video star
summary: the time when Olivia appeared in a blind, deaf, mute baking video with the triplets and Matt couldn't keep his hands to himself.
warnings: touchiness in front of people/on camera, suggestive language, suggestive content, use of pet names.
a/n: the song doesn't have any significance, it just plays in o.c.'s headphones.
"Hey guys, welcome back to another Wednesday video," Nick blurted at the camera posed several feet in front of them, "Today we're doing another Deaf, Blind, Mute Baking Challenge."
"However," Chris butted in, sticking a mocking finger in the air, "We have a special guest for today's video," He drawled out and looked off to the side where I was standing. Matt was still leaning back against the counter and smiled at me.
"Come on out, sweetheart." Matt beckoned me over with a flick of his fingers and a nod of his head. I jumped into frame and smiled at the camera.
"Hi guys!" I waved enthusiastically and placed my hands on the counter in front of me.
"For those of you who don't know, Olivia is our best friend in the whole world and Matt's girlfriend. If you didn't know that, you've obviously never watched a video because she's in all of our vlogs and we never shut up about her." Nick summed up the basics for the viewers at home.
I've been friends with the triplets since my freshman year of high school. Chris and I instantly clicked one day in Math when our more extroverted personalities found their ways to one another. He introduced me to his two triplet brothers at lunch that same day, and the rest was history. We became inseparable and spent every second of every day together since. Things became interesting with Matt and me as we got older and grew into ourselves but we officially started dating after we graduated high school. We were always scared to announce our relationship to his fans because they can be volatile to their female friends, but once we did and they accepted that we loved each other, we've been so open and comfortable expressing that love physically on camera.
"So, how this is gonna work is..we're gonna draw out of a hat and three people are gonna be either blind, deaf, or mute and one person won't be able to use their hands. Let's hope that person isn't Olivia, because she's the only one of us that really can bake, like at all," Chris addressed the room and the camera.
"Dude, if I get fucking handcuffed, this is gonna be awful," I raised my brows and turned to Chris.
"Have a little faith, kid," Chris bumped my hip with his. I heard the car keys rattle on Matt's belt loop as he pressed himself away from the counter and came up behind me to wrap his arms around my neck. My hands subconsciously reached up to grip his muscular forearms.
"Alright, well, let's get the fuck on with it," Matt spoke.
"Okay, relax. We've been rolling for two fucking minutes." Nick stuck an accusatory hand up at Matt.
Nick reached around the counter for the hat and we all drew a card.
"Matt, you say yours first," Nick assigned.
"Mute," Matt chuckled, "Too easy."
"Deaf," I read aloud, "Yay! I just get to listen to music." I ran over to the couch and grabbed my headphones, working to connect them to my phone and find a playlist.
"Noo!," Chris whined, "Handcuffed."
"Loser", Nick teased.
"Which means that I am blind." Nick concluded, "Olivia wanted to bake something from scratch but that's a bit too hard for us, so we just got boxed brownies with, like, an extra cookie thing that we have to do too."
As Nick started to read off the contents of the box, I placed the headphones over my ears and pressed "shuffle" on Spotify. The first song to grace my ears was "B.Y.O.B" by System of a Down. A loud, scream-y nu-metal jam to deafen my sensitive ears. If I listened to anything too quiet, I'd be able to hear them. I watched as Matt tied the blindfold onto Nick and then Chris tied the bandana onto Matt. Matt then locked the handcuffs onto Chris' wrists behind his back.
I watched as the three of them tried to talk to each other, myself trying to read their lips and body language. I knew Matt well enough to know he was frustrated and Chris well enough to know he was giving Nick directions.
Quickly, when they started to struggle too much, they called me over. However, my eyes were closed as I mouthed the words to the song and I couldn't hear them.
"Everybody's going to the party have a real good time," I sang with Serj and wagged my finger to the Ooh.
What made me open my eyes was Matt pushing a hand against my lower back to guide me to the counter. The sudden jolt and touch startled me and I lurched forward, almost falling into the hard counter top face first. Matt's hand quickly shot and gripped my waist, pulling me back into him.
"Oh my God!" I yelped, my hands shooting out in front of myself to stop me before he did. He spun me around in his hands and I placed my extended hands on his chest, "Thank you!" I yelled, unaware of my volume. He just pressed a finger to my lips to tell me to be quieter. I whispered a faint apology in return.
I looked over to Chris who was probably spewing some bullshit at us about how cheesy we are, seeing as how his left cheek flexed up slightly in annoyance. Matt ushered me over to the counter where they handed me the box to try and fix what they already messed up. I took one look at the batter and knew they added too much oil.
"Okay," I started, "I think you guys just put too much oil, but it's not hard to fix. I just need a dehydrator like flour or cornstarch to dry out the oil." I turned around to grab the flour from the cabinets that I stock for them, because if I didn't they'd either starve or waste all of their money on eating out.
Due to my shorter stature, I had to stand on my tip toes and stretch the life out of my arms to reach the flour. Matt came up behind me and placed a hand on my side to tell me to relax and he reached up and grabbed it for me. I thanked him before turning around and continuing to mix the brownies, Matt's front just brushed my back the whole time as he watched over my shoulder, his hand resting gently on my hip.
Once I was done with the brownies, I needed to grab a bowl for the cookie part. I wasn't planning on making it, since it's supposed to be a challenge, but I still grabbed the equipment needed. I bent down in front of Matt to grab a smaller bowl from the cabinet below the island. When I leaned over, I didn't realize two things; one, how close I was to Matt and what he wouldn't be able to resist doing when he noticed the position we were in, two, how it would look on camera.
Both of Matt's hands found my hips when I unexpectedly stuck my ass into the air right in front of his dick and he subconsciously pressed himself a tiny bit further into me. Soon, his hand left my hip and it braced itself on the counter above my head so that I wouldn't hit the counter when I got back up.
"Okay, so you guys need to do this, because this is supposed to be your guys' challenge." I started clearly over the sound of Evanescence’s "Going Under”. I sang the words under my breath as I turned away to let them do what they needed to do. I hopped up onto the counter behind them and enjoyed my music as I watched them yell at each other.
At least I thought they were yelling at each other...
Turns out they were yelling at me to preheat the oven that I was sitting next to. I watched as Matt stepped closer to me. He placed his hands on my thighs and nodded to the oven dials. I quickly understood and turned the dial to 350 degrees. Matt's eyes darted all across my face and down my body that was only clothed in shorts and a tank top due to the intense Los Angeles heat. I knew exactly what look he was giving me and it was killing him that he couldn't kiss me.
"Later," I mouthed to him and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. He dropped his head to my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulder to squeeze him into me.
Soon after, the brownies had made it out of the oven safely and we were all stripped of our sense-depriving shackles. I was kind of disappointed to be done with the music, but I missed hearing my favorite boys talk.
"Okay, the brownies are done and they look fine," Nick began to the camera, "But we did fuck them up a little bit, so hopefully Olivia's fix was okay."
"Bro, she's literally a professional chef at this point, I'm sure they're still gonna be great," Chris said matter-of-factly. Nick began to cut the brownies, which they should've baked on parchment paper, and got a piece for all of us. He slid it in front of me and we all tried a bite. They still tasted great and they looked like boxes.
"Obviously, if it were up to me, we wouldn't have boxed anything, but for a boxed brownie mix," Matt came up and hugged me from behind and my hands fell to his that wrapped around me, "I would give this is a solid 8 out of 10." I said giving a thumbs up with the camera.
When they had all given their notes and feedback, they said goodbye to the camera and turned it off.
"You guys need to practice a little something called self-control, you horny fucks," Said Nick as he shook his head and took down the filming equipment.
"Shut the fuck up, Nick," Matt spat as he pulled me closer, "Hi, my girl. D'you have fun?" He asked, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
I pulled back slightly and leaned up to kiss his lips, "Mhm. I always have fun filming with you guys." I smiled up at his stunning face.
"What'd you listen to?" He asked, pulling away from the hug to reach over and grab a cup from the cabinet, but keeping a hand on my waist. I turned to watch him as he got what he needed.
"I listened to System of a Down and Evanescence. I wish that, like, Nirvana or something came on though." I sighed and looked down for a moment before focusing my attention back on him.
"S'nice. I need to branch out, broaden my musical horizons," He said as he filled his cup with water from the fridge.
"And your kitchen horizons, because, my God, you guys suck at baking." I teased exasperatedely.
"Hey, watch yourself," He tutted, "They suck at baking, I, on the other hand, can whip up a good dessert."
"Alright, mister, I bought already-been-smoked salmon and tried to cook it anyway, Sturniolo." I accused, rolling my eyes jokingly.
"Oh, yeah? You want to play it that way?" He smiled smugly and slowly stepped toward me, setting his water down on the kitchen island.
I backed away in response and put my hands up in defense, "I'm not playing anything. M'just sayin' it how it is. S'not my fault your egos too big."
"You little-," He cut himself off and reached for me. A high-pitched yelp escaped my mouth as I dodged his hand and I backed away from him before running to his bedroom. I might be more agile than him, but his legs are much longer than mine. He caught up to me as I was trying to slam his door shut, and he stopped the door before I could close it. He swooped in quickly, picked me up, and tossed me onto the bed, kicking the door shut somewhere in between.
"Matt!" I giggled, as I sat up, bracing my hands behind me. He crawled onto the bed in front of me and shoved my chest back down.
"Those brownies might have been good," He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss right below my ear, "But I know you're gonna taste even better," He whispered into my ear and began to trail a path of open-mouthed kisses down my neck...
//
author's note: alright...how'd we like it? I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I wanted to put something out. I liked the concept but I'm unsure of how it turned out. let me know what you guys think.
all the love, she <3
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-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ emotionally unavailable p.2
⊹ character(s) - gepard landau, jing yuan, sampo koski
⊹ word count - 5.6k
⊹ notes - gn!reader (gepard, sampo), fem!reader (jing yuan, reader is referred to as 'lady'), emotionally constipated/stoic reader (but you're warming up a bit ;), confessions, fluff, love, mushy stuff!
⊹ part 1 here!
sorry this took so long !! (=´ᆺ`=) really thought I'd have it out sooner, but I wanted to make sure it was planned and edited this time. hope you all like! and please do point out any mistakes, I know sometimes I mix up the gn pronouns with she/her so lemme know if there's any of that (ฅ^・ﻌ・^)ฅ
⊹ Gepard Landau
Ever since you and Gepard spoke that day, Serval had been seeing more of you around the workshop.
Rather than lounging as per your nick-namesake, however, you were frequently speaking with Gepard when he was around.
That, or you were at her desk asking when he'd be around.
It was a far cry from your former indifference for sure.
Sure, you weren't overly enthused or anything at the prospect of seeing him, but...
Serval could definitely see the gleam in your eye when you questioned about her brother.
You weren't alone in your affection, either.
The eldest Landau hadn't failed to notice the consistently at which Gepard asked about you, too.
Even though there were reports of Fragmentum corrosion being on the rise and more monsters to keep at bay, things that usually stressed the Captain out, he was in shockingly high spirits
It seems your presence was beneficial to his stress and mood.
Over time, you mellowed out a bit from your usual stoicism as well
You were more inclined to joke and be more open with Serval and Gepard both, though you still retained a bit of your standoffish nature.
This didn't mean you magically became an extrovert—Aeons knows you still treated other people just as coldly.
But to the Landaus at least, things were turning up.
You weren't running into their arms with warm salutations ready for an embrace, but at the very least, you spoke more.
Not to mention, you'd taken on a new hobby—teasing poor Gepard.
It wasn't really your fault, in your defense. He was just too easy, and his blushing cheeks were admittedly cute amusing to see.
Gepard, in spite of your embarrassing new pastime, would often count the hours, minutes, down to the seconds until he could head to the workshop and see if you were around
On the days you weren't (increasingly rare nowadays), it was quite obvious how he'd deflate. But he'd still wait around a little while longer for you
And when you were there? He'd light up immediately.
It's as if you could see the tail wagging behind him—he's like a giant golden retriever.
Eventually, it got to the point where he figured it was about time he confessed how he actually felt about you.
Serval, of course, encouraged and offered to wing-woman for him as she had done before, but he adamantly refused
As much as Gepard appreciated his sister, he wanted to do this himself.
He would find himself practicing singing, drawing, anything artistic he could do to show his affections for you.
It was an earnest, honest-to-good effort, but let's be honest—he's not the best at most artistic pursuits.
Eventually, he settled for a poem (the farthest he could get artistically without completely flubbing it) and a bouquet of the flowers that brought you two together in the first place—Ball Peonies.
He put it off for a few days out of nervousness.
Okay, no, a few weeks. Let's not kid ourselves, he had to buy a few bouquets since they kept withering (thankfully, that Silvermane Guard Captain salary is good!)
Finally, the day came.
Gepard shifted from one foot to the other, a habit of his when anxious. In battle, one always had to be on their toes. Though the matter ahead of him was far from a fight to the death on the front lines, it was a struggle nonetheless.
The brain's fight-or-flight response unfortunately didn't care to discriminate between a war with monsters and a nerve-wracking confession.
Maybe you weren't coming today.
No, no. Serval mentioned you had to swing by. You had an appliance giving you trouble, and she'd fixed it up and prepared it for delivery today.
His sister provided this opportunity for him. He couldn't back down!
However, as soon as sky blue eyes spotted your approaching figure, Gepard had to physically grab hold of his own arm to ground himself and prevent himself from running away.
He settled his anxiety as much as he could by hiding the flowers behind his back instead.
"Gepard?"
No going back now! You'd seen him!
His brain was in overdrive, and he found himself fending off trembles, face already going red. Aeons, he hadn't even gotten a single word out yet!
"That's me."
Okay, good, he'd gotten the first words out no problem.
"I thought you had patrol today. It's good to see you."
"G-Good to see you too!"
And there it was. A stutter, followed by a voice crack on the last word. The poor blonde man could've easily sank into a hole and withered away at that moment, but you only raised a brow, oblivious to his internal misery.
"Well, are you coming inside? I need to pick something up, and then I'm off. Sorry I can't stick around, especially since you're off duty for once."
"Y-Yeah, I'm coming. And it's okay!"
Gepard was far too caught up in his own gut-wrenching anxiety to notice the way you had rushed through your normally-casual sentences. Though your tone was the same, the slightest, most imperceptible tremble flitted after your every word.
When you entered, Serval was nowhere to be seen. You assumed she was in the back, and thus went to pop in and check, but as you did that, said woman snuck past and headed for the door, mouthing at her brother.
'Don't! Back! Down! Now!'
He swallowed thickly as she vanished, ducking outside to hide and await Gepard's long-overdue confession to you.
"Hm. Doesn't seem she's here. Maybe an errand..."
"Y/N!"
You raised a brow, leaning on the counter. "I'm right here, Gepard. No need to shout."
"Right! Right... Um! I just wanted to... I just... Err..."
"You alright? You're burning up, and I haven't even prodded at your singing or drawing today."
Those words only made the flare-up of his cheeks worse.
"I'm fine!" His voice had only increased in volume, and you winced. Your eyes flitted to the clock, and you sighed, taking a deep, shaky inhale.
Shift starts in a few minutes. I can always get the heater later, but... this is now or never.
Before Gepard could continue his train of thought, you interrupted, pulling out a small tin canister and slid it towards him on the counter. His ramblings cut short, he could do little more than stare down at it, calming down amidst his confusion.
"...This is?"
"Well..." you trailed off, glancing away and crossing your arms. Though Gepard was sure your expression was the same, pensive and uninterested, you adamantly hid it from him. "I didn't really know what else to get you."
...Huh?
"I could've gone for flowers, sure, but I guess they didn't seem very appropriate for you. You'd have no use for them."
Oh, but he would place them in the nicest vase money could buy, and stare at them for hours on end every day, thinking about the fact that it was you who brought them to him. No use? What nonsense.
"Then I thought chocolates, or maybe some other sweet, but I didn't know if you liked that sort of thing. I'm sorry I never asked."
What did you have to be sorry for? He'd eat anything you offered up, even if it were burnt or poisoned. And he'd accept it with the biggest smile, content in the fact that you had carefully worked on it for him.
"So, well, this seemed the most practical. Armor polish... for you. Keep up that 'Captain of the Silvermane Guards'-grade armor, and everything..."
Were he any less trained as a soldier for battle, Gepard could've shed a tear. Closed off, stoic, standoffish, yet you still remained the most considerate person he'd ever met.
He took the canister in one hand delicately, as if it were the most precious thing he'd ever touched, and then glanced up at you. A million words of gratitude and devotion were ready to spill from his lips all at once, but his brain fizzed out and he could manage but one.
"Why?"
You sighed deeply, the grip you had on your arm tightening.
"...ike you."
"...Huh?"
"I..." your voice increased in octave, but it fizzled out again at the end. "...eally... you."
"Y/N—"
"I really like you. There." With how loud you projected the words, anyone would assume you were confident and calm with their delivery, but your voice again contained the slightest timbre of anxiety beneath it. Still, with those firm eyes, you turned to look at him, confessing the thing he had taken weeks to even consider bringing up.
Perhaps, though, it had taken you weeks as well.
Gepard was silent, stunned into complete rigidity at your words. You knew he could be awkward, but the reaction he held only furthered your uncertainty, and you eventually turned to leave, somewhat dejected.
Before you could take even one step, though, a gloved hand took your arm as gently as possible, and Gepard was red and sweltering as if he'd just ran a marathon in full uniform to catch you.
"Wait! Wait!"
"Gepard, it's fine if you don't—"
"No, no! I like you, too!" Your confidence gave the Captain the boost he needed to finally blurt out the words, shoving the Ball Peony bouquet towards you. "I swear! That's, um... That's why Serval had me come by today."
It was your turn to be shocked—so shocked, in fact, that you didn't even bother to curse Serval out for setting you up like this.
Still, as Gepard slid his hand down to clasp your own, you couldn't bring yourself to feel too much enmity towards her.
"Um... If it's okay, do you want to go to dinner tomorrow night, then...?"
You tried to hide your delight as best you could.
"...Tomorrow night sounds nice."
Gepard, however, could not hide his.
⊹ Jing Yuan
It only took that one night of trickery, that one moment of Jing Yuan catching you hook, line, and sinker, for a routine to develop.
The General immediately took advantage of your acceptance and took you to the nicest restaurant the Xianzhou Luofu had to offer (and the most expensive, of course, much to your dismay).
As promised, he got his paperwork done on time.
But it wasn't more than a few days before he began slipping again.
Napping around his office, playing chess with Yanqing instead of working...
As soon as you got on his case again, you could see in the way his brow quirked that his mind was quick at work to justify himself.
Then, a wry smile had appeared—one you were both begrudgingly fond of and vehemently annoyed by.
"Well, Lady Y/N, go out to dinner with me again tonight and I promise to have my work done."
And so developed an unlikely routine—as long as you went to dinner after working hours, Jing Yuan would have his paperwork complete.
Of course, there were a few times when he slipped.
But whenever this happened, you vanished from the Seat of Divine Foresight before he could even awaken, and he found that the absence of your presence was punishment enough.
So now, him skimping his work was a rare occurrence. Even Yanqing was surprised.
"General, you've been a lot... busier, lately."
"Only as busy as I'm meant to be, my boy."
Golden eyes were immensely suspicious, and those same eyes watched the General in your presence carefully.
"...It's Lady Y/N, isn't it?"
Jing Yuan choked.
Even still, you'd be lying if you said you weren't enjoying the routine as well.
It was a win on both counts—you get a nice, expensive meal, and Jing Yuan also stops skipping important work!
Surely, it wasn't also a win to spend more time with the General. Surely...
He was still as cheeky as ever, though, especially now that you'd caved to his whims and spent more time with him.
Sometimes, he'd try to pass you alcohol and convince you to drink with him.
Of course, this was with the sly intention of getting you to open up and drop that stoic façade.
It never really worked.
Either you refused, citing work, didn't get drunk enough to become loose-lipped...
Or, in one instance, actually drank the General of the Luofu himself under the table.
Needless to say, you never did that again. Not only did you gain nothing but a raging hangover, the people of the Luofu who were present in the bar wouldn't shut up about it for weeks.
The rumors were even more ridiculous!
Though, you did gain something to tease Jing Yuan about, for once.
Dinner eventually turned into dinner along with a small walk together afterwards.
It took a lot of convincing and taking on extra work for Jing Yuan to get you to agree to the latter.
It was nice, though. Not only were you out in the fresh air, but you were free of the somewhat guilty burden of having the General paying for all your meals out of pocket.
Still, one day... he seemed different.
"General—"
"Lady Y/N—"
You both paused mid-sentence, cutting each other off. However, it was you who ultimately remained silent, gesturing for the man to continue.
Jing Yuan seemed... uncharacteristically nervous today. Was nervous even the right word for it? Perhaps it was, seeing as how his one visible eye darted back and forth.
Strange.
He cleared his throat loudly, reaching out a hand.
"I was only going to ask if you were ready to head to our usual dinner arrangement. I've made reservations."
Well, that was even more strange.
"General, you've never asked me before. You've just dragged me along. Are you feeling well?"
Despite your concern, you still accepted his hand just as naturally as always, allowing him to move your hand into position so that you were holding onto his arm. The first time he'd done this, you had recoiled, embarrassed at the proximity, but now, it was just as routine as your near-nightly dinner dates.
Dates? Were they dates? You pushed the thought as far away from your head as you could to avoid any red flush potentially springing to your cheeks.
"Of course I'm well." Jing Yuan only chuckled mildly, not meeting your gaze. "Shall we be off?"
You eyed him, but nodded slowly. On the way to the reserved seats, you began cautiously.
"...If you slacked off on your work and are trying to hide it from me..."
Honey-gold eyes met yours with a slight measure of surprise, and before you knew it, the General was laughing. A low, rumbling, and comforting sound that emanated from deep within his chest. It caused the dam you held to keep your cheeks from going red to burst.
"W-What did I say?!"
"Nothing, my dear... Absolutely nothing," he chuckled, wiping an imaginary tear. As much as the sight irked you, it also caused you to breathe a small sigh of relief.
He didn't seem as anxious any more.
"I was just a bit surprised."
"Well, I wouldn't be..." you grumbled. "Wouldn't be the first time."
Jing Yuan's smile turned crooked. "Come, now. I think I've been doing rather well at holding up my end of the deal. How long has it been since I last shirked my duties?"
"One week."
Your unimpressed response had his laugh turn nervous, but not in the same way as before. He glanced away at your dagger-like stare, murmuring some sort of excuse before giving up at the squeeze you gave his arm.
"I would say I've been doing well overall, though."
You acquiesced with a sigh. "That you have, General. Better than before, at least."
"Well, that is high praise. Coming from my poker-faced Lady Y/N, I'd have thought it'd take ten decades of work to satisfy your standards and achieve a compliment such as that."
You only grumbled in response, eliciting another laugh from your General.
So caught up in the conversation were you that it took you being seated in a private room to realize where you were.
"...This is where you first took me."
"Correct," Jing Yuan smiled, a hint of unease in his features as he fiddled with something beneath the table. "I thought it'd be appropriate."
"For...?" you trailed off, trying to recall if there was anything special happening today. "Did I forget a holiday?"
"No, no. I'll tell you later, Lady Y/N."
"Very well, General," you sighed, making your choice and setting your menu down. Surprisingly, a comforting silence filled the air until the attendant came to collect both of your orders, and even after that. Minutes passed, and the silence was now... less comforting.
Something was definitely off. By now, the General would be talking your ear off about something—whether informing you about his latest trickery with his and Yanqing's games of chess or teasing you for your uptightness in the latest meeting, he'd have something to say.
But Jing Yuan just sat there, smiling down at his hands, still fiddling. You eventually had enough, clearing your throat.
"...So, are you going to tell me why today is significant for this restaurant?"
The man jumped—did he jump? Did the famous General Jing Yuan just jump over a mere question from his advisor?—and paused, clearing his throat again. You had noticed he was doing that quite a lot this evening.
"Well, I should get it out of the way, shouldn't I? No use dwelling on it any longer, haha..." Finally, he extracted the item he had been messing with, sliding a small velvet box across to your folded hands. "Here you go, Lady Y/N."
"And just what is this?" you eyed it, then raised a brow. A small trinket from one of his expeditions, perhaps? But you weren't much of a collector or anything...
"Just open it."
"Very well." You paused momentarily, but slowly pulled the box towards yourself, pushing up the little hinged lid. In an instant, your hands clapped it back shut, your face turning thousands of shades of red.
Jing Yuan, while still anxious, found himself chuckling as he fiddled with the hem of his sleeve.
"General," you whispered harshly. "Is this some kind of joke?!"
"Well, I'd hope not, considering that little trinket cost me a fair chunk of my prior paycheck."
"General Jing Yuan, I'm being serious!" You were sweating bullets, trying to reign in your flustered state. "Explain yourself!"
The man cleared his throat again, and finally began to lay out his reasoning.
"You see, Yanqing was just getting so terribly tired of hearing me talk about you. In his words, 'You need to do something about it before I go insane, General.'" Jing Yuan was rambling. "So I went to a local jeweler and tried to find something nice, but none of them quite suit you the way I wanted. Then, I figured I should commission something, and—"
His rambling speech had given you time to process just slightly, just enough to cut him off and pose your own question.
"Are you proposing to me?"
Jing Yuan coughed.
"Well, I figured since we'd been to dinner together so many times—"
"—as General and his advisor!—"
"—but if you'd like to start with the label of dating, I'm perfectly fine with slowing it down to that. We do have nothing but time, after all."
You were about to shout some more, say anything, but the sight of Jing Yuan's somewhat flushed cheeks had you reeling, stunned into silence.
He was serious.
The General glanced up at you through his bangs.
"You don't have to give me your answer right now. But I'd be delighted to see you at least try the ring." And oh, when he beseeched you with those pleading eyes, how could you even think to say no?
You hesitantly opened the box, unable to fathom what was happening. In your state, you hadn't noticed Jing Yuan move to your side, taking your hand gently in one hand and the ring in his other.
"Allow me."
Tenderly, carefully, Jing Yuan slid the ring onto you. It fit like a glove, and you couldn't even think to wonder how he got your ring size down to a T. He gazed into your eyes with such adoration that you felt your brain going to mush.
"...It's lovely," you stammered. The General smiled.
"You're lovely."
Surely, the situation was about to escalate into something more.
An embrace? Possibly... a kiss? Just as you felt the very distinct possibility of your eyes fluttering shut in anticipation, the door to your private dining hall was slid open.
"I have the orders for one General Jing Yuan and one Lady Y/N—"
The waitress stopped short, eyes wide at the proximity between you and the General. Then, her eyes fell to your hands, the ring—
"Wait—"
"Ma'am, it's not—"
"Please forgive me! I'll leave you be!"
Without giving either of you even a moment to explain, the now beet-faced woman dashed away, shocked out of her poor mind. You exhaled shakily, and then whipped your head around as Jing Yuan laughed boisterously.
"General! The rumors!"
"Oh, they always spread some rumor or another. It's happened since we first started this little routine, and it won't cease now. But if you aren't interested, I will always happily have them dispelled."
You huffed another sigh, glancing away.
"...Who said anything about me not being interested?"
It was Jing Yuan's turn to be stunned, but he recovered annoyingly quick, immediately wrapping his arm around your shoulder and pulling you into him.
"Really now? Well, I'll take that as your acceptance of my proposal. I will be stuck to your side from here on out."
"I'm accepting the dating proposal, not marriage, General!"
"For now."
"General!"
⊹ Sampo Koski
The man who formerly avoided Natasha's clinic like the plague out of intense fear for Wildfire's motherly leader now found himself frequenting the joint more than the Fight Club.
Who would've guessed?
Well, you might've.
Ever since your run-in with the infamous Sampo Koski only a few weeks prior, it seems he'd made it his personal mission to only appear when you were working.
Of course, you only really worked night shifts, and Sampo was quite the night owl himself, but who's counting?
He still annoyed you to Hell and back.
The only edge you really had over him was when Natasha was in, helping you with the patients.
Sampo would stare at you from outside the window like a puppy left out in the rain—you could practically hear the whines and see the sad droop of metaphorical ears.
Natasha always knew he was by, and she'd always tease you about it, so in a way, you were both now avoiding her.
"Y/N... Your ol' buddy Sampo Koski got himself a booboo! Won't you fix me up?"
"Get lost."
"But it really hurts!"
"That's a flesh wound. Here's some ointment. Scram."
"Ouch! You're as cold as ever... Your words sting more than this egregious injury..."
A small, tiny voice inside your head was always thankful that he was never really as injured as he exaggerated, but he still found ways to negate even that tiny bit of mercy you held for him with his antics.
Usually, he'd just swing by to hop around you and ask for attention.
Really, he didn't want anything more than a few words from you or a few minutes of your time, but you didn't have much of either to spare with your work.
To catch your eye, he'd try to ham up his pain, but it never really worked.
A bandage there, an ointment there.
Sampo never failed to notice how you would always entertain those requests at least, giving him what he needed to care for himself.
Though he did long for your tender loving care again. Even if it meant being on the receiving end of your unimpressed stares.
Then, there was the time he asked for you to kiss his wound better.
That earned him a harsh clobbering to the head.
While you hated the distraction Sampo brought while you were actively trying to cure real patients, he wasn't all bad if he came at a good time.
Not that you'd ever admit it, though.
You'd given him enough ground with your little "For me" comment last time, and he'd never let you forget it as long as you lived.
When you were packing up your supplies and getting ready to trade shifts with Natasha, it was kind of... nice to see him around.
He'd bring you small doohickeys and trinkets from his latest scams expeditions, or talk your ear off about his adventures.
Scratch the dog analogy.
Sampo was more like a crow, squawking your ear off and delivering small, seemingly-insignificant, shiny treasures.
Somehow, his unending positivity and boisterous attitude was a nice contrast to the dreary place you were stuck in.
You were begrudgingly—with harsh emphasis on that word—becoming fond of Sampo Koski.
You weren't sure if this was a good thing.
"Y/N!"
You heaved a sigh, stretching out your weary limbs as Sampo came barreling into the clinic, thankfully uninjured. You kind of wanted to hit yourself for thinking of that first, rather than how obnoxiously loud he was being, but you digressed.
It seemed as though ever since your little run-in with him while he was badly wounded, he had taken your demand to stay out of harm's way to heart. Now, he rarely got anything more than a small bleeding cut or a sizeable bruise.
"How many times do I have to remind you to be quiet in the presence of my other patients? They're sleeping, Koski."
"Some things never change! Just like your painfully frostbite-y words, Y/N~"
You only grunted at that, collecting your tools and cleaning off your table. You always did like to leave Natasha with a neat workspace when she arrived.
"Sooo, I was thinking..."
"Sampo Koski, thinking? The Overworld must be crashing down on our heads as we speak."
"Yeesh, uncalled for..." the man grumbled, his energy bouncing back fast, though. "Let me take you somewhere nice. Think of it as a reward for working so hard and helping me out so many times, yeah?"
You raised a brow at that, and the conman clasped his hands together, that familiar grin sneaking onto his lips.
"After all, Sampo Koski always repays his debts! Never leaves a friend hanging!"
"You know the clinic's services for mild cases are free, right?"
"That generous heart of yours just makes me swoon, Y/N! But I can't possibly let you do me all this kindness without doing something in return!"
You sighed raggedly. "If this is you roping me into one of your scams..."
Sampo slapped a hand over his heart and clasped his chest as though mortally wounded. "You wound my poor soul, my heart, Y/N! Would 'lil old Sampo really do that to you?"
Your utterly deadpan glance sent him into nervous chuckles as he amped up his attempts to get you to come along.
"Come now, Y/N! You can trust me! Just this once, and if I wrong ya, you can toss me to the automatons! Honest to goodness!"
You were already yanking on your coat to follow when he crossed his finger over his heart as if to swear his undying allegiance to getting you back in one piece, sweeping past him out the door and grumbling something about being in your right mind to toss him to the robots anyways. The Sampo Koski looked a bit stunned at that, staring at you from within the clinic with wide emerald eyes.
"Well? Are you going to lead me there or no?"
"Ah, yes! Of course!"
Shockingly, it didn't take long to get to where the conman wanted to go. You had to duck past a few bots and avoid a few Fragmentum monsters, but really, that was every day in a place like the Underworld.
Yet, the bright glow of the huge Geomarrow vein caught your eye at once, sending you into awed silence.
Sampo smiled at that, dragging you along by the arm to a better vantage point. You stared up, admiring the rare beauty in a place as dreary as the Underworld.
As a doctor, especially an assistant to the only other doctor in the whole of the Underworld, you didn't really get the opportunity to go out and explore much beyond Boulder Town. Sure, there'd be patients you had to go to that couldn't make the distance to the clinic, but they were rarely beyond the walls of town.
The sight before you was truly something magnificent. Something you had never seen before.
"Well, like it?" Sampo nudged your arm, snapping you out of your trance as he grinned at you. "Told you it was cool! Thought you could use some time out of that stuffy clinic."
"It's..." You didn't quite know what to say. Words escaped you as you glanced between Sampo and the marvel of mineral. "It's really something. You weren't lying."
Even though you were too awed to realize you had admitted to his truth, the man beside you still hooted with laughter at his 'victory'.
Only when his joyful whoops calmed down did you manage to fully tear your eyes away from the sight, looking over to see Sampo trying to fiddle with something in his pocket.
"Sampo?"
The man jumped, and if you were any more alert to his antics, you would've assumed he was plotting something. However, he only hid his hands behind his back, beaming.
"What's up?"
"...Thank you."
The words were quiet, begrudging, but you managed them anyways. You expected immediate feedback from your so-called friend, only to be met with thick silence. You once again called his name, and he once again jumped.
"What's the matter with you? You've not got something criminal planned, do you?"
"Nope, Sampo Koski is always loyal to his word!" His chuckles were nervous, contradicting his statement. Just as you raised a brow and were about to speak up, however, he handed you a small chain.
"Haha, almost forgot!" Lie. "I had this for ya, too."
The item was placed in your hand before you could even protest, and you nearly leapt in shock when you realized what it was, were it not for your ability to keep on your stoic disposition.
A beautifully crafted, decorative Geomarrow wrist cuff sat in your palm, a nice rustic design to it that would compliment your outfit, surely. It looked more expensive than everything you owned combined.
"...Sampo—"
"See, an old buddy of mine owed me a favor from way back when. He's a jeweler nowadays, not super useful here, but I got my hands on a chunk of Geomarrow and he worked his magic! Cool, huh?"
"Sampo—"
"And that chunk isn't stolen, no siree bob! Got it completely legitimate this time! Paid out of pocket!"
"Sampo, are y—"
"It wasn't easy, but—"
"Sampo!"
The man finally stopped rambling, pausing to glance down at you with wide eyes.
"Haha, erm, yes, my dear Y/N?"
You would've felt your face flush—in fact, you were still actively staving off the heat to your cheeks—but you had to get one question out of the way first, a hardened expression on your face.
"You stole this, didn't you?"
"No!" Sampo's insistence was so adamant that it sent you aback. "Didn't you hear what I said? Honest, I didn't steal! Not a single part of the process was made with thievery or swindling! 'Cause you don't like it, and I wasn't about to confess in a way you don't like—"
"Confess?"
The conman stopped short, scratching his cheek and whistling inconspicuously, glancing anywhere but you. You weren't having much better luck with maintaining eye contact.
You glanced down at the cuff again, reluctantly sliding it on, but unable to deny how much you were taken by it. It was also the only way to distract yourself from the shock you felt, from the warmth now prominently displayed in your cheeks.
"So... yeah. Um. I did this all. For you. To confess, 'I love you' style and all of that, if that's how ya want to put it..."
"That's how you put it."
"Can you have some mercy on my poor heart?! Sampo's trying his best here!"
At that, you snorted. Then, you giggled. Eventually, you devolved into shaky, small laughter, chuckles that couldn't be hidden even by your typically impassive countenance.
For the first time in his life, Sampo found himself utterly dumbstruck. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, in a trance as he listened to your laughter, as sweet as the chime of a bell.
To Hell with confessions and acceptance, the man was fairly certain he could die happy just hearing such a sound and seeing such a look on your face. Even if you were laughing at the notion of him being in love with you, Sampo was confident he couldn't care less.
And then, for the second time that evening, the conman was struck speechless.
"Well... fine. I suppose I can graciously accept your feelings and your heart, Sampo Koski."
His eyes lit up like the Overworld sun.
"But only if you stop getting hurt. Period."
It wasn't enough to extinguish the light in his eyes, but it was enough to get him to droop, slinking over and hanging off your shoulder pathetically with a pout.
"Aw, then how am I going to see you?! Sampo Koski needs his Y/N time, or he'll be lost! I'm lost without you!"
It took everything you had not to clobber him—but this time, you were sure that twinge of annoyance was strong-armed aside by pure fondness.
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