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polarisbibliotheque · 2 years

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Dante, Vergil, V and Nero Quick Halloween Scenarios - V Version

First one with V, last one on the Halloween series! Hooray! Also, the ending of this scenario is just something else. I sometimes have strong feelings while listening to music and I was sucker-punched while writing this - so it shows at the ending.

Pairing: V x Reader (+ Vergil x Reader. In this household, Vergil is V and he's able to separate sometimes - there will be a fic with Vergil's s/o meeting V for the first time)

Summary: Kyrie decided to take the kids from the Orphanage on a field trip to the Opéra during Halloween - with your and Nero's help - but now, they don't want to leave: they expect to meet the infamous Phantom of the Opéra. While you wait, though, another figure emerges from the darkness - someone you really weren't expecting.

Author’s Notes: I might have scared some children by dramatically playing the Phantom of the Opera theme on a dusty piano on my school theatre's backstage because they wouldn't leave and we needed to rehearse when I was younger. So, that part from this fic might be true.

Also, this takes a huge turn at the end and I am aware. It's been a long time I don't have weird feelings like the one I had while listening to music to write this, so it really shows. I'm sorry if if seems too... Much by the end. I blame my heart and the powers that be. I truly feel I need to state this over and over, for no rason at all :)

Kyrie thought it was a brilliant idea to take the kids for a visit at the local Opéra during Halloween – blatantly inspired by the night you were watching The Phantom of the Opera together and Nero got to experience the story for the first time.

You all pretended you didn’t see him shedding some tears at the end, silencing Nico so she wouldn’t annoy him forever because of it – as Kyrie would put it herself “please, don’t take his human heart away, I love to see it”.

Nico couldn’t really complain about that.

So, there you were, taking a day off from your every day fighting at the Devil May Cry in order to help Kyrie keep peace – alongside Nero. Nico had to spend the day improving all your weapons, though, so she was nowhere to be found.

Probably deep inside her van – working on her Magnum Opus.

“She has a new MO every week, though.” Nero scoffed by your side, both of you behind the group of kids to make sure none of them would get lost.

“At least she’s confident in her work.” You shrugged back, making him laugh. “But hey, we gotta admit, Nico has the best weapons. I can trust literally anything that woman puts in my hands.”

“Well… Can’t actually say that.” He raised one eyebrow, but his smile denounced his mocking tone. “Nico can put some pretty damn explosives in my hands, but ya know, they always useful.”

You couldn’t keep yourself from laughing. He was right: you could trust her weapons were good, you couldn’t trust they wouldn’t blow up in all sorts of directions when you stated using them, though.

“You know, I bet she was the one who implanted that Hysteric move on Kalina Ann.” As you said it, Nero couldn’t agree more. Nico and Lady were the best pair together: a perfect recipe for mayhem. “But see? She’s an artist that brings happiness to all people!”

“Oh, yeah! Nico sparks joy all around!” And you both couldn’t stop laughing at your own joke. At the end of the day, you actually believed your words. Even if you were making fun, it was your own way of admiring her work without sounding too “mushy” – as Nero would put it himself.

“Literally!” You said together, bursting in laughs even more. Some kids even looked back at you and it took you a while to notice Kyrie had been standing with them on the same spot for quite some time. She approached you, looking a little distressed.

“Hey, everything ok, angel?” As soon as Nero turned into his worried persona, automatically calling her like that, you couldn’t refrain from smiling. He could try to be as badass as he wanted, everyone knew how much of a soft heart Nero had for his dearest human.

“The kids don’t want to leave.” She sighed, resting her hands on her hips. “I already did all I can, but they insist they want to stay.”

“Is there a reason why…?” You raised one eyebrow, finding that all too strange. You loved the Opéra, yes, but you remembered your school days when you were the only kid who wanted to be around music all the time like that.

“They heard a story about a Phantom in an Opéra…” Kyrie gave Nero a sideways look, making him blush slightly. She had a faint knowing smile on her lips, though. “And now, once it’s Halloween, they want to meet him.”

“I bet if they got scared with the Phantom, they’d want to run back to the Orphanage.” Nero rolled his eyes, making you both laugh. Who would’ve known he would like the story that much to tell it to the kids?

“Maybe, but we’re not scaring them.” Kyrie had a slightly chastising tone, one that reminded you a lot of Vergil. You wondered if he was already back at the shop and if you would be able to get him out of there that night. Probably not. “They said they want to know the ending of the story.”

You both just stared at Nero – and he knew what that meant. He resisted a while, pretending not to notice you and Kyrie looking at him so intently – but, after some time, Nero just had to yield.

“Fine. I’ll finish the story, then we’re goin’ home. Stop starin’ at me like that, you both!” He huffed, shaking his head from side to side while walking towards the kids. You and Kyrie celebrated with a quick hi-five before she almost hopped all the way to her boyfriend.

You stayed in the back, leaning on a pillar while watching Nero getting the kids comfortable on the floor to resume the story of the Phantom of the Opéra. It was one of your favorite musicals – and one of Vergil’s. You always watched the live versions when you had the chance, and you knew the songs by heart. Vergil loved listening to you singing the tunes of the musical on a lazy day, closing his eyes and taking in your voice ever so calmly.

He said it sounded like waves of gold – whatever he meant by that. In your point of view, there was nothing too special about your voice or your singing, but Vergil couldn’t refrain from letting himself get lost on it. You always suspected it had something to do with the time he spent in Hell, but he’d never tell you – Vergil’s heart was always heavily protected by rock solid walls, even if it allowed you to slowly step in; every day going a little deeper, even if just one inch.

As you both always said, your love was a marathon, not a sprint.

You didn’t even realize your feet started moving until you were at the backstage. The Opéra opened its doors for you that evening in a way you had never seen it before – it gave access to almost every place, so the kids would get to know it well. They were just outside: you could still hear Nero’s voice and his storytelling, but there was something about the empty stage that called your feet to step on it.

Emerging from the shadows, you found yourself in the dimly lit stage, almost too dark to take in the sea of chairs in the horizon. It was quiet, welcoming and there was something of soothing about it. You knew Vergil would’ve loved to be there if he didn’t have to work.

“Turn your face away from the garish light of day, turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light, and listen to the music of the night.” A deep voice hid in the shadows, letting you know there was someone else with you. Someone you did not expect.

“V?” You furrowed your brows, searching for him in the dark. You heard a slight laugh – quick, a little too full of himself, but definitely content you were so quick to know it was him. He and Vergil rarely get separated, so there must had been a really good reason for it to happen.

V did inherit Vergil’s drama, though. Even more than his white-haired counterpart, you’d argue – if he hadn’t appeared yet to say hello, you suspected he wanted to play a little game.

That phrase his velvety dark voice slowly recited in the shadows was from the Phantom of the Opéra. You had to answer accordingly.

“Father once spoke of an angel, I used to dream he’d appear.” You sang in a low tone, only for the bearer of the voice to listen to you. It wasn’t very usual to you to sing around for everyone to listen, so if V wanted to hear you properly, he’d have to come closer. “Now as I sing I can sense him and I know he’s here.”

Once more, you heard his dark and gentle laugh emerge from the shadows – in a delighted way. That made a faint smile color your lips, giving you a little confidence to keep going – a little louder this time. Just a little, as the song required.

“Here in this room he calls me softly, somewhere inside, hiding…” As you chanted the words, you could swear you heard him whispering your name, even if just a faint sound hidden in the air. “Somehow I know he’s always with me, he, the unseen genius…”

“Love, love, you must have been dreaming. Stories like this can’t come true.” V’s voice echoed once more, strong and slow, between singing and reciting. Only he could deliver those words like that, and you could always hear his smile in his words – even if you couldn’t see him. “Love, you’re talking in riddles, and it’s not like you.”

“Angel of music, guide and guardian, grant to me your glory –“ You made your voice slightly louder one more time, hearing an exclamation of adoration from the shadows. You sat by the edge of the stage, closing your eyes and allowing you to sing to your – and his – heart’s content. “Angel of music, hide no longer! Secret and strange angel!”

“Oh, but aren’t secrets what makes discoveries more delightful, my angel…?” V’s voice was low and slow on its delivery, as you were used to. When you opened your eyes, there he was: standing right in front of you, leaning on his silver cane, with a gentle smile in his soft lips and kindness in his eyes. Still half covered in shadow, but it was unmistakably the other side of your lover you didn’t get to see that often.

“It definitely makes them more rewarding.” You allowed a smile to shine on your lips, not knowing how that made V’s heart soar and melt in his chest. His adoration for you couldn’t be put into words – and he used to believe everything could be written in black and white.

It took him love to realize how limited poets were – their beautiful and careful choice of words on paper just a feeble attempt to explain, or just register, such a confusing and delightful sea of emotions.

“Is everything ok?” You tilted your head to the side, leaning in your arms still by the edge of the stage. You shined in golden gleams of light, slightly above him, and V could never say you weren’t a real angel on earth.

“A worried angel, as always.” His smile seemed even more caring, but his eyes had a concealed hint of agony. Even if he wished it was different, V knew you’d never stop worrying about those you loved – and his heart couldn’t keep that feeling for too long after you smiled softly at his answer. “Yes, yes… Everything is alright. Vergil didn’t want you to be alone today and this job is slightly more difficult than he and Dante had predicted.”

“Meaning they underestimated their enemy.” You giggled as he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head in confirmation, gesturing nonchalantly.

“You can put it that way.” And as V opened his eyes, he let himself smile once more when meeting yours. “He asked me to be with you tonight.”

“As if I of all people needed protection on the most haunted night of the year.” You scoffed as a tease, not really meaning your words – even though V knew how greatly it annoyed you when Vergil became too protective.

“Oh, I am not here as a guardian…” V approached the stage as he saw you were about to climb down, in order to be closer to him. Within arm’s reach, he extended one of his hands, leaning on his cane with the other. “I am here to cure loneliness.”

And it was your turn to have your heart melted. All the walls Vergil built so carefully around his heart seemed to be away whenever V was present: he was sincere, he showed his feelings and always did his best to assure you that you were safe to allow yourself to feel as well – at least, whenever you were around him, that was exactly the impression you had.

To hide your feelings from V was a wasted effort: he could read you clearly, as if you were an open book right in front of his eyes.

And his favorite book, he’d have to argue.

“Well… Then I’m glad you are here, angel of music.” You answered in a slightly teasing tone, making him hum in delight as your soft hand met his silky touch. Carefully, you stepped down from the stage, with V doing his best to make sure you’d get to the floor safe and sound.

“It has been a while since I last heard you sing.” He put away a rebellious strand of hair that insisted on keeping falling on your eyes – more like an automatic gesture than anything else. It always amused you how some of Vergil’s quirks were inherited by him – but V’s always allowed his to be more heartfelt.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you.” And even with that, you didn’t sound accusing or sad. It was just a statement – you did wish you could spend more time with V, but you did enjoy your time with Vergil. It was a little complicated learning how to deal with the situation at first, but now you were used to it, for one reason only: his eyes.

You argued the eyes were indeed the doors to one’s soul – and their eyes, although differing in color and style, were, deep down, the same. At first, one would think they were looking at a different person, but to the more observing – such as you – it was clear: the soul residing in those eyes was the same. And how could you not love that very same soul, in spite of the many appearances it could wear?

“And yet, you see me every day.” V gently tilted his head to the side, allowing his fingers to slightly brush your cheek. His human experience was a fragile one and it always seemed he was hesitant he would hurt you.

“Define you, phantom of the Opéra.” As you answered, he allowed a nonchalant smile to light up his lips.

“Nero is telling the story to the children outside. I thought it would be… Fitting.” He watched you with smart eyes as you entangled your fingers with his, tracing them as you would with Vergil.

“Perfectly. If only the kids had seen you, maybe they’d have run away back to the Orphanage. Kyrie is failing miserably at taking them back: they refuse to go.” While you talked, V took over your hand, starting to trace the lines in your palm with his fingers. It was something he did, always paying attention to you.

“They might need some encouragement, then.” The way he delivered his words and gave you a knowing look, made you giggle. You had noticed V didn’t only have a vein to be dramatic, but also a vein to be mischievous.

And you had to admit you liked it.

“And I give up!” You heard Nero’s voice emerging from the outside, into the stage. “Already told’em the full thing and they don’t wanna go! Now, they wanna stay here to meet the Phantom!” He looked positively annoyed, which made you hold your laugh back. Yes, it was funny, but you didn’t want to get Nero fuming. “V…?”

“Hello, Nero.” The dark-haired man answered with a calm smile while Nero was ready to ask what the hell he was doing there. “It’s a long story… But Dante and Vergil won’t make it back in time for Halloween. Vergil sent me so you wouldn’t be alone.”

“Oh, so considerate.” Nero just rolled his eyes and you actually expected a ‘he should’ve done that before leaving, huh?’; but Nero didn’t deliver. It was good to see he was getting to better terms with his father. “Well, V, now that you’re here, you’re helpin’ as well! We gotta get the kids back before it gets dark outside.”

You furrowed your brows when you saw the silhouette of an old, dusty piano in the backstage. Suddenly, you had an idea. It wasn’t the best, Nero was going to kill you… But he didn’t really have to know. Only V.

“Y/n is gone. And V as well. That’s great.” As the sky got darker, Nero got grumpier. He was on the verge of triggering and simulating a demon attack so that the kids would run to safety as soon as possible.

But that wouldn’t work: they had already seen Nero in his trigger form and, knowing it was him, the kids had no fear of his blue-skinned, yellow-eyed, horned figure.

If they saw Dante or Vergil though, they’d never set foot out of the Orphanage again, though.

The hypocrisy.

“V is here? Are you sure…?” Kyrie was already thinking Nero was speaking nonsense from being too stressed, but he confirmed with his head.

“Yeah, yeah, something about Dante and my ol’ man not coming back tonight…” He sighed, resting his hands on his hips. The children insisted in getting to the stage to wait for the Phantom and things were getting too out of hand for his taste. “We can load ‘em into the bus anyway.”

“Like a bunch of potato sacks? Carrying them under our arms, one by one?” Kyrie giggled uncontrollably at that mental image. She always thought Nero got adorably irritated on situations like that.

He himself had to laugh.

“I was thinkin’ more like loading puppies on a car, but yeah. Like that.” He looked down, before looking back into her eyes, ashamed of his own idea. “Kinda dumb, huh?”

“I think you’re adorable.” Kyrie whispered back, quickly pecking his lips. “But now we have to…”

Suddenly, before she could even finish the sentence, most of the lights on stage disappeared – leaving only a few to illuminate certain spots on the curtains. The children gasped and, prior to their questions of excitement if they would meet the Phantom, a dramatic, terrifying piano song filled up the room. It was his song.

The lights flickered. The children screamed. Nero protected Kyrie with his arms. None of them knew what was going on, but it couldn’t be good.

Emerging from the dark curtains of the backstage, a tall, dark-haired figure came in gliding in a cloud of ash and shadow. Sliding into the light, they could see a long black coat and a white mask covering half of his face. The children screamed, terrified he was really there.

And Nero wanted to kill you. That was V.

“Know that I am built up of death from head to foot…” His voice echoed like a looming song, a tune reserved only for the darkest hours of the night. “And that it is a corpse that will never, never leave you.”

Chaos ensued. The children started running and screaming, horrified that the Phantom had truly appeared. Kyrie tried to keep them together as much as she could – probably thinking of a thousand different ways to scold you and V for that stunt when she finally settled the little screaming voices. And Nero… He just stared at V for a while – that V who watched it all with a sassy, satisfied smile on his lips, resounding a theatrical laugh every now and then – and wondered how he and Vergil, of all people, could be the same person. And his father.

After coming to terms with that, though, Nero was set on his way to find you. And, only when Kyrie was already outside organizing the children on the bus – who now were frightened, but ecstatic they had seen the Phantom of the Opéra during Halloween – he saw you on the backstage, playing the Theme from the famous musical on that old, dusty piano left to rot behind the curtains.

“Really, y/n?” He had to ask, his hands on his hips as you just beamed in response.

“The talent from an angel of music can bring even the saddest corpses of an instrument back to life.” V’s voice was quiet and calm, as if he didn’t want to interrupt you in your performance.

“Well, that ‘really’ applies to you as well!” Nero raised one eyebrow, making you laugh as the music got to its last chords. “Are you sure you’re part of my dad? ‘Cause he’s grumpy as hell, not… Like that.”

“Well…” V sighed – a delighted sound as he leaned by the pillar next to the piano, slightly behind you. Crossing his arms, V sported his signature dubious smile. “I can assure you: there’s more to your father than you know.”

“C’mon. It was a good idea.” You finally reached the end of the song, taking your hands from the black and white keys. “I bet the kids are gonna say this was awesome.”

“Wanna bet?”

You smiled back. Of course you would bet. Because Nero got from Vergil his hunger for power – but, from Dante, he got his terrible bad luck when gambling.

“You were positively terrifying when you emerged from the curtains, Mr. Phantom!”

You and V were walking on the streets during the high hours of the night. All souls were asleep or at parties – but the streets were quiet, as if you lived in a gothic fairy tale: two fairies visiting the world of humans during the most haunted of hours, on the most haunted of days.

“I will take that as a compliment, my angel of music.” V did a slow and elegant half bow, bringing his cane to his chest as you walked in front of him. The way he enjoyed that kind of playful banter always made you smile. “Your music was certainly the deciding factor. It wouldn’t have had such an impact without it – I’d only look like a fool.”

“We all look like fools without a good soundtrack, you know that’s my opinion.” You sighed back, taking a look at the street to check if a car was coming. It was purely from habit: there was no one to be seen in miles. “But thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“I always will. Your music soothes me, and your voice gives me peace.” He looked unconcerned as he delivered that information, walking behind you while holding his cane behind his back with both hands. That made you stop and look back at him, who gave you a knowing look. “I should tell you more often. But my complete counterpart still has a hard time with his feelings.”

“I guess if we give him some time.” You smiled back, feeling your cheeks slightly rosy. That made V smile. “Or you can just pop in sometimes and tell me every now and then.”

“I guess that works as well.” V reached out to you, holding your fingers between his and getting back to walk, as if that was nothing. “What do you think will be the outcome of our stunt? Kyrie will be furious at us? The children will be traumatized for life? Nero will have us work his jobs for an entire week…?”

You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing. He was clearly in a sassy and mischievous mood – and maybe it was the influence of Halloween. You didn’t know why, though, but as you thought before, that didn’t really matter. You liked V in that mood – it was good to see him enjoying life a little instead of burying himself in the agony of his mistakes.

“Honestly, I think the children will be so excited about this. They might even want to go to the Opéra on Halloween next year just to meet the Phantom again.” You shrugged, failing to notice you swinged your interlocked hands ever so slightly. V, in the other hand, did notice. And his heart melted when you did that sort of thing so absently minded.

Because even after all things you went through and your life of slaying demons, there seemed to be something inside you that would always be pure and innocent.

“Hmmm. You did bet with Nero. I’m afraid there is a higher chance his luck will go against him than against you.” That statement made you laugh, taking a few steps in front of V again.

As you were crossing the streets, he held your hand, making you stop in the middle of the road. Pointing with his cane at the sky, you only stared at the stars and listened to the night.

There was a faint music echoing in the air. It came from a party, for certain, but you couldn’t point the right direction. It bounced on the buildings, dripping from the skies like a shower of stars. V’s silver cane danced against the sky, as if he was a maestro conducting the song – slowly building to its beautiful explosion of sounds, something both of you knew by heart.

“Who would’ve known someone would be listening to such music tonight of all nights?” He gave you a satisfied look, spiced with a little sassiness. “Would you give me the honor of being your pair for tonight, my angel of music?”

“I would never say no. Especially when the fearies themselves seem to be doing their best to get us to enjoy ourselves tonight.” You winked at him, making V laugh wholeheartedly – something you didn’t hear on a regular basis.

It was the Waltz of the Flowers and you knew exactly the moment he was waiting for. Entangling your fingers together and placing his free hand on your back, giving you the proper support for your arm with his own, V was suddenly standing in front of you in his best posture – ready to take you spiraling over the streets of Red Grave as soon as the violins entered the flowing climax of the song.

“A wise choice, indeed. I’d never want to vex the fae people...” And V pulled you a little closer, your face mere inches from his satisfied smile. “And I think they can teach us a thing or two about enjoying life a little more.”

Your lips immediately lit up like the stars in the sky as V took you flowing with the violins. Dancing with big, bold waltz steps on the empty street, he guided you in circular motions, counting the times of three rhythmic steps you had to follow on the waltz – but never allowing you to misstep or fall. His grip was gentle, but strong enough to give you the security you needed.

Closing your eyes, you threw your head back, a chuckle leaving your smiling lips. V’s heart glowed gold in contempt – you could kill him with how much you made him love you. He bashed himself for not saying that enough, but at least, maybe, you could understand it that night while waltzing with him in a random street to one of your favorite songs.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you are a faerie yourself…” He murmured while guiding you to float in the night. Before continuing his phrase, though, V lowered his tone – something only for you to hear. “Who snatched my heart away under the moonlight, giving me gold and warmth in return. Much more than I probably am worth.”

“If only you could see how much more I believe you deserve…” You whispered your thoughts out loud, without filtering them and barely noticing they left your lips. But it was in moments like that V was astounded humans could only die of a broken heart and not of one overwhelming with joy. His shortage of breath could attest to it – too much happiness would be a beautiful way to go.

He took you from the floor in a swift movement, holding you high as if offering you to the stars – the shine you had, it certainly belonged to the cosmos. You laughed while resting your hands in his shoulders, feeling the wind spinning your hair around ever so gently as V’s feet flowed with the song – but your eyes remained locked on his.

You never wanted to look away – and neither did he.

Your cellphone vibrated on your pocket, while Nero tried to call you to tell you the result of your bet. But in all honesty, no bet could take you from the moment you and V begged to your hearts to last forever.

For once, when you were younger, you heard love was like spreading your arms open and spinning around as fast as you could – and if you had nothing to keep you stable, you would fall. Luckily, for you, V was there: the perfect anchor that would waltz you around with the euphoria of love but would always have you secure in his arms.

#devil may cry #devil may cry imagines #v x reader #v imagine #dmc v #dmc imagines #dmc fanfic #devil may cry fanfiction #dmc vergil #dmc halloween scenarios #and it's DONE #now that I think about it the whole fic is over the top #but V is over the top #so it's ok #I actually like the result :3 #polaris writes

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gloriousmonsters · 2 years

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character ask game 💚🤍🖤 - so uh, talk to us about Lan Sizhui? 😁😏

one aspect about them i love

Honestly I did not spend that much brainspace on LSZ before writing trust me as though I were your enemy, which is a very *cough* specific and premise-based take on his character, so... speaking from my brief newfound interest in the character, I love the untapped potential of his character? Most of what we see is very surface level--not to say his kindness and proactive Good-Boy-ness isn't genuine if it's not backed by the correct impulses, I think on one hand he genuinely values being considerate and careful and kind (and him being the only Lan junior who tries speaking gently to 'Mo Xuanyu' when he's just acting deliberately 'crazy' still gives me feelings. i, like wwx, have the 'such a nice kid! how tf did the Lan sect spit HIM out?' reaction 😂)

...but on the other hand, 'Lan' Sizhui has no real choice but to be a Good Kid. He's kind of adopted into the Lan family, but his main point of adoption is Lan Wangji, and it happened during the years LWJ was thoroughly destroying all of his Good Boy rep within (parts of, at least) the sect--something I thought about but didn't manage to work thoroughly into the fic was that LSZ probably deals with a lot of spillover dislike by, say, the 33 elders that were severely wounded by LWJ. And then there's all the shit he'd just barely remember... In conclusion, LSZ pretty probably grew up with the impression that Something Bad happened when he was a kid but nobody will talk about it, and dealt with feeling like he was on Thin Fucking Ice with a significant portion of the Lan elders without knowing why. Perfect recipe for a kid to repress any 'bad' feeling or behavior he might ever have!

So... what's under that surface? Especially when he starts learning about the truth of everything that happened at the end of canon, and learns where he actually came from?

Fun to think about.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

I am not familiar enough w how people usually characterize him to really speak on this...

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

something that I did decide on during writing is that while he's not disliked by many people in the younger generations, he really doesn't have any friends except for Lan Jingyi. He doesn't get close to people easily, so it takes someone as enthusiastic and bad at reading subtlety as Jingyi to hang in there and earn the position :P

one character i love seeing them interact with

Tbh I'm not immune, his interactions with WWX and LWJ when he's a little kid hit me right in the heart. It's especially adorable in CQL, when he's sitting in LWJ's lap and you can see LWJ getting baby fever in realtime. They may not be the best guardian-ish figures, but his connection to both of them is still obviously important to him, and seeing the beginnings of it is still painfully sweet.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

Honestly there's a lot I wish here! I'd like to see something of him traveling with Wen Ning (I've heard there's a movie, but also that it sucks, and based on Fatal Journey i believe it); I'd like to have seen more one-on-one interaction with LWJ when he's older, instead of always just being part of the Group of Juniors. After writing this fic, I'm also wishing that he'd ever really interacted with SMS, lol.

one headcanon i have that involves them and one other character

Separate from any fics i may or may not be writing < <.... I think he had a good, if not at all close, relationship with Jin Guangyao, and looked up to him a little bit (lsz: wow you're repressing EVERYTHING and you're doing it so well i wanna be you when i grow up). He felt a little guilty about it because while LWJ never said anything specific, he didn't seem to like Lianfang-zun much, but whenever LSZ saw him (at conferences and meetings in Jinlintai, or during JGY's frequent visits to the Lan sect) JGY was always super nice and friendly, and jokes aside was modeling a type of poised strength that was very different from LWJ's uncaring-of-social-consequences conduct that LSZ, to say the least, did not feel like he was capable of.

(jgy, on his end, is having a 'wow what a nice kid how tf is he someone adopted by that rude boy lwj' moment)

#lan sizhui #character meme #paradife-loft

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princecharmingmendes · 3 years

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Heart by Heart | Chapter VI | Raul Mendes

*secret agent AU*

Y/N and Raul have been friends ever since they could remember. And falling in love with your best friend can be pretty tricky and messy 99% of the times, add that to the fact they're constantly risking their lives side by side on the field since they're both secret agents, and the best team that's ever existed. Perfect recipe for disaster.

Hi, this is the sixth chapter, you can find the first ones here. You wanted fluff? That's what you'll get... for now. Please read the warnings on this one, if you don't feel comfortable with the contents listed on the "warnings" section, please read something else, there are a lot of other works on my masterlist and on the "fic rec" hashtag on my blog. Please give me some feedback and I hope you guys like. Happy Reading!

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*Word Count: 4.7K+;

*Warnings: cursing, jealousy, inconvenient dudes and gross AF comments about women, angst and slight mentions of violence.

Please don’t read it if any of this subjects make you uncomfortable, feel free to check my masterlist for other writings.

*Posted: August 5th, 2021.

-*-

“You should stay at home today” Y/N mumbled into his neck.

It’s been three days since Geonoff’s office incident and Raul’s been babied to say least. Since he almost got caught and sprained his ankle in the process, Y/N’s taken as her job spoiling him as much as she could. She made him basically move into her apartment, so she could take care of his ankle and make him rest, placing ice bags on it every once in a while. Y/N would cook for him and make him take her bed, but they’d end up sharing.

He even woke up in the middle of the night with her cuddled close to his chest, and for those few minutes, he allowed himself to ignore where they actually were and pretend they’re just at his place back at home.

The worst part was having to start at home while everyone was out, even Y/N had to get out sometimes, the good side was that the bugs were a success and apparently Geonoff didn’t even notice them since he’s been having important meetings in his office. But three days later he’s been feeling a bit for having to stay sit and decided to go back into action. Celine and Jack agreed, Tom offered to do it so he could rest and Y/N wanted him to rest a little while longer.

But he needed to, but to leave Y/N’s heart at peace, he’d only be going to the gym and do some light workout, which would be good for his ankle and his head. Also, Geonoff and his right hand went to the exact same gym Raul had signed up for, which would be a great way to watch their training and evaluate their physical strengths. Of course he wouldn’t do anything crazy and try to talk to him, he would just focus on his superiors as he watched from a safe distance.

But still, Y/N wasn’t a big fan of the idea.

She barely spoke a single word at night ever since he made up his mind about going the next day, just quietly went to her (their for the time being) room. When he got there later, she was already asleep since she’s been working extra hard lately to baby him around. In the morning when he woke up, she was already up staring at the ceiling, he reached for her hand that was just laying besides her body and pulled it to his face. Y/N turned her face to watch as he placed a gentle kiss on each individual knuckle. Raul promised he would be okay and she nodded, but before she could get up and shut him out again, he pulled her into a hug.

She laid basically on top of him (not that he minded) with her face tucked into his neck, as he drew lazy random shapes on her back with the tips of his fingers. Raul knew she would rarely go so pliantly in this sort of affection, he felt she was a little more reserved when it came to more intimate touches, but whenever she was upset or sleepy enough she’d be the one to seek for it. Y/N was the biggest cuddle he met when she was asleep, unconsciously searching for his warmth and his arms, and Raul liked to think it was only with him, mostly because his jealous ass couldn’t have it any other way. He barely heard her voice when she spoke up for the first time in hours.

“You know I can’t stay here forever, doll” he said and she sighed in response, rolling back to her previous spot.

“I know that, I just don’t think it’s a good idea”

Raul chuckled “and since when do I have any good ideas?”

“Exactly my point” she grumbled as she sat on the bed.

Raul mimicked her as he did the same throwing his injured leg on top of the duvet “I’m much better and I won’t do anything stupid, I promise”

“I surely hope so” she said as she got up and went to the kitchen.

Raul sighed as he got up, barely feeling anything after being taken care of for the past days. He was able to walk around normally and barely had any restricted movements, he obviously shouldn’t run around but he certainly could, at least that’s how he felt like. He followed her to the small kitchen attached to her living room, since this was basically a studio, watching as she rummaged around to make them both breakfast.

“Doll?” he called after a good couple of minutes in silence as she made them both coffee and started working on something for them to eat, but she only hummed in response “Y/N”

“What?” her voice was quiet as she reached for the top cabinet, sighing in annoyance, but before she could prop herself up or climb, Raul was right beside her, reaching the frying pan for her as the other hand as placed on the small of her back “oh, thank you”

“You’re welcome” he said as he leaned his hip against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest “can you drop the pout, sweetheart? It’s nearly killing me”

Y/N breathed out a small laugh for the first time since yesterday and he counted that as a small victory “I’m not”

“Oh yes you are, looking like a pained puppy”

“I’m not a puppy” she hissed and he only chuckled as he shook his head.

“Never said that” he watched as she started making grilled cheese, a small smile playing on his lips “I know you wanted me to heal properly, but this is our job, and you’d have done the same in my place, I can’t stay here while you guys do all the work, yeah?”

“I know” she mumbled completely defeated “I just wish you didn’t have to do it all, I mean, you already got hurt for this job, literally 72 hours ago, for a not sufficiently good reason if I may add, and now you have to risk yourself again”

He couldn’t contain the soft smile that graced his features “It’s part of the job”

“You being a dumbass isn’t” she stated mater of factly before placing both sandwiches in plates and grabbing both mugs to place on the counter.

“No, but you dealing with me being a dumbass it’s in your jog description as my best girl” he said and she rolled her eyes feigning annoyance.

Y/N sat down on a stool next to his as she grabbed her mug “I’m sorry for whoever gets stuck with you”

“Well, technically that’s you” he said with a wink and she nearly chocked on her coffee, but was quick to cover it up with a cough.

It was definitely too early for him to be flirting and for her to ignore it and recognize it was just his way of existing. But it was definitely too early for that.

She cleared her throat and Raul couldn’t help the small triumphant grin from appearing “when are you going?”

“In half an hour, why?”

Y/N just shook her head “Do you know when you’ll be back? I have a couple of things to do a couple of blocks away and I’m thinking about grabbing something to eat around there”

“Oh, yeah, I’m probably meeting Jack for lunch” he said with a shrug.

Y/N nodded “Okay, but don’t walk too much”

He only chuckled “fine, I’ll take the car”

And just like that the thick tension that surrounded them for the past few hours vanished. They started chatting about random stuff until Peter called her and she got up to answer as they started debating too advanced tech stuff for Raul to comprehend, so instead he opted to do the dishes and clean up after themselves. He then went to her room to grab the few stuff he had left at her place to see what he needed to replace and what he needed to wash. When he was done, he met her at the living room, checking something in her computer as she was still debating with Peter. Raul stretched his hand towards the phone, to which she only looked at him funny but gave it anyway.

“Hey, Pete, don’t drive her insane, yeah? She’s been working enough already, go bug someone else” Raul said as she laughed shaking her head.

Peter was also laughing when he replied “and why do you say that? Is it because she’s been having to do her job and take care of your irresponsible ass?”

“Told ya” she mumbled as she beamed at him.

Raul laughed “since when you two decided to team up against me? You’re my brother and she’s my best friend, mine, you heard it?!”

“Oh Raul, she’s my best friend too, we have a lot more in common” Peter bragged and he scoffed in response.

“Just so you know, she was my best friend first and I’ll always be her favorite, now quit bothering her”

Peter huffed “Fine, just let me finish then”

“Bye, baby bro” Raul sang song as he passed the phone back to her hand “gotta go, sweetheart, see you later, yeah?”

“Oh, okay, see yeah” she said as she grabbed the device back and Raul smiled at her, leaning forward and placing a kiss at her forehead.

“We’ll talk about his whole Peter situation later, okay?” he threatened playfully and she threw her head back laughing.

“Fine, now go get ripped or whatever” she said shaking her head “yeah, I’m back, what about that program again?” she threw her middle finger at him.

Raul chuckled before leaving the apartment. He could get used to this little domestic scenario for the rest of his life if he could. But maybe back home, where they’re mostly safe, at his place with her in one of his old band t-shirt, eating breakfast in his couch as they watched something on the tv. Yeah, he could definitely get used to that.

-*-

Maybe he should’ve listened to Y/N.

No, he wasn’t in pain or risking his neck as she thought, but he truly felt like ripping someone’s head off.

As soon as he got to the gym, he noticed Geonoff’s car, be he was nowhere to be seen, so he decided to start working out as normally as he could. Not even ten minutes later the man appeared with his partner and took one of the treadmills and started his protocol. Raul had his whole sequence memorized, so this way he could move to the equipments closer to him without looking suspicious. And that was a decision he regretted.

Raul was dressed in regular gym attire, headphones on. The only thing was that his earphones weren’t actually playing anything, so this way he could hear his conversation. And at first it was just random subjects, women he brought home, new furniture he’s looking into and expanding projects for his building. Nothing that truly mattered.

After a couple of minutes, they started discussing the plans for a meeting on his yatch that weekend, which meant Jack and Celine would have to be the ones on an undercover mission and do whatever they could to be invited even if it was for work. Raul was quick to let the team know through text, before going back to the workout and focusing on learning every bit of information about this whole yatch thing so he could let his friends know.

Raul thought he wasn’t recognized at all, but from the corner of his eye, he saw Reyes pointing towards him before turning to his partner completely.

“That guy over there dates the prettiest girl I’ve seen in a while” Geonoff said to his partner, Raul having a hard time to keep a straight face.

His partner chuckled “You in love or something?”

“Me? Fuck off! Do I look like the kind to fall in love?” Geonoff sounded grossed out by the idea “she’s a nice thing to look at, nice arm candy, you know? She’s not like the ones I bring home”

“She’s special then?” Of course she’s special, she’s not a one night stand was all Raul could think about.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought about taking the girl, I have eyes and needs, but she’d be a great wife, really beautiful woman, would make me look good you know? The type of girl to take to the balls and to present to the media”

“The wife of a millionaire”

Geonoff huffed a laugh and Raul felt like clawing at his skin “Yeah, she’d probably go to pilate sim the morning, do some shopping and she’d have to do the charity work I can’t stand, wouldn’t mind getting some at night and then going to the club later”

“Well, boss, why don’t you just go and take her?” Raul coughed to disguise the anger bubbling in his throat, taking a sip from his water bottle and squeezing it harder than he should.

“As tempting as it sounds” Geonoff said seemingly unbothered by him “couldn’t do that, she’s practically glued to her boyfriend, they are neighbors and have that white picket fence life, he’d notice if I just got her and locked her in my house, they’re on their honeymoon stage that soon will be over”

“Also, she’d need to go willingly” his partner added.

“You know I don’t care about that, but it would be easier, for the public eye and shit, the rest? She can scream and cry all she wants, it would have to be my way”

“So are you going to wait for her to ditch her little boyfriend?” Raul had to mentally called to ten to not kill them both right now. Okay, maybe a thousand.

Geonoff laughed “Yeah, I could convince her to ditch him, show her the life I could offer, the money and the power, she has this fire in her, maybe she’d even like it, who knows? But for now, I’ll just be a gentleman and maybe seduce her and show her how she could be properly fucked, now did Burke call? I need the money and he owns me”

“He said he’d come by the end of the month, sir, do you want someone to bring him tomorrow?”

“Yes, he’s had enough time, he should’ve known better”

Raul grabbed his phone and texted Celine “Burke’s in danger, check with the boss what she wants to do” to which she quickly replied “on it”

“Excuse me, sir” his security guard interrupted their little chat “but Raymond just arrived and they called me from your office that he’s here to talk business”

“Oh, tell him I’m on my way” Geonoff said as dropped the weights “guess we’ll have to cut workout shorter this time”

Raul saw from the mirror as him and his man left the establishment completely, so he decided to wait a bit longer so it wouldn’t look suspicious and took his time to calm down. He honestly needed all the self control on the planet not to jump on Reyes. He knew the man was gross and capable of vile things, but he never thought he’d hear him say so much crap about Y/N.

Calling her an arm candy, thinking about her as a decorative object and saying out loud he thought about having sex with her, and not even caring if she wanted any of this or not?! He was seeing red the whole time and the only reason he didn’t do anything was not to ruin the whole mission. But as soon as he had a shot, he’d personally punch Geonoff in the face, happily he might add.

But he took a couple of breaths and left, moving to the locker rooms where he could take a quick shower and change into casual clothes. He stopped by the mail to send a couple of letters to his boss, then picking Jack on the way so they could both have lunch and discuss their next steps with the new information he was able to gather. Jack was quick to tease him about being babied by Y/N and how he should do something about their sexual tension.

“I mean it, man, your chemistry is ridiculous, there’s no way you can fake that, you’re not that great of a liar” Jack said as he threw a french fry at him.

Raul rolled his eyes and huffed sim annoyance “she’s my best friend, dude, of course we have chemistry, we’ve been around each other for years now, and it’s not like that yeah? I can lie and act very well when needed”

“Raul, you look at her if she was responsible for every sunrise and sunset, like she hung the moon and stars and you’re telling me it’s just because you’re friends?!” Jack said shaking his head “you have to be the stupidest person I’ve ever met”

“Hey!” he was quick to protest “I don’t look at her like that, it’s just- she’s amazing, you know? I admire her so much, and God, she’s just so good and I love her, but that’s it”

Jack laughed “I know, I met her in case you didn’t know, and she’s all that, but I don’t look at her like she’s the reason I’m breathing, just ask her out or kiss her already”

“It’s not like that” he mumbled.

“It’s not like what? Are you telling me you two never kissed?” Jack stared at him and Raul shook his head “What?!”

“I told you we’re just friends”

Jack seemed honestly shocked at that but quickly recovered “Okay, so you’re gonna tell me you never thought about it? About kissing her? Or taking her on a date?”

“I’m telling you, it’s not like that” Raul said with a shrug and Jack smiled at him triumphantly “what?”

“I didn’t ask if it’s like that or not, I asked if the thought never crossed your mind” and Raul honestly was speechless, which was a rare occurrence, but that seemed to be enough for Jack, as he leaned back in his seat with a cheshire cat grin.

Raul rolled his eyes at his friend and both ended up laughing. After that, he took Jack back to work before finally driving home. It was nearing three when he unlocked Y/N’s front door with the key he had to it and before he could jokingly say “honey, I’m home” he saw her asleep on a pile of papers, in front of her computer, her a mess and a half eaten plate beside her.

He sighed at the scene, knowing full well she was pushing her limits the past few days, and he’s been another item to the list of things she needed to take care of. And the worst part is that he was so close to her when he was being spoiled that he didn’t even notice how tired she truly was.

Stupid selfish behavior.

So he decided to toe off his shoes carefully, hanging his gym bag by the door and silently moving to where Y/N was peacefully sleeping. He then cleaned up the best he could without waking her up and rearranging all the paper work she was doing so she could keep going later when she was rested. Raul then proceeded to the bedroom, to close the windows and curtains before pulling back the covers for them.

Then he went to the difficult part. He tucked a strand of hair that was covering her face behind her ear, lightly caressing her cheek watching her scrunch her nose slightly and he head to bite his tongue to stop himself from cooing at her.

“Sweetheart” he called gently and she quietly hummed in response “I’m back, wanna go take a nap with me?”

Y/N slowly blinked her eyes open, sitting up a bit but still looking a little hazy “Hi” she barely whispered “I can’t believe I fell asleep”

“It’s okay, you need to rest, darling” he mumbled softly, resting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing the tender skin lovingly.

“I need to finish this, what time is it?” she said rubbing her eyes and trying to get the sleep off her bones.

Raul chuckled lowly “time for you to rest”

Y/N blinked at him almost owlishly “huh?”

“You need to sleep, yeah?” he said leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead “The bedroom is all set, come nap with me, doll, I need it too”

“It sounds tempting” she admitted with a sigh “okay, okay, but I still need to finish this today”

“Of course, but sleep first” he said and she nodded, but made no attempts to get up, to which he just chuckled before leaning down to pick her up.

Y/N squealed holding tightly to his shoulder “your ankle!”

“My ankle is just fine, don’t worry” Raul couldn’t help the warm smile from blossoming on his lips “you take care of everyone, now it’s my turn to take care of you”

“But-” before she could finish he hushed her gently.

Raul placed her down on the bed, closing the door and turning off the lights, only the small rays of sun seeping through the window keeping the room slightly illuminated “No buts, you need to be taken care of too”

Y/N giggled softly and shook her head “fine, but you’ll rest too, right? It was late when you came to bed yesterday and we were up early”

“Of course, but don’t worry too much about me” he said as he grabbed a pair of sweatpants before stripping from his jeans and t-shirt.

“I’ll always care about you” she said nuzzling further into her pillow and pulling the blanket up her neck due to the AC Raul kept blasting.

He just had to smile at that, feeling all those mushy feelings inside as he climbed on the bed, before slipping under the duvet, a sigh of relief escaping him as he turned m on his side to face Y/N “I know, doll, just as I’ll always care about you” and she only hummed in response, her eyes slowly blinking closed.

Raul wish it was easier to hold back or even ignore all he felt towards her, but it was moments like this that made it nearly impossible.

She let herself be vulnerable and give up on her strong side for a second around him, saying all the things that made him melt into a puddle, gave him the softest smiles and gentlest touches, almost as if it was specially for him. And she did it all so naturally, so seemingly thoughtless, and it was hard to keep his heart from skipping a beat.

He had a hard time not leaning forward and stealing a small chaste kiss, or tucking her hair behind her ear, gently caressing her soft cheeks. Fuck, he had a hard time not touching her at all every single day. But in moments like this it was almost a resistant test, specially since he was so close and she looked so damn adorable.

So Raul gave in, carefully moving a hand up to her face, gently placing a strand of hair away from her beautiful face, thinking she was already asleep. But the smile blossoming on her lips told him otherwise. Y/N slowly opened her eyes to look at him as his hand froze just by her face, and she leaned into his touch as her lids fluttered closed, before letting her gaze fall on his face again.

“You’re warm” she almost whispered as she looked at him.

He smiled at her “are you cold, sweetheart?” to which she only shrugged.

“Not cold but not warm either” was all she said as fell back into her pillow “could use a personal heater like you”

“Well doll, you can” he said matter of factly after a couple of minutes and she only stared at him, seemingly confused “as your personal heater”

“Careful with what you offer” she said, slowly scooting closer to him and he chuckled.

Raul then laid on his back, carefully pulling her into his embrace and letting her adjust to how she wanted, and she settled to lay her head on his chest, throwing her arm over his stomach. Then he decided to start playing with her hair, knowing that would easily lull her into sleeping faster.

“Better?” he asked quietly and she slowly nodded her head, eyes already shut closed from what he could see.

“Thank you” Y/N mumbled, placing a kiss on top of his sternum and resuming her previous spot.

She was quick to fall back asleep after that, feeling all warm and secure and sleep was easy to find. Raul didn’t have trouble finding enough peace to relax. After everything he’s heard today from Jack and Geonoff, all of his problems and worries seemed to fade whenever she was around. So in less than ten minutes he was completely out, the only thing in his mind was the girl he held tightly to his chest.

-*-

The annoying and persistent buzzing coming from his side was what woke him up from his dreamless and peaceful slumber. Y/N still laying with her head on his chest as he held her close, her limbs tangled under the sheets as she breathed softly onto his skin. He almost forgot the reason he was up staring down at her, savoring every second and wishing for that to never be over.

But whoever was calling him was insistent and clueless. When the person doesn’t pick up the first time, you don’t call on a roll, damn it, they probably don’t want to talk to you!

Raul truly didn’t want to move and disturb the peaceful demeanor she had on, but he was afraid if he didn’t, the sound of the vibrating device would. So he turned avoiding move much to grab his phone from the nightstand that kept on furiously vibrating, seeing ‘Jack’ lighting up the screen and he almost chose to ignore the call, but ultimately giving up and swiping his thumb over the screen.

“What?” he whispered afraid to wake up the sleeping girl in his arms.

“Why are you whispering, dude?!” Jack’s voice boomed from his phone and he cursed under his breath, turning the volume down.

Raul then sighed “Y/N’s asleep, what the hell do you want?”

Jack hummed knowingly and he could almost picture the smirk on his friend’s face “sorry to bother your moment, bro, but Janet wants to make a video call so we can discuss everything properly and come up with a plan together for this weekend, in twenty minutes, but I’m sure we can change it to thirty, Tom’s not even here yet, so”

“Okay” he mumbled as he felt Y/N moving on top of him “I’ll wake her up and meet you there in a few”

“Great, bye now, go take care of your girl” Jack said with a laugh before turning off the phone.

Raul sighed throwing his phone amongst the covers, combing his fingers through his curls with his free hand and looked down as he head Y/N humming.

“Is everything okay?” she mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

Raul placed a kiss to the top of her head “yeah, Jack called to let us know that Janet wants a meeting in thirty”

Y/N sighed and nodded, but didn’t make a move to get up “wish I had another hour of sleep”

“Yeah, me too if I’m honest, but how about we go through this meeting and then come back to watch something, I’ll even order us sushi” he offered seeing as her head basically whipped back to look at him, eyes still hazy and a dopey smile on her lips as she placed her hands on his chest for leverage.

“Really?”

Raul chuckled nodding “Sure, whatever you want, sweetheart”

Y/N basically hoped off the bed which made him laugh harder “then what are you waiting for? Let’s get this over with!” the excitement practically rolled off of her in waves.

And what choice did he have other than follow her and get dressed?

-*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

-🌙

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veliseraptor · 3 years

Note

top 5 characters xue yang doesn't interact with in canon/on screen (your choice) but you'd like to see him interact with

hhhh oh my god this is a great question and the answer is kind of “all of them” because xue yang interacting with almost anyone is a recipe for excellent but. here goes, here’s my personal list of the interactions I really wanna see

1. Jiang Yanli. This is one where I’m actually going “I want this so much I’m writing a fic about it” though I’m not the first one. Look, I just think it’d be neat, and I think Xue Yang would really like her, which is kind of a mixed blessing in a lot of ways. But I do feel like there’s real potential for Xue Yang to be like ‘you were nice to me one time and now I will murder your enemies for you :)’ and Jiang Yanli is like. that’s nice but I have two brothers for that already actually.

2. Jiang Cheng. I might also write a fic about this too. It’s looking likely. I mean, I have to actually pull my shit together and write it, but it’s in my head because ‘Jiang Cheng dealing poorly with his issues + Xue Yang’ is squarely in the Venn diagram of my writing in this fandom. But also just...in CQL specifically very entertaining to imagine them running into each other in Jinlintai at one point where Jiang Cheng would be like “is that--?” and Xue Yang like “absolutely not :D.” I think it could be interesting. I think Xue Yang would find Jiang Cheng kind of funny, also.

3. Wen Qing. And yet again this is a “I didn’t think I wanted this but then someone made a suggestion and now I’m writing a fic about it” one. In CQLverse they could’ve met and I’m haunted by the curiosity of what that would look like, but in general in a Wen Qing lives AU where she’s imprisoned by Jin Guangyao...you cannot tell me Xue Yang would not want to talk to her about medical experimentation and mad science and also all things Yiling Laozu. Anyway, I just want to see it. I feel like Xue Yang would like her. The feeling is somewhat unlikely to be mutual, though.

4. Mo Xuanyu. This is a ‘they almost certainly did interact but we didn’t see it’ one and I feel like I want to, because it’d be messy and probably fucked up and I”m fascinated by the prospect, and also please see this fic that @mikkeneko wrote for me.

5. Jin Ling. But mostly I want this with, like, baby Jin Ling. i.e. the fic I wrote. I don’t think it’s nearly as funny with teenage Jin Ling and I just want the cognitive dissonance of ‘weird babysitter turns out to be notorious murderer.’

because, again, I think it’d be funny.

(writing this did also make me realize how many characters Xue Yang does interact with. he really does get around, doesn’t he.)

#xue yang #top five meme #the sad queer cultivators show #i'm answering these laughably out of order #neuxue #conversating

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octalove · 4 years

Text

IV: The Dinner

(Batgirl/Red Hood)

Brief note; per demand, this little trilogy will now be an ongoing series🥺thank u all for the support! i was not expecting it at all. ur comments make my day!! i hope u enjoy this chapter bearing in mind that i wasn’t intending on a full length fic, so i hope u can put up with any missteps in the plot or writing. i’m making it up as i go. kiss kiss

Description: Reader makes an ally, and attends a tense dinner. part one, two, and three.

A mild blue dawn was just beginning to flit through the blinds, and I sighed heavily, stretching a little, and running a hand across my face. My skin was cold to the touch. Rolling over stiffly, I glanced at the clock on my nightstand.

5:26a.m.

Nineteen minutes before my alarm. I was too cold to go back to sleep, I knew, as much as Alfred had requested I try and get more of it. Pulling myself up, the sheets slipped off my bare shoulders and folded onto themselves. Once in a blue moon, I would forego making it up again, usually accompanied by an excuse. Today, I didn’t have one. I put my feet on the floor, mind buzzing.

I was done tossing and turning, and decided to get up and shower. Afterward, I threw on my uniform, and got to work on my face. A little bronzy eyeshadow, some mascara and lip balm. I could’ve turned my face into a work of art, but I was tired from my sleepless night and doing much else seemed like a strain.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” I was expecting Bruce or Alfred, but I caught Tim’s reflection in my vanity mirror.

“Hey.” He said.

“Good morning.” I replied tensely. He sat on my bed. Okay. Weird. Tim was a year younger than me- but always ordained himself something of an older brother. His brainpower made learned helplessness and easy state to slip into when he was around- always fixing my PS4, or recovering lost files from my laptop. When we first met, I used to use those things as a crutch to interact with him, as neither of us were particularly forthcoming. These days, we were as close as any pair of siblings.

“What’s up?” I asked, tucking away my mascara wand.

“Oh, I just thought I’d… check up on you. Before school started.”

I was the only one of the Waynes attending Gotham Academy at the moment. Damian was still at Gotham Prep, but by the time he would attend next year, I’d be graduated. I wondered if Tim ever missed it. He garnered his fair share of attention; mostly because of his attractive status and predisposition of agreeability. Before he dropped out, I used the be the subject of mediation for every eligible teenage girl that wanted to get to know my brother- no, the other one. With the soft hair. The chem tutor.

I laughed a little. “Do I seem like I need it?” Tim shrugged. I got up and plopped on the duvet beside him. My window was open a crack, filling the room with a chilly breeze and the scent of moisture and petrichor.

“Did Bruce make you get up for this?” I tried again, keeping my playful tone. He sighed and shook his head.

“Bruce isn’t the only one who’s noticed you lately.” He said, with contrasting seriousness that made my smile fall.

“What’s there to notice? Seriously.” I questioned.

He sighed again and twisted his lip. I knew what that meant. He was about to list everything different I’d been doing for the past three weeks, either alphabetically or by severity. “You look tired. You get home and go straight to your room. You keep fidgeting during briefings. You look distracted. You’re avoiding Damian- which, I get it- but like, more than usual. Dick said you haven’t texted him all week. You usually have something to say about your day at dinner, but-“

“Okay. I get it.”

A brief moment passed, where I watched him pull a looser string from the duvet.

“I know you went somewhere. On the 21st, when we were patrolling in Otisburg. You went somewhere for forty-two minutes.”

I blinked. “Oh.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything-“ He added quickly, looking at me. “Really, I have know idea why you left. I’m sure it was nothing, I just… you’ve been acting weird ever since. Where did you go?”

I swallowed, and my intestines felt like lead. Really, I was relieved. Here I was, in my room I’d decorated with Wayne money, with my brother who evidently cared enough about me to notice my typical word count at dinner, asking me what was wrong. And a lot was wrong.

So, I smoothed my plaid skirt and told him about the night of the 21st- and only that. From Red Hood, to Hoffman, to the warehouse. Every vivid detail I could remember. I decided to leave out my little truancy adventure, along with meeting him in the alley. Lifting up his mask. Having his exposed skin close enough to touch. His gunpowder smell. By the end, Tim was frowning. The following silence could’ve crushed a coke can.

“Shit.” He muttered.

“Yeah.” I echoed. “Shit.”

He didn’t asked why I didn’t tell Bruce. Or Anyone. He didn’t ask why it was so important to me to do this by myself. All he did was take in the information and start putting it together.

“Jesus- you could’ve died. But all that Hoffman stuff. Why you?”

“Exactly!” I breathed.

Another knock on the door, and Alfred’s voice carried through, telling me it was time to go. I got up. Tim nodded and followed suit, no doubt carrying my every last recounting in his piggy-bank memory.

“Please don’t tell Bruce.” I said, some amount of fear slipping into my voice. “I know it was a stupid thing to do and it was stupid not to tell anyone. But he’ll never trust me again.” Tim hesitated at the door.

“There’s nothing to tell.”

I climbed into the backseat of the car, and stared at the cityscape running past the windows. The anxiety had lifted. One of my growing number of secrets revealed. In its wake, the sudden absence left a sense of clarity. I remembered why I had kept it to begin with.

Dick was gifted. The first. The talented boy who could fly. Babs and Tim were brilliant; genius far beyond the confines of academia. Damian was skilled. Trained from birth, the blood son. It nestled here him neatly, right where he belonged. What was I? I wasn’t born with athletic ability beyond my years, or genius intellect. Without that information- without my secrets- I had nothing else to give.

Thursday night was dinner. The whole family. It was Bruce’s excuse to drag Dick out of his apartment in Blüdhaven, and for Alfred to exercise a new recipe, since everyone was on a strict lean-means and superfoods regimen every other waking day. Babs attended occasionally, when work didn’t keep her busy, and Tim was only allowed to pass if he promised to rest instead.

I met his eyes as everyone was rounded into the dining room by Alfred like a herd of sheep; he gave me some imperceptible knowing look that promised to keep my secret.

We sat down and sipped water from crystal glasses as the table was set with food, muttering amongst ourselves about our days. Dick was given a coffee with the wrong name (‘Nick’), Babs met up with her friend from high school (Olivia something or other), and Damian completed a group project with some incompetent classmates (they all were- even the professors). Vigilante talk wasn’t forbidden, but generally skirted around so as to offer a small reprieve of normalcy during the week.

There was an exception to this unspoken rule when there was a particularly exciting case on the table. Unfortunately for me and my anxiety, the case of the Red Hood was a very exciting one.

“Any new breaks with Red Hood?” Dick asked through miso soup. Bruce sighed.

“He made some movements in Robbinsville. Gone before we could get there. He’s got his men on a tight leash- we couldn’t get any of them to talk.”

“Course not. There’s rumors flying all over the department. One of the Ioveanu family branches payed out a huge security detail for their private mansion.”

“He hasn’t hunted anyone in their home, has he?” I asked. I pictured him standing in front of me- maskless, in my academy uniform.

“No, it’s not his MO.” Barbara answered.

“Not yet. It’s only been six months, and he’s progressing rapidly.” Bruce diagnosed grimly.

“Are you scared he’s gonna join us for dinner?” Dick joked, throwing a wink my way.

“Haha.” I muttered. Actually, I hadn’t slept because of the very idea.

“If you’re nervous, you could always stay home next patrol.” Damian suggested pointedly. To him, existing in the realm of crimefighting was a competition, and he was always looking for others to drop out of the race. I resisted the urge to fling a pea at him.

“I’m not nervous.” I said coolly.

“You’ve been practically trembling since we fought his pathetic lackeys.”

“Damian.” Bruce warned, from the head of the table. I flipped the smallest Wayne the middle finger. He resigned, but I swore I saw amusement on his lips.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Red Hood is very skilled and very prolific. It’s a daunting case.” Bruce continued.

“Thanks, but I’m okay. Really.” I said, trying not to sound annoyed, and feeling like a spotlight was over my head, operated by the ghost of Hoffman. I almost laughed as I pictured it.

“That’s good to hear. We’ve been concerned.” Alfred added.

“Wow. I’m the star of the show around here.” I remarked dryly.

“We can’t help it, Miss Independent.” Dick said teasingly. “You’re just a good mystery.”

“Reminds me of Talia.” Tim said casually. The silverware stopped clanging.

It was a shameless subject change. Damian’s mother was an inflammatory topic for all parties. Bruce’s moral contempt didn’t reach the likes of Talia Al Ghul and Selena Kyle, immoral though they were. Beauty makes anything charming- and when paired with an impeccable taste in dress, even murder and thievery can be minimized into something of a quirk. Bruce thought so, anyway.

As for Damian, he had grappled with his dismissal from Talia’s side for what was now a majority of his life, and still possessed this deep-rooted, inextinguishable attachment to his mother. It was the hollow soreness any young boy would have in his position. Tim called him mama’s boy until he finally displayed a frightening amount of disdain for the title and actually begged him to stop. Tim agreed to, and I agreed to pretend I never heard a thing.

Dick disagreed with both of those sentiments and viewed Talia as someone who wasn’t worth the trouble. His dismissal embarrassed Bruce and offended Damian, so I knew the dinner table had been sufficiently turned into a powder keg. Tim and I shared a look as I expressed silent gratefulness, and he resigned to inspecting a dumpling, while I picked around my haka noodles.

The rest of dinner was quiet. Somehow, somewhere in the silence all had been decidedly forgiven. First by Babs who asked me to pass the pepper. Then by Dick who said the vegetables were good. Thank you, Alfred. Damian still looked pissed, and Bruce kept stealing glances at the clock.

I texted Tim under the table.

Thanks for taking one for the team.

The reply: You owe me one. I think Damian’s gonna poison my food.

We both glanced at the youngest, who was darkly mesmerized by what appeared to be Tim’s soup bowl.

He quickly added, Wait, actually tho? And we both fought laughter like two kids in the back of the class. It felt good to have an ally. Even if he still didn’t know the whole truth.

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itsomgitsgreenblogging · 4 years

Text

Labor of Love Chapter 4: A Critical Role Fanfic

Let me just say this, this pandemic has really been messing with my productivity. But in weird ways, like, some days I got through 1000 words, the next day I would barely write three sentences. Crazy times. This chapter...we got romantic progression. Which is exciting because that means next chapter will be dedicated to panicking. I love panicking.

As always, thank you everyone for the mountain of support I have received on this fic. Really, reading the comments and the reblog tags and everything is what kept me going.

Enjoy!

Read on Tumblr (CH 1, CH2, and CH 3)

Read on AO3

Preview:

Elves didn’t need to sleep as other species did, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t. Essek actively avoided sleep, mostly because he didn’t enjoy dreaming. He didn’t know how people did it every night, go under and then have your brain spew out images and sequences that didn’t make any rational sense. Essek liked everything organized, separated out, and delineated neatly with understandable criteria. Having a strange dream where he was being crushed under some warm weight definitely was not any of those things, and Essek didn’t appreciate it one bit...

...and then Essek tried to take a breath and he realized he wasn’t dreaming rather immediately. He woke up with a panicked start. Frumpkin, Caleb’s cat who took up residence in the bakery, was laying on his chest and had a paw on Essek’s mouth. He was batting at him like he had expected Essek to be dead, and when Essek awoke the cat blinked at him with wide luminous yellow eyes. He was an adorable mongrel, fluffy and orange...and large. He was at least ten pounds if not heavier and had taken residence on his body like he was the couch Essek was laying on.

“As cute as you are...I cannot allow you to kill me,” Essek informed the cat. “I’m sorry if I took your spot though.”

“Mrrp?” Frumpkin asked cutely, tufted ears flicking to the front.

“I know, I’m confused too,” Essek said as he managed to sit up. The cat offered no resistance and slid into his lap, only meowed plaintively at Essek’s movement and the loss of his comfy spot. Maybe it was because the cat looked so sad, or maybe he really was just losing his edge, but when he stood up he scooped the cat in his arms. He gave the cat a quick bounce, like he had seen mothers do for babies. For a moment, again, Essek swore his eyes flashed blue but it was probably the light. The cat cocked his head at Essek like he didn’t understand what he was doing...and to be fair Essek didn’t either. Essek carefully settled the cat down, earning a final meow before the cat trotted off.

The house itself was quiet and dark, the clock on the kitchen wall read 3:00 AM. He must have fallen asleep on the couch...how utterly embarrassing. Essek had to decide what he could do then...would he sneak out without a word or should he leave a note of some kind. He didn’t want the Mighty Nein to think him unappreciative...but he also wanted nothing more than to go home, bury his head in his own sheets, and let the heat in his cheeks fade until he was his usual cold, icy shell of a person.

A note would do, Essek thought. He would leave them a note, thanking them for their hospitality but saying how he had needed to get home-

His plans were immediately dashed by Caleb appearing in the kitchen. He was dressed in his uniform, the plan shirt and jeans. But his hair was bed-mussed, and he looked half-asleep on his feet.

“You should still be sleeping,” Caleb noted with a frown. “It’s much too early for you to be up.”

“Drow,” Essek said, pointing at himself. “I only need four hours to trance...about the same or less sleep when that happens. And you are certainly one to talk, you are a human. Aren’t humans supposed to sleep eight hours?”

“Baker’s hours,” Caleb explained, rubbing at his face before literally running into the wall. “Sheisse! I gotta be at the bakery for four...didn’t get to sleep until twelve...”

“Please, before you hurt yourself,” Essek motioning towards the stool by the kitchen island. “I’ll make some coffee for you.”

Caleb blinked owlishly at Essek, as if now just truly registering his existence for the first time. To be fair, this did all feel like a dream.

“You don’t have to-”

“I am not good at much in the kitchen, but I do pride myself on making a decent cup of coffee,” Essek promised him. “It at least keeps me alive and functional. Now, if you don’t mind?”

Caleb sat down, following Essek’s request. There was an ancient looking percolator on the backburner of the stove, which Essek was grateful for. It wasn’t the Marquesian Press that Essek had in his own apartment, but Essek was certain it would brew a decent cup. Instant cup coffee machines were a new invention, and certainly were useful. But the coffee itself was just never as good as when you took the time.

Essek filled the percolator with water and set the water to boil. He measured out a solid four tablespoons of ground coffee he found nestled between a sugar bowl and a honey jar, packing it down, placing the lid on the filter before putting it into the boiling water and covered it with the cap itself. As he let that boil and steep away he caught a glimpse at Caleb, who had mostly melted into the island, head in his arms. Frumpkin was curled next to him, tail swishing lazily. It was the tail running against Caleb’s bare arms that made Essek notice the scars there. They were old...pale against his fair freckled skin and red hair, marking up both forearms.

Not your business, Essek told himself firmly, taking the bread on the counter and slicing it for toast and popping it in the toaster. Essek spied some apples, in a bowl and set to cutting them up as he waited. He didn’t know what Caleb even ate in the morning...he just hoped that toast, coffee, and an apple would be enough. As he chopped, Essek felt like he was doing some pale imitation of a housewife from an Empire sitcom. Essek didn’t make breakfast...he didn’t even cook. When he was on his own he made smoothies or rice. He bought breakfast at Caleb’s bakery in the morning when he didn’t. Essek didn’t understand this strange urge to do this, but felt if he didn’t he would be crippled by his own conscience.

The coffee was done, and the toast popped up around the same time. And Essek settled it all in front of Caleb, who was definitely asleep from the way his breaths drew in and out calmly and deeply. Essek looked at Caleb for a long moment, taking in this quiet stolen moment of intimacy. Essek wanted to let him keep sleeping, but as Essek knew so well, Caleb’s job was important to him...and it was important to Essek.

Gently...Essek settled his hands on Caleb’s forearm and hand. Essek could nearly feel the warmth emanating from him where he was sitting, pressed recently out from his sheets, and cringed at the thought of his cold hands pulling him from that. Caleb made a noise, a soft...vulnerable release of breath and Essek felt like his heart was being wringed dry...dragged out from whatever dark musty cobweb covered corner that Essek hid it in because Essek had never wanted to kiss someone so badly before in his life.

“Caleb,” Essek murmured, forcing his voice to be calm and even.

“Hm?” Caleb asked drowsily, attempting to drag his arms closer to his head...a strangely boyish and charming attempt to hide from waking up.

“How do you take your coffee?” Essek asked him quickly removing his hands (even though he could have lingered in that moment forever), and this drew Caleb up...eyes fluttering open and squinting blearily. “And what would you like on your toast?”

“A little milk or cream...whatever we have in the fridge,” Caleb said, rubbing his face and running his fingers through his hair as Essek opened the fridge. When he turned back, his curls were even less tamed then before. “And...just butter, there’s marmalade in the fridge too.”

“There,” Essek said, pouring in a dash of milk into the coffee and setting the butter dish and bright orange fruit preserves on the table next to it besides the cut up apple. “Eat and wake up.”

“You didn’t have to do this,” Caleb said, reaching for the mug as Essek poured his own cup.

“No, I didn’t. But what can I say, I’m a kind and caring person,” Essek said with a sarcastic smile, taking a sip from his own mug. The coffee was smooth and had a nice body to it. “But please...this is just the bare minimum.”

“It’s good,” Caleb said, his voice dipping and his accent drawing out the vowels. He took a second drink before giving Essek a look with humor glinting in his blue eyes. “You wouldn’t be in the market for a job as a barista, would you?”

“Oh please,” Essek said with a roll of his eyes.

“I’m not kidding! You are obviously very talented.”

“That’s my secret. I’m good at everything,” Essek said, raising his mug to hide his smile, basking at the compliment.

“Oh? Really?”

“And I’m terribly competitive. Give me your recipe book and teach me to bake and I’ll put you out of business in three months.”

“That I don’t doubt. I certainly wouldn’t want you as a business competitor,” Caleb chuckled.

“Thankfully for everyone, I am not in business,” Essek said, sitting across from Caleb. “And I also can’t bake so the Xhorhaus Bakery is safe for now.”

“We will all sleep well tonight with that knowledge,” Caleb said, slathering his toast with butter and marmalade and taking a bite. “Why don’t you have some?”

“I’m fine,” Essek said, taking another sip of his coffee. “I won’t be hungry for a few hours yet if at all...I find it difficult to eat in the morning generally. I’m content where I am.”

“Keeping me company?” Caleb asked with a quirk of his lips.

“If you don’t mind it,” Essek said.

“No, I enjoy your company.”

“You are a rare breed,” Essek noted.

“Clearly they are lacking taste,” Caleb hummed.

“Perhaps,” Essek said with a smile.

“It’s too early for you guys to be flirting,” Beau said as she burst into the kitchen. Essek felt his face heat up. “Sweet, is that coffee?”

“I believe it’s time for me to go regardless,” Essek said, moving by Beauregard to settle his mug in the sink, shoving everything down where he couldn’t feel anything because he needed to focus and escape this situation as quickly as possible. Her words were echoing in his head, thrumming like his desperate heartbeat. “Enjoy the coffee.”

“Essek,” Caleb said, sounding hopeful. “This was fun...we...we should do this again sometime.”

“Ah, yes-I mean, sometime, yes,” Essek said, cringing as he grabbed his coat and hastily yanked on his shoes.

He was out the door at a solid half-run, shoving his hands in his coat pocket, dragging out his keys and jabbing them into the ignition. He was halfway down the street, holding back a scream as he did so. Do it again sometime, Caleb wanted to do it again sometime. How? Why? It didn’t make any sense. But Essek couldn’t control the desperate beating of his heart and the heat in his face and the way his stomach was full of a fluttering sensation he couldn’t name.

Flirting. She was right, he had been flirting! Flirting with Caleb. As if that was supposed to help him or this or make anything better? Essek couldn’t think that way, but that was the problem he hadn’t been thinking. What on Exandria had he been doing? Making him breakfast and falling asleep in his damn house with not a care in the world and…! He stopped at a red light and watched a couple cross, pushing their kid in a baby carriage. Then, it smacked Essek in the face like a fireball.

Oh.

Oh no.

...he was in love, wasn’t he? This wasn’t just some vague interest or errant attraction. He was in love, Essek was in love with Caleb.

Someone honked at him and he realized he'd been sitting at a green light. Thankfully moments later he turned into the parking for his own building. He settled his forehead against the steering wheel, letting the waves of emotion wash over him. Essek wanted to scream. What was he supposed to do? What did people do when they were in love? How did people handle it? How was Essek supposed to deal with this situation?

“Alright, Theylss. It’s time to think. What do you want?” Essek demanded of himself, staring at his own reflection as he pulled down the mirror. Essek looked exhausted and vaguely unhinged to his own eyes. “Screw the rest of them, what do you want?”

What does he want? He supposed that was the million platinum question. Did he want this to be a light flirtation? Something hot and heavy and fast? Or did he want something to build his life on? Caleb wanted to do it again sometime...wanted to spend time with him and banter over coffee. And Essek found that he wanted that more than anything he could imagine, wanted it so bad he could almost taste it like coffee and sweets and something warm that he could dwell in forever.

But what if I ruin it? There came the part of Essek that he just couldn’t ignore. You’ll get hasty, you’ll make a mistake, and then the way you are won’t be a choice anymore...it’ll be your fault. It’s not safe. But...could he live with himself if he didn’t try?

“Nothing I do is safe,” Essek told himself sternly, snapping up his mirror and exiting the car.

---------

So now that Essek had realized that he was in love with Caleb and wanted something to happen with that love, what was he to do with that information was on his mind? Well, he knew what the next logical step was. Most people that desired a romantic relationship with someone else asked that other person on a date.

“A date,” Essek muttered, splashing his own face with water and then getting to work on his cleanser.

What would Caleb want? Essek didn’t really know enough about him to know. He wanted to learn so badly though, so the date itself should be conducive to learning. Essek, also, found most of the trendy dates they covered in the publication to be outright cringe worthy. As if the stress of trying to escape from an escape room would be good to test out a spark? Dinner perhaps? Everyone ate dinner. He could ask Caleb out for dinner. If he got the feeling it was going well...then maybe it could be a date. If not, he could just commit to enjoying Caleb’s presence and friendship and pine like a lovesick fool.

“Don’t rush into things,” Essek warned his reflection, smoothing on moisturizer and looking at himself critically. As usual his skin looked unmarked and unblemished...but...he could always go for a facial. His hair too could be done to be the tiniest fraction neater. It might be worth going to the bath house...but no, he was overthinking it...like always. He just needed to do it, find the right moment and ask Caleb out.

Essek went to the bakery that morning as usual, though nothing else about the situation felt like normal. The line was full of the usual customers, the regulars that Essek could almost consider them acquaintances at this point even if they had never spoken a word to each other. The orc secretary from the building across from Essek’s, the drow woman who was always bouncing a baby or pushing a carriage, the dwarf running over for his coworkers from the auto shop two doors down.

Essek got to the front of the line, and saw Caleb there. He looked tired, but smiled as soon as he saw Essek. There was flour splashed against the front of his apron, and the dusting of something pink on his cheek, and Essek swore he had never seen a man so beautiful before in his whole damn life. Who knew that knowing someone and loving them could make them more beautiful? It all had to be brain chemistry, it couldn’t be really true, but it felt true.

“Guten Morgen,” Caleb said. “The usual?”

“Ah, yes, and what do you have for breakfast today?” Essek asked, his voice normal to his own ears (thankfully).

“Jester was in the mood for some doughnuts, so I’ll be happy to put together a dozen for you,” Caleb said with a little smile. Jester. She was dancing behind the counter on the other side, chatting with usuals. She spotted him and waved, and Essek waved back numbly. She was beautiful, that was just plain to see. Essek wasn’t attracted to women like that but he knew it to be true. Caleb had smiled about Jester...what if? No. Essek scolded himself. It didn’t hurt to ask.

“Yes, I’ll do that,” Essek said, not really thinking about the logistics of twelve doughnuts. Someone would have to eat them...he couldn’t horde them to himself, after all. (Even though each individual doughnut was probably delicious enough to warrant such behavior.)

“I believe you’ll especially enjoy the black moss one,” Caleb said motioning to that specific doughnut in the case, punching in his order.

“Receipt today please,” Essek said, the thought suddenly springing into his head… a plan sprouting quickly. Caleb printed out the receipt for him and turned to gather up his doughnuts. As he did so, Essek scrawled his number with his name on the back and slipped it into the tip container before Caleb turned back with his box.

"Have a good day," Caleb said with a smile.

"Yes, you too," Essek said, stomach twisted in his anxiety as he rushed out the door.

Ball was in his court now. Caleb could text Essek, or he wouldn’t. And then if Caleb did decide to text Essek, Essek would ask Caleb out to dinner. Really, it was a perfect solution to the problem he was facing (which was, of course, the issue of the fear of being known).

Essek arrived at work carrying both the drinks and the box of doughnuts. He handed Quana’s and Leylas’ regular orders to their secretary and then settled down at his desk as he waited for the first meeting of the day that would begin in approximately fifteen minutes. Leylas was meeting with some TV producer and a creative director to hash out exactly what she did and did not want aired on TV. He eyed the box of doughnuts, before flipping the lid just to satisfy his curiosity.

Each doughnut was frosted with different decorations. There were two plain glazed, two chocolate glazed, and one plain and one cinnamon sugar it looked like. The rest were filled doughnuts, dusted with confectioners sugar or frosted with flowers or fruits decorating the sides. He picked up a doughnut, unable to resist it. It was quite beautiful, golden brown with a white frosting a single beautifully piped flower. Essek took a bite, if only to sate his grumbling stomach and wasn’t disappointed. It melted in his mouth. Black moss was a recent phenomenon, and the taste was much like a high quality green tea, subtly sweet and with deep earthy notes. But of course...the frosting was vanilla and almond and just the hint of lemon...sweet and deliciously sour and pairing perfectly with the filling.

Lemon again...that fool, Essek thought feeling oddly emotional because Caleb knew what his favorite flavor was. Not that he had ever had a favorite flavor before, but he didn't think anyone had ever cared enough about him to learn.

Essek looked at the top of the doughnut and realized that though there hadn’t been something written before, there was something written now. It’ll be a sweet day! The handwriting was feminine and looping and had hearts in place of periods, most likely Jester’s doing. Essek smiled at the doughnut in his hand. It was a very cute, and as always inventive use for the spell Illusory Script. He wondered how they had worked out that trigger. It was almost a shame to eat it, though, he finished the whole doughnut quickly. When you were eating something that disappeared like that, it almost felt like you were eating air. It was too good to feel bad about, though he made sure to close the box and push it as far away from his hands as he could. He definitely didn’t want to push his luck on a second doughnut.

Essek was in the middle of these thoughts when his phone vibrated, startling him out of his own brain. Essek nearly slammed his phone down onto the desk, screen down so he didn’t have to look at the message at first and then felt stupid for doing so. What if it was just a business text? What if it was his boss? He couldn’t just flinch and dither around all day like he was some lovestruck bachelor waiting by the door for word of an accepted engagement offer. He had a job to do, he couldn’t forget that. After all, his job was one of the one things that he was actually good at.

He turned his phone over, and saw it was definitely not his boss. It was an unknown number...and under it a message for him.

Hello this is Caleb. Is this Essek?

Oh Luxon, it was happening. He had really texted him. What did people normally do in situations like this? How long should he wait before texting back? It had already been two minutes since he had received the text, that should be an appropriate amount of time. After all, for work, under five minutes tended to be the sweet spot for communication. But what should he say? That was a whole other can of wyrms.

Hello, yes, this is Essek. Essek sent as he mushed ahead without a second thought, and then was immediately washed with a sense of existential dread so strong he wanted to bash his head into the desk. He reread his own response, wishing that he had majored in the dunamantic study of reversing time. He was being so formal and stilted. How was he supposed to bring up the idea of a date naturally in this state? Obviously someone was punishing him for his avarice and naturally impossible good looks. Really this was what he deserved. Maybe he shouldn’t have bad talked the Luxon so much as an angsty teenager.

His phone buzzed in his hand, making him nearly drop it. He scrambled to right it in his fingers and read what Caleb had written.

I’m glad, I had totally forgotten to ask you for your number the other day, was Caleb’s response. And then the second message came through before Essek could truly emotionally process what was going on, I meant what I said, I would like to spend more time with you if you would like?

“Oh fuck it,” Essek muttered to himself, throwing caution to the wind.

I was wondering if you would be interested in dinner? Essek sent, feeling his heart pounding in his ears as he did so. He waited for what seemed like an eternity, of agonizing over a single message because what if Essek had read this all wrong? What if Caleb didn’t feel the things that Essek did during those stolen moments during the day?

His phone pinged, and Essek scrambled to open it up.

Yes, I am.

Just that was enough to relieve the pressure he had found on his lungs, allowing him to draw in a deep breath. Caleb was interested. He was interested in dinner. Then to his surprise another text came through immediately after.

Tonight?

Tonight? Essek thought, mind reeling. He didn't have anything going on tonight. He could do it tonight. Could he get a table anywhere decent though was the question. He pulled up a certain restaurant and looked at the number. He may need to name drop. But, he could probably get it done...after all he was Essek Theylss. Getting things done how he wanted them was what he did for a career. He quickly managed to secure a table, and within five minutes he was typing back to Caleb.

Tonight it is. I’ll send you the address.

I’ll see you then.

Essek settled down his phone, attempting to control his urge to smile as he spun in his chair. Tonight, a date with Caleb tonight. Even if Caleb hadn’t read it as such, he could make this work to his favor regardless. Something to look forward to...that was another thing that Caleb had given him that had broken the monotony of Essek’s routine. It took so little to make him happy recently...another new development that was all Caleb’s fault. Just this...the promise of seeing Caleb again was enough.

“Essek, meeting’s starting,” Quana said as she walked by his desk. Essek stood up, pocketing his phone as he did so and grabbing his tablet.

“Thank you,” Essek told her as he walked beside her.

“Did something good happen?” Quana asked suspiciously.

“Perhaps,” Essek answered, his smile rehearsed...and yet, feeling more genuine than it ever had before.

------

Essek looked at himself in the mirror again. As always, he looked attractive. The trip after work to the barber had been worth the trouble he thought as he inspected the neat lines and cut of his hair. He still didn’t know if Caleb was attracted to men...or drow. He had heard that some people were particular about species, though he had never understood attraction to begin with so he certainly wasn’t an expert. But...he hadn’t pulled away when Essek had touched his arm...so that was a good sign that maybe he was in luck. Regardless, Essek found it hard to believe that many could resist his good looks. It happened of course, but, his pretty face could only serve as a boon tonight.

He had dressed in a charcoal grey suit, and was finishing tying his tie as his phone rang. Thinking it might be Caleb he excitedly picked it up, only to feel his face twist. Ugh. This was the last thing he wanted right now. Looking seriously at the caller ID on his phone, and knowing that if he didn’t answer he would be in a whole world of trouble, he sighed as he answered the call and opened his closet. He scanned the rack he kept of his shoes, looking for something formal but comfortable.

“Yes mother?” Essek asked her, voice clipped and short even to his own ears.

“Is that any way to greet your mother?” Dierta asked with a sigh, though she didn’t sound too annoyed with Essek. She had to be used to his attitude at this point in their relationship after all.

“I’m just a little busy at the moment,” Essek said, picking out a pair of black shoes and setting them down on the floor. “What did you need?”

“Essek, we’re going to have a dinner tonight with Den VeSunn, and we’ll-”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not available tonight,” Essek said with a sigh, managing to get his first shoe on by shoving it on his foot, but he almost lost his balance. He settled down on the couch, hoping to not repeat that performance. He found the second shoe was much easier to pull on sitting.

“You aren’t available?” Dierta asked incredulously. “What? Is Leylas having a party or something? I certainly wasn’t invited to one.”

“No, Mother, I have plans tonight so I will be unavailable,” Essek repeated as he walked over to his dresser and picked out some earrings that capped the end of his ear and dangled attractively without being too ostentatious. He put his mother on speaker so he could use both hands and not stab himself. He doubted that Caleb would find bleeding or bruised ears attractive.

“You have plans?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” Essek asked sarcastically, and considering the noise his mother gave him on the other side of the line apparently it was.

“What could be more important than this?” Dierta demanded incredulously, sounding more annoyed than anything.

“If you must know, I have a date tonight,” Essek said with a snap at his phone, finally losing his well worn sense of patience. “Does that satisfy your need to know?”

There was silence on the other side of the line. It was long enough that he stopped what he was doing and confirmed that his mother hadn’t hung up on him. For a dark moment Essek was sure he had given his mother a heart attack and would now only be known as that poor son of a bitch who had killed his mother by having a social life. He realized then that he didn’t think he had ever told his mother about any of his dates before...not that he had gone on more than a handful, and he certainly hadn’t gone on any within the past five years. Oh Gods...what have a I done? Essek thought hopelessly. Why did I feel the need to tell her?

“Really?” Dierta asked, sounding shocked and delighted and stopping Essek from texting his brother to go check on her. Essek could feel a headache coming on. “What’s her den? Her name? Her profession-”

“Goodbye mother,” Essek said forcefully before hanging up the phone.

Essek shook his head and fixed his tie, looking in the mirror one last time before grabbing his keys. The drive itself felt like the longest ten minutes of his life, but thankfully he wasn’t inundated with calls from his mother or the den demanding answers. When he got to the restaurant he was about five minutes early, just as he had planned. He confirmed with the host about his seat, and he was brought over to a table in a more private section of the restaurant.

“Would you like to start with a drink, sir?” a waiter asked him.

“Just water to start, I’ll wait for my companion before ordering anything,” Essek told him, and as the waiter smiled and went to do as Essek asked. He took a moment to put his phone on silent and tuck it away in his jacket pocket. He didn’t even want to think about seeing any of his mother’s texts or emails from work. For once, Essek was truly on his own time.

It was a moment later that Caleb appeared, looking winded. He was dressed in a white cable knit sweater and tan slacks, his hair was half pulled back in a bun with red curls lapping at his neck. When he saw Essek he smiled, looking relieved.

“I’m sorry, I got a bit caught up with the bakery,” Caleb said breathlessly. “Guten abend, Essek.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Essek said, motioning to the other seat in front of him. Caleb took it. “Thank you for joining me tonight.”

“Please don’t thank me,” Caleb said with a warm...hopeful smile. “I’ve been looking forward to this since you asked me.”

“I...same,” Essek said, unable to come up with anything else to say really. What could he say? I’m sorry if this is an inconvenience but I’m in love with you and if you don’t love me back I’ll respect that but pine after you for the rest of my life like some sort of tragic widower waiting for her long lost husband who had been taken by the sea? Granted, that was all true, but it sounded pathetic when he laid it out like that.

“I’ve never been here before,” Caleb said as he looked around. “I don’t think I’ve eaten traditional Xhorhassian food before either.”

“You haven’t?” Essek asked, surprised.

“I have to admit...it’s a bit intimidating,” Caleb chuckled. “I grew up with a selection of eating potatoes, bread, and maybe a turnip or an apple for some variety.”

“There’s a lot of fermenting...vegetables especially. Use of mushrooms, and of course, whatever animals that are natural to the region. Also, of course, rice. Tell me, how are you with spice?”

“I’m fairly alright with spice,” Caleb said.

“I have a few favorites here and I’d be happy to point them out to you, but, when the waiter comes back we can order drinks first. No need to rush,” Essek said, spying the waiter returning with water. “Order anything you’d like.”

“This has to be one of the most expensive restaurants in the city,” Caleb said, sounding incredulous as he looked at the menu and did a double take.

“And I’m paying for it,” Essek told him, crossing his legs. “Whatever you want, I’m completely serious.”

“You shouldn’t-”

“Don’t argue with me, just enjoy this.”

“Alright then...there’s a saying about a gift and a horse but I don’t remember how it goes. Ach, I don’t know enough about Xhorhassian liquor to make an educated decision,” Caleb said, mouth quirking in a teasing smile. “And I don’t know what would go best with any food.”

“Well, for once I believe I have an idea. My personal favorite appetizer here is the Turtle Bone Soup, though, the spicy fried spider legs are quite good too. I’ve heard that...for your reference, turtles taste a bit like beef and spiders are like crab.”

“Turtle?” Caleb asked with a surprised laugh. “I haven’t had a turtle before in that way...I’ll have to give it a try.”

And so Essek ordered the two bowls of soup and a platter of the fried spider legs to share. As they waited they began to talk, first about the Mighty Nein itself. Essek couldn’t help but indulge his curiosity about what pit fighting must have been like. The answer was terrifying but very profitable. Caleb also recounted his first meeting with the other members of his friend group, laughing about how Jester had nearly broken all the windows in the bar with her demonstration of her magic.

“So she is a cleric?” Essek asked, taking a spoonful of his soup. The food itself was delicious, the meaty savory broth a perfect pairing with the spicey sauce and sweet meat of the spider legs and the cold root vegetable slaw that they served on the side. It was strange...he had eaten this exact order before...but he could have sworn it hadn’t tasted as delicious. He wondered if there was a new chef. “I was wondering, though, I hadn’t recognized the symbol on her bracelet.”

“I’m surprised she hasn’t mentioned the Traveler to you yet,” Caleb noted. “She’s quite...taken with him, would be the best way to put it.”

“My mother is the same way,” Essek commented with a sip of his wine. “She had always been a religious woman, so I’m used to spontaneous religious lectures.”

“If it isn't rude to ask...what deity does your family worship?”

“The Luxon,” Essek said, “though I’m not religious...don’t tell my mother that though.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Is the rest of your family religious then?”

“It’s hard to say,” Essek sighed, swirling the wine in his glass. “My mother has had a few relationships in her life, she is long lived. I’m not particularly close to my half siblings as a result of them being...oh, about a hundred years older than me. My brother...well, I wouldn’t say he’s too religious but he’s more religious than me.”

“You have a big family?”

“Technically. We are drow, blessed with long natural lives and large dens. It leads to relatively complex family trees and strange family get-togethers,” Essek explained. “What about you?”

“I...ah…” Caleb said, a shadow quickly falling across Caleb’s features. Phantom pain twisted there, like Essek was rubbing salt into open wounds. “I lost my parents a while ago. The Mighty Nein is my family now.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Essek said, feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet. Unsure of how best to comfort him, Essek squirmed in his seat for a moment trying to think of a response. But Caleb did it for him, as he reached out and settled his fingers over Essek’s hand. Essek stared incredulously at Caleb for a moment, but didn’t move his hand. He couldn’t believe that Caleb was touching him, in a way that could only be read as romantic. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

“It was a long time ago,” Caleb said, though he looked as haunted as a man who had just suffered the loss the day before. Essek wondered what it must be like to love someone else in such a way. He wondered if that was what he was feeling now for Caleb. Just feeling it for Caleb was overwhelming...he couldn’t imagine having felt like this so many times before in his life and then losing those he had come to adore. How did one bear it? Just the thought was enough to twist his stomach...to make him want to make ridiculous promises to Caleb like the hero in a romantic drama. But Essek couldn’t do that...he was just Essek. All he could do was this.

“Tell me about something else then, Caleb, how did you come about spellcasting?” Essek asked, ruefully extricating his hand from Caleb’s as the waiter came back to fill up their glasses of water.

“Well, at first it wasn’t a hobby,” Caleb said. “Well, as a child I managed a few things with an old spell book my mother bartered from a passing merchant. But I did my compulsory years in the military, as do all men in the Empire. It was there that it was determined rather quickly that I had no talent as a soldier...but I could make a decent mage.”

“I see,” Essek said. “In Xhorhassian schools you are given introductory courses to most known and legal methods of magic but most don’t stick with it nowadays. Wizardry is a relatively niche subject to pursue.”

“But you did, didn’t you?”

“I did, I was top in my class at the Marble Tomes Conservatory,” Essek said with a proud smile. “I...I have to admit...it’s been a long time since I’ve thought so frequently about magic. But I find myself thinking of it often when I’m with you...it makes me happy.”

“Magic is what you love, ja? Have you ever just thought...fuck it? I’ll go back into it?” Caleb’s tone was light with humor.

“The thought has crossed my mind before,” Essek admitted. “But I’m good at my job...I find it hard to justify leaving it to chase a dream.”

“Forget your job for a moment,” Caleb said pointing at Essek with his spoon. “Imagine that money isn’t an issue. What is it that you are most interested in right now?”

Right now? He thought about it. He was most interested in taking Caleb’s face in his hands and kissing him honestly, but Essek didn’t think that was the answer that Caleb was looking for. But if he was thinking of a socially acceptable answer to the question?

“I’ve been thinking about the marzipan,” Essek admitted.

“...the marzipan? I don’t follow.”

“On the cake...for my bosses,” Essek said before sucking in a suddenly self-conscious breath. “Never mind, it’s foolish.”

“Nein, I want to hear it,” Caleb promised.

“Well… you know how it was discussed that you were going to be using sculpted marzipan to shape into birds...and then utilize animate object?” Essek asked and Caleb nodded, following his thought. “I was thinking about using the spell adjust density to compliment it...give the appearance that the birds fly and then return to the cake.”

“I’ve never heard of that spell,” Caleb said, sounding utterly enthralled. His food was forgotten in front of him as he leaned in closer to Essek, wide blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “Is that from the school of dumaturgy?”

“Yes, it’s a second level graviturgist spell.”

“How fascinating,” Caleb said. “Tell me, how exactly does this spell work?”

Thankfully this carried the conversation away from Essek and his career to magic, which Essek was far more comfortable discussing. Caleb was excited about the idea, but also seemed genuinely interested in the mechanics and the minutiae of such a low level spell. It was one of the first spells a graviturgist learned in school, and yet Caleb seemed content to discuss how the spell could work in congruity with a spell like flight to both lengthen and strengthen the effect. Essek wished, strangely, that he had brought his spellbook. Not that it would have been appropriate on any other first date, but now he felt foolish for not thinking of it. His wrist pocket nowadays was home to things like his car keys and his portable phone charger...not his spellbook.

By the time dinner completed, they had managed to work through a few possible ideas on how Caleb could incorporate those spells into an already spell-heavy cake. Essek snapped the check out from Caleb grasp as the waiter set it down, sliding in his credit card before Caleb could even look at the bill.

“Now that was conniving,” Caleb said.

“I told you, I am happy to take care of it,” Essek said as the waiter returned and Essek signed the check.

“Then let me treat you to something,” Caleb said. “Veth’s husband Yeza owns the Apothecary. Have you ever heard of it?”

“No,” Essek admitted, frowning.

“It is an old fashioned apothecary in the day, but a nice cocktail bar at night. It’s only a few blocks from here...let me get you a drink, only if you would like of course.”

Caleb didn’t want this night to end either, Essek realized, hoping his excitement wasn’t plain to see on his face. He was, hopefully...as always...the picture of calm cool and collected. But beyond excited...it relieved Essek. Now it was so much easier to believe that perhaps...maybe...just maybe Caleb felt the same way that Essek did.

“I cannot abide by the idea that there is a bar that I am not acquainted with in this city so I’ll take you up on your offer,” Essek said as he put on his jacket and looped his scarf. When he finished he looked to see Caleb opening the door for him, allowing Essek to duck out first. Essek looked at Caleb, noting his scarf was in complete disarray and motioned for Caleb to come closer. Essek reached up and relooped the strands until Caleb looked presentable. “There. Now you won’t freeze to death.”

“I’m a little heartier than you might think,” Caleb laughed, cheeks and nose reddening in the cold. It made the dusting of freckles across his nose and his cheek more vivid, as did the shadow of his beard. He wondered what it was like to kiss a man with a beard. Essek had never done that before...

“Perhaps, but I’ve always been paranoid,” Essek admitted, trying to shake his mind from his desires for two minutes.

Caleb walked them down three blocks exactly and turned them left once. Essek found that the night air...though cold, was thankfully grounding in these strange dreamlike times. It was nearly impossible to argue that this whole date...it had to be considered a date at this point... so far was just a figment of his imagination when the winter air was biting at his ears and making his earring jingle. They arrived at the Apothecary, as it was advertised on the street.

The bar itself was pleasantly full, the building was a lot of warm exposed wood and lantern and candle lighting, with herbs hanging to dry and jars filled with various liquids in shelves on the walls. Couples and groups were seated at small circular tables and at the counter-bar. When they walked in, the halfling behind the bar perked up. Essek wasn't familiar with many halflings as they were still a new sight in Rosohna. The halfling man was balanced on a rolling stool. He wasn't traditionally handsome, but there was something immediately comforting about his appearance. He had an open friendly face, accompanied with a riot of untamed brown curls and sideburns, and round glasses that were precariously perched on his face. He grinned as Caleb walked up to the bad, and looked at Essek knowingly in a way that made his skin tingle. He wasn't sure what that meant but it wasn't a good sign.

"Good evening, Yeza. I don't think you've met Essek. Essek, this is Yeza Bernatto, Veth's husband," Caleb introduced.

"A pleasure," Essek said with a prim nod, before seeing the halfling's stocky hand pop out from behind the bar.

"So this is the mysterious Essek! It's wonderful to meet you, my wife's spoke about you many times! Thank you for coming to the Apothecary," Yeza greeted, and Essek took the offered hand as gracefully as he could and quickly dropped it. "Veth will be back out in a minute, but in the meantime Caleb do you want your usual?"

“Flight of Trost, ja,” Caleb said, his accent delicious on the word trost. Now that was something Essek wanted to drink down greedily.

“Trost?” Essek repeated as Yeza slid the drink menu to him.

“The word means comfort in Zemnian, but it’s a kind of beer,” Caleb said and Essek watched the halfling pour the four smaller glasses of beer and arrange them on the tray. “From a region famous in the Empire for it. Do you drink beer?”

“Not really,” Essek admitted, trying to refocus away from Caleb’s voice and back to reality. Beer in Xhorhas was a newer fad, and considering their abysmal track record of growing wheat, anything he had drank from Xhorhas had tasted watered down and stale. He had beers from the Empire before, at the luxurious parties put on by nouveau riche dens, but found it far less pleasant than other spirits. “I prefer wines and liquors.”

“How about a Health Potion?” Yeza offered, having obviously been listening in to the conversation.

“A health potion?” Essek asked incredulously.

“I’m very clever with titles,” Veth said, appearing from the back carrying snacks for the couple on the other side of the bar. She settled her hands on her hips and presented herself like a queen in her own castle. “It’s mulled wine, perfect for this weather. We keep it on simmer in the back.”

“Sure, I’ll have that then,” Essek said for lack of any other idea and because Veth was Caleb’s friend and Essek wanted them to like him for some reason he hadn’t quite figured out yet. He watched as Veth disappeared and then reappeared once more with a glass mug that she settled in front of him and then garnished with a cinnamon stick and a twist of orange rind. Mulled wine had to be a Empire thing...he hadn’t ever heard of heating wine. In fact, in Xhorhas they traditionally served wine at frigid temperatures and over ice. The liquid was a deep burgundy, and he prepared himself as he took a sip with all of the enthusiasm of a child taking a spoonful of cough syrup or an actual health potion.

Instead, the drink was delicious. There were the fruity notes of apple cider and the brightness of oranges, the deep flavor of a red wine Essek had yet made the acquaintance of as well as the softer feel of perhaps a merlot and the caramel finish of a port, and had the kick of cinnamon and cloves and cardamom. It immediately transported him somewhere with a roaring fire and a fur rug and a good book tucked next to him by his favorite armchair.

“What type of wine is this?” Essek asked.

“It’s from Kamordah, not one the more expensive vineyards...those can cost you an arm and a leg. But even the affordable booze from there is delicious,” Veth said.

“Veth’s the expert,” Caleb noted.

“Oh come off it,” Veth said with a dismissive wave before leaning against the counter, her long braids sweeping against the wood. “Or, you can continue to compliment me, I don’t mind.”

“We all know you are fabulous, my little friend,” Caleb said with a fond look in his eyes. “I knew it from the first time I met you.”

“Out of everyone in that holding cell, I can assure you, I was the best pick.”

“Holding cell?” Essek repeated, only because he thought he must have heard her wrong. But instead, Veth planted herself proudly in his view as if she could make herself three feet taller by just her confidence.

“We met in jail,” Veth said cheerily for someone who had been to jail, and Caleb hung his head in exaggerated despair. Then, immediately she looked suspiciously at him. “You aren’t going to report me right?”

“I don’t care about that sort of thing,” Essek said.

“Don’t tell him about my sordid past!” Caleb bemoaned.

“What were you in jail for?” Essek asked, faking suspicion.

“Public intoxication,” Veth said.

“Loitering,” Caleb admitted.

“Loitering?” Essek repeated.

“Sleeping while poor,” Caleb corrected. “I was roughing it most nights back then, ja?”

“We both were. But regardless, I’ll leave you two to it,” Veth said with a long knowing look at Caleb, which had Caleb blushing and hiding his face in his beer. Yeza had already drifted off to welcome more regulars to the bar.

“I didn’t know I was out with a criminal tonight,” Essek said with a sidelong glance at Caleb.

“Don’t look so damned pleased with yourself,” Caleb grumbled.

“Oh, I’m not smiling about your crimes...which are, I promise, nothing worse than I did in University. But, I’m more pleased at the thought of what my mother would say if she knew I was spending my evening with someone with an actual record of law breaking. I derive great pleasure from her pearl clutching,” Essek admitted with a grin that felt too sharp to be his usual placeholder.

“Oh? What sort of crimes did a young Essek Theylss get up to in university?” Caleb asked curiously, finishing his first glass.

“I made sure that everyone had what they needed at any given time,” Essek said with a smirk and a sip of his drink. “I have always been very good at cultivating relationships that benefit me. That’s what breaking the law while rich allows you to do.”

“...if you weren’t being so hilarious I might be offended,” Caleb said with a laugh that resonated from his belly and filled Essek with warmth, like the simmering mulled wine in his cup. He felt pleasantly buzzed, like he was drunk from just a few sips. But it was Caleb’s presence that was so addicting...so effecting. He couldn’t even remember a time where he had smiled the way he was smiling now...when he hadn’t been with Caleb or the Mighty Nein. He didn’t think anyone had ever called him hilarious. He was sure that if his coworkers or his family heard Caleb say that they would have had Caleb checked in for psychiatric help, and the Essek before wouldn’t have blamed them. But Essek was slowly becoming acquainted with the person he could be around Caleb and perhaps it was the person Essek actually was but not buried under the mounds of baggage he carried from place to place like it was the gravity pulling him straight to the center of the earth. And the more Essek was becoming acquainted with Caleb and acquainted with himself the more Essek didn’t ever want to go back.

“Perhaps you should be,” Essek dared because apparently Essek was daring now, another recent development that surprised him. Caleb’s eyes had a little heat in them as Essek caught his gaze, and Essek was thrilled because they were flirting and it was going well and it didn’t make Essek feel like he wanted to find the closest window to jump out of. Essek settled his hand on Caleb’s where it was resting on his chair. Caleb didn’t move it, instead he took another sip of his drink and intertwined his fingers with Essek’s. Essek blushed into his cup with his words stuck in his throat, but felt that this could certainly be enough.

And so Essek soaked up the next hour or so of Caleb’s company. They talked about a wide berth of topics, from philosophy to mathematics to even theoretical spellcrafting. That was the gift of Caleb, he was always able to meet him where his mind was going and find something interesting to say. He was quite unlike anyone else that Essek had ever known. What a gift it was to be able to just be with someone who understood you. It was something that Essek was learning to cherish. But at some point he noticed Caleb’s eyes drooping, and took note of the time.

“I should be heading home now,” Essek said, and before Essek could attempt to pay for this as well Veth waved at Caleb.

“It’s on Caleb’s tab,” Veth said, and Essek gave Caleb a look which he met with feigned cluelessness.

“Let me walk you back to your car,” Caleb said as he stood.

“There’s no need for that, you are going in the opposite direction,” Essek pointed out to him as they left the bar and stood on the street. Snowflakes drifted into streetlights, casting pale light that made Caleb’s eyes a vivid dark shade. “Thank you...for tonight. I had a wonderful time.”

“I would be happy to do it again any time,” Caleb promised him, standing close to him now...far more close then Essek could ever have imagined him being. “Your company is truly a great pleasure...there are very few people that I can talk to the way I do with you. I...I hope you feel the same way.”

“I do,” Essek is what he said. I love you, is what he meant.

For a moment that Essek swore was suspended in the air, they shared something heavier than a breath...a kiss that was almost softer than a kiss. It set his heart fluttering so he couldn’t have imagined it...the sensation of Caleb’s scruff and the warmth of his hand was too vivid for him to have made it up. It was inquisitive and gentle and all Essek’s and he wouldn’t ever trade it for anything.

I love you, Essek’s heart said as it finally found its rhythm between Caleb’s kisses. I love you.

#critical role fanfic #shadowgast #essek theylss #caleb widogast

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thecursedhellblazer · 4 years

Text

At the Edge of Nowhere

(( So, guess who went ahead and scratched that crazy itch I got yesterday? Yep, Scotty did. It turned in a small fic instead of a drabble, since apparently I had more to play out than I initially thought, but...here it is. I took the chance to experiment a bit with the writing style too, while I was at it, ‘cause...why not? ))

(( I’m not really sure of where the idea came from, I just really wanted them to have interact, somehow, without inventing something too complicated. And this was the result. Also, it doesn’t mean that I won’t try to shove Five into John’s universe or vice versa at some point, but for now I’m good with this xD ))

(( Sharing just in case anyone is in the mood for some random oddity! ))

(( I even posted in on Ao3 if anyone wants to have a look at it there! ^^” ))

They sit side by side, watching the eternal sunset of Eternity stretching before them, swinging their feet past the edge of the Abyss, unfazed by the danger of its depths. The darkness seems to be threatening to suck them down, condemning them to an endless fall, and yet they pay it no mind, each of them far too interested in sipping and enjoying his drink.

The silence floods past them, over them, through them, carrying the whispers of their lives. However, for this ephemeral moment, they are given the almost unique chance to ignore them. It’s a rare gift, one that deserved to be savoured, like a fine well-aged vintage. Like the ambrosia that the ancient gods, legit and false, so much have lauded.

And so they sit, the Boy and the Fool, side by side, on the edge of the Abyss.

The atmosphere is almost companionable, as much as it can be when shared by two strangers who carry with them too much baggage. A past and a present that are too dark, too painful. There’s as much kinship and understanding between them as there’s mistrust.

They let the quietness linger for a while, listening only to the taste of the alcohol that coats their tongues, knowing that the stasis won’t last. Neither of them is good at keeping his mouth shut when something is making their skin itch.

“Th’ ‘ell ‘s a lad like yeh doin’ in such a place?” The Fool finally asks, turning his eyes away from the magnetic horizon and landing them on his unlikely companion.

The Boy scoffs. Why is it always the same old story with everyone he meets? “I’d watch my fucking tongue if I were you, young man,” he shoots back, with a withering look. “I’m far older than I look. And I’m older than you for sure.”

A half laugh rises with a small cloud of smoke, but it dies in the matter of seconds as the seriousness of those declarations settles in.

“Blimey. Yeh ain’t pullin’ me leg, are yeh? ‘Ow old are yeh s’posed to be den, mate?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding? Trust me, mate, I’m not. I’m fifty-eight. And I’m stuck in the body of a thirteen-years-old. There’s nothing funny about it.”

“Bloody ‘Ell. Fifty-eight n’ still a lad? Tha’s...insane. I dun envy yeh. Nay.”

The Fool shakes his head, but, despite the lingering astonishment, there is a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Tell us, tho. Woh’s yeh secret? I gots me diabolical trick to slow down agin’ n’ all, but it obviously ain’t workin’ as well as yehs.”

“I got stuck in the future for forty-five years and, when I finally figured out the equation to go back to my time, I missed a typo and...this is the result.”

“Soddin’ math. ‘S one o’ th’ bloody reasons why I ne’er managed to get alchemy rite. T’in’s keep blowin’ up in me face.”

“Sodding math indeed. Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

They clink their glasses together and go back staring at the frozen skyline. Two sets of blue eyes. Different shades of the iris, similar heaviness burdening them.

The Boy steers his drink with his straw, lips pursing pensively. “Speaking of things that suck, what is this place exactly? Am I dreaming? Or did I accidentally take some of my brother’s drugs and this is like the most boring trip in history?”

The Fool scoffs. “Gonna pretend tha’ yeh didn’t jus’ insult me too, together wit’ dis soddin’ place.”

His gaze wanders for a split moment, touching their motionless surroundings. “Ah, I dunno, mate. Could be yeh dream, aye. Could be mine. Or maybe we bot’ stepped inside another real wit’out noticin’ n’ ‘ere we are. Wouldn’t be th’ first time for me. Won’t be th’ last either.”

“I’ve never been in another world. I’ve travelled through time, maybe a bit too much, and I’ve rushed through the fabric of space but this…” The Boy waves his free hand. “This is new. It’s easier to think of it as a dream, so I’d go with that, if you don’t mind. The last thing I need is another headache.”

“Wohe’er works wit’ yeh, mate. I get it. At times, ‘s be’er pretendin’ life ain’t real. ‘S good for yeh mental sanity. Even if yeh got none left.”

The Fool takes yet another drag from his cigarette. Curiously enough, it doesn’t seem to be shortening, even if the ash falls down on his trench coat.

“One t’in’ I can tell yeh ‘bout dis place, tho. It ain’t somewhere e’eryone can visit. Yeh gotta carry some serious shite wit’ yeh to ‘ave stumbled in ‘ere. Do yeh?”

The Boy shrugs. “Maybe? I kept pushing and pushing, even after my father had told me not to and I ended up after the End of the world. I heard the bastard’s voice echoing in my head for the past forty-five years.” He makes his voice thicker for a moment. “I told you so, boy. I told you so. Asshole.”

A long sip from his drink, as if he is trying to wash away that intrusive voice from his ears, before he continues.

“I worked for this organisation that monitors the timeline for a while as a trained assassin. They made me into the perfect killer, a tool for their plans. I had my goals, though, since the start. I took their deal just so that I could go back to try to stop the Apocalypse and save my family. We ended up breakin the world anyway, so I dragged them all back in time to try again. Of course, all that shit followed us. Because it’s never that easy, is it?”

The Fool nods and the Boy can tell that his companion knows that sort of feeling far too well. It’s nice to be fully understood, for once. Even if the understanding comes from a nameless stranger he’ll probably never see again. Assuming that their meeting is truly happening in the first place.

“So...We saved the world this time but broke the timeline. And now my childhood home is gone and me and my siblings are stuck in a timeline that holds no place for us anymore. I’m still trying to figure out how that’s supposed to work. Oh, and that bastard of my adoptive father is hunting us down using the kids he adopted in our place. It’s a real mess.”

There’s bitterness colouring his voice, the embers of a fight that’s too stubborn to die just yet, but the exhaustion is stronger.

“Though, between you and me...All I really want is a decent nap and a dozen more drinks. Maybe get a dog too. Not necessarily in that order.”

The straw produces a light slurping sound as he takes the next sip. “What’s your story? You must have one too, since you’re here...wherever here is.”

The Fool tips his head, in a sign of acknowledgement. No comments follow the tale, and there’s no real need for them there, out of time and space.

“Grew up in me own particular version o’ ‘Ell. Me oul man was th’ fuckin’ opposite o’ ‘father o’ th’ year’...So, I ran in my teen years, still thinkin’ I coulda owned th’ world. Stuck me nose in e’ery bloody t’in’ tha’ was magic n’ occult. One nite I got too cocky and damned an innocent girl to Hell. Earned a bloody place wit’ me name down there too in the process.”

The voice that spells out the words is casual, but there’s something haunted in his expression, darkening his eyes.

“Spent all me life tryin' to make up for tha’ bloody mistake. Ended up messin up meself and most o’ me mates n’ th’ people who ‘ad th’ ‘orrible o’ puttin’ their faith in me as a result. Girl’s still in ‘Ell, th’ bloody Devil ‘imself gots an eternal grudge against me, I gots demon blood in me veins n’ me soz arse ‘s still damned. I might not be a professional like yeh, but I bet I gots jus’ as much blood on me ‘ands. N’ even more souls on me conscience.”

The ice clinks against the transparent walls as the glass is lifted. More sourness to wipe away the one that the words have left on his tongue.

“Nowadays, ‘s mostly me, meself n’ I. Me best mate, too, from time to time. No clue o’ ‘ow he survived bein’ by me side for so long. ‘M still tryin’ to make t’in’s rite, but...for th’ most I jus’ try to be there to do th’ bloody dirty job no self-appointed ‘ero gots th’ time to do. I might be lost, past th’ point o’ no return, but there are lots o’ people out there who aren’t yet. Th’ fuckin’ least I can do ‘s tryin’ to ‘elp ‘em, aye? Make dis soz existence o’ mine wort’ more than misery n’ destruction.”

A drag from his cigarette and there’s a small hand landing on his shoulder, in a brief pat, before he has finished sucking the smoke in. The light pressure says more than a thousand words could.

“Between you and me, tho...I could use a dozen drinks too. Maybe more. N’ a bloody vacation. To sod off somewhere, even for jus’ a day. Maybe take me best mate n’ dis other lad I know. Oh, he could use a break too, th’ poor sod.”

The Boy makes a sound of agreement and he is back stirring his drink. “What a pair we make, you and I. And I don’t even know you.”

“I ‘ear tha’ loud n’ clear, mate. Bloody loud n’ bloody clear. Woh’s tha’ yeh drinkin’ anyway?”

“What? You ne’er seen a margarita? Where the hell are you from? England or Mars? Come on, try it.”

“Oi, I know woh a fuckin’ margarita is, oul man. Yehs jus’ a bit...flashier than woh ‘m used to.”

“Special recipe. I perfected it myself.”

“Now, tha’s more like it. I like a bloke who can make ‘is own drinks. There. Yeh like g n’ t?”

The glasses pass from one hand to another and then they both turn to look back at the unchanged horizon, holding each other’s drink.

A moment to sniff the liquors, in unison, and then the Boy dips his lips in the clear spirit while the Fool wraps his mouth around the straw. The tastes mix in the silence and it’s a symphony of citrus and sourness, with just the right amount of sweetness coming at the end.

“So, what happens now?” The Boy asks, after a moment.

The Fool shrugs. “Ah, I guess we wait till all dis fades. Or till we do. ‘S always ‘ard to tell when it comes to dis sort o’ shite.”

A huffs, with the faintest hint of irritation. “For someone who’s supposed to know a lot about this stuff, you give the worst cryptic answers. I can’t tell if you’re that ignorant or if you’re just fucking with me.”

A nudge in a smaller, slender side and a sharp smirk. “Who knows, mate. Yeh guess ‘s as good as mine. Keep th’ drink. I gots more back where I come from. Consider it a safe trip back home present. I’ll keep yehs as a reminder.”

“A present from a guy I never truly met? And a reminder of something we didn’t even speak about?”

“Nay. Jus’ th’ memory o’ some peace n’ quiet in decent company.”

“Fair enough. I can drink to that.”

#hellblazer #the umbrella academy #john constantine #five hargreeves #number five #tua #crossover #(( scotty writes ))

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