#xerxes break fanfiction

[nekonom26]

In a futile attempt to escape from my stress, i decide to reread an old manga: Pandora heart. (It's from the same author of the case study of Vanitas, the magnificent Mochizuki Jun.) That series have been a faithful companion in my teen and i really love it.

All of this to say, i rediscover one of my favorite ship:

xerxes break x reim lunette

I'm rereading all the fanfiction that exist about them. I finding again the fanfic that i loved once and falling in love with them again.

I'm giggling so hard and my happiness level is going through the roof.

So moral of the story, reread, rewatch old thing that had bring you joy in the past to kick your stress's ass.

[bunn1rabb1t]

hey, well, I just saw that you are writing for Pandora Hearts, so can I ask for headcannons or something else like that for Break (and mb Gil) with a reader who is all weak and innocent, but suddenly can show dark side of a sadist and a damn psycho when something threatens their loved ones

I hope that I've written everything right and understandably, sorry for my English🤧

Ahh!! You're the first person to write something to me, thank you so much! 👹👹👹

Plus don't worry, your English is lovely!

XERXES BREAK ♡

♡ Xerxes break, hard working and a bit of a jokster has so much love for his darling, he can't help but to take them around with him causing trouble

♡ Though, he's never seen his darling get so angry before, they are usually such a softie.

♡ So when he first sees his darling act in such a manner, he'd be rather shocked to the point he'd start laughing, he just can't keep a straight face!

♡ He'll do his best to calm his darling down, but he doesn't dare stop them from their actions!

♡ Seeing such a sadistic grin from them makes his insides churn, and it feels like butterflies were released.

♡ He'll eventually step in, if it gets so bad. But nothing will stop him from praising his darling for their actions, showing them the most tender love and care.

♡ Overall, he thinks the atrocities are rather funny, and he wouldn't mind seeing his darling get aggressive again if it means feeling those butterflies in his stomach..

____________________________________

I hope that was good! It's been so long since I've written anything for him, so I'm so so so grateful! Thank you so much for writing an ask, I hope you come back soon!!

If you want me to write more of him or maybe Gil just let me know 💜

Now, QUESTION OF THE DAY!!

[antihero-writings]

The Uninvitation

Fandom: Pandora Hearts

Summary: Shelly's funeral was very nice. Everyone said so. Break isn't so sure. As he stands at her grave, an unwelcome visitor shows up. Written for the Pandora Hearts Month 2023 Prompt: "Grave."

It was a very nice funeral. Everyone said so.

As if funerals can be nice.

Sure, the sun was shining, the snow was sparkling. Maybe that made it nice. But should the “niceness” of funeral be measured in the kindness of the weather, and the youth of the flowers?

Then again, of course it was nice; Sheryl had spared no expense; the ceremony, the food, the flowers, the decorations were each extravagant in their own ways. Shelly surely wouldn’t have cared about pomp and circumstance, but nice plates and vases were all Sheryl had, so the rest of them weren’t about to stop her.

Sheryl always stood tall, but one day Break found her hunched over Shelly’s things, holding tight to one of her dresses, smiling softly, weeping. When he sat beside her, even though he didn’t ask, she told stories of when she was a child, murmuring old proverbs about how mothers shouldn’t have to bury their daughters.

So, no. They weren’t going to stop her.

And as she sat telling him stories, she had had the audacity to pause, look up, and ask, “Xerkkun, how are you faring?”

He smiled and said, “Don’t worry about me, Sheryl-sama.” in the most nonchalant voice he could manage.

Even though they both knew she had more than one reason to worry.

On a normal day, she would have pressed him on the matter. That day, she nodded, and looked away. They both knew talking about it would only be the hammer that smashed their fragile forms into bits.

How was that ‘nice’?

…Then again, of course it was nice; Reim had insisted on organizing it, he and Rufus shouldering as many of Sheryl’s burdens as they could, (though she still insisted on carrying more than her fair share). Rufus could be heard barking about how the roses were supposed to be red, and how the table was supposed to go over there, and the banners were all misaligned…

Break would never admit it, but he was grateful.

Then again, of course it was nice: the speeches everyone gave were full of the prettiest words.

The officiant said some generic adage about the Abyss one always hears at these things, and how she would be back to this world before long, which made everyone put their hand over their heart, and their kerchief at their eyes.

Sheryl told stories about when Shelly was a child, and liked to steal her shoes, and when she was an adult and liked to steal her duties, interrupted by those proverbs she iterated earlier, until Rufus had to take her, sobbing, off the stage.

Even Rufus, with his flowery, old words made a speech that was nice enough. Break had rolled his eyes about his turns of phrase, and profuse tears, but…even then.

It was nice.

Sharon told them all she wanted to say something, and they feared she wouldn’t get beyond the first sentence. They feared this was too much weight to put on a little girl who had lost her mother, even if she willingly took the weight on herself. But she stood tall at that podium, and voiced her speech and her stories with pride and eyes that shone with both joy and sorrow, and the crowd breathed a sigh, knowing she was far braver than they realized.

She’d make a wonderful duchess some day.

And yes, Break couldn’t deny, that was altogether nice.

They even asked Break if he wanted to say something. And maybe he did—he wouldn’t start sobbing halfway through—but…somehow he knew, if he started speaking about the woman who saved his life in more ways than one, then the words just might gush out of him until he was yelling, and cursing, and laughing like a madman. So he said something about how it would be ridiculous for a servant to speak at a noblewoman’s funeral, and bit his tongue.

He laughed to keep from crying, and he was sure they thought he was crazy. And maybe he was. He had never been someone particularly likable at first glance, and had heard gossip for a long time—about red eyes, bloodstained pasts, and underseved blessings—and wasn’t about to start caring what the world thought now.

He didn’t cry. No one would fault him if he did—it was a funeral after all. Still, he didn’t intend to.

Maybe that made him strong. And maybe that made him afraid.

Afraid he’d live up to his name.

Maybe it was something about caring. Crying meant showing he cared, cared a lot, cared too much. And caring meant losing. And crying meant a little girl and coffins and snow and “Don’t leave me!” and “Do you want to change the past?”  and “They were the most important people to you, and you couldn’t save them.”

And that wasn’t very nice to think about.

He always carried candy in his pockets, and the funeral was no exception. Some people probably thought he was insensitive, but it was all he could do to keep from biting his tongue until blood was all he could taste.

They were all fakes anyway. He didn’t want to waste his words or his tears on them.

Maybe the ‘niceness’ of a funeral is measured in how much sobbing one can hear. True, there was rather a lot of it. Even if they didn’t know her, and were only crying on general principle, rather than any specific memories, and later they would go about their days with dry eyes, and forget the nice funeral, and the nice woman.

Did that still count as nice?

The Nightrays were there; Gilbert had said he was sorry (sounding as if he thought it was his fault) and he meant it. Vincent, toeing the ground and playing with his hair, said it was all very sad, and hadn’t meant even that. (And Break would have done something violent and stupid if it wouldn’t have caused a scene). The other Nightray siblings bowed, and respectfully offered his condolences. The Vessalius’s were there too, or at least what was left of them. Oscar had tried to make them all feel better with words of encouragement, and beverages to cleanse the soul, and Ada had bawled, even though they never met.

Sure. Maybe that was nice.

Shelly was a ‘Kind girl.’ A ‘Strong woman.’ A ‘Wonderful duchess.’

Maybe that’s why they thought it was nice; they all had very fond memories of the woman who was nice.

They didn’t even know the half of it. The sunlight, the, smiles, the salvation.

He opened the box, and she was waiting for him there at the bottom.

What happens when she fades into he wind too, like all the shadows?

Despite the strength in her speech, Sharon had wept silently into his coat. He ran his hands through her hair softly, all the while praying this nice funeral would end soon.

And even then, even when she had been crying so much, for so long, even then she had the strength to stand up straight, to give sorrowful smiles, and bittersweet words to all the porcelain nobles who told her how sorry they were, what a shame, and what a nice funeral it was, and if she needed anything, don’t hesitate to send for them.

Well, she definitely had her mother in her.

Three queens on the chess board. How did he end up with them?

They all offered their condolences. With fake words, and fake sympathy, and fake offers to help.

They didn’t really know her.

As the funeral ended, Reim asked Break if he wanted a drink. It was appealing to have a quiet drink with a friend, who knew Shelly, and knew him, and wouldn’t fill the air with empty platitudes. But, if there were ever a day he wished he could drink to forget, it was today. So he laughed and said he was thinking of staying and talking to her for a while. But he knew his laugh didn’t sound quite right.

Reim nodded, patted him on the shoulder, and walked away.

Break decided to stay. To stay, and talk, alone (at last, alone,) to her grave. His words weren’t for the masses…but he’d spare a few for a stone.

When he finally stood alone memories—the good, the bad, and the beautiful—came like a flood, and he found himself at a loss for what to say. All the ‘Thank you’ and ‘I’ll miss you’s seemed worthless in the face of a name and a date on a headstone. The end of a life.

Is that all a life is? Some wordy flowers, some flowery words, a tear or two, a date on a headstone, and a nice funeral?

The last time he stood at a headstone everything was wrong with the world. Grief wasn’t a heavy, sad thing. It was a writhing, hot, angry thing. It came with a desire for vengeance, not against those who took them, but against time. And maybe, today, after the forward march, time was still unjust tyrant, and still needed a sword run through him. Or maybe Shelly lived the best life she could, and she wouldn’t want him to to be mad—in emotion or in mind .Would rather he hold flowers than a blade.

He still had the sword beside him. Just in case time came knocking.

And standing here, trying to think of what to say, and how to say it, his eyes stung with water. He sat there silently thinking until the silence filled up his lungs.

Today, grief was a heavy, sad thing.

And in this moment, alone, at the grave

Reality broke.

It cracked, and the pieces fell. Were stolen away. Something bore into it, and two red eyes shone through the hole.

“Do you want to change the past?” Asked the shadows in a deep, discordant voice.

And Break paused, eye widening, the red shimmering, swimming in itself.

See? Crying meant the Abyss.

Then…a smile crept onto his face. A spreading, stretching, stained, disdainful thing.

“Where might you be from?” He asked in the most nonchalant voice he could manage.

“I’ve come from the Abyss to help you. I can change your past, if you let me.”

Break looked down, still smiling, scoffing. “That would be a lovely thing, wouldn’t it?” He chuckled. “Make it so she didn’t have to die. Not that day at least.”

The hole grew bigger, pieces of reality falling off.

“Maybe,” Break continued, looking at the ground, “there’s another strand of time in which everything's alright."

“Yes, yes, exactly! I think we can help each other!”

A hand reached out of the hole. Cotton and lies.

“Maybe.”

Crying meant the Abyss.

And caring meant “Promise me you will keep living your life with everything you have until the very end.”

His staff clicked.

“Or maybe you're ruining a perfectly nice funeral." He chuckled. "You should find a better source of sustenance than human souls."

When he turned around to head back inside, reality refused, and only ash remained.

[lucy-ashton]

Lacrimosa Dies Illa

@Lucy Ashton

Genre: Romance, Drama

Fandom: Pandora Hearts

Language: English (French also available, ask me for the link or browse through my works)

Summary: A retrospective on Sharon and Reim's wedding. Or how Sharon would have clearly preferred to marry Break.

Triggers: N/A

Status: Complete

Chapters: 1 (+ bonus chapter - Prompt)

Words: 1,952

Read on AO3

[phmonth]

Phmonth21 (and Vncweek) Prompts!!

We have our prompts for Pandora Hearts Month 2021!! A huge thank you to everyone who voted!!!! 😘

Pandora Hearts Month is an event that regards the main Pandora Hearts trios (Golden Trio, Rainsworth Trio, and Tragedy Trio) and two bonus weeks, one in which we focus on any ships/friendships/ot3 fans chose and love, and another for Vanitas no Carte. You can create edits, fanart, drabbles, fanfictions, amvs and mms.

Please remember to tag this blog @phmonth2021, and/or me @i-prefer-the-term-antihero and/or Maddy @maddyisenough in your posts, to make sure we reblog them!!

I also made a collection on Ao3 for writers!! So please post your Ao3 fics to the collection, and/or tag your posts on Ao3 with Phmonth21 so i can find them!!

And don't forget to either put a link, or a “read more” on long fics if you are a writer (or long posts in general), so it’s easier for us to reblog!

For VNCweek tag your spoilers, folks!! There are plenty of people who are either behind, or haven’t gotten around to reading it at all yet but want to. So if you think something might be spoilery, better safe than sorry!

Lastly, don’t forget to join our discord if you haven’t!! It’s a fun place to discuss the series and more easily share your creations!!

Without further ado, here are the prompts!

Golden Trio Week (Alice, Oz and Gilbert), Feb 28th—6th:

Day 1, Sunday Feb 28th: Snuggle

Day 2, Monday March 1st: Obsession

Day 3, Tuesday Mar 2nd: AU

Day 4, Wednesday Mar 3rd: Spring

Day 5, Thursday Mar 4th: Present

Day 6, Friday Mar 5th: Gold

Day 7, Saturday Mar 6th: Rabbit  

Rainsworth Trio Week (Sharon, Break and Reim), March 7th—Mar 13th:

Day 1, Sunday Mar 7th: Tired

Day 2, Monday Mar 8th: Crown and/or Blind

Day 3, Tuesday Mar 9th: Blush

Day 4, Wednesday Mar 10th: Glasses

Day 5, Thursday Mar 11th: Autumn

Day 6, Friday Mar 12th: Regret

Day 7, Saturday Mar 13th: Carnival

Tragedy Trio Week (Lacie, Jack and Oswald), March 14th—20th:

Day 1, Sunday Mar 14th 🕑: Silver

Day 2, Monday Mar 15th: Face and/or Influence

Day 3, Tuesday Mar 16th: Fire

Day 4, Wednesday Mar 17th🍀: Conscience

Day 5, Thursday Mar 18th: Maybe

Day 6, Friday Mar 19th: Ancient

Day 7, Saturday Mar 20th: Feather

Fan’s choice Week, March 21st—17th:

Day 1, Sunday Mar 21st: Doll

Day 2, Monday Mar 22th: Scarlet

Day 3, Tuesday Mar 23th: Trapped

Day 4, Wednesday Mar 24th: Letter

Day 5, Thursday Mar 25th: Winter

Day 6, Friday Mar 26th: Butterfly

Day 7, Saturday Mar 27th🥖🍷: Masquerade

Vncweek, March 28th—April 3rd:

Day 1, Sunday Mar 28th🌴: Rumor

Day 2, Monday Mar 29th🧡💖💛: Passion

Day 3, Tuesday Mar 30th: Myth

Day 4, Wednesday Mar 31th: Witch

Day 5, Thurday April 1st🃏: White

Day 6, Friday April 2nd✝️: Faith

Day 7, Saturday April 3rd: Dissonance

You are free to have fun with this!! As long as you tag it, NSFW is allowed! (Writing/tagging the ships is nice too). You can pretty much do whatever you want with the prompts!!

You can join any time, and use as many or as few prompts as you want!! And you don't have to post on the day if you can’t make it!! We’ll reblog things late.

For the trio weeks, as long as you make sure the characters from the trio are your main focus, it’s okay to use other characters in your creations too!!

Since nobody really said anything about my other post, the fourth week will remain Fan’s Choice week, as it’s always been. But just know, if you decide to write specifically about characters who aren’t covered by the other weeks, you get bonus points from me!!

Since we live across the world, you are free to post whenever the day is for you. I myself will be making posts according to my time, which is Central Standard Time in America.

Feel free to get started on making stuff early!!

We’re so excited to see what you make!!! Thank you for all your support!!

i-prefer-the-term-antihero

[serenevenene]

Think of the Devil

Xerxes Break x Fem!Reader

DNI if you are a MINOR or TRIGGERED BY DARK CONTENT

Kinktober – Day 27

You wanted his honesty.

Foot play, caning, sadism (?), impact play, lots of lead up, ass slapping

There was something about Xerxes Break that always caught your intrigue.  The mystery that Xerxes occupied your mind more and more lately, and even now, as you were standing against the balcony’s railing, admiring the night sky and the cool breeze that came with it, your thoughts were on him.  

“Do you often spend your nights looking up at the moon, my lady?” a voice broke through the silence.

If you were surprised, you didn’t show it.  You turned to your left, eyes meeting those familiar crimson ones.

‘Think of the devil, I guess,’ you thought.

You turned back to face the moon before responding.  “I do. It calms me down before going to bed. You adjusted the shawl wrapped around your shoulders, suddenly very aware that you were in your nightgown.  

“I prefer a hot cup of tea,” Xerxes said, now right next to you.  He also leaned against the railing and looked up at the moon.  “I suppose it does look nice.”

You looked at him from the corner of your eye.  He was smirking. It was in that moment that you realized it was that smile of his that occupied your thoughts constantly.  It wasn’t a particularly warm or bright smile, but perhaps that was it’s draw.  The smile was definitely faked…or rather…forced. It was like he was concealing some dark, depressing secret.  

“Why do you do that?” you heard yourself asking.  

“Hmm?” Xerxes turned to face you with a grin, “Do what?”

“That.  Smile like that.”

“You don’t like my smile?”

You weren’t sure how to proceed with the conversation.  Nonetheless, you said, “You…Even when you’re smiling, you look sad.  It’s like you’re hiding something or holding something back.”

You watched as the grin on his face disappeared.  The sadness around his eyes was more apparent now, but at least he was being more honest.

“One could say that my life has been a struggle,” Xerxes replied, eventually. He looked down at the gardens below, his hair covering his face from your keen eyes.  

You weren’t sure what came over you, but you wanted to comfort Xerxes.  You leaned your shoulder against his, keeping your gaze on the moon. “You know…I like seeing this side of you.  It’s more honest.”

A cool gust of wind blew by, making you shiver. You leaned against him some more, wanting his body heat. “But I kinda…want to be the only who sees this side of you.”

It was at those words that he raised his brow at you.  “If you want my honesty, I’ll give it to you,” he said before he planted his lips on yours.

You nearly jumped in surprise, but his arms already snaked around your back and held you in place. You assessed his face.  His eyes were closed, but like he promised, the expression on his face seemed sincere. You closed your eyes and allowed yourself to sink into his touch.

Xerxes regretfully pulled away, his nose still grazing yours.  “We should stop here.”

You scoffed, pulling at his collar, “No, we shouldn’t.”

Xerxes sat on your bed, stripped and back against the headboard.  You were sitting across from him, admiring how much he was struggling to not cum on your foot.  You continued to torment him, dragging your foot up and down on the backside of his cock. His head leaned back on the headboard. He was gasping for air.  He was close.

“That’s the most honest expression you’ve shown me so far,” you smirked as he squirted his hot stuff all over your toes and his abdomen.  

You removed your foot, wiping your toes on the bed covers as you leaned over him to peck kisses on his clavicle before pressing your lips on his.  He maneuvered you so that he was behind you while you were on all fours. He leaned against your back, snaking his arms around your torso to grip your breasts before whispering, “It’s my turn to take charge.”

“Do it to me,” you said looking back at him, excitement welling deep inside of you.  An idea manifested in your mind, “Actually…can you use your cane?”

Xerxes cocked his brow at you, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.  “I’m glad you asked.”

Xerxes took his cane from it’s position next to the bed.  He gently groped your ass before raising the cane up, preparing himself to strike you with it.  “Are you sure?” he asked.

“I can take it,” you said, licking your lips.  He swung at you, the impact making an audible noise upon impact. Your body jolted at the pain.  “Fuck.”

“Did it hurt too much?”

“No, it’s fine. I want to see bruises in the morning,” you answered.  You heard him chuckle behind you before you felt another impact.  Your pussy convulsed.  “Put your dick inside me…”

Xerxes pumped himself a few times while you used your finger to pull your labia apart to welcome him into your entrance.  He pushed himself into you.  “You’re really wet…my lady.”

“Hit me again, and I’ll get wetter.”

Xerxes felt you tighten around him as his cane descended on your ass once again. You gasped, loving the pain.  He started thrusting, his pace steady.  You matched his rhythm, rolling your hips back and forth against his stiff member. As much as you wanted him to be more honest with you, you were grateful that he couldn’t see your face, jaw slackened and basking in the pleasure.

Xerxes was enjoying the horizontal marks his cane was making on your skin.  Your skin was puffing where the marks were.  He let go of his cane to grab your hips as he fucked you harder, reaching a place deeper than he was before.  The sensation sent shivers up your spine and your arms collapsed from under you.  You gripped the sheets as he slapped your ass.

“Oh my fucking—,” you moaned into the sheets.  You were close.  You were so close.  You arched your back, lifting your head from the bed.  “Fuck me harder!”

Xerxes felt you tighten around him and he picked up the pace.  Your moans filled his ears, feeding the fire that was his lust for you.  He picked up the cane again and struck you once last time.  He enjoyed how your body convulsed under him, how your pussy quivered around his dick as you orgasmed.  He groaned as he shot his thick, hot cum into you, his hips bucking wildly.  

You turned your head to look at his face.  His eyes were closed as he came inside, his mouth open and his brows raised.  This silvery-white hair stuck to his sweaty forehead.  This face was a face only you knew, and would know.  It was definitely progress.

Reblogging is fine, but do not repost on Tumblr or any other platform without permission.

Tags: @mintyrae

[curekibouka-writing]

Down the Aisle (Pandora Hearts one-shot fanfic)

Summary: If her life were a romance novel, what an equivocal tale it was. She remarked, then she pronounced, “I do.” (spoilers for the end of the manga)

A/N: For Pandoratober 2021 day 3 by @phmonth2021 ! The prompt is Vow.

*This fic is also on Ao3, FF.net and Quotev

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The entrancing fragrance of roses and calla lilies from her bouquet graced the room, a fragrance befitting the flowers known for love and innocence. 

And yet it did not serve to soothe her nervousness. 

Sharon averted her eyes from the flowers and scrutinised herself in the mirror, her reflection slightly shrouded by her veil. 

She was getting married. Today. Soon. It was important. It was the most important event in her life. It needed to be perfect. It—

Knocks to remind her of the time. 

Taking a deep breath, she assured herself that she was ready as she rose from her seat in the dressing room and — apprehensively — approached the doors to the hall. In a few minutes, those doors shall open for her to embark on a new chapter in her life. 

‘My lady.’ 

Aah. How that voice soothed her, every bit as sweet as the fragrance of flowers, perhaps even more so with the constant smell of caramel accompanying him. 

There was no need for reasons. He was there and she was elated. 

Standing beside her, her knight, her brother, her escort when she would proceed to the altar. He questioned, ‘Is it really alright for me to escort you instead of your grandmother?’

“Of course,” she answered, “You are my Xerx-niisan after all.”

She had been waiting, having faith that he would show up. He had never betrayed her trust before. 

She checked her reflection in a glass window. She made the effort to smooth out the tiniest creases on her dress, to tidy up the one strand of stray hair, to make sure that nothing was even a millimetre out of place. 

She turned around following his chuckle, looking at him eye-to-eye, and was reminded that the difference between their heights was no longer so drastic. 

‘Do rest assured, my lady, you look perfectly beautiful,’ he said before she asked anything. 

“You cannot see.” 

‘I can tell even without sight.’ At that, he reached out to stroke her hair like he had done oh so long ago, only to draw back, remembering that she was wearing a wedding veil. 

From the sound of fabric shifting, he could tell that she lifted her veil for him. He frowned slightly, ‘My lady, that…’ 

“Will bring bad luck? Will render me vulnerable to evil spirits? Blast those superstitions. Who was it that told me no such things exists when I was afraid to traverse the dimly-lit corridors at night all those years ago?” she was the one doing the teasing for once. 

“Besides,” she guided his hand to her cheek and suppressed a giggle when he discovered that she was taller than he remembered, “I know you are here to protect me from any schemes those evil spirits might have, my knight.”

‘My lady…’ he caressed her forehead to her eyelids, to the tip of her nose and the bottom of her lips, ‘Aah, how I wish to see. Certainly you aged as beautifully as your mother, more so perhaps?’

“You will be faced with mother’s harisen when you return,” she chuckled, flawlessly concealing her disappointment and envy. She had grown, she was an adult, a woman, and yet his tone, his voice, his countenance were all different from the sneaky glances she had stolen at the two of them as a child. 

But it was fine. He was not her partner. Not today. Not in life. And she was not supposed to have these kinds of thoughts on her wedding day.

He gingerly put the veil back in place. It was time. 

The heavy doors opened, every pair of eyes in the hall fell on her, daunting her. But her brother laced her delicate hand on his arm chivalrously. ‘Smile, Sharon,’ he whispered. 

She complied, and she was proud of herself striding past every single awed witness she could see within the hall. Her betrothed’s eyes were indiscernible from her angle, obscured by the glasses he insisted on wearing, but his lips curled into a gentle smile that she had learned to cherish in these four years. 

They reached the bottom of the altar. The two men exchanged a glance. 

Her knight linked her hand with the groom’s, ‘Reim-san, make sure you take good care of my lady, understand?’ 

Reim shot a glance at Sharon, then back at him, and nodded with certainty. Break grinned in approval and let go of their hands. 

(Personally, she did not want him to.)

Reim helped her ascend the small staircase to the altar, they took a moment to gaze at the guests who had gathered for their sake, and to watch her brother retreat to his seat in the front row, next to her grandmother. They blinked, and he was there no longer. 

There was but an ever-smiling blue doll, motionlessly perched on the seat. 

Had he really been here? There was no proof that he had aside from the lingering sensation of his fingers on her cheek and on their hands. Had the two of them concocted a vision of him with their imagination then? It did not matter. He had fulfilled his duty as her knight and her brother today, now he had gone.

Reim squeezed her fingers gently. Yet it did not serve to soothe her. 

But she was supposed to embark on a new chapter in her life today. 

Taking a deep breath, she nodded ever so subtly at her soon-to-be husband as they turn to the officiant. His hand remained around hers, and she was grateful. 

Her heart was not here with him, and she knew he knew it. He was the only person in this world who understood everything that was going through her head at the moment. All the memories she never wanted to leave behind, all the tears she never wanted to wipe away, all of her hesitation, all of her doubts, he understood. 

(Or perhaps shared.)

This man in front of her knew every dark corner of her despicable mind and was vowing eternal commitment to her. 

She did not know how much truth there was in his vows, but she knew she would be spouting far more lies. 

This gown, this atmosphere, these flowers of love and innocence, they were nothing but pretence. There was only one truth, and it was the one smile she had donned in compliance to her knight’s gentle whisper as he escorted her down the aisle to someone else, someone he trusted to bless her with more happiness than he did. 

(Though she had doubted his judgement on plenty of occasions before.)

If her life were a romance novel, what an equivocal tale it was. She remarked, then she pronounced, “I do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The End

[rainyswriting]

Cold - Break x Reim (Pandora Hearts)

Summary: Reim is once again working too much, Break decides he needs some fresh air and drags him away from his desk, only to cause him to fear for his life.

words: 4.974

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Snowflakes were dancing in the soft breeze, slowly covering the world in white. Reim glanced out the window, watching them on their way down. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his gaze wandering back to the stack of papers on his desk. It just didn’t seem to get any smaller, the pages mocking him as his overworked brain refused to concentrate. He sighed, leaning back in his chair, closing his tired eyes, when he heard the familiar crinkling of candy being unwrapped.

“Xerxes Break would you mind using a door for once in your life?” He complained, looking over to the man nonchalantly leaning against the open closet. “Now where would the fun in that be?” Reim nearly failed to suppress a groan. “Of course. Heaven forbid you don’t have your fun” There was his usual smile on Break’s lips, as he did Reim the favor of at least closing the doors through which he had made his entrance. “Exactly. Now would you tell me what you’re so irritated about? One could nearly think you don’t enjoy my visits”

“What am I so irritated about? I am trying to work here, these reports get done neither by themselves nor by you. And stop littering in my room.” He cast a disapproving look at the candy wrapper now lying on the floor. Break though only shrugged, shoving the tiny piece of paper under a cabinet with his foot. It was as if he was trying to infuriate Reim. “You are too tense. When was the last time you had some fun?” “Probably before I had you shoving your paperwork on me” Break looked playfully offended and Reim nearly expected to get scolded by him any second, when his gaze unexpectedly softened.

He walked over to Reim, who was still sitting in his chair, placing his hands on the man’s shoulders. He flinched, only now realizing just how tense and cramped up he was. Yet he couldn’t deny his touch felt quite nice once he had recovered from the first shock of the contact. “Let me phrase it differently then. When was the last time you left your desk? For more than five minutes” He added, before the other even got a chance to answer. Reim opened his mouth, thinking of a response, but closed it again without word, truly not being quite sure when the last time had been.

“Thought so. You very desperately need some fresh air” “I don’t have time for this!” He exclaimed, gesturing to the papers neatly stacked on the table. “Yes you do, these aren’t going to run away” He spoke, already shoving his coat at him. Reim only sighed, knowing it was no use to try and argue with the man once he’d set his mind on something. The sooner he gave in the sooner he could be back at his desk, and he couldn’t deny some fresh air would indeed help his concentration.

The sun was still high on the sky, shining brightly, yet the freezing cold of this winter day was merciless. Reim shuddered slightly at the breeze hitting his skin where it was exposed, pulling his coat tighter around him. Just what was Break up to this time? His question was soon answered when Break dragged him to a nearby lake, pulling skates out of nowhere, accompanied by his stupid grin. For a moment Reim was truly speechless. A second later his mood changed to wanting to wipe the foolish smile from Break’s face. “No. Absolutely not. That is not happening. Not in a million years” He started arguing, desperation obvious in his voice. Break didn’t even have to say anything as Reim stared at the frozen lake in front of them, his mind going a million miles an hour trying to come up with an excuse. “Who is gonna do your paperwork if I break my neck?” Was the response he settled on, the only one that could possibly have any effect on Break. Yet his hopes were crushed when he noticed how his smirk was unchanged. “What? Are you scared?” Oh no, he had been wrong. His expression had changed, the smug grin on his face telling him there was no way to get out of this. He had lost this fight before it had even started.

“Of course not!” If he would back down now, he would never hear the end of it. He grabbed the skates from Break, putting them on against his better judgement. How did he even know his size?

Break too had slipped the shoes on and was already waiting on the ice by the time Reim was finished. Sometimes he couldn’t help but be impressed how despite losing his sight he was still so light-handed, having put on the shoes much faster than him, and he was still more graceful than Reim could ever hope to be.

Carefully Reim stepped on the ice, silently praying Break had at least made sure it was thick enough to carry them. With unsteady feet he made his way over to him, who of course chose to slide away just before he reached him. Reim bit his lip to keep himself from trying to beg him to stop. Although he wished he could hold onto him to steady himself he knew the other would never let him live that down. He might have been doing everything in his power to force his knees not to shake, but he did have his pride too.

While Reim was trying his hardest to keep himself standing, Break was gliding over the ice as if he had never done anything else. Soon he gave up on his clumsy attempts to watch the other move with a grace only few possessed. He remembered the many times various people, including himself, had failed at teaching him how to dance, if only they could see him now. Watching him draw pirouettes on the ice, a rare, genuine smile on his face, Reim felt something tug at the strings of his heart. He seemed so lost in the moment, until he noticed that he was the only one moving.

“Come on now! You were supposed to skate with me, not stand around and gawk!” “I… I can’t” “What do you mean you can’t?” Reim swallowed, nervousness creeping up his spine. Was it a good idea to admit to Break that he had no idea what he was doing? Probably not. But what else was he supposed to do? “I can’t skate” “Oh!” It was as if it had never even occurred to Break that he might the only one of them to possess this skill. “I’ll teach you then!” He exclaimed rather excitedly, joining Reim at his spot and grabbing his hands to guide him. Reim was very much caught off guard by this, yet he couldn’t deny he welcomed the touch, innocent as it may have been.

It took a while, yet slowly but surely Reim grew steadier on his feet and even started to actually enjoy himself. It helped a lot of course, to see Break so seemingly carefree for once. Being part of this, he decided, might just be worth risking his own wellbeing. “Where did you even learn to skate like this?” He couldn’t help but wonder, his curiosity getting the best of him. As soon as they had left his lips he already regretted the words, when Break’s smile fell, a frown replacing it. “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have asked” Reim was just about to let go of his hands, feeling like he had overstepped and Break would surely want his space now. Yet he didn’t allow him to let go, tightening his own grip. “It’s fine.” He forced the smile back on his lips, but for Reim it was easy to see it was a fake one, just like he could see the sadness still hidden deep in his eye. “It was in a different life” Was the only explanation he got, and it was the only one he needed. Reim understood and he knew not to press the matter any further.

Not wanting to speak of it any longer, Break skated further out onto the lake, dragging Reim along with him, who couldn’t deny he had a terrible feeling about this, still not quite trusting the ice under his feet. He kept urging Break to turn back around but he wouldn’t have any of it. Their distance to the shore grew and so did Reim’s uneasiness. Until he eventually decided he’d had enough.

It was nothing new Break wouldn’t listen to him trying to be the voice of reason and he would forever ridicule him for it, but at this point he feared for his safety more than anything. “That’s far enough! I’m turning around.” He forced his voice to sound as sure of himself as possible and attempted to stop. What he hadn’t considered though was that despite improving a lot in the past few hours, his ice-skating skills still weren’t quite enough for this maneuver. In his panic he reached for Break’s arm, but all that achieved was that he dragged him down with him, as the sudden movement had even caught him by surprise.

His back painfully hit the ground, the weight of the other falling on him knocking the air out of his lungs. So much for breaking his neck out here. It took him a second to realize Break lying on him wasn’t the only thing he felt. His eyes shot open. His face was close, far too close and his lips touched his own. Reim felt as if his heart had stopped only to then continue beating at a pace that should have most likely killed him. Before he could process what was happening Break swiftly got back onto his feet again. “Oh my, how clumsy of me” He chuckled, seeming as innocent as ever.

Reim didn’t manage to sputter out a single word, his only relief that the other couldn’t see just how bright red his face must have been, as he laid there motionless on the ice. He should have been getting up, but this body wouldn’t listen to him. “Now, now, Mister Reim, there’s no reason to be so flustered here, it was just a silly little accident.”

Where once there had been a rosy blush on Reim’s cheeks he must have now been as pale as a sheet. Of course Break could tell. Just because he didn’t see him turn red as a tomato didn’t mean he couldn’t sense his discomposure.

A hand was stretched out towards him, presumably to help him up. Once he had collected himself at least a little, he gladly took it, fearing he would freeze to the ground if he stayed down there any longer. “Come now, I think this was enough for today, before you really do break your neck”

It was a rare occurrence but for once he had to agree with Break. After all it had gotten quite late, the sun slowly disappearing from the horizon. In addition to that Reim was getting cold too, the landing on his behind hadn’t exactly helped with that either. What he needed right now was a nice, hot bath.

Yet he would be lying if he tried to deny that it had been quite fun after all. There was no harm in leaving his desk and enjoying himself every now and then. But no matter how much he told himself that he was far more relaxed now, he couldn’t ignore his still racing heart. He could blame it on the physical exertion, sure, or he could admit that the accidental kiss was still occupying his mind and making it impossible for him to calm down.

That thought was keeping him so distracted he barely noticed how Break had followed him to his room, immediately plopping down at his desk and reaching for the box of candy. “And just what do you think you’re doing?” He questioned as he watched the first piece of his emergency stash disappear between his lips. “What does it look like I’m doing?” “You could at least wait till I’m in the bath before you started stealing my candy” “But it’s much more fun like this. Besides, it’s not like you won’t know it was me.” Reim sighed, he truly was a hopeless case. “You should take a bath too, before you get a cold.” “Yes, yes, I will” He mumbled, more candy disappearing in his mouth, as he waved a hand, or at least a sleeve, at Reim to shoo him out of his own room.

A little while later Reim was finally sitting in the filled bathtub, his hopes of being able to eventually calm down slowly returning. Yet the kiss was still haunting his mind, no matter how much he tried not to think about it. It had been in accident. Nothing more. It was a waste of time to dwell on it.

Closing his eyes and leaning back his head, he tried to concentrate on calming his breathing, the steaming hot water helping him clear his mind. So focused, he didn’t even hear the door open, didn’t hear the footsteps coming closer. He only noticed he wasn’t alone when he heard the water sloshing around and somebody stepped into the tub to join him.

He nearly screamed, not far from jumping out of the tub. Instead, he backed up as much as he could, pulling his legs towards his chest. The abrupt movement caused the water to spill over, but that was the least of his worries now. His vision was blurry and his glasses out of reach, yet after a few seconds he was able the make out the head full of white hair. “Xerxes? What in the world are you doing?” “You told me to take a bath too. I thought we could save some water.”

Desperately trying to calm his racing heart he hugged his legs, his knees as close to his chest as his flexibility allowed, trying to take up as little space as physically possible. Saving water? What in the world was he talking about? Just what had gotten into that crazy head of his now? He stared at the man lounging at the opposite end of the bathtub in disbelief. “What’s wrong?” Break questioned, still keeping up his act of pure innocence. To his own surprise, Reim was still capable of speech. “Did you really just ask me what’s wrong?” “Yes? Can I not be worried about my friend? You really should learn to relax a little.”

Was he serious? Well, obviously not. Break was rarely ever serious. But this seemed a bit extreme, even for his standards.

Reim didn’t get much of a chance to regain his composure when Break changed his position. He had moved so fast, the water was sloshing around, spilling some more. Not that it mattered as it joined in on the puddles already collecting on the floor. Either way Reim didn’t get any time to worry about the condition of his bathroom. Break was in front of him on his knees before he even realized what was happening. Not that he could have done much about it as he was completely frozen when long, gentle fingers grazed his skin, before coming to a halt under his chin. “Xerxes, what…” He never got to finish his sentence when the other leaned closer, lips pressing softly against his, making him swallow his words. Whatever he had wanted to say quickly was forgotten anyway as his mind went blank.

Maybe he did break his neck out on the lake and die, because this couldn’t really be happening. He had dreamed of moments similar to this too many times to believe it to be true.

The kiss barely lasted for a second but it was more than enough to completely wreck Reim’s ability to form a coherent thought or at least what little was left of it at this point. “What…” He tried to speak, yet shut up again immediately, unsure of what he was planning to say anyway. How could he even begin to make any sense of this?

Break leaned back a little, a self-satisfied grin on his face. He was still much too close, yet the distance was enough for Reim to at least remember how to breathe. “What? You really thought I didn’t know about your little crush on me? You think I’m daft?” It was then that all color drained from Reim’s face. He knew? “N…no. I just…you… you don’t mind?” “I don’t mind at all. In fact, I think I quite like it” “Oh” was all he was capable of as a response. Slowly it dawned on him, the things that were right in front of him, yet he had been too blind to see.

That… kiss outside. That wasn’t really an accident, was it?” Break chuckled, a small smile on his lips, and the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks. Surely it was only the heat of the bathwater, Reim told himself. And besides, he didn’t have his glasses on, there was always the chance he just wasn’t seeing things right. “You really think I’d be so clumsy?”

Reim was still unable to process the words he had just heard and the fact that this man he adored so much had just kissed him twice. Despite it all, he did finally manage to relax a small bit, feeling less like he was on the brink of a heartattack any moment now. At least as long as he didn’t think too much about the situation they were currently in.

However, Break didn’t make it exactly easy for him. The position Reim was in was growing increasingly uncomfortable and he felt safe enough to stretch out his legs once more, yet as soon as he did Break decided to move again. If Reim hadn’t already thought he was dead or dreaming before, he definitely did now, when Break chose to settle in his lap.

“My, how I wish I could see your face right now. You’ve probably never looked quite so aghast.” Shocked he was indeed, but that didn’t prevent him from hearing the hint of sadness in his voice. “Xerx…” “Shush. Don’t think about it. I’m fine.” Reim didn’t believe a word he said, yet chose not to press any further, afraid he’d scare him away if he did. He wouldn’t know what to do if he left now, after all that had just happened.

Hesitantly his hands moved to Break’s hips, barely daring to touch him, afraid he’ll suddenly vanish and it did turn out to be a dream after all. “This… this is really happening, isn’t it?” “Oh I know I’m too good to be true, but you might as well believe it.” Only Break could be so unbearably smug about this. However, only one look at this face told Reim all he needed to know. He was just as nervous as him, simply using his usual, insufferable self to try and hide it. Badly. Nevertheless, it was more reassuring to Reim than anything he could have told himself to put his mind at ease.

Still, his mouth was far too dry as he forced the next words over his lips. “Can I kiss you?” Break’s eye opened wide with surprise and he hesitated to answer for a moment. Thinking he had gone too far now, Reim was already about to backpedal. He shouldn’t have asked. He should apologize. He should say something at least, before he made this even worse. But he didn’t get the chance. A soft smile was back on Break’s lips when he spoke. “I suppose it is your turn now.”

Reim tried to swallow down his fear, yet it didn’t seem to help much. His hand was nearly shaking as he moved to place it on Break’s cheek, only calming down a little when he leaned into his touch, closing his eye, as if the tiny gesture was already more than he could have asked for. Reim took a moment to take in his features, his expression more at peace than he had seen in a long time. Possibly more than he had ever seen.

Slowly, ever so slowly he leaned closer to him. Reim didn’t remember the last time he had been so nervous, his heart pounding in his chest as if it was trying to break free. He was close enough to feel Break’s breath on his skin, close enough for his scent to cloud his mind, drawing him in even more. Yet the distance between them seemed nearly impossible to surpass.

Reim shut his eyes tightly and closed the small gap, before he got a chance to chicken out again. The other kisses had caught him off guard, but this time he was prepared, or at least as prepared as he could have been. Break tasted impossibly sweet, but what else had he expected? Yet there was something else too, something that was so unmistakable him. He got so lost in how Break’s lips moved against his, how his arms found their way around his neck, his fingers curling into his hair, until he was painfully reminded he had to breathe. His burning lungs forced him to pull back, already regretting it when Break let out a pained whimper at the loss of contact.

He leaned his forehead against Break’s, his hand falling back down to his hip, his hold a bit more confident now, as they were both trying to catch their breath. Break was the first to speak again, chuckling to himself. “I’ve been waiting for this for so long.” Reim grew stiff. He was aware Break had wanted this, he had made that clear enough, but for him to actually say it out loud? That was a whole different story.

“Why’d you never say anything?” The sudden change of mood in the room was nearly suffocating, already making Reim regret his question, and even without Break moving he could feel the distance that had promptly appeared between them. “I didn’t think you could possibly feel the same way about me” “How could I not?” He wanted to say more, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. Break on his lap suddenly seemed so much smaller, so much more fragile than he was just moments ago. His hand wandered to the seal on his chest, the mark left from a past life, absentmindedly rubbing it. “I am not a good man Reim” He dug his nails into his chest, as if he wanted to rip of the skin there. His expression was filled with indescribable pain and horror as thoughts about his past raced through his mind. Reim was afraid he would draw blood if he kept going like this, violently scratching at the mark, wanting to tear it clean off.

“Forget it, I should have never done this.” “Xerx, wait!” He tried to get up, to flee, but Reim’s grip on his hips tightened and pulled him back towards him. The fear in his eye nearly broke Reim’s heart. How afraid he was of being judged for his past, even by him. How afraid of rejection. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how much willpower it must have taken him to even come in here, his playfulness simply a facade to try and hide his fear. Just how much Reim wished he could take away his pain.

Reim’s voice was soft and gentle as he spoke again. “Please, don’t go.” Grabbing the hand on Break’s chest he loosened the fingers still viciously digging into his skin one by one, before intertwining them with his own. “It’s alright. It’s just me. I’ve seen it before and I’ve long made up my mind. I don’t care what you did or who you once were.” He didn’t know if his words had any impact and there was so much more he wanted to say, but he was still unsure if he even wanted to hear it.

So he did the only thing he thought was right. One hand still holding Break’s, he wrapped his free arm around his shoulders, pulling him towards him. His grip tightened when he felt him trembling against him, and he let go of the hand in his to wrap his other arm around him too. After a while he finally felt Break’s arms find their way around him too, holding onto him like a man drowning. “Xerx, you fool” He whispered into his hair, holding him so tightly he could practically feel his heartbeat against his own chest. Hoping for it to calm him down he started rubbing soothing circles on his back, Break still shaking in his embrace.

Eventually, he did stop. Only Reim wasn’t sure if he had calmed down or if he had simply exhausted himself. Before he could agonize over it any further Break spoke up, his voice timid, so different from anything Reim was used to. “Reim?” “Yes? Are you alright?” “Yes, yes… it’s just…” Break’s grip on him tightened a little, his body pressing into him. Was he really okay? What could be wrong? What did he miss?

“It’s getting cold” Reim let out a sigh of relief. He had been so worried about Break’s wellbeing, he hadn’t even noticed the steady drop of the water’s temperature. Only now did he see the goosebumps appearing on his pale skin. So much for a nice hot bath to warm themselves up. “You’re right. We should get out.”

After they had dried themselves off Reim couldn’t help but notice just how tired Break looked, a shadow appearing under his eye, which he seemed to be struggling to keep open. He had given him one of his shirts, since of course Break hadn’t planned any further than getting into the bath with him and didn’t have any spare clothes with him. Besides, Reim’s shirt was quite a bit too big on Break and he would be lying if he said he didn’t like how he looked in it.

As he was rubbing Break’s hair dry with a towel, his own, shorter hair having long dried, he looked as if he was going to fall asleep right then and there, the soothing touch adding to his exhaustion. “You’re staying” Reim managed to get out, clinging to any bit of courage he could muster, his heart ready to jump out of his chest again, just from forcing those two words over his lips.

To his surprise Break didn’t argue at all, didn’t even answer with some stupid joke of his. He really must have been tired.

Finally it was time to settle into bed, which in Break’s case meant falling face first into the pillows. At least he had had the sense to remove the blanket first instead of falling onto it too. Despite the late hour and his own exhaustion Reim’s courage seemed to have left him again and he stood next to his bed, unsure of what to do. What was he waiting for? What’s the worst that could happen? The man was already half asleep anyway.

Swallowing the lump in his throat he did force himself to get in next to Break, which immediately paid off as he cuddled into him. Hearing Break’s tired sigh as he clung to the fabric of his sleepshirt and buried his face at his chest, he couldn’t help but be reminded of a happy kitten and he chuckled at the thought. “What’s so funny?” He heard a tired voice. Seemed like he was more awake than Reim had thought, but judging by his tone that wouldn’t be the case for much longer. “You’re surprisingly docile when you’re tired.” Break’s answer to that was accompanied by a tired groan and he hit him with an overlong sleeve, yet without any force behind it. “Mmh, shut up.”

His answer made him chuckle once more, looking fondly at the man in his arms, knowing very well how rare it was for Break to let down his defenses like this. Thinking about it, he had never seen him quite so at ease.

“By the way, it’s not just a little crush. I love you Xerx.” The words were over his lips before he could think too much about it, now this must have really been his last bit of courage for the day. Maybe Break was already asleep he thought. He hoped.

But he had been wrong. He felt the body against him tense up. His mind was already scrambling to find an excuse, some sort of explanation as to why he had said that. Of course, he had said it simply because it was the truth, but that might have been too much for one day. Had he ruined it all now? Had he ruined it, because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut?

Before his mind could decide on an apology though, Break seemed to relax against his chest again. There were words mumbled into the fabric of his shirt, barely audible, yet Reim heard them loud and clear, the words he never thought he’d hear from him.

In the time it took Reim to process that he really had just heard him say that and he wasn’t just imagining things, Break had dozed off. Reim on the other hand was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep for a long while, if even at all. Too much had happened today. Who would have thought this morning that tonight he would lie in bed with Break, soundly asleep, in his arms? Only a day ago he had barely dared to dream about it. Yet here they were now and he wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

[this-idiots-left-eye]

In Plain Sight

Cover art by Stlyrica on instagram!! I’ll put a link to it in a reblog!!

Fandom: Pandora Hearts

Summary: When Break hides Gilbert's favorite Christmas ornament somewhere in the Rainsworth manor, the Golden Trio must spend the afternoon looking for it. But why is it so special to Gil?

Notes: I originally wrote this for the prompt "Ornaments" in an alphabetical Christmas prompt list my friends and I did in 2017--(it was going to be part of a group of Christmas fics we all wrote for different fandoms. Some of the people in that group hadn't read PH, so that's why this fic has some explanations for who the characters are). Then I posted it for Pandora Hearts Month 2018 for the Golden Trio Prompt: Friendship. I hope you like it! I would really appreciate it if you could reblog and/or leave a comment to let me know if you enjoyed it!

*

“You’re the tallest, Gil, you should put the star on top!”

“Ooh! It looks yummy! Like a big cookie!”

“It’s not a cookie, Stupid Rabbit!”

It was a few days before Christmas, and the trio was at the Rainsworth manor. Finally, everything was ready for the holiday; a fire was dancing in its place, the stockings were all lined up on the mantle, and they had just put the finishing touches on the tree. The only one who hadn’t been informed about the festive season, was the sky outside; it had been raining for the past few weeks. There was a chill in the air, it was frosty, but snow hadn’t quite come yet. Still, they made the most of their time indoors.

“Perfect!” Oz exclaimed.

Oz Vessalius was the fifteen-year-old heir to the Vessalius dukedom, but after his escape from the Abyss that year, when he wasn’t off on adventures, and missions, he spent most of his time at the Rainsworth’s.

“It’s so pretty, Onii-chan!”

On account of the ten-year gap, Oz’s sister, Ada, was older than Oz now, but, no matter what, she would never stop seeing him as her older brother. She was on Christmas break from Lutwidge Academy, and more than happy to spend it at the Rainsworths, with her brother. She had, of course, brought her two cats—Snowdrop and Kitty—with her, (which Gilbert maintained a healthy distance from, due to his phobia of cats).

“The Rainsworths will have the best-decorated tree in town!”

Oscar, their uncle, was spending the afternoon with his niece and nephew too. He was a bearded, bespectacled man, with the same blonde hair and green eyes as the rest of his family. At the moment, he was sitting on one of the couches, with a cup what he called ‘tea’, but which the rest of them guessed probably had something stronger in it.

“I can’t take all the credit, Gil and Alice helped a little,” Oz joked.

“‘A little!’”

Gilbert was Oz’s servant; a dark-haired man, who often appeared cold and reserved, but who was rather sensitive, and a worrywart. He still sometimes acted as though they were only a year apart in age too, despite the fact that he was now ten years older than his master.

“Yeah, manservant!” Alice challenged, “More like we did all the work!”

“I was just teasing!”

“Well,” Sharon had a way of returning things to order with her calm and proper words, “you all did a wonderful job.”

Sharon was the heiress to the Rainsworth dukedom, and looked like a thirteen-year-old girl, though was really in her twenties or thirties—(they knew better than to ask her exact age). Her chestnut hair was usually tied back into a kind of half-ponytail, and, as always, she outmatched them all on style points; today it was with a dress of a wintery blue that looked as if she was trying to encourage the snow to fall. As per usual, she held a cup of tea in one hand—peppermint, she had informed them, for the Christmas season—and a pastry in the other. She was sitting at a small round table on the other side of the room, with Reim—duke Barma’s bespectacled, hard working, servant, who spent more time at the Rainsworth’s than anywhere else, with his two best friends—Sharon and Break.

“Well, I’m beat,” Alice stretched and yawned, “Seaweed-head, when are you going to make me some meat?”

Most Chains (creatures from the Abyss) didn’t look like Alice did; like a fourteen-year-old girl, with floor length brown hair, and an almost cat-like physique—(though it was a giant rabbit she often turned into). Also unlike other illegally contracted Chains, she did not have a thirst for human blood, although she did have a particular love for meat, as well as almost anything edible.

“I suppose I can make you something, now that we’ve finished,” Gil sighed.

“Oh? Have you now?” they turned to see Sharon’s servant, Xerxes Break, grinning as he poured himself another cup of tea. “Are you sure nothing’s…” he leaned back against the table, “missing?”

Break was a red-eyed, white-haired man, also much older than he looked. Even those close to him would say he was a bit of an acquired taste; his love for teasing, the creepy doll on his shoulder, and his general lack of regard for other people and their feelings, made it difficult for those subject to his mischiefs—such as Gilbert—to acquire any kind of affection for him.

Gilbert froze, turning his head slowly to the tree. His eyes immediately found the empty space where a certain ornament had been.

“Break!” he shouted, spinning back to him, “Must you do this every year?!”

“Let an old man have his fun.” Break grinned.

“I believe he must, Gilbert-sama,” Sharon answered Gilbert’s question, nonchalantly taking a sip of tea before continuing, “It has become something of a tradition.”

“I should have spent Christmas with he Nightrays this year,” Gilbert grumbled, reluctance in his motions as he began to pick up books, and other objects around the room, as if searching.

“You’re so mean,” Break chided playfully, then spoke a little more seriously, knowing Gilbert had no intentions of spending much time with his adoptive family, and real brother, “You’d rather spend Christmas with the sewer rat, than us?”

Gil gave him a death glare.

“Sorry…but what’s a tradition?” Oz asked, turning to Sharon and Break.

He wouldn’t admit it, but sometimes, especially with things like this, the ten-year gap could make Oz feel like an outsider.

“Every year Break takes Gilbert-sama’s favorite ornament,” Sharon explained, “And hides it somewhere in the manor.”

“Ooh! That sounds like fun!”

“It’s not fun, Oz!” Gilbert hollered at his master, “It’s a waste of a perfectly good afternoon! Not to mention annoying, and rude!”

Break laughed. Gil had yet to learn his outrageous reactions were what made this sort of thing so fun for the prankster.

“Don’t worry, Gil!” Ada bounded up to him, “I’ll help you look!”

Gilbert flushed, “T-Thank you.”

“What does it look like, Gil?”

He looked at Oz, then turned back to Ada, and explained it quietly enough that only she could hear.

She nodded, beaming, and began to look in a different part of the room.

“What’s the matter, Gil?”—Gil gasped as his master appeared suddenly at his other side—“You don’t want me to know what it is?” Oz’s laugh faded into a more puzzled expression when Gil averted his eyes, turning redder.

“It’s a secret, Onii-chan!” Ada answered for him, “You’ll see when we find it!”

He didn’t get the chance to ask anything more, because Alice broke in, having been observing all their interactions,

“Does…Does this mean I won’t get my meat?”

“Uh huh,” Gilbert sighed, “That’s exactly what it means.”

“No! I will not allow it!” Alice shook her head, and whirled around on Break, pointing at him in an accusatory manner, “Clown! Return Seaweed-head’s stupid ornament his instant!”

“It’s not stupid, Stupid Rabbit!”

“Aren’t you a spoilsport?” The Mad Hatter teased, then the doll on his shoulder, Emily, finished,

“Why should I listen to some dumb bunny?”

Alice growled, her hands clenching into fists. She spun to Gilbert, declaring as she ran up to him,“Then I won’t rest until I find that ornament! With the great Alice-sama on your side, you cannot fail!”

“Sure you won’t just get in the way?”

She kicked him in the shin, crossing her arms, “You’d be lost without me, Seaweed-head.”

“Don’t kick me, Stupid rabbit!” he rubbed his leg, “Now go look for it over there!” he stamped his injured foot back down and pointed to the opposite corner of the room, (to which she quickly ran, proceeding to tear her designated space apart in a matter of seconds.)

“Is this ornament really all that important, Gil? I mean, we have lots of—”

“Yes!” he answered before his master could finish, “it is!”

Oz sighed, knowing how attached his servant could get to things, “Alright. So…is us helping against the rules?” he asked, watching Alice destroy the room in search of it, Ada calmly remove things, and put them back where they were meant to go, and Gil as a mix of the two.

“Don’t you think we would have stopped them if it was, Oz-kun?”

Sharon shook her head, “It doesn’t matter who finds it, watching him search is the fun part.” Her mischievous side was showing; most of the time she was this prim and proper lady, but being close to Break had its effects.

“That’s right; the more people searching, the funnier it is when they can’t find it,” Break sang. “Though, tell me, Ojousama,” he turned to his mistress “are you merely saying that because you wagered he’d find it early—before 18:00?” he asked knowingly, sitting up on the table—(Reim gave him a look that could only be interpreted as: can-you act-any-less-like-a-servant?)

They turned to the clock—it was 15:00.

“Why do you want to know, Break?” his mistress asked with a tone of false interest, “Are you afraid your skills as a prankster have gone down with age?” she patted her mouth innocently with a napkin.

“What do you take me for, Ojousama?” he smirked, crossing his legs, narrowing his eyes at Gilbert, “He’ll need all the help he can get.”

Gilbert returned to him an even more murderous look.

“You… betted on this?”

“All part of the tradition, Oz-kun,” Break mentioned, stealing a mini pastry from Reim’s plate—(the incense was more than evident on Reim’s face, and probably why Break did it).

“It’s not money we wagered, though; If I win, Break has to swear off sweets over Christmas—as well as make me a lavish dessert full of those sweet things he can’t have. And if Break wins, I have to buy him an equally lavish amount of extra Christmas candy and sweets.”

“Nice! Break, I didn’t know you could bake!”

“He really can’t,” Sharon chuckled, “But it’s fun to see what he comes up with.”

Break glared at her.

“So… is this how you bet every year?”

“Sometimes it’s different. But it’s usually something to the effect of giving Break a taste of his own medicine…Though I seem to recall one year, I wanted Break to do this dance I had heard of in a book, if he lost. I believe it was called ‘Futterwacken.’”

“That’s a weird name for a dance!” Oz laughed, “So? How did that go?

“I suppose it is,” she smiled, “That was one of the tamer punishments, but, when he did lose, he refused—rather blatantly.”

“Really?!” he turned to Break.

“How many times must I tell you? I have no talent for dancing.”

“Truly, as a servant of the Rainsworth Dukedom, it would be better fitting that you learned,” she shook her head, then turned back to Oz, “Anyway, after that, we thought the chance to take away his candy was rather enjoyable.”

“Aw, I want to join the bet!”

Gilbert looked affronted, but before he could speak, Oz continued, boyish excitement simmering in his tone,

“Say, what if, if Break loses, I get to eat his candy instead?!”

Sharon and Break glanced at each other.

“Let me ask you something, Oz-kun;” Break set down his tea, “Are you willing to risk the consequences of such a wager?”

“Ehh…consequences?”

“Why of course. I couldn’t give little Oz-kun the chance of stealing my candy without the proper torment in store if he lost.”

“Eh…” Oz knew just how mean Break could get, and that this could very well turn into a prank war that ended in actual blood, “I think I’ll pass.”

“I always said you were smarter than you looked,” the Mad Hatter picked up his tea again.

“Maybe you could join in by helping me look, instead of encouraging them, Oz!” Gilbert whirled on him.

“Aww, do I have to?” the fifteen-year-old groaned.

“Oz!”

Oz turned to the masterminds, as if silently asking for them to give him an excuse not to.

“Hey, Oz-kun is sharp,” Break began, then Emily added,

“Probably smarter than these three put together!”

—two of the aforementioned three gave him what can only be described as ‘fight-me’ faces, and Ada looked disheartened—Break took no notice, and finished,

“So that depends; whose side are you on?”

“Well,” Oz thought for a moment, then mused, grinning, “it would be fun to see Break trying to swear of candy!”

“Is that so?” Break’s eye narrowed.

“In any case, why isn’t Reim-san helping?” he shifted the focus. “You’re not the kind of person to sit back while others are in trouble”

Reim sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose. “While that may be true, these two are often harsher with me, than others. If I help you, I have a feeling I shall pay for it in some way later,” he shot them an icy look, “dearly.”

“Whatever do you mean, Reim-san?” Sharon asked innocently. “We thought you enjoyed our company.”

“Yeah, it’s only because you’re our favorite, Reim-san,” Break gave a fake sappy voice.

“Then pick a new favorite!”

“That’s not how it works! You have a lifetime guarantee!”

“Sharon,” it was Ada who spoke. She had been focused on searching on the mantelpiece, and inside the stockings, “Why are there nine stockings?”

“What do you mean, Ada?” Oz asked, stepping over to her.

“Well, I was just thinking; there’s me, Onii-chan, Uncle, and Alice,”—Alice looked annoyed at Ada mentioning her name—“since we’re staying here for Christmas,” she pointed at each of the stockings in turn, “and these belong to Sharon-sama, Break, Duchess Rainsworth-sama, and Reim-san, right? But who does this last one belong to?” she held the bottom of the last one, careful not to pull it off the mantle.

They turned to Break and Sharon, who glanced at each other, their mischievous grins fading into more somber, reminiscent expressions.

“It was Break’s idea,” Sharon answered.

“Well, I can’t take all the credit—“

“It’s for my mother…That has become something of a tradition as well. We just thought it would be nice, to have something to remember her by during the Christmas season.”

The tone in the room quieted; the rest of them knew that Shelly was Sharon’s mother, who had died sometime after Oz’s coming of age ceremony.

“That’s…actually really sweet,” Oz noted, “Break, I’m surprised you thought of it!”

“You think you’re cute, don’t you? And you say that like I’m cruel.”

“Well…” Oz rubbed the back of his neck, smiling nervously, trying to formulate a non- insulting answer in his mind.

“I think what Oz is trying to say,” Reim started out gently, then finished harshly, “Is that it’s high time you realized you can be a jerk, Xerxes!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say jerk’…” Oz began.

“I would,” Gil mumbled.

“My…I cant believe that you all….” Break began softly, then Emily jeered,

“Just figured that out now!”

The anger was evident on all of their faces.

“Really, why are you all ganging up on me,” Break grinned, without a hint of hurt in his voice, “when you should be focusing on the task at hand?”

“Because it’s your fault we’re in this mess!” Gilbert shouted, then ran his hand frustratedly through his hair, observing the mess they had made of the room, before demanding, “Is it in this room?!”

“Given up already, have you?” Emily teased.

Gilbert clenched his hands into fists, biting back a retort.

“Did anyone see him leave the room?!”

Everyone looked at Gilbert blankly, or up at the ceiling, trying to think if they had, realizing they had no idea, and knew full well Sharon could have used Eques to transport him when their backs were turned anyways. Gilbert put his hands on his hips, sighing at their silence “Alright. We have a whole manor to look through, it’s best we move on from this room,” he paused, turning again to Break, with malice in his eyes, “Right?”

“Sure, kiddo!” Emily replied, and he gave the fakest grin yet.

Gilbert gritted his teeth, then shook his head, directing them,

“Let’s split up; Ada, you go down the left hall, Stupid Rabbit, you take the right. I’ll go downstairs.”

“I won’t let you down, Seaweed-Head!” Alice sped down the hall, not even searching, as if she had forgotten the task she’d been given.

Ada nodded, “Come on, Snowdrop, Kitty!” she called to her cats.

Oz sighed, “Alright, fine. I’ll help too.”

Gilbert smiled, about to thank him, when Oz added,

“But I expect to be rewarded for my troubles!”

His servant rolled his eyes.

“I kinda need to know what it looks like, though, don’t I, Gil? You seemed to want to keep it a secret earlier.”

“You’ll…um….You’ll know it when you see it,” Gilbert looked anywhere but at his master.

Oz sighed, putting his hands on his hips, “Really? That kinda makes things harder, you know.”

“Oh, not up to the challenge, are you Oz-kun?” Break goaded.

“No, no, I can do it! I just feel like we’re not addressing a key part of the puzzle here!”

With that Gilbert pulled him out of the room and into the search.

Gilbert was right; it did seem like a bit of a waste of an afternoon; exhausting wasn’t the only word that came to mind after rifling through each room one by one, with no clue as to where it might be. Especially because the feeling began growing in them that Gilbert was way too attached to things, as well as that Break was, indeed, a jerk. They didn’t know how much time had passed before they met up again in the hall, everyone hanging their heads in shame and disappointment.

“What should we do?” Ada asked quietly.

“We can’t let the clowny bastard win!” Alice slammed a fist into her other palm to emphasize her point.

“That’s right!” Gilbert agreed, “For years I had to put up with his constant teasing, it’s high time we got him back!”

“I don’t think losing the bet is really going to make him stop. I mean, he’s lost before, right?”

“You don’t have to be so blunt about it!” Gilbert complained.

“Sorry,” Oz shrugged.

In the moment of silence that followed, Ada’s cat started rubbing against Oz’s leg, as if trying to comfort him.

“What do you think, Snowdrop?” Oz asked jokingly, picking up his sister’s cat, (Gilbert eyed it, a whine developing in his throat, scooching away), “Do you have any idea where it is?”

Oz gasped.

“What is it, Onii-chan?”

Tied into the cat’s collar was a ribbon, attached to a little ornament. He pulled it free and placed the cat on the floor (it meowed and padded away).

The other three gasped in turn, leaning in to get a better look at it.

“That bastard!” Gilbert slammed his fist into the wall behind him. “He knew I wouldn’t go near your cats!”

“Yeah,” Oz laughed, “leave it to Break to take the cheap shot.”

“What are we waiting for?!” Alice demanded, “Didn’t I just say we can’t let the clowny bastard win!”

“You’re right!” the others said together, and bolted down the hall.

“We found it!” Oz held the ornament high, like a trophy, as they burst through the door.

At the same moment that he held up the evidence, the hour chimed.

They each glanced at each other, then at the clock, which read exactly 18:00.

“My, my, isn’t this an interesting turn of events?” Break remarked, stretching, “It looks like it’s a tie, Ojousama.”

“It would appear,” Sharon smiled “In that case, would you please excuse me for a moment?” she gathered her dress and hurried out of the room.

“So, which one of you found it?” Break asked, walking over to them.

“I did.”

The prankster smirked, “What did I tell you?” he ruffled Oz’s hair, “Oz-kun’s sharp.”

“So… what does that mean about your wagers?” Oz tried to put his hair right. “Since you tied?”

“Just a moment Oz-kun,” he put his hand on Oz’s head, his sleeve falling over his eyes, and looked over their heads

Sharon quickly did return, a little out of breath, holding a small package wrapped in a ribbon.

“Here you are, Break!” she held it out for him.

He took it from her and unwrapped it, opening the little red box to reveal that it was filled with the the candy she had promised.

“Just the thing I needed” he patted her head, unwrapping a piece and tossing it into his mouth. “Better luck next time, Ojousama,”

Oz and Alice stared at him, open-mouthed, dumbstruck that he had beat them.

“Now I suppose I should get started on that dessert of yours,” he waited until the proper moment to add.

“Please do.”

“Huh?” Oz and Alice asked simultaneously.

“Since we tied,” Sharon spoke, as they both turned to them, “we both win.”

“So…does that mean the clown still has to swear off candy?” Alice asked hopefully.

“No—Unfortunately,” Sharon added, glancing at her servant, who rolled his eyes, eating another piece, “We both get the rewards of the wager, but no one gets the punishment.”

“More in the Christmas spirit, wouldn’t you agree, Ojousama?” he said between candy crunches.

“Since when do you care about ‘Christmas spirit’?!” Gilbert demanded.

“Better luck next year, I guess,” Oz tried to put a positive spin on it.

“Next year?!” Alice fumed, “I want to settle this now!” (Gilbert held Alice by the neck of her jacket.)

“Believe me,” Reim grunted, eyeing Break, “it’ll only end worse for you,”

“Who knows?” Break shrugged, “There may not be a next year, Oz-kun.”

Alice continued to seethe while the others glanced at each other, unsure of how to respond to such a statement.

“There you go again,” Reim scolded. “You can’t just mention something like that!”

Break dismissed him with a wave of his hand, chuckling to himself, and muttering something about his uptightness, as he made his way down the hall to the kitchens.

After Break left, Oz looked down at his hand, opening his fingers to reveal the little clay, painted oddity he was still holding. Alice came behind him and looked over his shoulder at it.

“What…is it?”

“You didn’t know what you were looking for?!” Gilbert questioned.

“Because you never told me, Seaweed-head!”

Gilbert looked away, clearly wanting to bite back, but without argument with which to do so.

Oz shook his head, staring at it. It was rather crudely made, ineptly painted. But he couldn’t mistake it for anything else—and Gil had been right, he did know it when he saw it.

Because he was the one who made it.

“I can’t believe you kept this, Gil.”

Gilbert looked away, nodding and turning red.

Now he understood why Gilbert was so intent on getting it back. This ornament had probably become a symbol to Gilbert—much like Shelly’s stocking on the mantelpiece was for Break and Sharon—for Oz himself. This ornament, through the years, had probably become tied to his faithful valet’s unending hope that his master would come back. Each year Break took it, as if teasing that perhaps he wouldn’t (and, maybe this was his roundabout way of him trying to prepare him for that), but Gilbert always got it back, as if displaying that he would never lose that hope.

“Oy! What is it?!” Alice demanded again, upset her ‘manservant’ wasn’t focusing all his attention on her.

“It’s a bird, Alice,” Oz answered simply.

“Really, how do you figure?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t look very good does it?” Oz laughed.

“Seaweed-head, why would a crappy ornament like this be your favorite?”

“Oy! You don’t see me criticizing your bad taste!”

“Bad taste?! I have impeccable taste! I eat meat every day!”

“That’s not what—”

“Its because I made it for him,” Oz answered her question quietly.

“You?” Alice laughed, slapping him on the back, “You have pretty poor skills, Oz.”

“Give me a break! I was a kid!”

Oscar laughed, walking up to them, “You’re still a kid, Oz. Yes…I can’t remember how old he was, but he made me, Ada, and Gilbert ornaments,” he laughed a little, putting his arm around Gilbert, “I remember how offended Gil was at his master making him a gift.”

“Yeah,” Oz laughed, they all looked up at Gil, who got steadily redder the more they spoke, “We had to force him to accept it.”

“Why are you surprised he kept his, Onii-chan?” Ada asked, “Uncle and I kept ours. They’re back at the Vessalius manor. But! we could bring them over here if you want!”

“That’s okay, I believe you! Still… Like Alice said, they don’t look very good.”

“But, like you said, you were the one who made them for us,” Oscar ruffled his nephew’s hair.

“What were the ornaments you made for them, Oz?” Alice asked.

“Well, I made Ada a little cat, and uncle Oscar a camera. I didn’t really know what Gil liked, so I just made him a bird. Funny, how your chain is Raven now.”

“How come you haven’t made me one, Manservant?!” Alice hit Oz on the head.

“Hey! I’ve been busy!” he rubbed the spot where she hit him.

“In any case,” Alice turned to Gilbert, jumping quickly to the next subject, “now you can make my meat, Seaweed-head!”

“Break’s using the kitchen, Stupid Rabbit!”

“Then let’s go to the market! I’m starving!”

Gilbert sighed into his hand, “Fine. Let me get my hat and coat.”

“Can I come with you guys?” Ada asked—Alice looked peeved, but Gil and Oz had already welcomed her.

“I’ll go check if Break needs anything!” Oz ran off towards the kitchen.

As Oz arrived, he saw that Break had changed out of his white coat and purple shirt into more casual closing—likely so he wouldn’t ruin his normal outfit. He had rolled up the sleeves, and was wearing a pink apron Gil sometimes wore when he cooked for them here, but which probably belonged to Sharon’s grandmother, or mother. He had already begun to make a mess of things; flour was all over the counter, chocolate was on the walls, somehow there were even ingredients in in his hair.

“You need some help?” Oz asked, half-jokingly.

Break looked up.

“Oz-kun,” he noted, then grinned, “You? Help me? Gotten bored of Gilbert-kun, and Alice-kun already?”

“Nah. I just wanted to know if you needed anything. We’re going to the store.”

Oz knew that Break could have asked for help from the staff, or Gilbert, but Sharon called him ‘Mr. One-Man-Show’ for a reason; sure, it might not taste or look all that good, but at least he would have made it himself.

“You really think I wouldn’t have come prepared?”

“But, if you won, you wouldn’t have to make—”

Oz gasped. Realizing something:

They both had bought the supplies ahead of time. Oz thought one of them would have to go to the store, depending on who won the bet, (perhaps dragging the other begrudgingly along), but they both had already bought the necessary ingredients. Which meant, either the food one of them bought would go to waste, or be used in some other way, or, regardless of who won or lost, they still intended to give each other the gifts.

“You already had the ingredients,” Oz thought out loud. “and Sharon-chan already had your candy...”

“So?”

“I would have thought one of you would have to go to the store, depending on who won.”

“What’s your point, Oz-kun?” Break pushed his hair back.

Oz shook his head, grinning like he now had some secret information. “Break, you really are a nice guy, aren’t you?”

Break put his hand on the table, turning to him, “Wipe that cheeky grin off your face before I do it for you.”

Oz put his hands behind his back, sauntering closer.

“Oh, nothing,” he whistled, “Just that, well, you do this every year, don’t you? Sharon likes to give you a taste of your own medicine if you lose, but you both use this an excuse to give each other extra gifts, don’t you? I bet it was your idea in the first place.”

“How do you know we weren’t planning to use the supplies in some other way?”

“Because you’re not considerate enough to let others use your stuff,” he grinned, “Didn’t you just say there would be punishment in store if I got your candy?”

“Well,” he smirked at Oz’s discovery, twirling the spoon in his hand, “‘nice’ would be stretching it. But maybe occasionally I’m not a complete ‘jerk.’”

Oz grinned. That was all the confirmation he needed.

As if he were brandishing a sword, Break flicked chocolate on Oz’s face with the spoon, “Now get out of here.”

Oz rolled his eyes.

“Good luck, Break!”

With that he exited the room, and ran to the front door to catch up with Gil, Ada, and Alice, who were gathered there, waiting for him.

“Break doesn’t need anything!” he called to them, “Let’s go!”

At first it may have seemed like a waste of time, but, in the end, Oz realized; an afternoon playing a game, learning that after ten years Gil had still cherished the small gift he had once been reluctant to accept, seeing how Sharon and Break found ways to bring each other joy, spending time with his friends, spending time with his real family, would never be a waste of an afternoon for him.

[arcaneoddity]

Rated T for Took me long enough to write that.

Good ol’ bed sharing, paired with mutual pining and crippling anxiety.

[okamigamer1]

Hello! I've attempted to write some Rainsworth Trio modern day blush fluff

@phmonth2021

[teamseaslug]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Pandora Hearts Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Xerxes Break & Vincent Nightray, Xerxes Break & Sharon Rainsworth Characters: Xerxes Break, Vincent Nightray, Sharon Rainsworth, Gilbert Nightray Additional Tags: Hurt No Comfort, No Romance, Family Bonding but it sucks, Animal Death, Minor Violence, Someone Gets Stabbed But It's Okay, minor stabbing, Also Strangling, Animal Metaphors, Time Skips, There's a kiss but it's not romantic it's just Vincent, Attempting to grow is hard Summary:

Break didn’t know how to feel about that. He wasn’t fond of Vincent by any means, he was much less fond of him than he was Gilbert, but he felt that it was his duty to encourage patience instead of cruelty. Or, rather, patience when needed and cruelty when necessary. Vincent wasn’t terrifying and he wasn’t cruel, he was thirteen years old, though something about him implied that he would accept the world if it ended that very day with a sly smile and a “What can you do?”, as if he had been born for that event.

(On Children of Misfortune, Growth, the Cycle of Violence, and Showing Love).

[i-prefer-the-term-antihero]

"We’re all like children, unaware fireflies, those pretty blinking lights, will die without air." nothing to comment on. i just think this is so freaking beautiful.

AWWWWWW thanks so much!!! I’m so very happy to hear it!!! 🥰💕💕

(Once again, here is the fic this line is from!!)

[antihero-writings]

Black and White and Red All Over—Pandora Hearts Fic for Halloween 2019

Title: Black and White and Red All Over 

Summary: She's heard stories of a ghost, a knife, and the color red. She never quite believed them.

He wishes he could forget them.

Character Focus: Xerxes Break | Kevin Regnard 

Fic Preview:

She can hear her own breath. A tattered, panicked, rasping, gasping. Each inhale clawing at the air as if it were a rope. Each exhale another string in the rope fraying. Her throat burning as her lungs try to hold onto the air slipping through.

Red.

She had heard stories about the color red. Old wives’ tales? Maybe. Close enough to the town called truth or miles away from it? Too soon to tell.

A ghost. A black cloak smattered in red. A moon-struck blade. A moon-struck man. A lunatic.

(Or perhaps he was too sane.)

Some specter of a time-gone-wrong. Half alive. Half in the grave. The abyss gnawing at his heart with an incessant ticking.

Alive enough to kill.

Dead enough to not care.

A demon. A hellish thing with its strings around his soul. Allowed in because of some ugly truth and some pretty lies. A chain, one end around his wrist, the other in the abyss.

And the color red.

Red on his clothes. Red on his knife.

Red in his eyes.

Not just a metaphor for a clouded purpose.

Eyes really and truly red. Like in a fantasy world. Like a dream. Like a nightmare. A human, with eyes the color of roses, and just as thorny. As if all that death coalesced into his gaze and made them shine with the fire of hell.

You’d see nothing but the color, until all the red inside you was on the pavement.

She’d heard the stories of the Red-Eyed Specter.

Heard.

Believed?

Not enough. Not enough to make her cower in her room at night. Not enough to scare her into rushing home as fast as she could when the sun went down.

She had a family, you know.

But belief is an obstinate thing. Doesn’t like to be told what to do. Even when what it’s being told to do is get out of the road because there’s a train coming.

Her feet, her side, barked at her with sharp stings. But she couldn’t listen to their demands.

Because those red eyes were right behind her.

Or at least she had to assume so, because guessing any less, because hesitating, turning around to check, could result in the red in her fleeing her body as if her skin were a cage, black overtaking her world, and her universe going white.

She had seen them though. Those eyes. Her heart assured her with every frantic beat it was certain.

First that feeling; her brain told her she was alone, the hair on the back of her neck said otherwise. An alleyway to the right, one she walked by everyday, and never held anything more than trash and a few stray cats. But the chills chasing each other down her spine chittered that today that was not all. Her heart sped up to the tune Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look.

She looked.

And there they were, like they’d been there all along, and just wanted to say Good evening, nice to meet you. I’m the Red-Eyed Ghost, you may have heard of me. And you, my dear, are my prey. Two red eyes, two pins aimed at her own eyes.

And she had run. There was no other choice. No other salesman provided the option of surviving till the morning.

“My, you’re in quite a rush.”

And she hesitated.

*****

You can read the full story here on Ao3, here on ff.net, or here on tumblr! 

[curekibouka]

Take My Hand (Pandora Hearts one-shot)

Summary: This is the story of a child extending her hand to an irredeemable sinner, opening his eyes to a world filled with hope; and the story of a lady extending her hand to a knight who had always watched over her, making him ’see’ she had grown up. (Spoilers for Retrace 49 I guess)

A/N: This is the fic I promised a few days ago when I posted the cover art. Also this is for Day 7 (free day) of phweek2020 ^^

*This fic is also on FF.net and Quotev.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Xerxes!” 

Uttering a “shhh” to a giggling voice in the tree behind him, he spun around to greet the one calling for him, “Good day, Shelly-sama~~” 

Her voice was a mixture of worry, anger and frustration, “Enough with this farce! Where did you hide Sharon?” 

He drawled playfully, “Whate~ver are you ta~lking about?” 

“You’re not frantically searching for her, then you must know where she is.” 

“Maaaaaaaybe?” 

“Stop it, Xerxes, she has a sewing lesson to get to. And she just recovered from her cold, she’ll get sick again if she plays in the snow. Help me find her!” 

Break cocked his head to one side as if reconsidering their actions, but he reached a conclusion almost instantly and grinned, “No.”

Shelly was genuinely taken aback for a moment, “Are you defying my command? That’s rather unusual coming from you, Xerxes.”

“Forgive me,” he bowed dramatically, “But I am Lady Sharon’s valet, and she has explicitly declared that I am not to reveal her whereabouts to anyone. I am afraid not even Shelly-sama can overrule my lady’s orders.”

“Does this warrant punishment?” he asked when she didn’t respond, trying to make it sound like he wasn’t wearing a really annoying smirk right then. 

She heaved a sigh and gave him a flick on the forehead, “Don’t spoil her.” 

He bursted into a fit of giggles, “Oh my, did I? But I was merely following your example, Shelly-sama.” 

“You...!” she stuttered when she realised she couldn’t refute that. “Never mind! I’ll go find Sharon by myself!” 

She sent him a glower before continuing to scour for her daughter. 

“My lady,” Break turned to the tree after Shelly was gone, “You can come down now.” 

 The child leapt out of the tree with a gleeful “Woohoo!” and fell right into Break’s arms. 

“My lady!” it was not nearly as much of a fun moment for the now frantic valet, “Please be careful! What would you have done had I failed to catch you?!” 

“I knew you’d catch me,” she beamed innocently.

“How so?” 

“Because mother would have you beheaded if you didn’t.” 

He grimaced at the truth in that statement before putting her down on the ground. 

“So... what do you want to do with this free time, my lady? It is not enough for us to venture out to town.”

“Ehhhhh? But why not?!” she pouted and yanked on his hand, “Let’s head out and return by dinner time! I want to have some fun after being sick for four whole days!” 

“It’s exactly because you had been sick for four whole days,” he knelt down to look her in the eyes, “Shelly-sama will have me beheaded if I allowed you to fall sick yet again so carelessly.” 

“She probably wouldn’t if it’s something so trivial. She doesn’t have time for this,” Sharon pouted bitterly. 

He recounted how the busy Shelly hadn’t had many opportunities to check in on her sick daughter in the past few days, just when she wanted to see her the most. 

In a way, Sharon playing ‘hide-and-seek’ with her mother right now was a kind of self-satisfaction. She longed to feel like her mother was devoting a great deal of attention to her. 

“Where are you, my adorable girl? I’m going to tickle you once I find you!” 

“No! Kevin, help me! Papa’s going to catch up to me!” 

He briefly reminisced about a similar child he had once watched over, and cherished, as one would a dainty flower. 

He balled his fists, “You ought to refrain from having Mistress Shelly worry so much, my lady. You and I both know good health is one luxury she never had.” 

“It’ll be fine. Mother isn’t so weak. That’s just an excuse to ignore me when she’s busy.” 

He kept his “If only that’s true” unsaid, because it wouldn’t make any difference.

And because they were found. 

Sharon squealed in fright when her mother wrapped her in a bear hug from behind out of the blue. 

“How did you realise we were back here?!” Sharon crossed her arms, “Did Xerx-niisan gave you secret signals without me hearing or something?”

“I’m your mother, I can see right through your little tricks,” Shelly gloated, stroking the child’s hair gently, “Come along, let’s go back inside.” 

“I don’t want to! I don’t want my sewing lesson!” Sharon shouted and hid behind Break. 

As the mother-daughter bickering continued, Break found his mind wandering off to somewhere else. 

That child. 

That small child. 

The child he tried desperately to erase from his memory, and yet couldn’t bear to let go. 

The child he had failed to protect. 

But now it was as if a second chance was bestowed upon him, or a cruel repeat of events. Nevertheless, he must once again unsheathe his sword and cut down those who harm his lady. 

Another small child. A child with a loving smile and a kind heart, inherited from her mother no less. A child who loved him as a brother and whom he cherished as a sister in return. 

It was such a bliss to be with her...

...and it was such torture. 

For every second that came to pass, he was plagued with immense dread. Such a pure, adorable, angelic child... 

...what if he plunges her into a ruthless sea of crimson again? 

What if these hands, soaked in the blood of one hundred and sixteen, besmirch her innocence?

Such a small, delicate flower, what if her stem goes ‘snap’ when he approached her? 

The Red-eyed Specter feared few things. But this notion was sufficient to torment him with countless nightmares that seemed far more authentic than his reality. A reality he never dared so much as to even think he deserved. 

He was pulled back to said reality by said child letting out a tiny scream, “Mother!” 

He failed to catch Shelly when she toppled over him. 

“Are you alright, Shelly-sama?” they sat in an awkward position, but he managed to bolt to his feet and offered her his hand immediately. 

“I’m sorry, mother, I shouldn’t have pushed you,” Sharon apologised sheepishly. 

“I’m fine,” Shelly took Break’s hand and stood up, “It really is a pain to move around in this gown. Now, Sharon, you’re all drenched with snow too. Let’s go back inside, or you really will catch a cold again.” They probably had a brief snowball fight when Break wasn’t paying attention. 

The child reluctantly conceded (perhaps out of guilt after pushing her frail mother) and took her mother’s hand. 

“Come on, Xerx-niisan, you too,” she then extended her other hand to him, smiling from ear to ear. 

He mustn’t. 

He must never allow all the filth and sins and blood on his hands to defile that small, pure, unmarred hand of hers. 

He must never...! 

He did. 

Gingerly taking her tiny hand into his own, he gave it a light squeeze, just to make sure it was actually there and it wasn’t all just in his head. 

He should’ve fled. He should’ve rejected the invitation. But he couldn’t resist this small hand as warm as a hearth in this numbing winter. 

The child pranced in joy. 

The child pranced in joy. 

She twirled around to offer him a carefree grin. 

She twirled around to offer him a carefree grin. 

With a voice as sweet as a canary, she called to him blithely. 

With a voice as sweet as a canary, she called to him blithely. 

“Kevin!” 

“Xerx-niisan!” 

His selfish desire, a filthy thing, led him to deny his own vileness and connect with this innocent angel. 

But for the first time since he was hurled into this despair-inducing future, he felt almost as if he was... forgiven. 

So he swore to never let go. He swore to never allow something like last time to happen again. This time around, he would make sure to never do anything that would make this child shed tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Years later

He might not be able to see. But he could still feel. 

He could feel the tension in the air, the heaviness in the silence that he dared not interrupt, the ever so tiny sound she made when she clenched her fists and trembled. 

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. 

Sharon was not going to be fine and he knew it. 

How the hell could he have let Reim talk him into this? 

He mentally steeled himself, for in all likelihood, she would fall to her knees and bawl, begging him to tell her that it was not true. 

She stepped towards him. So he prepared himself to embrace her gently and whisper that there was no need to cry over the withering of a vile creature such as himself. Although he was fully aware that she would continue. 

But something was amiss. 

From the blurry silhouette of her he could barely make out, he assessed her posture. She was not hunching down, not covering her face, not clutching the sides of her dress anymore. 

She was... facing him. 

“Then... I suppose we have no choice,” she shattered the silence with confidence, “Prepare yourself, Break. Because I shall lead you myself, and teach you to dance step by step.” 

“Come now,” she demanded with all the authority of a noble Rainsworth heiress, “Take my hand.” 

The image of her extending her delicate hand in the same way all those years ago flashed before his eyes.  

My lady... 

Since when have you grown so tall? 

Since when do you sound so mature? 

Since when have you... shared such an undeniable resemblance with Shelly-sama? 

He genuinely had to remind himself that it was not Shelly who stood before him with such pride and elegance. 

He might not be able to see. But it did not make a difference. 

Her radiance had reached his heart either way. 

How could I have not noticed what a beautiful woman you have grown up to become, my beloved little lady? 

Gingerly taking her hand into his own, he gave it a light squeeze, still deep in his amazement. 

He smiled with a hint of sadness. He mourned how he had failed to see her as she grew, and now it was too late. But he was relieved that the warmth of her hand had never once changed over the years. 

She smiled with him, guiding his hand to her waist, lacing her own on his shoulder. Gazing at his face all the while, she took a step backward, leading him forward.

Leading him forward on this beautiful and cruel and captivating and melancholic dance called life, until the day his body rot away like his eye, they would keep on dancing... 

...hand in hand. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The End

[phmonth]

Vote for phmonth (and VNC) daily prompts for Phmonth21!!

Here is the link to the prompts list to vote on for phmonth this year!! Please vote for 7 in each category!! 

 If you don’t plan on participating in all the weeks, and only want to vote on one or two, that’s fine!! Also, feel free to still vote, even if you don’t plan on participating!! The more people voting the more helpful it’ll be. 

I hope you guys like the prompts!!

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