Nicosasha Week 2019

Welcome to the #nicosashaweek! Calling all Nicosasha/Sashanico shippers! From September 30 to October 6, 2019, we will be dedicating the entire week to celebrate romance between Nicolo and Sasha from Shingeki no Kyojin ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

[nicosashaweek]

Thank you!

So nicosashaweek2019 has come to an end... I want to thanks @migila, who actively participated in the event and gave a lot of wonderful fanfics! I enjoyed this nicosashaweek incredibly and I hope that next year I will be able to hold an event once again. Thanks everyone!

[migila]

NicoSashaWeek, day 7!

Theme of day 7: Free Choice. As in, pick whatever you want. I think that this is a good way to end the week.

Day 7: Free Choice

Year 854. Armin talks Eren out of attacking Marley, so Liberio never gets wrecked. Eren never gets the Warhammer.

Sasha doesn’t die.

Year 855. With the help of their allies in Hizuru, Paradis Island scares the rest of the world in to staying away with the threat of the rumbling. Marley can no longer attack on its own and stays back.

Year 856. Paradis, now officially known as the nation of Eldia by the whole world, starts a rapid development and catching up with technology.

Year 860. Eldia and Hizuru become official allies.

Year 864. Eldia gets several more allies across the world.

Year 901. Peace negotiations with the rest of the world start.

Year 905. Marley attacks Eldia, but is quickly crushed by the country and its allies.

Year 906. Peace is finally officially forged. Officially, Eldia is no longer a nation of devils.

———–

“So… peace, finally” Nikolo mutters after Sasha comes home, telling him the news.

“Yes!” Sasha cheers, taking him to a tight hug “I’m so glad we got to live long enough to see it…”

“Me too” Nikolo agrees, chuckling “And to think that I thought I wouldn’t live to see the next day when I met captain Levi.”

“I think many people thought that way when they first met him” Sasha says with a chuckle “And even after all these years, he’s still scary.”

“Tell that to our greatgrandchildren” Nikolo says with a scowl “They absolutely love their Uncle Cranky.”

Sasha laughed.

“I know they learned the name from their grandma, but where she learned it is beyond me”

“Had to be either Commander Hanji or Mikasa” Nikolo says with a shrug “No one else would’ve had the guts to do it.”

“Yeah…” Sasha trails off “I just wish Mikasa could’ve been here with us to see the peace.”

Nikolo puts a hand on his wife’s shoulder, not commenting on it. He’d never been close with Mikasa, but knew how much the woman had meant to his wife.

“Why couldn’t she stay off the battlefield like we did? We were no longer the age fit for a soldier in the front lines…”

“Fighting was all that kept her together since Armin passed away, or so Jean said” Nikolo said with a sigh “Everyone needs something to hold on to… Mikasa didn’t have that something.”

“I suppose so…” Sasha said, smirking “So, what have you been holding on to all these years?”

“I wonder” Nikolo said, smirking back as he wrapped his arms around Sasha’s waist “What could it have been?”

———–

That night they both lay awake in their bed, and Sasha didn’t need to wonder why her husband couldn’t sleep.

“Are you thinking about visiting Marley?” she asked him quietly “Your parents and siblings?”

“My parents are very likely dead by now” Nikolo says with a sigh “But my siblings… well, I’m the middle one out of five, so at least one or two should still be alive. I really would like to go and see them…”

“Then go” Sasha said “It’s not possible right now, but give it a few months to a year and we should be able to arrange it.”

Nikolo looks at her in surprise, asking: “You aren’t against it?”

He gets hit as a reply. Playfully, but Sasha is a recently retired soldier. Her punches hurt.

“You should know me better than that by now” she says “Family is important; it’s understandable that you want a closure with yours.”

Nikolo smiles, glad that his wife understood.

“Technically, they’re our family” he said “Though they’ll definitely have a hard time accepting that there are Eldians among us now.”

“Are you saying you want me to come with you?” Sasha asks, her eyebrows shooting up. Nikolo frowns, asking: “Why not? It’ll be safe with the peace and all; the only danger you’d have to face would be my bitchy family, but we can handle them together.”

He reaches out to cup her face.

“Besides, I know everything about you and where you come from. I think it’s a good time for you to learn these things about me too.”

“I suppose you’re right” Sasha said. In truth, she had always wished she could meet Nikolo’s family one day, but had always kept the desire to herself since she didn’t know how Nikolo would react, not to mention they couldn’t know for sure if peace would be obtained in their lifetime. Even now that they did have it, it felt surreal “Do you think we should take the kids along, too?”

“The older ones can come if they want to” Nikolo said immediately, clearly having given it some thought “But I think we need to wait for things to settle down a bit more before even considering taking any of the younger ones outside Paradis.”

Sasha didn’t disagree, though she knew some of them wouldn’t be happy about it. Their youngest grandchild especially was very keen on seeing grandpa’s homeland one day.

“Armin would’ve liked to come along too I bet” Nikolo said suddenly, surprising Sasha “There would’ve been so much for him to see…”

“Yeah…” Sasha said, closing her eyes “He really would’ve…”

“Maybe we can bring Jean and Connie along instead?” Nikolo suggested “They’d probably like to see Marley too now that it’s peaceful, not to mention they’ll probably be against the idea of you going there alone with me.”

“What are you talking about?” Sasha asked, looking at him with a frown again “They trust you!”

“They trust me not to cause you harm” Nikolo clarified with a sigh “But they don’t trust my ability to keep you safe.”

Sasha sweat dropped, realizing that it was true. Well, in all honesty, Sasha wasn’t that trustful of his abilities, either. She was the protector of this family, not Nikolo. Even so, she knew he’d always do his best for her. Always.

“Well, maybe it’d be fun to have them along” Sasha paused “If Hitch lets Jean come, that is.”

“I wouldn’t count on it” Nikolo said, laughing “But knowing you and Connie, you might be able to convince him in to sneaking out.”

Sasha snickered; they’d done that a lot in their younger days. Hitch was always pissed at them, sometimes she even complained to Nikolo about it and got Sasha in to trouble. Good times…

“We’ve had great lives” she mumbled softly.

“Don’t talk like they’re about to end” Nikolo scoffed “We’re not that old.”

“The kids would beg to differ” Sasha laughed “Think we’ll live to be hundred?”

“Maybe” the man smirked, pinching his wife’s cheek “If you cut the amount of meat in your diet.”

“No way” Sasha flat out refused “You already regulate it anyway.”

“That I do” Nikolo said, pulling his wife closer “Because I want us to live together for as long as possible.”

Sasha smiled, snuggling closer to her husband and closing her eyes.

“Your wish is my command.”

[migila]

NicoSashaWeek, day 6!

Theme of day 6: Family Life

Day 6: Family Life

“Could you two knock it off?” Nikolo asked, his eyes landing on two of Sasha’s siblings who were arguing at the kitchen table “I’m actually trying to get something done here!”

“So, you usually don’t?” the girl asked, and the boy laughed in his expense. Nikolo’s eyebrow switched, part of him regretting that he and Sasha had decided to invite her family over. He never had trouble with her parents, but the four rascals in the family, especially these two, tended to seriously get on his nerves.

“That’s it” he said “Out of my kitchen, both of you. Now”

“Make us” the kids chorused, sticking out their tongues.

“If you insist” Nikolo said, marching over to the surprised kids and picking the boy up “Hey!”

He ignored the kid’s protests, carrying him to the living room where the rest of the family, including his wife, was at. They looked at him as he approached, laughing when he dumbed the kid on the couch “One down, one to go.”

He went to the kitchen again, soon coming back with the other kid and dropping her on the couch as well. Then, he stomped off and slammed the door behind him. Sasha was sure that if it had a lock, he’d use it.

“Well I suppose he’s at least more comfortable with us now than he used to be since he does stuff like this” Sasha’s father laughed. The woman couldn’t help but agree, laughing along with the rest of the family.

“But you’d think he could take a joke by now” the girl said, tightening her ponytail “After all, he did marry Sasha of all people.”

“You making fun of me, kiddo?” Sasha asked and her adopted sister just grinned. Sasha grinned back before taking the girl in to a head lock and ruffling her hair, saying: “And now you’ll say sorry.”

“Hey! Watch out for the hair!” Sasha’s victim protested, getting the family to laugh.

“That didn’t sound like sorry to me!”

“Ow” the girl complained “Okay okay, sorry!”

Sasha let go instantly, a grin on her face. Sitting one the couch, Kaya raised an eyebrow, asking: “Is that what you do to Mr. Nikolo too if he doesn’t obey?”

This time Sasha cast a glare at Kaya, who just smiled back cheekily.

“Nikolo told me that Sasha threatens to raid the pantry every time she doesn’t get her way” Mr. Blouse commented, making Sasha’s jaw drop as she moved her disbelieving gaze on the man “He told on me!?”

“My dear, did you not know that men gossip among each other a lot?” her mother asked, getting her husband to look at her with a slight frown on his face “Isn’t that what women do?”

“In this family, it is clearly the men who do so” Lisa Blouse said with a shrug “You’ve always been so chatty.”

The kids and Sasha laughed at the face Mr. Blouse made.

“I wonder if Nikolo needs any help” he said. Sasha snorted.

“Nice try dad, but you’re not running away” she said, heading to the door “I’ll go check on him.”

In truth, Sasha was slightly worried. She’d been glad when the kids stayed in the kitchen with Nikolo, but then he’d carried them out and ended up alone… while he clearly got more used to her family as time passed, he seemed to still feel uncomfortable around them and Sasha feared that he felt like he didn’t belong there with them. Hand drifting to her stomach, she told herself that she couldn’t let it continue, not anymore.

“Nikolo?” she called out as she opened the kitchen door.

“Yeah?” he asked, looking up from his cooking as she entered. Thankfully, he didn’t look or sound upset in any way. Closing the door behind her, Sasha asked: “Do you still feel uncomfortable around my family?”

Nikolo stiffened, but soon sighed, letting his shoulders fall.

“Yeah…” he admitted “Don’t get me wrong, they’re wonderful people, but just… not the type of people I’m used to.”

“Do you miss your own family?”

“You are my family”

“You know what I meant” Sasha said with a pout, not liking how her husband was clearly trying to dodge the question. Sighing once more, Nikolo admitted: “Yeah, I do…”

“Sorry for making you part with them”

“What?” Nikolo asked, quickly denying it “You didn’t do anything of the sort; they told me to choose between you and them!”

“But it’s my fault you chose me” Sasha said, making Nikolo roll his eyes before he pinched her cheek “Don’t think too highly of yourself; I actually do have a free will of my own.”

“Really?” Sasha asked with over faked surprise. Nikolo’s answer to that was to pinch her other cheek as well, pulling them “It wahwa joke!”

Nikolo released her and Sasha rubbed her cheeks, pouting. Her husband laughed.

“You should join us”

“I have to finish the dinner” Nikolo denied. Sasha opened her mouth to suggest that she’d take over, but Nikolo knew her well enough by now to know that that’s what she had in mind and said: “No offence, but the recipe is too complicated for you. It has to be me.”

Sasha pouted, but didn’t argue. Not listening to him and messing up his what would have been delicious cooking once had been enough for her.

“…We’re still gonna tell them tonight, right?” Sasha asked after a moment of hesitation.

“Of course,” Nikolo said without missing a beat “…Unless you want to wait after all, that is.”

Sasha shook her head; she wanted to tell them today.

“I’m going back to the others, but I’ll leave the door open” Sasha said “And don’t even think I’ll let you be the one to do the cleanup; you need to talk to them, too!”

“But you can’t overexert yourself” Nikolo pointed out, making Sasha huff “Like I would do so by simply cleaning the kitchen!”

Nikolo stared at her, and after a while Sasha got uncomfortable, giving in “…We can always make the kids do it.”

“I suppose that’d work” Nikolo admitted “Now go back so that I can finish this.”

“Am I in the way?”

“Always” Nikolo deadpanned, kissing Sasha’s red cheek “This won’t take long anymore.”

——–

Dinner time. The family was enjoying Nikolo’s cooking, not that he had expected any different result. If there was something, he was confident about, it was his cooking skills. Still, everyone was almost done eating, and they’d decided to make the big revelation between dinner and the dessert. Nikolo was nervous about telling them, which was ridiculous. He and Sasha were already married adults and her family had accepted him; there was no reason why they would think this to be negative news in any way.

Glancing at Sasha, Nikolo noticed that she wasn’t as lively as usually. She was nervous too.

“Well, I suppose it’s natural” he thought, taking Sasha’s hand under the table and squeezing it. She looked at him before smiling. It was time.

“Mom, dad” Sasha paused “You rascals too, there’s something we want to tell you.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised; you don’t normally insist that we all come when you invite us for a dinner” her father said “What is it that you want to tell us?”

Too late to back down, but it’s not like they had a reason to. Still, Sasha couldn’t help but feel nervous. As if reading her mind, Nikolo squeezed her hand.

“Mom, dad, I’m pregnant” she told them, plain and simple. It was better not to beat around the bush. There was a moment of silence, with Kaya being the first one to break it as she said to the other kids: “See? I told you sis wasn’t getting fat!”

“Wha-!?” Sasha let out, blushing. She gave a glare to Nikolo as he muttered: “Well, that wouldn’t be surprising, either.”

The others laughed.

“Congratulations Honey” Sasha’s mother said “Congratulations to both of you.”

“I’m going to be a grandpa…” Sasha’s father muttered before breaking in to a grin “And to think that only five years ago I kept worrying that my daughter would never settle down, never showing any interest in building a family…”

“Dad!” Sasha protested. She had never had any idea that her father had worried about something like that “Geez…”

“I don’t think she would’ve ever gotten married without Mr. Nikolo” Sasha turned her attention to the ponytailed girl “It’s a miracle she found a man who can handle her antics.”

Sasha’s protests drowned under her family’s laughter. Huffing, she said: “Well, maybe it’ll be you who’ll end up as an old maid…”

“Too early to predict that” her mother said “Now Honey, aren’t you going to finish your food? Are you feeling ill?”

“Hm?” Sasha glanced at her plate, realizing that she was the only one who still had something left. First time for everything, she supposed “Nah, I was just distracted. This won’t take long!”

Knowing that it was true since it was his wife talking, Nikolo stood up and said: “I’ll get the dessert ready.”

That went well; they had been nervous for nothing.

——–

That night they both lay awake in the bed; Nikolo could tell his wife was not sleeping since he didn’t hear any snoring.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked her quietly.

Sasha turned to face him, a small smile playing on her lips.

“No” she said “I have a lot in my mind, I guess.”

“Everything went so well, though” Nikolo said, a little surprised that Sasha was having trouble sleeping now that the stressful revelation was finally out. Not that he was one to talk “Your parents are great.”

“Yeah” Sasha said with a sigh “That’s the problem here…”

“Huh?”

“Can we really match up to their level?” Sasha asked “Can we really raise our child properly? I’m not stupid; I know I’m not patient like my mother or reasonable like my father… what if something goes horribly wrong?”

Nikolo hadn’t thought of that at all, but now that he did, he figured that he had more reason to worry than Sasha did. While her parents were great, his… well, not so much. They were stuck up, appearances over everything -kind of people. Nikolo himself had made a point of being different from them since his rebellious teenage years and, after meeting Sasha, it had become genuine desire to be a better person. But what if he’d unconsciously become just the kind of parent his own ones were?

Noticing that Nikolo had gotten lost in his thoughts, Sasha frowned.

“Did I make you worry?” she asked, already knowing the answer. Nikolo jolted, about to deny it, but stopped when he saw the look on his wife’s face. It’d be too late to fool her “Yeah…”

“And this is exactly what I meant” Sasha said, burying her face in her pillow “What if I worry our child by saying wrong things? What if it ends up hating me!?”

“That’s…” Nikolo didn’t continue; he didn’t know what to say. How could he ease her worries when he wasn’t any calmer than she was? “We’ll figure things out as they come.”

“That’s your answer?”

“I’m just as clueless as you are” Nikolo admitted honestly “I’m sure it’ll be fine; your family will help us if we need it. There’s Connie and Jean, too.”

“Jean?” Sasha asked, making Nikolo laugh “Okay, maybe just Connie, at least when the child is still little.”

“You didn’t mention Mikasa” Sasha pointed out, but Nikolo just huffed at that “No, she creeps me out. But if our child ever needs a bodyguard, I know exactly who to contact.”

Sasha laughed at that, and Nikolo followed soon after.

They may have no idea what they were doing, but they’d figure things out.

Snuggling closer to her husband, Sasha was sure they would, for together they could do anything.

Absolutely anything.

[migila]

NicoSashaWeek, day 5!

Theme of day 5: Trip to Wall Sina

Day 5: Trip to Wall Sina

Nikolo did not like this, didn’t like this at all. Just why had Sasha asked him of all the people to accompany her to wall Sina? Actually, forget that. The real question was why on earth had he agreed?

“Because she was making such an adorable face” Nikolo thought, but shook his head to get rid of the thought immediately afterwards. No, he mustn’t think of things like that. She was a freaking Eldian!

“Nikolo, you okay?” Sasha asked after noticing the guy shaking his head. She could tell he was nervous, constantly glancing around, probably trying to detect danger. But Wall Sina was perfectly safe, aside from some pickpockets of course.

“I’m fine” he said, ashamed that he’d let his weakness show. Not that it was the first time, but still.

Sasha didn’t quite believe him, but she wasn’t sure if she should press him, either. She knew that despite no longer being hostile to her, he was still wary, he didn’t trust her. But they got along better than they used to and Sasha really didn’t want to ruin that.

“Okay, just… tell me if something does start bothering you” she wondered if even that was too much “Okay?”

“…Sure” Nikolo said, wondering if Sasha was genuinely worried about him or if this was her way of trying to get information out of him “No, it’s probably the former; she doesn’t seem to be very smart.”

That was a good thing; it would be a lot more stressing being stuck with a very perspective soldier who wouldn’t miss a single word or move. Not that Nikolo was planning on doing anything, but some other soldier could be paranoid or read too much in to something that wasn’t there. But not Sasha, he supposed, she was too much of an airhead. That realization helped him to relax a bit, and he actually started to look around the unfamiliar city as they walked.

It was bigger than the place he had been assigned to, and also fancier. It made him feel a little self-conscious in his plain clothes… not that Sasha fit in any better, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. If it was because she was simple minded or because she was one to hold her head high wherever she went or what she wore, he couldn’t tell. Fortunately, though, no one really paid them any mind. He supposed the locals were used to tourists and other kind of visitors from other areas… which reminded him, what were they even doing here?

“Sasha, why are-?” he was about to ask Sasha why were they in Sina in the first place, but when he turned to look at the woman, she was gone. He forced down the small panic that was about to surface for being left alone. Not that he thought he’d get in trouble right away; it’s not like strangers would be able to tell he was a Marleyan. But what if he didn’t find Sasha at all and would get in trouble for wandering around a town he wasn’t assigned to? Even if he had some benefits from cooperating, he was still a war prisoner! “Or what if I run in to a military police soldier who recognizes me?”

That’d be no good; most of the MPs were rude to the Marleyans and always looking for ways to get them in trouble. Some were down right cruel, too.

“Calm down and think! What would get Sasha to suddenly leave without saying anything?” Nikolo wondered. The idea that she had planned to get him in to trouble from the very beginning surfaced in his mind, but he forced those thoughts away. No, Sasha wouldn’t do that. The other Survey Corps soldiers might, but not her. She must’ve seen something that caught her attention… “Of course”

He knew what tended to distract Sasha: food. She must have been lured away by the sight or smell of some food stand. Now having an idea of what to do, he was much calmer. Looking around the area, he could see many food stands. And standing in front of one of them, staring at the goods, was Sasha.

“That greedy little pig” Nikolo mumbled in annoyance, making his way to Sasha in order to not loose sight of her again. Sasha just finished buying two of the same products when Nikolo reached her and she noticed him immediately “Oh, there you are!”

“More like there you are” Nikolo snapped “At least tell me before you walk off!”

“Sorry” Sasha said sheepishly before grinning, extending her hand to give the other treat to Nikolo “Here, this is for you!”

Nikolo blinked, not expecting that. Of course, normally one would since she bought two same things, but she was Sasha the Greedy; he was fairly convinced that sharing food wasn’t really her thing. Still, he was a little hungry, so there was absolutely no reason to refuse.

“Thanks” he said, taking the treat and examining it. He could tell it was some kind of vegetable, but what, he wasn’t sure. That was unusual; normally he was good at identifying foods… but well, this one was heavily coated with some kind of sauce and, judging from the smell, was heavily spiced, so it was no wonder. Cautiously, he took a bite.

“This… is a potato” he said in surprise. The spices and the sauce had strong taste, but there was no mistake about what lay underneath.

“Yep!” Sasha said with a grin, mouth full of her own food “Good, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Nikolo couldn’t deny it. He did think that the cook had overdone it with the amount of spices, but it didn’t exactly taste bad or anything.

After they were finished, Nikolo asked: “What exactly are we doing here?”

“You see all the food stalls here, right?” Sasha asked. When Nikolo nodded, she continued: “You can’t find this large variety of foods anywhere inside the walls aside from this part of Wall Sina, so here we are!”

Nikolo had no heart to tell her that this kind of selection of food wasn’t rare in the outside world; she looked so excited. However, there was another thing he did dare to say: “So you dragged me here because you wanted food?”

“What? No!” Sasha was quick to deny “I took you here because I thought you might want to get to know the local dishes!”

She thought right, and if it was anyone else but Sasha, Nikolo would have believed her. However, since this was the food loving soldier he knew, he just raised his eyebrow, staring at her.

“…Okay, I admit it: I wanted to eat!” she finally cracked under his stare “But that’s only half of it; I also wanted for you to have fun!”

Well, he supposed he could believe that.

“Alright, where to next?” he asked. Sasha smiled, taking his hand. Nikolo wanted to protest of course, but the surprise towards her actions killed the words before they came out, making the woman able to drag him around.

———-

Nikolo hated to admit it, but he had had fun. The food had been good for the most part, excellent on one occasion as well, and he had managed to banter some new recipes from some fellow cooks-

“No, not fellow cooks” he reminded himself with a frown “I’m a soldier, not a cook!”

“Did you have fun?” Sasha asked, hoping that he would say yes. Or well, she had a feeling Nikolo wouldn’t outright admit it, but something that proved that it hadn’t been a complete waste of time in his opinion would do, too.

“…It was better than listening to Grior’s complaining” Nikolo said after a while, regretting it as he saw Sasha’s face fall. Not that he blamed her; after all, what wouldn’t be better than listening to Grior’s complaining. Wanting her to smile again, he added: “Maybe you can take me somewhere else next time?”

Sasha blinked, but immediately cheered up “Yeah!”

Nikolo blushed, unable to help it. She looked so cute when she was cheerful like this…

It was wrong to think so, he knew, but at that moment, he didn’t care. He was allowed to think what he wanted as long as no one found out. And with how bad cards life had dealt him, it had no right to complain if he enjoyed the beautiful sight of this Eldian woman’s smile.

And he sure as hell would.

[migila]

NicoSashaWeek, day 4!

Theme of day 4: Wedding

Day 4: Wedding

When Sasha’s lips met Nikolo’s on the altar that day, it was the happiest moment of her life so far. They’d had their problems, but never anything they didn’t end up solving and today, they had both said “I do.” Now, they were a married couple. Nothing could ruin this day for her.

“May I introduce: Mr. and Mrs. Blouse!” the priest announced and their guests cheered. Ymir and Connie were even a bit too loud; Sasha wondered if they had made it in to a competition or something. She wouldn’t put it past them.

——–

“I’d ask if you’re sure about this, but now’s a bit too late I suppose” Jean jokes to Nikolo later that evening at the reception. The groom just rolls his eyes, throwing a jab back: “So Jean, when are you going to get married?”

“Don’t you mean when is he going to find himself a woman?” Connie asks and the two laugh at blushing Jean’s expense.

“It’s not like you have anyone either!” Jean hisses at Connie as his defense. That’s the moment Sasha decides to join them. She wraps her arms around Nikolo and pecks him on the cheek before saying: “You mean you don’t know?”

“Know what?” Jean asked. Connie looked at her questioningly as well, but Sasha just gave him a look that, between the two of them, had meant “play along” for years now “Connie’s together with Ymir.”

“He what!?” Jean yelled. Nikolo, who also knew Ymir a little, was also shocked, but not as much. Still, he said: “I thought Ymir was with His- “

Sasha stomping on his toes shut him up in time, fortunately.

“Yeah, you heard her” Connie said smugly “Sure, we always had our fights and all, but in the end, she is truly a wonderful person.”

Sasha had a hard time holding in her laughter, but fortunately Nikolo had caught on and pulled his wife closer, worsening Jean’s view of her face. The groom himself had a better poker face, so he had no fear of ruining this.

“A wonderful person, you say?” Jean said with crossed arms, not quite buying it. And that was when Ymir decided to show up.

“Congratulations to the happy couple!” she was slightly drunk “Though it sucks to be you Nikolo; after the party, Sasha’s sure to handcuff you to the stove and never let you leave the kitchen!”

“Of course I will” Sasha protested, making a point of hugging Nikolo tighter. She looked straight at Ymir when she added with a smirk on her face “I’ll be needing him in the bedroom too after all!”

“Sasha!” Nikolo yelled with a red face, but his wife just grinned, noting that Connie and Jean were blushing a little as well. Ymir stared at her, jaw hanging open, before she burst in to laughter.

“What’d ya know, our Potato girl has finally mastered the art of witty comebacks!” she said “So, is he of any use in the bedroom?”

“I don’t wanna know!” Jean yelled in desperation as he saw that Sasha was about to reply. He wasn’t really embarrassed about the subject itself, but going in to too much details about the sex life of two of his friends was something he wanted to avoid “Just save it for the bedroom!”

“I’m sure they will, and so will we” Connie said, throwing his arm over Ymir’s shoulders “Right Honey?”

Ymir was not stupid; she knew that if Connie did something like this, there must be a joke going on. Quick scan around with her eyes and she was able to tell that Sasha and Nikolo were in on it, but Jean was not. He was the target.

Normally, she’d never touch Connie with a stick or let him touch her, but if it was to prank Jean… oh well, sure, this one time. She could consider it an amusing wedding gift for the Blouse couple.

“Of course, Dear” Ymir replied, throwing both of her arms around Connie’s neck “Not that I’m sure if I can wait that long~!”

Sasha gave herself a mental pat on the back for being able to keep her poker face, but that became meaningless as soon as she glanced at Jean, his jaw hanging open and eyes wide in disbelief. She couldn’t help it; she just burst out in to loud laughter, getting the attention of the other guests while at it.

“Oh for god’s sake!” Jean yelled as he caught on “You almost had me!”

“They did have you for a moment” Nikolo said, snickering “I saw your face.”

Jean’s face heated up now, and he glared at Ymir and Connie who were also laughing, leaning to each other for support. Damn assholes, every single one of them.

Nikolo, amused as he was, wasn’t one to laugh out loudly and uncontrollably like his wife and most of her friends. However, he didn’t mind; he was happy seeing her like this, happy and relaxed. And he had grown a soft spot for her friends as well- well, most of them at least, and was glad that they were having fun on the special day as well. At first, he hadn’t been too keen on getting to know Sasha’s friends, seeing them as too lively, but she’d had none of that. Once he’d gotten to know them a little, he’d gotten jealous because they were all so close to Sasha and each other. Not that he didn’t have friends of his own, but he’d be lying if he said that he was as close with them as Sasha was with hers. Still, the jealousy faded with time and before he realized it, he had a place in their little gang. He couldn’t get as deep in to it as Sasha was, he’d come in to the picture too late for that, but he no longer minded. He still had his role to play.

“Nikolo? Nikolo, are you listening?”

“Huh?” Nikolo said in surprise, looking at his wife who was still in his arms, staring at him “What is it?”

“It’s time for the first dance” Sasha said, frowning in worry “But we can skip it if you’re tired.”

Nikolo laughed.

“No no, I was just lost in my thoughts” he said, starting to pull his wife towards the dance floor “I wouldn’t miss this for any price.”

Sasha was glad to hear that. Today, she was gladder than ever that she had stayed behind to loiter around the restaurant that one night just so that she could talk to the cook who triggered such familiar feelings in her. Up to this day she still had no idea why he felt so familiar, why it felt like they’d met before, but she no longer cared that much, either. He made her happy, he made her feel special, so whatever the reason that they’d even met was, the results were the best possible. No point in overthinking things.

“Something in your mind?” Nikolo asked quietly as they danced, not wanting others to hear.

“Just thinking about how happy I am” Sasha smiled “And the day we met.”

Nikolo thought of it often, too. Those weird memories, visions or whatever they were seemed to make it clear that he knew Sasha from somewhere, but no matter how they thought of it or who they asked from, no one could give them any leads on where they might have met before the restaurant.

“Maybe we were lovers in our previous lives” he said, making Sasha laugh. That was a joke her boss, Hanji, had once made when they brought this up to her. Nikolo had been upset at the time that the woman didn’t take their concerns seriously, but had ended up liking the joke. And besides, who knew, maybe it was even true. Sasha didn’t exactly believe in reincarnation, but it’s not like anyone had ever proved it to be impossible, so why not?

“Regardless of how we knew each other in our previous lives or if we knew each other at all” Nikolo started, getting Sasha’s attention again “I love you in this life and all the lives to come.”

Sasha’s heart melted.

“I love you too.”

[migila]

NicoSashaWeek, day 3!

Theme of day 3: Fluff

Day 3: Fluff

“What’s wrong?” Sasha asks from the doorway, almost making Nikolo drop the pan he’d been drying in fright, for he had not heard her coming “You look kinda down.”

“I’m not down” Nikolo replied hastily, not meeting her eyes “I’m just a little… tired.”

Sasha stared at him, Nikolo knew that, but turned his back and went back to work, hoping she’d drop it. But she didn’t.

“You’re lying to me” she stated, it was not a question “What’s wrong?”

No answer. Sasha pouted, walking over.

“Nikolo” she said, forcefully turning the man to look at her “Tell me.”

Nikolo had no intention to talk, but when Sasha leaned closer, he felt his resolve waiver. She was way too close! He had to get her to go away somehow!

“It’s nothing you need to worry about” he tried to convince her “I’m not going to cause any kind of trouble, I swear.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about” Sasha said, much to his surprise. Taking Nikolo’s hand in hers, she says: “I trust you.”

“Then can’t you just drop it?” if she really trusted him, why pressure him like this?

“No” she said firmly, frowning “Because I’m worried about you.”

“Are you really?” Nikolo couldn’t help but wonder, still feeling that an island devil, something that he had been raised to hate all his life, couldn’t possibly worry about others like this, especially not a Marleyan soldier like him. Even so, he had to admit that she sounded genuine, looked so as well. Perhaps she was an exception to the rule?

“It’s nothing, really” he hesitated “I’m just… a little lonely, I suppose.”

Sasha blinked, tilting her head “Lonely?”

“Yeah…” Nikolo said with a sigh. Now that it was out, he might just as well tell her “I know I have Grior here with me, but he doesn’t exactly talk much and when he does, well, he’s not the nicest person to be around.”

Sasha couldn’t deny that; the guy was a jerk, though she had thought he only treated her and the other Eldians badly. Apparently not; he must’ve been born with a stick up his ass.

“Focus Sasha; Nikolo needs you” she scolded herself “Are you homesick?”

“A little” he said with a shrug. Sasha chewed on her bottom lip, knowing that there wasn’t really anything she could do for him. They couldn’t let another Marleyan here besides him and Grior; the ones that weren’t already positioned elsewhere were too hostile to be let out of the prisoner camps. She couldn’t visit more often, either; she was already risking pissing off her superiors with how often she snuck in here. Besides, she wasn’t sure if her presence even helped with Nikolo’s loneliness in the first place; she could tell he was still wary of her.

“Well, that’s just how life is” Nikolo said, smiling a little uneasy smile “Now, what brings you here?”

Brightening up, Sasha cheered: “You promised to make cookies!”

Nikolo laughed.

“Yeah, I did”

———

Sasha was deep in thought, trying to figure out how to help Nikolo. He’d seemed relatively cheerful for the rest of her visit, even when Grior showed up, stick up his ass like always, but something told Sasha that it wouldn’t last. She needed to find a bit more permanent way to cheer him up.

“Maybe I could help him make friends with people who live near the restaurant?” she wondered “No, he probably wouldn’t be too keen on that. Neither would his neighbors, at least not when they’d notice that he doesn’t actually want to make friends with them.”

What could she do?

“Eep!” Sasha let out in surprise as a mouse ran out from under her bed. Not that she was afraid of mice, but it startled her. It was weird though; Levi forced them to keep the place so clean. Maybe she should find a cat-

“Ah!” a sudden realization hit Sasha; she knew what to do. With a grin she ran out of the door, ready to solve Nikolo’s problem.

———

“Nikolo!” Sasha calls out as soon as she slams the door open, giving Nikolo a scare again.

“Stop doing that!” he hisses at her as he turns around, raisin a sceptic eyebrow as he sees Sasha hiding her hands behind her back “What are you hiding?”

“I have something that might cheer you up” she grinned, bringing her hands out “Meet Kitty!”

Nikolo stared. In the woman’s arms, there a small black and white kitten, clearly trying to get away from Sasha, clawing at her already scratched hands. She should clean those wounds before they got infected.

“Is that thing even tame?” he asked, eyeing the angry little creature “Where did you get it from, anyway?”

“From a farmer outside of the city” she said, shrugging “I’m sure she’ll warm up to you once she gets some food!”

“Just like you?” that was the first thing that came to his mind, and he just blurted it out. Sasha blushed, glaring at him “I think I’ll just call it Sasha, after you.”

“You can’t!” the girl protested “Her name is Kitty!”

“You have a poor imagination” Nikolo said with a laugh. It was genuine, and to Sasha he looked really happy “Fine then, Kitty it is.”

“Yay!” Sasha cheered, her hold on the cat loosening as she did, causing the kitten to jump off and run to the other side of the room “Oh no! Come back, Kitty!”

Nikolo watched in amusement as Sasha panicked, chasing the cat all around the room. If he didn’t already know, he’d never believe it if someone told him that this cute airhead running around his kitchen was one of Paradis’ best soldiers.

“Wait, cute?” he thought, shaking his head. No, he mustn’t go there. It was the cat, the cat was the cute thing running around his kitchen, not the soldier. No, certainly not the soldier. Realizing that he needed something to do to get his thoughts in order, he stopped Sasha when she tried to sprint by him, saying: “That’s not how you catch a cat, you know.”

Turning to him, Sasha asks: “Then how do I catch it?”

“I’ll show you” Nikolo says, getting some meat from the storage. Seeing the look on Sasha’s face, he clarifies: “This is not for you.”

“I know that” she huffs, watching curiously as Nikolo crouches down, putting the meat down at an arm’s length “Now what?”

“Now we just wait” the cook told her. One might think Sasha was bad at waiting, but that was obviously not true. She used to be a hunter; knowing how to patiently wait had been part of her job.

When the cat started walking towards the piece of meat, she asked: “So we nab it when it reaches for the meat?”

“No” Nikolo denied “We’ll let it get used to us.”

Sasha watched mesmerized as Nikolo patiently waited for the cat, slowly extending his hand a little bit when it finished eating, but not enough to actually touch the cat. He just waited for it to come to him, which it soon did, smelling his hand. Nikolo was petting it in no time “Whoa, you’re good at this!”

“I know” Nikolo said, perhaps a bit too proudly “It worked with you too, didn’t it?”

Sasha swatted him on the head, laughing “But I never got any pats.”

Nikolo blushed hard, choosing to ignore that comment to avoid further trouble. Geez, that woman.

“Can I try too?”

“Sure, but move slowly” Nikolo said “You probably scared it by moving too fast earlier.”

“Kinda like I always do with you?” Sasha teased as she crouched down, laughing when Nikolo glared at her.

“Don’t act like I’m the only one who gets startled by your hyperactive nature” he hissed, his attention shifting to Kitty as it pushed its head against his palm. Smiling, he considered it safe enough to scoop it up, doing so slowly. It didn’t seem to mind “See? She’s tame; you just didn’t handle her right.”

“I know” Sasha said with a pout, reaching out with her hand but instantly pulling it back as Kitty hissed “She doesn’t like me!”

“Seems like it” Nikolo said, sweat dropping “Maybe we should call her Grior instead, then?”

Sasha laughed, and so did he.

“But she’s a girl” Sasha protested, suddenly frowning and looking at her hand. One of the scratches was bleeding “She really doesn’t like me.”

Seeing the blood, Nikolo put the cat down immediately.

“Let me see that” he said, taking Sasha’s hand in his without waiting for a permission, observing the wound.

“It’s fine; it’s just a little cut” Sasha insisted. Nikolo looked at her face, asking: “Are you sure?”

“Yep!” Sasha smiled cheerfully and, suddenly, Nikolo became aware of just how close her face was to his. She was cute, beautiful… he wanted to touch that face. And he did, carefully cupping her cheek.

“Nikolo?” Sasha asked, startled by the sudden touch as heat started to rise to her cheeks. However, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she just stared at him and he stared right back. He leaned a little closer. So did she. Sasha saw him close his eyes and followed suit. Their faces were now very close to each other; she could feel his breath on her face and-

“Ow” Sasha suddenly blurted out, causing Nikolo to jerk away like he had been burned as he opened his eyes, looking at Sasha in alarm “What? Did I hurt you!?”

“No” Sasha said, glaring down at her lap “Not you.”

Nikolo followed her gaze, seeing Kitty on her lap, nails digging through the fabric of her skirt.

“The little fur ball needs a lesson” Sasha hissed. Before she could get a hold of the cat, it jumped off and ran away, Sasha following right after it. Nikolo stared at the woman and the cat for a while in disbelief before chuckling, a fond smile finding its way to his face. It was a little lonely here, but he’d survive. He wasn’t alone.

…

Still, he should probably do something before the devil killed his cat.

[migila]

NicoSashaWeek, day 2!

Theme of day 2: Role Change. Starring Marleyan soldier Sasha and Eldian scout Nikolo!

Day 2: Role Change

“Does it have to be me?” Nikolo asked as Jean handed him a tray. Rolling his eyes, the man said: “Yes, it has to be you.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m busy, Armin’s busy, Eren’s an ass, Mikasa’s trying to babysit him and Connie, well…”

“Is a moron who’d just get tricked by the prisoner?” Nikolo finished for Jean when he didn’t continue. The guy shrugged with a lopsided smile, saying: “You said it, not me. Try to make sure he doesn’t find out.”

Nikolo sighed; Jean was such an ass. Well, seems like he had no choice. He couldn’t ask his superiors to do this, and knowing Floch he might actually try to hurt the prisoner, so he was out too. They were supposed to avoid that after all.

“Fine” he gave in, leaving for the woman’s solitary cell. For comfort’s sake they kept most of the prisoners together, but that wasn’t an option with this woman. They had had no option but to isolate her after she managed to convince majority of the other Marleyan soldiers to a rebellion and almost caused a massive prison break. The MPs had wanted her head, but the Survey Corps had saved her as Yelena convinced them that she’d be useful in the end if they just got her trust.

“I just hope she doesn’t bite anyone to death” Nikolo snorted, remembering how the prisoner had bitten Jean when they’d caught her. He should probably make sure his hands didn’t linger near the bars of the cell too long.

“I brought you some food” he said as he entered the underground chamber where the woman was locked up in. She glares at him before looking away with a move that is almost theatric, like she wants to make sure Nikolo sees exactly how much she hates him. Brat “I’m not hungry.”

That would’ve been a lot more convincing if her stomach hadn’t chosen that very moment to start growling.

The woman blushes. Nikolo can see her glancing at him, or perhaps just the tray, before quickly looking away again. He raises an eyebrow, wondering if she’ll still try to deny it.

“I’m not eating something made by filthy devils” she says “No matter how hungry I might be!”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not filthy; I bath regularly” Nikolo attempts to joke. In all honesty he just wants to leave and take the tray with him, but he feels slightly sorry for her. It’s not like he thought she was a bad person; she’d ended up here simply for trying to do her job and-

To his surprise, he hears a chuckle. The joke had gotten through.

“Not sure if the same can be said about all of you” she says, and Nikolo would be offended if he didn’t know how true it was. Everyone in Levi squad took great care of their hygiene, the captain made sure of that, but there were plenty of others who had poor hygiene, to put it nicely.

Raising an eyebrow, he made a point of sniffing the air before saying: “Or about you for that matter.”

The reaction is immediate as her head whips to his direction. Face red, she snaps: “I’d bath if I had the chance to!”

“You easily would have” Nikolo says “If you just cooperated.”

The woman didn’t say anything, just narrowed her eyes before turning away from him. Nikolo sighed, slipping the tray in to the cell from the small hatch at the floor level “Just eat.”

———

After she was sure the soldier was gone, Sasha eyed the tray. The food looked good, but what if it was poisoned? That and it was made by these devils…

“Well, beggars can’t be choosers” she thought as she reached out for the tray. She didn’t want to eat something the Eldians had made, but she was no use to anyone if she starved to death. That also meant she had to take the risk that the food might be poisoned “But if they wanted to get rid of me, they’d just kill me, right? No point in trying to poison me.”

And even if they did want to do that, they could just force some down her throat without hiding it in to the food. Yeah, it was probably safe.

Cautiously, she took the first bite, her eyes widening as she tasted just how good it was. Whoever had made this had to be someone different than the one who usually-

“Hm?” the soldier’s words rang in her head “Was he the one to make this? If so then it’s such a waste that he’s a soldier!”

Sasha quickly shook her head. No, this was no good. She mustn’t compliment a dirty Eldian, even if it was just in her mind. But… “It’s just so good!”

———

Nikolo had ended up with the short straw again and was taking food for the female soldier, wondering if she’d actually eaten her previous meal. She’d seemed really hungry, but with her attitude towards Eldians, he couldn’t be sure. And yet, when he got there, he saw the empty tray.

He could’ve commented on it, part of him even wanted to, but in the end, he chose to leave her alone. It wasn’t right to go after someone who was already down. So, he settled on a simple greeting before slipping the tray in from the hatch, turning to leave before either could annoy the other. However, he might have been too slow as he heard her say: “Hey”

“Yeah?” Nikolo said, turning back to her. It’s not like they wanted to keep people locked up like this, so if she was going to reach out, he was going to listen “Was it… was it you who made the food yesterday?”

“…Yes” Nikolo replied, wondering why she’d ask. Actually, hadn’t he told her that he did?

He looked at her. She seemed to want to say something more, but hesitated. Would she talk if he edged her on, or would she just clam up? “It’s probably better if I shut up for now.”

“Why?” her question caught him off guard. Blinking, he repeated: “Why what?”

“Why were you cooking?” she asks as she pulls the tray closer to herself “Aren’t you a soldier?”

“I am” Nikolo said, shrugging “But the cook wasn’t feeling well yesterday, and since I cook as a hobby anyway, I volunteered to take his place.”

She was watching him as he spoke, but once he finished, she turned her attention to the food. Taking a spoonful of the soup, she brought it to her mouth. After swallowing, she complained with a frown: “It’s plain.”

“Spoiled brat” was Nikolo’s first thought on that. Well, he supposed that someone who wasn’t used to food regulations like almost everyone inside the walls were would be pickier of what they ate “The one you made was way better.”

Nikolo blushed at the unexpected, completely out of nowhere -compliment.

“I ah… thanks” he stuttered, hoping that she wouldn’t take a notice of his sudden embarrassment. If she did, she didn’t comment on it; she simply kept eating. After a while, she spoke again: “Why did you become a soldier? I’m sure you could’ve made a living as a cook!”

Nikolo blushed again. It’s not like this was the first time he’d been told this, in fact, many in the 104th training corps had said the same, but somehow this was different… perhaps because it was coming from an enemy who had no real reason to compliment him it felt more genuine?

Looking at the woman again, Nikolo realized that she’d stopped eating for the time being and was now looking at him, waiting for an answer.

“It’s… complicated” he said “And personal.”

“Hmm…” Sasha hummed, thinking it over for a second “Family reasons?”

Nikolo’s eyes widened, which made Sasha grin before she said: “Bull’s eye, huh?”

Nikolo blushed, again, though this time it was from a different type of embarrassment. Just what was with this woman, constantly getting him to blush!?

Sasha laughed, but her smile soon faded to a sad one as she averted her eyes.

“Me too…”

That caught Nikolo off guard. Not the fact that she joined military for family reasons, but the fact that she would share something so personal with him. A small part of him wanted to know more, not that he knew why, but since she hadn’t asked more from him, he didn’t want to pry, either.

“Just…” he wanted to change the topic “Eat that before it gets cold, okay?”

“Yeah” Sasha said, but before continuing she looked at Nikolo again: “…Think the cook will be feeling unwell again any time soon?”

“He might” Nikolo answered, pretty sure he knew why she was asking. Wanting to check, he said: “But even if he won’t, I can still cook for you if you want.”

“You would do that!?” Sasha asked, excited as she leaned forward, closer to the bars. However, a thought soon occurred to her and she frowned “What’s the catch?”

“There is no catch” Nikolo said, but he could tell she was not buying it “I’m just trying to be kind; we’re not bad people you know.”

She still wasn’t convinced, he could tell. A sudden urge to mess with her came to him and, wanting to see if he could make her blush in return, he said with a smirk: “And you have a cute smile; maybe I’ll get to see that again if I cook for you?”

“Success” he thought as she blushed, leaning away from the bars now with a mortified look on her face “Are you trying to flirt with me!?”

Now it was, once more, Nikolo’s turn to blush.

“No!” he quickly denied “I’m not!”

“Are too!” Sasha argued, scooting away from the bars “Like you wouldn’t want a piece of this!” she gestures to her body. Nikolo’s eyebrow twitches on his red face as he says: “Isn’t it you who’s trying to flirt with me?”

“I’m just stating the facts” Sasha says, crossing her arms “Or what, do you not swing this way?”

“If by “this way” you mean stinky, uncooperative war prisoners then no, I don’t” Nikolo hissed back, pleased to see her face go red again. Angrily, Sasha stood up and came right over to the bars, practically screaming at him: “I’m only stinky because some assholes insist on keeping me locked up in a cage like some animal!”

Childishly thinking that he didn’t want to lose, Nikolo takes a few long steps to get right in front of the cell with the only thing between their faces being the bars. Once there, he snaps: “Well maybe you wouldn’t be treated like an animal if you stopped acting like one!”

They glared at each other, their faces almost touching the bars. It was Sasha who broke the eye contact first, unable to hold in a chuckle. After that, she started laughing hysterically.

Nikolo stared, dumbfounded, before the ridiculousness of the situation sank in for him too and he laughed as well. They were trained soldiers in the middle of a fateful war, yet here they were, fighting like a pair of children. She sure pulled out the ridiculous side of him, way more so than even Connie did.

“What the hell’s going on in here!?” Nikolo froze at Jean’s voice. Sasha was still laughing, but was now trying to stop as she too heard the rapid, loud steps coming towards her cell. As Jean stepped in to the room, both had themselves under control and Nikolo had packed away from the cell.

“Nothing” he said “Just… getting to know each other?”

It sounded like a question; he knew it did. Jean was eyeing him up and down, checking if he was really okay. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he turned his attention to the prisoner, who also seemed fine, if not a little redder in the face than he would’ve expected.

“Whatever. Now c’mon, the captain’s calling for us” Jean said “Hopefully he won’t make us mop up the whole building.”

Sasha snorted from her cell, and Nikolo threatened to hand her the mop if it happened. Sasha just stuck her tongue out at him as a reply, making Nikolo roll his eyes. Jean was watching them, eyes going back and forth between the two, but he said nothing, leaving as well when Nikolo walked away without saying a word.

———

After their footsteps faded, Sasha sat back down to eat. She wouldn’t help these devils, these people, she wouldn’t betray her country, but she had to admit that, perhaps, not all of them were the monsters she thought they were.

“Or maybe monsters just mature slowly?” she thought with a grin, seriously considering asking that to the guy’s face. She was probably going to be stuck in the cell for quite a while, so she might just as well get some humor out of it while she was there.

———

“You two seemed to get along surprisingly well” Jean commented to Nikolo once Levi let them go.

“Him and who?” Connie asked.

“The prisoner”

“You mean Miss Barks Hard and Bites Even Harder?”

“Yeah, that one” Jean confirmed, unconsciously rubbing his hand that the woman had bitten “Just how did you manage that?”

“I got her food” Nikolo says with a shrug “She likes my cooking.”

Connie laughs.

“Well what’d ya know, looks like the route to a woman’s heart goes through her stomach!”

“Pretty sure it’s only the case with that one” Nikolo says with a chuckle. No matter if that was true or not, he was going to make sure that she had enough to eat, including his cooking. Perhaps, with time, he would get her to warm up to them.

For some reason, he truly hoped that.

[keepsan]

Nicosashaweek — day 1 Modern!AU

I commissioned art for an @nicosashaweek from a wonderful Jeykeyblue. yes, it’s not fair, but I really love nicosasha😞

[migila]

NicoSashaWeek, day 1!

It’s started! Theme of day 1: Reincarnation

Day 1: Reincarnation

Sasha was exited. She wouldn’t have cared all that much about coming to the city, but Jean had promised to take her and Connie to a seafood restaurant. She had never eaten seafood before, but she knew what it was and was eager to try it. She was sure it’d be tasty!

“I want to eat already; Jean should hurry up!” she thought with a sigh “Just how hard is it to pick a necktie, anyway? Men and their shopping obsessions!”

“I’m telling you, this one’s better!” Connie said, holding out a necktie with a picture of a sun on it “Put that boring thing away!”

Jean was holding a dark blue tie in his hand, Sasha saw. She thought that the one Connie picked was funny, but it wasn’t really Jean’s style. Wanting to get this over with, she voiced her opinion, getting Jean to pick the dark blue tie. Finally.

“Food!” Sasha cheered. Finally, the best part of the day.

———-

Nikolo fought the urge to hum as he cooked; he had been made fun of for that before. He just couldn’t help it sometimes; cooking, especially seafood, made him so relaxed that sometimes he started to do it without realizing it.

“Gross” Nikolo glared at the man who had uttered the word on reflex; that was not a word that should be uttered by a cook in the kitchen. Just what was gross?

“Do you think she has no table manners in general or does she simply not know how to eat a lobster properly?” another one asks. Nikolo can see them staring out in to the dining space of the restaurant, making him realize that they’re simply speaking about the eating habits of a customer. That made sense.

Deciding that it had nothing to do with him, Nikolo returns his full attention to his cooking. However, he gets distracted as he notices that all of his colleagues’ peek in to the dining hall every now and then, some amused, others disgusted. Curiosity getting the better of him, he abandons his position the moment he’s sure nothing will be ruined, wanting to see what everyone else has seen.

Just like some of the others, he’s more disgusted than amused at what he sees. The woman in front of him has absolutely no table manners, that’s the only explanation he can think of, as he stares at the uncivilized being. Normally, Nikolo didn’t like using the word “gross”, but now it really fit.

…

So why the hell couldn’t he tear his eyes off of the woman? He’d seen what he wanted; he should just go back to work before he lost his appetite for the rest of the week from watching this brute. Cute brute, he would admit, or at least would be cute if she ate in a proper way, but still. She was by no means the first cute customer they’d had, yet she was the only one this had ever happened with.

And then their eyes met.

———-

Sasha felt like she was in heaven; the food looked, smelled and, most importantly, tasted just heavenly. It had gone beyond all her expectations!

“I wonder if whoever cooked this is good at making other types of dishes as well?” she thought, her eyes trailing off from the food for a while to peek in the kitchen from over the counter, locking eyes with one of the chefs looking her way.

And after she did, she could no longer look away.

She didn’t understand why; the guy didn’t look special… or did he? Why else would she get stuck like this? It’s just that… something about seeing him stirred something inside of her, something she couldn’t place. Like a memory she knew for sure was there, but had no idea from when and where.

“Where? Where have I met him?” she wondered, her meal entirely forgotten. Had they been classmates as kids or something? …No way; she’d gone to a very small school, she’d remember. Had he perhaps been starring one of the cooking shows she’d watched?

“Sasha?” she heard Connie say as he tugged at her ponytail lightly, getting her attention as she looked away from the man “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing at all!” she said quickly. Not that she was lying; there was nothing wrong, just something weird is all “Why?”

“You were staring off to the kitchen instead of eating; that’s not like you” Jean said, turning to look to the direction Sasha had been looking at “Did you see something interesting?”

“No” Sasha said, her eyes following Jean’s. The man she’d locked eyes with was gone “Nothing at all.”

———-

Nikolo’s heart was still pounding fast as he prepared to go home. After his eyes had locked with that woman’s, he’d been paralyzed, he hadn’t been able to move. He had no way to explain it, but somehow, he’d been taken over by this irrational feeling of longing when looking at her eyes. He’d wanted her, but not in the perverted way mind you. He’d just wanted to see her closer, hear her voice, perhaps touch her hand… and he had absolutely no idea why.

“Get a hold of yourself, idiot” he told himself “You’ll probably never see her again anyway.”

With that in mind, Nikolo walked out of the back door of the restaurant, ready to forget the whole thing-

Only to come face to face with the woman he’d been watching at in the restaurant. He almost got a heart attack as he yelped in surprise, taking a few steps back. Just what was she doing here!?

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you” she spoke. Her voice stirred something in Nikolo as well, something he couldn’t name. He hated the fact that he wanted to hear more. Shaking his head slightly, he managed to get out: “It’s fine. Can I help you somehow?”

“Ah no, it’s just…” Sasha stuttered, wondering how she should say it. She’d wanted to ask him if they’d met before, but now she was chickening out, so instead she said: “You’re one of the cooks here, right? I just wanted to say that your food is delicious! Especially the sauce on the clams!”

Nikolo blushed; he had made the sauce. He told her that, not intending to brag or anything, but he was glad he did when he saw the awe on her face.

“Really?” she asked “You’re a genius!”

“Mister Nikolo, you’re a genius!”

Those words jolted a memory in Nikolo’s mind, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember from when and where. Unable to help himself, he asked: “Have we… met before?”

Sasha’s eyes widened; he remembered something?!

“You think so, too?” she asked, adding hurriedly: “I mean, I felt like we’ve met before, but I couldn’t put my finger on it so I thought I was imagining it, but if you know- “

“I don’t” Nikolo interrupted, wondering if she’d been waiting here for him specifically. The idea should’ve been worrying, freaky even, but instead he just felt warm inside “I just felt like we’d met before.”

“Oh” Sasha let out. It was quiet, awkward. She didn’t know what to say and part of her just wanted to leave, but a bigger part of her didn’t. She needed to know more, needed answers. Sticking out her hand, she said: “I’m Sasha.”

Nikolo took the offered hand.

“Nikolo” he said, and as soon as their hands touched, a crying face stuffed with food surfaced in his mind. It was Sasha, but Nikolo had no idea when this had happened. Startled, he let go, surprised as he saw Sasha staring at him with wide eyes.

“…What?” he asked.

“We’ve met before” Sasha whispered “I remember you in a very old looking kitchen, working on pizza…”

She did? It’s not like he never made pizza, but he could only recall using modern kitchens-

“You idiot, it needs to go to the oven first!”

…What the heck was that? Why did he suddenly have a memory of Sasha, yes, definitely her, reaching out for an unbaked pizza? This was weird, too weird, Nikolo just wanted to go home and forget-

His eyes met Sasha’s again. No, he didn’t want to forget. Ever. He really had no idea why, but he wanted to be by her side, he wanted to be there forever.

“Holy shit Nikolo, you just met her!” he told himself, a blush raising to his face “The fuck are you thinking of a shared rest of your lives for already?!”

Or at all; he knew nothing about her. Unknown to him, Sasha had similar thoughts.

She wanted to hug him, hug and never let go. The desire was growing, but obviously she held herself back. Instead, she said: “You know… I’m kinda hungry.”

“Huh?” after how much she’d eaten? Really?

“Don’t look at me like that; I waited here for hours!” she said, defensive, puffing her cheeks. Again, what she said should’ve been alarming to Nikolo, make him think he had a stalker, but all he could think of was how cute she looked “So… can we go get something to eat?”

Sasha was afraid he was going to say no, she was pretty sure he would because he’d think it was weird, but she had to try. She had to know more.

“Sure” Nikolo said, ignoring the voice in his head that sounded oddly like his friend Grior that told him to refuse. But he couldn’t; he wanted to know more, wanted to know her “Any place in mind?”

“I’m not from around here” Sasha said, trying to hide her surprise to his agreement “Lead the way?”

Nikolo smiled, taking her hand on reflex, only realizing what he’d done after he was holding her hand. But to his surprise, she didn’t pull away. He could see her blushing, making him sure he was blushing as well. This situation just didn’t make any sense-

“Whatever” Nikolo cut himself off “Commonsense is often overrated anyway.”

He had no idea who this woman was but, with time, he’d get to know her… but oddly enough, he already felt like he never wanted to let go.

[nicosashaweek]

Welcome to the first #nicosashaweek2019!

Hey guys! We’re putting up a week dedicated to our favorite cook and his food loving sweetheart (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc)

The tags we will track is: #nicosashaweek2019, #nicosashaweek2k19, and #nicosashaweek so please make sure to put it within the first five tags of your post/posts when the event begins, and we’ll make sure to reblog it.

Here are the prompts for the event!

NicoSashaWeek2019 prompts:

Day 1 - September 30th: Modern/Reincarnation AU

Day 2 - October 1th: Role change

Day 3 - October 2th: Fluff

Day 4 - October 3th: Wedding

Day 5 - October 4th: Trip to Wall Sina

Day 6 - October 5th: Family life

Day 7 - October 6th: Free choice

All content for the week is welcome, be it art, fics, headcanons, incorrect quotes, graphics, fan mixes, videos, cosplay, animation or whatever you can come up with. If you have any questions, you can ask/submit them to us!

Good luck 🌺

[nicosashaweek]

NICOSASHAWEEK STARTED!

[nicosashaweek]

Welcome to the first #nicosashaweek2019!

Hey guys! We’re putting up a week dedicated to our favorite cook and his food loving sweetheart (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc)

The tags we will track is: #nicosashaweek2019, #nicosashaweek2k19, and #nicosashaweek so please make sure to put it within the first five tags of your post/posts when the event begins, and we’ll make sure to reblog it.

Here are the prompts for the event!

NicoSashaWeek2019 prompts:

Day 1 - September 30th: Modern/Reincarnation AU

Day 2 - October 1th: Role change

Day 3 - October 2th: Fluff

Day 4 - October 3th: Wedding

Day 5 - October 4th: Trip to Wall Sina

Day 6 - October 5th: Family life

Day 7 - October 6th: Free choice

All content for the week is welcome, be it art, fics, headcanons, incorrect quotes, graphics, fan mixes, videos, cosplay, animation or whatever you can come up with. If you have any questions, you can ask/submit them to us!

Good luck 🌺

[nicosashaweek]

nicosashaweek2019 starts tomorrow!

[nicosashaweek]

Welcome to the first #nicosashaweek2019!

Hey guys! We’re putting up a week dedicated to our favorite cook and his food loving sweetheart (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc)

The tags we will track is: #nicosashaweek2019, #nicosashaweek2k19, and #nicosashaweek so please make sure to put it within the first five tags of your post/posts when the event begins, and we’ll make sure to reblog it.

Here are the prompts for the event!

NicoSashaWeek2019 prompts:

Day 1 - September 30th: Modern/Reincarnation AU

Day 2 - October 1th: Role change

Day 3 - October 2th: Fluff

Day 4 - October 3th: Wedding

Day 5 - October 4th: Trip to Wall Sina

Day 6 - October 5th: Family life

Day 7 - October 6th: Free choice

All content for the week is welcome, be it art, fics, headcanons, incorrect quotes, graphics, fan mixes, videos, cosplay, animation or whatever you can come up with. If you have any questions, you can ask/submit them to us!

Good luck 🌺

[nicosashaweek]

5 days left!

[nicosashaweek]

Welcome to the first #nicosashaweek2019!

Hey guys! We’re putting up a week dedicated to our favorite cook and his food loving sweetheart (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc)

The tags we will track is: #nicosashaweek2019, #nicosashaweek2k19, and #nicosashaweek so please make sure to put it within the first five tags of your post/posts when the event begins, and we’ll make sure to reblog it.

Here are the prompts for the event!

NicoSashaWeek2019 prompts:

Day 1 - September 30th: Modern/Reincarnation AU

Day 2 - October 1th: Role change

Day 3 - October 2th: Fluff

Day 4 - October 3th: Wedding

Day 5 - October 4th: Trip to Wall Sina

Day 6 - October 5th: Family life

Day 7 - October 6th: Free choice

All content for the week is welcome, be it art, fics, headcanons, incorrect quotes, graphics, fan mixes, videos, cosplay, animation or whatever you can come up with. If you have any questions, you can ask/submit them to us!

Good luck 🌺

[nicosashaweek]

10 days left before the start!

[nicosashaweek]

Welcome to the first #nicosashaweek2019!

Hey guys! We’re putting up a week dedicated to our favorite cook and his food loving sweetheart (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc)

The tags we will track is: #nicosashaweek2019, #nicosashaweek2k19, and #nicosashaweek so please make sure to put it within the first five tags of your post/posts when the event begins, and we’ll make sure to reblog it.

Here are the prompts for the event!

NicoSashaWeek2019 prompts:

Day 1 - September 30th: Modern/Reincarnation AU

Day 2 - October 1th: Role change

Day 3 - October 2th: Fluff

Day 4 - October 3th: Wedding

Day 5 - October 4th: Trip to Wall Sina

Day 6 - October 5th: Family life

Day 7 - October 6th: Free choice

All content for the week is welcome, be it art, fics, headcanons, incorrect quotes, graphics, fan mixes, videos, cosplay, animation or whatever you can come up with. If you have any questions, you can ask/submit them to us!

Good luck 🌺

[nicosashaweek]

Welcome to the first #nicosashaweek2019!

Hey guys! We’re putting up a week dedicated to our favorite cook and his food loving sweetheart (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc)

The tags we will track is: #nicosashaweek2019, #nicosashaweek2k19, and #nicosashaweek so please make sure to put it within the first five tags of your post/posts when the event begins, and we’ll make sure to reblog it.

Here are the prompts for the event!

NicoSashaWeek2019 prompts:

Day 1 - September 30th: Modern/Reincarnation AU

Day 2 - October 1th: Role change

Day 3 - October 2th: Fluff

Day 4 - October 3th: Wedding

Day 5 - October 4th: Trip to Wall Sina

Day 6 - October 5th: Family life

Day 7 - October 6th: Free choice

All content for the week is welcome, be it art, fics, headcanons, incorrect quotes, graphics, fan mixes, videos, cosplay, animation or whatever you can come up with. If you have any questions, you can ask/submit them to us!

Good luck 🌺