📎contents/warnings. rivals to lovers, gambling, weapon mentions/use, probably smut in the future??, reader is from a rich family, alcohol a shit ton of alcohol, more gambling, idk will add more once I progress lolol
✒️ongoing
🗒️lightnote. HIIII BACK FROM THE DEAD IGNORE MY STUFF FROM YEARS AGO (from junior highschool💔) IM IN UNIVERSITY NOW AND IVE BEEN SUPERRR BUSY. Here's a hsr fic cuz I miss my pookie aven uwu
— where your longtime crush, phainon, hands you.. a boyfriend application?
· phainon x gn!reader .
NOTES: modern au, implied childhood friends to lovers, no use of pronouns for user, author needs coffee, enjoy.
youve known phainon for as long as you can remember, growing up together had you form a bond which was downright unbreakable. watching him grow taller was annoying, the way he started towering over everything and anything, i mean, you were tall, yes but his height was almost eldritch-like.
the closeness had made you gain feelings without even noticing, which,, you didnt think to be horrible at first.
although of course, those thoughts went straight to hell when you started noticing he hadnt shown any signs about the feelings being mutual.
it started getting mildly frustrating, every touch felt like a reminder, every loving gaze felt like a jab at your heart. and it didnt get better when he invited you out for a ‘date’.
“.. phainon, youve been digging holes in that menu for over thirty minutes now. didnt you suggest this place?” you nudged him in an attempt to get his attention, which. seemed to work.
“oh- right! im sorry, im just. uhm.. im trying to think on how to say this.” phainon responded quickly, stopping a few times to form his sentence correctly. he was hiding something. and your suspicions prove to be correct once you saw some neatly folded paper stapled together, which further deepened your curiosity.
“its .. an application, with all my qualities listed on it. please take a look..?” you were a bit taken aback, he hadnt mentioned any attempts at finding a proper job before.
“you idiot, you couldve just said that. alright ill take a look.” looking away from him, you focus on the sheets of paper. opening it to start reading.
alright, ‘official application for a boyfriend position—’
...
huh?
huh??
HUUH???
practically shooting your eyes over to him, you tilt your head, brows furrowing as you stare at him like he just confessed to murdering a family of 4.
“y..you.. sorry, what?”
phainon looks,, as dumb as he usually does, merely blinking. “is there a spelling error again? i thought i cleared them all, im sorry ...”
“what? no, nonono. you idiot, you absolute dumbfuck. i.. what is this??” you hold the top of the papers, brows knitted harder as you go back and forth between him and the sheet.
“ OFFICIAL BOYFRIEND APPLICATION. ”
Name: Phainon Age: 22 Height: 215cm
below those, all his qualities such as occupation, his earnings, skills in cleaning, cooking and whatever else you can think of were proudly displayed.
“do you.. have an issue? am i not up to your standards?” he was trying his best to hide it, but the way those puppy eyes appeared sadder as he slowly hunched down in uncertain defeat told you everything you needed to know. he was anxious, but holy fuck he liked you back. a little.. too much.
“i dont but,, seriously phai, two pages? what even was your thought process?” noticing how his little ahoge practically straightened itself up in joy, he showed you a fond smile and carried on.
“well i.. i didnt know if you liked me in a romantic setting and i .. i didnt want to accidentally put you in a bad spot.. but i wanted you to know of my skillset soidecidedonanapplicationand—”
“...”
“say something please..?”
“you fucking idiot. for someone who was the first in his class, you lack severe common sense.”
“... im sorry? did i do something?” there he was again, that stupid head tilt he does when stuck on something. does the thinking make more sense at a 45° angle? no one knows.
sigh.
“what im saying is. you.. you didnt need a whole fucking application. i like you too, my stupid puppy.”
saw a fanart of phainon with a samoyed on x but i lost the art so now i cant stop thinking about neighbor!phainon with a big ass dog that seems to really really like you for some reason… (827 wc)
Every morning at around 7:13 sharp, Phainon jogs past the little house across the street—the one with the white picket fence, overflowing flower boxes, and you, standing in the garden with a watering can in hand like some kind of deity. And every morning without fail, his heart does a small, embarrassing thing in his chest.
Snowy, his overly fluffy white Samoyed, always pulls just a little harder on her leash whenever they near your home. She seems to know the routine: jog, slow down near the garden, and let Phainon stare like a fool. She doesn’t mind. In fact, Snowy adores you—almost as much as he does.
It’s been like this for months, ever since he first moved into the neighborhood. He still remembers the day you knocked on his door, smiling with a small potted jade plant in your hands.
“Welcome,” you had said, “This little guy’s low-maintenance. Good for busy people and forgetful ones.” You’d grinned, and Phainon had forgotten every single word he meant to say back.
The jade plant still sits proudly on his windowsill, the only living thing in his house that isn’t him and Snowy. It thrives there, a constant reminder of the pretty neighbor with dirt under their fingernails and sunlight in their smile.
He can talk to everyone else, but something about you short-circuits his brain. Every time you wave or say good morning, he would grow redder than the tomatoes you have growing in your garden and he’d greet you back awkwardly. There are also times when you’d make conversation and ask about his plans for the weekend, how he’s been doing lately, but the most he could get himself to say were short responses that make him seem rude if not for the way he keeps on stumbling over his words cutely.
Snowy is used to it by now. She’s the only one who sees how gone her human is. She sits patiently while he pauses his jog to sneak glances over the hedge. Sometimes, she even tilts her head like she’s judging him.
But today, Snowy feels like rebelling a bit.
Phainon is inside, halfway through replying to an email, when he realizes the house is suspiciously quiet.
“Snowy?” he calls.
No jingle of tags. No soft bark. Then he checks the yard. The gate is ajar.
“Oh no.”
Meanwhile, you are elbow-deep in soil, humming to yourself as you re-pot some plants when a familiar white fluffball bounds into your yard.
“Hey, girl,” you say, smiling as she nuzzles into your shoulder. “Did you sneak out?”
You don’t mind the interruption. You’ve grown fond of the dog over the past few months. She’s a morning staple, after all—like dew and sunshine and the smell of mint.
You get rid of your gloves to scratch behind her ears and sit with her for a bit on your porch steps, letting her rest her massive head on your lap.
Still, you figure you should take her home before Phainon runs out panicking.
You brush dirt off your knees, give her a pat, and walk her across the street.
Phainon opens the door the moment you knock, eyes wide, phone in hand, wearing a hoodie that still clings to the scent of laundry detergent and just a hint of panic.
“I—I didn’t even realize—she must’ve pushed the gate, I—I’m so sorry—” he stumbles over every word, his hands awkwardly hovering in the air like he’s not sure whether to take Snowy or run inside and never come out again.
You just laugh gently. “It’s okay. She came to visit. We had a nice little chat.”
“Oh. Uh. Good. Good,” he says, nodding too much. “She, um, likes you a lot.”
“I could tell,” you say, giving Snowy a fond scratch before she trots back inside.
Phainon opens his mouth, maybe to thank you again, maybe to finally say something coherent. But instead, he says:
“You… have really nice soil.”
You blink, startled. Then you smile. “Thanks. I compost.”
He flushes so hard it reaches his ears. “Right. Of course. That’s… smart.”
There’s a moment of silence. Then he clears his throat. “Anyway,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, “Thanks for bringing her back. I—I’ll, uh, fix the gate.”
You give him a look that’s kind and amused all at once. “See you tomorrow, Phainon.”
And he can only nod, already wondering how he’ll mess it up next time.
Later that evening, Snowy lays her head on his lap, letting out a huff that sounds suspiciously like judgment. He sighs.
“I know,” he mutters. “But… I’ll talk to them properly. Someday.”
Snowy gives him a look that clearly says you’ve been saying that for months, but even so, she licks his hand, like she believes in him.
And tomorrow, like always, they’ll jog past your house again. Maybe then he’ll finally be able talk to you without fumbling and ask you out on a date.
in which mydei helps this lovesick fool (his friend and brother-in-arms) confess his feelings, the kremnoan way (aka, the best way) <3
Despite what many people think, Lord Mydeimos is quite adept at dealing with his emotions in a healthy way. The assumption that the disgraced Prince of Castrum Kremnos was a brute who couldn't tell anger from sadness isn't an unfounded one, but it's false nonetheless.
As a war leader, Mydei knows the importance of keeping your feelings in check, lest you let them take over and have your men die. For most, this meant burying your feelings in the darkest parts of your heart. Mydei however, found that counterintuitive. If you cram every single thought and emotion into a small space, it will build up pressure and then blow up in your face.
So he wrote poems in Kremnoan to put words to feelings that the local languages could never capture. (Part of it was so that he could hear his mother in his words.) He'd speak to his fellow Chrysos Heirs whenever the Flame-Chase burden became too heavy to carry. (Castorice was a good partner to talk to, for only she knew death more intimately then he.) He even baked honey cakes as a treat whenever the somber days seemed never ending. (With the help of the pretty baker of course.)
Some may question his manhood, that was fine by him. He knows it's better to wallow your feelings with cakes than with childish outbursts.
His comrade, on the other hand, is the type that would rather swallow his own head than swallow his own pride.
Is it a custom on Aedes-Elysia? To pine so heavily, it's making the people around you uncomfortable? If that's the case, then perhaps the lost nation was not the paradise Phainon made it out to be.
Speaking of the Deliverer, instead of performing his heroic duties like settling disputes at the market or saving cats from trees, he stood in place like a fool. His eyes were stuck on a fellow Chrysos Heir, hands constantly pressing his clothes down to make sure his clothes were perfect. Mydei looked back at the woman who had captured his friend's attention.
Lady (Y/N). Where she was from, nobody knows. She had golden blood flowing through her veins and the will to see Amphoreus to enter the Era Nova, so Aglaea lets her do as she pleases. Though her place in the Flame-Chase journey was a mystery that he couldn't solve.
So many questions surrounded her being.
"Do you think Lady (Y/N) would like me better if I had cat ears?"
Of course that is what the lovesick fool wonders.
"No," Mydei scoffed, not wanting to dignify that question. "If she were to like you, I would assume she'd like you better if you were fully human." He crossed his arms and hoped that was enough to end his questioning.
"But Lady (Y/N) always pets the cats she sees on the street! It's clear she has a fondness for them," he whined, turning his pathetic face to his feet. "Maybe if I were like them, she would finally return my affections."
Mydeimos slapped the back of Phainon's head for even entertaining such a foolish thought.
The Deliverer groaned and rubbed his head where the Prince hit him. He turned his head to the side and glared at him, and for a second, Mydei could see the rage in his blue eyes over what happened. But just as quickly as it blazed over him, anger dissipated from Phainon's body and he continued mope and yearn.
(There was a hidden anger, a festering rage, that would spark in his eyes. Perhaps if Phainon let his feeling's out, he would be less angsty all the time.)
"I know!" Phainon's head perked up like nothing happened. He turned his body before the Prince, and Mydei knew he wouldn't be able to brace himself for whatever nonsense would come out of his mouth. "Why don't you tell me how Kremnos confess their love to each other!" he exclaimed, not realizing how awful of an idea that was.
It wasn't that Kremnoans didn't believe in love, it was that the idea of romance was foreign to them. Love wasn't romantic poems that go on unnecessarily about someone's eyes. It was defending your lover in the battlefield, ripping your enemies to shreds before they could lay a hand on your partner. Perhaps not a suitable way to confess to someone. The intensity would probably scare (Y/N) off.
Still, as much as he teased the Deliverer, Mydei still considered him a friend and did want to help him out.
"In Kremnos, we prove our love through battle," he began. "If you cannot suitably protect your partner on the battlefield, then you aren't worthy enough to be with them."
Phainon pondered on that sentiment, what he was thinking, Mydei didn't want to know. A few minutes later, he came up with his answer.
"So what you're saying is that I should show my love through fists?" Phainon asks.
"Essentially, though, there might be better ways to confess your feelings," Mydei said. The Deliverer seemed like the type of man who would fit more closely to Mnestia's definition of love, rather then NIkador's. "Have you even tried to use your words?"
"I have, but everytime I sit down and try to write about my feelings, it never comes out right." Phainon sighed and turned his head to look at (Y/N) over his shoulder. "Yes she is beautiful, but there's so much more to her. She's fiercely loyal to those she cares about, from all of the Chrysos Heirs to every single child in Okhema." Phainon's eyes glazed over and Mydei could see the depth of his adoration.
"She's kind, extremely so, almost to a fault." He chuckled, "did you know that a boy tried to rob her, and instead of calling the guards or apprehending him, she gave him the money needed, no questions asked." Phainon looked down with a smile. "She even gave him tips on how not to get caught next time. If I ever get the honour of being on the receiving end of even a fraction of her kindness, then I would truly be the blessed man in Amphoreus."
"She is what a hero should be, and next to her I don't even deserve the title of 'Deliverer'. Her light would be enough to guide us all safely to the Era Nova." He concluded with a sigh. Phainon looked back at the Prince, and Mydeimos was at a loss of words. He truly does love her.
"For someone who claims that he is not good with words, you almost moved me to tears," Mydei snarked. His sarcasm covered for the fact that he would swoon if those words were meant for him. It almost made him want to become a better poet for his own romantic endeavor.
"She deserves more than the measly words that I can give her." Phainon's angst has once again taken over, which meant that he needed cheering up.
Mydei started walking in (Y/N)'s direction, looking back when he noticed Phainon wasn't following.
"What are you waiting for Deliverer?" he smirked and looked forward. "You have to prove to your woman that you can protect her in a fight by beating me."
Phainon's eyes lit up at the challenge, not being the kind who can turn his back on a fight.
"You're on!" he exclaims running up to his side. Phainon whispered his thanks in Mydei's ears, to which he nodded in response. Some people just need a little push before they're ready to take a big leap.
Mydeimos was a fan of love more so then he is a fan of war. One more secret that the Prince keeps close to his chest is that he loves weddings. He better get an invitation to Phainon and (Y/N).
(You remind yourself that the next time you see Phainon, you'll let him know that he does speak very loudly whenever he's passionate about something. You just didn't know that his passion extended to you.)
Bros not stupid tho he just has never been to the city always remember ✨️ he has better grades than everyone here
I think it is fun to scroll his gallery then read about him after that I rec getting context and seeing the other characters by either watching the anime or reading the ! era main story also on the wiki you'll need to use the wayback machine for the wiki though
