#zenos modern au

[emotional-support-waterbottle]

playing around with thinking about who everyone in the HHB would be in a modern setting. also I'm sorry but you can't convince me that Zeno wouldn't wear crocs.

supplies: pencil sketch, clip studio

[kimetsu-chan]

omg zentari fic req time???

Zeno is helping the love of his life study for a big test that she’s stressed out about 🥰💕

~Don’t Stress~

A/N: EEEE YES, MY FIRST REQUEST FOR MY POOKIES ZENO AND KITARI SKSHMSNSJS 🙌 this is more Zeno trying to get Kitari nor to overwork herself, I hope that’s okay :(

ZenTari are in an established relationship bc I love them and cannot live without them

TWs ⚠️: idk if stress counts? But Kitari is stressed :3

Today was one of Zeno’s and Kitari’s usual study sessions they’d have with each other when a test was coming up.

They started doing this when Zeno was failing his chemistry class, and it became a usual tradition.

It was just very relaxing compared to how they used to study. They would both keep each other in check and make sure they were getting adequate rest, food, water, etc. They helped each other take sufficient breaks and they made sure neither overworked themself.

Zeno was currently trying to make Kitari take one of those previously mentioned breaks.

She’d been going over the same few subjects for the past hour without a single peep or break. He could practically feel the stress radiating off of her as she prepared for a large test.

Sighing, Zeno stood up from his seat in the library they were at and crossed the table side to stand next to her. He folded his arms and cleared his throat, making sure to get her attention.

She looked up at him sheepishly as she knew what he was about to tell her.

“Kitari- take a break.”

“I will in just a moment I nee-“

“No. You don’t need to finish anything.”

He gently leaned down and took her highlighter out of her hands and placed a bookmark in her book. He gently closed said book before crouching beside her and propping his cheek on his palm.

“C’mon Tari, you’ve been at this for a while now. Let’s go get some ice cream or something”

“Bu-“

She was silenced by a finger on her lips. Zeno shook his head disapprovingly and sighed.

“Tari, I know you’re stressed. And that’s why you need to take a break. You can get right back to it once I know you aren’t overworking that brain of yours.”

Kitari gave him a small pout in an attempt to get him to let her continue. It was unfortunately not working on him. He wouldn’t let her tire herself out.

“C’mon, we can go get our ice cream and eat it at the park. Then and only then will I let you get back to studying.”

“….”

Pulling a trick he knew would get Kitari to fold, Zeno gave his girlfriend the best puppy dog eyes he could. And it worked like it always did.

“Fine…”

“Yay! Thank you Tari.”

Zeno immediately got up and began to help put her books and materials in her backpack. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before helping her up.

“It’ll be on me, of course.”

A/N: Larz, you have no idea how ridiculously happy writing this made me. I think I may be more crazy abt them than I am abt GiYuna atp—

[tenebriism]

@draikoeques ;; Cont. from here -

Never has he seen such BRIGHT shades of these colors in his entire life, and he swears that each new item Rothalion brings out is even more blinding than the last. " Like-minded... " He parrots the statement, almost as if he DOUBTS it, to some degree. " I find it hard to believe there won't be some pushback. "

' I'll be there. '

It's the only thing preventing him from backing out of this arrangement entirely. Being the son of a strict politician did not leave the path OPEN for many opportunities to be his true self, his family terribly outspoken in their disapproval of certain... lifestyles. Though not completely ' out ' yet, there had been signs, but mayhap Rothalion would serve as the push of courage he needed to stop sitting back and letting his family dictate how he carried himself.

" ... I'll be recognized. Picked out from the crowd. " More excuses, more attempts to drag this plan right back to the drawing board. " --- and I look ridiculous. Rainbows do not suit me. " But has he moved? No. Not even as Rothalion continues to fill his hair with blossoms of seemingly every color in existence.

[larz-barz]

At fault

——————————————————————————

Warning(s)/info: Kidnapping aftermath, self blame, hospital things, Yuna and Zeno are @kimetsu-chan’s ocs

Tagging: @kimetsu-chan

——————————————————————————

Milo wakes up nearly a week after she is saved from her treacherous uncle.

He had kidnapped her while she was at school and he’d hurt her greatly.

Milo is immediately met with gentle hugs from all directions from Yuna, Giyuu, Tanjiro, Zeno, and Michio.

All 5 of them have clearly been crying.

“A-are you ok sweetheart..? Do you need anything..?” Yuna asks Milo with tears in her eyes.

Milo is stunned, she doesn’t know what to say..

She didn’t expect to be saved..

Of course she knew her family wouldn’t have just left her, but she didn’t think she’d survive.

Milo just.. starts crying.

Crying is all she can do in this moment.

She clings onto her dear family for dear life, like they’d leave if she didn’t.

Everyone, of course, stays hugging Milo.

She really needs them right now so they’re prepared to give her all the attention and reassurance she needs.

Anything to help her feel safe again..

“I-it’s ok angel… You’re safe now�� He can’t hurt you ever again…” Tanjiro whispers in her ear, he doesn’t really know how to tell her that Haruki is dead now.

After Milo gets discharged from the hospital, she becomes clingier than ever.

None of her family or friends mind of course, whatever she needs to help her feel safe.

Tanjiro can’t help but feel like it’s his fault that Milo is struggling to be happy again.

If he had’ve gone with her to the office then none of this would’ve happened.

His angel would still be smiling..

Tanjiro holds Milo close and gently kisses her forehead.

“Is there anything I can do to help you be happy again my angel…?” He asks sadly.

Milo buries her face in Tanjiro’s chest and he pulls her closer.

“I love you Tanji…” Milo says softly, blushing and smiling shyly.

Tanjiro smiles brightly when he sees Milo’s smile and he pulls her in for a gentle kiss on her lips.

“I love you too angel.. It makes me so happy to see your smile again..”

~the end~

Hehe:3

[rabid-catboy]

listening to i'm so crazy for youuu on loop again :pensive:

[herohikara-wol]

FFXIV Write 2k23 - Day 4

Off the Hook (Modern Day Streamer AU)

“Welcome back Scions!” Hero beamed as he waved at his camera set up, the stream was live and his mod team was ready for the chaos. Hero was usually a cozy game streamer- if he wasn’t doing his baking streams, known for things like Animal Crossing or Stardew Challenge Runs. However, he could be convinced to do other styles of games- and one of his friends had talked him into trying something new. “No we are not taking a trip back to the farm today, we’re doing something special!” He already had the capture set up for the switch anyway.

So a few games of the new Splatoon wouldn’t hurt. “Alright chat, I want you to guess while I set up my switch. Mods, give ten thousand channel points to- let’s say- the first three correct guesses! I’ll help narrow the field though, it’s not an indie title and it’s got online multiplayer.” He actually was just waiting for the game to finish downloading, while keeping an eye on chat to see if his friend would show. Granted, he could just yell down the hall- but chat didn’t need to know they were living together now. It’d lead to rumors and unneeded speculation.

Especially since Zenos was supposed to be dating his lead moderator- Asahi.

Not that Hero wasn’t also dating Asahi, but there was this whole royal wedding fiasco that they had to resolve first and he didn’t want to make it public that they were a triad until it was resolved. Partially by suggestion of Zenos’ fathers. Specifically Regula, the biggest advocate for online safety and anonymity he knew. Partially because the pair of them have managed to keep their relationship out of the spotlight for years- hell, no one could even tell Varis had transitioned after having Zenos. The royal family knew how to keep secrets- even in an online era.

Finally Asahi posted a message in his mod chat.

[GildedSAM: Zenos forgot your Splatoon Debut stream was today.]

[GildedSAM: So I’m moderating his stream right now.]

Oh, that would explain a lot. Okay, Hero could work with that. He’d watch Zenos’ VOD later just to see whatever he did. Hero wasn’t one for games like League or whatever competitive fighting game of the week Zenos was punishing people in, but he liked to watch Zenos play anyway. He never got tilted, even when losing, he just got excited for a challenge. Watching his smile spread when he found someone who made playing interesting was Hero’s favorite part of his streams.

[CensorshipNutkin: thx for the intel]

[CensorshipNutkin: u n fordola got it covered?]

[GildedSAM: Between me, Tsuyu, and Fordola we should have Zenos’ stream under control.]

[CensorshipNutkin: kk]

Hero sighed a bit, that meant his team would just be Thancred and Raha today. That was fine, his streams usually didn’t get crazy so two would be enough. “Alright bets are off, let’s get this started!” He switched to the game screen to show off the Splatoon logo, “I played the WiiU version way back when so I’m not totally clueless, but I wonder how it’s changed for the switch. I think I’ll miss Marina though, I loved her outfit. Maybe I'll cosplay her sometime.” He winked at his chat and grinned as the heart emojis poured in. “Also, fair warning, I was a splat roller guy before so prepare for me to make a lot of mess.”

Honestly the stream was going great for a while- until he wound up in one specific lobby. “Who the flip is this sniper? He’s stupid accurate and-” Hero paused for a moment, long viera ears turning to ear Zenos talking to his own stream. He could barely pick up the words, “effective on rollers- can’t have that,” before he quickly pulled up Zenos’ stream on his other monitor. “Chat I’m going to have to pause after this game.” He was going to beat Zenos within an inch of his life over this. It couldn’t be intentional, he knew they weren’t trying to get into each other’s games.

Shame someone in chat realized why he was angry before he had the chance to elaborate.

[WarriorOLight and GarlicPrince are in the same lobby. GP just sniped WoL from half the map!!!]

Fuck, whelp that cat was already out of the bag.

Suddenly his chat lit up with messages of support. Calls to kick his ass and run him down were rampant.

“Guys I’m not going to chase him down specifically, that’s unsporting of me.” He laughed a little, calming down for the moment. “I am, however, going to turn this whole flippin’ map pink and send him a clip when I win.” Not if.

When.

Time to do what he did best, be a nuisance. Don’t get cooked, stay off the hook indeed.

[rddykilowatt]

Huge thank you to @misschimotosuwa-blog for giving me this prompt to work with, you’re the best!!! <3 <3 <3

[eorzeaisnotcrash]

Day 19: Taken

“Your room is just this way!” the other boy exclaims. “Lucky you, you’ve got one of the best.”

From the fact that he had volunteered to escort Zenos to his lodgings (carrying his luggage, no less) and from the way he prattles about regulations, school festivals, and other things a new arrival would deem useful, he doubtless hopes to ingratiate himself with one he heard being addressed as Galvus. His words go unheeded, as did those of the three who previously made this endeavor.

Zenos’ new domicile is similar enough to the others he has occupied. Even if it were not, he shall remain here as directed. He begins to walk towards the bed on the left, his guide following him-

“Excuse me!” calls the lad who zips past, dumping his belongings upon the coverlet. “Can’t you see this one’s taken?”

[firelightmuse]

Character Profile 🔥🌸

Yume Aino

Since it is VERY long, it is under a cut. If you do read all of this, thank you so much for taking the time out to do so!!! Enjoy! 🥰

Updated as of Dawntrail Patch 7.0, 08/19/2024

BASICS//

Name: Yume Aino

Name Pronounciation: Yoo-may Eye-know

Name Meaning: Yume = “Dream”, Aino = “Of Love”, both of Japanese origin. In her lore, "Aino" is the name of the now dormant volcanic mountain that Aino Castle is built upon, and the clan itself took its name from the volcano. Theoretically, Yume was named as such because she was to be the "Dream of the Aino Clan".

Nicknames: “Little Bird”, is a nickname from her childhood but is adopted by Zenos as a pet name for her; “My Fire”, “My Light”, and “Mea Amata”, are all other pet names Zenos has for Yume (“mea amata” is Latin for the feminine form of “my beloved”, and is a reference to the Garlean native language).

Unsundered Name: Currently Unknown

Titles: Warrior of Light, Warrior of Darkness, Hydaelyn’s Chosen, Scion of the Seventh Dawn, Champion of Eorzea, Eikon Slayer, Savior of Ishgard, Liberator of Doma and Ala Mhigo, Wandering Flame, Ronin of Eorzea, Former Heir of Lord Masanori Aino

Age: 24 in ARR, 31 as of Post-6.0

Nameday: 13th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon (May 13th)

Gender: Female

Race: Au Ra

Tribe: Raen

Nationality: Hingan

Languages: Modern Hingan, Most Far Eastern Dialects, Old Auri Tongue, and Eorzean Common Tongue

Profession: Former samurai and heir apparent of the Aino Clan; Currently a ronin, adventurer, and Scion of the Seventh Dawn

Education Level: Home schooled by private tutors in Hingashi, and is particularly knowledgeable in history, cultures, and languages.

BLOODLINES//

Father: Lord Masanori Aino (48 in ARR)

Mother: Lady Michiko Aino (45 in ARR)

Siblings: 2 younger brothers, Daichi and Kentaro (Ages 8 and 6 in ARR); Numerous half-siblings born of her father and his concubines

Extended Family: Large extended family, but her best friend is her first cousin Rei Tokugawa (25 in ARR)

In-Laws: All in-laws deceased

Children: None, and cannot have any biological children due to her injuries from attempted Seppuku

Pet: An amaro named Nightmare who also serves as Yume’s mount; the amaro was named after Yume’s black horse, also named Nightmare, that Yume was forced to leave behind after she was banished by her father.

ROMANCE & SEXUALITY//

Sexual Orientation: Demisexual

Romantic Orientation: Demiromantic

Significant Other: Zenos Galvus, in a long-term monogamous relationship as of Post-6.0; Will marry at some time in the future

Past Relationship: Briefly dated G’raha Tia during the events of the investigation of the Crystal Tower

RESIDENCE//

Place of Birth: Born in Aino Castle, in Lord Masanori Aino's territory, located not too far outside of Kugane, Hingashi

Current Residence: Small house in Shirogane (Located in game at Rafflesia, Shirogane, Ward 17, Plot 33.)

TALENTS AND SKILLS//

Canon Battle Job: Samurai (canonically referred to as a Ronin; some of Yume’s abilities are unique and distinctive from the in game job) and Viper

Canon Land/Hand Jobs: None

Abilities: Kenjutsu, Martial Arts, Marksmanship, Writing Poetry, Dancing, and Polyglot

Bad At: Singing, All forms of magic, Household chores, Public Speaking, Confiding in others when stressed, and Controlling her anger.

APPEARANCE//

Hair: Naturally jet black in color with straight bangs and pulled back into a high ponytail most of the time, and medium-long length.

Eyes: Large, wide set eyes; Royal Blue in color with lighter blue limbal rings surrounding the iris.

Face: Heart-shaped, with ivory colored scales on cheeks and bridge of her long, thin nose.

Lips: Full, plump lips

Complexion: Fair, can mildly tan with extended sun exposure

Blemishes: None

Scars: Though she has many small scars accumulated over the years, the most prominent one is a large, very deep scar from the right side of her abdomen to her belly button that she is quite ashamed of for many years; she only shows the scar when necessary unless she is alone with Zenos.

Tattoos: One large tattoo of a Phoenix spreading its wings that covers her entire back in all red ink.

Height: 5 fulms 2 ilms (Tallest Height for female Au Ra)

Weight: 120 ponze

Build: Petite and athletic but curvy with a large chest.

Features (Au Ra): Horns are slightly curled and sloping backwards away from her face; tail is long and smooth with a few small spikes near the base. Scales adorn her body and face with a small speckling of scales above the bridge of her nose.

Usual Hairstyles: Usually pulled up into a high ponytail with straight bangs for battle, but she tends to also pull up her hair into a side ponytail with braids while not fighting, and recently she has worn her hair down with a white headband.

Usual Face Look: Usually wears reddish-pink eyeshadow, black eyeshadow and eyeliner, and mauve colored lipstick.

Usual Clothing: Black leather, black colored robes, black or dark colored kimonos, black dresses, and some dark red and dark purple accessories. Basically, Yume asks, “Does this come in black?”

Face and Voice Claim: Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing for both face and voice claim.

PERSONALITY//

Introverted / Extroverted / Ambiverted (bold what applies)

Positive Traits: Friendly, polite, respectful, reserved, courageous, brave, kind, compassionate, empathetic, open minded, pragmatic, intuitive, loyal, faithful.

Most Positive Trait: Honorable to a fault. Yume follows the Honor Code of the Samurai and will not fight an unarmed opponent, tries her best to not bring harm to the innocent, and she is extremely loyal to those she has sworn to serve. Will give her life in an heartbeat if she deems it to be an honorable death and a worthy sacrifice for a good cause.

Negative Traits: Temperamental, prideful, aggressive, cynical, jealous, possessive, distant, insecure, reckless.

Most Negative Trait: Besides falling in love with Zenos? Yume has a problem with anger management. When she doesn’t keep her anger in check, she gets violent, and will kill an enemy with no hesitation. She has killed many people this way in her past in Hingashi, including killing those that she felt had dishonored her in some way.

Fears: Living a life without making her own choices, having regrets, and the death of her loved ones, though not afraid of dying herself.

Aspirations: To live a life that she has chosen for herself and not forced upon her by someone else, to help others and use her powers for good, and to see the entire world for herself.

Traumas: For past traumas before ARR, you can read Yume’s history below. Most of the events of ShB and EW were really traumatic for her, especially almost dying after the battle with Zenos at the end of 6.0.

Hobbies: Writing poetry, travelling, learning about other cultures, learning history, reading, and shopping.

Vices: Eating too much junk food, bottling up emotions until she explodes, shutting out others when feeling depressed, feeling insecure about herself outside of being a Warrior of Light.

Faith: Believes in the concept of Karma and that everything happens for a reason, but does not believe in the Kami or any other kind of god, at least ones that aren't primals anyway.

Turn Ons: Loyalty, Confidence, Bravery, Integrity, Intelligence, unique eyes, beautiful smile, muscular physique, and a large chest.

Turn Offs: Cowardice, Dishonesty, Disloyalty, Deceitfulness, Superficiality, Greed

Temperament: Phlegmatic/Choleric

MBTI: INFP-A

Soul Type: The Warrior

Tropes: The Chosen Many, Lady of War, Aloof Dark-haired Girl, Dark and Troubled Past, Samurai, Ronin, Warrior Poet, Honor Before Reason, Seppuku

Songs: “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones (This one is also her OC tag), “Weight of the World” from Nier Automata, “Sayuri’s Theme” from Memoirs of a Geisha, and “Wandering Flame” from FFX

Character Inspirations: Chiyo/Sayuri from Memoirs of a Geisha, Mariko from James Clavell’s Shogun, Auron from FFX, Tifa Lockhart from FFVII, Rei Hino/Sailor Mars from Sailor Moon, Trinity from The Matrix, Daenerys Targaryen from A Song of Ice and Fire, and Jasmine from Disney’s Aladdin

FAVORITES//

Book: Chūshingura, translated as The Treasury of Loyal Retainers, commonly known as The 47 Ronin.

Deity: Nald’thal the Traders

Holidays: Heavensturn and Moonfire Faire

Month: 3rd Astral Moon (May)

Weather: A warm, sunny day with a light breeze and fair to clear skies.

Time of Day: Dawn

Places: Kugane, Eastern Thanalan, Costa del Sol, The Royal Menagerie in the palace in Ala Mhigo, Rak’tika Greatwood, Thavnair, and Ultima Thule

Sounds: The wind, chimes, Taiko drumming, birds chirping, and crackling wood of a campfire

Scents: Cherry blossoms, tea brewing, incense, and candles burning

Tastes: Anything spicy, strawberries and cream, sushi, curry, ramen, matcha green tea, coffee, chocolate.

Feels: Leather, flower petals, Hingan silk, and a warm fireplace or campfire.

Number: 2

Colors: Jet Black, Dalamud Red, Wine Red, and Gloom Purple

SYMBOLISM//

Elements: Fire and Light

Gemstones: Amber and Sunstone

Animal: Birds of all kind

Mythological Creature: Phoenixes

Flowers: Cherry blossoms and sunflowers

Season: Late Spring to Early Summer

Land, Sea, or Sky: Sky

Astronomical Object: The Sun

HISTORY//

History (Pre-ARR): ((Content/Trigger Warnings Ahead!! Ritualistic Suicide/Seppuku, Attempted Suicide, Mental and Emotional Abuse, Slight Depictions of Self-Harm, and Discussion of Potential Incestual Marriage; Feel free to skip over this section to avoid!))

Yume was born the eldest daughter of a Daimyo (a feudal lord who ruled over a territory in Hingashi), Lord Masanori Aino, and she was his heir apparent. Yume was raised from birth to become the ideal samurai, who would be able to beat any opponent in battle, and to one day succeed her father as daimyo. She excelled in all her studies and was driven to be the best on the battlefield, yet she always felt like something was missing from her life.

As she got older, she travelled often to Kugane, the famed port city where merchants from all walks of life congregated. Yume was exposed to people with vastly different cultures and traditions from the ones she knew. She was fascinated with the travelers from distant lands that she had never seen before, especially the Eorzeans. Yet she would always do her duty and aspired to live up to her father’s expectations.

When she came of age, Lord Aino began the search for his beloved daughter’s suitor, and he had narrowed down his criteria to a very short but nigh impossible list: 1) Must be a son of a prominent noble family, 2) Must be able to sire children, and 3) He must be Yume’s equal in battle, as determined by a 1v1 duel with Yume herself. The first two criteria were the easy part. Many clans were interested in marrying their son to the daughter of Lord Aino, but Lord Aino looked for perfection, and no man around her age was good enough for his daughter. This is because every would be suitor who dueled Yume for a chance to win her hand in marriage was defeated. There were none that proved worthy of her.

Yume pleaded with her father to allow her to decide for herself who she wants to marry in her own time, but her father forbade her from ever speaking of it again, for she would shame him and bring dishonor to the family name. Soon after Yume’s 18th nameday, her father announced her betrothal to Lord Nobu Aino, her own uncle. Nobu had lost his wife due to illness, and he never fathered children with her. To ensure that Nobu will have children of his own, he wished to wed a young woman with many years ahead of her so that she can give him many children. Yume was appalled; it was commonplace centuries ago for uncles and nieces to marry in Hingashi, but it is a dying tradition that only a few remaining noble families participate in, as most of Hingashi frowns upon it in modern times.

Yume soon felt trapped in the station in life that she was born into. Her family never sought her approval of her uncle as her suitor, nor was there any room for her to decline the betrothal. Though she wished for nothing more than to become a samurai, she did not want to be forced into a marriage with her own uncle, nor to be bound to a fate that she never decided for herself. This led to the biggest decision she ever made: she confronted her father and outright refused to marry Nobu no matter what.

Her father answered her by saying that she has dishonored him and the family, but Yume responded that he has shamed her and she cannot live like this anymore. Lord Aino ended the confrontation by telling her that if she cannot live with the shame, then she must commit Seppuku, or ritualistic suicide.

The next day, the ceremony has commenced, and Yume is fully prepared to take her own life. But just as she began to slit her belly open, her father stops her and tells her that she does not have to die but must live in shame. Lord Aino’s change of heart allows Yume to survive the attempted seppuku, but the damage to her organs was so extensive that her reproductive organs had to be removed, so Yume can never have biological children. Soon after she recovers from her wounds, the family disowns her, she is stripped of all her power and titles, and she must leave her father’s lands, never to return. Yume agrees to this, and she never sees her family again.

After she has fully recovered and left her father’s lands behind, Yume is now known as a disgraced ronin, a samurai without a master. To survive, she makes a name for herself as a mercenary and assassin in Kugane for five years, and was known as the “Wandering Flame”, which derives from her clan living on a dormant volcano, the “flame” part, and “wandering” for her being a ronin.

One fateful day, after hearing the voice of Hydaelyn calling to her day after day to go to Eorzea, Yume decides that since there really is nothing left for her in Hingashi, she leaves her homeland behind for Eorzea, a land that she has always dreamed of seeing, and soon becomes a Scion of the Seventh Dawn and is known as a “Warrior of Light”.

OTHER//

Smokes: Never

Drugs: Never

Drinks: Only drinks wine and certain kinds of cocktails, and she is overall very responsible with her alcohol consumption. She will never drink on the eve of battle, nor ever indulge at times when she needs her mind to be clear and focused.

Mount Issuance: Yume was never given a chocobo, as she flat out refuses one. She does not like the chocobos because of their smell, and still usually calls them “horse birds” out of habit from growing up in Hingashi. She rode a motorcycle built by Cid for a few years (from ARR until ShB) until she is gifted an amaro named Nightmare by the Crystal Exarch.

Been Arrested: Was technically going to be arrested for Regicide during the events of the Bloody Banquet, but Yume escapes Ul’dah along with her fellow Warriors of Light.

UNSUNDERED AND SHARDS//

Unsundered: ??? (Not Azem)

Source: Yume Aino, Warrior of Light, 8 times rejoined

First: Renda-Rae, rejoined during ShB 5.0

Second: ???, rejoined in 3rd Calamity (Fire)

Third: ???, rejoined in 4th Calamity (Earth)

Fourth: ???, status unknown

Fifth: ???, rejoined in 1st Calamity (Wind)

Sixth: ???, rejoined in 5th Calamity (Ice)

Seventh: Tifa Lockhart, rejoined in 7th Calamity (Bahamut)

Eighth: ???, status unknown

Ninth: ???, status unknown

Tenth: Auron, rejoined in 6th Calamity (Water)

Eleventh: ???, status unknown

Twelfth: ???, rejoined in 2nd Calamity (Lightning)

Thirteenth: Rubicante, deceased as of patch 6.3

CURRENT STATUS//

As of patch 7.0, Yume will begin by wandering Tural with Zenos as they hunt down Tural Vidraal, since Yume is now a newly trained Viper. Yume and Zenos did not assist in the Rite of Succession for any candidate. However, they helped in the defense of Tuliyollal both times that the city is attacked, and they fought in the final battle alongside Hali and the other WoLs. Following the final battle, Yume and Zenos remain in Tural for a while before they head back to their home in Shirogane.

NOTE: Yume's story follows all of the major events of the MSQ as she is a Warrior of Light. The only major canon diversion is that in her canonverse, there are multiple Warriors of Light (notably my main OC Hali Aloke @starrysnowdrop and my friends’ OCs) and Yume’s ancient self is NOT Azem. Yume won’t always be the main focus of certain MSQ events either, as my main WoL is Hali. Feel free to ask me for any specifics in this regard.

[akaneenaka33]

Modern Kayazeno met in a hospital as kids and kept meeting there as they got older due to Zeno being ridiculously accident prone and Kaya having terribly weak lungs.

I love my little AU it's pretty silly. :) I don't let either character die in this one bc they deserve to be happy. Kaya gets treatment and Zeno just. survives ig lmao.

Yoon thinks it's incredibly stupid that this is how they've gotten to know each other, by the way.

[ripdragonbeans]

I'm Bean and I'm back to writing!

I mainly write Aemond and Aegon II but I'm open to the possibility of other characters! I also do better with modern aus but I've dabbled a bit with canon era and it's been decent lol

+18 MDNI

REQUESTS ARE OPEN (limit to 1-5 sentences)

Masterlist under the cut

Fics

🥵 = smut // 😢 = hurt/comfort // ☺️ = fluff // 😡 = Angst

Run Away With Me (modern!Aemond) ☺️

Don't Do It (Dad!Aegon and daughter OC) 😢

Take Your Pick (SugarDaddy!Aegon) 🥵

Mine (modern!Aemond) 😢☺️

Painful Reality (modern!Aemond) 😢

A Night Out (modern!Aegon) 🥵☺️

Look At Me (modern!Aegon) 🥵 😡 😢

Shakespeare In Love (modern!Aemond) 😊🥵

Can I Move In? (modern!Aemond, side best friends Aegon) ☺️🥵

All Mine (canon Darkish!Aemond) 🥵

To Whatever End (ACOTAR AU HighLord!Aemond) 🥵😡

I Choose You (modern!Aemond) 😥☺️🥵

Through The Worst (modern!Aemond) ☺️🥵😡

Not Him, I Swear (modern!Aegon, WIP)

Part 1 || Part 2

Zeno's Paradox (modern!Aemond) ☺️😢🥵 light😡

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

You Win (modern!Aemond) 🥵😡

Part 2

Epilogue

The Boy (Canon Era) 😡

Headcanons

Karaoke (Aegon, Aemond, Helaena, Jace)

Mother's Day (Focus on Rhanerya and Alicent separately // Daemon, Aegon, Aemond, Helaena, Jace, Luke)

How They Apologize (Aegon, Aemond, Jace)

FNAF Animatronics (CRACK 😂)

Cats The Musical (CRACK 😂)

Other Fandoms

Dad!Michael Gavey Headcanons (Saltburn)

Drabbles

- Aegon II needs love (canon era)

[kimetsu-chan]

idk if this could be an emergency request or not, you can determine that yourself:)

can i request Zeno x female reader who’s insecure? like, she’s insecure about her smile, her body, acne, and a big insecurity is her personality?

you don’t have to do this if you’re uncomfortable with it:)

~The Way You Are~

A/N: of course I can love. And in want to let you know, that you are absolutely drop dead gorgeous. You should srsly become a model. I hope this can provide you some comfort and I hope you will soon be able to realize how amazing and beautiful you are :) ily ♥️

Zeno and reader are in an established relationship

TWs: Reader is insecure and has some dysphoria

Zeno was working away at his computer in his room. Well, technically it was [Name]’s room, but he was at her house so often it was practically his room too.

He was finishing up some assignments for school when he felt a pair of arms wrap around loosely around his neck. He smiled to himself as he very much enjoyed his girlfriend’s clingy nature. He reached a hand back to ruffle the girl’s hair as a show of his affection. He would have thought she was just being her usual clingy self, but he heard a soft sniffle. And that worried him to no end.

A frown immediately took over his face as his attention was ripped from his assignment to focus on [Name].

“Babe? You okay?”

No answer.

Zeno was going to ask again when he felt her shaking ever so slightly and he heard the sound of soft crying.

Zeno panicked internally as he turned in his chair to face her. He studied her face and his frown deepened as he took in the sight before him.

[Name] had tears brimming her eyes and her bottom lip was quivering. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep the tears from falling, she had already let a few slip.

[Name] was very hesitant to confide in her boyfriend for she didn’t want to bother him. But she knew that Zeno wouldn’t let her go without telling him what was wrong.

Zeno lifted the girl and pulled her into his lap. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before moving his hands to cup her cheeks.

“Are you sad?”

There was a small, shy nod from the girl.

“Yeah? Okay… do you wanna talk about it?”

There was a bit of hesitation, but after a few seconds, [Name] nodded slowly. She took a few shaky breaths before starting to speak.

“I-I just feel… really really insecure r-right now…”

Zeno nodded with a hum to show he was listening intently. He stayed quiet so she could finish explaining her feelings before he gave her his input.

“I-I hate the way it feels, but I can’t help it… I want it to st-stop but I don’t know how to make it stop.”

A few stray tears began to slip down her face and Zeno was quick to wipe them away. Seeing that she was seemingly done with her explaining, he asked her a question in the quietest and gentlest voice he could muster.

“Can you tell me what exactly you’re feeling insecure about?”

This elicited another small nod from [Name] and she took a deep breath.

“I feel… like I’m a bit too clingy… like, I feel like I’m too much. And I don’t want to be a bother… A-And I hate the way I look, I feel ugly because of my acne and I h-hate my smile.”

Zeno shook his head before placing a kiss to her forehead.

“No, you’re not too clingy. I really like your clingy-ness. It reminds me that you love me. Please don’t ever stop.”

[Name]’s eyes lit up every so slightly. Zeno knew exactly what to say as she has expressed insecurity about her personality to him before.

“R-Really?! You… you mean it? It’s not annoying?”

Zeno gave her a bittersweet smile as his thumbs ran gently across her cheeks, effectively wiping away her tears.

“Hun, I wouldn’t lie to you. Especially not about this.”

Before she could say anything else, he continued.

“And it’s okay to need some validation every now and then. I’m glad you feel like you can tell me when you feel these things. I will always be more than willing to ramble about how much I love you and how pretty you are.”

Zeno could tell that [Name] was having a hard time right now, and he wanted to help her feel better. He pressed a kiss to her nose, then to her forehead.

“I still love you.”

With hands still cupping her cheeks, her pressed a another soft kiss to a cluster of acne on one cheek, then the other.

“Even with all these “flaws” you think you have.”

He ended his monologue with a kiss to her lips.

When he pulled away he smiled at her. He hoped he was able to get through to her, which he was.

“I love you…”

Zeno’s smile became bright as he peppered her face in tiny kisses.

“I love you too, [Name].”

A/N: “You don’t know that you’re beautiful” started playing as I wrote this. Larz, it’s a sign, m’kay? Larz you are one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Both inside and out.

This is not proofread, so please let me know if there are any mistakes 😓

[blackestnight]

HANAMI HAGANE

Nicknames: 'Hana-chan,' but attempt to use at your own risk.

Nameday: 31st sun of the 2nd astral moon (March 30th). ...I forgot her nameday again. Sorry miss Hagane.

Race: Au Ra Raen

Gender: Meh. She doesn't have strong enough feelings about her own gender identity to bother putting a label to it; most people default to 'she/her' pronouns when addressing her and she's fine with that, although she does object to being addressed as 'Lady ___' or other such courtesy titles—if someone must address her by a title, she prefers 'Ser.' Demigirl, if I were to ascribe modern language.

Orientation: Meh, with an added sprinkle of Not Your Damn Business if She's Not Trying to Fuck You. Her 'dating' history, sparse as it is, mostly consists of women, as does her metaphorical (and much more prodigious) little black book. She thinks of herself as not prone to romance, and a lot of her prior entanglements have been one-night stands or FWB arrangements. Romantic interest is much rarer for her than sexual attraction, and only tends to come after a long period of mutual trust and friendship. Again, using modern terminology, demi-romantic bisexual (with a slight lean towards women—her husband makes fun of her when she sees a giant, hot lady and her brain stops working).

Profession: Adventurer, goldsmith, part-time consultant with Garlond Ironworks (occasionally as an engineer, mostly as a sentient crash test dummy), nominally still the schoolmaster of Crown Gemworks.

PHYSICAL ASPECTS

Hair: Dark reddish-brown, very fine and straight. Usually featuring some amount of pink dye, a holdover from when she was a teenager and her mother dyed her hair for her; it's an unofficial Hagane family tradition/bonding ritual. These days she usually keeps it trimmed to about the length of her chin, but for most of her adulthood she wore it down to her lower back.

Eyes: Green (although historically people have been confused on this point). (Is the confusion mostly the result of my being color blind? Yes.) Her limbal rings are a very bright, pale blue, which throws people off and gives her a delightfully creepy glow-in-the-dark look.

Skin: Warm brown. She probably has an impressive farmer's tan.

Tattoos/Scars: Her most notable scars are on her right forearm (a strangely sigil-like pattern of lines and circles stretching from wrist to elbow that appear to be raised and warped veins, the result of voidsent intervention in her final fight against Zenos in Ultima Thule); her lower torso (a diagonal line from her hip to the bottom of her ribcage, also from Zenos during the assault on Rhaglr's Reach); the back of her right thigh (from a drunken misadventure on a roof in her early twenties); and of course her left horn, which was severed (again by Zenos, or rather Elidibus in Zenos's body in the Ghimlyt Dark) and replaced by a hardsilver prosthesis. While some people assume her iconic face paint is a tattoo, she actually doesn't have any because she's scared of needles. She will not admit to being scared of needles.

FAMILY

Parents: Shomi Hagane is the matriarch of the Hagane clan, a family of samurai who have been serving the lords of Doma almost since its founding. She was raised in Monzen in her family home, and remained there until shortly before the Garlean invasion of Doma, when she begged then-king Kaien for leave to take her wife and young children to the countryside, safely out of reach of the imperial forces. Kaien thanked her for her service and allowed her to flee, thus ending over three centuries of Hagane service to the Rijin line. Maki Sunwalker (née Urabito) is the oldest child of a merchant family from northern Yanxia, though she was disowned as a teenager when she left her family to study the ways of the shinobi in Shinobi-no-Sato. She worked actively as an assassin and spy in service to Doma until the invasion; after Doma's fall she officially retired to become a farmer, though her 'errands' would occasionally take her to Garlean strongholds for days at a time and leave her knives suspiciously bloody.

Siblings: Hanami is the second of five children and the oldest surviving Hagane child; her older brother Akinaga died in the failed uprising at Monzen. Her younger brother Haruki has long been considered her partner in crime and currently splits his time between adventuring and working with the guard of the Doman Enclave. Her two youngest siblings are twins, Itomi and Naonaka; both were conscripted into the Garlean army after the uprising and sent to Ala Mhigo, where Itomi was promoted to Decurion and Naonaka worked as a healer. After their return to Doma, Naonaka moved to the fishing hamlet of Isari and Itomi left for Kugane; neither are currently on speaking terms with Hanami, though Naonaka has made overtures toward his brother and mothers.

Grandparents: None worth mentioning. Shomi's parents were killed during the first failed Garlean invasion, when she was three years old; she was raised by the collective efforts of several other noble families in Monzen, including the Daito family (as a result Gosetsu sometimes jokes that he's Hanami's honorary grandfather). Maki's family disowned her as a teenager and she hasn't had contact with them in almost fifty years.

Others: Hanami has a nephew, Munehise, who is the light of her life. Mune's biological mother isn't in the picture, and Hanami helped Haruki raise him until she left for Eorzea; since her return to Yanxia during Stormblood she's less involved in his day-to-day life, since she's adventuring, but she's still solidly in the 'favorite auntie' slot. (Mune won't say it out loud—the one time he tried is the only time he's ever seen Hanami genuinely upset—but he thinks of her as more of a mother figure than his actual mom.)

She has a bevy of cousins, including Kotone and Honoka (c/o @windupnamazu) and, semi-reluctantly, a brother-in-law (A'dewah on loan from @fistsoflightning). (She loves A'dewah because Haruki loves him. This does not necessarily mean she likes him.) Hanami's moms are also serial adopters, so as soon as Ninira (@nuclearanomaly) and Estinien got within fifty feet of the Hagane household they were trapped.

Hanami inherited the adopting addiction, and legally she's Rielle's guardian (after a trial following the murder of Ystride de Caulignont). She also considers herself responsible for Ryne and Gaia, but in more of a hard-ass aunt way. She takes frequent trips to the First to continue their training as baby tanks.

She married Aymeric shortly before the start of Endwalker and has reached a tentative accord with his elderly cat, Mandragora, who recognizes a fellow grouchy predator when she sees one. Mandragora would take much more kindly to any half-elezen half-au ra kiddies, though...

SKILLS

Abilities: Master martialist, specializing in greatswords but having recently taken up polearms (specifically scythes). Practitioner of the dark arts as taught in the tradition of Ishgard's Dark Knights, and an (somewhat fumbling) initiate in voidsent summoning. Metalworking, with her most extensive training being in goldsmithing, though she takes on several other projects including quite a bit of engineering with the Ironworks. She was also raised on a farm and trained as a botanist, so her green thumb is nothing to sneeze at, though she mostly gardens for sustenance rather than for pleasure or aesthetics.

Hobbies: Hiking, sketching (mostly landscapes and technical drawing), riding her bikes, scaring the shit out of Ishgardian priests.

TRAITS

Most positive trait: Constancy. Hanami is loyal and unwavering—once she's named you an ally or chosen a course of action, that's set in stone. She says exactly what she means and does exactly what she says.

Worst negative trait: Stubbornness, perhaps as the natural flip-side of her positive trait. Her mind is near-impossible to change once it's been made up; she's reluctant to listen to arguments or accept help when she thinks she's better working on her own.

LIKES

Colours: Black, red, green, blue. Mostly jewel tones.

Smells: Campfire smoke, river water, morning mist, blooming honeysuckle, hot metal, clean cotton.

Textures: Fresh sheets, cool grass, calloused hands, polished leather.

Drinks: Tea (hot), fruit juice (cold), the occasional tiny sip of whiskey.

OTHER DETAILS

Smokes: Occasionally, although she prefers fogweed to tobacco. She's been known to pass a joint around with some of the other Scions in their downtime.

Drinks: Not anymore. She drank recreationally through her young adulthood, and developed alcoholic tendencies shortly after Operation Archon, in response to the stress of the Doman refugees arriving in Mor Dhona. She very abruptly swore herself to sobriety midway through the Crystal Tower expedition; speculation says there was some kind of incident that prompted the change, although the only people who seem to have any idea of what happened are Cid Garlond and G'raha Tia, and neither of them are talking. Thancred has been her recovery buddy ever since.

Drugs: See above if you count fantasy weed as a drug? She does not tolerate soporifics well at all and actively avoids them, although rumors in Ul'dah say she has some sort of...history with the Alacran, who are infamous for peddling somnus. She used to dabble with various hallucinogens when she was younger but had given them up by the time she left Doma.

Mount Issuance: She has an ancient issuance for a Maelstrom chocobo rotting in a drawer somewhere, but she can't stand the smell of horsebirds so she never used it. She has a burgeoning collection of motorcycles courtesy of Garlond Ironworks, including a custom one-of-a-kind combat bike, and she probably also has a horse back in Yanxia but this game won't give us normal ass horse models. If she's not able to use her bikes or ride a horse or a falcon she prefers walking.

Been Arrested: Twice. They say you can still find pieces of her sword embedded in the wall of the Tribunal. Attempt at your own risk.

tagged by @gatheredfates!

tagging @aethernoise @kukurubean @nuclearanomaly @nophicas-ward and YOU!

[windupaidoneus]

the workplace drama in the modern AU must go crazy.

under the cut w the highest hopes that makes it not show up in the searches. no one look at me.

it is downright infernal. the scions & the ascians are coworkers. fourchenault is there. nero is there. yotsuyu is there. asahi is banned from the workplace. the zeroes can be here if you all wish them to be. somehow zenos & emet coexist at similar ish ages. siblings? can you imagine? horrifying prospect. i think it's funny if it's the case. fandaniel has no reason to take on asahi's appearance anymore but he does it to uh, piss asahi off, i guess. guy who puts himself in a situation he doesn't like ("double date" with zenos & hilde/emet. no one is happy about this. he's not at all into zenos or anything this is purely a self destructive act that everyone involved either agreed to to humour him hoping for some reason this was an actual thing he wanted to do, went along because who give a shit or went along because someone begged them to try & humour him. yeah that's hilde zenos & emet in order) to be a nuisance to someone else. maybe he's friends with yotsuyu. maybe that's why he's trying to ruin asahi's life. compels me. on that note i wonder what fandaniel would go by. amon perhaps? seems to be what he'd favour at least like. from what i can tell. he's probably a system. in fact i can't imagine him not plural

i havent decided if athena is alive or dead in that scenario. athena being alive would be horrifying probably. i feel like she would somehow find a way to make going to work as high stakes as endwalker is. due to her problems. it's very scary to think about! emet steals thancred's lunch & gives it to hilde as a "gift" (he is NOT eating that himself & he knows hilde needs to eat more than he does so. he gets the free lunch) every single time someone steals his own lunch. doesn't matter if thancred isn't the one who stole it because emet does not like him

i think estinien steals the lunch more often than not & it's entirely bc he forgot what he brought/if he brought anything at all. causing the eighth calamity by being forgetful & he's just sitting there eating the food without a care in the world

there most certainly is some evil shit going on there but tbh a lot of it is everyone being exposed to cid & nero doing whatever the fuck it is they do. because they're both there. yeah this office has five billion employees (ok some of them are just there in the AU due to their connections w other characters who do work at the office. but i'll work out who does what at a later date). when haurchefant brings pastries for everyone it is a beautiful day where no one fights WRONG!!! all out war. even though he made sure to bring enough for everyone. also hilde & haurche probably dated in high school then parted on good terms at some point. of course bc of hildes #problems. they're still good friends

i like to think the whole thing w hilde & emet is being like. followed with bated breath by a lot of them. because they really dance around it for so long it just becomes the office's sports to watch them will they wont they lmao. nero doesnt give a fuckkkk hes usually mostly here to do repairs & whatnot until he hears thancred complain about it at which point he makes a completely uncalled for remark toward him in which 1. he probably has 0 stakes in 2. he may not even have any room to speak on the matter in question he's just ready & willing to be a bitch to the guy being a bitch abt his brother. yes they are still brothers in this au. good luck to this office

the ascian/ancient beef is unparalleled though. i shudder to think of what nabriales brings to the table.

[cestacruz]

I want to learn more about the master Artoria Au

🥹❤️❤️ueueueu

It's quite more extensive than Just the Holy Grail War

The lineup until now is

Saber: Musashi and Iori Miyamoto (Master(s) in the works)

Archer: James Moriarty (Master is Cassidy, i already posted something bout her)

Lancer: (Might be) Qin Liangyu (master in the works)

Rider: Ludwig van Beethoven (I already have her master but i refuse to post about them for now. I need dignity. I'll say two words to describe them tho: Hatsune Miku)

Caster: Zeno of Elea (no master yet)

Assassin: Hassan of the Shining Star (no master yet either) (also funnily enough, ive had Shining Star in this AU since two years ago, so imagine my surprise when he got released LMAO)

And well, Berserker: Queen Guinevere (and yknow, master Arturia)

It's sorta a modern AU but not at the same time, i'll put a cut here because its long and i ramble

It's not a Forced project to bring Arthur back like with Gray but the alternate name i use for this AU in my notes is "The Once and Future King" so...

History repeating itself sorta thing but without the doomed narrative (unless.) (Haha just kidding...) (...unle--)

The "pendragon|orkney" family does exist (as in mom(igraine)(she's alive), dad(uther)(he left them), morgan and lot, and nephews and nieces (morgan lost a bet to 5 year old arturia and had to name her kids after the knights) and more arthuriana characters are scattered around too, but they dont have an importance to the HGW part of the AU, with the exception of a few

They still call her Arturia (TECHNICALLY they call her Arthuria, because i love that name and no one will take it from me) because the few years that Uther was with them, he called Arturia "Arthur" because he wanted a boy and he couldnt cope (theres the History repeats itself motif and also misogynistic men like that still exist), so Morgan used Arthur*ia* as a nickname, and it stuck

This is where i will confess that im thinking of using a different name for Arturia, i already Kinda do in my notes. As in legal name (thinking of Aurlyn, which is similar but different enough). I would be doing the same with some of the Orkney siblings whose names would not be as common in the modern world or too obvious a reference, while still being named after the knights (Gareth would stay as Gareth cuz thats literally still a mormal name people use, but a name like Agravain or Mordred arent as common, ig. Or Gawain. And Gaheris. Actually only Gareth has a mormal fcking name)

ALSO mordred is Morgan and Lot's kid in this. No weird cloning in my modern AU. Genetics from the pendragon hit hard tho, they still look like Arturia

Actually idk what else to say rn, theres some more stuff but its escaping my mind, so little random stuff

Arturia's family has little to no mage relation currently, but they still have mage blood and sht

Also Merlin manipulated Morgan(modern) using her literal dreams, into freeing him from Avalon and he used to that hang out with little kid Arturia at the park (everyone hates him/chases him away)

The reason why Cath Palug is there is because this AU follows the F/SN timeline, which is a timeline in which Chaldeas never formed. Therefore, Fou never learned to love people, teehee. He only learned to hate Merlin and King Arthur (?)

Also theres a modern Guinevere, tho her name is literally just Gwen, and Arturia and her met during high school Time but they werent Actually classmates (think like, tournaments or trips to other school/places). I called her "arturia's high school crush" in the tags of a previous ask but they are still friends and talk a lot

And yeah , thank u and i am, Very happy that you asked bout it

[herohikara-wol]

FFXIV Write 2k23 - Day 17 (Late)

Pick Your Own (Rumor Mill) - Modern Day College AU

“I need to move out of the dorms by tomorrow, what am I supposed to do?” Hero’s clothes were half packed and mostly on his bed, but Zenos still found amusement in watching his roommate pace about the room, weaving around their suitcases and boxes as he did. “What do you mean figure it out? Why can’t I just go to Thavnair with you?” Another pause as he clearly listened to his mother’s reply- of course it was his mother. Tetsu wouldn’t have been nearly as blunt about things. Zenos had heard from both of them over the course of the semester. “Did you have to sell my apartment then, the deadline for requesting to stay on campus was last week! Why couldn’t this have waited until next moon?”

Hero only knew that because of Asahi. Zenos resumed packing now that Hero was in the bargaining stages of his fight with his parents’ choices. Asahi had permission to remain in the dorms until next semester due to trouble in his family. The trouble being his parents attempting to force him into an arranged marriage to keep him from dating another man. They couldn’t marry him off if he wasn’t there to sign the contracts, it had worked for his elder sister. She was going on five years of burning any mail she got from their parents and had been the one to advise him to remain away from home as long as possible.

“Yes, okay, I’ll figure it out. Fine. Goodbye.” Hero hung up only to fling himself onto the pile of freshly laundered clothes and poorly folded sheets on his bed. “I’m fucked.”

“You just need a place to stay during winter break, yes?” Zenos looked carefully over at his roommate, weighing the options in his mind.

“Yes, and apparently their current employer doesn’t have space for an extra person. They sold my apartment because they’re planning to put down roots in Thavnair for at least three years and the apartment lease says they can’t sublet it and someone needs to be occupying it at all times to minimize risk of things like pipes freezing and whatnot.” He grabbed his pillow and put it over his face to scream into it for a few moments before throwing it back at the wall. “I’m fucking homeless. Fantastic.”

“My family has room.” That wasn’t exactly a lie, just not the whole truth. The Garlean Royal family palace most certainly could accommodate Hero. Hell, it could accommodate their entire dorm floor without too much trouble. However, in the time Zenos had known Hero he’d been pleasant. Friendly, willing to allow the prince his privacy, and hadn’t asked about his parents, his position as crown prince, or even indicated he cared about any of it. He made Zenos feel normal to be around, the closest thing he’d had to a friend all his life. Friends helped their friends when they were in need, right?

“Shouldn’t you ask your dads first or something? I don’t want to impose and basically take up your family’s guest room without them having some kind of warning. That’d be pretty rude, right? Like, I know you’re rich but still, there’s a limit.” Of course, it helped that Hero regularly forgot he was royalty.

“Would you do the same for me if you had the means?” The viera pouted a little, like he’d been backed into a corner. “Exactly. Hero, I insist. Finish packing, I’m calling my travel agent to get you booked for my flight back to Garlemald tonight.”

“Fine, but only because I can’t afford to stay in a hotel for a whole month.” He grumbled but he couldn’t exactly turn Zenos down.

===============================================

“Announcing crown prince Zenos yae Galvus, and his guest, one Magpie Hikara.” Hero flinched when they announced his childhood name instead of the one he’d chosen for himself as an adult. Technically it was still his legal name, but Hero Shadeseer was his chosen name and it meant far more to him.

Zenos noticed the flinch and frowned at the steward, “Hero Shadeseer. Viera pick their own names upon reaching adulthood, he just hasn’t had the time to fill out the paperwork for it yet.”

“My apologies, my prince. Would you like me to have someone bring the paperwork to him?”

“I haven’t settled on it yet. I’m only twenty-four summers, many viera wait until they’ve finished college and started to get established in their careers to finalize their adult names.” He didn’t want Zenos to spend the whole month speaking for him, even if he appreciated someone advocating for him.

“Very well then, I will at least make sure the preference is noted to avoid the staff making cultural faux pas from here on.” The elezen left, making notes on a clipboard as he walked, leaving Zenos and Hero standing in the hall before the Emperor and his husband.

His ears drooped on instinct as the Emperor’s stern face and gold eyes seemed to look right through him, but his husband gave a warm smile and reached out to take his hand. “We’d heard Zenos made friends in college through the grapevine, but didn’t expect to meet one so soon! How was your flight, the servants took your bags already, yes? Come on, the dining room is this way. I know damn well you two didn’t get a proper meal in and you’re probably both tired from the trip. It’s, what, almost ten at night? A good meal and some sleep will do you both good.”

“Thank you sir? Your highness?” He looked up to Zenos for any indication of what to say or how to act, but Zenos was just boredly walking past him and following Varis to the dining room.

“Regula is fine, I promise. You know, for the son of a pair of high profile bodyguards, you’re rather awkward around royalty.” Hero inhaled sharply and let it out in a soft groan. Of course they already did a background check. Probably did it the moment he and Zenos were assigned to the same room.

“My parents did try to raise me with continuing the family business in mind, but I wasn’t cut out for the level of paranoia that comes with being a proper bodyguard. I was little more than a playmate for hire for some of the children of their clients. It got me a decent education, but I moved so much as a kid I didn’t really latch on to any one specific culture. I spent the longest in Ishgard but it isn’t exactly home either.”

“That’s why we chose you out of all the other potentials, we were hoping you’d give him the normalcy he craved. Zenos could have gone to school here and been treated like a proper prince the whole time, or at least gotten a private room off campus. He chose to live in the dorms like any other student.”

Hero wondered if they knew Zenos and him had spent the first two weeks bickering, fighting, and almost at each other’s throats until they realized they shared several hobbies and interests. Zenos had been a stuck up prick the first few weeks of the semester and Hero liked causing problems on purpose. Eventually he introduced Zenos to one of his old childhood playmates, Asahi, who was also going to school to get the fuck away from his high profile ambassador parents. The two hit it off and things started to fall into a comfortable pattern for the three of them.

“It was an adjustment, but Zenos is a pretty quiet person. I had to prod him into joining a club or two that weren’t sports clubs, but all in all I’ve grown kinda fond of him? He’s a good guy.” When he’s not being stand-offish because he’s run out of social battery, or when he’s not your opponent in anything where he’s suddenly a bloodthirsty competitive asshole. Hero had regrets about introducing Zenos to handheld console gaming, and more regrets about introducing him to fighting games.

“All the same, thank you for helping him. He’ll likely never say it, but that’s probably why he invited you to stay with us.” Hero hadn’t considered that he’d done anything Zenos would want to thank him for. He spent the whole night realizing that the invitation was Zenos feeling grateful for Hero’s friendship and company. The problem was figuring out how to keep it from coloring their current relationship, because the idea of having a friend so thankful for Hero just being himself that he’d go out of his way like this to help him in need was- he didn’t have a word for it.

So he rolled over in his plush comfy two sizes too big for a single person bed with ten times the pillows any normal person would need, and tried to fall asleep. Zenos was royalty here so they couldn’t just walk around the city like they could wander campus, so tomorrow he’d find a way to pull Zenos aside after breakfast and maybe plan something they could do to make the month pass by quicker. If only to keep him from being buried under royal duties and obligations, to give him a taste of normalcy in his own home.

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 It felt strange being woken by a servant, to be guided to the bath and see it drawn and already warm for him. Stranger still to have someone bring him his clothes freshly pressed, to do his hair for him, and guide him down the winding stairs to the dining room for breakfast with the family. He felt out of place before the massive regal Varis and the mildly detached Regula. Varis was reading the paper, every so often glancing up at the Viera before him and frowning. Regula was tapping away at his tomephone, humming softly to himself between asking Varis questions about the day’s plans. It felt cold and awkward and uncomfortable.

 Zenos’ absence didn’t help.

When the prince finally joined them and pulled up his chair, Varis flipped through the paper again, folded it in half, and slid it over the table to his son. “You may want to plan around the paparazzi for the rest of your break. I don’t doubt you’re used to the way news spreads in the Empire, but I doubt your guest is prepared.”

Zenos frowned and looked at the paper before scoffing and sliding it to Hero wordlessly.

In brilliant color were three separate photos. One of Zenos taking off his coat, one of his draping the coat over Hero’s shoulders, and one of Zenos holding open the door of the royal car while Hero got into the back seat. “Fuck.” The headline was about the prince bringing home a girlfriend from college. Fair enough, it was dark out and snowing when they got out of the airport and Hero was notably androgynous. Still, it invoked a primal fear response in him. “We aren’t- I’m not- How do I correct them?”

Regula paused and gave Hero a sympathetic look, “you don’t, sadly. It’s gossip right now, are you two sure you’re not dating? Obviously we wouldn’t judge, Zenos is allowed to see whoever makes him happy.”

Zenos shook his head slightly before reaching for the jam to coat his toast in it. “We are roommates, as I told you. Hero’s helped me out of my comfort zone and dragged me into a few more social situations than I would have gotten into on my own, but we aren’t courting.”

Hero’s eyes darted between Zenos and Regula, then Zenos and Varis, and it didn’t go unnoticed. “Hero?”

Zenos wasn’t fast enough to silence him, “I’d never flirt with him behind Asahi’s back.” He heard Zenos inhale sharply beside him, but continued anyway. “Asahi’s room is attached to ours by the half-bath. They’ve been seeing each other since around midterms. I’m just his roommate I swear.”

“Useless.” Hero knew that tone of suffering in Zenos’ voice, “yes I am courting the son of the Doman Ambassadors. I didn’t think he’d be my type, but he surprised me, and we started out studying together. He helps me with my humanities courses, and I’ve been helping him with calculus. He listens to me in a way I’m not used to, it isn’t about my station with him. If he just wanted upwards mobility he wouldn’t be half as- I suppose- open with me about things.”

Hero hummed a bit, “I promise you, he’s being honest. I’m a bad liar but I’m really good at sniffing out lies. Asahi is head over heels for Zenos and they make such a cute couple. I’d never dream of breaking them up. Twelve fuck me, if he sees this article he’s going to be so upset…”

Varis finally relaxed his shoulders and sighed, “I see. Thank you both for being honest with us, Hero, I’ll make sure I assign someone to help you navigate how to handle the news and media crews that might try to bully things out of you since you clearly have no training for dealing with it. Zenos, if you’d like to give your boyfriend a warning that the rumor mill is spinning around you bringing a friend home from college? I suggest you do it before the news cycle starts spinning things out of control. Don’t worry too much boys, we’ll handle it. Just lay low for a few days until it peters out, alright?”

“Of course, Father. I suppose I’ll take Hero on a tour of the Palace Grounds today then, and we’ll plan to tour the city when you’ve handled the paparazzi.” Zenos’ plate was full of meats, breads and sweets. Compared to Hero’s own plate of mostly fruits, cheeses, and some meat and bread. Breakfast was a rather large affair for the family, or maybe this was just how royalty lived?

Either way he carefully handed the paper back over to Regula so the older man could hand it off to his husband. All he could do now was pray the rest of his trip went smoothly after this small hiccup.