

Her mouth opens. Then closes. She is visibly reasoning over this new information, though this time equipped with a creeping look of consternation.

"...You would like for me to stay here continuously until you and your team are satisfied with the state of your security?"

...Optimistically, it could mean that he'll only open it for strictly monitored moments of passage, once the base fixes are implemented... but this time, she's not so confident in the placement of her optimism.

capriciousTenament

He quirks a brow. Had that not been obvious?

{would you let someone with as much information as you have leave before you know you can keep them out later? even if you ain't got no ill will, i can't speak for the rest of your church.}

chimericArchitect

"Well, the thing is, if I'm going to be staying somewhere for an extended period of time and I don't even tell anybody, then that would mean I've gone missing." She says it gingerly, pausing slightly. "It's... a bigger deal, where I'm from."

She's calculating as hard as she's ever calculated; isn't it obvious that keeping her prisoner could provoke hostilities he's not equipped to counter? There's got to be... some kind of compromise she can offer. Something.

capriciousTenament

His face twists a little. She must have quads or something, then. That's worrying. If they can do what she can do, then they would be in danger either way.

He thinks for a moment, his gaze traveling off to the side for a moment. Not dismissively, just... Thinking.

{perhaps if you let others know that you'll be staying a little while. i will give my word that you will not be harmed while you are here assisting us.}

chimericArchitect

Another pause, and then Saness slowly chooses to ease. Gives him a nod. It seems that he has understood... Will her own kin be so understanding?

"A message should suffice... I should be okay to be 'missing' for a light or two, long enough to get the coordinate scrambler set up. Somebody else could type the missive on my behalf too, to ensure I don't send anything you don't want sent while the blockade is down."

She needs... to think a little more, about his word.

capriciousTenament

{i do not mind sending word. preemptive measures are still measures, enough that our coordinates cannot be stripped from communication again until i can make even more efforts toward protecting my flock.}

He seems to be relaxing as well. Is he afraid of her? Or perhaps just afraid of what might come for her.

chimericArchitect

There's something funny about seeing the tension sloop out of Grand again. It makes her introspective.

"Tolight has been ex-hausting, haha. We're a bit like a pair of silly yo-yos."

She smiles at him, wearily but warmly, and twiddles her thumbs.

capriciousTenament

{bobbin up and down on our strings, yeah.} A soft snort of amusement from him.

{...if i send a message, people will get our coordinates from it then?}

chimericArchitect

She makes a low uncertain sound in her throat and wobbles a hand so-so.

"No, not 'will,' but surely 'could.' Only if they were prepared and actively ready to ping them, though." Like she was. A premeditated deed. "Messages are very short bursts of connectivity, unlike streaming and calls. Even if the recipient were prepared to rip your coordinate - by some unnatural chance - you could prevent them from appearing on the ship by moving it while sending. Although, that wouldn't prevent them from coming into your universe with the stale coordinates," she muses.

"...I wouldn't say it's very likely, but we could still wait until the scrambler is installed before sending anything. It shouldn't take dangerously long to do so."

Her spade is gonna be so pissed.

capriciousTenament

He thinks on it. What's more dangerous? Someone knowing he has her here while they're still getting coordinates set up but knowing she's safe, or someone trying to find her? The first, of course, runs the risk of someone grabbing coordinates immediately and coming in to save her, and he doesn't necessarily trust that his word is going to be good for much to an outside church. On the other hand, if she goes entirely missing he could be facing a lot more hostility from whoever it is that tries to find her.

It's a tough decision. He hasn't had to make a lot of those in recent sweeps. He almost wishes he could take a moment to pray about it, but his messiahs seldom give him quick answers. He has to figure this one out on his own.

{i think one message is fine. long as we're moving. i don't want any motherfuckers coming aboard mine ship with my flock guns blazing.}

chimericArchitect

Now that he mentions it, Saness feels quite strongly the same. They don't need that sort of... bloody violence between them. Somebody would definitely get hurt.

"Then..."

She hesitates before Grand's eyes, but seems to make up her mind and wiggles out of her seat. Standing there uncertainly, she looks like she's awaiting permission to approach.

capriciousTenament

He raises an eyebrow at her, but inclines his head in what looks like permission to do what she's planning on doing. He's curious enough to allow it.

chimericArchitect

She walks up to his side and fiddles with something on her wrist. It looks like she has to disengage a little mechanism in order for the plain metal band to be able to slip off her arm, but once she gets it off, she holds it up to him flat on her palm.

"That's my transportalizer."

The sober way she says it carries more meaning than he could hope to soak in, but the weight of her gaze helps to bridge the gap of understanding.

capriciousTenament

...His one eyebrow that is up is joined by the other. An expression of surprise and deep understanding. He reaches out, and takes it carefully from her, examining it for a long moment. It doesn't look all that much like tech, but he wants to have one of his own examine it. Would that be rude? Probably.

Still, he has it in his hand now. Such a tiny little thing to have caused so many problems. It gets placed not in his sylladex, but gently onto the table so that he can sign.

{that's a lot more trust than i'd have expected from you. thank you. if it's not disassembled or harmed in any way, may i have permission to have one of my techs look into the design? that's beyond what we have here, i think.}

chimericArchitect

The ultimate in stealth tech, the pinnacle of simplistic design; in all appearances it truly is a simple metal band. On the inside is a little symbol, an etching of the Sign of the Sculptor's Tools - perhaps a maker's mark? - but nothing else, no indicator that this item is anything other than jewelry. It doesn't weigh particularly much either.

She watches her prized possession pass peacefully through Grand's claws, appreciating the care he takes with it. It's novel to give her bracer away, rather than having it taken from her... She likes the look on his face too, the sincerity imbued in each ginger movement of his hands when he signs.

"I don't mind. It has a psi-lock so the interface won't be interactive except on me, but you should be able to take signal and power readings. Definitely do not disassemble it though, as the power source inside is very compressed. It could vaporize us."

She doesn't move from his side, just kind of vibing at his hip like a very dangerous-yet-comfortable fern. He is so unusual, a marble and a shiny penny and a flicker of light in the distance. Her trust... She wonders what he will do with it. Grand has made a very good first impression, but that alone would not warrant this sort of reckless risk-taking; it must be her curiosity that is spurring her on.

"If we can consider ourselves to be something akin to allies by the end of this, I even wouldn't mind gifting you one."

capriciousTenament

Allies. There's something heartwarming about that. It also needles a little bit at the very, very paranoid part of his pan. What would she want from him, in return? She's certainly showing a lot of trust, but with this little piece of tech as stealthy as it is, perhaps she just has a backup. He certainly wouldn't travel without one. Somehow, it's hard not to take this at least somewhat at face value though.

Maybe it's the quiet. His pan feels settled, and there are no godly whispers running through it. At least, not right now.

{i'll be careful. wouldn't mind havin one of mine own, or maybe even some schematics so i can have my most trusted able ta appear at my side at any moment. you wanna send that message real quick so we can get some rest and get started in the evenin on beefin up our security? i'll get best brother tohomo ta come up and grubsit ya on the morrow.}

chimericArchitect

On cue, the purpleblood at his hip yawns, rubbing the heel of her palm carefully against her eye while nodding. Grand's paranoia is lost on Saness, for now.

"Yes please. How would you like to do this?"

capriciousTenament

{i have a few secure guest rooms. we'll get you set up somewhere comfy. security is gonna want your dex.}

He pulls out his phone. Time to make some arrangements.

chimericArchitect

Saness shifts to rubbing her arm, looking down and away with an unhappy expression. She doesn't really want to give up her actual sylladex... but if she doesn't and they find out she was keeping it without their awareness, it would erode the trust she's putting so much into.

She'll have to think on it, but quickly. The decision will have to be made as soon as security arrives. For now she does not respond, merely waiting.

capriciousTenament

Her bracer is still right there on the table. She could still grab it, use her backdoor, and leave. It wouldn't be hard. But the Grand is tip tapping on his phone. Calm and collected and strangely trusting.

He puts his phone down after a moment and leans back in his chair. Runs his hand over his hair a little. It's so very tangled, he doesn't even put his fingers into the curls, just skims them over the fluff habitually.

{helluva mornin.}

chimericArchitect

"You could say that."

Grrmph. Watching him pat through his hair so calm and easy, not even bothering to look at her when she's close enough to attack him... it doesn't feel like he would hurt her. If he was going to freak out about anything she'd done, it definitely would have happened already. Besides, Grand seems... fragile. …When she thinks about… her goals rather than her safety, what she should do feels a little more obvious.

...Look at him. This guy pulled a silver bike horn on her earlier, and she can see that in him.

With a resigned sigh she pivots on her heel and leans against the table to face him, crossing her arms comfy-like.

"Can my sylladex go in a locker or something? Some of that stuff is personal, I don't want just any loser named 'Hardnuts' or 'Blowwank' digging through my stuff just because they have a degree in turning on lightbulbs."

capriciousTenament

Snort. It turns into one of his low chuckles, complete with the smile that tugs on his stitching. Fucking Blowwank that's amazing.

{yeah, i'll have it set aside. we ain't gonna loot through your shit.}

Stifling giggles, though it's going to take him a minute, he also adds {his title's the resolute but go off sister}

chimericArchitect

Saness tries to resist the coming smile for just a moment, but his laughter coaxes her into reluctant amusement. It's very charming when he giggles like that, so she can't really fight it. Saness eventually laughs along, rubbing the back of her head as though mildly chided.

"Resolute? That's a strong title. I'll try to remember it."

Maybe she's just tired from all the rampant excitement, but here in this violet-stained interrogation block, it seems that talking with this troll puts her at ease. He's literally so weird.

capriciousTenament

{brother tohomo works just as well, he ain't fussed about people usin the proper one.} He shakes his head a bit. {aight. message time. who you wanna contact and whatcha wanna say?}

Somewhere outside, Prediger is seething as he watches on camera this... This limeblood getting so chummy with the Grand. How does she look like that? It's some kind of trickery, but the Grand has touched her by now and he'd certainly notice if she were the wrong temperature. A security detail is clearing up one of the highblooded guest rooms that they use for naval officers. Threats to the church can come from anywhere, after all, and every guest room has very tight security.

chimericArchitect

"Well, um... Let me think for a second." She thinks for literally a second. "Are you messaging someone with your account, or do you want to use my device for a moment? Because that changes the answer."

capriciousTenament

{i ain't messaged anyone about you yet. just been alertin my security team ta some necessary setup and gettin things figured about where you're stayin and shit.}

chimericArchitect

"And when we send the message saying that I'm staying here, will we be using your account or my account to do it?"

capriciousTenament

{i'd assumed yours. which do you think is better, and will make your own church panic less?}

Look at him, already asking her for advice.

chimericArchitect

"Mine, probably. The content of the message matters more though."

If she messages anyone other than Ringleader...

Well. Ringleader certainly might not appreciate it. But can she afford to be tied to him so closely?

"I think we should message Ringleader. He is conveniently on tumblr, and head of my church, after all. Anyone who needed to know would know."

capriciousTenament

{aight. you compose the message and i'll look it over before ya hit send, if you don't mind.}

chimericArchitect

Blink. That is a liberty she had not expected to be permitted.

"Gladly."

Out comes the same unusual palmhusk as before, a flat little thing with a fruity case and a jingly dangly charm on it, and Saness begins typing.

…What should she say, exactly? It’s like she can see a waterfall and instead of staying in the shallows, the lure of the fall has kept her walking forward. Ringleader wouldn’t like that.

> ‘Hi Ringleader! I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be out for a while, and I won't have a signal while I'm gone. It's going to take at least a couple of nights to get back, that's my guess. The short of it is that I broke something important and I have to stay where I am until I can fix it, but I'll try to see about checking in again if it seems like the fix will take longer than I've estimated.

> I would prefer not to cause a big fuss, so pretty please exercise your best judgment when choosing who to tell, but if you could pass this message along to anybody who might be worried I would super appreciate it. I AM safe, it's just kind of a big slow pain in the tuchas.’

The urge to say 'I love you' is suddenly eating her alive, the realization that she won't even get to read a response or look at pictures of him and her friends on her device finally setting in. It is a hollowing feeling.

> ‘Ask my spade not to kill me when I get back. ♤’

Her fingers hover over the screen, eyes beginning to sting. Why does typing that make her start to tear up? This SUCKS, she's such a weenie.

"Um-" Her voice wibbles, but she valiantly pushes through. "Does this look okay?"

Saness turns the screen around to face Grand, holding it up for him to read without raising her head more than to his ribcage, shielding her face the smallest amount. Maybe she SHOULD just snatch her bracer and be done with it. This is utter indulgent foolishness, welcoming this sort of discomfort for a gleaming pebble of curiosity.

capriciousTenament

.......He reads it, and then his brow furrows a little. Slowly, but furrow it does.

{why ain't you tellin the motherfucker where you are? it's fuckin safer for you that way if they know whose ass ta blame if you're gone longer than expected. will him knowin bring about harm ta my church?}

He doesn't even mind Ringleader that much. They have much different ideas of what church and messiahs are, but... As long as it stays on that side of the universal divide...

chimericArchitect

"Uhm..." She pulls her phone back down with the sound of a lonely jingle and dabs at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. "I dunno. Do you want them to know? I... don't know how to phrase it, without it sounding super ominous and stressful."

Her fingers are waiting over the keys again. She's not looking up at Grand's ribcage anymore, and therefore won't be able to see his reply, despite asking him a question.

"I don't want to worry anybody excessively, or accidentally instigate something unpleasant. Plus... you gave your word, and for me-" A small breath. "...I'm willing to see what that's worth."

capriciousTenament

...He's given her some trust, and she's returning it with more than he could have asked for. Once again, the paranoid part of him is screaming that something must be wrong, but.

Fuck, it feels so genuine. Those are tears in her eyes. It's hard to see a little sister in paint crying and not want to offer at least some reassurance.

He will put his hands down, into her field of view, and sign out {you can send what you have then, if you think it's best. wanna finish off that prank real good while you're at it?}

Humor always helps him, maybe it will help her.

chimericArchitect

Hands held low, in her line of sight. Hands saying something strange.

"Hm?"

Grand confuses her into looking up again. He was right about the tears, but it's clear that she is making a studied effort to control it; wet lashes and glassy eyes, but her paint remains intact.

capriciousTenament

He's smiling a little, now, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes with the weight of trust and truth she's put on him this morning.

{why don't ya post one of your best pics of prediger on tumblr? he ain't shown his face on there so it'll still be a mystery where ya are but at least they'll know you're among church.}

{plus it'll be funny as shit.}

chimericArchitect

Oh. He genuinely wants to cheer her up, huh. That smile on his face looks very worn, like an article of clothing with a bright pattern on it. In the same situation, she expects her spade would have become bored or mean by now.

She thinks again that this troll must be very kind. In a bit of a shy gesture, the middle knuckles of Saness's free hand come to rest lightly on her lower lip as she looks up to the camera in the room. It serves to demurely accent the faint smile that forms there. Grand must be very upset with Prediger if he's being used as bait to soothe her ickle weener feelings; permission to post Prediger's miserable visage is too good an opportunity to pass up, even if it's very mean.

"That's very funny... I appreciate it. I think it could serve to pad out my message with some harmless context too, like you said."

Saying it out loud does take some of the ache out of her vague message. Among church, taking funny selfies with a rat bastard. She thinks she knows which one to post. It's a surprisingly easy choice, given the number of photos at her disposal.

capriciousTenament

His smile is brighter and more mischievous at her acceptance. He does this little curtsey bow thing, with a flourish at her phone. Go ahead, little sister, post away, it seems to say.

Somewhere, in the security room, Prediger punches a fucking wall. One of the other trolls on the security team lifts the connection lockdown for just a moment.

chimericArchitect

The antics win out a short little laugh, Saness sniffling to regain composure for this remarkably patient clown.

With the blockade oh-so temporarily lifted and the ship slipping along through the stretched light of space, the spy sends one single message to her most dearest beloathed, then posts a compromising shot of her current adversary with the smallest flourish of her own, in keeping with the tone. Take that, you stuffed coat.

"It is finished."

capriciousTenament

{perfect. i'll reblog that later. can i take your shit ta lock it up now? your room is just about ready.}

Indeed, his phone buzzed while she was making the post, and he's checked it a couple more times since. His previous instructions have now been followed. Everything's set up for their newest guest. The lockdown slams back into place, all connection with the outside world quickly revoked.

chimericArchitect

Mnf. The worst part. What will the block be like, she wonders? How much blood, and how fresh?

Yet it is the nonsense things that stick in her craw. Does... Grand have notifications turned on for her blog? Is that Naxmyr's doing? Silly.

There is a trend where Saness goes quiet when she doesn't like something but doesn't want to say so. Locked down and disengaged is one ordinary sylladex, materializing as a scrapbook with itemized 'memories' pasted inside as photos - it’s the fake sylladex she uses to trick people into thinking she's been disarmed, loaded with useful things and nonsense filler she thinks a normal person might carry. Her REAL sylladex feels like it's burning a hole in her pocket by comparison. It's the moment of truth, and Saness only stalls the slightest amount. With a bit more determination mustered into the act, the exhausted little lady uncouples a physical wallet on a chain from a hidden layer in her soft fabric belt and stacks it on top of the colorful book.

She sets it on the table, next to the sad ring of her bracer.

capriciousTenament

He watches her disarm herself, and then reaches forward and picks up both her fake sylladex and her real one, and her transportalizer bracer with the same care he'd given it before. All three get put into his sylladex, in one card. He unslots the card from his dex after a moment of thought and offers it to her.

A bit useless, if she doesn't have a sylladex to keep the card in and uncaptchalogue her things from, but still technically in her possession. The card itself seems like it might have an encryption key of some kind for his dex specifically, but... He didn't even look in them before he passed the items to her.

{thank ya kindly. would you wanna walk with me to your room or do ya mind if security escorts ya?}

chimericArchitect

The card is accepted with no small amount of surprise. They just keep doing that to each other.

"It's um- It's fine either way." She backs up a polite few steps, giving him room to stand. Watches him. Given the choice, she would much prefer to walk with Grand, but she doesn't really want to be too needy, especially not after... all this. They've literally only spoken online in snatches before she confessed to him tonight. It's just that, when he goes, she's... going to be all alone... "Are you... going to go get some sleep?"

capriciousTenament

He stands, then. Stretches a little, his joints popping audibly in his back. Slow rolls of his shoulders, then a big sigh and relax.

{i'll walk you. it's on the way ta my block anyways. and yeah, i'm gonna go get some sleep. i'll make sure it's CLEAR you are ta be allowed to rest as well.}

He turns to walk toward the door, waiting for her to follow.

chimericArchitect

She watches his tummy when he stretches, then treks her eyes up to his forearm and his rolling shoulders. The way the fabric clings and falls on his slender body... it's just the tiniest bit off. She wonders what kind of armor he's wearing, for it to be so subtle. There's a bit of black poking out at his neck, but she can't make out the material from here. Lacking the zest to do much else, Saness merely holds his captcha card tilted against her chest like a clipboard of observations.

When Grand announces that he'll walk with her, Saness perks up; it is visibly obvious on her person, despite her assurance that either option was fine. 'On the way to his block,' he says... Without access to her the constant scroll of information provided by her most modern bracer, she only has her memory to rely on. If she's right about the layout, then that's... where they keep visiting aquatics sent by the Empress, right? She knows the guest blocks are nearly as secure as any cell, but though she hasn't seen them in person, she's sure those have to be some pretty classy digs; the local seadwellers would throw SUCH a fit otherwise. It's probably nicer than the oh-so practical and cost-effective shared bunking she's grown accustomed to at clown mountain, at the very least.

It's a very quick trot to a following position, already very comfortable with his controlled and even-tempered presence. "What's Brother Tohomo like? Is he chatty?"

capriciousTenament

Out of the room with the fresh violet blood. The scent out here is so much less overpowering, the more pleasant scents of sugar and incense much more pronounced outside of that tiny little room. The Grand looks smaller out here too, less looming when the ceiling and walls feel like they were made for his size. It's probably all calculated to make the interrogation rooms feel exceptionally stressful.

He's not even making her walk ahead of him this time. It seems he's become at least somewhat more comfortable with her presence now as well.

{he talks a lot and almost all of it is complaining, so expect one of the bitchiest motherfuckers you've ever had the pleasure of meeting. does damn good work though, even if he complains about every task.}

chimericArchitect

...She didn't realize she'd been getting such a headache until they finally made their way out of that oppressive block. It had never occurred to her that the halls of this ship could be what she would call 'airy' or 'a relief to be in.' What does Grand think of those tiny interrogation spaces? He is not a soft man - and yet, he is. The way he'd spoken of his descendant with such deep and open longing... The light on his face when he wasn't looking at her, same as the way he isn't looking at her now...

How close will her assigned block be to his, she wonders? Maybe she can guess, when she sees where they stop.

"Will all members of my security detail be briefed on the multiverse stuff?"

It would suck if she's not allowed to chit-chat with them to pass the time when she isn't working, given her lack of belongings, freedom, and company.

capriciousTenament

{anyone in close contact with you i intend to explain to. the rumor mill has been quite active anyway, so many of my highest security officers have already been told about the situation and that transportalizer contact is possible.}

It's funny, in many ways, how close the interrogation rooms are to the guest quarters. They really don't like seadwellers here, and it shows in nearly every choice that has been made about this particular part of the ship's design. It's not awfully close to the Grand's room, but when they stop in front of a door it's one of the opulent ones. He opens it for her, and offers her a hand inside.

It's decorated almost entirely in violet, with an enormous plush bed and a door that looks like it leads to a private ablution block. There's not as much blood staining the walls here, except there are framed canvases that are clearly painted in violet blood. Lots of starscape paintings, but not a single window. The security isn't obvious, but she knows it's there.

One of those paintings looks about as fresh as the blood splatters in the other room. It's been varnished, though, so the smell isn't quite as pervasive here.

chimericArchitect

The sight of the freshest macabre canvas gives Saness an unexpected chill. She shivers, and doesn't immediately follow the generously beckoning hand into her new assigned space. It's nothing like her original home, not really, and yet it gives off a similar vibe. The sort of comfortable prison one could lose complete track of time in. No clocks, no windows, and worse - not a single personal trapping to quiet her tumultuous mind... She can only hope that the presence of the bed indicates they are far enough from Gl'bgolyb as to be safe from the daymares.

Reluctant to take the final steps to her self-imposed isolation, Saness looks up at the Grand's face again. More specifically, at the side of his ear. He might be one of the only Grands she knows who isn't a cuspblood, no sign of partial fins decorating his sharp ears... unless he'd had them docked.

"Um..."

If he looks down at his uninvited guest when she requests his attention thusly, he would see how she fidgets with his sylladex card, and the way her brow pinches under the strain of unasked questions. Judging by her expression and the cut of her shoulders, she must be working up the nerve to pose one of them to him before he departs from her side.

capriciousTenament

His ears look smooth and unaltered. They might have a scar or two, but they legitimately have no signs of fin at all. His bodysuit goes up to his jawline, but there probably aren't any gills underneath.

He does look down at her, when she speaks. Watches her expression and watches her building her resolve. He doesn't sign at her, letting her take her time to find the right words.

chimericArchitect

"I'd like to speak with you again, when we're not working. The way we were in the throne room, when it was just the two of us talking about your descendant like friends."

She doesn't look... hopeful, per se. She doesn't seem particularly guarded though, either, nor afraid of his answer once she's put thought to action. The fidgeting has stopped, replaced with the steadfast certainty that must have gotten her through the whole infiltration, eventually bringing her here before him the way they are now.

capriciousTenament

.....She gets one of those softer smiles from him, at her question. It was nice talking to her, despite what she eventually fessed up to. A pleasant little troll all around, even if he's treating her with caution and care. Another conversation, or even a few, seems like it could be restful. Besides, he can’t help the itch of his own curiosity needling at him

{sure. i'll be around while you're workin too, but we can have chats. i don't mind. you have always been pretty damn full of questions and i ain't never minded answering them before.}

A little wink, and he pulls out and wiggles his phone at her.

chimericArchitect

Ah, that's-- Does he remember her name? Either way, he could definitely scroll up and... No wait, did she ever even introduce herself before interrogating him? She fucking didn't, didn't she. Again. Her ears flush a very standard purple when Grand waggles his phone at her. Again, as she had been when Grand got a notification from her blog, Saness is reminded that she's just lucky there hasn't been mention of her blood color in recent time - and that he has seemingly forgotten her relationship to Ringleader, or else the way she'd phrased her message before may have come underneath greater suspicion. Stupid.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

And depending on how it goes, maybe she can convince him to let her wrangle some of those knots out of his mane.

With that very important bit of business concluded, Saness crosses the threshold into her luxurious prison, turning about to face him.

"Goodlight, Brother Makara."

capriciousTenament

He tucks his phone away again once he watches her flush purple. Very funny, honestly. He nods, when she says that she's looking forward to spending time with him.

Brother Makara takes him a little by surprise, but he snorts once.

{good light, sister...}

And only then does he realize he has absolutely no idea what to call her. The blank stare he gives her is indication enough of that. After a moment, he snorts to himself again, and it turns into a chuckle.

chimericArchitect

She lets his ignorance hang in the air for a moment and then laughs abruptly when he chuckles, the first of it coming out in a pinched raspberry between her lips. It's a laugh much fuller than all of her previous giggling, hand held dainty in front of her mouth. He is the butt of a very harmless and nonsensical joke, utter meaningless whimsy inflated by the pressure of the situation.

She laughs for a while before she can really draw herself back to polite calm, but the lopsided smile stays in her eyes. Warmth and fondness radiates easily from her.

"Earlier I thought it would be very funny if I were to take 'Incident' as one of my titles, but you could also call me Sister Psuede, I think."

capriciousTenament

Her laughter spurs on his own. He really doesn't mind being the butt of the joke and laughter catches very easily. They're just going to be like this until they both calm down.

Finally, he shakes his head briefly at her. {goodlight then, sister psuede, little phonygrapher.}

The last word he spells out and then signs as the words phony and photograph together. Apparently, she's earned herself a nickname.

chimericArchitect

She watches him with generically warm curiosity as he finger-spells her name, and then a word she isn't familiar with - but it clicks when he combines two existing signs immediately after. She couldn't have been familiar with the word, because he just made it up! A made-up word, inspired by and for her - a sign-language name! Which is shorthand for a person! It's a nickname!!

Saness signs it back to him immediately, and then again with some truly raw enthusiasm. It's so cute that it's a pun, she could practically do a jig. One thing is abundantly clear to her in this moment: if she gets to spend time with Grand while she's here, she's sure the hours won't be quite so lonely.

Almost as though she had forgotten she was speaking mere seconds ago, Saness signs back to Grand with pronounced cheer, a real ping-pong ball of a person with sylladex card tucked into her armpit.

{I love it!}

capriciousTenament

Her enthusiasm makes him snort. Fucking hell she's charming. There's something deeply disarming about the way she just Does Things.

{aight but for real. have a good light.} A little wave, and one last smile, and he's closing the door to her new opulent room.

chimericArchitect

She doesn't repeat the phrase a fourth time, merely waving goodbye as the door clicks and seals shut between them.

The coming of quiet is immediate and complete. Is that a feature of security she wonders, or is she projecting? The cheer fades like cotton candy in water, little raccoon hands rinsing away the bright spots of happiness in this place. Saness sighs, and doesn't waste any time turning around to go sit on the edge of the bed, the exhaustion coming back in a throbbing rush behind her eyes; ignoring the strain only works with a soaring pusher, not a sinking one.

The bed is quite soft... She flips Grand's captcha card between her fingers, looking at the color scheme front and the back, and at the modus-defining traits printed on it. Encryption. Her fingertips linger over the front of the image before she sets it very gently beside her. All of her things, just out of reach...

Grand was very nice though. She's willing to take a lot of personal risk for that level of kindness. It's all very obviously sincere, too, or she surely wouldn't be sitting somewhere so comfortable. The nickname takes shape between her touch again, smiling softly to herself in the semi-privacy of this heavily monitored space. Under different circumstances, being called a 'phony' anything would not be something she enjoys. Has he decided that what she's done is funny, or is the nickname a more personal thing? He's already given her the impression that he does friendly and encouraging things whenever he thinks one of his family is in the doldrums, and he laughs so easily that it isn't a stretch to believe he would nickname her out of some sort of fondness.

Saness lingers on the edge of the bed, signing a few seemingly random words to herself, but none of them really feel right. Heavenly. Bridge. Sweater. Mop. It's too personal, too impersonal, too serious, too silly - maybe he already has a cute shorthand name anyway. She can ask when she sees him tomorrow.

Tomorrow... seems really far away.

She looks down at her feet dangling off the bed; an easy target for her less-than-positive emotions. She can't even take off her *shoes,* because without a way to edit the photo in the disguise amulet she's wearing, she'd just look like she was wearing a second pair of shoes underneath her first pair, and she'd seemingly SPAWN a pair of shoes, MADE FOR PLANTIGRADE FEET, and security would have QUESTIONS about how she SPAWNED SHOES without a SYLLADEX and why they ARE WRONG, and it would be a DUMB HEADACHE.

A sharp grunt. Rather than dwell on her problems, Saness elects to curl up near the exact center of the bed, holding Grand's captcha card to her chest like a cuddly plush. What a wild twist tolight was. Again and again on this unexpected teacup ride between them. She can figure out the shoe thing tomorrow.

capriciousTenament

The quiet certainly is oppressive. Even the low, constant hum of the engines is somewhat dulled in here, what with all the extra fabric that is present in this space. The bed is very soft, the sheets feel like satin of some kind and the comforter is very thick and looks remarkably warm.

There are lights in here, though they are fairly dim. They're probably on a timer of some kind, and though they are electric the sconces flicker slightly as though they contain little fires. There's a fancy menu and a phone on a table next to the bed. For all intents and purposes, it's like a particularly swanky seadweller hotel room.

Except for the loud clicking sound as the automatic lock engages on the door, that is. The ship settles around her as she stares into space and thinks about sleep.

The Grand watches from outside as the door clicks, a faint smile still on his face. Contrary to what he had told her, however, he turns away from the door not toward his room but toward his security area. One last check, one last sweep of things, one last check in with his team and quick assignments for a few clowns to be on strict day shift.

He doesn't acknowledge Prediger’s presence in the security room. That is a conversation for another fucking time, when he's not so tired. Half an hour later, deep into the light, he finally gives the reins over to his team and takes his tired bones to bed.

The smile has faded from his face by then, replaced with a bone deep weariness he carries in his posture and on his face. The stained glass here in his private quarters is far less impressive than the panels in the cathedral, but he has one small piece with the face of his grub inscribed on it. His pan was drowning in thought before, but now the colors of the light drifting over his bed seem much less like swimming against a rainbow tide.

The robes come off. He double checks that his hair is firmly tied back so that it won't tangle with his horns when he inevitably tosses and turns, and he flops on his bed to stare at the ceiling in much the same way as his new passenger is doing below.

Here, in his own quarters and his own thoughts, the paranoia comes so much easier. The whispers in the back of his mind needling at him. Why would she be so nice? So trusting with everything important? Her transport, her dex, even a hidden dex. Alternian sensibilities say that she must still be armed somehow, that things have to be wrong... But something else in him that hasn't reared its head in a very long time sees the sincerity. The weight she had put on her words. The way she'd been so close to tears.

The Grand has seen many, many fake tears in his time. And many real ones. It is very hard to fake an emotion to the man who invokes so many of them himself.

...One more time, he pulls his phone out to scan cameras and check his security. One last scour of his ship. But when that finally turns up nothing, he puts his phone to the side and lets out a long sigh. His eyes drift closed, with the colors marbling over his bare face.

He, like Saness, will spend more than a little time lost in thoughts about the new face in his life before he finally drifts to sleep. His dreams are never restful, and today is no different, but at least the new face in his dreams is one that makes him laugh.

#long post #((like an absolutely enormous post #Plot Thread: A Gambling Troll #chimericarchitect #ooc eyes only

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luvlyrv · 4 years

Text

A Promise Under the Stars | Irene x F!Reader

Genre: fluff, idol au-ish but not really(?), romance is not extremely explicit

Summary: When you get to meet Joohyun again, you think back about a promise you two made long ago.

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: Whew. First Irene writing that I’m posting as a stand-alone rather than a part of a series. Also can I say thank you for two of my posts reaching 100 notes within the same week? My very first fic, ‘Second Place’ and ‘Troublemaker’ seem to be very popular, thank you so much fhksadjhfk,

Date: 2/19/21

You collapse on the ground, all your energy expended during several hours of practice. Lying down you can feel the wooden floor under you, your heart pounding as loud as your breathing. As much as you physically feel pain, there was a greater pain building in your heart and mind. Will you ever make it? You've been waiting so long now, how much longer?

With nobody around tears threaten to emerge from your eyes, but the moment is lost when you hear a soft creak. Quickly, you compose yourself just enough to make sure no tears fall. You don't bother turning your head to look at who it was, instead staring at the ceiling as you hear footsteps growing nearer and nearer to your body. Finally, a familiar face emerges from the corner of your eyes. The girl leans over your face, smiling at the sight of you exhausted and sweaty.

"I figured you'd be here." She says teasingly.

"When am I not?" You say as your breathing starts to become steady again.

The girl offers you her small hands and you accept. She helps you on your feet, and when you're finally standing up on your own she doesn't let one of your hands go.

"Wanna cool down with a walk?" She asks you. You lazily nod your head, following behind as your friend, Joohyun.

She takes you outside the building, continuing to walk hand in hand on the sidewalk. You don't know where you're going, but frankly you don't care. Joohyun's mere presence is enough for you to calm down, to feel comfortable and safe. So you take the time to enjoy the feeling of her hand in yours, the night air passing by your skin, and the sound of your footsteps against the pavement. The silence between the two of you making you feel happy.

Eventually the two of you reach a swing set. She let's go of your hand and sits on one, tilting her head to tell you to sit on the one next to her. You go ahead and sit down, gently kicking the ground to create a soft sway. Joohyun does the same with her two hands holding onto the chains holding up the seat. You stare at your feet until Joohyun speaks up again.

"Look up at the sky. It's beautiful, isn't it?" You listen to her command and turn your head up.

You're quite literally star-struck for a moment, a smile appearing on your face as you admire the sky. You've seen the sky and the stars nearly every day of your life. It's the same sky as always, yet somehow on this night it stir something inside you.

"Sometimes I forget how good it is to be living, I let all the beautiful things pass me by." You admit to your friend. You stop looking at the sky, instead turning to face Joohyun. Your eyes follow the outline her side profile as you admire the amazement glazing over her eyes, the curve of her nose, the way her lips pursed together. The nighttime casts her in darkness but the moon gives her an ethereal glow. She stops looking at the stars to give you a smile similar to yours, a smile filled with endearment.

"It's nice isn't it? I come here a lot, just to recollect myself most of the time. It's my space. One where I can exist without worry, without trying to change myself." She says it as she recalls the many nights where she wanted to cry, the nights where she found herself walking here without thinking about it. "I wanted to share it with you though. You seem more stressed recently..." Her soft voice suddenly became laced with worry. You sigh before you start talking again.

"I guess I'm getting bad at hiding it." You try to joke. "I've been training for so long, you know? I've seen so many people leave. So many switch companies, so many debut. Sometimes I wonder if the last several years have been a waste. I don't wanna grow up with this kind of regret." Joohyun looks down dejectedly for a bit at your response.

"I know." She whispers. "I've been feeling the same thing. Sometimes I doubt I even belong. I don't know if this dream is achievable anymore."

You look down, not quite sure what you could possibly say to comfort the both of you. As another wave of silence envelopes the conversation, you kick a nearby pebble, watching it skid as you begin to launch yourself off the ground harder. You feel weightless as you get higher and higher, a little free even, from this restrictive life you live.

Joohyun sticks to the ground, not enjoying the idea of being at such a high height. Still, she begins to smile at the sight of you having at least some sort of fun. Things continue like this, the both of you contemplating different things in the silence under the same worries.

"Hey Y/N." Joohyun breaks the silence by calling for you. You're still staring at the stars as you swing in the air.

"What?"

"Slow down for a minute." You listen to your friend and start to slow down your momentum. When you're finally settled, Joohyun leans over from her swing with her hand out. She has her pinky finger raised while you look at her in confusion. "How about we do it?"

"Do what?"

"Let's complete our dreams. Together." You chuckle a bit at her sudden childish-ness that was different from her mature nature. Despite how out of character it was though, you couldn't help but feel appreciative for the act anyways. You stick out your hand and wrap your pinky around hers.

"Alright. Our little promise, between just the two of us."

"I know I can do it if I have you by my side." A pink hue paints itself on Joohyun's cheeks, complimenting the adorable smirk she gave you. Your heart pounds a little and you laugh at her.

"Since when were you so childish and greasy?"

"I don't know, since whenever it could make you smile like that?" You look away, feeling warmth flood your face.

"Whatever." You scoff light-heartedly.

For the past several weeks you felt like you were in a rut. Motivation draining away from you. Your promise with Joohyun though, her words, her loving voice, everything about her made you want to stay. Perhaps now you can complete your dream.

You're waiting in line, a smile is plastered on your face that you can't seem to wipe off. Finally, you can see her again.

You can still remember the day she told you she would debut. There was a part of your heart that hurt, but otherwise you were ecstatic for her. Of course out of consideration she tried not to talk about it much, but you assured her it was something that was worth celebrating. That it was an event and feeling you wanted to share between the two of you.

Things didn't turn out as planned. You kept training, but seeing Joohyun debut with seemingly no results for another year was disheartening enough to make you quit. It also didn't help that as Joohyun got busier, the two of you got to talk and hang out less and less. Everyday you would compulsively check your phone, only to be gifted a response on a rare occasion.

After your trainee years you moved on in your life, getting a higher education and joining a career that you found pleasure in. As you focused on your career though, you also found yourself with less and less time. It seemed like at some point Joohyun changed her number and forgot to tell you. For some reason it left you feeling a bit heartbroken. Although she wasn't really a part of your life anymore your memories with her graced your thoughts often.

Now though, as time has passed, your work life has settled down more. You've earned some money and took some vacation time to attend a very, very important event.

The person in front of you finally moves and you're face to face with Yerim, a girl you spent a lot of time with under the same company. She looks up at you with a smile and a face filled with both surprise and recognition. She signs your album before gently nudging the member next to her.

You move on in the line to meet Seulgi. She's happy that Yerim caught her attention to tell her you were here. She gives you a familiar smile and thanks you for coming to see the group. You get your album signed by her and two other members who you didn't get acquainted with during training until you reach the end of the table.

There she was, Bae Joohyun, the person you were closest with during those grueling years training. As soon as you're standing in front of her your heart threatens to jump out of your throat. When your eyes meet you almost feel like crying.

"Hey." You barely get the word to leave your mouth. The sound could hardly escape the tightening of your throat. Judging by the look on her face, it seemed like Joohyun was overwhelmed with feelings too, nearly wanting to cry. Instead she gives a light laugh.

"I've missed you." She says. Maybe it's in your imagination, but she's staring at you so dreamily. You don't know what to say, so you decide to just be honest.

"I've missed you too. I've been waiting for this day." You pause for a second before continuing. "I'm sorry I didn't make it." Joohyun shakes her head at your apology.

"Don't be. As long as you're happy with where you are now then I'm happy too." She gives you her signature smile that had always managed to comfort you.

"Let's make a new promise." Once again she sticks out her pinky finger at you. You take it without hesitation. "Let's talk. Like old times." Even though you haven't talked to each other properly in years, the feeling of her pinky and yours made you feel just as close as you were back in those days.

The staff are ushering you to go, the moment the two of you were sharing was holding up the line for too long. Quickly, Joohyun signs your album and you notice that she opens it and scribbles something inside. Could she have possibly written a message for you?

When go arrive home you admire the album with signatures strewn across it. The question that you had for the entire day though was what Joohyun wrote inside of it. Within the privacy of your home you finally felt safe to open and check.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

let's stay together this time ♥

#bae joohyun #rv irene #irene x reader #red velvet imagines #red velvet x reader #gg imagines #gg scenarios #red velvet scenarios #kpop writing #kpop scenarios #bae juhyun #bae joohyun x reader #red velvet irene #red velvet kpop #red velvet

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sunkaashi · 4 years

Text

solo carol — oikawa toru x reader

genre: angst with a fluff twist.

warnings: none.

word count: 1.6k

synopsis: sometimes, the holidays can bring out the best and the worst feelings in ourselves. being away from home during this time of year just makes it specially harder. oikawa toru always knew exactly what he wanted in life, but he never thought achieving his dreams would cost him so much.

tris' note: this was inspired by the song “only the brave” by louis tomlinson, but i'd say I added a lil of a twist to it. if you want, you can listen to it to help you get into the narrative. reblogs are always deeply appreciated and help me tons! ♡

a special thanks to @tetsunation for reading the first draft to this, and to @hcn421 for helping me with my block ♡

Shades of red and yellow illuminated the street cobblestones, the gleaming Christmas lights guiding his way to a yet unknown destination. As he walked down the avenue, Oikawa let his eyes wander all over his surroundings, his gaze running almost as fast as his mind did. Despite that, Toru paced slowly along the sidewalk, soaking in the scenery before him. It really was a beautiful view.

But it wasn’t about the garlands wrapped around the streetlights, nor the shiny golden ornaments that delicately hanged from them. Even the decorated trees didn’t quite catch his attention that night. It was something else that fought for his heart instead. Something that he hadn’t had a taste of for a while now.

And tonight, his undying desire felt like being parched while standing in front of the sea.

Cheerful laughs echoed through the air as little children sprinted past him, unaware of the man’s presence. Yet, he didn’t mind, his sheepish giggle joining theirs. Downtown street bars buzzed with loud chatter, smiles painted on unfamiliar faces as a natural halo appeared to involve every single one of them. The warmth Oikawa felt rushing through his core had nothing to do with the sultry weather, rather, it emanated from that sight before his eyes.

Still, he seemed to lack a light of his own, and basking in other people’s glow, as joyful as it may be, comes with a price. Toru was left alone, only his shadow accompanying him through the night.

Staring at his silhouette reflecting onto the ground, the man moved his hand out of the pocket and to his nape, carefully watching his own contour mirroring him in every move. And even with every step taken that assured him a bond between himself and the dark figure, he still felt like something was out of place.

Oikawa could feel his slouched shoulders pushing him down. For a man who always stood with his head held high, there was only so much he could take. As he dragged his feet through the curb, he asked himself when it all changed so fast.

A quiver took over his body as if he refused to admit to that idea. He had it all, didn’t he? He sneered, lightly shaking his head. If he acted tough enough, maybe his thoughts would catch up to his actions, right? At least that’s what he wanted to believe.

Cracking his neck, he looked up to the clear summer sky, determined to push those thoughts away as if doing so would make it all magically fall back into place. As his eyes met the silver shimmer from the stars, which were shining a little brighter than they usually did, he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of it. Most of all, he was struck by what it reminded him of. He thought back to Miyagi. To Japan. To home.

“Oji-san!” His nephew came running down in his direction, almost knocking him over with all the strength in his little body. “You’ll never believe what Santa got me for Christmas! Guess it, guess it!”

“Wow, calm down, kiddo!” Toru laughed as he held the 6-year-old into his arms. “Hm, let me think…” He said looking up to the ceiling and softly clasping his chin. “Legos?”

“Better than that!” The little guy answered while squinting in joy, eyes twinkling in a way his uncle had never seen before.

“Hm, a bike?” He asked calmly, messing with the kid, knowing that was the present he’d gotten last Christmas. The teenager tried to hold back a giggle, but mocking his nephew was just too much fun.

“No, oji-san! It’s the coolest gift ever! Try again!”

“Is it a rocketship?” Toru said, widening his stare like even himself would be excited if that was the case. But the child sighed, rolling his eyes. Hiding a smirk, the older boy decided to stop playing around, finally giving in to the youngster’s wishes. “I give up! I have no idea! What is it!?"

“A volleyball! Just like yours!”

Oikawa smiled at the reminiscences lingering in the air, the memories immersing his senses back to the time and place he never wanted to leave. Closing his eyes, he could still feel the ghost of his nephew’s embrace, a tight and cozy grasp around his neck, saying more than words ever could. But his daydream didn’t last long enough to suppress the void hoovering his heart. As soon as he opened his lids, he was taken back to reality.

And then, just when he thought there was nothing else that could haunt him that night, a sore sight caught his attention, putting out the last flicker of flame that rested in his almond eyes.

It was just a glimpse, just some little specks of sand running down the hourglass of his life. Those few seconds usually would barely mean anything in the long run, but tonight that was enough to wash away his beam. Slightly furrowing his brows into a hurtful look, he tried to fight back the tears threatening to fall down his face.

An innocent couple running across the street, hands intertwined in a knot while brief chuckles scaped now and then, an exchange of accomplice looks giving out their most clandestine thoughts. It was at that moment, when unforgiving loneliness meets undeniable happiness, that Toru fell apart.

Slowly, he made his way to the building next to him, leaning his back onto the brick walls of the construction. He stood there, swallowing down the feelings that begged him to be screamed out.

He always knew he’d have to make sacrifices for his dreams. But all out of all the things he missed, there was only one that he would never forgive himself for letting go. And as he watched love surrounding him from every corner, it was impossible not to think of it. Not to think of you.

Raindrops cascaded down the windows of the apartment as the man dove himself further under the covers. Shrinking his body between the sheets, Oikawa felt a too familiar touch enveloping his torso, comforting him with a warmth that even sunlight could not compete with.

“Couldn’t you just stay like this all day?” Toru groaned as his fingers found their way to your locks, gently caressing your hair.

“Mhm?” You hummed in response, too disoriented by your lack of sleep to even process what he was saying. Leisurely, you opened one of your eyes to peek at your boyfriend, lips instantly curling up into a smirk.

“Nothing, love” He chortled. Oikawa didn't need to ask you again, he’d found his answer in the way you looked at him.

"Someone woke up in a good mood." You said, trying to tease the boy. "Santa must've gotten you a very special gift."

"I'm looking at it right now."

Brushing against your skin, his other hand played with the buttons of your shirt, the one you were too tired to take off the night before.

“I’m going to miss this. Miss you.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Not now, at least”

“But soon you will” You paused, a heavy silence filling the room. “Toru…" Before you could finish your sentence, he delicately pushed you away, placing one of his hands onto your chin, obliging you to look into his eyes.

"Please… Let’s not think about that now.” Pulling you closer to his body, he held you tighter and tighter by the minute, afraid that if he ever let go, you’d slip away.

And you did.

Looking back at it, he regretted everything. All the words left unsaid, all the things he should've done so that he’d have you in his arms right now. But you couldn't leave it all behind just to follow him to the other side of the world. Even if you wanted to, he would've never had the heart to ask you such a thing.

So you both decided to break it off.

Yet, it had been two years and there wasn’t a single day when you didn’t cross his mind. And right now, when the pounding sound of bells resonated throughout the air, bringing him back to earth, Oikawa believed it must’ve been some kind of sign that you were the person he was thinking about. It was only then that Toru realized he was standing at a church.

Step by step, he moved away from the wall, drawn by the chimes warning him that it was already midnight. Christmas time. Walking towards the olden gates of the holy ground, he contemplated the image in front of him, being hit by one final blow.

Families gathered all around the church, the words "Merry Christmas" being repeated over and over again as everyone exchanged smiles and caring hugs. Even if he wasn't necessarily a religious person himself, let alone christian, Toru still felt inspired by the passion radiating from them.

As the mass finally started, the loud buzzing of the crowd quieting down, he closed his eyes, his mind transporting him to the place he wanted to be.

So he decided to pray. Pray for his loved ones. Pray for you.

He asked for your health, for your well-being, for your happiness and, as much as it hurt him, for you to find love too. The loneliness he felt was something he wouldn't wish upon his worst enemies, and you just happened to be one of his favorite people in the world.

Oikawa didn't even know whom he was praying to. Even so, his wishes were so pure that someone must've heard him because it was in the moment he said his last prayers that his phone started to vibrate in his pocket. A call coming in.

When he saw the name that popped on the screen, Toru thought his eyes were probably deceiving him. That's just what his heart wanted to see.

But as soon as he picked up the phone, your unmistakable voice woke him in a rush.

Maybe there was something magical about the holidays after all.

#oikawa angst #oikawa x you #oikawa x reader #hq oikawa #oikawa toru #toru oikawa x you #toru oikawa x reader #oikawa toru angst #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu angst #seijoh angst #toru oikawa #oikawa toru x reader #oikawa x y/n #constellations ✨

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midnightmoonkiss · 4 years

Text

How To Train A Demon

An adorable visual of Demon!Deku by @birds-have-teeth !!💙

Demon!Izuku Midoriya x Fem!Reader

Summary: Who knew you’d be teaching a man from the underworld your way of life, and who knew you’d slowly start to fall in love with the very being you were taught to fear?

WARNINGS! None!

Category: Fluff

Word Count: 12k

A/N: Day 12 of the Izumonth collab!

I had to split it into two parts due to limited time with editing, so the second part will be posted shortly after the collab ends!

I also want to thank @1a-imagines for helping me edit and find a good stopping point with this fic! I would not have finished it in time if it werent for her and her amazing talents!

Just To Clarify:

Takes place in early-ish Japan during the summer!

I did not do my history homework..

Reader does not have a job, and lives alone on the side of a mountain.

They say dark and stormy nights always bring chaos and misfortune.

That the scariest of tales are bred from the harsh splatter of rain on parched ground, the crackle of lightning in the sky illuminating the monsters that lurk deep in the shadows.

They always warn to fear those nights, to keep a lantern on and a knife under your pillow, for you never know what nefarious being is waiting to strike during your most vulnerable state.

And for the most part, it was true. Believable.

Of course, how could you not believe in such stories?

They were what you grew up with, what you were lectured with, a lesson repeatedly bashed into your skull from the minute you could understand them.

Everyone feared those nights.

Everyone feared the darkness.

It was always something so easy to be afraid of without even really being given a viable reason as to why other than tales passed on for generations.

You fear what you do not understand.

Especially those who lived alone, people like you.

People who needed fear to keep them alive more than the next person.

A small house on the mountainside, surrounded by thick forests and shrines to gods of ancient times. Lands protected and blessed by predecessors, symbols carved into trees and painted on rocks to banish the evil.

But alone you lived, alone your fears manifested into a ball of terror-filled paranoia, regardless of anyone’s true sense of reason.

Could you always rely on a symbol to keep you safe?

This particular night would unknowingly bring those fears to life.

But then again, it’s impossible to expect the unexpected, regardless of what others may say or encourage.

Thunder clapped loudly in the sky as rain assaulted your wooden rooftop, something usually so peaceful amplified by the altitude and sounding like a million dancers stomping on the old wood, dragging you into a restless sleep as stray drops drip from your ceiling, echoing in a metal pan at the far side of your room from a leak you had yet to repair.

Body curled into a ball, you gasped involuntarily when a bright flash illuminated your room, followed immediately by the raging roar of the sky as it split in two once again.

It was safe to say you would suffer through another sleepless night, fingers digging into the meaty flesh of your poor pillow as you fought to maintain a steady breath as the violent storm raged on outside, howling winds only adding to the dreadful abundance of creepy noises.

Nights like these you wished you weren’t alone.

Perhaps you would have been less afraid if your deceased family didn’t decide to live on the mountain instead of in the valley.

Though you desired to move down there where lanterns illuminated the sky at night, you couldnt abandoned what little you had left of your kin.

Instead, you sucked it up, like you always managed to do.

You were an adult, after all, one that theoretically should have been married already, but alas.

You craved freedom more than you craved to be tied down by a ring of false promises. That, and the fact that typically parents were the ones who set up marriages.

As another bang of thunder rang out in the night, you squeezed your tired eyes closed, imagining someone was there with you, wrapped securely in their embrace, even if just for a moment. Someone there to calm your breath down, to protect you from the loneliness that stabbed at your weeping heart.

Whimpering, your legs rubbed together as a cold chill filtered into the room, creeping up your spine as goosebumps ran down your skin, the garment you wore doing next to nothing at keeping you warm.

Perhaps you should have kept the fireplace going.. An old, rusty oil lantern with a small flame could only do so much. Then again, it was more of a light source than a heat source, so you couldn’t really complain.

With a huff, you dragged the thick covers over your head, sealing in what little warmth you had.

It was like a warm cocoon, almost. A little bundle of protection. You could barely even see the flashes anymore, but that just meant the thunder would swoop down on you like a hawk, startling you every time.

But what else is one to do other than to wait out the storm?

The sun would rise eventually, just as it always has and just as it always will.

Since the beginning of time, the sun blessed the lands with a golden glow, shrouding its children in warmth and love. The moon was like it’s bitter sister, cold and cruel, taking away the light that led her people through her darkness.

Some nights she was merciful, and others- gone from the sky completely.

This night just happened to be one of those nights.

So not only was it violent, rainy, and cold, this night was also one without any true lights.

Stars were a blessing in disguise, their brightness concerningly dim.

At least you had your lantern and that dirty old katana your father left behind.

You were safe.

At least you thought you were, but a sudden cry bellowing through the night tore the thick atmosphere apart, sending chills down your spine and making the grip on your blanket as tight as ever.

What.. was that?

It sounded almost like..

Like a wounded animal..

Just then, a flash of light blinded your vision, a sickening roar accompanying it. The ground shook as you whimpered, eyes wide with fear.

A bolt must have struck close to home..

It’s okay.

Everything is okay.

Breath heavy and body shaking, you comforted yourself with logic- an old friend you abandoned.

An animal just got hurt, was all. Perhaps a tree fell on it, or maybe it got attacked by another animal!?

It might even have been that howling wind that acted up sometimes!

Everything was okay.

It’s okay.

Nothing to fear.

It’s just a storm.

Just a storm.

You’re safe.

You’re inside.

The light guides you, the charms protect you, the shrines embrace you.

You’re okay.

It’s just a storm.

It’s just a

SCRSSSSHHHHH!!

CRASH!

“AHHH!”

A blood-curdling scream tore from your throat as something suddenly crashed through your window, the loud sound of wood tearing apart and clanging to the floor was followed by a heavy thud and the splash of rain on your padded floor at the gaping hole given to it.

Screaming in terror, your frantic hand grabbed the blade at your side, shaking body scrambling backwards to the other side of the wall, pulling it from its sheath.

You were trapped, you had no exit!

The only exit you had was where whatever the fuck that is just crashed!

Oh gods!

You’re going to die!

This was it!

A fucking storm!

A fucking goddamn storm!

God, you were a fool!

Hyperventilation crept up on you like a venomous snake, its cold body constricting tightly around your chest and throat, cutting off your oxygen supply and freezing your numb fingers.

You were scared shitless, that was for sure, and all you could do was helplessly stare with wavering eyes at a large, haunting silhouette in the corner of the room. The small light, now seemingly miles away, providing next to no coverage of this massive figure, only gifting the room more horrific shadows.

You wanted this to be a dream, that what the elders warned wasn’t true.

This was just a nightmare.

A scary nightmare your mind conjured up like it always did.

Rain splattered against your sickly pale face, the droplets mixing with the burning hot tears that poured down your cheeks as you fought to keep a steady hand and to slide up the wall to stand.

Old, dull blade pointing forward, you couldn’t help by cry out as the dark figure moves ever so slightly.

A crash of light drowns out your sobs, swallowing the room in a dull white glow for a mere moment, enough of a moment to give you a glimpse of this creature.

You wish you hadn’t seen it, that you indulged in your ignorance for a moment, that you didn’t see the way large, black wings sprouted from the back of a human.

Horns glistened with water atop its head, long tail thrashing wildly as its body moved to get up.

Your breathing stopped the minute it opened its eyes, a vicious, glowing green staring off at the destruction it caused.

Heart roaring in your ears, you did nothing but stare.

It was as if your blood had ran as cold, for all you could think to do was to silently pray to the gods that everything would be okay.

That your life would not end.

That you would still have a chance to become what you were supposed to be, and not die a lonely child by the hands of a beast.

Suddenly, its eyes snapped to your own, wide pupils turning into menacing slits as it gazed at you with malice, an animalistic growl rumbling in its chest, sharp teeth that could easy rip your throat out on full display.

Blade slipping from your numb hands, black dots spotted your vision as you promptly fainted from fear, accepting death in its imminent wake as your knees crash against the floor.

‘So this truly was the end’.. You thought to yourself as you body drifted lifelessly in a void of black, fingers outstretched as if reaching for something that would never be there.

Death was always something to think about, the burning question always attacking your mind as to how exactly you would die. You figured you’d be mawed to death by a wild boar of sorts, tusks tearing through the ligaments in your legs, praying you’d die from bleeding out before its teeth dug into your skin, eating you alive.

Or perhaps you’d die as most women do these days, walking alone before you’re kidnapped by an enemy.

Death by what could only be described as a demon never truly crossed your mind despite you being warned by it.

It seemed impossible.

Why would a demon want you of all people?

Though, you were.. an easy prey.

‘I’m sorry..’ you whispered to yourself, hoping your words of sincerity would cross the plains of existence and comfort those you would ultimately leave behind, which wasn’t many, and those you were soon to visit. You let your eyes slip shut to close off the suffocating abyss, embracing death.

“Ugh!” you groaned uncomfortably as a bright light assaulted your closed eyes, dragging you from your sleep.

No.. was this sleep?

You couldn’t be too optimistic..

Turning over, your back promptly blocked out the headache-inducing light, bare arm coming up to rub the drowsiness from your eyes as you blinked in your surroundings.

Well.

There wasn’t really anything to look at since you were facing a wall.

More specifically, your bedroom wall. A simple, faded, dark wood design.

Humming, your fingers tap against the tatami floor, chewing on your lip as you struggled to comprehend the beating of your own heart.

Were you alive?

It was hard to tell, you didn’t exactly have an accurate depiction of the afterlife.

Oh boy.

If you were dead, your family would kill you again no doubt for dying so early.

Of course, you can never please your ancestors, especially if you don’t leave something behind to continue your family’s lineage.

Maybe it was a good thing that you were dead, actually.

It didn’t take but a moment to notice the unusually loud sounds of nature attacking your ears and the wet, earthy scent flooding your nose.

The rain had ceased, and the morning birds were singing their usual cheerful tune.

The delicate jingle of your wind chime could be heard as it swayed ever so gently in the wind, having previously been frantically dinging all night long.

At least you were welcomed with open arms to your afterlife, after promptly being murdered by some weird fucking overgrown bat demon.

Who knows, maybe it wasn’t a demon.

Demons didn’t look like that? No, they were much creepier, but it wasn’t like you had anything real to compare it to.

Grumbling to yourself, you ran a hand through your messy hair, finding the oily, tangled mess utterly disgusting.

You really should take a bath soon.

Does the afterlife have baths?

You would throw a fit if not, you need your weekly soak, even if the water wasn’t that warm.

You’d be damned if you didn’t get a minute to relax and destress.

But then again, is there even stress here?

You’d have to find out later, for now, you should stop staring at your dirty old wall like some sort of lunatic, give this whole afterlife a go.

Slapping your bare thighs, eyes sparkling with determination you go to turn around before promptly screaming your heart out as fright squeezed the life out of you once more.

Large, snake-like green eyes bore into your own, only a hair length away.

Throat dry, you flung yourself back against the wall as you fought to scramble away, only for this creature to follow your every movement as you pushed yourself into a corner.

All you could see was green.

Green.

The type of green that reminded you of toxic flames erupting from an innocents body as it succumbs to possession.

You swore you were dead, but perhaps you have yet to meet your untimely end.

“Please!”

You cried, tears pouring down your raw cheeks as your arms wrapped protectively around your head, “Please don’t hurt me!” sobbing, you squeezed your eyes shut, waiting.

Waiting was always a horrifying game, you never knew when the waiting would stop and when you could breathe again.

But death never greeted you.

It was odd in a way.

It was as if you were expecting so much, that to not be given it was even more confusing.

Lips wobbling, you slowly peaked your eye open, breathless as you noticed this human-like creature suddenly at the other end of the room, clawed fingers tapping together at it shifted nervously from bare foot to foot.

…

What the-?

“I-i’m so sorry! I, I must’ve scared you so much… I’m really sorry!”

You stared in shock as this… man fell to his knees, thumping his forehead onto the floor in an apologetic bow, wings bent and folded at his sides.

You were speechless.

Truly, what the hell?

Was this even real?

You couldn’t tell anymore.

This all seemed so questionable.

It was certainly what crashed through your home- of fuck!

Gasping, you finally got a good luck at the true destruction.

Oh, your window was completely ruined! Broken wood stuck out everywhere, even looking at it made you feel like you were going to get a splinter!

How are you supposed to fix that when you haven’t a coin to your name?

Fuck.

Wait.

Oh, right!

There was!

This creature!

What the hell.

Breathing heavily, you fought to calm yourself down as you got a good look at this thing.

Its hair was messy, mud, twigs, and leaves entangling itself in its thick, dark green curls. It was hard to ignore the two large black horns atop its head, locks wrapping almost possessively around them.

Pointy ears caught your attention, a strange earpiece dangling from one with an upside-down, obsidian Christian cross.

Of course, what mostly caught your attention were the two large black wings sprouting from its scarred back, a thin black tail idly swaying back and forth.

His cream-colored skin was wet with water, dotted with freckles, and littered with scars varying in sizes.

All and all, you were dumbfounded.

Eyes bouncing around the room, you looked for your sword, desperate for some sort of protection, something you could say you tried to fight it off with if worse came to inevitable worse.

Oh!

There!

It was only a few feet away from you, and do as you must, you slowly crept forward, crawling on your hands and knees, sneaking around in hopes it wouldn’t lift its head and pounce on you.

Unfortunately, you pressed on a particularly creaky floorboard, and its head snapped up, fear causing you to jump for the sword before shakily aiming it at the demon once more.

“S-stay back!” you warned with a wavering voice, though you knew for a fact you looked like a crying child who could do no real harm.

Eyes stared into each other once more, this time from a safer distance. You were just about to speak again when it spoke up, its voice a calmer and not as frantic, “You’re holding that wrong.”

“Excuse me?” you answered without a beat, astonishment lacing your words as curiosity rose onto your face, how on earth did this thing know that?

“You’re holding the katana wrong,” it pointed at your hands on its handle, sharp black fingernail catching your ultimate attention, “You shouldn’t hold it just at the bottom, you need to space your hands out more. You would not be a threat to anyone if you hold it like that.”

Was… was it seriously lecturing you right now?

Eye twitching with annoyance, you slid your hands into the position described, “Just like that! Perfect!” it smiled brightly at you, green eyes slipping closed as it praised you like a teacher to a student who did good.

“Shut up!” you shouted, scrambling to your feet, flames of anger igniting within your body as you took a step forward.

With an inhuman screech, its wings folded protectively around its body, “Ack! I’m sorry! I just wanted to help you!”

What is going on?!

This, this wasn’t! This wasn’t supposed to be happening right now, right?? It was just about to kill you!

Could you even call it an "it", it looks like a man!

Is it a man? How do demons work!

Why is this happening right now!

You couldn’t wrap your head around it, and it was beyond infuriating!

“Who and what are you!” you snarled out, surprise blossoming in your eyes at the sheer ferocity you just displayed, but annoyance sure is a force to be reckoned with.

Wings cracking open ever so slightly, and you can just barely see an innocent green eye peaking out.

“M-My name is Midoriya.. Midoriya Izuku.. I’m.. I am a.. I know it sounds weird, but I’m a demon..”

So you were right.

This is a demon, just not one you were used to.

Yokai was what they’re called here, red, devilish creatures that sought destruction.

This certainly wasn’t a yokai, surely, despite his cheeks being a subtle red.

“I mean you no harm..” he meekly whispered, unfolding his large wings just to put his hands in the air, defenseless.

You weren’t convinced.

But then again, what were you supposed to do?

It wasnt as if you were taught how to handle a situation where an animal crashes into your house in the middle of a thunderstorm just to be there the next morning watching you sleep like some sort of creepy stalker.

When life gives you lemons, though, right?

Well, you hated lemons.

Or, at least these lemons.

No, that doesn’t apply here surely. This is a man, not a lemon.

Regardless, you were stuck on what action you should take.

Caution was definitely one. Though it hadn't harmed you in any way and was looking pretty beat up itself, you couldn’t run the risk of being too trusting too early only to end up with your throat ripped out.

There, of course, is still the question as to how it was able to enter holy lands such as these, lands protected from such devilish creatures.

They were supposed to combust into flames upon entering, right?

Closing your eyes for a moment, you took a deep breath, letting a scowl settle onto your face as you glared at this ‘Midoriya,’ “Why are you h-”

“Wait, wait wait!” he suddenly shouted out, arms waving frantically in front of his burning red face, “B-before uh! You do whatever you’re going to do, c-can you..” words were whispered under his breath as his arms wrapped childishly around his head, averting his gaze to the side, “Can you fix.. your garments…? Please?”

Stunned, you gaped at him, confused as to what he meant. Fix your garments? They were perfectly fine!

Only, they werent.

To your utter horror, your loose robe had begun to slip, completely exposing your left shoulder and the top of your breast.

It probably would have been more embarrassing if you didn’t still have a bit of adrenaline coursing through your veins, so naturally, you nonchalantly fixed up your robe.

Izuku sighed in relief, arms unraveling from his head.

“Now, what was your ques-”

“Why are you here.” You repeated, wanting definite answers as to what the fuck a demon was doing in these parts, and why it crashed into your beautiful house.

Hell, a bird just flew in! It’s going to be unimaginably cold in here tonight!

“Thats a uh,” he chuckled nervously, eyes drifting to look out into the forest covered in morning dew as he lightly scratched at his cheek with that sharp nail. He shifted so that he was sitting with his legs crossed over one another, tail flopping onto his lap to no doubt keep his decency.

He was clearly naked. How had you not noticed this before?

Where you too caught up in your head to realize this entire time he was bare?

And yet he had the gall to tell you to fix yourself up? It was hard to tell if he was being a gentleman or a fool.

Regardless, you ‘d never seen a naked man before. Perhaps muscular arms at most as village men helped their wives and older folk about.

But completely in the nude? Bare chest, legs out? Never.

You’d have to swallow down that bubble of nervousness, ignoring the heat on your cheeks, too eager to hear his answer rather than get wrapped up in ‘oh god he’s hot’ thoughts.

“A long story..”

“Everyone always says its a long story. Stop avoiding the question, and answer it before I cut your head off!” You bravely declared, only for his viridescent eyes flashing with mischief to flicker over to you with a momentary smirk on his lips.

It was almost as if his face turned into the personification of ‘is that so?’ and honestly, you do not blame him for reacting in such a way. You didn’t even know how to hold this old katana until a few minutes ago when told you how.

He was obviously trying to hide that display of cockiness as he coughed into his tattooed fist, “Well, if you’ve got the time-”

“I do.”

“H-how much?”

Eye twitching with aggravation, you promptly sat down on your knees, the sun-warmed tatami mat beneath you offering some comfort to your chilled bones.

“As long as you need.”

It didn’t take long for him to spit out his story, having no real choice in the matter.

Apparently, he was an exiled demon.

Who knew demons of all things could be banished from the underworld?

According to him, demons were the incarnation of evil, bred from human hatred and misery, taught to become a monster who wreaks havoc on the innocent and guilty, but he was different.

Since birth, or his ‘manifestation’ as he strangely called it, he was much kinder than those around him. Pure and sweet, hiding it behind a mask of cruelty in fear of the banishment now bestowed upon him.

So here he is in all his glory, a permanent seal of banishment printed in black ink onto his left pectoral in the form of broken kanji and crescent moons.

It was quite a lovely mark, really, but to him, it meant lonely freedom.

But, who knew demons can’t fly for shit in the rain? Certainly not him. Salty water splattered in his eyes, blinding him after a loud crack of lightning tore a scream from his throat - which explained the cries of an animal in pain.

And so he crashed through your home, a scared animal.

It was hard to tell if you were lucky or not, considering the charms didnt work at all.

At least you had a reason now, the mark he was branded with took away his demonic possession.

He was more of a human now than a demon, powers stripped away, not that he used them.

The only problem was, he looked like a demon.

Horns? Check. Reptillian eyes? Check. Lare, bat-like wings? Check. A tail that looks like it could easily stab someone? Check.

Not to mention the strange tattoos under his eyes and on his left arm, something he was supposedly born with and which was unique to himself only.

To you, the intricate tattoo looked like a bunny ensnared in thorny vines on his arm, but he was quick to take offense before laughing boyishly.

You were absolutely stuck on what you should do with him.

Tossing him to the snakes and boars would surely be too cruel, but keeping a demon in your house?

How maddening! You were lucky no one came around these parts to snoop in on whats inside.

Though, despite it being absolutely ludicrous, you allowed it. That is, because of his promise that he’d fix your window. Heavens know you certainly cant do it yourself.

He was insistent that you should sleep in the dusty guest bedroom, a smaller room with a mere futon and window, lacking the furniture you had, as he stood guard at the opening at night.

Demons apparently didnt sleep much?

Lucky you.

And so now, by events you never could have seen coming, you have a giant cat looming over your shoulder.

It was hard not to let your guard down so fast around him when he was so.. innocent. So open and kind, always willing to help around the house, and always quick to jump away if he began to do something wrong.

His curiosity was truly adorable, though.

Most days he’d stare in wonder at something new with an awestruck expression, eyes sparkling as he’d take a brush and ink, scribbling down notes about it in a foreign language on a piece of parchment, even attempting to draw it. He would always ask you about it later, showing you what he had written down, and if you could answer, you would. He’d always thank you profusely before writing down what you’d said.

You couldn’t understand what he wrote, it’d always be a mystery, but it certainly was an intricate language.

The only problem was he was so used to being naked all the time that it was an embarrassing struggle to get him to not only get into clothes but to also wear them. The most he was willing to wear was a sash from as robe wrapped around his waist. He disliked the constricting feeling of fabric clinging to his body, slipping out of it whenever you got him dressed.

It really did give you the chance to actually know what a man looked like, that, as well as study him. He was littered with scars ranging from small, faded, fresh, large, it truly was a painful sight the days you decided to dwell on them.

He had told you a few stories already about how he had gotten certain ones, and most stories were ones filled with pride and determination, winning fights or protecting others.

Each scar held an interesting story, except the one on his neck, which was gained from forgetting he had sharp nails in a fit of frustration.

As you found out later that first day of knowing him, his wings and horns had the ability to shrink, not only giving him more mobility inside the house, but also taking away that spike of anxiety whenever you’d see them near a fragile object. Besides, their tiny selves were oh so cute, not that you’d ever openly say that.

And so, two weeks had passed, and there was still that dreadful broken window. Izuku had been kind enough to clean up the mess he made, insisting to do so after your intense interrogation, so it truly was an out of place marker of destruction now.

Its stay was to be expected, considering you didn’t have a replacement. No, you’d need to buy one.

Oh, buying. A poor man’s nightmare.

But as it turns out, demons are quite good at finding valuable things in the wilderness.

Or at least, that’s what he explained to you when he showed up one morning covered in dirt and mud, twigs all in his hair, boring an appearance similar to his first arrival, showing off a handful of silver and copper coins, as well as two golden ones.

In short, you were too busy drooling at the sight to care about how exactly he got it.

Travelers were often dropping coins anyway, so it surely doesn’t matter. Besides, his accomplished smile was far too sweet to tarnish with questions.

“You’re dirty, again.” you bluntly pointed out after thanking him for his find, pouring the coins into a small, worn pouch containing only two copper. Tying it up, you were quick to place it back on the shelf, hiding it behind a book of heroic tales.

“O-oh.. I didn’t notice..” he laughed awkwardly in that boyish manner he seemed to always have, large hands immediately going to brush off the caked mud on his legs and arms.

“Absolutely not, mister! I just cleaned!” Scolding him, you grabbed his wrist before he had the chance, glaring up into his surprised, foresty green snake-like eyes.

“If you’re going to shake your dirty little self off, go do it outside!”

At times, you acted more like a mother than you did anything else with him. But to be fair, he did come to this practical new world without any true knowledge of its customs, what you can and cannot do. Surely not making the house someone let you graciously stay in dirty was a universal thing.

He openly stared at you, innocent eyes glistening and wobbly lips reminding you of a kicked puppy.

Ouch.

“S-sorry,” he promptly apologized, attention snapping to your smaller hand still gripping his wrist, pink dusting over his chubby, freckled cheeks.

Sighing, you patted his large arm, picking up on the way it made his wings flutter, “It’s alright. Just go pat yourself off outside. I’ll set up a bath for you. I don’t need dirt everywhere in here again.”

Nodding eagerly, a bright smile overtook his face, showing off his unusually sharp canines.

Perhaps you would’ve been afraid had he shown them off in a vicious way again, but he was far too excited at the prospect of submerging his body in heated water to seem at all threatening.

You watched for a split second as he ran off, head instantly whipping to the side when he suddenly threw off the measly piece of fabric wrapped around his thin waist, tail curling around his muscular leg that you definitely haven’t been staring at throughout all this time.

You would have yelled after him for stripping if you weren’t so flustered.

You’d doubt you’d ever get used to it, seeing him nearly naked all the time. Artists were right to draw demons naked it seems, they truly didnt have any shame.

A blessing and a curse.

Grumbling, you began the long process of filling the metal tub with buckets of water from the well out back, igniting a small flame beneath it so the water would be warm upon his arrival.

Speaking of which, he was taking an unusual amount of time.

Surely you didn’t have to be worried, but it had been at least half an hour at this point, right? It doesn’t take that long to brush yourself down, does it?

Unease built in your gut, and you began pacing around the house, chewing anxiously at your fingernails as the old boards creaked beneath your feet.

He was very capable of handling himself, he was a fairly strong and intimidating soul, but what if he ran into someone? Your house wasn’t too far from the village, it was very plausible that he could’ve run into a hunter!

What if he was dead!

Oh gods, was he dead?!

And you had just put so much effort into running a bath for him!

Should you look for him?

What if he doesnt come home?

Maybe he’s lost?

Or stuck in a trap!

There were so many different possibilities, that your feet began to move on their own, the long sleeves of your kimono flapping behind you as you rushed towards the door where he had jumped out of, only to slam into a much larger and sturdier frame the minute you were about to exit.

“Hyah!” you cried out from surprise, being knocked backward.

Two hands quickly caught your flailing arms before you had the chance to land flat on your ass.

Looking up in a panic, you were relieved to see the familiar, warm green gaze of Izuku.

“Careful!” he was now the one to scold, playfully pouting his reddened lips. Breathless from worry and slamming into him, you jumped to your feet, taking a moment to catch your breath.

“D-don’t tell me to b-be careful!” whining, embarrassed at the fact that you had been pressed so close to him, you adjusted your oversized kimono that had slipped ever-so-slightly at the rough collision.

“Mmm~ Be careful?” he teased, leaning down just to purr beside your flushed face his cold, dangling earring tickling the skin at your neck.

Smacking his shoulder, you let out an annoyed huff, only to screech a second after, blood burning your cheeks as you turned away so quickly you could hear the sleeves slap against his body, “Put some clothes on, damnit!!”

“I thought I had to be naked for a bath?” It was annoying how you could tell he was pulling your strings, no doubt his head was tilting as he batted his lashes at your smaller frame, like he always did when given the chance to be a tease.

Growling to yourself, you pointed off to the direction where the bath was prepared, desperate to escape from this trap you had set yourself in, “Then go bathe, you dirty, dirty boy!” At this point, you were on the verge of flat out shoving him into the bathroom, wanting to escape from his nude self.

You’d clearly have to start forcing him to wear clothes more, putting your foot down if he was to stay in this house.

You did not need a heart attack every morning at seeing a naked man waiting eagerly for you to awake, only for a wide smile to blossom on his face, tail thumping loudly on the ground and wings flapping like a bird when he noticed you blink your eyes open.

Of course, a pillow was always thrown at him, the plea for him to wear some clothes always on your tongue, but alas, you were lucky if he wore his piece of fabric, that flimsy sash you had half as mind at throwing away just so he would be forced to wear something else.

“O-okay..” his shy self seeped back in, his fingers visibly poking together, an anxious habit you presumed. Feet thumping against the floor, he traveled down the hall and to the bath, a loud gasp echoing down the corridor when he noisily jumped in, water sloshing. “So warm!”

“Please clean up your mess-!”

It was almost like dealing with a child, except this child was hundreds of years older than you and a grown-ass man, if that was a positive or negative- you’d never know.

It wasn’t until the next day you got him to fully wear a kimono, an old one your father had left behind. It fitted him, truly, black with green vines snaking down the sides and wrapping around the cuffs. It was a nightmare to get him in it, though.

Not that he wasn’t obedient, no, he truly did try his best to please you, but perhaps it just wasn’t something he could easily comprehend just yet, not to mention you had to somehow squeeze his wings into the outfit.

His tail was easy to hide due to the kimono reaching the floor, but thank god for hats because truly it was impossible to hide his horns any other way.

But the poor man was clearly unhappy, lips pouty and eyes droopy as he shifted from one foot to the other.

“They.. feel weird..” he tried to explain, pulling at the neckline, only for you to swat his hand away. “You’ll get used to it.” you reassured.

Grabbing the coin pouch you had placed on the shelf, you made him carry a sack over his shoulder, something to not only hide his lumpy wing covered back but to also carry the supplies you’d be purchasing soon.

It would be impossible to hide his facial markings, so you didn’t attempt. The thought of smearing mud on his cheeks did cross your mind, but alas, that would look suspicious. If only tattoos weren’t so taboo, and if only he didn’t have such suspicious ones.

Everyone in the village knew you, knew your story, and they knew you were alone. You had no doubts they’d ask who this mysterious stranger was, or at least openly gawk at him. You could avoid certain nosey fuckers, but at times it was unavoidable

Grabbing his sleeve, you led him out the front door, quick to slide it shut before walking down the dirt trail.

Perhaps you could say he was a distant relative? You didn’t have any distant relatives, so that would, unfortunately, be a bust. You placed your finger on your chin, thinking as you allowed your body to walk down the familiar path on autopilot, head in the clouds as you thought.

Curse these nosy ass people, already knowing everything about you!

Perhaps he was a traveler you found lost in the storm? Or he found you?

No.. that wouldn't explain the markings..

You needed to come up with something!

Grrr!

Oh! Oh! Wait!

“Midoriya..” you began, tilting your head curiously towards him.

His lips pressed into a thin line, already recognizing that mischievous glint in your mesmerizing (e/c) eyes.

Was that even a way he should describe them? Perhaps not, but he would be a fool to disagree with the statement formed in his head.

Gulping, he stuttered out nervously, focus shifting from you to the path in front of his wooden sandal-clad feet, shoes he wasnt too happy with, “Y-yes..?”

“Do you know what ninja’s are?”

You’re a genius.

“I, uhm, I’ve heard about them..why?”

“Mmm.. what have you heard?”

“Just that they’re skilled with a blade and sneaking around..” He looked at you dumbly, eyebrow arched as you only smiled back at him, adding to his own confusion.

“You’re gonna be a ninja, then.” You boldly declared out, catching his arm as he suddenly stumbled over a rock as he sputtered.

“W-wha?! B-but I- I’m n-not a ninja!”

“I know that, but listen! The people at the village don’t! I have no doubts they’re going to poke and prod at you, wondering who you are.. A ninja that stumbled upon my house in the middle of a storm would explain your sudden appearance and your facial tattoos, and Hell, even your eyes!”

Filled with a sense of victory, you grinned ear to ear, amazed at how you had come up with such a solution on the spot.

You truly were creative.

A gift, maybe.

Oh, man! All the village women are going to be so jealous! Always quick to say you’d end up alone, but boy were they wrong! Here you have it, a ninja demon following you around! Suck on that, widows!

Wanting to gauge his reaction, seeing as he went oddly silent, you looked over at him, only to stop in your tracks and have your arms go limp by your sides.

“W-wha…” face scrunching up, you stared at him, bewildered. He was pointing at his cheek, smirking at you, showing off the fact that not only had his eyes gained a human-like pupil, which now looked odd on him, but the fact that the markings now looked like smudged paint.

It was dumbfounding.

“What the hell happened to your face..” trailing off, you couldnt help but scratch at your head, running possibilities through your mind but coming up with no true solution.

“Demons have the ability to switch from eyes that can see well in the dark to eyes that cannot! I forgot about it until you pointed them out, to be honest! So thank you for that!”

He was smiling boyishly again, only to flush deeply as you grabbed his face, soft, small hands on his cheeks, pulling him down to your height as you examined his features.

“(Y-Y/N).?!” he squeaked, breath catching in his throat as you peered deeply into his surprised green orbs, face so close he could feel your nose brushing against his, and all he could do was stand still.

His hot breath was ragged as it fanned across your face, and though he knew you were examining the sudden change in appearance, he couldn’t help the way his heart hammered in his chest. You were so, so close!! He swore if he just.. leaned forward ever so slightly, he could.. Catch your lips in a sweet kiss. He glanced down, focus going hazy as he zeroed in the way your lips shined in the sunlight trickling just barely through the gaps of leaves above him, forcing his own lips to twitch in anticipation.

Would it be so bad if he, hypothetically speaking, kissed you right now?

Oh, what a thought!

He couldnt tell. Hell, he couldnt even think.

Your scent was so intoxicating at this moment, flooding his senses, and it left his devilish desires to want more, fingers inching towards your waist.

He was knocked out of his strangely lustful thoughts when you repeatedly papped his cheek to catch his attention.

Body going stiff, his hands flung back to his own sides before jerking his head up to look at you once more. Had you been talking to him? Did you say something? He didnt know, his attention hyperfocused on… something else at the time.

Your aggravated tone cut through his body like a freshly sharpened steel blade, noticing the way your face scrunched up once more at finding he hadnt heard you the first time.

“I said, what did you do to your eye markings?”

“H-huh?!” he stuttered out, only to internally slap himself as he took a moment to process the question, “I- I just.. smeared some mushed up black berries on m-my cheek..”

It was embarrassing to admit such a thing, especially considering his right hand is still sticky with its pigmented juice, droplets dripping from his fingers. He had half a mind to lick them up, sucking on the digits just to gauge your reaction as you watched him so intensely. No! Bad, bad Izuku! Stop that!

“I-I thought it could be.. like some sort of ink.. b-but I didn’t have any ink on me so- so I grabbed some berries..”

“Is that why you smell so sweet? I was tempted to lick your cheek for a minute there.” Confessing that, you ended the conversation by spinning around and walking on. Delays were never good, especially since you didn’t have all day, and you definitely wanted to sleep in your own room tonight. The guest one was.. a bit too stuffy for your liking.

He followed you, huffily licking at the juice covering his hand and ignoring the stickiness coating his lips and cheeks.

Next time, he would be sure to use a sort of paint or something. At least then it could be marked off as some sort of fashion trend and not actual tattoos. After all, what innocent man had tattoos?

Of course, for his kind, they were common and apart of your identity, but here? It was a symbol of bad luck it seemed. Impurity. Not that he wasnt impure.

“Walk faster!” You called back to him, alerting the green-haired man lost in his thoughts that he had been walking too slow.

“C-coming!”

It wasnt too long before you had finally reached the entrance to the village, taking a moment to look over the old wooden arch covered in vines before walking past. Your sandals, as well as his own, clopped against the cobblestone road.

Though it was early morning, and the sun was barely even awake, townsfolk were already bustling through the place. Kids were running around barefoot, doing chores or having fun, farmers were wheeling in their goods in squeaky carts, calling out for business, and shops were being opened.

Distantly, you could hear the crackle of a fire and smell the pungent scent of meat being cooked sweets being baked in the air, only making you drool at the thought of consuming something so tasty after eating home-grown vegetables for so long.

The village was dead silent at night but in the morning? It was warm and welcoming, filled with friendly, smiling faces and gossiping mothers as they hung clothes out to dry.

You swore you could even hear the light picking at an instrument and the barking of dogs far off on the other side of town.

Birds chirped happily in the sky, singing their age-old songs as they searched for someone to love.

It truly was a breath of fresh air, the friendly atmosphere far different than the much quieter one in the mountain.

You missed it.

You were convinced for a while the reason you stayed away so long was to quite literally teach a demon manners, but you were quick to regret your mistake upon reentering this world. The energy of the place stabbed at your heart, and your fingers itched with the desire to stay here for as long as possible. Perhaps even buy some bread while youre here. Heaven knows you need more ingredients, and with the jingle of the pouch you carried ringing in your ear with every step, you were reminded you could actually afford it for once.

Sure, cooking and chopping vegetables was alright, a fun pass time that brought you comfort and worth, but damn did you miss being lazy for a change.

Besides, you now had the manpower to carry quite a lot, right?

Speaking of, that same demon was currently hiding behind you, hands clutching at your kimono sleeve as his shy face barely peeked out from behind your head.

“Are.. you alright?” you asked hesitantly, worried that perhaps he was scared or something set off some sort of weird sixth scent.

“I-i’m okay..! T-there's just so many people around.. I’m.. a bit..” he trailed off, looking down at his feet once more.

“Shy.” you concluded, nodding your head in understanding.

This was the first time he would be around other humans besides yourself, so it made sense why he was a bit timid.

In all honesty, it just made him even cuter and less threatening, not that he ever truly was as you came to realize the more you got to know this fluffy boy.

That's not to say it didn't also fill you with a motherly need to protect him, or perhaps it was pride. Either way, your cheeks couldn't help but flush with him being so close, a reaction you still were trying to get used to, despite being up close and personal not ten minutes ago. Then again, that was on your terms, wasn’t it? This? This was certainly out of the blue. So it made sense.

Walking along, you waved to the occasional person, a plethora of “good morning!”’s and “I’m alright, how are you?” fleeing from your person with each minimal interaction. It was a blessing no one has yet to question who the mysterious stranger with dripping berry juice on his face was, but it certainly made a lot of people stop in their tracks and look your way.

How flustering… you thought to yourself as you pushed on, eventually grabbing Izuku’s wrist and pulling him along with you.

“The shop is just down here.” you told him, to which he nodded his head, far too shy to speak. Hell, you were sure he was close to chewing his own clothes from nerves at this point with that look of hesitation, fear, and child-like curiosity in his eyes.

It wasn't hard to miss the way his head whipped around, taking in the new environments with near open arms, visually studying each and every object he saw, but never asking a question about it, almost as if he was afraid speaking with glee and wonder would cause too much of a ruckus, attracting even more attention.

You had no doubts he would drown you in them once you got back home, or maybe even in a few minutes if something utterly mind-blowing caught his attention, but for now, you had to focus on gathering things.

You had eventually made it to the repair shop, full intentions on buying the wood needed to replace the frame, as well as a new window covering. It was old and damn near rotting off the wall anyway, it truly was needed.

Though it certainly was unusual to have such a thing in a bedroom where someone could easily break-in. But it was the mountains, so there wasn’t much to fear. After all, who in their right minds would wander a forest in the middle of the night just to break into a poor woman’s home?

Leaving Izuku to stay outside to collect himself as he shook like a leaf in the wind, you stepped inside the open shop, immediately greeted with the smell of freshly chopped wood and burning embers, a fire burning in the back no doubt. This was a supply shop for home repair, after all.

“Ah! Little Miss (L/N)! I haven't seen you in a while, my dear. Where have you been?” An elderly grandfather emerged from the back, hand pressed to the wall to lean against it. For his age, he was surprisingly in stable conditions, no doubt from the strenuous work he’d done all his life.

It was hard to forget that the elders here always had an eye open, so naturally, he would be the first to question your sudden disappearance when given a true chance. So far you’d only seen people your age and children out and about doing deeds for the older folk and earning their dinner.

Just as you were about to answer, you were cut off, “Oh? Who’s this?”

Not bothering to glance back, already knowing full well it was the curious Izuku who finally manage to swallow his anxieties and peak in, “He’s-”

“A ninja!” he exclaimed, jumping to your side excitedly as you huffed in irritation at being cut off two times in a row.

It certainly was odd that he spoke out so enthusiastically, considering he had been nothing but reluctant to speak the entire time you were in the village, but what was even more shocking was how he continued the plan of referring to him as a ninja.

A stupid plan you now came to realize, sounding out of place. You should’ve gone with a better idea and not have acted so cockily when you came up with it on the spot.

Oh, the familiar feeling of regret.

It was strange though, especially since you were sure he was against the idea in the first place, so why had he gone along with it?

Truly, you couldn't exactly care less. This was his mess now.

“A.. ninja.?” Furukawa, the old man, questioned, giving the both of you a perplexed look. “We haven't seen one around these parts since I was a but boy. What is a ninja doing here of all places? A meek little village like this?”

Oh. That’s right.

You had forgotten they didn't thrive out here in the country, but in the city and for generals leading wars.

What was a ninja doing out here indeed. Boy were you not bright when it came to thinking on the spot.

Leaning back and crossing your arms, you decided to let the excited demon explain for you, since you certainly hadn't a clue what to say.

“I’m here for no particular reason, sir! I had gotten lost in the mountains during that thunderstorm a few weeks back, and I just so happened to stumble upon the (L/N)’s home. I was lucky she was willing to take me in, for I had injured myself and needed time to heal. I truly owe her my life, for I doubt I would have been able to find a safe place to rest and recover that night if not for her generosity. I vowed to return the favor, and you know ninjas, never one to break a promise, and so I am here to help gather things to repair something I had broken. Though I’m sure we have bad rep around these parts nowadays, I assure you I have no intention of harming anyone. I vowed to protect the innocent, and that is what I will do! I’ll fight the evil of these lands with my own two-!”

You snapped him out of his rambling by gripping at his arm, surprised at how he had managed to come up with what to say so quickly. Hell, his eyes were even hardened with determination. He was very convincing.

It definitely made you suspicious of what his true intentions were, if he actually wanted to be a ninja of all things or if he was playing a part and not realizing the potential consequences.

Oh well?

What was even more surprising was how the old man wept, dramatically wiping his aged, teary eyes. “Oh, you good man! We need more men like you around here! My son is a lazy lump of bricks who won’t even help out around here”

“I am here now! Allow me to assist whenever!” Izuku stated righteously, fist raised high and mighty.

At this point, you were just a background character in some sort of weird show as these two practically danced around each other with declarations and tears.

Shaking your head, you quickly cut them off, needing to get things done today and not mess around any longer, “I was wondering if you had the material for a new window?”

“Oh! A window!”

“Yes.. I need a replacement for the one he had broken.”

“You youngsters are always breaking windows these days..” he complained, wiping at his brow before hobbling to the back again.”One moment please.”

Nodding, despite him not even seeing, you waited patiently in near awkward silence, teetering back and forth on your wooden heels.

“Did I uh..” the green-haired man's apprehensive whisper barely caught your ear, “did I go overboard, you think?”

That question was enough to bring giggles bubbling out over your throat, only for him to frantically wave his arms about in front of you, “I-i’m serious!”

Your giggles soon turned into laughs, only making his cheeks redden from embarrassment before he wrapped his arms around his head.

“Just,” you wheezed, “Just a bit, Midoriya.”

You weren’t used to being near people so passionate and enthusiastic about things, especially things made up. It was peculiar and yet it still brought a grin to your face.

Groaning, he looked off to the side, waiting patiently for the old man to return and to end his suffering as you continuously poked at his rosy cheek.

“I think you’d make a great ninja.” you whispered in his ear, breath tickling his skin and making baby hairs stand on end as you leaned over his crouched form, his hands resting on his knees as if to calm himself, unknowingly leaving him wide open for teases he deserved after what had happened the day before.

Gulping down the lump of nervousness in his throat, ridding himself of thoughts he shouldnt be having again, his head whipped back to look at you, eyes glimmering with excitement, “Ah, really?!”

You were unsure of how he would become one, but, “Yes.” you smiled gently, knowing full well already that he could do anything he set his mind to, a stubborn yet determined man he was.

“No kanoodlin in my shop!” Furukawa had suddenly appeared, damn near hitting the two of you upside the head with a stick.

You were quick to pay him for the materials, nearly tripping over yourself with giggles as Izuku looks nothing short of terrified with how the elderly man glared at him, no doubt piercing through his meek soul. Once you finished loading and securing the supplies in the shoulder bag, you grabbed two of his fingers before pulling him out of the shop with a friendly wave towards the grouchy old man who begrudgingly waved back.

A horse trotted in front of the both of you as you walked out, a loud wagon filled with hay creaking behind it as you continued on down the road in the opposite direction.

“That was.. nerve wracking..” Izuku sighed, one hand clutching the strap to the bag tightly whilst the other goes back to holding your sleeve, no longer cowering behind you as he openly gawks at the abundance of people strolling through the area, as well as eyeing up all the animals wandering about and making all sorts of noises.

“It was a pretty typical interaction to me,” you confessed, shrugging nonchalantly as he groans heavily.

“Are we heading back now?” he questioned, itching to beg you to let him stay if just for a bit longer. He was excited about being out like this, reading many stories revolving around normalities such as these. He had never experienced such a thing before, and it was thrilling, to say the least.

He felt as if he was on cloud nine, observing so many new things and being up close to other things he thought he would never get to see or touch, or, well, smell.

It was as if he himself was in one of the many books he’d read, skipping happily through each page as his wings twitched beneath the fabric with excitement, luckily covered up by the large sack of supplies.

He didn’t want to leave, but he would if you didn't like the idea of staying.

He could always come back with you another time, after all.

But damn did the prospect of going home at this moment dampen his cheery mood. Hell, he could even feel his wings pressed against him droop from inside the kimono at the prospect of doing so.

He was really hoping you wouldn't say yes.

He’d cross his fingers if he could.

“No.”

“Ah, well alright.. we can come back another time right?" It was as if he didn't hear you, too used to being put down and denied that happiness swelling inside his chest.

He continued to walk forward, head bowed down as he stared sadly at the rocks only to be yanked back as your hand slapped onto his wrist for the third time that day. He could get used to that if he was being honest.

He looked back at you, staring blankly as he tried to figure out why you had stopped and why you were giving him such a baffled look.

Had he done something wrong?

Said something wrong?

Or maybe his mere presence had annoyed you.

He hadn't the slightest clue, and he could only helplessly stare at you as he awaited a reason as to why you stopped, heartbeat hammering in his chest and fear squeezing his lungs, rendering him unable to speak.

You raised your eyebrow in question, and that's when it hit him like a rock.

You had said no, not yes!

Oh geez!

That sounds so backwards honestly!

“A-ah! I’m sorry! Oh, I thought y-you said yes!” he screeched, fumbling over his words and inwardly fighting himself at being so stupid.

He was about to go on and ramble out an apology, his nerves strangling him alive, but you had easily cut him off, “It’s alright, don’t worry about it, okay? We’re going to stay out and about for a bit longer. I wanted to show you some things, and get some ingredients if you don’t mind?"

Not that you would really give him the option to mind, besides- you knew that far off look in his eyes too well, it was the same look of wonder in your own eyes when you were a child.

It truly was endearing, you couldn't help but want to indulge in it for a bit, even if you were going to be doing other things anyway.

To hell with putting the window up this evening, perhaps the next. For now, you just wanted a break from having to train a demon by- well. Informing one instead.

“Really!” he exclaims, face immediately lighting up, dimples appearing on his cheeks as he smiled. He's suddenly jumping for joy, shoes making a loud clacking noise that catches the attention of village-folk once again, much to your introverted horror. “Y-you have places you want to show me!? O-oh gosh! Can we go see them now? Oh, there are so many things I want to see here! So many things I’ve read about!”

“Midoriya..” you called out to him hopelessly, wanting to calm him down.

“I want to see a bakery!! To- to smell the freshly baked bread and pastries! I can smell them right now,” he sniffed at the air, eyes slipping closed for a second, tongue poking out as he drooled, “they- they smell so good! I’ve always wondered how they mix ingredients together and fire them to make something so delicious.. How do they know what ingredients to use? How did they find those ingredients? I want to know! Do they memorize how to do it, you think??! And, and a blacksmiths shop! Swords are forged from fire, it sounds so magical, but there must be logic of some kind behind it! Logic I don’t quite understand yet but want to! I want to see it in action, know how they’re made in the first place. It’s from melting rocks right? Or, or metal?! How do they shape the swords? Which material and technique is best to use for the best result? Is that loud banging the making of swords right now? Or something else?”

“Midoriya…”

“Is there a library around here? No, no I guess there wouldn't be one here.. books? I want to know all about the culture of these lands, in more detail! I, I want to see how people's minds work, how they write their feelings or facts down on pages. You can learn a lot from a person based on how they tell a story, you know! Oh! And I also-!”

He excitedly jabbered on, drawing laughter and gleeful smiles from the people as they passed, only fueling to the heat on your cheeks as they whispered about the cute, excited man rambling on about different aspects of regular life. It was almost too much to understand or even comprehend, let alone answer all in one go. His words were flying over your head from how fast he was speaking.

And so, you simply stood there, off to the side of the road, wringing your hands together as you let him express his pure delight with an abundance of words.

He was a curious person like you’d thought to yourself before, that was for sure.

It got to the point where you were sure nearly five or so minutes had passed, and you didn't want to see how long this could go on for.

Because you knew it could go on for a long while, having been with him for a few weeks now.

It was a loveable habit of his, one that he always was quick to shut himself up for and apologize profusely, which always pulled at your heartstrings. He had clearly been put down in his past for being so wild, curious, and excited, and that was nothing short of saddening.

You didn't want him to feel like he couldn't talk, or ask questions, hell, even be enthusiastic like he always was. It brought a hint of sugar and spice to your plain life.

So, perhaps another time, but in front of a multitude of onlookers, ready to prod into your lives from how hard they were staring? Absolutely not, unfortunately.

Grabbing his sleeve, you yanked at his, successfully pulling him from his thoughts as his focus snapped over to where your hand was, “Huh?” he asked obliviously, turning to look at you with a tilted head but still cheery smile, green bangs brushing over his eyebrows, making you want nothing more than to sweep them away from his face.

Physical contact, as you learned, was always a better way to get him to focus rather than to snap him from his thoughts with words of your own. Words always made him flinch back and shut himself off, but soft touches somehow never did, keeping the same energy he started with even as he looked at you with wonder. It would often make you wonder why he flinched, or reacted in such a heartbreaking way whenever you’d cut him off with your own words, perhaps an untold story from his past waiting to be unraveled or kept under lock and key. Some things were best not to remember, after all.

Though he told you he was happy to be gone from the place he never truly considered home, you still held some minor doubts.

It was always the kind ones who smiled the brightest like a star in the sky that had the most to hide.

“Do you want to go and experience some of those things that you mentioned? I’m pretty hungry myself, so we could try a bakery right now if you would like? The one here is owned by a nice family, recipes passed down for generations. They got a pretty good grasp of things”

His brows quickly flew up, momentary shock flashing in his eyes before being covered by embarrassment, he had just now realized he rambled on. A momentary delay it seemed.

“S-sure.. eheh..” he chuckled nervously, hand squeezing the bags strap tightly once again as he used his other hand to wrap around his torso. He certainly was bashful for someone who was ‘bred from darkness’, if that red on his cheeks and how he avoided eye contact were anything to go by.

“Let’s go, then.” placing your hand on the much larger one glued to his side, you slowly peeled it away before gingerly holding it, ignoring the stuttered gibberish that trickled from his mouth at the action as you led him to the place that made saliva drip from his mouth.

At the end of the day, you were walking home on sore feet, arms clutching at a flimsy woven basket someone graciously gave you for free containing foods you needed to stock up on.

Izuku, on the other hand, was practically skipping, words flowing from his lips like a waterfall as he reviewed what he learned today, occasionally looking over at your tired form to make sure you were alright. He had offered multiple times to carry the basket, even going as far as trying to grab it, but you refused, wanting to do so yourself since he was now carrying a basket and a bag of his own.

Stubborn, ironically, was the way he described you with a pouty lip, and you had to agree.

It truly was a shame you weren't able to put the new window today, considering you wanted to sleep in your own room, but there was always tomorrow. For now? You were exhausted.

So much so you weren't even sure you could cook dinner.

Demons sure did have a lot of unrelenting energy. You were being dragged around all day, only leading a few times to the places you wished to show him- you didn't even get to show him everything due to his mind moving faster than either one of you could keep up.

Once making it back to the house, you managed to convince the energetic guy to at least continue wearing his hakama after he threw off his hat and the top of his kimono, successfully freeing his wings.

Things on the floor, he gets on his hands and knees, stretching his arms and back out like a cat, his wings flapping out like a birds as he flexed the poor things.

It was horrible how he had to stuff them in his clothing all day, and it truly did make you feel bad, knowing he must have held a form of discomfort all day, hiding it seamlessly.

Perhaps you could buy more clothes for him next time, or even fabric to weave together a kimono made solely for him.

That would take a long while, but it would be cute, right?

You didn't want him to be uncomfortable in his own home.

You stopped in your tracks as this thought crossed your mind, a perplexed expression making its way onto your tired face, when had you started referring to this house as his home as well?

Had you grown so accustomed to him already that when thinking of this place, or where he lives, this old house comes to mind?

Or did your loneliness fight your conscious to bring forth such a thought out of comfort?

For the first time in years, you weren't alone. You haven't thought much about it until this moment and in a tired state of mind no less.

It was confusing, especially considering you didn't even know when you had started picking up the habit.

Looking back at him, your mouth fell from its straight-lined self to that of awe, your eyes reflecting the same thing.

The golden rays of a honey sunset dripped in through the open door, illuminating the man covered in scars, freckles and tattoos from behind, kissing at his soft, smooth skin and wrapping him in a cocoon of ease and light as he sat there, bathing in the warmth it provided.

His eyes were closed, wings relaxed and hands resting on his thighs as he took the moment in, inhaling deeply as a breeze filtered in, making his curls sway ever so slightly in a mesmerizing way.

Despite what he was or what he used to be, only one word came to your mind as you gazed at hi, ‘angelic.’

You couldn't find it in yourself to be afraid, for all you saw at this moment was a smiling man happily enjoying himself after a long day of bouncing off the walls.

You couldn't stop staring, even if it was rude, his presence enrapturing in the sweetest of ways.

You felt your own body warming at the sight, an innocent blush dancing on your cheeks, only to deepen as his eyes fluttered open, scanning the room, just to fall on you.

His pupils were back to their familiar, snake-like state, but yet they held so much compassion and kindness as if they were just as human as yours were, despite being entirely different.

Neither of you said anything, just staring into each other’s eyes in a way that should've felt weird or awkward.

But nothing about this felt awkward, in fact, it felt natural.

Like you were meant to be entranced by those addicting pools of green, glimmering with the yellows bouncing off the walls just to show your own silhouette in them. It was like staring into a never-ending forest with vines that wanted nothing more than to wrap you in a secure hug, branches of trees filled with fresh leaves swaying in the calming wind behind you as the scent of salt from the creek not too far away made you relax in their embrace.

You weren't aware how long the both of you stared at each other, but one thing was for sure, neither of you minded it, his own smile and reassurance in his gaze is enough to wash away any concerns.

The sudden loud calling of a bird snapped you out of your trance, attention flickering to the door just to see two birds chatting with each other.

“(Y/N)?” he had called out, voice laced with concern but dripping with sugary sweetness and desperation that was all too much to handle after such an intense moment, despite it just being eye contact.

But then again, the eyes were the doorway to the soul, weren't they? And it felt like much more than just that.

Regardless, you turned, ignoring his calls as you rushed to your room, hurriedly closing the door just to slide down it.

Hand clutching at the fabric above your beating heart, you just now noticed how your breath was caught in your throat, and how your heart was hammering wildly.

You breathed heavily, running fingers through your wild hair as you fought to make sense of what just happened.

The truth was, you didn't know.

#izuku midoriya x reader #izuku x reader #izuku x you #midoriya izuku x reader #deku x reader #bnha #izumonth collab #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academi #bnha x reader #mha x reader #mha deku #x reader #izuku midoriya x you #midoriya x reader #midoriya x you

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spookyboywhump · 3 years

Text

Unrelated to the last piece I posted, here’s a soft drabble between Eli and Zander’s mother

CW: mentions of parental death, sibling death

***

He couldn’t sleep. He was staring at the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, eyes burning but unable to actually sleep. Zander was asleep next to him, snoring as he had one arm thrown over Eli’s waist. He eventually felt he couldn’t lay there much longer, moving carefully to slip out of Zander’s grasp and get out of bed. He stretched his arms above his head before grabbing his jacket from where it was thrown over Zander’s desk chair, pulling it on for the comfort it provided.

He was quiet as he made his way downstairs, gripping the railing tightly on his way down. He’d found that going downstairs with only half his eyesight was difficult, he was terrified of falling. When he turned to head into the kitchen, and the connected dining room, he saw the lights were already on, despite the rest of the downstairs being dark. He hesitated, not wanting to bother anyone if they were also awake at this terribly late hour, but he thought better of it, walking into the kitchen anyway. As he did so, he could see over the counter, Zander’s mom, Valerie sitting at the kitchen table, a mug in her hands. She looked up when Eli walked in, smiling tiredly at him.

“I didn’t think anyone else was awake… is everything okay…?” She asked softly, and he hesitantly nodded.

“Yeah, I just- just couldn’t sleep…” He murmured. He got a glass from the cabinet, getting water from the fridge before going to sit down across from her.

“Is Daniel awake too?” She asked.

“No, he’s fast asleep. I was trapped under his arm for a while.” He laughed softly, choosing not to correct her on his name. She smiled though, seeming relieved that he was sleeping well at least. They both knew he usually didn’t.

“I know he’s changed his name, but it’s… difficult to call him that sometimes.” She said, and though he knew it was coming from a different place, it still was too close to things he’d heard before for his comfort. He tried not to show that on his face though, bringing his glass of water to his lips so he wouldn’t have to say anything. “I don’t think I would’ve minded if he’d decided it for himself but… knowing it was forced on him makes it harder…”

“Yeah… I think… I think that in the end, he did choose it though…” He said slowly. “He could’ve gone back but he chose to stay Zander…” She didn’t respond at first, and he began to worry that he shouldn’t have said anything at all, but after a moment she spoke again.

“You’re right.” She said, and he glanced up at her, not really used to hearing that in a genuine way from a parent, his own or otherwise. “He could’ve changed it if he had wanted to… I love him to death, I can get used to it for him.” She said, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“He’s really lucky to have you as his mom.” He said softly, hardly thinking before he said it. She seemed surprised for a moment, but happy to hear it.

“You’re a sweetheart, you know that, Elias?” She said, pausing to take a sip from her mug, a white ceramic one with sunflowers painted around it. “If you don’t mind, would it be alright if I asked about your family?” She asked, the question catching him off guard. “It’s just, you’ve never really brought them up. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to know more.” She said.

“I… uh… that’s fine…” He said slowly. He stared down into his glass of water, thinking it over carefully before saying, “Um… my mom passed away, when I was eighteen…” He started. “She was sick for a long time so I kind of expected it… my dad was never really around, he uh- he left when I was really little, but he did help me after she passed… I don’t talk to him anymore though, he… he usually just calls asking for money.” He said. He didn’t mind telling people about his mom, but he was always hesitant to bring up his dad, in fact his friends thought his father was dead because it was easier to say he was orphaned than to explain he was a greedy bastard who only cared about him now that he could benefit him. “I was mostly raised by my brother actually, but he passed away just before our mom did…”

“Oh… I’m sorry…” He didn’t want to look up, he didn’t like the look people gave him when he brought up his family. “That must be difficult…” She said, and he shrugged.

“It was, but… it got easier with time, and I… I don’t necessarily think family is just restricted to blood relatives… my friends, Zander, they’re my family too, and I love them.” He said, finally glancing up. “Zander, he actually- he reminds me of my brother a lot. He behaves like him, sometimes he says things that sound just like him. I don’t… I don’t want to place that role on him without his consent, but, I do- I do think of him as my brother. Not the brother I had, and not a replacement, but like, just a new part of my family.” He said, and Valerie nodded.

“An adoptive brother?” She suggested, and he nodded quickly.

“Exactly.” He said, and she looked almost amused, but not in that mean way that people often would when he said something strange.

“You know, I think he may feel the same way about you. I know that when I see you two interact, you look like brothers.” She told him. “I know that Zander always wanted a younger sibling. He was the only child I could have so we did plan to adopt, but things got interrupted when he… you know…” She said, “I think you’re the little brother he always wanted.”

He couldn’t help but smile, the thought of Zander feeling the same way towards him made him happier than he thought it would. He knew Zander had said he didn’t mind that Eli felt him and Everett were similar, but that didn’t mean he had felt that Eli was his brother, not at that time at least. He didn’t blame him for that, didn’t expect it of him, but now that they’d known each other for quite a while, grown closer and inseparable, a part of him hoped their relationship would be more than friends, more familial than anything else. If his brother had been his best friend, then he couldn’t see why his best friend couldn’t become his brother.

“I’m… I’m really glad to hear that…” He said. “I hope he does, it would be… amazing, actually if he felt that way. I guess just because of how long we were kept together, he feels like the closest person in my family…”

“I think he may be closer to you than he is to any of us now.” She said, and he felt a twinge of guilt at the sad smile on her face. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing though… I’m glad that he had you through that. And you know, I, Georgia and I, we are so, so thankful to you for getting him out.”

“I was determined to get him home as soon as he told me about you.” He said. “He would talk about you, Georgia, his friends. Sometimes even his dad… he didn’t have to say it, I could always tell just how much he missed you all. I’m happy I was able to help bring him back to his family.” He said, looking up as Valerie got to her feet. He figured she was just going to put her empty cup in the kitchen, but she stopped beside him, and for a moment he froze as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He quickly relaxed though, not nervous or scared, entirely comfortable, entirely at home being held by her.

“You know, you’re part of this family too, now.” She told him. “You have been ever since he decided you were his brother.” She said, ruffling his hair as she pulled away, and it took all his self control to not cling to her, to not make that moment of affection last much longer.

“I… thank you…” He said quietly, his heart leaped in his chest, not from fear but almost, excitement, joy at hearing those words.

“Of course, honey.” She said, and he realized that he didn’t hate pet names when they weren’t being said sarcastically, condescendingly- or sincerely, coming from Nicholas anyway. “Will you still be up for a while?” She asked him, and he nodded.

“Probably… I’m… I’m not good at sleeping at night…” He said, and she nodded, finally making her way into the kitchen.

“Stay there a moment, okay?” She told him.

“Okay…” He could see her moving around in the kitchen, opening cabinets and moving things, though he wasn’t exactly sure what she was doing. He didn’t have to wait long, sitting cross legged on the chair and picking at his nails. He looked up when she came back though, and she set a blue mug down in front of him.

“I know drinking something sweet this late may not be the best idea, but I’d always make it for Zander when he couldn’t sleep.” She explained. “I don’t know how, but it always managed to knock him out.” She said, and he lifted the warm cup with both hands, the sweet smell of hot chocolate finally hitting him.

“Thank you…” He looked up at her and smiled, and she leaned down, giving him a loving kiss to the forehead before pulling away.

“You’re welcome. Try to get some sleep tonight okay, Elias?” She said, and he nodded.

“I will…” He brought the mug to his lips, instantly warmed up as he took a drink from it. She told him goodnight, and he stayed downstairs for a while after she left, slowly sipping his drink so as to enjoy it longer.

He hadn’t felt this way in a long time, the way he felt when his own mother was kind or gentle with him- loved, hopeful that the treatment and feeling would last longer than an hour. When he thought about it though, he somehow felt safer, more comfortable with Zander’s mother than his own, in the moment anyway. Valerie seemed to be a naturally comforting person, and he wondered if that had anything to do with Zander’s ability to provide kindness and comfort even when he’d been so scared of him at first

By the time he finished off the drink, he was feeling more sleepy. He got up and he washed his cup before heading upstairs, back into Zander’s room. He was still asleep, and Eli had to shove his arm out of the way to get back in his spot, though Zander was almost immediately clinging to him again, pulling him close. He moved his arm so that he could rest his hand over Zander’s and he closed his eyes, eventually finally falling asleep feeling happier than he had in a long time.

#not whump #my writing #my oc’s #wren #Valerie #soft.....#the title for the doc for this is #new mom new mom!!!

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joyfulsongbird · 4 years

Text

i love you

this was supposed to be a part of a larger series but here. take some modern au orphydice fluff at midnight <3

***

It’s so easy to say I love you.

Eurydice realizes this slowly. Over a stretch of time that feels far too long to realize something so simple. She’s always been afraid of those words. What if, when she said it, it didn’t feel right, or it wasn’t the right moment, or she didn’t really mean it? The world is complicated and the idea of love itself felt like just another layer of fear to add to all relationships. Far easier to just never say it or to wait as long as possible, to avoid making a mistake.

But she finds that she has said “I love you” so many times without knowing it.

The first time is after a long day at her work, and she’d come stumbling home in the dark. The apartment is pitch black, not a single light on, and she knows Orpheus is already asleep. Pushing down her disappointment, she stumbles to the couch and flops face forwards onto the cushions. He had already been gone this morning when she’d woken up, though there was a text on her phone wishing her a good day that made her smile, but she wanted to see him, wanted to hold him when it wasn’t already nighttime and they were both exhausted. Her bones ache and her fingers are stiff from the autumn air… the pillows smell like him. She can imagine him, lying here watching one of his movies, mouthing along to Singin’ In The Rain or some other oldy. The image makes her smile and she rolls onto her back, sighing audibly as she stares up at the dark ceiling. Their neighbors upstairs must be asleep too, sometimes she can hear their footsteps in nights where she can’t sleep. They’ve met the older couple a few times, mostly in passing. The woman, Persephone, gave them a welcome card when they first moved in. It’s still hanging on the fridge.

Finally, she gathers the energy to push herself off the couch and walks quietly to the kitchen. Before looking in any of the cabinets for food she knows isn’t there, she leans against the counter, scrolling through her phone, looking at pictures and texts from throughout the day, distracting herself from the gnawing hunger in her stomach and the exhaustion behind her eyes. It’s only when she reaches the text from Orpheus that she had gotten around noon that day, reminding her to eat lunch and several heart emojis, that she cements herself to get dinner. She can just hear him, his voice tinged with worry, “Eurydice, you gotta remember to eat! It’s important!” Even just the thought of his worry and slight disappointment at her lack of self care is enough to get to open the fridge and flip on a light in the kitchen.

To her surprise, sitting on the first shelf is a plate, covered in fogged plastic wrap. With a post-it on top that when she pulls it off, reads “don’t forget, see you in the morning <3”. She can’t help but smile to herself, pulling the plate out and feeling a warm buzzing in her chest that can only come from him. She has only ever felt this way around her Orpheus; when he takes her hand while they’re walking and squeezes it twice, when he hugs her from behind and rests his head on top of her head. The intimacy of such a simple gesture makes her feeling infinitely better, pulling the plastic wrap off of the plate of roasted vegetables and chicken that Orpheus must’ve made for dinner that night. A nicer meal than they’re used to and she wonders if he had been expecting her back sooner, if he had been preparing a surprise dinner of some sort. Either way, the plate is piled high and she eats it slowly, wanting to savor every bite.

She can see the night outside the window, the stars hidden by the treeline but she can faintly see the glow of the moon. Casting a soft gray glow over their porch. It’s a peaceful night, the wind isn’t too strong especially for an autumn night, and the air around her feels peaceful, each breath feels the same. Light and fresh.

When she’s done, she washes the plate and dries it, carefully placing it back in their cupboards, careful not to make too much noise. It looks like he did the dishes too, it’s the least she can do since it seems like he did so much while she was out. She gets the idea from the intense cleanliness of their apartment that he might have been anxious. After living with him for about half a year at this point, she has become very comfortable with the different sides of anxious Orpheus. How he cleans when he worries, how he’ll write music when the world gets too overwhelming, so many little habits too that would take hours to name. It feels like she knows him both inside and out and not at all at the exact same time. She knows exactly how he looked when he was washing the dishes, but she could not for the life of her figure out what goes on in his head half the time. His thoughts are foreign to her, and when he voices them, she can’t help but melt at the dreamish nature that he exists in all the time.

“Our honeymoon should be at the ocean.” he’ll say out of the blue (even though they aren’t even engaged).

“Do you ever think about how there are billions of people we’ll never meet?” he’d ask.

And he sings. Oh, he sings all the time. Under his breath, it always seems like there is a song playing perpetually in his mind. She tries to convince herself at times that it gets a little too much, that anyone who dreams that much and sings that much cannot be connected with reality, but she knows she’s lying to herself. She’s jealous of him, most of the time. She wishes she could exist like that, able to disconnect from reality and paint a picture in her mind of some other place. Travel to a different realm outside of this chaos they live in.

When she’s climbing into bed, she doesn’t expect for him to be awake but nevertheless, he shifts softly and opens his arms, which she climbs into. He’s half asleep, she can tell, and slipping away into whatever dreams he has at night but she pauses for a moment, looking over at him. The moonlight from their window makes his skin glow and his eyelashes appear to be made of dark chocolate and gold. She’s always known he’s beautiful but sometimes it hits her all over again, this is her life. He’s a part of her life. And she never wants him to leave. In these quiet moments she wants to say so much.

“Thank you.” is what she whispers quietly into his chest.

“Mm, for what?” his words are slurred with sleep.

“For leaving me dinner. For making sure I eat. For being there for me.” she murmurs, fluttering her eyes closed. It feels as if they’ve had this conversation a dozen times over, like they’ve thanked each other for existing over and over.

“You’re welcome,” he murmurs into her hair. “Night, ‘rydice.”

Goodnight. I love you.

Her mind fills it in easily enough, but with her eyes closed and Orpheus heartbeat in her ears, she can’t seem to bring those words past her lips. He’s said it to her before, and she’s told him that she’s too scared, that she’s not real, and he hasn’t pressured her. He’s loved her from the start, and moved much faster than she was comfortable with but it’s been so long… maybe he’s wondering if she really does love him. But she does. Gods, she does. Orpheus says “I love you” every day, in the smallest ways possible. She can recognize them more and more, the way he did tonight, showing her love in a soft, domestic way she has never known. He didn’t need to say it.

She should be able to.

#what's this???? actual content on MY blog?????? whaaaaaaaaat????#hadestown #hadestown bway #hadestown fic #hannah-joy.fic #orphydice #orpheus #eurydice #hadestown modern #hadestown fanfiction #orphydice fic #hadestown broadway #god this is my first fic put out......... in so long #somebody remind me to reblog this tmrw thx #if ur seeing this rn ily

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an-absolute-travesty · 4 years

Text

Royal Screw-Ups

It’s time, the final chapter is here

*Sobbing*

I won’t get too sappy on you guys here, since I got pretty sappy at the end of thing on Wattpad

But yeah. Thanks if you’ve been reading this long. I have more plans for this world (i have some plans for a few oneshots) but for this moment, we are closing out this story

If you’re looking for the rest of the story, it can be found on my wattpad @ohwowhatethis, under the tags “kotlc fic” and “keefex” on my blog, or under the cut on my pinned post

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or removed, just for this story or as a whole): @you-are-the-vacker-legacy @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @clearlykeefitz @percabetn @vibing-in-the-void @sewersewersewercouch @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @enbies-and-felonies @blxckh0les42 @rainbowtay-11 @callas-starkflower-stew @impostertamsong @appalyneinstitute1 @stars-and-splendor @anna-without-an-e

Chapter 8:

Word count: 3,677

Warnings: swearing, cassi-ass being an ass, destruction, fire, chaos, etc.

Three months of planning later, servants scurried around the property in preparation for the ceremony the next day. A glass dome had been built in the center of the property to house it.

Tam and Linh had arrived soon after they had their first meeting, luckily Tam and Fitz weren’t as lovey-dovey in real life as they were in their letters. However, Marella and Linh very much made up for it. The moment they met the guard and the princess had a connection, the sweet talk was almost too much to bear.

In fact, all of them had grown quite close over the past months. Who knew low-level treason could bring people together so.

Of course, not nearly as close as he’d like with a certain person, but closer for sure. Every week they met back up at the library to work out bumps in their plan, clean up the absurd amount of paper Keefe used in drawing out his first plan, or just sit and talk. Today would be their last before the big day.

Keefe watched over Dex’s shoulder as he made his final tinkers on the device he had been working on.

“How’s it looking Techmaster?”

“Eh, having more metal makes everything easier but...it’s one use only, so I can’t test it. We just have to hope for the best.”

“Well, I have faith in you. Your genius brain could make anything.”

Dex rolled his eyes. Keefe wanted to subtly touch him to see if his blatant flirting had been noticed, but it felt wrong to. He had been stuck in the dark for the last 3 months.

Everyone else ran their lines around the room. Everyone besides Sophie who, as typical of her, looked half way sick in the corner.

Keefe sat down next to her on the floor.

“Alright, what’s up Foster, have you acquired a stomach bug?”

She giggled. “No...it’s just…” She sighed. “It feels wrong, y’know? I mean...I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“You’re really doing the opposite of hurting people though, I mean you’re making them happy.”

“Not happy, hysterical. Yeah it can be happy, but not in the way we’re doing it. Trust me, it’s not fun to watch.”

Keefe thought for a moment.

“Hey...your parents have that griffin, right?”

~*~

The sound of a wedding march echoed through the castle lawn as Sophie was led down the isle by her father. Keefe guessed she looked quite lovely in her dress, Biana, who stood as her maid of honor, was looking at her more like a husband would than him. He stood frozen at the alter, Fitz beside him as his best man and everyone else interspersed within the crowd for optimal dramatic effect.

Sophie reached him at long last. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t look sickly this time. Her face steeled with determination gave him confidence.

The guy marrying them together was one of Cassius’ officials. Keefe didn’t bother to remember most names anymore, but this one was a...Moland? Noland? Something like that.

Everyone winced in unison as the man started talking, Keefe’s ears began to ring a bit at the volume.

“Lords and Ladies, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joyous union of our young Prince Keefe Sencen and the lovely Miss Sophie Foster-Ruewen.”

Keefe only realized he was fidgeting when Fitz subtly reached out and held his hand down from where it had been tapping on his leg.

“We are honored to be joined by so many friends and family. The Goom and Bride are overjoyed you all could be here to participate in this most important occasion.

“There are few greater joys in life than finding someone we truly connect with. Creatives have many names for this, a spark, clicking, but let us say today what it truly is: love.”

Keefe looked out into the crowd, he caught the eye of Dex. The redhead’s brow was crinkled and his cheeks flushed slightly. He pat the pocket of his coat in confirmation.

“Love is what these two young souls have found in each other. In love, our truest selves are revealed. We open ourselves up and break down our walls. The veil we present to the public is lifted so we can be loved for who we are, not who we pretend to be.”

Keefe struggled to not roll his eyes. He took a final look around the room, each person nodding as he met eyes with them.

“Over these months, our Bride and Groom have developed a strong bond. This bond will only get stronger throughout the course of their marriage. Let us revel in the joy and love displayed in front of us today. May we treasure these memories as Prince Keefe and Miss Sophie get set to begin their new life together.”

Keefe took a deep breath, knowing the next words out of his mouth.

“If anyone has cause to object the forming of this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

3, 2, 1…

“I object!”

Stina first. “This marriage was meant to be mine! She’s just a dirty commoner!”

“How dare you!” Fitz cut in before anyone else could. “I object because I love her! Sophie is meant to be with me. Maruca has admitted her love to Keefe, let her marry him!”

Biana gasped dramatically. “Maruca you snake! You knew I loved him.”

“You only loved his title!” She screamed, standing up to match the rest. “And Fitz, if you’re so concerned with what Stina has to say about Sophie, you should hear what Wylie has to say.”

Fitz walked in Wylie’s direction and he stood. “Why you little-”

Just then, Keefe heard it.

Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP.

BOOM.

An explosion burst a small part of the glass dome’s ceiling. Sophie let out an ear-splitting whistle and the griffin flew straight through the hole as the glass fell. Screams erupted through the room as the animal landed on chairs and destroyed the alter.

The screams only got louder as the room was lit up as bright as the sun before swiftly being plunged into darkness. Those involved in the plan used the opportunity to gather themselves at the exit. With the exception of Biana and Marella who, if all went as planned, stood prepared by the very flammable reception tables.

The darkness lifted and people quickly ran out, some of the more stuck up nobles guided by guards. Once everyone was out safely, Keefe watched as a red glow started and grew. Marella wasn’t visible, but anyone paying attention could see the two sets of footprints forming in the grass.

People ran farther from the dome swiftly filling with fire. It spread quickly, but before it could reach the outside, Linh yelled.

“Everyone back up!”

She pulled water from a nearby pond, making a large wave that, while it put out the fires, crushed the dome in its entirety.

~*~

Two hours later, the guests sat huddled in the ballroom of the castle, many wrapped in blankets and eating soup the kitchen served to recover from what they had been through. Through the window, Keefe saw the Ruewen parents attempting to calm their griffin after taking a long time to wrangle it.

They were good at keeping secrets, they brought the animal here in the first place.

Just as he started crossing the room to go talk to Dex, he felt a heavy hand grip his shoulder.

Cassius looked at him with a glare that could kill ten men. He wordlessly guided Keefe in the direction of his office and the prince obliged.

When Keefe walked in the door, it was messier than he had ever seen it. Even his father himself was disheveled, his typically slick-backed hair uncharacteristically sloppy and his tunic smudged with soot. He sat down at his desk and heaved a sigh.

“Do you know why I brought you in here?”

“Because my wedding was destroyed?”

“Because we are going to plan a new one. I need you to collect everyone who had objections to get this idiotic drama cleared for the records. I’ve sent for Councillor Bronte, he can officiate you. You will have a wedding today, whether you get the ceremony or not.”

“One problem with that, Biana and Marella haven’t been found.”

Technically the truth. They were to hide in the Queen’s Gardens until further notice, but the Guard Force didn’t know that.

Cassius was silent for a moment, his face hidden in his hands.

Then he started convulsing.

No, not convulsing.

Laughing.

“Of course!” He got up from his chair in one movement. “Of course they haven’t been found! Why am I even surprised anymore.” He threw his hands in the air. “Nothing ever goes right!” He spoke through his teeth as he pushed everything off of his desk.

“MY MARRIAGE” He cleared a bookshelf with one arm, dumping the junk to the ground.

“MY LEADERSHIP!” He knocked over his chair.

“MY SON!” He grabbed the painting from the wall and threw it down.

“ALL DISAPPOINTMENTS!” He pushed over his desk, it landed with a loud crash.

“And now this too? Nothing ever goes right! No matter how hard I try! No matter how much work I put in! Everything ends in failure!”

“It’s a good thing this was my wedding and not yours then.”

The door behind them opened without a knock.

“King Cassius, is this a bad time?” Bronte looked at the office with contempt.

“No, now works.”

Despite not being formally invited in, Bronte sat down on the overturned desk and pulled out a folder of paperwork.

“So...we’re trying to do an emergency wedding, yes?”

Cassius nodded.

“And from my understanding, there were 1,2...4 objections that haven’t been cleared?”

Cassius nodded again.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t perform a wedding. Legally or morally considering the fact that fate itself seems against this union. It is traditional, when a wedding goes so badly, to accept that something in the universe is not accepting of the marriage and call it off.”

“I understand, Councillor. However, I am the goddamned king and you will do as I say!

Bronte was unfazed.

“Actually sir, with only a month until the coronation you have resigned some of your duties, as is customary. You don’t have full control over the law at the moment, you signed a contract.”

He pulled said contract out of his pocket, displaying the signature, before putting it back in.

“Prince Keefe and you now have split control, as you had when you had a spouse. You both must agree if you are to override a law.”

Cassius hid his face once again.

“Go. Get out of my sight.”

Keefe turned to leave but his father grabbed him.

“Just Bronte.”

The man shrugged and closed the door behind him.

“Keefe...do you know why I was so eager to get you in as king?”

Keefe said nothing. That was one thing he couldn’t figure out himself.

“I am a shitty, shitty, king. I was never made to rule. Your mother? Yes. Yes she was. Me? No. Not at all. I thought I could do this job, I thought it would be cushy, I thought I’d have all the power in the kingdom as well as riches upon riches without having to work. I was wrong.

“I wanted to train you to do this better than I ever could. I wanted to make sure you were going to be prepared.”

“No.” Keefe’s eyes started to water in anger. “You wanted to train me up to take your job as soon as possible. You didn’t want the responsibility so you decided to hand it off to your child. It’s just like...it’s just like Mom. You were the judge and the jury but you were too much of a coward to be the executioner or even a mourner. You hand off all your problems for someone else to deal with. You’re a fucking coward and nothing else.”

“I cared Keefe!-”

“NO YOU DIDN’T.” Tears streamed down his face. “You never cared about me, you never cared about Mom, you never cared for anything or anybody but yourself.

“I don’t love Sophie and I never will, but you tried to make me marry her because you loved the idea of the strong son with a quiet woman. That shows how much you care.”

“It was what I thought was best.”

“WELL YOU WERE WRONG.”

Keefe walked out and slammed the door.

~*~

Keefe went to his room and sobbed. He rarely indulged himself in crying but today was one of the days he let himself. It was maybe an hour later, when he was out of tears and just laid staring up at his ceiling, that he heard a knock on the door.

When he opened it, no one stood there. Just a small note in scratchy handwriting.

“Meet us at the library, midnight”

~*~

Keefe carefully sneaked through the castle halls, only the candle he held lit his way. He slowly cracked open the library door.

“SURPRISE!”

Suddenly a whole group of people attacked him in a hug, rainbow lights filled the normally dull room.

“W-what is all this?”

“It’s a surprise party silly!” For the first time since he’d seen her, Sophie looked truly happy. “We don’t have to get married! And we got out of it without any serious injuries.”

Fitz pulled him over to a table. “C’mon, Bi stole some leftover cake no one ate from the kitchens.”

He looked around for Dex hoping to see his beaming smile and instead saw him sitting solemnly in the corner. He didn’t look Keefe’s way.

“Hey Fee, are you okay?” Apparently Fitz just now noticed his still puffy face.

“Yeah um...just my dad being a jerk again. Don’t worry about it.”

Fitz shrugged it off, he knew about jerky dads.

Or he used to, anyway. That bastard Alden ran away a long time ago.

Keefe tried to partake in the festivities but he found it hard. He was going to be king in a month, and hopefully a good one at that. Just about anything was better than Cassius. He should be celebrating right now. But...there was still something bothering him.

It was approaching the wee hours of the morning as people slowly trickled out. Wylie had long since dropped the rainbow lights. They had been celebrating for hours, Dex was silent nearly the whole time.

“Alright.” Fitz said through a yawn. “I’m tapping out. Night Fee. Last one standing has to clean everything up.”

Keefe nodded. When he finally left the room and they were all alone, he approached Dex. Still silent in the corner.

“Okay, what’s going on Techmaster? You seem down.”

“No it’s just...it’s hard to explain.”

“Take your time, if you’d like.” Keefe sat down criss cross in front of him.

His lips went pouty in a way that made Keefe realize he was staring at his lips.

“You’ll think I’m weird. And clingy. And jealous. Honestly I shouldn’t even be saying any of this right now but I make bad decisions at 3 A.M. I guess.”

“Hey, you can tell me anything.” Keefe started to reach his hand out to Dex before remembering he shouldn’t read his emotions. Dex grabbed it before he could pull away. A lot of sadness and hurt there. He quickly stopped reading, though their hands stayed locked.

“It’s just...there’s this person. This guy. And...and I thought maybe he liked me but now I think he has a boyfriend. I’m not sure though.”

Keefe’s heart dropped. “Well...boyfriend status can be changed.”

Dex chuckled. “I don’t know, they have nicknames for each other and everything.”

“Sounds serious.”

“Looks serious.”

It was silent for a moment, then Dex spoke.

“Look...don’t worry about it, alright? It’s really no big deal. I’ll get over it, I guess.”

“Maybe he likes you back.”

“I highly doubt it. I’m...I’m not good enough for him. I’m just a servant. He deserves someone better.”

“Why does being a servant mean you’re bad? I’ve met some nobles that are real assholes. You’re way better than all of those fuckers.”

Dex laughed again, wow Keefe could listen to that forever.

Dex sighed. “You know what? Screw it.”

He seemed to steel himself before saying his next sentence. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

“Are you dating Fitz?”

“What?” Keefe laughed awkwardly. “No, no, no. He’s just a friend.”

“Oh. Then...who were you talking about at the gardens? I- I thought it was Fitz and you guys got together and-”

“No, goodness no. Fitz is great and all but...well he’s just not my type. And he’s been dating Tam for a while now.”

“Oh I uh...I didn’t notice.” Dex’s face flushed furiously. “Who were you talking about then?”

Keefe met his eyes. “Depends, who were you talking about?”

He didn’t answer but his silence spoke more than any words could.

Keefe scooted closer and cupped Dex’s face in his hand. He looked into the boys periwinkle eyes.

“Dex, can I kiss you?”

“Please?”

And they did.

When Keefe heard descriptions of kissing the same gender, they always said that it felt wrong somehow. But this...this only felt right. Like he had been waiting his whole life for the moment when he met the gardener boy’s cracked lips. They weren’t soft, and the kiss was a bit awkward, but it just felt...correct. Keefe chased the kiss slightly when they finally had to pull away.

A shy smile spread across Dex’s face.

Keefe leaned back in.

~*~

Keefe walked out onto the newly-built stage in front of the castle and looked upon his people. His ceremonial robe was itchy and too large for him.

Cassius was no where to be seen. He had just...run away. The day of the wedding was the day he broke. The kingdom had been sovereignless for the last month, coronations couldn't be rushed.

Typically the previous king would place the crown upon the head of the new ruler. Because Cassius seemed to run away in the night with nothing more than a clump of riches, Keefe got to choose who would crown him.

“Friends and subjects of the Kingdom of Eternalia,” Oralie started. “Today, we crown a new ruler. A ruler to put the people first. A ruler who will not sleep until every one of his people is fed. A ruler to unite us.”

Keefe never realized how long winded Oralie was. Looking into the crowd, he spotted Sophie. She wore a sour expression.

Sophie never was a fan of Oralie, she wouldn’t tell him why.

“Prince Keefe has shown a care for his people deeper than any king before him.”

She could say that again. Keefe found Dex in the crowd, absolutely beaming.

“In the time I have had the honor of teaching him in my lessons, he has shown a willingness to learn. An ability to adapt. And a knowledge of the system as well as its successes and failures deeper than anyone else his age.

And yes, it is truly a shame that a king must be crowned this young, but I have no doubt that in time he will do right by our great kingdom.”

Oralie walked over to him, her pink flowy dress trailing behind her. She picked up the ceremonial crown off the pillow that a servant was holding.

“Prince Keefe of Eternalia, do you promise to uphold the law and do what is right for your people to the best of you abilities?”

“I do.”

“And do you promise to preserve the honor of our nation?”

“I do.”

A loud voice came from the crowd.

“AND DO YOU PROMISE TO NOT LET CASSI-ASS BACK INTO THE THRONE ROOM?” Keefe could tell it was Marella, but no one else had to know that.

He cracked a smile. “I do.”

Oralie chuckled too.

“In that case, Keefe Sencen of Eternalia, with this crown I deem you King of Eternalia. May you have a long and peaceful reign.”

The heavy crown was placed upon his head. The crowd cheered and chanted, his friends yelled the loudest. Keefe saw as Fitz lifted Biana on his shoulders, they all hugged and screamed excitedly.

Who he noticed most of all was Dex. His bright smile in that moment was worth everything he’d been through.

Maybe he had found someone he didn’t mind being with.

~*~

Like most days, it was a somewhat quiet day at the castle.

Keefe looked up from his painting to study the gardens, once called the Queen’s Gardens, but that was ages ago. The wall that once surrounded the beautiful landscape was knocked down a very long time ago.

Keefe smiled as he spotted Dex tending to some ivy that had grown on one of the ancient statues. Even being a king couldn’t keep his husband from assisting the gardeners.

Tomorrow, some old friends were visiting. That in itself wasn’t particularly special, as they visited at least twice a year (usually more), but tomorrow was special because it was the anniversary of the Great Wedding Destruction as historians had come to call it.

How many years had it been? 300? 400? One tends to forget.

After 50 years or so, they admitted to planning the whole event. By then, Keefe had already convened with the councillors to pass same gender marriage and gotten married to Dex. The law couldn’t exactly do much, it had been a while and no one was injured so any fear of being charged with treason was history.

A few minutes later, Dex trudged into Keefe’s art studio.

“Hey lovey, do you know where I put the high-power garden clippers?”

“I hope in your lab, but you might want to check the kitchens.”

“Why would they be in the kitchens?”

“Heard some buzzing coming from there and last time I saw the nieces they had frosting all over their faces.”

Chaos ran in the Dizznee family.

Dex sighed as they heard a loud bang followed by an “Oops.” from downstairs.

“Gosh if Rex doesn’t pick up his children soon...I won’t do anything but I’ll be sour about it.”

Keefe chuckled. “You might want to go check on them, wouldn’t want them to break your invention. If they haven’t already.”

Dex hummed noncommittally. “Whatcha drawing?”

“Just a boring landscape...that happens to include a dragon.”

Dex leaned over the easel. “It’s a very pretty boring landscape that happens to include a dragon.”

“Thank you very much, dearest.” Keefe leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “Now you may want to actually check on the girls. I don’t think Elwin can heal severed fingers.”

“Yeah, okay.”

As he walked from the room that used to be Cassius’ office he yelled, “Emily! Leah! Please don’t be killing each other-”

Keefe just smiled. He did that a lot nowadays.

He hoped these days would last forever.

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #oh god i hope this is good #please dont flop #kotlc fic #keefex #deefe #dex dizznee #keefe sencen

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