pairing: sylus x mc
word count: 2,509
summary: While attempting to rescue a poor cat stuck in a tree, MC… also gets herself stuck in the tree. Fortunately, a certain 'Good Samaritan' known for helping strays just happened to be passing by…
tags/warnings: lighthearted, slice of life, flirty banter, developing relationship, silly sweet shenanigans in the style of some Tender Moments.
a/n: This was my first little lads fic, technically a one-shot that could have a future follow-up but I don't have anything in mind for it atm. Mid-point in the slow burn, definitely before Grassland Romance & Wander in Wonder.
(ao3 link)
“Sylus!” Against all odds and reason, she couldn’t stop herself from a thrill of excitement and relief seeing that familiar face just happening to pass beneath her on the sidewalk.
An eyebrow arched as he stopped, lifted his sunglasses, and looked up.
“I’ve heard of cats getting stuck in trees, but this seems a little ridiculous, kitten.” The pointed emphasis on the pet name was particularly heavy-handed this time around. She sighed. Yeah, even amidst her relief she’d expected his teasing.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up…” she grumbled, awkwardly crouched among the branches of a tree in a street-side park, a tiny tabby tucked in the crook of one arm.
“Care to explain?”
“I… miscalculated.” Her face scrunched up and she hung her head.
She had been sure she could extricate the little critter just fine on her own, but now that she was several feet in the air with the cat in her arms, she had to reconsider. It was behaving well enough, but by the look in its eye and the twitch in its tail, she couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t react unpredictably if she suddenly leapt or otherwise maneuvered down. She didn’t want it to hurt itself because of her.
“I’m not sure this little guy is going to cooperate if I make any sudden movements.”
“That sucks.” He drawled with faux sympathy, replacing his sunglasses and moving to leave. “Well, good luck with that.”
“Wait! Come on! I know you’re not that heartless! Can you really leave a-...” she pursed her lips, swallowed her pride, and then did her best to put the most pathetic pair of puppy eyes on she could muster. “-Two adorable kittens to their sad fate?”
Sylus choked out a single bark of laughter, looking insufferably smug as ever.
“All right, all right.” He shook his head in amusement, taking a few steps closer to position himself beneath her. “But I have one condition.”
“Don’t agree and then tack on favors!” She scolded, and then was painfully, keenly aware she did sound a bit like a hissing cat.
“If a kitten needs saving, shouldn’t it be making cute little sounds so someone will come help it?” He ignored her. And of course he went and said something ridiculous. She felt the corner of her mouth twitch.
Deep down, she was pretty sure he’d help her even if she refused. Or she could even propose a different deal, and in her experience he was typically pretty lenient with her… But in this situation, nothing was coming to mind.
“...Are you sure about that? That’s what you want?” When had she ever ‘meowed’ in her life?
He folded his arms and tilted his head. “What? Is the Kitty Queen incapable of mastering her own native language?”
She sighed and shook her head. “All right, you asked for it…” Clearing her throat, she took in a deep breath through the nose. A meow. A cute, small sound that tugged at the heartstrings.
“Me- meow~!” It started strong! But then her voice cracked and it sounded a bit like she had a hairball stuck in the back of her throat. Or a cat in heat. She clapped her free hand over her mouth in vehement, physical, knee-jerk denial such a sound had left her mouth.
Sylus just laughed, and even as her face burned with embarrassment, she could hear the warmth in it, rather than sounding particularly mean-spirited.
“Oh, that was very cute.” He lifted his arms up. “All right, I’m compelled. Hop down and I’ll catch you.”
She groaned quietly to herself, but took careful hold of the cat in both of her arms. This way she could focus on keeping the cat restrained instead of how best to land.
Funny, actually, the complete faith she had that Sylus wouldn’t let them get hurt. She’d suspected him many times in the past of trying to deceive or otherwise mislead her, but as he said: when he made a promise, he always followed through.
So while she did her best to angle herself towards him, she otherwise didn’t hesitate to take the leap. She was hardly surprised when, in an instant, dark energy wrapped its tendrils around her waist, significantly slowing her fall to almost nothing. Though once she was in reach they dissipated, replaced by his hands on her hips, effortlessly lowering her down to the ground.
For all of her concerns, the cat in her arms didn’t seem to so much as bat an eye. It mewled softly -and unquestionably adorable- as if saying thanks.
“And now the kittens are safely returned to terra firma.” His hands withdrew, but instead he lifted one to pet her hair like one would a cat. “Try not to repeat the same mistake, hm?”
“I don’t see the problem,” she said, brushing his hand off. “You could use all the help you can get stocking up on good deeds to balance your scales.”
He scoffed, and started to say something, but the real cat had expended all of its patience and began twisting and squirming around. Quickly she knelt down to release it, watching as the furry little critter bounded off and disappeared into some bushes.
“Aw… I wonder if it lives around here. It seemed pretty young.”
“Young and feisty. Smart, too.” Sylus mused, his eyes glinting with mirth as he looked at her. “Definitely sounds familiar.”
Denying him for the millionth time seemed pointless. At this juncture she was more or less resigning herself to her fate. There were worse things than being a cat, she supposed.
“Not sure how smart either of us were getting stuck in a tree,” she mumbled, brushing off the fur she’d accumulated on her shirt as she stood up.
“It was smart enough not to scratch the hand that helped it.” He shrugged. She narrowed her eyes at him - and then mimed a scratching gesture, hooking her fingers like claws.
“Just like I haven’t scratched you yet?” Was what he was getting at. He just chuckled, idly rubbing his thumb over the pads of his other fingers.
“I believe the emphasis there is on ‘yet’.”
She recalled that he had a habit of caring for stray cats, though. And a habit of getting scratched to ribbons for his trouble. As well as a habit of never holding a grudge against them…
“It’d be worth it regardless,” he went on to say, tucking his hand in his pocket as his gaze leveled on her. “I got to witness a truly fascinating new side of you.”
Of course he wasn’t going to drop that, was he? She huffed and folded her arms over her chest.
“Being cutesy isn’t exactly my forte. You should be more grateful for the rare opportunity.”
For a second he looked genuinely bewildered, and she didn’t think it was because of the second thing she’d said. But if she’d blinked she would have missed it, because it was quickly replaced by that subtle arch of his brow and less-subtle smirk.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I find you cute plenty of the time.”
“You have a delightful way of making that sound uncomplimentary.” She could feel her glower deepen - along with the wrinkles between her brow.
“Another astonishing misunderstanding.”
Even if she accepted that he was being honest, she didn’t want to really reconsider what that meant at the moment. Instead she dropped her arms along with her bristly attitude and exhaled, letting ease overtake her. She was truly grateful for his help, after all.
“Anyway, thank you for the assist. It’s still a bit early for you, though, isn’t it?” She cast a brief glance at the sky; the sun would be going down before long, but it was still fairly bright for him to be strolling around Linkon. “I suppose you had business here?”
“I did, but it’s all wrapped up now.”
“I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it on the evening news,” she sighed. But how warped was she becoming by association with him, that there was a tell-tale bit of amusement in her tone she simply could not deny?
She might have still had plenty of reservations about him, but at least in her limited experience, most of his enemies were criminals of the worst caliber. There was no way she could quite define him as a ‘vigilante’, but there had yet to be an instance where she felt the people he dealt with were particularly deserving of pity.
“And what about you? You’re not in your hunters uniform. Are you such an altruist you spend your days off looking for more good deeds to hang on your scales?”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I was just heading out to get an early dinner, when I heard cute little sounds begging for help.”
He didn’t quite laugh, but gave a low, breathy exhale that came close.
“I was also just about to get a bite to eat,” he said, his tone shifting ever-so-slightly. A hint of gentleness crept in through the cracks, a subtle sweetness that never failed to entice her. “Would you care to join me?”
It was a little distressing to realize how quickly she felt inclined to accept his offer. Which felt directly correlative to how much she wanted to spend more time with him. Which was borderline humiliating. The more her heart sang, the more she wanted to shove a pillow over it and press down until it stopped.
She tried to make a show of giving an exasperated huff, but it trembled pathetically on the way out as if betraying her. Still she stuck to her very stubborn guns and said: “You could have used that as your bargaining chip to get me down instead of making me meow.”
“I’ll admit the thought did cross my mind… But that wouldn’t be much better than coercion, now, would it, kitten?”
Her lips tightened into a thin line. “I suppose. Maybe.”
The real question was: Would she have minded? But the fact he cared enough not to use such ‘underhanded’ methods only made her singing heart that much more exuberant.
“What were you thinking? That sandwich shop nearby?” He offered his arm to her not unlike he had at the auction. For a split second she was bewildered by the fact he had psychically divined her destination - then she remembered this was Sylus, and rounded back on the fact he was just cruising ahead again.
“I didn’t even agree to anything.” It sounded like such a pathetically empty resistance. Because it was, and it had been from the moment he asked.
“Maybe not out loud, but… Didn’t you already make up your mind?”
“Aughh…” She hooked her arm around his. She really didn’t have to do that either, did she? And yet he seemed so finely tuned to knowing exactly what she really wanted, deep down.
“Okay, but how did you know about Benny’s?”
“It was just a guess. You like sandwiches,” he said as matter-of-factly as if it were common knowledge, “and when I looked earlier, the ratings I saw would suggest it’s the only place in this area that would make it worth coming this far from your apartment.”
Yeah, that level of calculation sounded like him. Well, she knew a thing or two about him, too!
“Sounds like you’ve never been there, then. Their slow-cooker French dip is one of my go-to’s, I think it’d be right up your alley.” She said with no lack of confidence, enthusiasm beginning to bubble over. “But they’ve got their seasonal apple cider pulled pork right now I’m dying to check out.”
“Hmm, those do sound good,” he nodded, shooting her a grin. “Should we go splitsies?”
She snorted and laughed, hearing him say things like that always caught her off-guard in the best way, and he seemed to know it.
“I thought you didn’t like to share. I seem to remember a greedy crow who complained whenever I tried his food before.”
“There’s a key difference between sharing and stealing.”
She couldn’t stop herself from a mischievous little giggle remembering the look on his face when he’d gone for his last dumpling and found it mysteriously vanished.
He leaned towards her a little, lowering his voice, his breath brushing her ear. “But I suppose… we don’t need to worry about such distinctions between us anymore.”
Rather than bend away, she turned her face towards him, drinking in his closeness. “How benevolent of you.”
He laughed and straightened up, and she tried not to be too disappointed.
“You’re the only one who would say that about me.”
“I’m just calling it like I see it.” She shrugged one shoulder. “But I’m fine being the primary recipient of your benevolence, too.” Grinning up at him, she lifted her free hand to poke his cheek. “Especially if that means I can rope you into a few good deeds here and there.”
He gave her a brief glare for the poke, but it was almost hilariously short lived and as paper thin as her resistance earlier had been. How was she supposed to just ignore that?
“So that’s your angle? Course correcting me onto the straight and narrow?”
“Hmm…” Considering it briefly, she probably would have said yes before. But now? It was less about that than she found herself worrying for his safety. “I think I’d be happier if you maybe had fewer people trying to kill you at any given time.”
“That would be quite the list… And who was it that once sat at the top of it, I wonder?” He flashed a ruthless grin. Her expression immediately soured as she nudged her shoulder into him.
“Are you ever going to drop that?”
“Well, I still haven’t heard a sincere apology, sweetie.”
“And now definitely isn’t the time for it, either.” She mumbled, feeling the heat of embarrassment along her cheeks and the tops of her ears. Still she gave her all in shifting the subject by making a sweeping gesture of her free hand to the building in front of them, cheering enthusiastically. “Because we have arrived! Time to eat!”
“Haha, how convenient for you. All right, then.”
Benevolent once again, he did indeed drop it as they made their way into the restaurant. But he wasn’t wrong, and she knew it. For something like that though, all of the rage, hatred, and vengeance she’d pinned on him… A simple apology wouldn’t do.
She was going to have to think of something, some way she could truly show how sincere she was, and paying for sandwiches wasn’t going to cut it. In truth, she didn’t think he cared much about whether she went to extreme lengths, but the real guilt she felt over it wouldn’t be assuaged by half-hearted measures. She needed to really think of how she could make it up to him, even if he didn’t truly seem to hold any grudge against her - like all the strays that had lashed out at him before.
Themes; reality hopping, alternative universe (same universe, just things are a little different), doppelganger, multiple endings, slowburn
Warnings; 18+ for excessive swearing
Notes; Hey guys! Divisa is finally out!! This won't be following the original story at all. Just bits and pieces here and there. This is going to be different compared to “Twist of Fate”– it's also going to be shorter. I'd say possibly fifteen chapters? There will be five different endings; Four endings will be with each love interest and the fifth will be with all of them. The original MC will not be a white lotus (aka someone who seems sweet, but is actually a bitch) and certain things will be changed. This is based on the universe of LADS, but the whole in-game story doesn't mean anything– unless I mention it specifically! You'll see what I mean.
It’s gonna have a bit of a slow start, but I hope you stick around for it regardless! If there's any smut, it'll be in the endings. So, this is only rated as mature purely for all of the swearing! (ps I'm sorry for naming the reader's father, but I felt it was necessary to do so)
Also! This will have a sporadic upload schedule, so if I finish a chapter, I'll post it soon after. There's no specific day I'll upload this <3 Hope that's okay.
prev || next
☆ Divisa Masterlist ☆
Divisa
//Latin and Italian for: Divided//
||adj.||
Split into parts; separated
Not united; in disagreement
○o。. .。o○
“Seriously, how much shit does Grandma have up here?” Another box joins the stack of five and you wipe sweat from your forehead with your sleeve.
It was your day off today and while you'd love to spend it relaxing, instead you offered to help your elderly grandma clean out her attic— because “you're her favourite grandchild”, her words…You were her only grandkid.
You had already been there for well over an hour, cleared out five boxes so far, and grandma still wasn't home yet. She was at the farmer's market before you even arrived, so she should've been back by now, but you know your grandma is a chatterbox. She'd yap her whole life away if she could.
You take your jacket off and tie it around your waist, slinging your mini-backpack on once more– it's a habit to always have it on you. You never know when you might need something. Like your chapstick, hand sanitizer, a pen…It's almost a mystery how the bag isn't heavy as hell with how much junk is in it–
You head back up the stairs and glance around at the almost empty attic. You wondered what exactly grandma was going to do with the place after it was clean– maybe she'd turn it into a room for you? You shake your head at the thought and go back to moving boxes.
With a heavy box in hand, you head back toward the stairs. The box slips just slightly within your clammy hands and you bring your knee up to help keep a hold of it. This, however, causes you to fall. Your shoulder slams into the sharp corner of an even heavier box and something on top of the box makes a loud noise as it hits the hardwood floor.
You suck in a deep breath to disguise the pain in your shoulder and quickly roll over to check on the fallen object, internally hoping it wasn't something really valuable. But once you spot it, you're confused.
It was…a jewelry box?
Your grandma wasn't one to wear jewelry, so this was out of the ordinary. The wooden box also seems pretty…old.
You pick up the weathered box and lift the lid to make sure the hinge still works. That's whenever you notice something wrapped in a cloth.
You set the box to the side and pick up the cloth. It was hefty, so there must be some kind of jewelry wrapped up in it. Maybe a necklace?
You unwrap it and before you can look at the necklace, a signature at the corner of the cloth catches your eye.
It was your grandpa's name.
You have never personally met the man, but your grandma loved to tell stories about him. The stories were a little…odd, but you would blame that on her being old and the possible beginnings of dementia. She would tell tales of another time period entirely, how grandpa was a prince and she was wrongly deemed as a saint, how she had to run away with your mother and grandpa couldn't come back here with them…
While it was a beautiful story, you often wondered if it was just a coping mechanism and something bad had happened to your grandpa, but you didn't dare ask your mother.
It seems as if the men in your family were never present, so maybe…there's a curse that only affects the men? Seeing as your father wasn't present either, but your mom had so many pictures of him. You even kept a picture of the two of them in your wallet.
Those thoughts aside, it seems like grandpa was an actual person, at least…even though this cloth– handkerchief, you realize– appeared to be just as old as the box itself, but that can't be possible.
You shake your head and set the handkerchief back into the jewelry box, turning your attention to the necklace.
It was honestly a rather beautiful gemstone necklace. It almost seemed familiar somehow, like you've seen it in a Marvel movie or something. It was a deep red-wine coloured stone with silver wire coiled around it like a vine. It hung from a thin, silver chain.
It was pretty and you did love collecting shiny things, so maybe you could ask your grandma if you could keep it. You pocket the necklace for now and, as you go to stand back up, you spot a piece of folded up paper on the floor. You grab the paper between two fingers and open it up. The tiny scrap of paper only has four words written on it.
The Reality Stone || Aether
Aether?
That word seems…oddly familiar to you. Why– oh, right!
Your phone buzzes with a notification.
‘Rafayel is waiting for you’
A scoff slips from your lips and you shake your head. You did need to check up on your game today and do your dailies…and you did make a huge dent in the attic, so you're sure your grandma would allow you to rest for the remainder of the day. Then, tomorrow, she could help you with the rest!
With your decision made, you put your phone away and descend down the stairs. But then, your pocket feels oddly warm. Intensely so– It's like it was burning a hole through your jeans and you pause mid-step to grab the necklace from your pocket, but you miss a step with your heel and you feel your body fall forward.
Panic spreads throughout your chest, because you know this won't be a pain-free tumble. You'd be lucky to escape with just a sprained ankle or wrist. Your eyes squeeze shut on impulse and instead of your body slamming into hardwood, you felt a face full of…grass?
“What the fuc—”
As you sit up in a panic, your body freezes.
…how the hell did you end up outside?
You scan your surroundings, but you don't recognize where you are.
You're surrounded by jasmines. Beautiful, fragrant flowers as far as the eye can see. A couple of scattered cherry blossom trees, but you were not in a forest. You were just on the outskirts of a city.
With a sigh, you take the reason for your troubles out of your pocket. The necklace. You give the red gem the dirtiest look you can muster before reluctantly clipping it around your neck. If this is what sent you here, you might as well keep it safe, until you figure out how to get back home. Then, you grab your phone.
Maybe…it just sent you to the next city over and your grandma could come pick you up.
You take a deep breath and unlock your phone, but your thumb freezes before you can tap anything.
“The date…What in the..” You can't even finish your sentence. You were so confused and panic was beginning to sink in. “It's 2048?! This…must be a joke, right?”
You rake your fingers through your hair and rise to your feet. “It's fine. Let's try calling grandma,” you murmur to yourself. You try to keep your breathing calm, but you can already feel yourself beginning to panic as you hold the phone up to your ear.
It rings…and rings…and rings…
“This number is no longer in service—”
“Whatever. Seriously, whatever. This is fine. Great, even. Everything is a-ohhhkay. Perfectly normal.” You pocket your phone and rest your head in your hand for a moment, then you take a deep breath and nod your head.
“Alright, I should head to the city first. No use freaking out. It's not like that'll get me home any faster.” You clench your hand into a fist and desperately hope you'll at least be able to reach the city before nightfall…
…The good news is, the city wasn't far at all. Well, it was far, but not three-hours-away type of far! So, you made it well before dark. According to your phone, it was only 5pm so you still had time to find a place for the night. Hopefully whatever place you decide to stay will take your cash…but who knows maybe 2024 money is outdated in 2048.
“I'm sorry, we don't take this form of payment anymore.”
This was the third hotel you've checked tonight…You take a seat on a bench near a large water fountain and hold your head in your hands. Even if it's twenty-four years in the future, they should still take your cash! This is insane–
As you tilt your head back to wallow in your sadness, you notice a billboard in the distance and you can feel the blood drain from your face.
“No, no, no—”
You whip out your phone, making sure you have all your apps before you click on one specific one. You quickly tap the screen, murmuring, “Come on…come on..” And once the game finally loads in, you navigate to the guidance tab.
“The Chronorift Catastrophe of 2034…fourteen years ago. Fourteen plus 2034,” you nervously mutter as you chew on your thumbnail. “That's 2048…that billboard clearly said Linkon City.” You hold your hand over your mouth as dread fills your stomach.
You weren't in the real world…of course that's why your cash wouldn't work. Were you in a coma? Did the fall hurt your head?
No…if that were the case, you wouldn't have taken your bag with you, you wouldn't feel so panicky and cold right now…or could you? You could be self aware and in a coma. But you didn't want to be, so you decided to brush the most realistic thought aside.
“They recognized this money, so maybe…” In the real world, old money could sell for a lot. Especially when it comes to collectors. So maybe you could find someone who would buy all of your old cash. That would definitely work for now, but what about in the future? You'd need money for however long you're going to be here…ugh, does that mean you need to find a job?
Wait…
Wanderers and evols.
There were creatures here.
The thought sends shivers down your spine and you shrug your bag off to put your jacket back on.
As long as you didn't go into a rift you should be fine, right? You're almost positive wanderers never came out to terrorize people—
Your thoughts are cut off by a loud scream and your head jerks in the direction of it with wide eyes.
There was a big ass blue portal in the middle of the street and fucking creatures were coming out of it!?
What the hell was your luck today??
You sling your bag back on, getting ready to run before a bright light blinds you and you shield your eyes. Squinting them to try and see where the light was coming from.
Once the light faded, your heart stuttered in your chest.
A tall man stood in the center of the road as the blue rift dissipates. His wispy, ash-blonde hair blowing in the wind as he turns his head to the side to talk to his companion next to him. From where you are, you can just barely make out his blue eyes.
Xavier?
Then…who was next to him—
Y…You?
You slowly pull up your hood as you stare at the uncanny sight.
While she clearly didn't share the same hair or body type as you, everything else was…identical. Her eyes, her face…It was like looking in a mirror.
You were the main character, but you were not, at the same time.
“Y/n, are you sure you're not overexerting yourself?” You could barely hear his voice over the wind, but your breath catches in your throat at your name coming from Xavier’s lips.
“I'm fine, I promise.” You– She replies with a small, almost pained, smile.
“This is some bullshit,” you murmur under your breath, tapping your finger against your leg as you think about the unfairness of the situation.
Seriously!? You were brought here and you– gosh, you really need to come up with a name for her before this gets confusing. Gemini? Sure, that works.
You were brought here and Gemini was already here?? It's so unfair to have two yous in the same timeline, especially when one already had a head start!
The male leads would definitely sacrifice you for her. They'd probably even tear out your heart, thinking it would fix hers.
You tug at your hair with a small groan of annoyance.
Fuck. Fuck–
Deep breaths...
“Alright. I guess I'm staying up tonight.” You finally compose yourself and set your sight on a neon sign just across the road. “The Nest seems like a good place to start. I could sell this old cash and hopefully get enough for a room tonight.” You pull out a black face mask from your bag and put it on so only your eyes are uncovered.
You'd have to be careful since you and Gemini were identical. You really didn't want to get kidnapped instead of her. Being the main character of an otome game is tough work and, honestly, she can have it. You didn't want to get involved.
It's not like the male leads would ever spare a second glance at you, so you'd surely be fine…Right?
☆ミ
The bell overheard chimes as you step inside the dimly lit bar. The smell of cheap liquor and smoke hitting your nose through the mask and you hold back the urge to cough.
Act cool…
You take a seat at the bar, drumming your fingers against the marbled counter as an employee makes his way over to you.
Without saying a word, you slide a 2017 quarter toward him and he raises a brow before placing an embossed business card down in front of you.
Okay, so if you remember correctly, whatever you write on here will disappear and then, the bartender will take the card and leave. If you have someone who is interested, he'll be back with a drink for you.
You grab a pen from the table and quickly scribble down on the paper.
‘Anyone interested in old money’
Honestly, you should probably be a bit careful, but you had no other way to gain information besides taking a few risks.
The ink disappears and the bartender takes the card, nodding at you before making his way to the back.
You just hope the glass wasn't black, though you doubt it. If the glass was black, it would mean you'd need to pay a high price for information– Perhaps your life. However, since you were only looking for a potential buyer, the chances of the glass being black were slim to none.
The employee comes back with a dark green shot glass and sets it down.
You look up at him with a raised brow and the employee decides to take pity on you, tapping the counter next to the glass. “Green means someone is interested and they're willing to pay a lot.” Then, he jerks his head in the direction of the stairs– the same stairs you recall Rafayel walking up before the main character got caught in one of the more recent chapters.
“After you drink this, head upstairs and it's the first door on your right.”
You nod your head and turn your body as you pull down your mask. You can't afford to let anyone see your face. You quickly down the shot and pull your mask back up, the liquid burning as it goes down your throat.
As an extra payment, you give the bartender a 2008 penny– borrowing change from your grandma was good in times like this. You had so many old coins, though your cash was closer to 2024. Either way, you still be able to make some money since they'd be over twenty-four years old.
Then, you leave the bar and head up the stairs. Your hand lightly hovering above the railing until you reach the top, then you head into the room on the right.
It appeared to be a VIP room.
An angled couch lined one half of the wall with a short table in the center. A few unopened drinks and a suitcase sat atop the table and in the corners of the room, near another door were two men. Bodyguards, maybe?
You take your seat, putting your mini-bookbag on your lap so you could be ready to show off your cash– glad that your mask covered half of your face because you were starting to feel a little nervous.
After a few minutes of waiting, your nervousness turns to annoyance.
You roll your sleeves up and pull your hood down as if to show the bodyguard that you're safe and they can let their guy in now. Then, you lean back on the couch and cross your arms over your chest.
Seriously, how long would this dick keep you waiting—
The door across the room swings open and someone…familiar steps inside.
Well, that's just peachy, isn't it?
You try not to let your surprise show and sit up straight as the white haired man takes a seat in front of you and makes himself comfortable.
“You seem a little too young to be in possession of old money. Did you steal it perhaps?” As Sylus speaks with one hand, you can feel nervousness sinking in once more. You clear your throat and pull out your wallet, tossing it toward him.
“See for yourself.” You jerk your chin, hands resting on your knees. “I've even got old coins.” You take out your coin purse. “My family used to collect them, but since I've got nowhere to go…I might as well sell them now.” You shrug, doing your best to concoct a story on the spot.
“Hmm…” Sylus pulls the bills out of your wallet, holding them under a light, before he nods. Though his eyes do falter on something in your wallet.
You know it’s not your ID or anything, since you made sure to take that out beforehand, but maybe the picture of your mom and dad?
As if to prove you right, Sylus takes the picture out, holding it between two fingers as he flips it over to inspect the back.
“What's a Deepspace Hunter's daughter doing at the Nest?” His eyes flick toward you and he raises an eyebrow.
A…
Huh?
I hope y'all liked this chapter! It's going a bit slow, but it should be fine! I'm honestly not sure where to go from here, I'm just making it up on the spot. I have a loose plot from beginning to end, but I don't really have anything in the middle. So...
It'll be fine!
I'm sure y'all didn't expect your father to be from this universe! (I'll apologize again for giving him a name lmao) I'm also gonna say sorry beforehand if Sylus or anyone else seems a bit out of character— I'm doing my best.
Short little piece for Day 1 of @erisweekofficial: Bonds/Bargins
Summary: It was a stupid deal, promising Eris you would marry him. And now, what happens when you have no intention of following through with it.
Warnings: Sick Reader, unedited
WC: 1.7k
divider by the lovely @tsunami-of-tears
“I’m gonna marry you one day.” Eris said the words with such conviction but kept his tone light. You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at him.
“Is that so?” You picked at a loose thread on your skirt, suddenly unable to make eye contact with the autumn court heir.
“Yep.” He popped the p and leaned back in his chair. “No one else would be able to keep up with me.”
”You’ll be high lord one day, you could do far better than me.”
Eris snorted and rolled his eyes.
‘I could do far worse.”
”You really know how to flatter a girl, Eris.” You let out a heavy sigh.
“Here, if neither of us have found anyone by the time you become high lord, then we’ll get married.”
“Really?” He asked, sitting up a little straighter.
“Really.”
“It’s a deal then.” You felt it then. The words branding themselves onto the back of your neck. Your hand went up to trace the newly marked skin, the raised fern shaped bump.
It was silly. Rushed words from childhood that you didn’t take seriously at the time. Your hand still traced over the skin, no longer feeling the texture of it. Just enough to bring you comfort. To know that Eris was your friend.
Eris had turned down every match his father had tried. Always managing to find some fault with them, no matter how much trouble it got him in. You stopped the glimmer of hope every time that it was because he was holding out for you. Holding out for the bargain, the one you had no intentions of going through with.
You woke up a little later than you intended, the sun already streaking through the window. When you stood up, your muscles seemed to scream in protest, a small throbbing behind your temples started as you got dressed for the day.
You sighed as you walked into the bathroom attached to your room, the room you had been given when you were appointed as Eris’ second in court, and started searching for the tonic to get rid of this headache. The day was going to be filled with meetings and dealing with the rest of his court was headache inducing enough. It didn’t take long for the pain to recede, not gone but enough to fade into the background as you headed towards eris’ office.
Eris was absolutely glowing with the power of a new high lord. He wore it well. The amplification of his already impressive abilities. He was heartbreakingly handsome before, but now, just being in the same room with him was enough to bring heat to your cheeks.
“There she is.” Eris says as you walk into the room, his advisors sitting around the table. The spot next to him is empty, reserved for you.
“I’m sorry for being late. I had an issue I had to deal with.” You felt all eyes in the room as you walked over to Eris. “You could have started without me.” You looked at Eris as you sat down, he waved off your words.
“No we couldn’t. I trust your opinions on this stuff.” He squeezed your hand that was on the table and you shoved down the butterflies that rose in your stomach at the simple touch.
“Now, last time we talked, we were discussing how to improve the schools that have been severely lacking since the war.”
The late morning bled into the afternoon and there had been minimal arguments. A small miracle with the over opinionated circle Eris was still trying to navigate around. The older ones were still adjusting to be able to speak out and be heard. Eris handled every issue as well as he could have and you found yourself smiling at your friend as he truly stepped into his role as High Lord.
“If you’ll allow me to make one last point. I would like to remind the high lord of the conversation we had a few days ago.” Eris just sighed at the words. Your eyes flicked to Eris, who seemed suddenly very annoyed.
“I have several daughters that are of age and would be honored to be considered by the high lord.”
“I told you where I stand on the issue.” Eris cut him off, voice tight. You wanted to sink into the floor. There was no subtlety in the words the lord was speaking. He was offering his daughters for Eris to marry.
“The court needs a lady.”
“I have one.” he didn’t hesitate to say the words, turning to you. You felt the gaze on everyone in the room. “I believe someone made me a promise.” He smiled at you, one you couldn’t return.
“Eris. Be serious.” You muttered to him, turning away from the rest of the advisors.
“I am.” He turned to face the man. “And that is all I will hear of this subject.” The older man had enough sense to nod at Eris’ words, looking slightly crestfallen. “You’re all dismissed for the day.”
Slowly the other filed out of the room, leaving you and Eris alone. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
“You didn’t have to do that, Eris.” YOu said, leaning back in your chair. The headache from earlier was coming back with a vengeance.
“I wasn’t doing anything. I was simply making them aware that I’m spoken for.”
“But you’re not.” You tried to stop your voice from raising but you were getting more and more frustrated with this conversation.
Eris just looked at you as if he was confused by your words.
“I thought-”
“You didn’t think at all, Eris. You didn’t think for a second about me in this and just told your entire court that you’re marrying me.” The words spoken through your teeth, the pain in your head becoming unbearable. You rose to your feet, hand on the table as you tried to get your bearings. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.” Your tongue felt like it had turned to sandpaper. The words heavy and mumbled. You wanted nothing more in this moment than to lay down and sleep off this gross feeling.
You made it to the end of your hallway before it fully hit you.
The room around you was starting to tilt, your head feeling fuzzy like you had too much wine. You tried to keep yourself upright but your legs might as well have been jelly for the way they were shaking. Reaching out a hand, you blindly felt for the rough textured wallpaper and sat yourself down before you could fall flat on your face. The world seemed to right itself slightly as you tucked your head between your knees and took a deep breath. The movement rattled your chest and made every muscle in your body ache in protest.
You weren’t sure how much time had passed before you felt a hand shake your shoulder. One of the handmaid's faces came into focus in front of you. Her words seemed to be traveling too slow for them to reach your ears. You could only look at her with a blank look on your face before closing your eyes again. The pain had only been building and now it felt like your whole body was pulsing with this strange sickness.
When you finally came to again, you were startled to feel soft velvet under your hands. A blanket had been thrown over you but the thin layer of sweat on your body had you kicking it off immediately. The motion seemed to remind your body what got you into this position. The light making tears spring in your eyes.
“Thank the mother. You had me scared.” Eris’ voice made your head throb. You groaned, heads going to your temples. You flinched slightly at the contact, even your own touch sending waves of discomfort through you.
“Dove, what happened?”
You could only shake your head. Forcing your eyes to look at Eris. He reached out to grab your hand and a small gasp left him. You saw it then, the pretty mark on your wrist that was now darker in color, leaking dark lines up your arm.
“You’re breaking the bargain.” He dropped your arm like he was afraid the mark would transfer to him.
“I have to.” You crooked out, clearing your throat you repeated the words, louder this time.
“No. I refuse to accept this.” His voice had risen in pitch slightly, panic leaching into his words.
“You would rather die than be with me?”
“I’m not having this conversation, Eris.” You cursed the weakness in your voice.
“No, you have it very clear we aren’t.” He ran his hands through his hair, placing his hands over his eyes. His chest rose as he took a deep breath and let it out through his mouth. “Is being married to me that bad?”
The hurt in his voice was worse than any of the pain in your body.
“I won’t make you marry me because of some stupid joke you made over a hundred years ago.”
A silence filled the room after your words you wanted to curl in yourself. That was when you felt Eris’s hand on top of yours.
“That’s what you think?”
“What else could it have been?”
“Do you think I wasn’t serious then? I would have married you that minute if I could have.”
“Don’t be cruel.”
“I could say the same thing to you. Do you expect me to live without you?”
You suddenly couldn’t find the strength to look at him.
“Dove. I wouldn’t want to have anyone else in this world by my side.” He takes your hand and places a small kiss on your knuckles. Rubbing warmth into your stiff muscles. When you look back at him, you only find your best friend staring back at you. No lies or hatred on your face.
Words fail you and you can only look at him, tears threatening to spill over.
“You don’t have to say anything, focus on being better so you can make good on your promise.” Eris squeezes your hand but doesn’t let go. You smile at him and pat the spot beside you, as Eris climbs into bed behind you, you feel like a weight has been lifted off your chest that you’ve been carrying for the last century.
Angel should really tell someone if they think somebody’s breaking in but instead they do… this? For some reason.
very good idea
14 Days With You is an 18+ Yandere Visual Novel. MINORS DNI
💜🖤💜🖤💜🖤
Quiet and quick as could be, [REDACTED] slowly opened your window by the fire escape. He climbed in carefully, a little astonished that you still weren’t bothering to lock it after all these months. Their boots hardly made a sound as he took practiced steps over the hardwood floor of your apartment and headed straight to the kitchen. He didn’t need to see to know which floorboards would creak or groan underfoot.
Just as they expected, the usual sight that had him even more excited to go on his now almost nightly break-ins was there to greet him. A handful of hastily scrawled, bright pink sticky notes were slapped across various surfaces.
At some point or another you'd gotten sick of things going missing. Sure, most of them turned up after a while—and always right where you thought you'd left them—but even still it annoyed you. So you started leaving silly messages for your supposed burglar. He chose to read them as love notes.
“Don't take anything in here you BITCH I'll be so mad!!” screamed one from its place on a kitchen cabinet. Your writing there was a little illegible from how fast you surely wrote it, but he found it endearing.
Another, on the side of some faded plastic-ware read, “I made these cookies for a friend but a lot of them came out wrong. You may have the burnt ones.”
“Give that ugly red shirt back it doesn't belong to me.” That was the last one he could find in the room for now, left on top of the counter next to the notepad and pen you always used.
As much as he wished to, the hacker usually didn’t respond for fear of confirming your needless worries. They'd never want to harm you like a real burglar. But he always followed the instructions when he could. And he could do some of those tonight.
Since you'd so nicely asked, he left the bottom cabinet alone. They already knew what you kept in there anyway. He wouldn’t tell a soul.
He took a few burnt cookies out of the container left on the counter—not enough that you'd notice. Some to eat once he left, and one to keep. It was another thing you offered up to him, after all.
But the sorry excuse of a shirt that your (worst) childhood friend had left behind was long gone. [REDACTED] had already given it a much needed vacation to the bottom of Lake Bluemoss, along with some other items that Leon had dared to leave among your belongings.
With the notes in the kitchen mostly taken care of, he set off towards your laundry closet. Only to find the small sliding door in the hallway closed shut with a note of its own smack dab in the middle.
“Please don't take my comfy clothes anymore :c I know you always give them back but it'll be getting cold soon!! You don’t want me freezing in the middle of the night, do you? Won't you forgive me? Pretty please? ♥ ♥”
Mind going a mile a minute, [REDACTED] had to read your beautiful handwriting again and again as if decoding a different language. Those tiny, black inked hearts at the end of the note were all he could understand in the moment. Your sweetly written, pleading love letter finally sunk in once he managed to shake away the haze you’d unknowingly swept him into.
This one was a risk that he was willing to take. Of course they wanted you to be comfortable. He gently peeled the note off so it wouldn’t tear, and folded it away to tuck into his jeans.
Then, the dark haired man began to tug his favorite hoodie up and over his shoulders.
💜🖤💜🖤💜🖤
You lazily pulled the folding door open in search of a blanket. It was just a little bit colder for some reason when you woke up this morning, so you needed something to keep you cozy while you waited for Violet to come over later that afternoon. You reached up to the middle shelf where you normally kept extra blankets, but something just below it caught your eye.
A huge, black hoodie sat folded on top of the pile of clean towels you forgot to take care of days ago.
You didn't recognize it, but it had to belong to one of your friends, right? They all formed a habit of leaving stuff with you once you moved back to town. Jae still hadn’t picked up the roller skates he got for Maple—they were only used the one time.
Ignoring the blanket you meant to grab, you picked up the hoodie and slipped it on. The giant thing practically swallowed you, sleeves enveloping your hands and the hem falling well past your hips. The garish horror design that decorated its front didn't seem to be anything your friends were into, either.
But it was warmer than you thought possible. Plus, it smelled nice, like cherries and a little familiar comfort of something you couldn't place. Whoever it belonged to surely wouldn't mind if you kept it for a while.
You didn't bother to spare it another thought and hurried off to check the kitchen. Hopefully the cookies you'd painstakingly baked yesterday were still there.
Could I have some college content with me Angel and Teo? Mayhaps in the campus library doing work and he’s trying to be distracting?
WARNING... minors/ageless blogs: do not interact. please read my pinned post before you send in anything !!
Rosie I'm STILL IN THE ROOM!!!!!!! 🧍♀️
Not proofreadin this you already know what's up!!! 💗
"Hey. Pay attention to me."
You try your best to ignore the way Teo pokes and prods at your cheek with the blunt end of your pencil, before he seemingly grows bored of the action and moves on to idly flipping through the pages of the book in front of you instead.
"Where's Jae?" Without looking, you shoot him a question. "Shouldn't you be bothering him instead of me?"
"He's busy helping his dormmate dye its hair again." Teo's fingers move from the pages and drift towards your free hand instead. "...You should let me dye yours as well. Wouldn't that be fun?"
"..." You pull your hand away from his and flip the page, "No."
"C'mon. What's it gonna take for you to pull that stick out of your ass and get your nose outta those books? I'm bored."
"Teo," You sighed deeply, "I need to study for my finals. You know I can't afford to fail this term."
"That's all?" You could practically hear him scoff. "Don't worry that pretty little head of yours, starshine; your professors are a bunch of fuckin' chumps. One word from me and they'll give you whatever grade you want. Now, c'mon."
Teo nudges your arm to goad you into packing up your belongings and leaving with him, yet you don't seem to move. "...Seriously?"
You send the dark-haired male a pointed look before returning to your papers once more. Although annoyingly, he takes that as an invitation to scoot closer and lean in dangerously close to your ear.
"...I'll take my shirt off if you don't move."
No response.
"Pants, too."
If he wanted to get kicked out of the campus library for public indecency, that was on him.
"I'll pull the fire alarm."
That almost gets a twitch out of you — knowing fully well that the muscular man beside you was definitely the type of guy who'd do such a thing — but he's been acting more... compliant lately, and you didn't dare ask why.
"...Fine. Suit yourself."
Although you can't see Teo from your peripheral vision, you can hear him slouch back into the chair with a heavy sigh, before he pulls out his phone and obnoxiously starts typing away.
It was certainly odd to have him linger quietly by your side like this — normally, when Teo got sick of something, he'd toss whatever it was aside and find something more entertaining to do instead. So this... This certainly wasn't what you were expecting.
You had half a mind to ask if Teo would oh-so-kindly switch his phone to silent if he wanted to text that loudly, but you decided it was best not to waste time on trivial things. Your cheat sheet wasn't going to revise itself, so you instead focused your attention back to the words in front of you and tried to shut the annoying guy out.
But Teo certainly made things difficult when he absentmindedly threw an arm over the back of your chair and leaned closer to your side. You could practically feel the heat from his thigh as he brushes them up against yours — and if you weren't so hellbent on shutting his presence out — you would've noticed the subtle scent of his cologne wafting in your direction.
Old money, luxury, and the faintest hint of smoke.
Your eyebrows twitch at the audible ding! of his phone, indicating that he must've gotten a text from someone. You pretend not to notice how he lets out a puff of laughter at whatever is on his screen... Obviously, he was trying to bait you into looking in his direction to see what was so funny — but upon realising that it wasn't working — he goes back to typing something instead.
But once he's done, Teo decides to throw his phone onto the table instead of shoving it into his pocket like usual. His screen stays lit for a few more seconds before it fades to black, but you were quick enough to catch a glimpse of his lock screen before it was gone.
There, for anyone to see, was a picture of you: with your arms resting on the table as you focussed on the textbooks laid out in front of you — with a soft look of concentration on your face.
Meowdy Saint! ^^
What sort of havoc does Teo get into? Like besides smashing taillights.... aka... what am I going to see when Im stalking checking up on him?
✦゜ANSWERED: He's quite literally tied up in your closet right now...... I fear he's not doing much!! /silly
"Teo, I don't think this is legal..."
"Aw, don't get your panties in a twist, doll." Ignoring your words, Teo easily hoists himself over the chainlink fence and throws a casual look in your direction. "You're the one who said it was getting stuffy in the nightclub. Didn't you want to cool down?"
You glance between Teo and the empty public pool on the other side of the fence. "...I did. But this wasn't what I had in mind."
"No, but it's what I had in mind." Rolling his eyes at your hesitancy towards being rebellious, Teo throws a leg back over the fence once more and jumps off. He lands in his previous spot in the dirt with a grunt and offers you a hand. "C'mere. I'll help you over."
It takes one very large, noticeable moment before your feet start to move. Hesitancy is still thick in the air — and even in the forefront of your mind — but you somehow find it hard to say no to Teo when he's giving you those soft eyes and trademark smirk.
"C'mon. It'll be fine."
"We'll get in trouble." You manage to breathe out before you feel a pair of muscular arms around your waist. There's no time for you to react as Teo wordlessly hoists you over the fence and sits you atop the large steel bar that holds everything in place — before hoisting himself over as well.
However, he doesn't seem to wait for you to join him as the taller male takes a few steps toward the pool to suss everything out. And with a satisfied nod, he finally turns back to face you once more.
"We'll get in trouble?" With a scoff, he crosses his arms over his broad chest — making a point to flex his muscles and cock out his hip. "By who? That broken diving board?"
With an eye roll, you push yourself from the fence and jump down. "I don't know, but the... authorities... or something!"
"Don't see anyone around. Just you and me here, doll."
"W-Well... What about the cameras?" Even with nothing but the moonlight to illuminate your surroundings, you can still make out the shape of something circular in the corner of the main building.
"Oh, yeah. Forgot about those." Teo drawls as he begins to tug off his shirt. "Then we should probably give that lucky security guard a show, huh."
"Are you serious?!" You purposefully look away once he starts to remove his belt buckle. Suddenly, the questionable stain on the concrete was far more interesting than your half-naked companion. "No way!"
The sounds of something metallic hitting the floor ring in your ears before more rustling follows... Until the obnoxious sounds of water splashing everywhere drown out Teo's laughter and the rapid beating of your heart.
"Aw, you feelin' shy?" Teo's teasing lilt can be heard from somewhere within the pool as you fight the urge to look in his direction. "Gonna cry? At least let me see it."
At that, you whip your head and send him a sharp glare. It's your turn now to cross your arms over your chest, but Teo doesn't seem to acknowledge it with the way he dives back into the water and sloshes around without a care in the world.
Admittedly, it did look like he was having fun — and the droplets from all his splashing did feel nice against your bare skin.
But when your silence finally kicks in and makes itself known towards the dark-haired man, he turns to you with a serious expression and ceases his antics.
"If you really don't wanna be here, then I'll drive you home." Teo mentions offhandedly, "But the water's nice 'n cool. You're honestly missing out, dollface."
Not that you'd ever admit it out loud, but Teo did look all sorts of breathtaking as he casually waded through the water. His wet, tanned skin was glistening underneath the moonlight, and it was one of the rare occasions where he'd slick his hair back to give you the perfect view of his grey eyes — which seemed to be staring back at you with an intimate gleam to them.
Choking out a stutter, you try your best to brush it off by perching yourself on the ledge and dipping your feet into the pool.
"People have probably peed in here, y'know." You kick a bit of water in your companion's direction, but he easily brushes it off and splashes you back with his hand. You don't miss the way Teo fully turns his towards you, nor how he seems to be slowly inching his way closer to your spot by the edge of the pool.
"We can do something more indecent in here if you're up for it."
"Teo!" Your voice raises a few octaves, though you don't show any other signs of protest. "Don't you have your own pool, anyway?"
"Aw, where's the fun in that? Don't you wanna experience a new kind of thrill every once in a while?"
"..."
You despised the fact that he was right. Perhaps one of the main reasons you often found yourself drawn to Teo was because of how much excitement he brought into your life. Sometimes, it was nice to break the cycle of monotony... And Teo just so happened to be one of the very few people who could do that for you.
With a resigned sigh, you glance back at Teo and move to take off your shirt.
"See? Knew there was a reason I kept you around." He gives you a genuine smile this time, but you were too preoccupied with discarding your clothing somewhere safe to notice it. "This is why you're more fun than the others."
Teo swims closer to your side now — close enough to rest against the ledge and cage your thighs with his muscular arms. And had you chosen to look down at him, you would've noticed the soft look in his eyes and the faint blush on his cheeks.
Summary: Reader is sick, and March tries to help you out…but it does not go well.
Warnings: None!
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
It was truly just a cold. One that left you cooped up in bed all day shivering and sweating at the same time. Your nose was red and raw, stuffy and runny; it felt like your head would explode with all the pressure. Your limbs were achy and sore. All you wanted was to be in bed and sleeping it away. It was just a cold, but god you felt miserable.
Besides that? You were a farmer. You couldn’t stop watering your crops- lest you want to have no money for the next week. You couldn’t refuse to refill your chickens feed. The cows still needed to be milked. So despite the ache deep within your bones, you got up and got dressed. Making your way out of the farmhouse to water your crops, which felt like it too even longer than before due to your cold. Then you trudged over to your chickens, letting them outside and giving them all pets and feeding them. Same to the cows, adding the bonus step of milking them. When did that leave you breathless? You wanted to curl back up in bed, but you couldn’t. You needed more seeds. So, off to the general store you went.
What you were expecting though was to stand, only to get so light headed you nearly buckled under the weight of your body. But a pair of strong arms caught you just under your arms. “Jesus, Y/N you looks awful.” March’s voice rings out. His tone laced with disappointment. You frown a little, you thought you were past his disappointment voice.
When you finally got your footing back, you blinked slowly. “March…? What are you doing here?” You asked, your voice scratchy. Putting a hand on your throat you frowned- Great. Another symptom.
March’s frown deepens. “You were late. You always come up at lunch and eat with me. You weren’t there.” Your eyes widen, quickly looking at your phone to see it was well past noon. “If you’re sick, you shouldn’t be farming.” He continues, crossing his arms as he scans you over for anymore ailments.
“I’m fine. I’m fine.” You dismiss, only for it to turn into a coughing fit. March firmly patting your back to help you through it. “I’m fine.” You croak out.
“Bullshit.” He grumbles, picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder. Almost immediately you melt into the warmth of his skin, wanting to curl up in his arms and sleep it all away. He brings you inside and sets you on the bed. Kneeling down and helping to take off your shoes, “Can you get into your pajamas okay?”
You manage a nod. Getting up and quickly throwing them back on. March doesn’t let you protest before he drapes a blanket around your shoulders and gets you tucked into bed. “What needs to be done?” He asks softly, for him at least.
“I need to replant my seeds.” You sigh, “And then water those ones. I also need to clear an area for my orchard. And call in the chickens and cows tonight.” You tell him, trying to sit up to protest him helping. But his gently pushes you down.
“Don’t insult me. I can chop wood and break rocks. And how hard could be planting seeds be? I’ve got this, you just rest.” He tells you, his voice is surprisingly gentle but still stern as he speaks. He tucks you back in, pressing a kiss to your head before he frowns. He’d have to stop Valen and see if she knew how to get your fever down.
After a few more minutes of him assuring you that your farm would survive him. He was off, going up. and getting the seeds from Nora. Who was surprised nonetheless.
“March? Buying…seeds?” She asks with a raised eyebrow as she looks at the piles he’d place on the counter. He followed your list to a tee. Every single seed accounted for.
He looks away, scoffing a little. “Yeah. Y/N’s sick. They’ve got a cold.” He grumbles out. “Idiot was trying to farm.”
Nora gasps, “Oh no! Here.” She leaves the counter for a second before she comes back and sets down a bottle of cold medicine and honey. “Put some of the medicine on a spoon, add a couple drops of honey. It should help.”
March blinks at the kindness, but nodded and gathered everything up after paying. “Thanks Nora.” He nods before stepping out, he looks over at the Inn. Frowning, he couldn’t believe he was doing this. He walked into the Inn to be greeted by Hemlock.
“March! Hey I was wondering when you’d stop in.” He grins.
“I don’t have time to talk.” March says quickly,
“Y/N’s sick…is there anyway I can take some soup to go?”
Hemlocks eyes widen, “For sure. Hang tight for a second.” He says as he rushes off. March waits impatiently, tapping his foot. He was loosing daylight quick and he still needed to do so much…is this why you were always running around? Fuck. He’d have to help you out more often so you didn’t work yourself sick.
Hemlock returns with a large container of soup. “Here, it’s on us for all they do.” He nods, “Tell her to get better.” March blinks again, shocked by the kindness on display. This whole town really did love you, huh.
March nods in thanks and makes his way back to the farm. Dropping the seeds outside your fenced in crops, and carefully bringing in the soup and medicine. But he stops for a second, you’re sleeping so peacefully. He couldn’t wake you and ask you anything… He sighed heavily. Putting everything away inside and moving to your side to feel if your fever has subsided.
It didn’t. And he frowned. Layering another blanket over you in hopes it would make you sweat it out.
Moving outside, he sighed. It was already almost evening. But he rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Grabbing the hoe he gave you, starting to till the soil like he’s seen you do a hundred times. It was harder than he gave you credit for. Not that he’d ever tell you. But once it was done, albeit sloppily. He got down and started to scatter the seeds. Did he need to…plant them more? Was that a thing? He remembers Celine once saying to use your pinky…no way you did that to every seed…
But he does it. Kneeling down and painstakingly pressing each one in. Only to hear a laugh, his head snaps up to see you standing in the doorway. Blanket wrapped around you, “Are you pressing all the seeds in?”
He goes red. “N-no!” He lies. Like a liar. “What are you doing up! You’re sick get back in bed!” He commands, standing and brushing his hands on his apron. Trying to shoo you back inside. You’re laughter filling the air again.
“I just woke up, you worry wart.” You smile at your boyfriend. “You still need to water them. I usually do that and then sprinkle the dirt on.”
He blinks, that. made so much more sense than what he was doing. “There’s a method to my madness.” He frowns, still ushering you back to bed. “Go lay down.”
You roll your eyes, “Thank you March.” You grin.
He scoffs, but there’s a slight blush. And then he goes outside, grabbing your watering can- why was it so old?! Did you not upgrade?! He lets out a frustrated sigh. You were getting an all new set of tools when he was done here. You got scrapped up in the mines, all the time. You have him ore- you little shit. You gave him all your copper so he would like you-?!
He is so gonna- a low moo catches his attention. He’s looking over at your Cow now who is staring at him. “…what?”
“Mooooooo.”
“…Mooo?” He says back confused. He quickly finishes watering your crops before leaning on the fence to look at the cow. “What.”
“Moooooo.”
He blinks, fuck. Trying to figure out what a cow wants is going to be hard. “Uh, okay.” He hops over the fence and looks around. “Here, food.” He says walking into the barn and offering a hand of feed. But the cow just huffs. “What? you eat out of Y/N’s hand all the time.” He huffs more when the cow fully turns and ignores him. “You fuckin-“ He grumbles. “Well if you’re gonna be an asshole go inside.” He moves to ring the bell but the cows merely just look at him. He points, “Inside. Go.” He tries to usher them in.
The cows do not move. March groans, “You stupid-“ He’s interrupted by the bell ringing again. His head whips around and sees you ringing it. “Y/N!” He frowns, “What part of fucking relax do you not understand?”
“You were struggling.” You shrugs, “Besides I ate some soup. I feel better now.” You smile and nod at him.
March squints, picking you up just under your bottom. Carrying you like nothing over to the chicken coop and letting you ring the bell as the run in. Then he once again deposits you into bed. “You need better equipment, and I swear to god if you run around like a madman because you’re busy out here I’m gonna personally come farm with you.”
You laugh, “Got it. I’ll go to the mines-“
“No. Shut up I still have all that fuckin ore you gave me. You’re getting new shit. Now lay down.” He gently pushes you back into bed. “Sleep. Be better I don’t wanna farm in the morning.”
You feel a smirk. “Too much work for you?”
“…Shut up.” You let out a loud laugh, pulling him down into bed with you as you snuggle in.
“Thank you March.” You smile kissing his cheek. He sighs, his cheeks flushing as he wraps an arm around you.
“…don’t mention it.”
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
A/N: I know it wasn’t exactly chaotic but I still hope you enjoyed it!
SUMMARY: how balor falls for you, and how you two get together
COMMENTS: @shinysparklesapphires spat this one out for you too
Balor seems like the type to fall for you whenever. Like, it’s not a flashy romantic moment, or a meaningful occasion, you just come up to his cart in the morning to check out his stock and gasp when you see a pretty gemstone or laugh when you see a silly article of clothing from the capital (“Balor, why on Earth do they wear stuff like this?”) and he finds himself frozen in place.
He can’t stop staring at you all of a sudden, your eyes seem brighter today and your laugh sounds happier, your skin looks so warm and inviting, his shoulders relax and his lips part, his eyes locked onto everything that makes you who you are, and he almost falls over. He stumbles weirdly, catching himself on the side of his cart with an awkward smile.
You ask him if he’s okay and he flushes bright pink, brow furrowing softly as his grin turns sappy, letting you know that he’s fine in the softest voice you’ve ever heard him use. It leaves you reeling, his usually plucky and cheerful voice smooth and gentle, and he’s looking at you like he’s seeing you for the first time, and now you’re the one swallowing nervously and shuffling your feet against the dew-covered grass.
Wind chimes sing in the distance and you wrap up your conversation, slinging your backpack over your shoulder. You say something about buying seeds at the General Store and Balor has half a mind to follow you like a lost puppy, but he doesn’t. If he’s going to woo you, he needs to spare some of his dignity. Not too much though.
The next morning he leaves you a bouquet of flowers that are out of season, knowing full well you’ll connect the dots. Months pass and he regularly drops hints about how he feels, but not without fidgeting and backtracking a few times. It takes everything in him not to do a silly triumphant dance when he sees a bouquet of flowers left on his cart, with a little card that says they’re from you.
He runs all over town, flowers in hand, searching high and low for you, He finally catches you coming out of the mines, backpack bulging with rocks and artifacts and monster loot. You jump when he calls you name, waving you over with a beaming smile on his face, cradling your bouquet like a baby. You laugh and run over to him, backpack thumping against your back.
Was gonna look for you as soon as I left the mines is what you say to him, taking your backpack off of your shoulders and placing it on the ground, digging through it until you find a bundle of pure sapphires, one or two perfect specimens thrown in the mix. Balor stands, slack jawed as you hold them out to him, a nervous smile on your face. You did all of that work, got all of those...for him?
“You’re astounding.” he breathes, heart pounding so hard he hears it in his ears, the blood in his body is rushing straight to his brain and he asks you out right then and there, confessing how long he’s adored you, how he wants to be with you officially now, promising to buy you a drink at the Inn. He sees you duck your head and smile nervously, accepting his offer without even a moment’s hesitation. He expects you to keep to yourself when you two arrive at the Inn, still riding the high of finally being together, but you burst through the Inn doors and shout that Balor is yours now, that you’re together, and he finds himself shrinking behind you in embarrassment.
The townsfolk take it in stride (after all, the atmosphere here has always been rowdy), clapping and congratulating the two of you. Some tease the embarrassed Balor, asking if he’s planning on sticking around now, moving in on the farm with you, getting a mining permit and taking care of the animals with you. Yearning takes root in Balor’s chest as he sees you laughing with Adeline and Eiland, and if he concentrates hard enough he can feel the soft skin of a cow under his fingertips.
It feels right. You feel right. And as you run back over and grab his hand, pulling him over to a cheerful Hemlock, Balor feels more at peace than he ever has in his life.
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