#words cannot explain how much i love this format
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My dealer: got some straight gas 🔥😛 this strain is called Rise from the Ashes 😳 you’ll be zonked out of your gourd 💯
Me: yeah whatever. I don’t feel shit.
5 minutes later: dude I swear I just saw jake marshall in the evidence room
My buddy Ema pacing: damon gant is lying to us
#ace attorney#rise from the ashes#ace attorney trilogy#aa1#phoenix wright#words cannot explain how much i love this format#i’ve seen like three of these for ace attorney do you know how hard i laugh everytime i see them#ema skye#lana skye#damon gant#neil marshall#naruhodo ryuichi#aa#aa trilogy
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decalcomanie — the process of transferring designs from prepared paper on to glass or porcelain.
welcome to another event hosted by yours truly , useryves . the idea for this event came into my mind many moons ago while talking with my friend trivi , i told her about how I get inspired to make my creations after I read certain works posted on this app. and now after a long while , i get to present to you this event. the main aim is to support both writers & mb creators on this platform . i hope you enjoy this as much as i did creating it
INDEX ;
I ) ABOUT
II ) RULES & REGULATIONS
III ) HOW TO JOIN
IV ) EXTRAS
I ) ABOUT THE EVENT
this event is truly , very simple !
you will be assigned a drabble or a fanfic not exceeding more than 2k words ( it's not much , believe me )
you will need to create a moodboard ! based on that work ! you may use any idol that fits the theme for you <3
an example moodboard is this one !
— the fanfiction used in this is strawberries and chocolates by @bywons after reading it , i included elements of the
i) library setting
ii ) the chocolate strawberries
iii ) young love & it's playfulness as shown by the flowers & the image of holding hands
iv) the secrecy, as shown by the 3rd image in the second row
your moodboard need not be this complex , but i would appreciate if each image had a story to tell ! this should be the ultimate goal
II ) RULES AND REGULATIONS — read all of them carefully
there are both male & female writers, but more male ones , therefore you are allowed to use either female OR male idol in your creations
i will only be giving sfw works by my lovely authors ; @wheeboo @bywons @isawritesss @kimsohn
your moodboard must be directly or loosely related to the fanfic assigned to you
you can always ask for a change in fanfic
you cannot plagiarise anyone else's work
you are allowed to message me in case you want any critique or help !
your moodboard will be judged by the authors themselves !! i will judge as a mb creator but they have the final descision
III) HOW TO JOIN ;
send a message to @y-ves in this format :
hii ! i would like to participate in your event ! i would prefer a male/female idol's fanfiction please ! and i ult (group name)
reblog this post & tag any 3 of your friends
IV) EXTRAS ;
your moodboard must be posted with the # below ( just copy paste )
decalcomanie ! the event
you may add a small description of your moodboard in the comments section , explaining which elements u used or how u got inspired
deadline is 3rd April
prizes ;
🥇 the writer will write 1 work based on moodboards posted by you ( any mb of yours ) , 60 reblogs , 4 mbs by @y-ves , s/o by me , theme pack by me
🥈 writer will write 1 work based on moodboards posted by you , 40 reblogs , 2 mbs by @y-ves , theme pack
🥉writer will write 1 work based on moodboards posted by you , 30 reblogs , 1 mb by @y-ves
participation prize : 1 mb by @yujinszn ( i own the acc )
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an angsty blurb or one shot with Remus dc what about🩷
i'm so sorry it took me a few days omg, i'm the world's slowest writer. that said, tysm for leaving a request<333 i hope i was enough, i used "you" because it comes more naturally to me but if someone wants third person they can say so and i'll try to suffice. i'm still very new to writing this format of fics but i appreciate the trust, here we go :)
This is not a tragedy
summary: you ask remus to get married after james and lily announce their engagement. his answer does not surprise you. 571 words.
pairing: remus lupin x reader
tags: non committed remus lupin, angst no comfort, open ending, break up (sort of), use of "you" for reader
"Let's do it," you say, "let's get married."
The air is cold against your cheeks once you step onto the balcony. Your breath comes out in white clouds of smoke, drawing trails of mist that disappear against the winds of winter. The words, too, come out slowly from your mouth.
Remus is smoking a cigarette, leaning onto the veranda. James, Sirius, Lily and Peter left a while ago. It's just you two now.
You wait, expectant. The snow rages outside your little flat. It rages inside you, too.
"We want to do it while we can," James had explained at the table, holding onto Lily's hands. The gesture had you breathless for a moment, painfully aware of how much you are missing. "We might not survive the war, the time for living is now."
And you had thought he had been right, at the time. James and Lily wanted to die without regrets and, in a way, their wedding itself was a defiance against the war.
You can not subdue us, it said, you cannot scare us. A pureblood and a muggleborn would be joined in marriage in the middle of the world's greatest attempt to stop exactly that. There is some sort of irony about it that sits quite right.
It's less romantic to you, really. Your love is but a mundane feeling.
James and Lily are larger than life in contrast; their union a symbol of something rebellious, their love alive against all odds.
You feel a little selfish, after giving it some thought, because the only thing you want is Remus to yourself. But perhaps just loving is enough, during these times of terror.
Remus inhales, then slowly lets out a puff of smoke. You just stare, trying to remember this moment. The way his tousled hair sits against his forehead, that scar on his nose you've always been so fond, the way his scars shine against the moonlight. You try to remember, treasure this instant so it won't be lost forever, knowing that you'll lose him.
"I'm sorry," Remus says without meeting your gaze. It's something quiet and small, you can't bring yourself to blame him. "But I can't."
The blow comes quietly, making your chest hurt. You can't say this is groundbreaking, that the world shatters around you because it does not. You held a little hope that he'd say yes, that his love for you would be stronger than whatever it is he's fighting back.
But it does not.
You were always an outsider, a stranger in your own relationship. Remus had always hidden something from you, something big, that you should have known. He disappeared, for days on end, and would never tell you where. When you asked about his scars, he'd lie, his innermost worries, he'd never tell. Remus never let you see him whole, but you thought he would, with time and patience, and that was your mistake.
You were just never that kind of couple.
"I'm sorry," Remus says again.
"I know," you whisper.
"I love you," he repeats.
"I know," you say back.
You try to remember this moment, record it on your memory, but even as he stands before you, the details have already started escaping your memory.
Remus Lupin was never and would never be yours. But you've known that for so long it might as well not hurt at all.
Except it does. It really, really does.
#remus lupin x reader#marauders era#harry potter fanfiction#harry potter imagine#hp imagine#hp drabble#the marauders#remus lupin fanfiction#remus lupin x you#remus lupin fic#remus lupin imagine#remus lupin angst#pls be kind i'm new to writing tumblr#my requests are open#:)
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One of my favorite things about doing Happy Hour is facilitating guests and encouraging them to be creative with their recs. Whether you want to format with bullet points or use emojis or write a paragraph-form rec, I love seeing guests give their favorite ficswith their style. When I asked our wonderful @phdmama to join and be a Happy Hour guest, she had the wonderful idea to change it up a bit and give her re-read recs, and I think you'll be so thrilled with what she came up with. Enjoy!
When The Drarry Librarian invited me to participate in Happy Hour, I was SO excited and honored, because, well - they’re doing such wonderful lovely things in fandom, and who doesn’t adore hyping up a fic they love? But as I thought about it, I realized that so many of the fics I wanted to rec were older and well-known, but they’re the fics that came to my mind because I’ve read them so many times.
Which got me to thinking about the role of rereading in fandom, and how it works for me. Now, I know there are lots of people who never reread, and there are lots of people who maybe reread occasionally. (This is actually one of the things I adore about fandom, all the beautiful differences we bring to the table!) That’s just not how my mind works. I’ve always been a VERY COMMITTED (aka deeply obsessive) reader and as I think back over my reading life, I’ve also always been a REreader.
Reading, quite literally, has saved my life and transformed it. So I thought I’d highlight of few of those fics that have impacted me so profoundly. These fics are comfort food for my brain. These are fics I come back to, over and over and over again. They live in my soul. (For the purposes of this piece, I’ll stick to Drarry fics, but there are these special fics in every fandom I read in, and we all know, I read very widely in lots of fandoms - it’s truly an embarrassment of riches!)
Two notes:
I would recommend pretty much anything by these authors (read the tags etc etc) &
Limiting myself to just a few was SO SO difficult and I know I’m leaving out so many of my favorite authors and fics but I wanted to ACTUALLy write this!
Foundations by saras_girl (236,075 words, rated E)
When one door closes, another one opens – with a bit of a push. Life, love and complications. [sequel to Reparations]
Now, I could probably put most of saras-girl’s fics on this list and call it a day, but this fic (the whole ‘verse honestly) hits me on so many levels. From a narrative standpoint, I absolutely adore the idea of Healer Harry, and this whole world is just so rich and fully realized. This fic hits the therapist/healer in me and it speaks to the way so many healers are, just as Draco is, so wounded and in our own journey. But even more so, this fic gave me a tool for when I was navigating my father’s dying, the tool of, “in this space, we can say whatever we want, whatever we’re thinking and feeling, without any apologizing, equivocating or shaming ourselves.” (The “we” in this case was my sister and me.) It felt like because I had read this, it gave me permission to live it, and I cannot begin to explain how necessary it was for me during that incredibly painful time. This fic hits grief and loss and how hard life can be sometimes but also it’s so beautifully healing.
One moment that gets me:
“Don’t say anything,” Harry pleads, and it’s almost a whisper. He doesn’t want to hear any
reassuring words, were Draco inclined to begin offering them.
“What makes you think there’s anything I could say?” Draco murmurs against his ear and holds him tighter.
The Light More Beautiful by @firethesound (81,225 words, rated E)
Thirteen years after Draco accepts Potter's help escaping the horror of his sixth year, he returns to England where he makes the unfortunate discovery that Potter is still as obnoxious as ever. And worse, more than a decade overseas hasn't been enough to dim Draco's obsession with him.
I think this is one of the first Drarry fics I ever really just fell head over heels in love with. This was in my early days of navigating AO3 and I really didn’t understand it all. I read the fic, and lost track of it, and was thinking about it several months later. I ended up going through my entire history (IT TOOK A LONG TIME PALS) to find it because I just remembered loving it so much. Every time I reread it, I just fall more and more in love with it. I love that these are imperfect people, who’ve learned and grown and changed. I love the narrative voice in this - I think this fic really shaped both what I love to read (a sort of spare, dry, very funny until you get PUNCHED IN THE FEELINGS kind of voice) but also my own writing. This is the kind of voice I aspire to.
A moment (one of many) that makes me laugh:
“Fuck off,” Draco says again, slapping his hand away. So much for Potter keeping his hands to himself.
“Come on!” Potter slides off the table, grabs him and pulls him into an awkward, shuffling sort of dance that consists mostly of hip-grinding and arse-groping and, to Draco’s horror, he starts belting out lyrics. Draco thinks he’s getting them horribly wrong until it clicks that Potter’s just making them up as he goes along. About the two of them. And well now, that’s just inappropriate.
“Stop it!” Draco says, trying to push Potter off him. It’s a struggle to keep from laughing, but he knows if he does it’ll only egg Potter on. “You’re not even singing the right words.” He doesn’t succeed in dislodging him. Merlin, Potter’s like an octopus. An octopus with a terrible singing voice and no sense of rhythm and a somewhat frightening sense of humour.
Draco finally makes him shut up by sticking his tongue in Potter’s mouth, and mercifully Potter’s more interested in snogging than in continuing his ridiculous made-up lyrics.
Balance, Imperfect by @bixgirl1 (91,000 words, rated E)
When Harry sustains an injury in the line of work, he no longer knows how to navigate the life he loved, and finds help and solace from the most unexpected source.
I was sort of wary going into this one. I have very complicated feelings about relationships between healers and their patients, and normally avoid that dynamic but this was recommended to me (I can’t even remember by whom) and I am so thankful I did try it, because it’s another one of my all-time favorites. This is another fic that really dives into the absolute complexity of disability, trauma and healing. We have real people who are amazing and flawed and beautiful and so, so real. One of the things I also love about this fic is that Harry isn’t “fixed” by magic - he heals, and he adapts but he’s profoundly changed by his experiences, and as a trauma survivor, this just resonated so so deeply for me.
A beautiful, poignant moment:
When Malfoy finally leaves him alone at the end of the night, Harry exhales for the first time in what feels like hours. His body feels tight and confusing; he wants to rage and throw things at the other man, wants to refuse his aid.
But there was a moment when Malfoy seemed so assured, so fucking confident that he could help, that Harry had been dazed with the force of his own longing, but couldn’t bring himself to ask if that help would be able to make him whole again.
He didn’t think he could stand hearing the word no.
Aurora by @wolfpants (5,230 words, rated M)
Eighth Year at a half-built Hogwarts, and Harry is not following Draco Malfoy anymore. At least, that's what he's telling himself.
This fic just breaks my heart in the most beautiful way (which wolfie knows cuz I just screech about it periodically). I love so many of the different iterations of post-war Harry but this is absolutely one of my favorites. He’s lost and struggling to find a way, and I love that journey for him. Wolfie’s such a wonderful writer, and this whole fic is just so delicate and beautiful.
A moment that makes me cry EVERY SINGLE TIME (this writing OMG):
And that was how the two of them found themselves in an intense and hushed conversation out on the fields, the same fields Harry watched Charlie and Nicu kiss, where Ginny demanded too much of him and Harry cracked under her questions, questions, questions.
They came back to the house together, sticky-cheeked and red-eyed, and a week later, it all became clearer to Harry when Ron asked him about it on one of their forest walks. It became clearer when Harry had planted a misdirected kiss of his own to his friend’s lips, and Ron had let him, and had, for a while, allowed it to continue, until he slid his fingers gently over the nape of Harry’s neck and pressed their foreheads together and let Harry cry instead, and he told him, "it’s alright, it’s alright mate, no one’s going to hate you for this, it’s alright, we all love you, you just have to talk to us, you just have to know that we’re here for you, yeah? No matter who you are, alright? It’s alright. We just want you to be happy. It’s all we want."
Believe me when I say, there are SO SO many fics from so many brilliant writers that I wanted to include, it was incredibly hard to narrow down. I feel like I say this over and over again, but I’m so so grateful to all of you for sharing your gifts with fandom in all the ways you do. They’ve transformed my life in deep, profound, and permanent ways. Thank you.
And a huge thank you to thedrarrylibrarian for letting me share these thoughts and fics with you!!!
- xox phdmama
Thank you so much @phdmama for the amazing recs! It was a delight to have you join us!
#friday happy hour#friends in the library#friends of the library#phdmama#drarry#drarry rec#drarry fanfic rec#phdmama recs#harry potter#draco malfoy#harry potter x draco malfoy#draco malfoy x harry potter#harry potter/draco malfoy#draco malfoy/harry potter#harry x draco#draco x harry#harry/draco#draco/harry#the drarry librarian#friday fic rec#reread recs#drarry fic recs
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Edible Arrangements: Fortieth Bite: Polycephaly
First - Prev - Epilogue - M.list - Read on Ao3
A/N: It has been three years, two months, and a day of Edible Arrangements. This is not the absolute final update, as you can tell by my navigation links above. That has not stopped me from sobbing during the formatting and uploading of this installment.
A sequel is undergoing planning. I'm not done with these loves yet.
Summary: You remember everything now.
Warnings: death. murder. blood. I cannot stress enough that this chapter is a bloodbath. I did gag a little writing one line. maybe don't read while eating, if you can help it. mentions of vomit.
Word count: ~4400 words
You’ve reached Tenya Iida. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message after the tone and I will return your call as soon as I am available. Thank you!
“Shit, Tenya, pick up!” Mina hangs up and shoves her phone in her pocket. “What are we supposed to do? They’re not waking up and all of our medical people are going straight to voicemail!”
“Hand me their phone,” Hitoshi says. “I’ve got an idea.”
When the phone’s in his hand, he begins to dig through it intently. “One of you, make sure they’re still breathing. Neito, you’re on standby in case things go wrong.”
“Standby? For what?”
“You’re a vampire. Revive them if you have to.” He hits dial, then another button to put it on speaker.
It rings. Once. Twi—
This is Dr. Midoriya Izuku, leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you!
Hitoshi hits redial. It rings once this time.
This is Dr. Midoriya Izuku, leave your name and number and I’ll get—
Redial.
This time, immediately:
This is Dr. Midoriya Izuku, leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you!
“Goddammit Izuku, pick up before we have to turn them you absolute dumb fuck of a vampire!”
He sighs and replaces the phone in your pocket. You don’t stir. He lets out an aggravated sigh. “Alright. Since they’re useless, here’s what we’re going to do…”
~
You are wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. Somewhere in the apartment, people are speaking. Tsuyu mentions the words “hot chocolate”. It’s later in the day now—how much later?—and you are on the couch nearest to your bedroom. The room has been cleaned up around you, and footsteps are approaching you. Instinctively, you slam your eyes shut and try to process what’s happened to you.
You remember sitting in the middle of the floor.
Mina holding you.
Reaching back and suddenly finding memories you couldn’t look at before.
Izuku.
Fingers rest against your neck. It takes everything in you not to flinch away from them.
After a moment, the presence leaves. Footsteps lead away. “Their heart rate’s going up a bit, but no sign of consciousness.”
“When do we take them to the hospital?”
The hospital.
You can’t go to the fucking hospital.
You need to go beat Izuku over the head for being an idiot.
You open an eye. Everyone’s in the kitchen, backs to you. You’re out of their line of sight.
You chew your lip in thought. Then, you slide off the couch and slip away to your room.
You’ll explain everything to them later.
~
Fuck. Getting your bearings like this is bullshit. The past few months are fuzzy, battling with all the old-new memories for space in your head as you try to make sense of it all.
The weirdest is remembering Tenya.
You’re on autopilot as you turn the memories over in your head. The way he treated you immediately after he enthralled you. All the times he tried to bring you back directly, and was forced to wipe your memory of his attempts to bring you back, too. The tearful apologies as he tried again, and again, and again, to bring back the person he loved.
The memories hurt, but oddly, you don’t feel the fondness you had for him back then. Absence makes the heart grow distant, and absence of memory makes the heart wither and die. That fondness is gone, replaced with a sense of pain.
Loss.
Grief.
It didn’t need to end that way.
You hope he’s healed all the same. (You’ve been his friend the past years. You know he hasn’t.)
Logically, you know that you loved him at some point. But then again, logically, you also know that grabbing your keys and a few other small items and climbing out your apartment window onto the fire escape without telling anyone where you’re going is a horrible idea, so you’re really not on speaking terms with logic right now. Emotion has become your new friend.
Emotion is telling you that you aren’t in love with him. Emotion is telling you to find your car and find Izuku right fucking now.
Sure, driving isn’t really the best idea right now. The sky is growing dark with afternoon clouds and your head is fuzzy with TV static, even before we stop to mention that you don’t remember the last time you drove anywhere. But you don’t have time to push through everyone else’s need for context. Not when Dr. “Let’s Hunt a Serial Killer” thinks that selfsame serial killer tried to serial kill you.
Halfway there and your phone rings. It’s Mina. You let it ring out to voicemail. It doesn’t stop ringing on repeat for the rest of the drive.
~
“Don’t we have anything more dignified to kill him with than a water gun?”
“Two water guns,” Izuku replies, cringing as he tests the gun in his possession with gloved hands. Nothing leaks onto his gloves, but he still shies away from the tiniest backsplash of water as he fires a shot into the bath.
“Careful with that. It feels a bit silly to go after a serial killer with water guns.”
He snorts. “Good. I hope, after everything he’s done, he knows that he got taken out with a little bright green hunk of plastic and hates it.” He slips a zip-loc bag over the end of the gun, then slides both bag and gun into his inner coat pocket. “Get ready. We don’t know when he’ll show up.”
Tenya nods and follows suit. Sbeve is locked away in his cat carrier with food and water set up to dispense. It’s not ideal, but if anything happens, he’ll be away and safe. You’ll want company in a house like this, after all. And Sbeve is good company.
They wait in the living room. There is silence between them which fails to conceal any noise. If only there were noise to conceal.
There is none, for he joins them silently. One moment, they are alone, preparing themselves for something that cannot be prepared for, and the next, he is standing beside them, a silvery knife in hand.
“You didn’t ask me here to pass on any message,” he says by way of greeting.
The men are on their feet in a moment, rage already burning in their eyes and hearts. “You.”
The Death Adder is a jagged line of a man in tattered clothing. A scar mars his face where a nose should sit. A greasy black mop of hair frames it all.
“Why don’t you have a seat.” Izuku gestures almost politely to the armchair. He isn’t asking. “You’ve been busy. There’s a lot of catching up to do.”
“I don’t need to sit. Tell me what this is really about. If you were going to speak to the world about the injustices I set you to, you would have begun years ago.”
Tenya’s voice is ice when he cuts in. “You attacked a dear friend of ours.”
He doesn’t even show them the courtesy of rolling his eyes. “You’ll have to be more specific. It’s not every day that I don’t attack a dear friend of someone.”
“They were literally on my doorstep. Take a guess at who!”
The Death Adder takes a slow moment to study them. Tenya hits the table hard as he stands, glare icy. “Of course you don’t remember. It’s never mattered to you who you hurt, has it?”
“I think you’ll find that it has exclusively mattered to me who I hurt, but then, I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” He looks over Tenya indifferently, almost without seeing him at all.
Izuku watches his face for a hint of recognition. Tenya comes to the same conclusion moments after Izuku, and if possible, the man becomes even angrier. “You don’t even remember who I am, do you?”
The man does not reply. He is searching for an answer, and he does not have one.
“You killed my brother. You turned me into this. You took everything from me.”
He took everything. And he does not recognize him.
What happens next cascades in slow-motion. Tenya is grabbing at his pocket, drawing his little water pistol of death, and the Death Adder is holding a knife to his throat, his movements decisive. Izuku reaches for his own water gun, desperately hoping he’s fast enough.
“There’s more than one way to kill a vampire,” he growls out as the blade rests on Tenya’s throat. “You are insignificant to me, but I can still take your head off right here. I’d like to see you try to survive that.”
“You kill him, and I shoot.” He’s proud of himself for not stammering, even as his hands shake.
He’s stuck. He can’t attack the Death Adder without killing Tenya, and as strained as their relationship has been, he’s only prepared to kill one vampire today. What idiot thought water guns were a good idea?
His brain blazes with the possibilities. He could use his quirk, force the Death Adder away. He’s strong enough, though, and unpracticed enough that the attempt might just kill them both. There’s no visible turning mark on the man’s skin. He doesn’t know where to shoot to knock him down.
Maybe he could disarm him somehow. Or distract him. If he keeps the Death Adder’s attention long enough, Tenya could shoot him and get away. But that requires Tenya to figure out what he's doing, and they're far from on the same wavelength, and in the meantime, that knife is still at Tenya's throat and Izuku needs to do something and—
You must be a ghost standing up from behind the loveseat, and Izuku blinks rapidly in hopes of dissipating the hallucination, but no, that's you standing there. Your glare is fixed on the Death Adder, and something glints in your hand, but before anyone can really process what that something is, you're grabbing the man by his hair and shoving it into the back of his neck.
There's an audible sizzling noise accompanied by a smell Izuku recalls to be a bad memory. The boiling, burning kind of odor that had accompanied the bloodbath back in the courtyard when Neito had shown his hand. Then, the Death Adder is screaming and thrashing, and the knife is on the floor as Tenya puts a healthy distance between himself and the serial killer. You are holding on tight, squeezing your eyes shut, and Izuku watches in horror as blood splatters onto your face from it all.
When at last the screaming stops and the man drops to the floor, you stagger to the floor with him and carefully pry the instrument out of his neck. It's the little antique mirror you’d gotten from Neito. "I... wasn't sure that was going to work. Are you both alright?"
They're staring at you. Horror mixes with pure confusion and just a touch of elation. Neither has begun convulsing yet, which is honestly what Izuku had been expecting, and yet, the Death Adder isn't moving now or ever again. The same angry tendrils of scarring are wrapping around his body, wherever visible, and the moment he's sure he's not going to fall to the floor in his own death, Izuku allows himself to take it in.
"Look," you sigh when it becomes clear no one is going to speak. "You've both got explaining to do. A lot of explaining to do." This shouldn't be happening. You had been near catatonic. You had remembered nothing of either of them. And yet...
"Tenya, I'm really sorry about everything. I can't imagine how much it sucked. Um, I'm really not sure how I feel about you right now, but just to be clear, I am breaking up with you. I've got that down, at least. Izuku, you are taking me back to Alexander's. Whatever their next available reservation is. Every steakhouse in the city, while we're at it. Start making calls after we get this cleaned up."
"I will take you everywhere you want just as soon as you explain to me how you remember anything."
You level an icy glare his way. "As though that's the issue we’re dealing with?"
His shoulders drop. He crosses the room to you, shoves the Death Adder’s corpse out of the way with his foot. He's pulling you to your feet, but before he can wrap you in his arms, he hears it.
The hollow, shrill laugh of a girl.
Tenya has his glare fixed on the interloper stood behind you, his water pistol again pointed in her direction.
She's a blonde girl, petite, with her hair tied up in two buns that give the impression they've been in those same buns for several days. She wears a tattered school uniform from who-knows-where, and in her hand glints a silvery knife not unlike the one still on the floor next to the Death Adder. The more she laughs with that dead look in her eyes, the less it sounds like laughter.
Her eyes are fixed on you.
"I thought we were friends, [name]."
You take a step back, bumping lightly into Izuku's chest as you do.
"We lived together for so long. You even let me borrow your sweater. You were so nice to me."
"You stabbed me," you snap back. "Twice."
"We were friends! I liked you!"
Something in you seems chilled at her reply. Izuku can't imagine what, except the information you've already given.
"I liked Chizzy more. And you just took him from me." Another hollow laugh. "I could return the favor, though."
Before his eyes, she morphs. From a schoolgirl out of a horror movie to an imitation of the man now lying dead on the floor, she grows in height, face twisting to match his. The sight is grotesque, a strange substance covering her in gray glops until all that's standing before you is a familiar face.
Oh. That's why the Death Adder didn't remember you or Tenya.
Polycephaly is the condition of having more than one head. Polycephaly is most commonly observed in snakes and turtles.
The Death Adder always had two heads.
She moves. And you move.
The knife is coming for Izuku and he is fast but you are faster. (Why? Why are you—)
He can't pull you away fast enough. He wasn't good enough or quick enough back then, and he's not now. One easy cut is all it takes to destroy his world all over again.
She is smiling as you fall. She is smiling with his face.
He sees crimson as he screams.
~
A hospital cannot save you now. Someone is at your side—it's not Izuku. Izuku is across the room, covered in sparking green. His quirk? You’ve never seen him use it. You watch him as your vision fades and your body grows cold.
Familiar arms around you. Tenya?
He tries to pull you away from watching, but as much as you try to watch, you do not see.
There is a roaring in your ears. The phantom prickling of teeth. All those times you fed Izuku. All those times you gave him trust and care and life.
You try to speak. All you hear is a dull gurgle. A soothing whisper. You feel it all bubbling in your throat.
You see Izuku's viridian as you die.
~
Someone is knocking at the door.
No one knows why, because the thing is still barely on its hinges, but someone is knocking.
Tenya goes. He's the only one breathing and he's the one covered in the least amount of blood.
"Izuku, are you there?" It's Hitoshi's voice, bitter but worried. "Long story, but [name]'s missing, and—"
He breathes in. Breathes out. Creaks the door open a crack. "They're here, but you should go."
"Why?" he demands. "What are you doing here?"
Behind Hitoshi, there's the others—Mina, Tsuyu, Neito, and even a rare appearance from that redhead that hangs around Neito from time to time.
He can't let them in. Not after Izuku just beheaded some random girl, nor after you killed the main Death Adder, nor while you're a heap on the floor.
"They need time to rest. Please, go."
He isn't fully aware of what's going on when his brain washes over. Hitoshi glares through the crack. "Let us in."
His body moves against his will, fluid, and he opens the door and steps aside.
Well. It's not his fault when they're exposed to the bloodbath inside.
The fog lifts from his brain as they force their way inside and immediately recoil. Someone screams. He can only sigh. He's tired. "I did try to warn you not to come in."
"What the fuck happened?"
As Tsuyu throws up on the already ruined carpet, Tenya shakes his head and shuts the door. "It would be better if we just focused on cleaning up."
"Cleaning up," Neito says in disbelief. "I'd say you need a professional for this, but..."
Well, no professional cleaning service would know better than to ask questions.
"Fuck that, is [name]—"
"They're fine. [name]'s fine. They'll... they'll need bed rest for a few days at least. But they're going to be okay."
Mina steadies herself against the wall. "And who's the, uh, the one without the head?"
"Death Adder's friend. Also the Death Adder, as it happens."
"Right. Okay. Okay. I can, uh... I don't know if my quirk can get rid of a corpse. I can try, though."
"We might need you to get rid of the carpet, too, if you're up for it."
"I can handle this," Izuku says coldly. He's sat in the middle of the carnage, clutching your limp form. You'll be okay, and he should know you'll be okay, but it's not like Tenya's not also barely keeping it together after watching you die. "I didn't spend all those years hunting a serial killer just to not have a plan in place for when I did it."
Neito tentatively crosses the room, delicately avoiding the blood, and sits on the one couch unmarred by it all. "Now, let's not shut out honest offers to help. Let's start with what, exactly, happened."
Izuku shrugs. "We came prepared to kill the Death Adder. [name] got to him instead when he threatened Tenya. The Death Adder's friend—I guess also the Death Adder, since her kills were also being attributed to him—knew [name] from before and attacked me. They protected me, and died for it, so I ripped her head off."
"I turned them before it was too late," Tenya adds.
"So, you admit that if this weren't handled properly, [name] would also see serious criminal offenses for it?"
Izuku blinks owlishly at Neito.
"So, it would be better to accept help so that this is never discovered, and never hurts your dear [name]."
"But..."
"Mina, are you okay to help out?"
She looks like she's threatening to go the way of Tsuyu as far as the ruined carpet is concerned, but she nods. "I can—I can see what I can do. It'll take a while, though."
"I'll pay your therapy bills. All of you, if you want."
"I'm good," Tenya says. "I would appreciate a change of clothes, if you have anything that would fit me, though."
He nods. "Follow me. I'm going to take [name] to get cleaned up and changed into some other clothes so we can add these to the acid pile. I'll get you some clothes, too."
Izuku scoops you up in his arms and rises to his feet. Tenya follows him up the stairs to find Sbeve yowling behind the master bedroom door. The poor thing is still in his carrier, clawing at the door in vain attempts to reach you.
Once he's gotten dressed and scrubbed raw the skin your blood had touched, Tenya leaves you and Izuku upstairs with Sbeve. He takes the whole pile of clothes down to where Mina is steadily working at the evidence with Neito's help. Itsuka and Tsuyu appear to have been placed on water duty, pouring water into the acid squad's open mouths as they work.
Tenya drops the clothes on the Death Adder's corpse, gets in his car, and drives.
~
He's not sure what to do, so he drives. At first, it's just in circles around the city and campus and back, just to get his brain clear. As though his head could ever be clear again.
He should be helping. The only thing he can think of is to ensure that they eat. So, he stops at the store and gets a charcuterie board and drinks, then runs next door and leaves with three large pizzas to add to the mix.
When he returns to the mansion, he's not sure how long it's been, but at least one of the corpses is gone entirelyand Mina and Neito are sat collapsed against each other behind the couch. It seems Itsuka and Tsuyu have found some tools and started on ripping up the carpet at the far end of the room. Izuku is nowhere to be found. Probably watching over you.
He sets the food aside, nods to those working and resting in the living room. "You should eat something. I know no one has an appetite right now, but..."
Mina nods back. "In a minute."
"I'm going to check on them."
You are just as lifeless as when he left. That's to be expected. Izuku is huddled over you protectively, nearly hissing as Tenya enters the room. "It's just me."
Izuku calms, just slightly, but there's still a feral look in his eye. "Are the others still here?"
He nods and sits at the far end of the room. "I went out and brought back food. You should eat something, too."
"I'm not hungry."
"No one is. Eat anyway."
"...I don't want to leave their side."
"You know that they'll have to rest for several days, don't you? It would be best to help clean up so that when they awake, they don't have to face all that."
Izuku is silent at his logic.
"Sbeve will watch over them. Tsuyu and Neito's sister are working on ripping up the carpet. I believe Mina and Neito are resting after making significant progress against the evidence with their quirks."
Izuku casts one more long glance at you and rises to his feet. "...okay. Thank you."
~
Tsuyu sidles up to him as they eat. "Not that I think this is the time to ask, but you know, they remember you now."
Tenya nods slowly, staring at his slice of pizza. "They do."
"Have you thought about what to do about that?"
"Out of respect for the man who I watched rip someone's head off today, I don't intend to do anything."
"You can't do nothing. So what are you thinking?"
He's not sure. What are you meant to say? There is still pain. He's never felt the release that comes with closure. But you had said yourself that you didn't know how to feel about him anymore. That you were, at the very least, leaving him. You'd chosen Izuku, and that was fair. That was your decision.
Does he still love you? Or does he merely wish it had all gone differently?
"Move forward, I suppose."
"I hope you don't expect to do that alone."
He laughs softly at her blunt reply. "No, I suppose not."
~
Your friends do not leave after eating. It's a fact, an unfortunate one that has Izuku sighing as he cleans. He's taken to scrubbing the blood on the walls before it sets in too badly. The others are talking in the kitchen, moving on from the horror of it all to chatting, laughing, even. As though you're not dead upstairs.
He's so tired. He can't listen to this right now.
He sets aside the materials and hides away in his office, where he finds himself staring at the board with all the information he'd been collecting about the Death Adder.
Every paper plastering the walls. Really, extending far beyond the bounds of his corkboard. Years of work will do that. He turns on the lamp and soaks in it all for a moment.
Breathe in, breathe out. Meditate on it all.
The man is dead. His hidden partner is dead.
All those deaths, avenged. His parents, avenged.
They never made memories in this house. Before you'd come around, he hadn't, either.
The first step is to remove every semblance of that man's influence from this place, so when he's done breathing, when he's done sorting through all of it, he reaches towards the first thing he sees on the wall and takes it down. One paper. Another. Each and every pin, each string connecting them. The tangles unravel on his walls and in his head. He piles the pins on his desk, lets the papers pile up in his trash bin. When the bin's full, he lets them fall to the floor and keeps working until only the decorations hidden behind the papers are left.
Downstairs, your friends remain. At dinnertime, when he comes downstairs to throw out one bag of papers and find more bags to fill, they're sat around eating cold pizza and cheese cubes and greet him with tired eyes. Mina asks him for a first aid kit because she's overusing her quirk, and he obliges, even going so far as to patch up her burning hands.
Mina is the one to call your aide and let her know that you’re down with a summertime flu. Izuku makes sure all of your friends are fed, but none of them are willing to leave. Not until you’re awake.
So he feeds them. He brings them blankets when they are all done cleaning for the night, and directs them to the library on the second floor for a place to sleep that doesn’t smell like death and vomit. Just in case, he props furniture against the front door and closes the blinds.
When that’s done, he climbs the stairs. He finds you and Sbeve, both motionless, unconscious on his bed.
He climbs in bed beside you and tries to sleep.
It’s the best he sleeps in years.
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freeman's mind notes part two, e6-e10.5. under cut, long. formatting is different this time. will carry on in this way.
e6
"safety's off" sir. Sir you've just said it was a Glock. You fool. You absolute buffoon.
"clip" IT IS A MAGAZINE
I cannot respect a man who watches Die Hard this much. I just can't.
love how he reacts to the houndeye teleporting in. Flat "No."
mimics houndeye noise :>
heard Gman movin around on the catwalk above
electricity doesn't do a ton to him this first go around but does hurt and seems to paralyze him for a moment. Muscles seizing and all that
rescinds his disdain for everyone who died. Admits it's a bit difficult to live under the circumstances
"white men in armoured hazmat suits can't jump" SIR
[underwater mumbling] sounds pretty damn frantic. Genuine fear of dying by his own hand. I'd wager he thinks he's the only one that could do it.
bounces back quickly!
just goes and shoves some words together. For fun!
dislikes the ammo being covered in blood. Considers leaving it behind because if that
impacts still hurt. High impact reactive armour this is Not
e7
simian instincts strike again
has seen star trek
"maybe i should've been a bug" well I can study you like one. How's that sound
Kafka's Metamorphosis mention! It's Gregor Samsa that actually turns into a bug though, so. May not have read it.
knows who Shiva is! Not sure of her origin but she does show up in ff7, which is within his range to know about
bullsquid acid tastes like dead caterpillar
yog'sothoth :>
held his mouth open in the canal. Dude.
mouth cancer...
hates puns.
Black Mesa gets money from the dept. of defense
slur count one
is this hl source? Do the crates sway in the ported version?
correctly figures out the useless crate pit room
hates elevator music
e8
audio inconsistent :(
bug murder D: I love bugs.
shouting and breaking stuff in grad school did not help him
says grody. Like a loser.
threatens a man's life again. Doesn't seem to mean it.
calms down easily enough by breakin things
wants to blow up the building. He won't know it but it will be. Your will be honored, sir
came home to a guy impaled on his window's insulated glass. Explained that to the police.
"kind of like glass in a way" fragile and lacking a smell? got it
"GYAHH" high pitched scream!
has been hit by many tasers over dates.
pepper spray is worse.
first instance of sonic damage (gun in air vent)
some guy named Jessie would electrocute himself on his bed and end up paralyzed for an hour for fun. Sounds fun tbh
Steve Irwin... Rest in peace and let's kill all sting rays now
does ask a cowering scientist if he's okay
somehow doesn't see the shotgun in plain sight waiting for him
doesn't always know when he's thinking out loud
e9
peppered steak just like OFF
visibly contemplates shooting a regular bug
actively admits he was considering cannibalism. I can get behind that. Cannibalism win.
"pew!!"
roleplays as a teacher who hits kids with crowbars
wants to be a medieval knight so bad
no vent sharks for us! fan blades instead
afraid of muppets
has whistled Twice now
has seen Jurassic Park.
wishes he could shoot electricity through his hands
has probably seen James Bond
already theorizing about Xens makeup
more bothered by a barnacles death coating him in blood and potentially jamming his gun than being choked
shot in the ear :>
whistles in time with the turret. Echolalia real
doesn't want to look gay. Too late. Even if we assume base Freeman model he does have a ponytail.
slur count two.
HEADCRAB SLAUGHTER PARTY
sounds like he likes coffee and doughnuts
e10
starts off with silly noises and repeating the word "coffee" on loop
Chainsaw noise with his mouth
jason vorhees wannabe
would love to spread bloodborne diseases via hug
has a collection that a human skull would fit right in with. Bones in general? Skulls in general? Human skulls? Doesn't matter, Eddie mention! As of him getting more skulls in cheap.
wants his funeral to be full of explosives and planes
he is not a gerbil.
feels he's only sure of his actions when killing things
watches Jackie Chan movies
and the Addams Family!
gman sighting.
thinks the guy diving through the window is cool. compares him to his own grandfather? neat!
unlike stark can do a pull-up in his suit
cannot break the vending machine glass. has change on him, though. Dorito time.
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I didn't want to derail your very lovely post with something I understand is a personal choice and doesn't really matter, anyway, but I'm wondering while we're on the subject of you-don't-have-to-do-it-all, why are we taking on extra things that God never asked us to do—like not taking the word g-o-d in vain?
That's not God's name, that's a signifier that didn't even exist when the command was given. It's not the name we aren't allowed to say. It's like writing H@shem or the Al-ighty. It seems like a Christian influence.
this is a really good question and it pretty much boils down to not erasing His name. there are so, so many interpretations of everything in judaism, including how we address g-d in writing. the beautiful thing about this religion is that we can choose what resonates with us and not be judged for it. what it boils down to is not that we shouldnt write g-d's name, but rather that we should not deface or destroy it. if one of His names, rather than a signifier, is written out, then there is always a chance of it being erased. however if He's just alluded to then that problem is avoided. the same concept doesnt really apply to speech bc when you say something out loud it's there for good and there's no going bac
i no longer write out g-d and i use words like Hashem or Him as signifiers as a sign of respect because names have power. I only use the word ad-nai during prayer and i make sure that when i speak to g-d, rather than just about Him, i do so intentionally and with a proper focus.
there are also jews who write out g-d in full and those who switch between methods. those are absolutely valid ways of writing His name as well, but the "-" or Hashem would be the most common ways to refer to Him. what is not common is a religious jew writing out g-ds name or any signifier referring to g-d without some reason or forethought put into it no matter what format they choose. very rarely is it just put down on paper with zero reason.
also btw not taking g-ds name in vain is a honestly huge deal in judaism, but that's actually a completely different concept. the english translation really doesnt explain this concept very well imo, and it is absolutely hard to explain a very non-christian idea in a language influenced by Christianity. in short, not using g-ds name in vain is about avoiding cruel actions that desecrate his teachings. some examples would be using g-d's name and social influence to collect money that is claimed to be for donations but is actually for yourself, using your status as a leader (such as a rabbi) to abuse children, abusing your spouse, etc. g-d's name is a very powerful tool that holds so much meaning and using it for personal gain or to hurt others is what we as jews avoid.
i can sort of understand why this may seem like its influenced by Christianity. its not, the concepts of not taking His name in vain are totally different in those two religions, but these are very very difficult conversations to have in english. hebrew is genuinely the best language to discuss judaism in because it has words and phrases for concepts that just dont exist in English. sometimes close comparisons are all that's there and those can be extremely far off as well.
i dont usually do this but this is long as fuck so:
TLDR: a lot of jewish people use signifiers to refer to g-d so any words used to refer to Him cannot be erased. not taking the l-rd's name in vain is in regards to not using his influence to cause harm or for personal gain.
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Okay, this ship ask game is like, a dream come true. Because now I get to go into la-la-land and you know exactly why. Arlong. The fish-man everyone else loves to hate and I just love to love. 100% going self-ship on this one.
I am going with something a little on the nose (pun not intended) for him, Prompt 25—Write about your ship bathing or swimming together. This....is probably going to go very long because I am running with this for all it is worth.
Now, my man is a fish-man so he has the lovely advantage of pretty much everything when it comes to water. He has built in flippers in not just his feet but his hands as well and the bastard gets to breathe underwater to boot. To top it all off, he's a saw shark with an attitude, so while he must be wary of sea kings he doesn't really need to worry about anything else.
Me on the other hand? I don't know how to swim. Yup, the infamous fish-man snagged himself (or rather he himself was snagged) a woman who cannot swim. This isn't to say I have a devil fruit either. Look, I haven't been to church in a loooooooong time but even I remember, if the devil offers you a fruit you say no and run in the opposite direction of him.
No, I just never bothered learning how to swim. It wasn't that I didn't have ample opportunities, Mom tried desperately to get me to learn. I simply refused. Why? Well, Arlong asked the very same thing one day while we were exploring an island. The question came about as we found a decent-sized, hidden lake in the middle of some woods with what seemed to be a stone-faced "cliff" on one side of it. There was a mini-waterfall from the cliff (it wasn't a cliff, there was a rock formation that had a high point where one could dive off of, but we're in the middle of some woods here).
Arlong was eyeing the lake and I could tell an idea of mischief was forming in his mind. We'd never been swimming together. Not once. Long ago he had asked why I seemed to avoid water as if it itself were a plague. I eventually, sheepishly told him I didn't know how to swim. That was a half-truth. He thought all this time I was afraid of going near water because I didn't know how to swim.
So, now I was trapped and had to explain he had it backwards. I don't know how to swim because I'm afraid of the water. The way he looked at me. I swear that information took him 10 minutes to process. I'm a moron, I should have taken that lengthy interval to put as much distance between me and that lake as humanly possible. But I just stood there waiting for Arlong to react. I was mostly waiting for him to laugh at me, because who ever heard of something so ridiculous?
Finally his brain unfritzes, "so, are you afraid of what's in the water? Like regular sharks or something?" Well, at least he wasn't laughing, yet.
"Nope. I love sharks, you of all people should know that—" he grimaces here, fully remembering how we first met, I may or may not have traumatized him inadvertently. "I am genuinely afraid of the water itself. I know for a fact, it wants to kill me."
He raises an eyebrow, "a fact huh? You're afraid of the actual, water." The last word is pointed, he's either trying really hard not to laugh at me or his opinion of me just plummeted. Whichever it is, I'm getting embarrassed and try to stomp off away from him to go cry somewhere.
Alas, Arlong is exactly two-and-a-half-feet taller than me. He overtakes me in one stride, the bastard. "Hey now, I wasn't mocking you. I'm just trying to get a handle on this is all. I certainly wasn't expecting water to be the culprit here." He deftly wipes away a tear with his thumb before it has a chance to fall down my cheek.
I do what I do best and bottle up the emotions, swallowing the rest of the tears down. In my head, he's mocking me but in actuality he isn't. He's being very calm.
Arlong lets out a sigh. "Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to go for a swim, but I guess that's been rendered moot."
"Arlong, we don't have a spare set of clothes on hand."
"We wouldn't be swimming in our clothes, this isn't a party with booze and crew."
"Arlong, are you suggesting skinny dipping on a gods forsaken island?"
He looks away with a crafty glint in his eye and shrugs, "we're the only ones here and it's not like we haven't seen each other in the nude before." He looks back at me and stares intently into my eyes, I just now those icy blues of his mean no good right now. "We still could y'know." He gives one of his toothy smirks.
A normal person, a normal human no less, would have a chill of fear go down their spine because of those smirks. Not me, I just about melt. Just as I'm getting ready to remind him that I. Cannot. Swim. He beats me to the punch.
"Look, I'm a fish-man for crying out loud. I can breathe under the water and swim better than anything on this island. I'm not saying I'll teach you how to swim, I'm pretty sure that ship sailed and sank long ago (I flip him off at this). What I'm proposing is, you allow me to hold onto you in the water. I swear to you, I will not let go and I will not let your head go below the water."
Now, it's my turn to get crafty. I use what little feminine wiles I have and coyly stare back, "can I hold onto your dorsal fin?"
Arlong rolls his eyes, "what is it with you and my dorsal fin, woman?"
"I like it! It's sexy."
"All sharks have a dorsal fin. Are all sharks sexy then?"
"No."
"Then what the hell is it about mine?!"
"You really want to have this conversation now?"
"What conversation? How is this a conversation? I'm so confused, are we swimming or not?"
"Can I hold onto your dorsal fin?"
"No."
"Aw c'mon Arlong! Just this once!"
Facepalming as he realizes he brought this upon him self for allowing himself to fall for a lowly human, he heaves an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Clothes off, hold onto the dorsal fin, and I'll swim you around the lake. Then we do it my way, fair?"
Grinning like I just won the lottery I practically shout "deal!"
And true to his word, Arlong swims me around the lake with me holding onto his dorsal fin on his back. After a few laps, he pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly against his chest as he lazily swims in the lake, his back facing the lake floor so that I can practically lay down on his chest as if he were a floating pool lounge chair. It's mildly awkward because I don't want to wrap my arms around his neck or shoulders because that's where the gills are and I don't want to interfere with those.
Arlong chuckles, which feels like a low earthly tremor radiating from his body into mine, "so that's why you wanted to hold onto my dorsal fin. To avoid the gills?"
"Guilty as charged."
"Go ahead then, I don't mind. And for the record, you can't impinge breathing and you won't hurt the gills either. They're not that fragile. I'm a shark not a goldfish."
Now it's my turn to laugh, "you know technically speaking, fish who can breathe in the air can only do so temporarily. They have a special organ for it and everything. The critters than have both gills for breathing underwater and lungs for breathing on land are usually newts and some other versions of salamanders. So, technically you're an amphibian and not a fish."
"I hate you."
"I love you too Arlong."
Okay this was a treat. I don't even really know what to say to it. I love how well you balance the vibe of Arlong with the function of a full on relationship.
I LOVE the splitting hairs about classifications too, that just tickles me pink xD
Bathing/swimming with your ship hmm...
Marco x reader style:
Bathing isn't really the right word for it. He doesn't mind relaxing in the tub with you on occasion, but he really loves showering together. He loves getting to basically preen over you and clean you himself, teasing and touching and snuggling at the same time.
Spare moments are short, and he'd rather tangle up in one another arms and cuddle in bed, instead of cuddle in the tub. Preferring to run his fingers through your drying hair, and not your wet hair.
Not that he rushes shower time, he certainly takes his time, and he doesn't deny you the pleasure of returning the favor of cleaning him if you want. But he doesn't exactly make it easy for you, touching and teasing in return as you work.
Cuddling, admittedly, is not usually the first order of business once you're both out of the shower, and sometimes what you end up doing sends you right back in for another - albeit shorter and more focused shower.
ask game post
#Let's Give Them Something to Talk About#quin answers#ask game#oc x canon#self ship#x reader#thecrimsonacademic
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Rain Towards Dawn - The First Day -
Diluven | Rated M | No Reposts.
In which a So-Called-God seeks the approval of a mortal, like that has not gone wrong.
Warnings: Depictions of graphic violence, religious references and imagery, canon divergent. Some formatting may be different from the aO3 version.
Part One | Part Two [Here] | Part Three | Part Four
– The First Day –
Woe be to the So-Called-God.
There was commotion in the walls of Mondstadt City.
There was an effort by the people to clean up a mess that made it’s way into the city without any warning. The people could not explain it. How did a storm come to pass with no one being knowledgeable abou t it? Why didn’t it awaken anyone else? The whole shopping area of the city was in chaos. When Venti entered the city and he saw the Ordo helping with the cleanup, he sighed, looking around. I couldn’t even ask myself if I did this. I know that I did it. The damage wasn’t significant but it was still there. I felt guilty. This is why I didn’t like to get angry.
Without hesitation, Venti grabbed a bag and began to place broken wood into into it, ignoring the glances directed his way. Why was it so surprising for them to see him helping out? He resisted saying anything aloud and directed his attention to the pile of garbage at his feet. He worked quicker than even the Ordo which made some of them annoyed enough to go and find other tasks to do. I’ll tell you this, Diluc and I are alike in the sense that the Ordo annoys us. He distrusts them for suitable reasons. I dislike them for the very reason that I had to sink to my knees and heal Acting Grandmaster Jean after she collapsed at her desk, shouldering their burdens they could have taken care of themselves. They always left tasks a child could do to her. No God would be able to help them should there be an intervention. I am that God and I am not happy.
Within an hour’s time, the debris was cleared and Mondstadt City returned to being the bustling street Venti loved so much. The people went about their day as if nothing happened and the carefree atmosphere returned. Passing by Good Hunter, Venti was handed a Mondstadt Hash Brown in exchange for a song, to which he sang with beauty. Those that had their breakfast there would marvel at his voice. He left afterwards, eating the food he were given. Venti chose to eat later in the afternoon, either hunting for his own food or travelling to the Springvale Hunter’s Guild to buy some with the mora he kept on reserve. He smiled, for songs could still be payment for certain things.
Being a bard, after all, was a job. One he did well.
The true rise of bards came after the fall of Old Mondstadt. Those that lived created the songs about the new land free from Decarabian’s reign and the Ascension of the Anemo Archon. They shaped the first songs that would be sung at taverns and the streets and everywhere else. Venti’s beloved bard also contributed to this, but he died before he could make his songs known. He could not see the fruits of his labor. He did not see the clear sky and for this, Venti wept. There is not a single song from him I cannot remember. I carved each word in my mind and stitched the notes into my fingers so that my body would play his songs even if I were a corpse mangled on the ground.
Exchanging a song for a meal or drink was considered a beggar’s tactic these days. Now, it’s important to note that the exchange existed for as long as Mondstadt has been around after Decarabian’s fall, but very little wanted to remember the roots today. He was happy when Sara remembered it. Even Margaret was knowledgeable, offering a drink to Venti once a week in exchange for his best songs sung at The Cat’s Tail. He didn’t bother try to see if that tradition could have held up at Angel’s Share (and he was no longer welcome, anyways) so instead, Venti sang for coin and then used that coin to get his drinks. He'd accumulated enough for a reserve, and then only went into it when he wanted to drink or if he did not want to hunt for food.
There were times when he gained mora in less than a noble way.
There was a stupid Treasure Hoarder camp stationed near Falcon Coast on a hot night. The fishermen came here because of the serenity of the coast, which allowed them an easier catch while others came to dip their feet in the lake. At this time, Venti cordoned off the Golden Apple Archipelago with storms, not wishing to deal with another mirage or other foolishness that happened the last year that was out of his control. As such, the people would have to use the lake here to cool their bodies. A perfect opportunity to steal valuables from them. Forseeing what would happen, Venti pretended to be an oblivious traveler, allowed one of the Treasure Hoarders to approach him, and—
—Leaped upon him for I had nothing left to lose.
He took his fingers and scratched up the Hoarder’s face repeatedly. The Hoarder screamed, clutching his bloodied face in agony, with new scratches beginning to form and bleed even as he was doing that. Venti fought much like taverngoers about to get into a nasty brawl. Not pretty, messy and brutal and not for the weak-hearted. When the Hoarder tried to fight back, going for his face, Venti grabbed the offending hand and twisted it, causing a horrifying snap of bone. And then I balled my hand into a fist and punched that Hoarder until his face was bloody and he was crying for whichever God would be stupid enough to listen to him, because it sure as hell wasn’t going to be me. I dragged him back to the camp and placed my foot on his face and dug my heel into his cheek which threatened to break skin and ordered the other two Hoarders to give me the mora they stole, threatening their friend’s life and after it was given to me, threw their beat up friend at them and told them the Sisters healed for free.
Venti is not uncaring or greedy. He tried to trace back the mora to whoever the Hoarders stole it from, was able to anonymously return half of it, and then kept the rest for himself in his reserve. He drunk heavy that night, attempting to wash down the guilt. It didn’t work. It never works. His drinking became minimal, when he actually wanted to enjoy it.
He doesn’t like remembering that night.
Venti makes his way to the square where his statue stood tall. He took out his lyre and played for the small crowd that gathered upon seeing him. He could always draw crowds. They began to place mora at his feet though he didn’t even place his cap down and began to ask him to sing various songs he was accustomed to. He performed every one, beginning to dance as he played, feeling enjoyment. The previous memories lay unforgotten as he performed. The crowd kept cheering for him and left mora at his feet and some taverngoers who knew him also gave him the apples they had on their person, knowing how much he loved the fruit.
When he finished with a final applause from the crowd and began to walk away, a boy tugged his cape, stopping him Venti looked down and saw a familiar face.
This is the boy with the pigeons, Timmie.
“Hi,” he smiled brightly, continuing to tug on Venti’s cape. “I really like your song!”
“Thank you. Did you want to hear another one before I go?”
“Well, not really,” he responded honestly. “You see, I always go to the Church, every time! But... some of the things I don’t understand. So…”
Venti already knew what he was alluding to. You see, the beauty of being a God that pretended to be human is that this would happen. You would have someone approach you and ask you about yourself. Morax is humble in the sense that he corrects any misunderstandings and discrepancies about himself. He would not overglorify his contributions, but still give himself credit when credit was due.
“You want to know about our God,” Venti nodded. “Everyone does, but He likes to keep His secrets.”
In his mind, Venti calls on a single Thread, these Threads looking much like himself when he were a mere Wind Spirit. This Thread weaved several memories into one, imparting him with the memories of Timmie. A smiling boy that holds sadness inside. He recently found out a cruel truth—his father is dead. That truth remained hidden in order to preserve his childhood. To give him wonderful memories to live for—but is it not a child’s nature to be curious? Is it not a child’s nature to want their family, to be loved and nurtured? Is that not which is juxtaposed with having a good childhood? The Thread sensed how annoyed I was. It quickly took it’s leave with reverence to me.
“My father is gone…”
He spoke, as if solidifying what the Thread already imparted onto Venti. He closed his eyes, his heart breaking in an instant.
“I thought he was very busy,” Timmie continued. “That’s what they all told me, but then…”
“They couldn’t hide it anymore,” Venti responded softly. “They were guilty, little one. They were scared for you. They didn’t want you to be sad, they wanted you to be happy. You shouldn’t blame them.”
Though Venti himself did in fact, blame them, he would not try to make Timmie do the same thing and make him experience the same negative emotions he held—no, that wasn’t wise and not the kind of person he was. This, and Timmie did not seem convinced. His eyes remained melancholy, he fiddled with his hands and did not respond.
“Did you know that our Archon can guide anyone back here, regardless of where they are? Those who are living, those who have died. He can bring them back here. For those who are living, it is to remind them that they always have a place here. To those that have died, it is so they can rest freely in the land they were born to.”
“N-No,” Timmie sniffled, wiping away tears. “What do you mean?”
Venti closed his eyes.
“When you feel the wind blow in Mondstadt, it is never harsh. You pick Windwheel Asters that still spin in your hands because the wind gives it life. You can always smell dandelions, the wind is crisp and welcoming. Storms are rare. Why do you think this is?”
“Because of… Lord Barbatos?”
Venti sighed. “Yes.”
Timmie did not sense his discomfort. Most of, if not all the reason why I chose to live “as a human” is so I do not embellish my own importance. I am still “me” when I want to be “me.” I was only a mere spirit when I was at my beloved bard’s side when Decarabian’s Tower fell. He would hold the title of Anemo Archon if he were alive today, and I would have not minded being mere decoration, resting my head on his lap. Anyway, I am used to telling everyone lies about “me.” Tall tales, never anything harmful. This is the reason why the Sisters do not like me all too much, likening me to just a drunkard with little intelligence. Having to tell my actual feats feels wrong.
“Then, my dad…”
“Is home. He has always been home, watching over you within the Winds where he will find peace knowing you can grow up happily and lead a good life.”
“Really?” Timmie’s eyes lit up, his sadness disappearing.
“Yes. I am sure of it.”
Venti smiled, feeling comforted himself.
Yet, all good things came to an end as he saw one of the Sisters glaring at him, soon coming towards him.
“What are you saying to that boy this time?” Sister Victoria approached him. “Your views on Lord Barbatos are not correct!”
Venti had little room to spare for any kindness or logical rebuttal. Timmie ran away. Of course, the boy would, with that fright in his eyes. The children loved his songs and tales. This should not be happening, but it was and if it continued, he’d draw a crowd for all the wrong reasons. He could not—should not give rise to this, yet he could not help himself.
“You have only lived on Teyvat for a fraction of how long it took Lord Barbatos to draw His first breath, yet you would call yourself a Lady of His Word by leaning on to words He did not bequeath?”
“I—I—” She was taken aback, not expecting such words from the bard. Quickly recovering herself, she continued with, “Don’t need my faith questioned by—”
“A drunkard like me?”
Livid, his eyes began to glow against his will and he crossed his arms. The wind converged around him, making the breeze suddenly grow in intensity.
Venti hissed, “You should be more concerned about finding that boy and consoling him as I was.”
He needed to leave before he couldn’t control himself and the connection between the mess from the morning and the winds changing now became obvious. Sister Victoria was smart enough to see the anger in his face and in his words and was unnerved. She took a step back.
“I will go and do that.”
She turned on her heel.
“Children of the Anemo Archon, heed these words: from the winds we have come, and with the winds we shall go. Never, ever grieve for me. ‘Tis but my flesh and bones which rest in the soil: my soul has become one with the Thousand Winds. When flowers bloom, when leaves sway, that is me who sings the songs of freedom, of the winds.”
While she did not turn around, Venti could sense her shock from her controlled flinch and slight pause. He was calmer. The Winds returned to normal.
He found amusement at The Cat’s Tail not so long after that.
Uncaring about the odd allergy he had towards cats, Venti asked Margaret for a private room where he would not be disturbed and ordered the tavern’s best drinks to consume. It was the only thing that was calming. Yet, he couldn’t lie to himself. He did miss the taste of Dandelion Wine though it wasn’t too long since he’d previously had it. At some point, he’d have to bribe one of the Angel’s Share regulars to buy him a couple of bottles he could preserve.
He closed his eyes after drinking his last glass. It wouldn’t be the first time he slept for a couple of hours in a tavern. Except this time, when he awoke later the sun was going down and a single Thread was nudging his cheek in desperation, the latter never happening unless something required his intervention. Venti rubbed his eyes and sat up from the couch.
“Speak.”
“My Lord,” The Thread responded. “There is trouble at the Goth Grand Hotel. New members of the Fatui unrecognized by ourselves have stepped into that place with urgency.”
Those idiots want to actually do something now?
“Go spy on them and learn their secrets, then report back to me.”
The Thread disappears. Venti stands and paces back and forth until the Thread returns nearly a hour later.
“The situation is dire, My Lord. I have found out that the Fatui have cruel intentions.”
“Elaborate.”
The Thread looked nervous.
“There—There is a mole. There will be a mole—They wish to assassinate the Master of Dawn Winery.”
Venti sat dawn slowly, looking at the Thread in disbelief.
“You are sure?”
The Thread nodded.
“Absolutely?”
Another nod.
And in true fashion, the Anemo Archon ordered another drink.
He was too sober for this.
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hello
do you trust me to recommend you some books
I read ~170 this year and here’s reviews of my top ten, written for fb and crossposted under the cut in case you’re interested
1: Camp Concentration by Thomas Disch
-I know it’s not obvious from the way I conduct myself here, but I have a very large vocabulary. I was a kid who read the dictionary and also any thesaurus I had access to. So, that said, consider how much it means to me personally that this book taught me 30-50 new words. This isn’t a huge part of the reason I loved this book, but it is a very impressive fact about it that I think will grab the attention of people who might otherwise not read it. This book changed the way I read, the way I think about literature, and the way I evaluate what I have previously read. It’s offensive to me that I lived 30 years as an avid reader and culture sponge without hearing about this book. I cannot recommend it enough. I give it top spot on this list for a very good reason. I’d like to avoid spoiling any of the plot because while I called the twist easily, discovery of each point was so delightful that I want you to have that same experience.
2: Cockatiel x Chameleon by Bavitz
-You all have plenty of experience with me recommending works of fiction published online in formats that deter most readers. This is a normal Najwa activity. I know how it sounds and I know, therefore, that this plea will go more or less unheard, but I BEG you. Look past the fact this was published on AO3. This is one of the most remarkable books I’ve read, period. I mentioned in my worst of how much it bothers me that most writers can’t plausibly write about the internet. This book is the FUCKING ZENITH of writing about being online. It is the absolute peak and I will be shocked if I ever encounter another work that overtakes it. This is a book about people who are so strange they are barely human, but in ways that will be instantly familiar, intimately true, to those of us who grew up on the internet. There is violence and abuse and love and beauty and Chatroulette. There is art and gore and exploration of identity and apocalypse. There is fucking POSTING.
3: Serious Weakness by Porpentine
-Charity Heartscape Porpentine is one of our greatest living authors, opinions of snide Twitter users notwithstanding. I am an evangelist for her Twine game poetry because it is so singular and so affecting. Even a decade on, I can play through Their Angelical Understanding and feel freshly stabbed in the gut. Imagine the thrill I felt when she posted about her completed novel. I would (strongly) recommend this even to people who (somehow) bounced off her games, because her prose style is very distinct from the voice those are in (yet still recognizable). This is an incredibly violent, sick, stomach-turning, difficult, ugly, terrifying book. It’s also ultimately asking the reader a question about love and compassion. If you are sensitive to any trigger in written word about any violent action one person can do to another, skip this book, but if you feel like you have the strength, give her the nine bucks or whatever that she’s asking and devour it like I did. A hook for you: our protagonist has a chance meeting with an embodiment of pain. What follows includes torture, gender, climate disaster, and Columbine. Gorgeous. This book almost convinced me to start doing video essays so I could explain to people the incredible factors at play in it.
4: Negative Space by BR Yeager
-I have been trying to read this book for free for so long that I broke my streak and paid actual money for it. It was one of the better purchases I made all year. Thanks to finally reading some Stephen King this year I now have the requisite foundation to see how heavily his style inspired Yeager in this book, but I would die on the hill defending my position that Yeager does King better than King ever did. There is evil seeping out between the lines of this book. Have you ever had a nightmare that made you feel doomed the entire next day? Have you ever felt you were trapped in your shitty, dying home town? Have you ever been seduced by the excitement of activities that you know might actually kill you? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and looked at your own dark reflection? Go back to the deepest point of your teenage depression here.
5: We Who Are About to by Joanna Russ
-One of the shortest entries on this list and so one of the easiest sells, but it is just as full of meaning as any other that made the cut. There is so much implied and unsaid about this protagonist. She feels whole, like this is the last chunk of chapters in a series centered on her, but she represents something universal. She is one member of a group from a crash-landed spaceship, a group small enough in numbers that there’s no way for humanity to last on this planet more than one more generation. Any attempts to do even that are so plainly cruel and self-deluding that she wants no part of them, but the others with her don’t see it the same way. Her story is womanhood under patriarchy, it is life and death, it is self-determination. Brutal. I read this at the airport and cried in public.
6: Carrie by Stephen King
-As much as I hate to say it, I gotta hand it to Uncle Steve (or really to Tabitha). This book very nearly justifies the rest of his career on its own. I thought had picked up most of it from cultural osmosis, but there was a truly shocking depth that I couldn’t have found without experiencing it firsthand. Maybe it’s funny to use this word here, but this book is humanist and compassionate and sincere in a way that King never finds again, particularly with the women he writes. Carrie is so vivid that I felt a protective instinct for her throughout the book even though I knew she was about to discover her own power. She reflects parts of me about as well as Lindqvist did in Little Star, which is the work of art that is THE most personal to me. A classic for a fucking reason.
7: The Doloriad by Missouri Williams
-This year, lots of the books that I read had strange echoes of each other. In this, I can pick out shades of Carrie, of Camp Concentration, of We Who Are About To, and even of Serious Weakness. Rarely if ever are these references by each author, but it has enriched my experience by having unofficial interlocking intertexts for all of them. This book has been very divisive with reviewers, and I understand why, because it is cruel and the prose is extremely stylistic. This is somewhat experimental and fully literary and sincerely philosophical. I get it. Not for everyone. But it was for me. A clan of inbreds at the end of the world with their eyes on their scapegoat, nonverbal and disabled Dolores. It shocked me and it challenged me and I loved it.
8: The Ice Cream Man and Other Stories by Sam Pink
-These short stories did the exact opposite of the thing that pissed me off about The Florida Project. These are about people who are varying degrees of sympathetic but the same degree of desperately, penny-scrapingly working poor. The easy pull quote is “unflinching,” because it turns an eye on very ugly parts of real life for so many of us. I think people who grew up middle class will find some voyeuristic, prurient pleasure in these stories, but they’re not written for you. They’re written for us, the people who have lived this way.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman 9
-I don’t need to tell you how great this book is, because the whole of booktok has told you this all year. Instead, what I will say is that it is much stranger and less tidy than you’re imagining when you hear the blurb. It’s a short read and it is one of the few times I haven’t regretted following booktok’s advice.
Only Lovers Left Alive by Dave Wallis 10
-This barely squeaked onto this year’s best of, because I started it before 2022 ended and finished it early in the new year. As I read it, especially in the first 20% of the book, I was confused as to how it ended up on my TBR. But toward the end, and throughout the year as I’ve continued to think about it, I understand more instinctively than intellectually that this is a remarkable work. A short synopsis: in the 80s in the UK, there is an epidemic of suicide, but only by adults. The teens left behind forge their own path.
#Porpentine#Bavitz#Thomas Disch#Dave Wallis#Sam pink#Stephen King#jacqueline harpman#Joanna Russ#Missouri Williams#br yeager#b. r. yeager#charity heartscape porpentine
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We need to talk about the downgrade of Apollo in Lore Olympus because Rachel did him so dirty, like his character has been mistreated do much 😭
Don't take this personal, anon, you've done nothing wrong ! i'll just use this ask as a way to, somehow, dumps my violent thoughts about this... Thingy.
Rant below.
What Lore Olympus did to Apollo isn't even a downgrade, it's plain disrespectful, an insult to an important figure and symbol. Not only him, but also the rest of the gods that appear in that nonsense that dares to call itself a """comic""", which is also an insult to writers and artists. Lore Olympus did a culture wrong, did a comic wrong in general, but it did to Apollo has no words to describe it. If every time someone talks about Apollo, they need to EXPLAIN why he's not the LO one, we have a problem. When we are talking about Apollo, we're talking about APOLLO and that's it. Why the fuck do we need to specify? Because of this piece of shit that had the audacity to even come out in physical format. As someone who has been writing since she was a child, who also studies literature and took courses regarding how to write a fucking decent story, i don't even know where to begin with this horrible piece of... """Media""" that Webtoon keeps promoting as if it wasn't something that wasn't of a big deal. My ass.
Gotta love seeing a bunch of teens who educated themselves with Tiktok reading that AND not only throwing bullshit at Apollo, a figure who i love with my entire being and who has brought me comfort in numerous ways, but also thinking that rape victims just "get over it" after meeting a handsome man or whatever. As if Hades wasn't fucking awful in that comic. That's not how it works. Don't write about dangerous topics if you know shit about them.
Gotta love how i always associated Persephone with dark-pink, due to the pomegranate seeds being of that color, BUT NOW i can't see her with anything with that color anymore because of the ugly ass """character""" LO made. What even is WRONG with the teens reading it that they go and change wiki articles to make the myths accurate to this bullshit that has the balls to call itself a comic ????
I won't even go "sure, you like it, fine" NO. NO I CANNOT. WHAT DO YOU EVEN SEE THAT IS APPEALING? I've seen people who knew nothing about Greek Folklore say it was boring as hell. Some kind of Twilight 2.0 but even worse. For fuck's sake, i'm the first person who likes characters that in real life wouldn't be nice to be with, because NONE OF THEM ARE HUMAN, all of those are monsters or invented creatures. What do those teens even SEE in LO when the designs are all fucking awful.
And after what they did to ALL of the gods, SPECIALLY to Apollo, if they have the fucking audacity to touch Dionysus too, i truly apologize for the person i will become.
If they fucking dare to mistreat Dionysus just like the damn Hades Game did and make him a pice of scum just like that one, i do apologize for the things i'm capable of doing.
#Apollo didn't deserve this. NONE of the gods did#and i'm tired of these whiny teens to ask for acceptance when they show their fucking xenophobia by defending this#by saying the Folklore is fanfiction. lmfao. that they're allowed to do whatever they want with it#bro just say you hate Greeks but whant to take advantage of their culture and move on#a teen girl once tried to defend me that there was no reason to defend Apollo because he was the same in the myths#and i fucking swear#I FUCKING SWEAR#anti lore olympus#this comic if fucking awful even without mistreating the gods LMAOOO#answered#anon
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A Retainer’s Duty
Word count: 20.4k | Rating: T (some swearing) | Zeus Brundle x Hiro Tachibana (Zeusro)
//this is it. this is my magnum opus. never ask me for anything ever again.
this is also my favorite thing i have ever written, and has been an on and off process for about 2 years. please be nice to me LOL. this is also INCREDIBLY BEEFY, so do not hesitate to read this in its GOOGLE DOC FORM. as a matter of fact, i’d prefer if you did. there’s pretty colored text in that version and it’s formatted much nicer.
☆☆☆
A retainer's duty cannot be taken lightly. It cannot end, even when your life's on the line. Your life is that of your liege's. You are completely disposable and replaceable by the nobility above you. Do not overstep your boundaries.
Know your place.
Do not become friends.
Do not fall in love.
All of these things are impossible to do all at once, which was something Hiro had repeated in his own thoughts many times throughout his life. The latter half of the list of the "rules" his father laid out for him have since become null. If anything, love is the most important part of his relationship with his liege.
Love: because it's hard to not to fall in love with the biggest idiot on the planet.
☆☆☆
Thirteen years together since birth, and things are beginning to change.
"Is that all you've got, Hiro?!"
It wasn't. Hiro won three out of four sparring matches already. He felt bad, and had to let Zeus win at least one. Hiro could go on for ten more matches without breaking a sweat, and Zeus knows this scarily well.
Zeus, however, was not in as great of shape. Sweat bleeds through his t-shirt, dark as it may be. Zeus' hair is frizzy, his clothes are disheveled, and his breathing is heavy and without rhythm.
However, his eyes have a fire in them.
Hiro had gone too easy on him, he thinks.
"In general? No. For you? Yes." Zeus pouted, unsatisfied by the fact that Hiro is giving up so readily. "Let's just rest for a bit. You're out of breath, idiot."
"Fine. But, the next round is in ten minutes!"
"Please. In ten minutes you'll be passed out on the ground, and then I'll have to drag you back to your room and have to explain to your sisters that you're not dead."
"I'll be fine. At least sit next to me so you can rest, too."
Hiro was caught a little off guard, but never showed it on his face. Zeus always asked Hiro to rest, and always made sure Hiro was okay as well, but why ask to sit next to him?
"I'm fine. I'm not even tired." Hiro smugly grinned at Zeus, almost teasing him about their physical differences.
"How lovely. Now sit."
"Whatever."
Hiro dropped down to sit next to Zeus, who had been making the "sit down" motion with his hand the entire time. Hiro debated sitting on his hand as a joke, but the last thing he wanted was to hear Zeus complaining about how he got "ass fingers" because of him.
The grass had a slight crunch to it as the middle schooler sat down, a product of the sun beating down too harsh on it during the past few weeks. "Why not sit in the shade? That tree is literally five feet away."
"Who cares?" Zeus scoffed. "It's not like we're going to get a sunburn. You know that my parents control the weather around the manor."
"Still feels weird."
"You're weird."
"Your face is weird."
"Your MOM is weird."
"No no no, my SISTER is weird."
The two boys laughed at their own bickering, with Zeus falling over from how apparently funny the whole ordeal was. Zeus never found Hiro's sister, Kureha, very fun to be around. Kureha had a scary aura around her, and always threatened to "cut Zeus' hair while he slept" if the two misbehaved.
Zeus stared at the bright sky above them, watching the clouds carefully as if he was studying them, while Hiro thought Zeus was a more interesting subject.
There was no denying that Zeus, visually, was interesting. His natural pastel blue hair and his dark skin were a stunning combination. His sapphire eyes also complimented his complexion, giving him an almost ethereal appearance. It didn't help that Zeus, despite being in his awkward tween years, was already garnering the attention of many of his peers at school due to his good looks.
However, not a single one of those admirers know how much of a boisterous idiot Zeus really was. Hiro treasured this knowledge, but also sometimes despised it.
"Lie down with me."
"Another order, your highly-ness?"
"Yes. I think you'll enjoy it."
"If you say so?"
More of the grass was crushed under Hiro's body as he laid down, maybe a little too close to the other boy. Maybe not close enough.
Hiro's eyes wandered from Zeus' face to the sky above, his hands resting on his chest. Dozens of small clouds littered in the bright blue sky above them, but there wasn't nearly enough to call it overcast.
"Hey, that one kinda looks like a butt."
"Oh my god, you're right! But WHOSE butt?"
"I dunno. Yours?"
"Aw, you think my butt looks that nice?"
"I definitely did NOT say that."
"Let it be known, people of the world: Hiro Tachibana thinks my butt looks like it's as soft as a cloud!"
"You really are an idiot, aren't you!"
Hiro lifted his right hand from its comfortable position on his chest and hit Zeus square in the stomach with his fist. A clean hit, nice and sharp. Zeus let out a small yelp and rolled on his side before the two young boys started laughing once more, amused at their own jokes. While coming down from their laughing high, the boys' hands seemed to fall into one another, as if they'd done this a million times before. Of course, they'd never tell anyone else that. That was their little secret.
Small fingers wove themselves together for the first time. It had always been open palms, one leading the other. Neither initiated it, but neither stopped it from happening. The boys didn't shake their gaze from the bright sky above. The only sounds left after their laughter was the rustling of the trees nearby. The little universe they created between them was peaceful and undisturbed.
That is, until Zeus let out a daydream-shattering yawn.
"You're way more tired than you thought, Zeus."
"I'm nooot… 'M just a lil'... hhAAAAAUUUnnnghh… sleep deprived, 's all…"
"Classic excuse. Do you need me to carry you to your bed, your sleepy-ness?"
"Dun make fun 'a me! Jus'…"
"Juuuust?"
"Jus'... stay with… me…"
"...Huh?"
"I said stay with me! Dun make me repeat my… myshelf…."
Zeus rolled slightly over to face Hiro, eyes closed, his movements teeming with drowsiness. Hiro's cheeks started to turn several shades of pink. Zeus would absolutely make fun of him if he actually saw him like this. Against his better judgment, Hiro rolled over to face Zeus as well. Not like he's going to be looking, anyways.
"If it's what you desire, your highly-ness."
"Mmm… thank you, my…. hero…"
Zeus was out like a light, and it didn't take long for Hiro to start getting sleepy as well.
"My 'hero'... he really is an idiot." Hiro thought briefly.
Hiro’s eyes lingered on Zeus for a moment before he felt them close all by themselves. A small smile crept up on Hiro’s lips as the two drifted off into the world of dreams together.
Little did they know, but a certain young woman was watching them from afar. She doesn’t dare wake them for dinner.
☆☆☆
Nine years together since birth, and so many things are the same.
It was a grand party that was to be held to commemorate the young lord’s ninth birthday.
This never came as a surprise to the Tachibana family, as they always participated in the events that the Brundle family had hosted in the past. Hiro, despite being so young, has already heard so much about his family’s ties to Zeus’. So much that he is actually starting to get annoyed by all of the lectures his father gives him during their training sessions.
“Hiro, our family is very important to the Brundle family. We exist to protect them with our bodies, our minds, and our souls.” The lessons from Hiro’s father always start the same. “You and your sister are the next generation of the Tachibana name. Do you remember what it means to be a retainer, my son?”
“It means that we are the shields of the royal family. Our duties never end, even when our lives are on the line…”
“Yes, my boy. And what else?”
“It… means we can’t get close to our lieges. If we are too attached, our thoughts will be bad…”
“Exactly. Do you remember your job today, as every year?”
“Yes, papa. My job is to stay by the young lord’s side all night, and get help if he is attacked, or if he is being stolen away.”
“Yes, my son. Now, go get ready with your sister. The party will begin soon.”
“Yes, papa… but, can I ask you something, papa?”
“Yes?”
“Why can’t I be friends with Zeus and his protector at the same time? I don’t think that Lord Brundle minds... “
Hiro’s father knelt down to meet Hiro’s eye level, and placed a large hand on Hiro’s head. “Hiro, you know the answer to that already. You just told me, did you not?”
“Yes, but…”
“But?” His father’s voice lowered an octave. Hiro’s head tilted down in shame for asking.
“Nevermind, papa. I’m going now.” Hiro gave a small excusatory bow, much like the ones he always saw the servants do in the estate. Closing the door behind him, Hiro left the room to head to the head maid’s room, where his sister, Kureha, was already getting ready.
Not long after Hiro had left the room, Zeus’ own father entered with a small grin on his face.
“Come now, don’t you think you’re being a little hard on the boy?” Zeus’ father leaned against the door frame, also slightly amused at how Hiro had not taken notice of his eavesdropping.
“You know I cannot be soft on him, my liege. I cannot let him repeat my mistakes.” Hiro’s father glanced downward at his liege’s legs, one of them made of metal and wood.
“You know that wasn’t your fault.” Zeus’ father adjusted his stance and shifted his weight off of his prosthetic to approach the other man, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Hiro’s father put his hand on his liege’s and let out a deep sigh.
“I only want him to be careful.”
----
Hiro ran all the way to the head maid’s room, and was completely out of breath by the time he reached it.
“You’re late, Hiro!” Kureha immediately hit him on the head for his tardiness.
“OW! Blame papa for it, not me!!”
“Shut it. Late is late. Go tell Miss Olivia that you’re here so she can grab your clothes already!”
All Hiro could do was walk away and stick his tongue out at Kureha, who threateningly grabbed her shoe and prepared to throw it at the young boy. Hiro immediately ran into the head maid’s actual room, only to find that Zeus is still being waited on by the seamstresses on the final adjustments to his coat.
“Hiro!!” Zeus swiftly shooed away the young maid tending to the hem on the sleeve of his coat and ran up to Hiro, giving him a massive hug. Hiro hugged back.
“It’s about time you showed up! Do you know how BORED I was without you?!”
“‘Prolly a lot.” Hiro grinned as Zeus pulled away, but Zeus still held on to Hiro’s shoulders.
“Oh, Hiro! There you are!” Olivia snapped up from behind a small, messy work desk, where she did a lot of her embroidery. “Come now, dear, let’s get you all dressed up. Our guests will be arriving any moment now!”
“Yes, Miss Olivia…” Hiro reluctantly removed Zeus’ hands from him. “I’ll see you at the party!”, Hiro whispered to the other boy.
“Yes! Until then!” Zeus waved as Hiro was dragged away to be fitted for his own coat.
----
The party itself was dizzying for such a young boy. Zeus, being the star of the party, was constantly at the center of attention. Family friends, relatives Zeus barely remembers, even strange people who clearly only want to be on Lord Brundle’s good side. Thankfully, nobody outright suspicious-looking has entered the ballroom, as Hiro thought to himself. Despite being so young, Hiro has already been in training to be a full-fledged retainer since he could walk, so it is already very easy for him to spot shifty people in the shadows.
Hiro was never fond of most people, so he was always close to the young lord, hardly ever speaking to the nobles, unless he was addressed directly… Which wasn't often. Not that Hiro minded, of course. He could always tell which nobles are the “good” ones, and which are the ones that just act good.
As the night kept dragging on, the golden chandeliers and dark marble floors in the ballroom started to lose their magic for the young boys. The Brundle family always uses magic to change the looks in their ballroom for every large event to suit their aesthetics. Once it was time for dinner to be served, the wizards and Lord Brundle himself adorned the ballroom with many tables. The tables were decorated with long, dark blue tablecloths with horizontal gold stripes around the circumference. In the center of all of them were large glass centerpieces, which looked like two vases stacked on eachother. In the bottom section was a magical candle that burned a blue flame, and on top was a beautiful bouquet of blue anemones, small white lilies, ferns, and gold pearl strands cascading down the sides. At the table for the Brundle and Tachibana families, similar centerpieces adorned the long table, but only had a single tier, and had a long candle sticking out of the top.
Zeus, of course, was at the center of the table. Hiro always sat next to him, regardless of the function. Zeus’ family lined up on the side next to him, and the Tachibana family sprinkled themselves in between to sit next to their lieges. All for protection’s sake, obviously.
While everyone else was being served “adult food” (as Zeus and Hiro called it), the two boys had their own dinners that were specially made. As the boys talked between themselves, giggling here and there about the ridiculousness of this whole thing, but never quite loud enough for others to hear, Zeus’ father chuckled to himself while Hiro’s father started to stare daggers at his son’s behavior. Hiro felt a chill in his spine and froze, with Zeus picking up what was happening only a few seconds later. Zeus looked at his own father, who gave him a thumbs up. As people were beginning to finish their meals, Zeus’s father stood and tapped his wine glass with a spoon to garner attention.
“Everyone! Everyone, may I have your attention please?” The crowd of people turns towards the table in the center, staring at Lord Brundle with curiosity. “Thank you, thank you all.” He gives a small bow to the room.
“Tonight is a grand night for our firstborn son, Zeus, and I sincerely thank everyone for being able to celebrate this joyous day in our family.” The ballroom roared with applause, some feeling their egos heightened for being thanked for their presence, while others clapped out of politeness. “Yes, yes. While today is all about our son, Zeus wants us to take a moment and appreciate those who have protected us, and the ones who made this day possible.” Lord Brundle motions to Hiro’s father, and holds his hand out for him to grab and stand up as well, winking at Zeus as he does it. Lord Brundle has done this before, and Zeus knows this to be a distraction. Zeus grabs Hiro’s hand.
“Let’s get outta here for a bit.” While Hiro’s father was distracted, Zeus and Hiro got out of their chairs and started making their way past everyone. They did, however, stop at Zeus’ mother to let her know that they were “running to the bathroom”, to which she nodded. “Don’t be too long, dear. Don’t forget that we still have the dances coming up!” she grinned. The two boys nodded and grinned back before running off, out of sight from the rest of the guests.
“Everyone, please give a round of huzzahs for the Tachibana family!” was the last thing the two boys heard as they scampered out of the ballroom and out into the rest of the Brundle’s mansion.
----
The two boys eventually found themselves in the western garden, with the gentle moonlight and the soft glow of the magical lanterns illuminating every step they took.
The western garden is the most classic of the three that surround the Brundle estate, with it being paved with cobblestone and lined with rose hedges that delicately border every pathway. There are a few stone gazebos, benches, outdoor clocks, and fountains that, despite their age, still look brand new. Zeus and Hiro eventually came to one of the gazebos in the center of the garden, giggling the whole way there as they escaped. They considered it their “secret spot”.
“I can’t believe your dad just DID that!!”
“Eh, he does it all the time. He likes you, so he covers for us. Your dad is too mean!”
“Tell me about it. At least you don’t have to live with him.”
“Oh, man, you’re right. Haha!”
The two boys laughed again, their hands still clasped together from running away. Zeus takes a big, long breath, relieved to be away from the party, even though he enjoys the attention.
“You know, it’s nice to get away from those stuck-ups. These parties can be so boooooring!”
“Boooooooring!!”, Hiro echoed.
“At least I have you with me. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you!”
“You'd prolly die of boredom.”
“I’d prolly die of boredom, yeah.”
This gazebo was a special one, because it wasn’t made entirely of stone. The ceiling was made with a hole that had a thick sheet of glass in place of more stone, which made it perfect for stargazing. The ceiling was also painted with the constellations that make up the Queensblade’s night sky, and gold detailing throughout the rest of the pillars and handrails that connected the top to the bottom.
The two boys stared up through the glass, admiring the clear night sky that always seemed to welcome them. If they turned their heads just right, they could see the full moon shining above them.
“Hey, do you want to know something that my mom taught me?”
"Uh, okay…?"
"Look at those stars over there. Do you see those shapes?"
"I know what const-ull-ay-shuns are, dummy."
"Y-yeah, but my mom told me about these special ones. Look at those ones!" Hiro pointed to two constellations that were side by side. "Do you see the ones that look like a tail and a triangle?"
"Yeeeeaaaah? And?"
"Well, my mom told me that the tail is called Scorpius, and the triangle is Capricornus."
"So what? They're just stars."
"Well, you were born under Scorpius, and I was born under Capricornus. So, even if we're apart, we'll always be near each other in the stars..." Hiro looked away and blushed, a little embarrassed at what he had just said. Zeus looked at the painting above, and his eyes widened in realization. He turned to Hiro with a look of childlike wonder and happiness.
"So… Does that mean we'll always be together?"
Hiro peeked back over to Zeus and nodded.
"That… is so cool!!!" Zeus leapt up from his stone seat with an unparalleled excitement in his eyes. "If we're always going to be together, then I'll never get sad, because you make me happy!" The boy had the biggest smile on his face, and it was clear that he took those words to heart. Hiro's face got even more red at the embarrassment he had just now realized he subjected himself to, but he smiled back at Zeus nonetheless.
"Yeah… You… make me happy too! So, we won't ever be sad!"
The two boys giggled again at their vow. This was their happiness that they had discovered. Not one that was planned out by their parents, not one that was faked by strangers, and definitely not one that was forced by everyone else around them. This was natural.
After a short minute, Zeus looked around and noticed one of the clocks in the garden, and realized something very important.
"AAAHH!!"
"AUGH! Jeez, what is it?!" Hiro had an almost scolding tone for Zeus, who startled him with his sudden outburst.
"The dances!! We need to go back, now!"
"Oh no! You're right, let's go!" Hiro darted from his seat as well, grabbing the other boy's hand and sprinted through the garden.
Hiro was a little faster than Zeus, so he couldn't go as fast as he wanted, but the two managed to slip back into the party without anyone else noticing that they were gone.
----
As the two came back to their seats, somehow, Zeus' father was still thanking all of the staff that made the party possible. He was finally on the waitstaff, which was somehow the second to last group to thank. Hiro considered how long they were gone, and realized just how many people make these parties happen, and that Zeus' father made it a point to memorize the names of everybody in the Brundle house's service.
"Please, everyone, one more round of applause for all of our waitstaff this evening!... Yes, thank you all. And last, but most certainly not least, I want to thank every single one of you who gave us your spare time to come and celebrate this momentous occasion with us. While the staff here is an important part of making this possible, we would not be here without all of you!"
The crowd let out another roar of applause, with their egos being stroked. Lord Brundle always had a silver tongue, and he was able to use it so masterfully. It never fails to amuse the rest of the Brundle family when he gets to use it to distract his ever-gullible retainer.
Once the commotion had calmed down and everyone had finished their meals, Lady Brundle announced that it was almost time for the family dances. Zeus was to dance with his mother, father, and some strangers that lined themselves up to get closer to the young heir. Once again, Lord Brundle and some of the other servants used technically simple but flashy spells to convert the ballroom back to being the dance hall it once was. The plates were practically waltzed out of the room and into the kitchen to be washed; the centerpieces on the tables morphed into decorations for the curtains, and some were turned into smaller chandeliers to illuminate the currently barren dance floor.
As the music picked up again, the two boys silently dreaded their physical separation, even though they wouldn't be far from one another. Hiro decided to try and ease the tension from those thoughts.
"Try not to step on any toes!" Hiro gave a playful nudge to Zeus with his elbow.
"Try not to look creepy on the outside!" Zeus joked back. He seems to be a bit more calm, or at least that's what Hiro thought.
The dances that Zeus had with his parents were practiced rigorously beforehand. Zeus had spent many months already practicing his waltz, and was a quick study.
The dance with his mother, of course, was one of those waltzes. It was a very formal dance, and it gained many "awws" from the mothers in the crowd, especially because Zeus was so small compared to his mother. But then again, he only just turned nine, so that was to be expected.
The dance with Lord Brundle, though, was much more lively. This dance was meant to impress, and the Brundle family had even brought in a choreographer to make it both child-friendly and full of pizazz. It was almost reminiscent of a flamenco dance, but every step was brimming with magical effects. Blue rose petals swirled around them at all times while they occasionally performed other fantastical spells to the rhythm. It was a dazzling performance, and it got the crowd cheering once again.
Hiro could only stare at Zeus from the sidelines. After all, there was no "Lord and Retainer" dance, not like he particularly liked dancing. He was fine right where he was. It wasn't long, however, until the planned dances were over, and the guests were free to dance among themselves, and perhaps to let one of their own heirs dance with Zeus. And, of course, many of the guests had their daughters line up to get a chance to dance with him. If this weren't a party put on by the Brundle family, Hiro and Zeus could have made a small fortune by making these young girls pay for a dance.
"You don't need to look so sad every time he dances with someone else, dummy." Kureha practically came out of nowhere and gave a small karate chop to the top of Hiro's head.
"Ow! Kurehaaaa! Not at the party!"
"Boohoo. Nobody pays attention to us, anyways. We're always just extras at these parties."
"That doesn't mean we can't enjoy them… And what do you mean I look sad?! I'm not sad!"
"Your existence is just sad. So, I just thought you were sad." Kureha had a devilish grin on her face. She was four years older than Hiro, so she had a lot more experience with the parties the Brundle family put on, and was already a lot more mature, even though Hiro and Zeus would tell you a much different story.
"Hmph!" Hiro stuck his nose up and turned away from his sister. "Why are you bothering me, anyways? Shouldn't you be with Lady Brundle?"
"She's talking to the other nobles. Father is with her, and it sounds like they're talking politics, so I left."
"Pawl-uh-ticks? What's that?"
"I dunno, but it was really boring stuff. I hardly knew what they were talking about."
"Uh huh. So you came to bother me, because…?"
"What? I'm not allowed to hang out with my baby brother, who I love soooo much?" Kureha pulled Hiro into a head lock and gave him a noogie.
"Aaah! Kureha, no!" Hiro tried to quickly fix his hair before any of the other servants saw, especially Miss Olivia.
"Haha! Got 'ya!" After her successful attempt at annoying her little brother, Kureha's face softened. "But seriously, though. Are you doing okay? You do look a little sad over here."
Hiro didn't know how to answer her. He didn't feel sad, so why did she think so? But, seeing Zeus over there, having fun with other people was making him feel something. Something he didn't know how to describe.
"I… I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Well, I don't know if I'm sad. I don't feel sad, but I'm not happy, either."
"How does it feel, then? You can tell me anything, you know."
The young boy had to think for a moment before he answered. "Maybe… um… I think it's like being upset?"
"Upset?"
"Yeah. Even though I know Zeus will be done dancing soon, I just wish he wasn't dancing in the first place."
"What, you think he's a bad dancer or something?"
"No, it's more like.. I just want to be playing with him right now, and not anybody else, you know? And it… kind of hurts that he"s not doing that right now."
A massive lightbulb went off in Kureha's head. This was her first inkling of what was happening, but she won't ever say her thoughts out loud to anyone.
"Well, you can't always have someone to yourself. That's just selfish, and you may end up hurting them if they don't want to do what you want, too." She turned to her younger brother and gave him a gentle smile. "So… just wait for him. If he wants to come back, he will."
"You sound like mom."
"And you listen to mom. So, listen to me for once."
"Maybe." Kureha shot him a slightly threatening look. "But… Thanks, sis. I'll wait."
And so, he did. Hiro waited until every last dance was done from the sidelines.
---
After Zeus had finally worked his way through every girl that wanted a dance, he immediately made his way over to Hiro. How he still had energy in him to walk after over 50 straight dances, Hiro will never know. Maybe his dinner had an energy booster or something.
"Hiro, come on! My mom wants to talk to me!" Before Hiro could even get a word in, he was already being dragged away from his wallflower perch.
"Wh- okay, okay! I'm coming!"
The two boys worked their way over to Lady Brundle, who was still surrounded by many other guests. Hiro looked around, and noticed that his father was back on the other side of the room with Lord Brundle. He must have known Hiro would be dragged away with Zeus, so he simply went to a new "post". He was always sharp, except for when it came to Lord Brundle's distractions.
"Ah, darling! Thank you for joining us." Lady Brundle welcomed her son and Hiro warmly. "Did you enjoy your dancing time?"
"Of course, mother!" Zeus flashed a large, sweet smile at his mother. He has always been a bit of a momma's boy.
"Oh, what a charmer!" cooed one of the guests nearby.
"Tell us, dear. Was there anyone you enjoyed dancing with… the most?" Another guest asked slyly. They wasted no time in getting to the point. Lady Brundle hid her annoyance, but she knew this was coming.
"Oh, um… Well, they're all such good dancers. I don't think I like anyone more than the rest."
"My, my! So fair and kind. Milady, your son is already growing up wonderfully!" The first guest spoke up again. While she tried to hide it, it was easy to tell that she was both hurt by Zeus' lack of favoritism, but not discouraged by the even playing field.
"Ah, yes, thank you." Lady Brundle replied.
"Well, young man," the second guest bent down to meet Zeus' eye level, "you may want to think about a favorite. You just might end up marrying one of those beautiful girls you just danced with!" The second guest gave a big wink to Zeus. Hiro's cheeks grew a little pink upon hearing the adults talk about marriage.
"Oh, come now, darling. He's a little too young to-" Lady Brundle was interrupted before she could change the subject.
"Why would I think about it? I already know who I want to marry." Zeus said bluntly, but still with some confusion.
The guests squealed at Zeus' bold statement. A choice! A bride in the making! Lady Brundle almost choked on her own tongue out of sheer surprise. She looked at her son like he had just grown five heads.
"Well now, sweetheart! Now you HAVE to tell us who the lucky gal is! We won't tell her, of course."
Hiro could barely believe these women. He wasn't very experienced in these kinds of social matters, but he could tell they all had ulterior motives.
"Well… When you marry someone, you want to spend forever with them, right? To never be apart from them?" Zeus turned towards his mother.
"Ah, well, yes… To put it simply."
"Then, I want to marry Hiro!"
Zeus' answer was quick, and made the group fall silent. Hiro couldn't believe his ears. Whispers of "Who is Hiro?", "Is that the Tachibana boy?", and "The young lord wants to marry a boy? How unheard of!" made their rounds in the back of the group with the gossip-mongers. The poor, dark haired boy's face was so red from Zeus' proclamation, and he had to look at the floor out of embarrassment. He wasn't upset at Zeus, however. In fact, he felt warmth and joy.
Lady Brundle shook her head to regain her composure. "Zeus, darling… Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Zeus replied eagerly.
Lady Brundle approached Hiro, who was still processing Zeus' words. She knelt down to meet his gaze and placed a gentle hand on his cheek to turn the young boy's face to meet her own. Hiro looked at her with red cheeks and a bit of fear in his eyes. "And what about you, Hiro? Do you want to marry Zeus?" She spoke calmly, and without judgment.
"I… I want to marry Zeus, too!" Hiro's mouth moved faster than his brain. He didn't think about it, he just said what he felt. If he got to stay with Zeus forever, of course he'd say yes.
Lady Brundle stood up slowly, and then burst out into a hearty laugh.
"Well, ladies! It looks as though my son has a favorite after all! Looks like you'll have to try again later!" The rest of the guests could not believe what they had just heard, but they laughed along with Lady Brundle. They thought that, maybe, they WOULD try again later. This won't be the last time they see Zeus, of course. And he only just turned nine, so there is a good chance he'll grow out of it… or at least that's what they all thought.
"Well now, dear, go run and get your father. It is almost time for cake!" Lady Brundle winked at her son, who was still confused at why his answer caused so much disturbance among the guests his mother was with. But, cake! Cake is a good distraction. The two boys immediately shifted gears and started running to Lord Brundle so they could finally get the dessert they had been waiting for.
—
The party had finally settled for the night after cake had been served. Guests trickled out of the Brundle estate slowly, with some of the women looking more disappointed than others. Not to say it wasn't a great time, and Lord and Lady Brundle personally saw every guest off as they left.
Hiro and Zeus had already snuck off to their secret spot again, with two large slices of cake that they snatched while nobody was looking. They were surprised that there was still so much left, but that just meant more for them, so they were happy about it.
The two boys spent a long time talking about the party and the super ugly people there in between mouthfuls of cake. Zeus was finally able to relax again, and the night was still relatively young. It was only 8 p.m., so well before their bed time. Zeus complained about the stuffy nobles and almost all of the girls he had to dance with.
"She kept stepping on my toes, Hiro! Did you see that?!"
"Yeah! Who taught her how to dance? Wasn't she older than you, too?"
"Ugh, YES! So weird! My feet are going to have so many bruises tomorrow, I swear!"
"We'll need to get you a lot of ice, that's for sure."
"Ugh…" Zeus slumped in the stone bench, visibly exhausted. Who thought it was a good idea to put a nine year old through so much turmoil?
"At least you were there. You're my hero!"
"Uhh… I'm owned by you?"
"No, not… owning. Hero, like how Garuto is a hero of the Foliage Village?"
"OOOOOH! W-well, it was nothin'..." Hiro's cheeks turned red again, and he had to look at the ground again to avert Zeus' gaze. He couldn't help but ask Zeus the burning question he's had since his last interaction with Lady Brundle "U-um.. Zeus?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you… mean what you said to your mom?"
"About marrying you?"
"Yeah…"
"'Course I did! Why?"
"I just… It…" Hiro turned further away from Zeus, trying to hide his red face. "It… made me really happy, but… Why?"
"Well…" Zeus' cheeks also started to turn pink. "Y-you said it earlier! We're never going to be apart, so, that means we'll be together forever! And, well, marrying you is…"
"Huh…?"
"Marrying you means I want to be together with you forever, and I do, s-so of course I mean it!"
Hiro couldn't help but laugh.
"Wha- Hey! Don't make fun of me!!"
"No, I… I'm not. I'm just… happy."
"Happy..?"
"I want to stay with you forever, too, so…"
Zeus perked up when Hiro spoke those words, and his eyes sparkled. He grabbed Hiro's hands excitedly and whipped Hiro around so he could see into his eyes.
"Do you mean it?" Zeus was uncharacteristically serious. Hiro wasn't used to this.
"...Why wouldn't I?" Hiro replied nervously. He looked into Zeus' sapphire eyes, and noticed the warmth of Zeus' hands around his. He didn't quite understand what exactly he was feeling when he did, and his face was still flushed.
"Pinky promise?" Zeus let go of Hiro's right hand and extended his pinky finger. Hiro looked at Zeus' hand, and his face softened for a moment.
"Pinky promise." Hiro wrapped his pinky around the other boy's tightly.
"Then it's settled! When we're older, we'll get married!" Zeus beamed, and Hiro had never seen Zeus this happy. He couldn't help but smile.
This was their happiness. Nobody could take this from them. This promise is theirs to have. Whether it is kept or not doesn't matter right now, but they just know that everything will end up okay.
☆☆☆
Twenty three years together, and things couldn't be any more different.
Sunlight peeks through the curtains of a night class dormroom on a lazy day off. Zeus and Hiro are still asleep in their beds as their blackout curtains are seemingly failing at their jobs. It's almost eleven in the morning, but this is just the routine for a student in the night class.
Zeus is the first one to pop his eyes open, letting out a massive yawn as his body adjusts to being awake. He rubs his eyes and looks over at Hiro, who looks like he hasn't even turned over in the night. Zeus debates on holding up a mirror to his nose to check if he's even breathing, but he's done that before. He then remembers the consequences of doing that, and ultimately decides against it. Instead, he decides to take a nice shower and go through the rest of his morning routine. He doesn't wake Hiro directly, but he's sure Hiro will give him an earful for starting the "stupidly loud shower" while he's still sleeping. It's a risk he'll have to take.
Not long after Zeus starts the shower, Hiro's eyes peel open. Although he notices the shower is on, he's way too groggy and sleepy to care. He sits up in his bed and stares at the dorm, which is covered in a lot of memories from their past few years at Gedonelune Academy. Hiro never understood why, but Zeus was one of those people that wanted pictures of almost every major event that they experienced at the academy. Every single one of them also has little notes written on them, most of them in Zeus' handwriting, but not all. There's a picture of their first day at the academy, when Headmaster Randolph stepped down, when Zeus and Hiro first became prefects, and so many other memories made with the other friends they've made while at the academy. There's even a photo of them chasing after their friends, Liz and Leslie, for… reasons Hiro and Zeus don't wish to speak about. Hiro always thought that was a memory Zeus didn't want on the wall, but Zeus insists on having it "so he doesn't forget what he felt that day", whatever that means.
Still barely processing his surroundings, Hiro slowly makes his way to the kitchenette in their room and starts preparing some much needed coffee for the two of them. Thankfully, the Night Class dorm rooms were nice enough to have such a thing so they didn't have to go all the way down to the communal kitchen every single time. Once the coffee is done brewing, Hiro starts preparing Zeus' cup first. Zeus prefers his coffee with a lot of creamer and sugar, so it has to be warmed back up. He then starts pouring his own… with just as much creamer, but not as much sugar. He thinks that the creamer is sweet enough, especially since they got a cinnamon roll flavored one this time. Hiro's lips curl into a smile as he remembers the debate the two had at the grocery store.
Now slightly more caffeinated, Hiro goes to make his bed and grab some clean clothes for when Zeus eventually comes out of the shower. Zeus can take a long, long time in the shower, so Hiro decides that he'll get some morning exercise in while he waits. He turns on a speaker on top of his dresser and starts playing some of his favorite bands, then goes immediately into his stretches. He hums along to some of the songs as he continues to stretch as "Honey, Gravity Is Working Right" and "Greetings to the Dark Gray Street Performers" play right after one another, which pleases his inner middle schooler. He then starts doing what should seem like an unnatural amount of push-ups, taking some extra sips of coffee in between reps. Despite his daily workouts, Hiro has always had muscle, but it never really shows. His abs are more defined, sure, but his arms almost always look like toothpicks. He debates on whether or not to bulk up, but decides not to in favor of having the element of surprise. Always better to be underestimated than overestimated, according to his father.
When Hiro starts working up a sweat, Zeus finally comes out of the bathroom.
"It's about damn time." Hiro chided playfully. When he got up, he then noticed that Zeus only had a towel on. Hiro immediately turned away to gather his own clothes and speaker, a small blush across his cheeks.
"Aw, boo hoo. It's not my fault you don't wake up first." Zeus smirked and went to the microwave to retrieve the coffee he knew would be waiting for him.
"You can always wake me up, you know."
"Noo-ho-hoooo way! Not anymore!" Zeus takes a big sip of coffee, smiling at how good Hiro makes it. "You are WAY too scary when I wake you up. The way you glare at me makes me feel like my life is in danger!"
"Your life is always in danger with me around." Hiro smirks and heads to the bathroom, still trying to avoid eye contact with Zeus.
"Hey! It should be the opposite, you bastard!!"
Hiro gave a nonchalant wave to Zeus before closing the bathroom door and locking it, finally having a truly private moment to himself. After turning on the shower to warm it up (and thanking the gods that the dorms have infinite hot water), Hiro paces over to the mirror, looking himself in the eyes and slapping his cheeks. "Get. A. Hold of yourself!" he whispers to himself, his face growing even more red the more he thought about Zeus.
These feelings weren't new, per se, but they have been difficult for Hiro to understand. Once puberty was in full swing for the two, things just started getting so… different. Zeus got more and more popular, and Hiro started to feel like he was growing further away from him, even though he was always at his side. Their physical intimacy had lowered, too, so every touch felt like fireworks. Hiro thought it was bad at first, and that it was more like burning. However, after the incident where Zeus almost lost his life to a fierga, and after Hiro was possessed by the BBW… He realized that it was a different kind of burning. Instead of a raging forest fire, it was more like a calm bonfire where you roast marshmallows on a clear summer night. Hiro just couldn't quite understand why he was feeling that way with Zeus. He never stopped to think about why, but he knew that Zeus had begun to annoy him in their later years. However, it wasn't in a bad way. After all, if it was that bad, why was he still there, right where he has been for the past twenty three years?
Hiro mulled over these thoughts while the hot water rushed down his face and body, hoping that the steam would help clear his head.
Zeus, on the other hand, was still working on his coffee and scanning his closet for the perfect outfit. Something comfortable, but different enough from his usual outfit. He mumbles a quick incantation to show him what the weather outside the academy is like. A nice, slightly warm spring day and a clear night. A perfect day, if you will. He smiles and pulls out some lighter clothes. He settles for a dark blue v-neck tee, tight black jeans that have pre-made distressing, dark brown lace-up boots, gray knit crew socks, and an oversized cream knit cardigan. He also pulls out his favorite pair of sunglasses: circular, reflective blue lenses with gold detailings and a gold, detachable chain. Even Hiro likes this pair, despite not being a huge sunglasses person.
"Perfect." He whispers, pushing up the sleeves of his cardigan to his elbows. He also pulls out a couple of rings, putting them on their respective fingers. Finally satisfied with his choices, he also fishes out a dark brown satchel and throws a couple things he thinks he'll need for the day: his Wolaroid camera, extra film for said camera, photo holder, lip balm, tissues, a small velvet box that he keeps in there just because, etc.
It's at this point Zeus hears the shower stop, and he goes to open the door to the patio and lets some fresh air in (and lets his eyes adjust to the sunlight). Zeus steps out onto the balcony, taking a deep breath. A small wind tickles his nose for a second, which causes him to exhale much more violently than he wanted.
Hiro comes out of the bathroom not long after, fully clothed unlike his roommate, and notices that a half full coffee cup is sitting next to Zeus' closet. Hiro grabs it and his own cup, then slides on a pair of slippers before joining Zeus on the balcony.
"You can just tell me if you don't like my coffee, you know." Hiro jokes as he hands Zeus the cup.
"Ahh, I knew I was forgetting something!" Zeus grabs the cup gingerly. "I forgot to tell you that your coffee tastes like ass."
"Well, I guess I asked for that."
"That you did."
"Then again, how exactly do you know what ass tastes like?" Hiro side-eyes Zeus smugly, taking a sip.
Zeus retaliates with an even more smug grin.
"ケツを食ベる."
Hiro nearly chokes on his coffee.
"NO. No! Who the hell taught you that?!"
"Randy said it, Azusa told me what it meant and how to say it properly."
"He actually told you how to say 'I eat ass' in proper Hinomotan?!"
"I'm always full of surprises, aren't I?"
"Oh my god. Oh my god, actually." Hiro buries his face into his free hand, shaking from trying not to burst out laughing. Trying to compose himself, Hiro notices that burning feeling in his chest again. He eventually shakes it off, and looks back over the balcony. Zeus turned to Hiro and broke the chaos.
"Anyways, I've decided that we're going into town today."
"You decided? I have no choice?"
"Nope. I need you to perform your retainer duties."
"Whatever. Anywhere in particular?"
"Well, Jay mentioned that there is a new café that she thought we'd like, and today just so happens to be nice out, so…"
"You wanted an excuse to spend your allowance."
"Exactly!"
The two shared a look and chugged the rest of their drinks. There wasn't a lot left, but it's the thought that counts. After leaving the cups in the sink, Hiro went to put on his usual boots. In fact, he was dressed much more plainly than Zeus. A band tank top, dark blue jeans, a black and white flannel tied around his waist, his usual belts, and a crystal necklace that Zeus got him a long time ago. It was comfy, and that's all that mattered to him. Once he was done lacing up, he grabbed his katana and tied the scabbard around his less decorative belt. Zeus waited by the door and grabbed their dorm keys.
"Are you ready yet?"
"Yes, your highness."
Zeus glared at him. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that." Was it just Hiro, or was Zeus blushing a bit?
"I'm allowed to rebel against my liege if it's for their benefit."
"Very funny. Let's get going!"
—
The trip into town was always a bit of a walk, but all of the students were grateful for how close the town was overall.
It wasn't long before the two found themselves on Main Street, the town bustling with students and families on such a nice day off. Zeus pulls out a note from their friend Jay, which has the address of the café she recommended. Thankfully, it wasn't far off from where they were. Following that trail, they work their way to a quaint café that has wisteria flowers creeping up the side of the building and hanging over the entrance. The iron and wood sign above read "Café Selune". That's definitely the name she scribbled on the paper.
"Oh hey, dorks!"
Speak of the devil.
Turning towards the voice that called out to them, there stood Jay Abbey. It took them a moment to recognize her, mostly because she was out of uniform and had a completely different hair color than her normal light blue.
"Oh, hey, Jay! What are you doing out?"
"I'm heading down to my dad's wand shop for a visit. I see you're already checking this lovely little café…?"
"W-well, you have good taste sometimes, so I thought we'd get a bite to eat while we're out!"
"But, this was the only thing you said you wanted to do?"
Zeus froze, his ears turning red.
"A-anyways! What's with the hair change? Did you dye it last night or somethin'?"
"Yeah, the white looks nice, but it's weird seeing you without the blue."
"I hate to break this to you guys, but the white is my natural color. I normally use magic to make it blue. If I didn't, I'd never get the dye out." Jay raised an eyebrow and glanced at Zeus.
"Actually… While I have you, Zeus, could I talk to you for a sec? I have some, uh, questions about your lesson from last week!"
"I… guess? Can't it wait until tomorrow, though?"
"Nope. Right now. Alone. I don't have much more daylight left if I'm gonna see my dad!"
Jay grabbed Zeus by the arm and practically dragged him away by force. Hiro would have followed if he didn't have a reason to trust her, but he does. Jay has been a great friend since the Night and Day classes merged, and she's one of the few people who can actually spar with Hiro. She's a bit of a hothead like Zeus is, though, so it's a miracle how THEY have gotten along. Regardless, Jay took Zeus just out of earshot, although she looked almost excited about something? He wonders what questions she had, but last week's lessons were about summoning magic, which was not Hiro's area of expertise. Actually, Jay and Zeus had been talking in private pretty often, and Hiro wasn't entirely sure why. There was something off about what she had said to get him over, but…
"Phew! You're the best. I'll be sure to return the favor later."
"Haha… Anytime?" Zeus seemed a little dazed as they walked back, but not completely out of it. Hiro had seen this before, was she raking him over the coals about something?
"Ah, damn! Look at what time it is! I gotta run, but I'll see you guys tomorrow!" And just as swift as she arrived, Jay sped off into town, giving them a wink and a wave as she disappeared into the packed streets.
"... And there she goes."
Zeus gave a relieved sigh.
"She can be such a damn thorn in my side, I swear!"
"What was all that about, anyways?
"Oh, uh, she just had a question about one of the summoning formulas. She said she couldn't read my writing." Zeus' ears had turned red again, and he scratched the side of his nose. Hiro knew instantly that he was lying, but decided against pursuing why. He felt a pit form in the bottom of his stomach, and wasn't sure where this anxiety was coming from.
"What, were you afraid she was asking me out on a date or something?" Unbeknownst to the both of them, Zeus' joke was right on the money.
"Absolutely not. Nobody would want to go on a date with you, King Kook." Hiro turned on his heels and walked into the café.
"Hey!! At least wait for me, Hiro!"
The inside of the café was just as beautiful as the outside. Exposed dark bricks juxtaposed a large window that let in tons of natural light. There were still string lights that had ivy intertwining with them that hung from the ceiling, likely giving the building a soft glow in the evening. The black metal tables and chairs furthered the overgrown modern city aesthetics as well, seeing as though the rest of the place was almost covered with plants. The two took a seat at a booth closer to the entrance, which had even more wisteria growing around it. Contemplating the menu was tough, as everything on it sounded amazing. They eventually decided to split a large brunch platter while getting separate drinks. Zeus ordered a cranberry and ginger ale soda, while Hiro ordered a blue raspberry ice cream float. Zeus made a snide comment about Hiro wanting something so sweet early in the day, and Hiro quickly shut him down by making fun of choosing to willingly drink ginger ale.
"I can see why Jay likes this place already, though."
"Oh, yeah. This is totally up her alley. I feel bad for the people with pollen allergies, though."
"Well, there was a sign saying that all of the plants here are on a strict pollen watch, so unless you touch one, you should be fine."
"Huh! I totally missed that."
"Well, the sign was as small as your brain, so I can see why you missed it."
"Ouch. I take you out somewhere nice, and all I get in return are insults? I'm hurt, Hiro."
"You make it sound like I can't go somewhere on my own."
"Never said that. All I'm asking for is a little gratitude when I take you out somewhere like this!" Zeus jokingly stuck his nose in the air and crossed his arms. Hiro chuckled.
"Fine. Thank you, my liege, for allowing me this humble opportunity to dine with you."
"Eugh. You sound like your dad."
"Ask and ye shall receive."
"Very funny." Zeus started taking out his camera, then went up to the hostess to ask whether or not it was okay to take photos, then headed back to the booth.
"Did they say yes?"
Zeus grinned, slinging the camera's strap around his neck. "Yep. They even asked for one." He held the camera up and took a few photos of their immediate surroundings, trying to get a close up of the flowers around them. Zeus found a lot of beauty in the wisteria around the two of them, but also made sure to snap a few pictures of Hiro as well. Hiro doesn't mind at this point, since he's so numb to Zeus' antics. Zeus looks down at the last picture he took, which was of Hiro candidly staring out the window, with the flowers casting small shadows over his face. He was beautiful, and Zeus smiled at the photo.
"Are you done yet?" Hiro turns his attention from outside to the server bringing them their food, and giving the server a small thank you as he grabs the plates and immediately goes for the fruit salad bowl and picks out the honeydew.
"Uh, never." Zeus retorts sarcastically as he starts to put the photos in the special photo holder he put in his satchel earlier, but leaves one out so he doesn't forget to give it to the hostess before they leave. He then reaches for the honeydew that Hiro has been picking out. "Are you done with that fruit salad? I might want some fruit other than your leftovers, you know."
"Touché." Hiro sets down the small bowl and moves his attention to a few slices of toast and the small pile of scrambled eggs. He takes some of the eggs and places it on top of the slice of toast after he butters it and takes a large bite, and his eyes widen at how good it is. Hiro doesn't always get to eat it, and is reminded of how breakfast food rules. The toast is perfectly crispy, the butter is soft and flavorful, and the scrambled eggs are surprisingly creamy. Zeus holds in a chuckle when he sees Hiro's expression. It was like he was a little kid again, and it's… not a look Zeus gets to see very often. He thinks about taking his camera out again to take a picture of Hiro, but his stomach is overruling that idea.
Two drinks, half an hour of small talk and banter, and the entire platter of food later, the two begin to settle from their meal. When they get to the last few bites, Hiro speaks up and asks the question that's been lingering in the back of his mind.
"So… What else did you want to do today?'
Zeus half chokes on his mouthful of bacon. "W-well… Did you want to do something else today?"
Hiro gives him the look. "Don't play coy. You said to Jay, and I quote, that you 'wanted to get a bite to eat while we were out'. You have something else planned."
"Ugh…" Zeus swallows and hangs his head in defeat. "You're too sharp sometimes."
Zeus turns his head away from Hiro shyly and averts his gaze as his cheeks shift softly to pink. "There's… There's a fireworks show tonight. I thought it would be a nice surprise if we went, since we have the day free 'n all."
Hiro was stunned. He's not used to Zeus actually thinking out surprises like this. His mind flashes back to his birthday "gifts", like the Eastern Dragon, the Laughing Frog, and then the cards that he and everyone else made him. He still has those, actually. Then it hits him: there was no way he thought of this on his own. He's way too stupid.
"... You could have just asked me to go, then. I would have said yes." Hiro sighs and rests his face on his right hand. He averts his eyes from Zeus.
"That completely defeats the purpose of it being a surprise, idiot."
"Whatever. What time does it start?"
"Uh… 8, I think."
Hiro then looks at the clock on the wall of the café. It's 1 p.m. already, so they have plenty of time before then. Hiro puts the last few bites of hash browns in his face and chugs the rest of his float.
"Well, as lovely as this place is, we can't stay here forever. We have time to kill, so where else do you wanna go?"
Zeus also downs the rest of his soda and covers his mouth when a burp escapes him. "Why don't we go shopping?"
Hiro's eyes narrow. "You really want to spend more of your allowance?"
"I can do what I want!"
"Fine, but if your parents cut you off, it's not my problem."
"Nah, mom wouldn't do that. Dad only would if your dad says he should, and that hasn't happened yet."
"Uh huh. Sure."
The two collect themselves and their items once they're done paying for their meal. Zeus leaves them a generous tip and hands the photo to the hostess, who smiles and thanks him for it. As they leave the shop, a petal from the flowers outside gets picked up by the wind and lands on top of Zeus' head. Hiro chuckles and picks it off, which makes Zeus laugh as well while they make their way towards the shopping district.
The city of Gedonelune is always bustling with people, and the shopping district is no different. Sometimes it feels like there are as many shops as there are people. People from all over the world come to sell their wares in the capital city, from magical items, to clothing, even to rare magical creatures in some unsavory places.
Hiro watches the people that go by like a hawk - as there is never a time where he is allowed to relax from his duties as a retainer. After all these years he's spent by Zeus' side, Hiro has thankfully only had a few run-ins with “ne'er do wells” and “rogues” who would wish him or his family harm. In fact, most of the time they are both stopping a cut purse here or there. Hiro never likes the danger it poses to Zeus, but he knows that Zeus is a capable wizard in his own right. Zeus never has to worry while he’s out, unless Hiro isn’t with him.
As the two galavant around the town, Zeus has them stopping in almost every shop on the main strip. Clothing stores, magical items, jewelry, you name it. Hiro feels himself growing more tired with each and every department store he gets dragged into, but Zeus appears to be having the time of his life. Not spending as much as Hiro thought he would, but the clothes he tries on and the items he admires sparks a small well of emotion in him. It’s like Zeus is a kid in a candy store, and Hiro finds that almost… cute.
“Hey, Hiro!”
Zeus’ shout snaps Hiro back to reality.
“Hm? What is it?” Hiro rubs one of his eyes and yawns. Then he notices the absolute massive pile of clothes in the royal’s arms, and sighs as he knows what’s coming next.
“I’m going to be in the dressing rooms for a while. Feel free to roam around, though - this place has some great stuff!” Zeus’ grin is almost mischievous, like he knows he’s going to take a while. Hiro shifts his gaze to the racks to humor the other man. None of the clothes in here are his style.
“Maybe I will. Don’t take too long, though. You’ve been dragging us so… HAAAAAAUUHHH… long that it’s already 6:30. If you want good seats for this mysterious firework show, we’ll want to be there early.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’ll only be a minute, mom.” Hiro’s eyes narrow at that comment. “Don’t fall asleep on me, though! I don’t want to have to wake you up from that. You’ll sour the whole thing.”
“Uh huh.”
As Zeus zips into the dressing room, Hiro immediately flops down on one of the very comfy looking couches that are in front of the room Zeus has camped inside and spreads his weary legs and takes a deep breath. He leans his scabbard on his chest so it’s not as uncomfortable to relax. He fiddles with the charms on the hilt of his sword, but it doesn’t take long before his exhaustion catches up with him. He hangs his head down and closes his eyes, the noises of Zeus in the changing room and the faint music from the speakers in the store drowning out as he falls asleep, and dreams of a memory.
☆☆☆
Fifteen years together, and things are a little crazy right now.
Playful whispers and quiet laughter fills the hallways of the Brundle estate. It is homecoming night of two boys’ freshman year in highschool, and they have definitely been up longer than they are supposed to have been. After dancing their hearts out at the dance itself, there was a party hosted by a senior that included probably too many things that would be considered dangerous for slightly sheltered teenagers, so of course they had to partake in a little bit of it. Only a little so their parents don’t get suspicious, but certainly enough to have a little unsupervised fun. It’s very late in the night as the two return, although not unexpected from their parents. Hiro’s father, of course, protested such a late curfew, but Zeus’ father overruled it as “Hiro will be with them, Spring of their Youth”, and a whole lot of other things that swayed the stoic retainer into a more lenient state of mind.
Zeus, of course, ended up being the more popular of the two boys, both at school and the party. It happened almost on day one, even. Puberty was hitting the two boys particularly hard - and boy did it his Zeus like a truck. Hiro became more known as Zeus’ shadow, and is mildly popular by default for it. Zeus could never tell if it was because people actually liked him, or if they wanted to get in good graces with his family. He found it all rather shallow, but didn’t mind the attention nonetheless. Both at the dance itself and the party, girls (and some boys, even) lined themselves up for a chance to simply talk to the young royal. Hiro didn’t like any of it, but he was enjoying himself at least a little bit in seeing Zeus be so popular. Hiro kept towards the back, but rarely left Zeus’ side. Or, at least a 30 ft radius of him. He participated in some of the games that were going around, but he doesn’t really remember all of what was said, or even what was played. He does remember that a senior spiked the punch with alcohol at some point, which he immediately noticed. Zeus, thankfully, managed to grab his last cup before it was spiked, so he didn’t have to drink any of it. Some of the seniors tried pressuring him into doing so, but Zeus really knew how to shut that kind of thing down. He never caught on to the fact that someone spiked it, though, Zeus just thought they were being weird. It also helped that Hiro shot a searing glare at anyone who persisted, and was quick with his magic when others tried to add a little extra into Zeus’ drink. Other than that, the boys had been enjoying their time, mingling with the others and staying out way later than they should have. When the time comes for them to leave, the two are in a daze over their first real, actually peer-ran party. No adults, just people their own age. It was exhilarating, but also exhausting. The two flew on their hoverboards all the way home, speeding down the quiet, dark streets of Queensblade as the cool night breeze brushed against their smiling faces.
The way Hiro remembers the way home is a little hazy, but he does remember having to sneak into the manor and running through the hallways, Zeus’ hand on his as they work their way through the lavish halls. Moonlight spills through the large windows, yet Hiro only has tunnel vision for the boy in front of him. Everything else is a blur of dull golds and silvers, colorful paintings and vases become splotches of color as the faint candlelight lights their way through the halls. He can’t tell if it’s the small taste of freedom he had at the party, or if he’s just a little too sleep deprived, but his focus on Zeus is just… different, than what he’s used to. Like he can’t explain it. Maybe it was because he had to focus on him all night, he thought.
The two eventually find their way back to Zeus’ room, and the two immediately collapse on the young royal’s bed, awkward hands still intertwined. They’ve been doing this quite a bit now, holding each other’s hands. It always feels so natural between them when it happens, too, as if they don’t even have to think about it. Always in private, though - never in front of others.
Hiro can barely remember how the conversation started, but he remembers where it ends up. It’s not something he could ever forget.
“It’s so strange. Are… parties always like that? That was so different from any of the ones we’ve had here.”
“I know what you mean. It felt like a different world out there. It’s really, really weird.”
“Yeah… But, ugh, some people were being so weird about the punch at the end there. ”
“Hah, yeah… I never expected anyone to actually spike it.”
“What.”
“What do you mean, ‘what’?”
“Someone. Spiked it? As in, like, drugs? Did I almost eat a drug?!”
“No, you moron! Alcohol. Likely vodka, I think. I don’t know, something that’s clear and works fast, I guess.”
“Uuuuuughhhh. No wonder why people wanted me to drink more of it.”
“There were quite a few people out to get you for that.”
“Yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice that part. Although…”
“Hm?”
“I guess… no, nevermind.” Zeus’ grip tightened on Hiro’s hand.
“Go ahead, say it. You can tell me.”
“It’s just… I dunno. There were a lot of upperclassmen there, and a lot of them seemed to be weirdly into me. I just thought, you know… If something were to happen between, you know, me and one of them…”
“That’s… a weird thing to think about when some of them were definitely trying to get you drunk off your ass.”
“Hey, to be fair, I thought they might have been trying to be nice! And you know, some of them were kinda hot.”
“Oh my god, you CANNOT be serious!”
“But what if!!”
“What if nothing!” Hiro lets go of Zeus’s hand for the first time in what must have been over an hour. He leaps up from the bed and stands in front of Zeus, arms crossed and now looking very sternly at the other boy. “What could you possibly hope to think about the ‘hot’ people who were trying to take advantage of you?!”
“Okay, well let’s say, hypothetically-” Hiro narrows his eyes. Zeus sits up, starts to sweat and can’t meet Hiro’s eyes. “If, for some reason, they weren’t doing that, and, uh… You know, if, maybe… Maybe something happened between us…”
“Zeus.”
“I don’t know, I guess I’m just nervous that because I haven’t DONE anything, uh… You know. Romantic? S-sexual?” Hiro softens his gaze, and drops his arms. “If… If I made a fool of myself, and then they told everybody about it…”
Hiro sighed and sat back down.
“You… really are an idiot.” Hiro’s face flushed at the idea of Zeus being… “together” with anyone else. He doesn’t know why he feels that way, but something deep inside of him felt like it would be wrong. He also doesn’t know why he says what he does next.
“You could… you could always practice with me, you know.”
It was hard to see in the dark bedroom, but both of their faces had turned as red as can be. Zeus looked so shocked at Hiro, and Hiro was so sure that he had just ruined everything. He doesn’t even know why he said it! Did he even mean it? Was it even okay for him to mean it? All of these thoughts rushed through his head.
“Uh…”
And there it was. “I-I’m sorry. I…” Hiro felt his world crashing down. Out of sheer embarrassment, he turned away from Zeus and curled up into a ball. He felt his head and heart pounding. Silence fell in the bedroom for the first time, and Hiro hated every second of it. Hiro contemplated just getting up and leaving right then and there, but he could barely move.
“Do you… mean it?”
Zeus’ soft, almost eager voice was the first to break the silence.
“I… don’t know. I…”
“Hiro. You can be honest with me, too.”
“I… I want to be.”
Zeus reached a hand out and placed it on Hiro’s shoulder. His hand was gentle, nervous, even. “You want to be?”
“I just… Would it be okay, you know, if I said that I did mean it?” Hiro barely understood what was happening with him. What has come over him? And why now? What the hell is so different for him to be so bold with the person who he cares most for?
“I-I don’t think I’d be okay with anyone else, weirdly enough… So, u-um… Yes. Yes, I, uh, think that it, um, would be okay.” Zeus turned his head away, his face still flushed as he spoke.
Hiro shifted his body to once again face Zeus, his eyes wide. Were those tears he felt, as well? Hiro’s face was too hot to feel anything, and it was too dark for Zeus to tell.
“I… okay. Yeah. Okay.” Hiro wiped his warm cheeks, just in case. He has never felt so relieved in his life. Even if this is just for the night, even if they both forget it by the morning, or act like it never happened, Hiro won’t forget it.
The room fell silent once again, the two boys avoiding eye contact. It was awkward. Very, very awkward. Somebody had to break it.
“Do you want to practice now?”
Spoken in unison, they turned to finally look each other in the eyes, almost fearful of the other’s answer.
“Oh- Uh..”
“No, no, uh, sorry…”
“No, no it’s okay! Um.” Hiro took a deep breath. “Hoo. Okay. Okay. Let’s just, uh, start over.”
“Y-yeah! Okay. Starting over. Right now.”
“Yup. Right now.”
Hiro took another deep breath, this time making a motion with his arms to center his breathing, much like his father taught him before. Zeus copied him, then took Hiro’s hands in his own, holding them as if he was holding a treasure.
“Okay… Hoo.” Zeus was staring hard. “Hiro, w-would you like to practice… now?”
Hiro nodded, shifting his eyes to his and Zeus’ hands for a moment. “Alright. U-um…”
“W-what is it?”
“I-I… I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Right now?”
“Y-yes! Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be!”
“I-I’m not trying to!”
“Well talking isn’t making it any easier!!”
“Well then just do it already, you idiot!!”
“Argh, just, shut it!” Zeus moved his hands and cupped Hiro’s cheeks, moving his face closer to Hiro’s. Hiro closed his eyes and braced for impact.
When their lips finally came to meet, it wasn’t great. Zeus just kind of pressed his lips on Hiro’s and stayed there for a little while. The only other sound in the room was their heartbeats racing. After a brief moment, Zeus pulled away, still keeping his face close to Hiro’s, foreheads almost touching.
“U-um. How was that?”
“... You could use some work.”
“What do you mean, use some work!? I’m doing my best here!”
“Here, look.” Hiro grabbed Zeus’ chin, adjusting his jaw so Zeus’ lips would be slightly parted. “Keep your lips slightly parted. Relax your lips, you’re way too tense.”
“You make it sound like you’re an expert.” Zeus huffed.
“Hush. Now, when you kiss, offset your lips from theirs just a little.” Hiro was nervous, but leaned in again. “Like this.” This time, with Hiro taking the lead, it was much better the second time around. Well, better for two kids who have never kissed anyone else in their entire lives aside from pecks on the cheek for family. Pulling away for small breaths here and there, the two kept “practicing” for… quite a while. The kisses did get better every time, and the one kiss turned into 10, 20, what must have felt like 100. If this were a cheesy teen romance movie, this would be where the camera circles around them with every kiss. Their kisses also got sleepier over time as well, the two climbing on each other and back fully on the bed. Their hands wandered never too far down, but just enough to either keep balance and to gently hold the other when the time called for it. The two eventually found themselves laying down, bodies entangled so tenderly and innocently. It wasn’t long until the two eventually got worn out, and started drifting off to sleep after a long night. By the time morning would come, Lord Tachibana would not find his son in his own room. By the time morning would come, this would be first and last time doing anything like this. No more practices.
Hiro laid on Zeus’ chest, arms grasping Zeus’ shirt softly, Zeus’ arms wrapped around Hiro, one hand intertwined in Hiro’s soft raven hair. It feels as though this was a dream, one Hiro doesn’t want to wake up from.
☆☆☆
“OI, HIRO!!”
And then he does.
“Yeesh, it’s about time! I’ve been trying to wake you up for, like, five minutes now!”
Hiro peeled his eyes open much like he did when he woke up the first time today, his face a grimace from being woken up so harshly.
“Good.” He growls as he sits up, rubbing his eyes. “Are you finally done?”
“For your information, technically yes, but it’s already 7:45! You have been asleep for over an hour!”
“And you’ve been in the dressing room for over an hour?!”
“Details details, we have to go!” Zeus grabbed Hiro’s wrist and pulled him up, practically bursting out of the shop. Hiro had to act fast or else he was going to lose his sword in the store.
“Ack- Zeus! Will you slow down?!” Zeus’ hand was still attached firmly on Hiro’s wrist as they darted through the darkened Gedonelune streets, the street lamps lightly lighting their way as the sunset starts to fade on the horizon, pink and orange clouds dancing above them as they ran.
“No way! If we slow down now, we’ll miss it!”
“There’s going to be more than one firework, you moron! Jeez, where are we even going, anyways!?”
Zeus didn’t slow down, though. He led him through several alleys, trying to avoid running into other people as much as possible. Street lamps started to brighten, and they were almost a blur as they rushed past all of them. Zeus eventually led them to a point that was almost on the outskirts of the town, a small, cute little park with a large fountain in the middle. Clearly this wasn't a popular spot for watching the fireworks, because there was hardly anybody else there. Having ran what felt like a marathon, the two boys were breathing heavily as they finally got a chance to rest. Zeus flopped right in front of the fountain, spreading his arms and legs out. Hiro bent over, using his knees to support his upper body so he didn't fall over, before realizing that sitting was a very good idea.
"You… are so… fucking lucky… that we… are both in shape…" Hiro could barely speak between deep, hitched breaths. "If you ever… make me run like that… ever again… I will cut off your legs."
"You… would never…" Zeus grinned at Hiro, despite his entire body feeling like it's on fire. "Your dad… would kill you… if I ended up like mine."
Hiro didn't dare give that a witty comeback. He just decided to hit Zeus square in the stomach with the scabbard to his sword. Zeus let out a big "OOF" before clutching his stomach in pain, and then laughing. Hiro was way too tired to laugh, but he did let a small chuckle escape. Before he knew it, Hiro was doing his usual scans of the area, looking for anything or anyone suspicious. He didn't see anything just yet, but he got the strange feeling like there was someone watching. Not maliciously, but…
[BOOM]
The sudden explosion of the first firework of the night startled Hiro. He looked to the sky, and there it was: a shimmering red firework. Next came dazzling showers of golds, greens, purples, and blues. Shaped like flowers, cats, and even some like stars, each and every firework that went off seemed to dance upon the twilight sky of the city. Somehow, that idiot managed to pick the perfect spot. This was the perfect place to watch them - and the two were far enough away so that way they didn't have to worry about the sound of the fireworks blowing out their eardrums.
"See? We made it just in time!" Zeus peeled himself off the ground and sat next to Hiro on the fountain's edge, brushing his cardigan off as he sat. "The rush was worth it!"
"I'm more amazed at how you found this spot. It's perfect." And very unlike Zeus, Hiro thought. There was no way he thought of this on his own.
"Isn't it? I saw this park in a little brochure not too long ago, then I saw where the fireworks were being lit… then BOOM! Great idea!" Zeus beamed, placing his hands proudly on his hips.
"Mmhm." Hiro does not remember seeing any kind of brochure like that in their room at all.
Zeus started taking out his camera for the second time (at least, to Hiro's knowledge - god only knows what he was doing in the dressing room), trying to focus on getting the perfect shot of the fireworks in the sky. He took a few unsuccessful ones, which he was saddened by. Hiro just kept his eyes on the sky, but occasionally stole a glance at Zeus whenever he would make disgruntled noises. This was nice. Zeus eventually got the kind of picture he wanted, then turned his attention to taking a selfie with Hiro.
"What are you doing?" Hiro rested his head on one of his hands.
"Come on, just one picture of us!"
"I think you've already taken enough pictures of me today. I saw you taking some at the café."
"This is different!!"
"Wha- how?!"
"Because I didn't get one of us! Totally different. Now shut up and smile!" Before Hiro could get another word in, Zeus was already smiling at the camera, making a peace sign with his other hand and snapping a photo. Hiro sighed once he was done.
"You are incorrigible."
"Ooh, five points for such a big word!"
Hiro glared daggers at his liege, quickly doing a partial draw on his sword and flashing the blade to intimidate Zeus.
"Yeesh. Tough crowd." Zeus put his photos and camera back into their respective cases in his bag, carefully switching it with something else. Hiro didn't see what it was, but Zeus did like fidgeting with random things in his bag.
After a few moments, something started eating at Hiro. It had actually been eating at him all day, but this was the first time he spoke out loud about it.
"Zeus. Why did you really want to go out today?"
"... Whaddya mean, Hiro?"
"Look, Zeus. I've known you for longer than I'd like to admit. You're not exactly yourself today, and I don't know why."
"Pretty sure I'm the same as I've always been."
Hiro straightened his back and sat up properly. "No, you're not." He chided as another gold and blue firework lit up the sky. "You've been acting weird all day."
"Yeah? How so?"
"Well, for starters…" Hiro stood up, crossing his arms as he turned his attention to Zeus. Zeus knew this pose well. Hiro is about to get on his soapbox.
"Not only did you 'just decide' to go out into town today, you deliberately hid the fact that you wanted to watch these fireworks."
Another boom echoes. Zeus is looking at the ground.
"Next, you have a very weird and secretive conversation with our good friend Jay that leaves you practically speechless."
Another. This time in reds and silvers.
"You want to go shopping, yet I didn't see you spend a single damn lune! Which I have never seen you do!"
Four booms at once.
"And you were in such a rush to get here, when any other place in the city could have done just as well! Seriously, Zeus, did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Another. Zeus meets Hiro's intense gaze sheepishly. "Hiro, I…"
"You what? Seriously, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine!" Zeus stands to meet Hiro's height. Hiro was always a little shorter than Zeus. "I just… I need to ask you something, Hiro." This was a look Hiro had not seen on Zeus' face in years. Only in a memory, now.
"I just… I don't know how to ask it right."
"You don't know until you try."
"I know, I know! Hoo. Okay." Zeus slapped his cheeks to recenter himself. He then looked Hiro right in the eyes as he spoke.
"Hiro, what do you think you are to me?"
Hiro was stunned, to say the least. He gave Zeus a thousand yard stare before he could even think of a proper answer.
"I, uh…"
Another boom. Blue and red this time.
"I-I'm your retainer. I'm the one that keeps you safe. What else am I supposed to be?" Hiro couldn't look Zeus in the eyes anymore. He was really blindsided by that question.
"Go on."
Another boom. Blue and red again.
"What do you mean, 'go on'? I don't understand…" Zeus reached a hand out to place on Hiro's shoulder. Hiro brushed it away.
"I… I think you have more to say."
"Zeus, if this is another one of your jokes, it is really not funny. I really don't know where you want me to go with this."
Another. Green and blue.
"I just want you to talk, Hiro."
"Talk about what?! You are my liege. I am your retainer. I keep you safe, you pay me. Actually, you don't even do that." Hiro turned away from Zeus. What does he even tell Zeus anyways? That he has been traumatized by his father's teachings and that is preventing him from truly becoming close with Zeus as they age? That he has feelings for Zeus he can't even describe because he's never asked anyone else about them, nor has he ever felt them towards anyone else?
Four more booms, all blue and green.
"I am your retainer. How many times do I have to say it, you idiot?! I am your royal shield, nothing more." Why did he feel his eyes welling up? Why is his chest burning again?
"... Is that really how you feel?"
Hiro nodded. Another boom. Blue again.
"I know my place, Zeus. I don't know how you haven't learned yours yet."
"Hiro." Zeus reached out and grabbed Hiro's wrist. No escape this time.
"W-what?!"
"... Do you know what I think you are to me?" Hiro didn't answer and kept his face hidden from Zeus. Another boom, red flowers.
"You are the most irreplaceable person in my life. You are the one that is always there for me, whether I like it or not."
"... Because I have to be."
"I don't believe that. If you didn't want to be here, you'd be watching over Lulu and Belle." He was right.
Another boom, red and blue flowers.
"Hiro, you are more than a retainer to me." Zeus tightened his grip on Hiro's wrist. Hiro could swear that he could hear Zeus' heartbeat. "You are my best friend, my partner in crime, my most trusted confidant."
Zeus walked around Hiro so he could see his face. Zeus was taken aback by the tears welling in Hiro's eyes. Zeus cupped Hiro's cheeks with both of his hands, drawing himself closer to Hiro. Hiro's heart was about to burst.
"I need you to understand how much you mean to me, Hiro. I'm sorry that I'm not great at saying it out loud or expressing it, but I mean it!"
Another boom, purple flowers.
"You are not my royal shield, Hiro. You are my royal treasure. My hero." Zeus' cheeks flushed a bright red as he spoke. Hiro didn't notice it before.
"You… You absolute moro-"
Before Hiro could finish his sentence, Zeus' lips were on his.
Another, all blue and gold.
This wasn't practice, this was… real. When Hiro got over the initial shock of what was happening, he was hesitant to kiss back. He was scared, but, against his better judgment, let his guard down for the first time in years and wrapped his arms around Zeus's neck, pulling him in closer. Zeus deepened the kiss when Hiro did this, and Hiro let him. The tears that had been welling in Hiro's eyes finally escaped. The burning in his chest turned to butterflies, almost as if they had finally been freed from a lifetime of captivity. When they finally parted, both of them were out of breath for a moment. Zeus rested his forehead on Hiro’s, still gently holding Hiro’s face in his hands.
“...Are you sure you’re feeling alright? Was that… practice?” Hiro muttered through trembling lips.
“Hiro, I am completely fine. That wasn’t practice.”
“But why all this? Why now?”
“I… don’t want to bring it back into the light.”
Hiro had already had a guess for what Zeus meant.
“... You can say it. I don’t mind.”
“Are you sure?” Hiro nodded again. “Okay…” Zeus was still blushing, but he looked at Hiro in the eyes once more. Zeus always loved the golden brown color that they were.
“When I was… In that coma, during your prefect trials…” Hiro hit the nail on the head. “I had a dream. I had a dream where you died instead of me. You were covered in so much blood, and I could barely even live with myself.” Hiro remembers staying by Zeus’ side every day and every night he was in that coma. He remembers Zeus stirring in his unconscious state, sometimes they did seem like he was having a nightmare… “I… saw your funeral. I had to console your mom, tell your dad that you died doing your job like he wanted, Kureha didn’t even speak to me. My family was constantly by my side, asking and making sure that I was okay. I had to spend the rest of my life without you. It was hell, and I don’t ever want to live like that ever again, dream or no dream.”
Another boom, reds, blues, and golds.
“... I think I understand.”
“But do you understand how important you are to me?”
Hiro felt more tears falling down his cheeks. Not like he could do anything to stop them. Hiro swallowed hard before speaking. “It’s… hard for me to. You are such a moron, and I…”
“Hiro, forget everything you’ve been taught for a minute. What do you want? How do you actually feel?”
Hiro blanked for a moment. Another boom, all gold. He tried clearing his mind, taking the time to think about what he wanted for a change. He thought about all of the years they’ve spent together, all the times Hiro had protected Zeus, all the times they just… had fun together. He reminisced on his own feelings, and he tried so hard to figure out what it was he had been feeling throughout his entire life. The burning in his chest, the static he would get every time they touched, how he was always so calm and how everything they did felt so natural, so right.
Another boom, gold and red.
And then it hit him. He finally connected the dots, how did he not realize this sooner?
He’s been in love with this idiot his entire life.
Another boom, purples, blues, and golds.
“I..” Hiro’s voice was almost a whisper as he spoke. He still wasn’t comfortable saying it out loud just yet. “I-I think that… maybe… I just want to stay with you. For a long time.”
Zeus wiped the warm tears from Hiro’s eyes. “I think you can do better than that.” He grinned.
“Shut up, you idiot! This is difficult enough as it is; I can’t just let go of the mindset that’s been drilled into me since I was born! What else are you expecting me to say?!” Hiro took a small step back from Zeus, moving his hands and placing them on the royal’s shoulders. He averted Zeus’ gaze once again.
Zeus ran a hand through Hiro’s silky raven hair. Another thing he hasn’t done in years.
“I want you to say that you love me, too.”
“...What?”
“I love you, Hiro Tachibana.”
Another boom. Blues, whites, golds, and reds.
Hiro froze. He didn’t know he needed to hear those words, but they broke him in all the right ways. Hiro felt his knees go weak, and his composure simply lost. He fell to his knees, clutching the bottom of Zeus’ cardigan, his face red and stained with even more tears now.
“Hiro…” Zeus knelt down to meet Hiro once again, getting to an equal height once again. The young royal grasped Hiro’s hands with his own, removing Hiro’s hands from his cardigan and holding them in his hands so, so gently. Zeus had never seen Hiro like this - was he being too forward? Was this too soon? Did he misunderstand everything about their relationship?
“Y-you don’t have to say it back, actually. We can just… take our time. Yeah, at our own pace! So please, don’t cry…”
“Y-you are such… a moron…” Hiro choked out through stifled tears, wiping his face on his arm to try and wipe away the tears that just wouldn’t stop coming.
“I have… been… in love with you… for years.” Hiro tightened his grip on Zeus’ palms. “Every day of my life, it feels like. I… I can’t bear to think about you not being in my life. I was so beside myself when… when the fierga…”
“I know.”
“I don’t think you do, Zeus! You are my whole goddamn world! You want me to say it, so I’m saying it!” He lightly punched Zeus with his left hand, nothing unusual for him. “I’m so fucking in love with you it hurts! It hurts me because I didn’t think we would ever go past what we always have been! I thought…”
Zeus didn’t say anything. For the first time in a while, that is. He simply listened.
“I thought that you would never love me back. I always assumed that you’d fall in love and get married to some girl, or your parents would marry you off to some noble, and I… I would just get tossed to the sidelines like I always have. Like the rest of my family always has.”
Hiro punched him again, a little harder this time. Another boom, purple and gold once again.
“I love you so much, Zeus. So, so fucking much.” If you told him 10 years ago, when they were just kids sparring under the midday sun, that he would be in love with his best friend, Hiro wouldn’t believe you. Zeus used his newly freed hand to wipe Hiro’s tears once more, tenderly grazing his thumb against Hiro’s cheeks. He then grabbed the back of Hiro’s head and brought their foreheads together once more. Hiro had never seen Zeus so gentle. He was always so boisterous, loud, and so full of life that it sometimes annoyed him. Hiro always expected Zeus to just make a big, vibrant showing out of his love- he never expected such a muted confession.
“I love you too, Hiro. More than anyone.”
“... Can you kiss me again?” Hiro asked sheepishly.
“Of course.”
This kiss was so much more gentle, so much more loving, so much softer than any other. Hiro once again pulled Zeus in closer, one hand around the back of Zeus’ neck, mirroring the one Zeus had on his own. This second kiss felt like it was too short, so they went in for another one. Another. Even more. A kiss for every year they missed being like this, as though they were making up for time lost. Zeus wrapped his free hand around Hiro’s waist, supporting his weight as they leaned deeper into every kiss. This was a dream, or it felt like it, at least.
By this point in time, the sky had turned completely dark, but the streetlights and fireworks were still gently illuminating them as they embraced. This almost felt like a dream, much like the one Hiro had earlier. How was it a memory and a prophetic dream all at once? He will never know. Time seemed to stop for them in this wholesome, private moment of their own. Everything was falling into place, and this was only the first step towards the rest of their future. More fireworks boomed in every color of the rainbow behind them. Hiro’s tears finally subsided.
When they needed to catch their breath, they just stayed in place, not saying anything - basking in their newfound intimacy. Zeus pulled away first, reaching back into his bag and pulled out a small, velvet box. Hiro looked confused at first. He’s seen the box before, but he always thought it was just a case for Zeus to put his rings when he was washing his hands. Instead, Zeus hands the box out for Hiro to take.
“I, um, also got this for you, too.”
“Uh…”
“Just take it!”
Hiro did. “Am I allowed to open it?”
“Wouldn’t be much of a gift if you didn’t, now would it?”
“Heh.” Hiro fidgeted with the box for a moment, tracing his fingertips on the velvet before properly opening it.
Inside was a gorgeous, thick banded silver ring with a light blue sapphire stone the exact color of Zeus’ hair inlaid in the center. On the sides of the ring were their constellations - Scorpius on one side, Capricornus on the other - and raised filigree of the same lilies that always adorned the Brundle estate’s table centerpieces. Hiro took the ring out of the box, in awe of the attention to detail put into it. He then saw the etched wording on the inside of the ring.
“For my hero.”
“... This is moving a little too fast, Zeus.” He was such a cheeseball, Hiro thought. He almost started to cry again.
Zeus’ eyes widened, and then he started to panic. “N-no, wait!! This is NOT what you think it is!!”
“What the hell else am I supposed to think when you give me such a nice ring, idiot?!”
“Just, argh! Look!” Zeus pulled out another, similar ring from his bag and held it out for Hiro to see. This one, while similar in size, was golden and had a beautiful black opal inlaid. It also had the same constellations, but had cherry blossom filigree instead.
"I'm not proposing, okay?! I mean, I would still like to, you know, one day, but not right now! They're just, um…"
"... More like promise rings?"
"Y-yeah!" Zeus scratched the back of his head, almost reflexively. Hiro smiled and put the ring on his right ring finger.
"This is still all… very sudden. But thank you, Zeus."
"It's… no problem." Zeus smiled back. He loved Hiro's smile, fangs and all. The only thing Zeus ever wanted to do was to see it. Zeus placed his own ring in the same spot.
Hiro shifted his body and scooted closer to the young royal, resting his head on Zeus' shoulder. Zeus put his arm around Hiro immediately, allowing Hiro to take in even more of Zeus' insane amount of body heat. They sat and watched the fireworks for a small while, silent once again. Simply enjoying the moment and all that it entailed, the fountain bubbling softly beside them.
"... How did you know?"
"How did I know what?"
"How did you know I would reciprocate? And why me, for that matter?"
Zeus sighed. "I pour my heart out, confess my love, and you still need more?" Zeus brushed some of Hiro's bangs out of his face.
"You are going to have to get used to it. I'm not even close to being done with interrogating you."
"Well, for starters, you're not exactly subtle."
"The hell does that mean?"
"Hiro, do you remember when we went to our first homecoming dance? When we were still teenagers?"
Hiro froze. Was he fucking psychic? "... Remind me."
"Heh, gladly. When we got home, I was sooo damn insecure. I was like, 'ohh my god, I'm a virgin, what if those hot upperclassmen try to seduce me and figure out I haven't even kissed anyone!'"
Hiro chuckled at Zeus' retelling. "Yeah?"
"Yeah! And do you remember what your reaction was?"
"Blocked it from my memory."
"You said, and I quote: 'You could always practice on me, you know'. I nearly fainted!" Zeus always had a spot-on impression of Hiro.
"Hm. What else?"
"What else? We then made out for like, the next two hours! You even made fun of me for kissing you horribly."
"You could use some work."
"Like THAT! That is the exact same damn thing you told me that night, too!"
"Sounds like you haven't gotten much better these past 8 years, then!" Hiro laughed at his own joke.
"Oh, shut it! It's not my fault that my coach was incredible and then decided to never teach me again."
"You are so not blaming me for that."
"I think I can!"
"Uh, no. You were the one who decided to act like it never happened ever again."
"... We just got busy, that's all. We didn't get much time to be alone after that."
"Zeus, we've been roommates for the past four years. We have had plenty of time."
"It's totally different! What was I supposed to do, just walk up to you and say 'Hey Hiro! Not sure if you remember the happiest day of my life, but can we practice kissing again? No homo, full bi!' Absolutely not."
Hiro snorted at the "no homo", trying to contain his laughter.
"Besides, you seem like you've been really annoyed with me these past few years. I was hardly even sure that this," Zeus waves his hands around, gesturing to the both of them, " was even going to work. I have been nervous about this for weeks! I didn’t expect you to be such a crybaby about it, though."
“Who the hell are you calling a crybaby?!” Hiro couldn't deny it, maybe he has been just a little too mean to Zeus. Not like he's going to stop any time soon, but maybe he'll make it clearer that it's just banter.
“Regardless, why me, though? You still haven’t answered that.”
“Coulda sworn I did. But, sheesh, you sure know how to make me talk.”
“It’s my specialty.”
“Uh huh. Suuuure.” Zeus adjusted his grip on Hiro’s arm, then used his free hand to hold one of Hiro’s, intertwining their fingers like they did so many years ago. “If I’m being honest… It’s always been you, Hiro.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hiro, we’ve pretty much always been together. I’ve always loved you, I think. I’ve done a lot of thinking about my ideal partner, and who I wanted to marry. Hell, I thought about the kind of person you would like best, because I knew you’d still always be by my side.”
Zeus raised his free hand and placed a kiss onto the back of Hiro’s. What a dork.
“Eventually, it just all came back to you. Every road, every thought, just back to you, every time. Plus, I wanted to keep my word.”
“...Your word?”
“Well, yeah. I told my mom I wanted to marry you when we were kids, right? I actually had a conversation with her when we went home last, and she was still holdin’ on to that. She kept asking me when I was going to propose, the nerve!”
“Oh, my god.” Hiro covered his mouth with his free hand, trying really hard not to burst out laughing. Lady Brundle is hilarious.
“Hell, even Kureha butted in on the conversation and asked me when I was going to ask for ‘permission to wed her precious baby bro’! I nearly lost my mind, I tell you!”
“Wait a minute, even Kureha knows?!”
“Are you kidding me? She was like, the first person to see that we were so stupidly in love with each other, even before we knew it! And boy does she not let me forget it.”
Everything started making sense, now. Kureha’s torture of Zeus was her being a protective older sister. The witch was testing him all along, making sure that Zeus knew exactly what he was getting into.
“Oh. Oh, it’s all coming together now. That sneaky little…”
“Right?! She’s going to be so happy when we go back and see them next time, I bet.”
“I don’t think my dad will be, though…”
“Won’t know until we go back and tell ‘em. I think my dad will convince him that it’s not a bad thing, though.”
“Ugh, yeah, your dad is quite convincing. I still don’t know how my dad keeps falling for his bullshit.”
“You can’t survive being head of a prominent noble house without having a silver tongue, I guess.”
Hiro squeezed Zeus’ hand, smiling softly as more fireworks danced in the sky. This was nice, Hiro thought.
“You know, I’m still not convinced you thought of all this by yourself.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Am I not allowed to be romantic?”
“You don’t have a single romantic bone in your body, moron. Who was it that helped you with all this?”
Zeus muttered under his breath, turning his head away in a huff.
“Zeus.”
“...ay.”
“What was that? I can’t hear you.”
“It was JAY, okay! Are you happy now?!”
Even more dots started connecting. Hiro practically jumped away from Zeus, his normally tired eyes wide with surprise.
“OUR Jay?!”
“Yes, OUR Jay! She told me about the fireworks, the park, hell, she even coached me on what to say to you, and how to respond. She was a fucking demon about it!”
“I cannot believe her. Is that what you were actually talking about earlier? I knew you were lying to me about what you were talking about, but I didn’t even begin to imagine it would be THIS.”
“Ugh, you really are too sharp for your own good. Yes! She was reminding me to ‘shut the fuck up for once’. We went over the plan, and she reminded me about everything she taught me. Quite harshly, might I add!”
“Sounds like Jay, alright. How long has she known?”
“For about three weeks. That’s when I got the rings made.”
“Oh, so those were your idea. Didn’t think you had it in you.”
Zeus scoffed. “‘Course they were! I was actually planning on giving it to you for your birthday, but then Jay told me about the fireworks, and I just, kinda… let it slip to her. She was crying even harder than you were when I told her! Going on and on about how she’s ‘so happy I finally realized it’ and that ‘she’s been trying to wingman us the entire time she’s known us’, and a whole bunch of other shit.”
“Bet you twenty lunes that she’s going to start crying again when we tell her your plan was a success.”
“Oh come on, that’s not even a fair bet! You know for a fact she will.”
The two of them laughed again, thinking of how silly everything had been. The two enjoyed the rest of the beautiful fireworks together, and began to start walking back to the academy once it ended, hand in hand the entire time. When they left, Hiro could swear that he saw a faint flash of white hair in the distance behind where they had been the whole time. He decided to ignore it, for better or for worse.
They talked extensively on the way back to their dorms, thinking about how each and every one of their friends would react to the news. They came to the conclusion that they weren’t going to tell everybody just yet, only a select few. Lucious was definitely going to be the first to know, although they knew he was going to make fun of them endlessly for it. The path back to the academy was peaceful, with only a few other students making their way back to the academy as well. It was too dark for anybody to see them at this point, so they simply ignored them. They knew they still had prefect privileges, so it isn’t an issue for them to still be out so late, but they still snuck their way across the dimly lit grounds. When they finally reached their dorm, they both shared a bed for the first time in years, and also the first time so intertwined. No matter where they went, they would still be able to give themselves private, intimate moments. Perfect moments that would be in their memories for a lifetime.
This was their new beginning. Starting over in this way wouldn’t be easy, but loving each other is the easiest thing they’ve ever done.
☆☆☆
Twenty eight years together, and things are about to change for the better.
News of the young royal’s wedding was heard across the continent. People all over came to see the wedding, with many people wondering who the heir to the Brundle estate was to marry.
Many close friends of the grooms’ were in the wedding party, of course. Lucious was Hiro’s best man, and Jay was to be Zeus’ best woman. Caesar, Alfonse, Liz, and even Klaus were a part of the party as well. Kureha was of course by Hiro’s side as well, and Lulu and Belle were dual flower girls. Jay cried the whole ceremony, and so did the boys’ mothers, of course. Especially when Hiro’s father started walking Hiro down the aisle. All of their other classmates and family members were in the front rows, who were hooting and hollering every chance they got.
Their wedding outfits were nothing less than extravagant, of course. Zeus’ was in a dark navy suit, adorned with cream colored cuffs and lapels. The same lily filigree on the ring he would be wearing for the rest of his life inlaid with delicate gold embroidery. He also had a large, fur lined cape that draped across the floor, the fur white as sparkling snow and the fabric a deep black on top and red on the inside, the crest of Queensblade adorned on the back. Hiro was dressed in traditional Hinomotan wedding attire, a black silk montsuki and gray hakama with silver cherry blossoms embroidered at the hems. His haori was also black with the same cherry blossom embroidery as the hakama, and the Tachibana family crest adorned the back of it. Hiro’s father had helped him get dressed, of course. Small words were whispered to Hiro by his father before letting him go, telling him how proud he was. Words not often spoken, but appreciated nonetheless.
Their vows were soft, heartfelt, full of emotion. Many spectators were surprised at how the young royal was marrying his retainer, which was simply unheard of until today. Many of the noble women and their daughters wept over the fact that they now knew they had no chance at marrying into the Brundle royal family, as the two men’s vows made it clear just how much in love they were. So many photographs were taken, and Luca was specially commissioned to do a painting of their ceremony, which still hangs above the mantle of the Brundle family estate.
The reception was an absolute rager. Hiro and Zeus of course out-ate everybody, easily eating three plates a piece, not including the cake (of which they ate one of the tiers all by themselves). There was plenty of dancing, singing, and genuine merriment for all who came. Hiro and Zeus had the time of their lives, surrounded by the people they love most.
“I still can’t believe this is finally happening.” Lord Brundle gazed softly from the sidelines as his son danced.
“Finally? What do you mean, my lord?” Drink in hand, Hiro’s father settled next to his liege.
“Oh come now, old friend! Don’t tell me you haven’t seen this coming since they were children!”
“And you’re telling me you have?”
“Of course! Why do you think I always let them sneak off during my speeches?”
The look on Sir Tachibana’s face was one for the history books. Lord Brundle immediately burst into a hearty laughter. “Oh, oh dear! Don’t tell me you never noticed!?”
Sir Tachibana’s face turned bright red. He turned his face away from Lord Brundle in embarrassment. “My focus has always been on you. I never falter from my duty.”
“Well, you certainly faltered in your duty as a father.” That comment got a searing glare from his retainer. “Oh, you know I jest. You’ve raised splendid children.”
“I should hope so. I’m proud of him.”
“Hm, that’s not the impression I got.”
“No, I am. It’s… not the outcome I expected, but he followed his heart. I think, in some way, he even taught this old dog a new trick.”
“Oh? And what is that, exactly?”
Sir Tachibana stared at his son, softening his expression. A small smile crept upon his lips.
“When he was young, I think I was too harsh on him. I always told him to stay firm in his resolve. I told him that keeping his distance was best, as I had done with you. He ignored every single word I told him…”
“And that’s a good thing?”
“I didn’t think so at first, no. In fact, I was furious.”
“As you always are.” Another glare as Sir Tachibana takes a sip of his drink. Lord Brundle gave a smug grin in return.
“Anyways. I was upset at first. I nearly lost my temper, in fact. But Hiro was so honest and true to himself… Once I saw that, I realized that I was wrong.”
“Oh?”
“Hiro taught me that the best way to protect someone is to love them, not distance yourself from them.”
“Aw, warmed your cold heart, did he?”
“Must you continue to chide me, my lord?”
“Oh, you know I only tease. I’m simply glad that you’ve come around to it.”
“Of course. I was going to one way or another.”
“I knew you were. It’s a shame you realized it now. If you had realized it sooner, then maybe things would have been different between us.”
“Wha- Milord!” Sir Tachibana’s face flushed a bright red.
“ Ha ha! Another jest, dear friend!” Lord Brundle slapped a hand on his retainer’s back.
“... You are truly incorrigible, my lord.” he grumbled.
“Only for you. I’m just looking forward to seeing where they’ll go from here.”
“How so?”
“Zeus is about to take over the family, you know. He’s always lived his life to the fullest, so I’m wondering how he will fare as a Lord. He may be as charismatic as I am, but he’s never been… The smartest, if you will.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice. Well, Hiro will be with him, so I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“... I’m sure he will.”
☆☆☆
150 years together, and they are both long gone.
A young man with stark white hair travels the world, finding himself in Queensblade for the first time in a very long time. As he tours the vibrant streets, he finds himself entranced by the markets and dazzling flowers that lined every corner. He asks for directions to the Brundle estate, and gets a very quick answer. He buys a fresh bouquet of lilies and cherry blossoms, a now common pairing in Queensblade, on the way as a gift.
When he arrives at the gates of the Brundle estate, things are not like he remembers when he went to the wedding so many years ago. Not like that wasn’t to be expected, of course - it has been well over 100 years since then. A gentle breeze tosses his long, braided hair as he approaches the northern garden - a newly added garden compared to the other three. The gates to the Brundle estate are always open - at least, the one leading to the northern garden is. The paths leading to the actual estate are closed to the public for safety reasons, courtesy of the Tachibana family.
The garden is as gorgeous as the rest, and seems to be more of a mix of the western and eastern gardens. Gorgeous marble paths, roses, and cherry blossom trees adorned every corner, and many stone gazebos and benches allow for many people to rest as they stroll through the garden. A large pond with many artificial waterfalls spreads throughout the garden as well, with many Hinomotan and Queensblade styled bridges going over them. Massive butterfly koi float all throughout, and there are a few stands that are filled with koi food so they can be fed. As a result, they are very friendly. The white haired man leans down over one of the bridges, putting one of his hands in the water. The koi swarm him, and he chuckles at the sensation of their toothless bites. He makes his way towards the center of the garden, where a large, bronze statue resides of his old classmates. Others have already come and gone with their offerings, leaving very similar flowers to the ones he had already bought. As he approaches the center statue, he is stopped by a young woman with raven hair and golden eyes.
“Oh, are you also here to pay respects?”
“Yes, I am. Are you of the Tachibana family?”
“Good guess! Indeed I am. How do you know of my ancestor? Or are you just another history buff?”
“Oh, no, nothing of the sort. My… great grandfather was a classmate of theirs. They were kind to him, and he attended their wedding.”
“Oh, my! You have quite the connection, then.”
“They weren’t close by any means, so I’m sure I’m not as lucky as people like the Goldsteins or the Baroques.”
“Regardless, I think it’s wonderful that your ancestor got to spend time with them. Lord Zeus and Lord Hiro were some of the most influential people in the history of the Brundle and Tachibana families. I’ve heard many stories of Lord Hiro’s devotion growing up.”
“Well that is wonderful to hear. I’m glad to hear that my ancestor was able to be a part of the lives of such influential people.” The young man places the bouquet at the foot of the statue, and clasps his hand in prayer. There are two plaques that adorn the base of the statue.
“I’m glad it is. Oh, well, I should be going now! Thank you for sharing your story with me. Please don’t hesitate to come by again!”
“Of course. I would love to stop by again.”
“Oh, what is your name? I would love to put you on the list of special guests for the yearly public gala.”
“... Leon.”
“That’s a nice name. I’ll make sure you get on the list. Thank you, Leon! I hope to see you there!” The young woman ran off towards the main estate, waving goodbye as she did. Leon waves back, a small smile on his face. He’ll have to remember the gala, as now he has something new to look forward to.
He focuses on the plaques, finally able to read them. A soft smile appears on his face as he reads, thinking of all the shenanigans his former classmates got into while they spent their days at the Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy.
“IN REMEMBRANCE OF
ZEUS BRUNDLE
and
HIRO TACHIBANA”
“Here, on this day, we dedicate this statue to Lord Zeus Brundle and Lord Hiro Tachibana. Innovators for their time, Zeus is remembered for his exceptional leadership of the House of Brundle, leading it to a new age of prosperity unlike any had seen before. He is also remembered for being a pioneer of summoning magic, as his formulas are still being taught in schools to this day. Despite his grandeur, he never hesitated to call himself the ‘pinnacle of all things, alive or dead’.
His husband, Lord Hiro Tachibana is remembered for his unyielding devotion to his husband, even before the two were married. He was Lord Brundle’s stalwart protector first, and his most trusted partner second. Lord Tachibana is also remembered for being an instrumental figure in opening up the doors of trade with Hinomoto, his ancestors’ home country, and leading both our beloved Queensblade and Hinomoto to having a wonderful relationship and economy. He is also known for being one of the best swordsmen in the history of Queensblade.
It is said that the two were hardly seen apart, and their love was stronger than any diamond. With Lord Brundle’s charisma, and Lord Tachibana’s wisdom, the two lead the country into a great era.
Even in their old age, their love persisted. Surrounded by many friends and family, they both passed away within one minute of each other, conceding as though one could not live without the other.
Here, they stand to remind us not only of the great times our country has had, but also as a symbol of true love.
–Donated by the Goldstein, Baroque, and Abbey Families of Gedonelune–”
Leon clasps his hands together and says a small prayer for his old classmates before he puts his hands in his pockets. He glimpses up at the statue once more, fondly. As he leaves, he hears the sound of two children behind him. He twists around and sees two young boys, no older than 5. One with bright, crystal blue hair, the other with the same raven hair as the woman he met before.
“Come on, we’re going to be late!”
“Ah– wait, please! I can’t run that fast!!”
Leon smiles once again, and turns around to continue his journeys.
Those kids will be just fine.
#not mcl#wizardess heart#mia writes#zeus brundle#hiro tachibana#zeusro#I'M DONE.... I'M FINALLY FREE..........#i am literally so excited to be finally posting this you guys have no fucking idea#now u know why my preview was so long >:)#also#jay abbey#because YES i AM going to include my oc and YES she is integral to the plot.#i am cringe but i am free.#there is also a [REDACTED CHARACTER] jumpscare. not saying when. you'll just have to read it and find out!#>:))))))))))))))))#anyways. catch me crying outside over my own fic. thanks. i think i'm always going to love these two.#solmare should have hired me when WH was still active so i could have given them some quality content.#thank u all in advance for reading it if u get a chance... even if it is one person i will cry if u tell me nice things about it
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i was thinking about you today and hoping that youre doing well! sorry if thats weirdhfjfk. anyways i wanted to wish you well and remind you that self imposed deadlines are not real and i think everyone on here is more than happy to wait as long as needed <3
d'awww!!!! <333 :'}}} nonono! this is so sweet and kind! i'm so...omg
( this touches my heart in a way i cannot explain coherently rn ily )
if i'm honest, i'm finding that going fully into writing and not being able to answer my asks is sort of isolating and makes me sad because i feel like the same way that you all can't really check in on my ( unless you privately dm me ) i can't really check on you either!
( i think i'm gonna sneak back & answer some for stress relief shhh )
so it means a lot to me every time you guys write in and keep me company in the box, haha! i know it's kyle-piling up in there, but i swear i'm getting to them, i have read/enjoyed every single one and all of your deranged thoughts, big or small, make my day so lovely :)
also as we know i am working on my self confidence, so when you guys pop in, it's exciting for me because i'm glad you still care rip!!!
i know that its been a while, but i'm glad it's worth it for...ncu!style?
( i chatted a lot abt how i'm feeling abt writing rn! you don't have to peak if you don't want to hear me squeak on forever! but i'm processing a lot which is nice <3 )
you are all seriously so sweet and kind to me; i could not ask for better readers and human beings scattered around the world. <3 for all of you, i promise to be gentler to myself...i think i will feel much better when rm6 ( or, idk, sigh, part of it...ig ) comes out.
( btw no deadlines i promise!!! just ansty to post bc i'm v tired
and excited!!! more excited than tired!!!! )
BUT--
what i fear is happening ( and what i'm understanding ), is that because it all plays in my head like a movie which goes by way quicker than writing, i over-estimate how much can plausibly fit in a chapter upload...it becomes a list of things/scenes/dialogue so long that it's almost impossible for me to finish...and then i get stressed out/panic/get burnt out and never finish.
( aka something i assumed would fit into like 11k bc it's just blank lines of dialogue...actually ends up being 20k-30k with words fml )
so for my sake ( and possibly all of yours ), i'm thinking of maybe writing smaller updates...which will be more manageable for me than committing to months worth of work. they might flow less well, but that way you guys get content, i feel happy that i could post something/share stuff with you, my chest feels lighter. which is not to say the quality will be worse...it'll just be less daunting for me?
a lot of my stress unfortunately comes to sitting on all this writing and lore and not being able to post it until im Done...so i'm hoping that shorter chaps plus the relaxed formatting...and doing nice ask memes w/ breaks will really make me less stressed!
and i hope you too! ajhashdlsd thank you for checking on me! i also want to get something for pep out soon...even if its just posting a weird snippet of...whatever i have and spoonfeeding you all your cherry nyquil slowly but in pieces i can manage...seems better?
but tldr: thank you for checking! i'm okay! i just want to post my update/s because seeing them in my drafts is daunting. i think i'm going to post smaller chapters, so if they look weird! you get content/progression, i can relax and vibe with you all! peace on earth!
and of course, thank you for waiting and supporting me. i dearly miss doing my memes, it's lonely and boring in writer girl jail.
-uncle nina, who loves you all so so so so
p.s. slowing down in the sense of understanding plot is good for me tho! i think deep comprehension, but shorter, surer posts are in the near future <33333
#MWAHMWAHMWAHMWAHMWAAAAH#thank you for sending this seriously#this just like briefly freed me from writer girl jail#i needed air and to see the light#thank you for checking on me#I HOPE YOURE WELL I LOVE YOU YOU ARE SO SWEET#over the last few days i started processing a lot of stuff and i think im understanding a lot more abt what is reasonable#and what is just putting myself thru crazy amounts of horrifying stress for no reason#so im just gonna...do what i want i guess#whatever that means#we just kinda get what we get bc if i do not post something soon im gonna yell im sick of looking at my drafts#i want to vibe again#let me know what u think if u would like but i hope#this makes sense help hsadlksahd#LAST THING I THINK BC OF STANS TOOL POWER#HE CAN KIND OF FUCK W GEARS OR MACHINERY#so when they test him or check people for mutations he makes the machines malfunction#RANDY IS SUPER RACIST AGAINST MUTATED PPL AND ALIENS BTW HES EVIL#so if he found out stan would be dead lmao#so stan just is a secretly mutated person he fucks up a lot tho
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I'm thrilled to be hosting some of the @lostdrarryfics Mod Squad as they generously share their recs with us! If you're not familiar with @lostdrarryfics I cannot recommend their blog more - not only is it helpful in finding your own lost fics (I've used them!) but they welcome community engagement and are a fun easy way to contribute to fandom by helping others find lost fics. If you ever have a free minute, you can always scroll through their "lost" fics and if you happen to know it, you can help someone else find that fic. Sometimes I scroll through just to see what interesting fics people have read and wish they could read again!
Since it's not just one person, this Happy Hour is formatted just a bit differently, more like a rec list than just a Happy Hour rec, but each rec comes with its own review written by a moderator explaining why they picked that fic and why they love it so much. Without further ado, I'll let them give their recs!
@lambing: Hello and Happy Friday!
This is set one year after the war where Draco has been in a cell since awaiting trial, and Harry wants nothing to do with the magical world. Harry is desperate to get away, but finds himself in the other end of a spell with Draco as consequence of political machinations. I loved this! Gorgeous work. Well written characterization and excellent character growth, especially Draco. It’s hard enough to lose a part of yourself that defined you, but pair that up with a new reality that can feel simultaneously overwhelming and ungraspable, it’s easy to feel powerless and dejected. It was refreshing to watch Draco shift from being wary and uninterested to learning and finding interest in life again. I loved the move to France! That was the kind of escape I craved when I was at my lowest point. I thought it was sweet that the villagers took care of Harry and shared stories of their interactions with Draco. It’s always fun to read Draco in the Muggle world. I loved Harry; he’s such a good person, because that’s what Harry is, a fundamentally good person. After reading this fic, I thought how perfectly fitting the title was. It was lovely to see the development of their relationship which started off as the two of them struggling against each other to finding comfort that they’re not alone and caring for each other. I have a tender spot for getting together fics that just feels right and natural. I loved the hopeful ending - it was just the beginning of their new life and love together. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did! Don’t forget to show MA some love by leaving kudos and comments! I Won't Let You Fall Apart is part of HD Wireless 2022. When you’re finished, there are more works to check out!
Thank you Librarian for having the LDF team for Happy Hour and for all the work that you do!
I Won't Let You Fall Apart by Anonymous (49,840 words, rated M)
Harry has spent the year after the war staying out of the public eye, dodging political battles, and standing firm against pressure from his friends. But he has a secret plan to get away from it all. He just needs to testify at one more Death Eater trial: Draco Malfoy’s.
Little does Harry know what his act of compassion will cost him—and Malfoy.
CaladSigilon: There are few fics in the millions of words of published Harry Potter fanfic that so aptly explain a realistic progression of how Draco dragged himself out of the Dark pits of despair. A story of redemption, of one young man desperate to make up for his past wrongs (even while denying to all—most importantly himself—that he is doing so), finding a new path to walk down. A path, hard, stinging, and painful, but one that leads inexorably into the glories of the Light. There are only a few select stories that make me look back on my own life and wonder at the different paths not chosen, a list composed of some of the greatest fics that fandom have produced: Heal Thyself does so in spades.
Heal Thyself by @astolat (46,905 words, rated T)
"Are you going for the course?" Lovegood asked. "You have the NEWTs.”
“What course?” Draco said, then, “No, don’t be ridiculous,” when he realized she meant the notice pinned up on the board he’d been staring at: Applicants To The Introductory Mediwizard Course For The Coming Term Shall Present Themselves In The Chief Mediwizard’s Office By August 24th.
“Oh, I thought you might,” she said. “Well, goodbye.” And off she wandered again in her addled way.
@crazybutgood: The Owlpost gift exchange always features incredible, festive works in various forms, and @viventasopales’ submission last year was one such ingenious and heartfelt work I was absolutely charmed by. It includes two of my favourite things—Drarry and poetry—in a really creative way. I’ve always found opal’s writing to be really poetic, so to read poetry and haikus written by them was a treat. They took inspiration from ingredients from a gingerbread recipe for each one, crafting a lovely, domestic and homely atmosphere that will warm your heart. The gorgeous moodboards they’ve made serve to enhance that vibe, lending to a cosy and delightful read.
The Noble and Most Ancient House of Biscuits by @vivantesopales (435 words, rated M)
A Christmas poetry collection inspired by gingerbread recipe (each title is an ingredient)—bon appétit!
@ewpigguts: In Criminal, @the-sinking-ship combines classic tropes (fake relationship, lowkey enemies to friends to lovers) with fresh takes on two iconic characters. The hilarity and cleverness that is Draco combined with the obtuse and caring Harry make for a perfect pair. Don’t forget (my favorite fanfic character of all time) Pansy Parkinson, who’s absolute bitchiness and exquisite fashion sense saves the day approximately five times. Also Blaise Zalbini is uber-rich and into real estate, who knew! Silly and fun but with the this-could-be-a-real-ending-to-the-series quality that I require in fics I read, I could not recommend Criminal (or anything else written by @the-sinking-ship) more highly. If you have a singular ounce of appreciation for quality literature, read this fic.
Criminal by @the-sinking-ship (83,497 words, rated E)
Things were going just fine for Draco Malfoy. He successfully conned and counted cards across Europe and America, amassing a small fortune, along with a lengthy rap sheet. That was until he made the grave mistake of returning to England for a high stakes card game and got himself caught – by Harry Potter no less. Now, Draco is stuck in England under Auror Potter’s guard with no friends, no distractions, and no escape. How the hell will he pass the time? And since when did Potter get so bloody fit?
@stavromulabetaaa: aideomai is well-known for fics such as Dwelling or Far From the Tree, which are of course phenomenal but I think often overshadow their oldest masterpiece Such Great Heights. I’ve had several people tell me they were put off by the multiple pairings/polyamory tags and that this was the only aideomai fic they hadn’t read yet! When really the heart of this fic is friendship and falling in love (with one person! Don’t get me wrong, I adore poly fics but I would definitely classify this as an epic Drarry love story). Mostly it’s Harry being grabby and obsessive and oblivious and so very flawed, which is always something I find fascinating to read. Draco is witty, endearingly protective, and infuriatingly prideful. It’s one of those fics where each and every character is bursting with personality, and what makes this story so special is the vibrant cast of people we all know and love lying around in piles like puppies and healing and laughing, and partaking in a bit of animal rights activism.
Such Great Heights by aideomai (93,302 words, rated E)
Draco Malfoy, wide-eyed and pale and in a decidedly ragged shirt, was crouched next to the pile of whatever the dragon had been eating.
Harry threw himself to a halt and yelled, “Merlin, how many times do I have to save your life?”
Thank you once more to all the Lost Drarry Mods who participated in Happy Hour!
As always, if you find a fic you enjoy, please remember to leave the author a kudos or a comment!
❤️ Lots of Love and Happy Reading! ❤️
#friends of the library#lostdrarryfics#lost drarry fics#lost drarry fics mod squad#drarry#harry potter#draco malfoy#the drarry librarian#thedrarrylibrarian#harry/draco#harry x draco#draco/harry#happy hour#lots of love and happy friday#friday happy hour#fic rec#fic rec friday
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words that start with L
an oc/canon fic for Q, with their oc Kin ( i cannot begin to explain how much I love her ;0; )! I'll fix up the wordcount & formatting later and I have a tiny extra unrelated doodle for you, but for now have this! I hope your Valentine's Day was wonderful <33
ships: Kin (OC) / Shibi
summary: Kin oversees a small Valentine’s Day party, with a very sleepy husband on her lap, a bunch of kids, and some worries about parenthood.
wordcount: 1,730 words + art!
Shibi’s beard was scratchy, and everytime he shifted in his nap, it’d tickle her neck in a way where she could blame it for the little smile on her face that refused to fade from her lips and how unconcentrated on her book she was.
Laughter and chatting floated through the backyard as the children played at the table. A children’s book about Valentine’s day was propped up on the table and they were crafting whatever they’d chosen on from the book. A few squabbles about which page should be used died down fast, and whispering and plotting filled the backyard. When she’d asked Shibi what they were plotting, he simply snorted and pulled closer to her. She had half a mind to tip him off the already crowded lawn chair she’d pulled out, that he’d chosen to not only invade but begin drooling on her as he snoozed. One look at his peaceful face and she decided not to do anything but place a kiss on the bridge of his nose that made him stir just enough for her to see his smile.
The small party was a group of Shino, Torune, Kiba, Sasuke, Hinata, and Hanabi.
Kin wasn’t sure if she could babysit them all at first. There were only 4 new children, but she just felt off. Observing the backyard scene didn’t help the mild knot in her chest. The children seemed fine now, which was such a relief to her, but she couldn’t help her worry.
Torune sat at the end of the table, struggling to fold his paper with the gloves he had on. Shibi had just recently given them to him, a part of the training he was going through to keep the poisonous bugs embedded in the body from spreading. They had yet to find a fast working antidote to his bugs, and she couldn’t count the times that Torune came out of the training room sniffling, and Shibi with a nosebleed. She worried for her husband, and she worried for Torune.
Shino seemed to be just fine, but he was so withdrawn. She knew the nature of her son, she’d watched him grow up, after all. But he’d begun thumping his head on the wall as a conversation ender, or as a ‘please go away’ that he was too polite to say. He’d taken to measuring the time. Kin knew that he didn’t enjoy being social, but he’d begun stepping away from people he considered friends, and counting down the seconds to how long he could stay. She’d seen his fingers move in a counting position, and then excuse himself from the conversation after 30 counted seconds by walking away. She’d asked and he’d simply said: “You can distract yourself from pain by counting. It’s an easy trick.”.
Motherhood was a battle you could never prepare for, and she thought she handled it gracefully most of the time. She could remember days she sat in front of her vanity, clipping on her earrings and straightening her dress while taking the same deep breaths she recommended freely, simply because Shino was a very late talker.
The doctors said he would start talking more when he felt like it. But she didn’t think that was logical. He was too small to be choosing never to talk. Barely even a babble left his lips, and he wasn’t particularly fussy about anything except his food. Which was the only care a baby would have, she guessed, while he was causing her grief. Shibi had held her hand through the doctor's appointment, and kissed her each morning, mumbling about how great a mother she was. She’d brushed it off as morning babble, he said a lot to try and convince her to nap with him for a few more minutes. He was going to be the cause of death of her early-rise sleep schedule.
And then, another child was given to them when Shikuro passed. A close friend of Shibi’s. He’d left his son behind, a small child with poison in his veins. Quite literally.
Torune couldn’t be hugged, couldn’t be kissed. He could crawl in a corner and sob, and all Kin could do was try to hold back tears of her own as the helpless child cried for his dad. It was only later that they’d realized the cause of death. Torune never stopped apologizing. To be in the midst of a crying child and be utterly unable to comfort them was a curse she’d never wish on her enemies.
Shibi snorted and shifted, bringing her back to reality. She was trying not to be pushed off the lawn chair by her cuddlebug of a husband while watching the kids. It was Valentine’s Day and the last thing she was going to do was bring down the mood. She checked the table and realized that one was missing, already too late to stop Shino from slapping his dad on the back. Shibi grunted, and nearly knocked her glasses off as he groggily sat up.
“whahuh… uuugh.” He slurred, turning to face Shino, who looked very small from this angle, almost enough to convince her he hadn’t done it if she hadn’t saw him winding up. He wasted no time at all, and she couldn’t stop her giggling, “why are. you laughing aa me?”
“I think Shino wants to ask you something.”
“Yeah?”
“When’s the party over?”
“I dunno. In an hour or so?”
“It’s over in thirty minutes Shino, go have fun. Okay?”
“What’s thirty times sixty?”
“1,800.” Shibi answered automatically, and Shino sighed.
“That’s a lot.”
He began to count on his fingers. She bit her lip as he went inside for a minute and then back over to the table. Shibi yawned and flopped back on Kin.
“You know we have other lawn chairs less than five feet away.”
“This is my lawn chair.”
“This is my lawn chair.” Kin corrected him, smiling, “You decided that you were going to drool on me while I was reading.”
“You love me anyways so I see no problem with it.” He sniffed.
“You’re also wearing my robe…”
“Our robe.”
“You’re copying me on purpose at this point.”
“Why would I not want to be like the most perfectly lovely woman on the planet?”
Kin flushed, “Oh, don’t flatter me. I’m not perfect by any means.”
“You’re a stunning wife, a loving person, a sharp businesswoman, and a wonderful mother. Every day I thank whatever fate led me here, because I can forgive past mistakes if they lead me here. This is heaven.”
“You just woke up, shh.” She pressed her lips to his brow, “You are very affectionate when you just wake up.”
“But it’s true. Look at them.”
Shibi gestured to the children and Kin froze.
Torune had a pair of tweezers in his hand and he was mimicking how she put jewelry together to pull the corners of the paper and glue things to his origami. He’d joined Shino on his observing adventures, and they’d watched her with the non-fiery parts of her jewelry making she could do at home.
Shino sat next to him, and gently directed him as the other kids watched. Sasuke, ever the Uchiha, began to copy what Torune was doing, and soon Hinata and Hanabi caught on. Kiba kept doing his own thing, still mildly intrigued by the origami artists.
Was Shino counting so that he could have enough time to help Torune?
The thought struck her suddenly, and all she could do was laugh.
Shibi smiled into her neck, “You’re a wonderful mother.”
“He’s right, love.” The couple turned to see Mikoto, breezing through the gates with a smile on her face. Shibi flushed and sat up more, and Kin barely resisted rolling her eyes.
“Shibi here has had some trouble expressing himself, so he wanted to help you out a bit. He gets flustered easily when he’s got a crush on someone.”
“We’re married, ‘Koto.” He groaned.
“He’s still got the biggest crush on you.” Mikoto badly stifled a giggle to Shibi’s embarrassment, “But I’m not here to tease him, unfortunately. I’ve got a message for you, from one mother to another.”
She bent down and pointed to the kids.
“You see those kids?”
“Yeah.”
“You see their smiles?”
“I do.”
“Kids will show you who they are when they’re babies. They grow as a person during this period, of course, but you can never really direct where your child is going. You can only help them on their way, and make sure you catch the small signs. Even if they’re going through something that worries you, there are still ways to make them smile. To help them. They’re kids, love.”
“How do I know that I’m doing this correctly?” She whispered.
“Mom!” Sasuke hopped up from the table and the other kids followed him, hands behind their backs. He ran straight up to Mikoto and happily showed her his paper crane with a bunch of heart stickers on it. “Happy Valentine’s Day, I love you!”
“Mom, Dad.”
Kin looked to see Shino and Torune holding up folded origami ladybugs, decorated with the small rhinestones in a pattern she could remember doing. Shino’s last finger went down.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“We love you!”
Mikoto smiled and murmured, “That’s how you know.”
Kin could feel the world slow to a pause. The butterflies in the garden stilled their wings, and the kids chatter hummed to a quiet. She could feel Shibi smiling on her shoulder with his tickly beard, and she could feel her heart swell with incoherent emotions and her eyes swell with tears behind her glasses.
She gently took the two ladybugs.
“Do you like them?”
“...I love them so, so much. Thank you.”
She could feel her voice wavering and Shino climbed on top of Shibi to hug her. Torune pulled his glove more firmly on his hand and cautiously held her hand, watching his own like a hawk.
She could blame her entire family for making her smile like this now. She didn’t think she could ever stop smiling.
Years later, when using her bedroom vanity, she would smile at the two sparkling ladybugs sitting there as she took off her earrings and decided that maybe sleeping in for a little bit with her beloved husband was okay. Just for a while.
and an extra doodle, because Shibi wanted to give her a gift as well 🥹
Years later, when using her bedroom vanity, she would smile at the two sparkling ladybugs sitting there as she took off her earrings and decided that maybe sleeping in for a little bit with her beloved husband was okay. Just for a while.
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Review of "American Prometheus" - Pros and Cons
Or - when one reads a very, very long biography, one feels compelled to say a little something in some kind of format.
Okay, yeah, book wins a Pulitzer, movie "Oppenheimer" is good, things are kinda controversial and complicated on the surface, lotta historical stuff underneath the surface, why not read the book!?
Why not to read the book (it's not a lot, but it is worth mentioning for those who feel passionately about some of these things):
She long - my ebook was 1100+ pages in font big enough for my stupid eyes.
She depressing - if you've struggled with anxiety or depression, there is going to be a lot to relate to, but it is also going to be - at times - a lot. I found it to feel more like "hey look, other people have felt like this" but it also felt like "well shit, it all keeps happening, everything sucks, ahhhhh" just a little bit.
The ending is, of course, basically right now, our time, and now is depressing. We live in a world still filled with nuclear weapons. It is going to be hard to compartmentalize - we still have this problem, and it will probably never go away. Crap.
But ALSO reasons to read the book (which yeah, gonna put my thumb on the scale, I think it's worth it to read the book):
If you have already seen the movie Oppenheimer, you are already starting out with a visual language for a HUGE cast of characters. I have read similar books before in nonfiction with large casts, and it can be hard to keep things straight. The movie does a pretty good job pinning down the key characteristics of the main players, and while reading, I could easily call up what I remembered from the movie and navigate around.
The movie is pretty darn accurate, which makes reading the book a joy to order what is going on when in that light. Some events are kind of 'smooshed' together in the movie, and some events do vary from other people's perspectives, but it is not wholly comically off the mark, so pairing the movie and book works well, but the book of course goes beyond, and looks deeply at a lot of the people and events.
The book DOES discuss the after effects of what happened in Japan, and what Oppenheimer did and did not know at the time, and better describes his reaction. He is a tricky guy to understand at times, but this book does wrestle with what the bomb means, and what that meant to Oppenheimer and others as time went on. Based on his words, Oppenheimer had what we would call 'guilt' but it was guilt in action - he really tried to do something about how he felt, though he wouldn't call what he felt 'guilt' - it's complicated. Obvi, the book is LOADED with citations, so if one were to read the book and feel victims didn't get enough time, my god, there is a lot more to read, the book comes with a very long reading list for those who are interested - and of course, please, think of those who have been impacted, it is a lot.
I think The 'Trial' makes more sense in the book to an extent than it did in the film. I got the gist in the movie, but the book really explains who is in that room, why, and their histories leading up to that moment. If you like straight-forward courtroom drama, this is it baby.
THE QUOTES GET SO FUCKING FUNNY AT TIMES. If you like people watching, if you like complicated people being a little much just a little bit, and people being catty, oh my gosh, this book is full of it at times.
Like, I cannot reiterate enough how often private moments were captured in Oppenheimer's circle because fuckin' EVERYONE WAS WIRETAPPED at some point! That sucks, like, bad, don't illegally wiretap people, don't do that, but in the aftermath and a few Freedom of Information Act requests, there's so many weird little moments that have been captured, and it's just people being people and fascinating to read.
Dr. Jean Tatlock sounds so cool and I would have been her best friend. This is the only thing I'll just fangirl over, she genuinely sounded like a lovely person, and I want to emphasize that she was a doctor, and cool, and she gets her own part of the book, which is great.
The authors really did spend years and years pulling together source material, while respecting that memories vary from person to person - it is nice to see that different perspectives are respected.
And there's obviously a lot more that can be said, but I promised myself I'd keep it at least somewhat contained? But yeah. For those whose ticks or whatever lead to wanting to read That Big Book, go for it, it is fascinating, post your review too. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
#oppenheimer#j robert oppenheimer#american prometheus#book review#book recommendations#book reccs#long reads#worth it
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