Notes: Yes, I know; two fics in two days. I’m scared, too. But I’m not complaining. This is a new pairing of mine; Nadiel (young male shogun ♂) and Mercy (alt younger medic *male portrait* ♀).
I should probably explain a couple of things; They were part of the party that was meant to go to Armoroad with their prince when they were side-tracked and ended up sailing close to Lemuria. But they were followed. Nadiel and Mercy were the only two survivors from an assassin ambush and had to hide out on Lemuria for a few days before Maginia showed up. During that time, they weren’t necessarily in a relationship; they were too busy trying to survive. But now that they’re safe with Guild Unity, they realised that they indeed have gentle feelings for one another. They had sorta crushes on each other before, but were in denial and oblivious.
Moving on, not really inspired by a prompt this time. Wrote this from my own imagination. Doubly scary, I’m sure. Welp, got other pairings that need attention. I wonder who I should attempt to write for next?
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The sound of a flute, soft and gentle, enhances the relaxing sounds of waves lapping at the ocean’s shore. The sun is beginning to set, blanketing the sky with the colours of vivid pinks, oranges, and purples.
Nadiel rests on a patch of soft grass, his arms behind his head acting as a pillow. He rests near a water-worn boulder, where a medic with pink hair in a small ponytail sits. She is the one who is playing the flute so eloquently. Her eyes are shut, hiding a pair of beautiful blue eyes, as the sea breeze tussles the loose strands of her hair.
Nadiel turns his gaze away from the setting sun to look over at the medic. As he does so, a thought occurs to him.
“I never did thank you, did I?” Nadiel muses aloud.
Mercy pauses in her music and turns her bright blue eyes in his direction. “For what?” she asks him.
Nadiel sits up before he pushes himself to his feet. “For saving my life,” he replies as he idly dusts himself of sand and grass.
Mercy tilts her head to the side, questioningly, and lowers her flute to her lap. There is a slight furrow of her brow, the only wrinkle in her flawless complexion. She studies him silently for a short while, her head still to the side.
She soon rights herself as realisation dawns upon her and she shakes her head.
“Well, what else was I supposed to do?” she asks in return, a small smile on her lips. “You were injured, we both were lost. I couldn’t very well leave you behind, now could I?”
“You still saved my life by healing me,” Nadiel insists. “If it not for you, I know I would be dead.”
Mercy chuckles softly as she hops down from the tall stone. “Well, in that case, I owe you a sign of gratitude, too. After all, you were the one who kept me safe all that time.”
Hm, he guesses that is also true. He did protect Mercy the best he could when they were on the run. The two of them being the last of their small group. The only two that survived a fatal ambush.
Nadiel remembers those days rather vividly. Of course, he does.
He remembers the uncertainty. He remembers the frustration. He fears the fear. He remembers the cool nights as they search for a place to rest. He remembers the trail and errors of finding something to eat, and water to drink.
What he remembers the most, however, is how strong Mercy had been.
Though she is a medic, one that has little experience in the ways of exploration, she was very resilient. Still is.
She had the look of peacefulness, even under the most trying of circumstances. Peaceful, serene, calm. Her ability to remain calm helped him during those days of wandering the island of Lemuria on their own.
Just the two of them.
And a pack of murderous assassins wishing to finish off the rest of their Highness’s traveling party.
He doesn’t know where that pack of assassins is currently. They could be watching them right now, for all he knew. He isn’t sensing anything dangerous, but one could never be too careful.
Even so, they were safe. With their new guildmates. He had been reunited with his sister; he was able to explain the situation to his Highness’s sister, Princess Sapphire. He and Mercy are under the protective custody of Guild Unity. And from what he had seen and heard; the assassins were in for a hard time attempting anything else.
If not by the Unity Guild, then by another more renowned guild.
Mercy carefully places her flute into her bag and turns to look at him once more. “We’re safe now,” she says simply.
Nadiel nods his head. Yeah, they are safe now.
“I’m more relieved that you are safe now,” Nadiel admits.
Mercy steps towards him and lifts her hand to idly flick his nose with her finger. “Imagine that. I’m also grateful that you’re safe.”
A smile makes its way to Nadiel’s lips and he chuckles. He takes a step forward and quickly takes Mercy into his arms. It appears to startle her at first, but she soon rests against him. She rests her hands against his chest as she nuzzles her head beneath his chin. The smile on Nadiel’s lips softens and he rests his chin atop of her head and wounds his arms around her slender frame tightly.
It pains him greatly that he failed His Highness. It should have been him that was killed that day. But His Highness was the one to step forward, the one to push his heralds to hide. It was his last order that Nadiel and Mercy were to leave with their lives.
He can’t bring his Highness back. But he can ensure that Mercy stays safe. He tried to pledge his loyalty to Princess Sapphire, but she would not have it. She refuses to take heralds as she did not wish to burden anyone with royal obligation.
She, instead smiled at him and told him to stay with Mercy.
For that is where his heart lies.
“Nadiel?” Mercy whispers softly.
“Hm?”
“I’m…grateful that you’re still here.”
Nadiel slips his fingers into her hair and carefully tilts her head back. Her eyes are half-lidded as she looks up at him. He says nothing, however. Simply lowers his head and presses his lips against hers.
L-Lynus, it's Althea. Um. I have an embarrassing question. It's just...how do you know that, you know, you're in love? I-I mean really in love. With someone. *is nervous*
Hm?
*chuckles*
Well, let’s see. That is a question that can be both difficult to answer, yet easy to understand. I’m in love with Axel. How do I know? Well, whenever I look at him, I feel happy. A slight fluttering sensation that appears in my chest. That kind of happiness. Joy to know that he loves me, too. When I look at him, when I wake up in the morning in his arms, I feel blessed to be married to him.
I don’t hide anything from Axel. I don’t have to. And he doesn’t hide anything from me. He doesn’t have to. Nor do we ever feel the need to. We’re in this together, after all. Us against the world. We will always be there for each other.
I want to grow old with him. Where we can spend every day together. Waking up each morning, welcoming the new day, in each other’s arms. Sharing in everything we do.
If you find someone that makes you feel those feelings, make you want to dream of the future, a future that has the two of you together, where “you and I” become “we”; then you’re in true love.
No fanfic today, but I do want to ramble a bit about my pairings. I have a couple of new ones in potential, but I want to work on them for a little bit longer. These are my established pairings. I’ve talked about them quite a bit in response to prompts, so here I’ll just ramble about how they got together and what kind of relationship they have. Just rambling in general, I guess.
Thorne was the one who first made his interest know. Jonah is suffering from a curse in his eye that allows him to learn stats of monsters. Thorne didn’t know that when he first laid eyes on him. Only thought he was cute because he was smaller than the average landsknecht. And he’s cute in general.
Even after learning that Jonah is cursed, and that the one who cursed him is still out there somewhere, Thorne maintained his interest. Jonah was cute and interesting now. Thorne is protective of him, however. Not exactly possessive, but he’s the only one who can tease Jonah and make him blush ever-so cutely.
Jonah doesn’t know what to make of Thorne first, especially his blatant honesty toward him. He did find Thorne rather handsome, but figured that a guy like him would lose interest in him quickly and move on. Thorne was rather flighty, after all. But Thorne made his interest and pursuit of him known, and stuck to it regardless of Grandpa Vlad’s displeasure.
In Nexus, they’re officially in a relationship. Thorne is openly affectionate while Jonah is still more reserved. He doesn’t push Thorne away however, just blushes deeply.
Their relationship doesn’t fully form until they reach Lemuria/Nexus, and Althea is aged 18. Althea has had a crush on him for a couple of years, but always held back out of fear.
They met accidentally when Althea was in the library studying and Nairn just happened across her. Because of her being mute, she didn’t verbally respond to anything he said. Instead of feeling annoyed that she’s giving him the supposed cold shoulder, Nairn was intrigued because while she didn’t speak, she looked somewhat interested in what he was saying.
Nairn held a sense of interest in her because of her shyness and muteness. His interested turned into protectiveness after seeing a few ladies of society corner her and place the blame on her for the actions of her murderous mother. After seeing how distressed Althea was and how she couldn’t exactly talk back, he did instead. His family is of high society too, but he doesn’t care what others think.
After he learns what had happened to Althea (her mother brutally murdering her father and tried to kill her before fleeing) he vowed to help her regain her voice. And in order to do that is to make her feel safe and comfortable.
They have a very sweet relationship. Holding hands and cuddling is as far as they go, really. They’re both content just to be with each other.
Crytalena is a maid who works for Emmett and is the daughter of the maid that has worked with Emmett’s family for years. In her mind, she’s just the maid and the help. Emmett is completely out of her league, and rightly so. Emmett is considered Lagaard’s wealthiest bachelor and has a lot of marriage-minded woman and mothers looking at him. And he hates the attention. He’s only interested in Crystalena.
In order to help Emmett ward off unwanted advantages, Crystalena agreed to be his pretend girlfriend. But she believes it’s only a ruse to help Emmett. But Emmett is determined to prove to her that she’s the only woman he can ever see marrying.
Because of her upbringing, Crystalena finds it extremely difficult to believe she’s worthy for someone like Emmett. Even though they’ve crashed into bed together a few times. Had sex, basically. That causes a bit of tension between them, but Emmett is stubborn.
In Nexus, they’re engaged. Crystalena has accepted that Emmett’s love for her is the real deal and she loves him in return. She still has maid tendencies where she likes to serve others. But she knows that Emmett is dedicated to her.
Sokyu was seriously injured protecting his younger brother after a monster attacked his village. He would have died had it not been for Kendrix, who had been tracking the monster that attacked. He led Sokyu and his brother to safety, giving up the pursuit of the monster. Sokyu didn’t remember her when they reunited in Lagaard, but Kendrix recognised him immediately. And from then on Kendrix decided to be the one to protect Sokyu and help him heal from his injuries.
As Kendrix watched over Sokyu, his protectiveness morphed into that of genuine need to keep him safe. Even though Sokyu didn’t remember him, he did develop a crush on him.
After a sighting of the monster that attacked Sokyu’s village, Kendrix goes in search of it, attempting to keep Sokyu away. Sokyu tracks him down nevertheless and demands answers, actually more disappointed that Kendrix would leave him behind him. He’s surprised when he learns of their past connection.
After that, the two worked together to take on the monster and free them both of their regrets. For a short while they thought that since the monster was no longer connecting them, that they would drift apart. But they didn’t. They grew closer in fact and decided to attempt this relationship thing because they were both free now.
In Nexus, they’re in a steady and affectionate relationship. Kendrix is still protective of Sokyu though.
Kaiser (blue haired dark hunter ♂) and Kaede (blonde alchemist *male portrait* ♀)
Kaiser’s sister was murdered by her own guild and Kaede was the only witness. She was targeted by that murderous guild and took refuge in Lagaard. Kaiser happened to track her down, hoping to use her to get to the murderers. But he realised how scared she truly was and realised that the murderers aren’t someone to mess with.
So Kaiser became Kaede’s secret protector. He knew that the murderer would eventually come for her, so he reasoned with himself that he’s just keeping an eye on her until then. But Kaede was a very sweet young woman. His need for revenge for his sister grew to also keeping Kaede safe.
The murderers eventually return and Kaiser chooses to protect Kaede over his need for revenge. Staying in close quarters together soon turned to comfort and the cliched passion took over. The murderers realise that they are outnumbered in Lagaard, and the guild’s popularity outmatches any shit-stirring they could cook up. So they fled.
In Nexus, Kaede still lives in fear of the murderers returning, but she knows that Kaiser will protect her. Kaiser has vowed to stay by her side, no matter what. So they have a very endearing relationship.
Ritvik (dark skinned war magus ♂) and Elah (red banded hexer ♂)
They’ve been together for as long as they both can remember. Ritvik found Elah soon after he was turned into a Hexer and immediately took him in to care for him. Elah is very ill, suffering from a curse that affects his physically health. Ritvik is attempting to search for a way to cure Elah.
They’re in a very close relationship. Ritvik is very protective, benignly possessive of Elah. They’re both devoted to each other. Some may see it as being too dependant on each other, but they really do love and care for each other. Who wouldn’t go to hell and back for the one they love?
Duardo (older gunner ♂) and Fleuretta “Fleur” (blonde haired survivalist – classed as sovereign *male portrait* ♀)
Fleuretta is a princess on the run and in hiding. Her sister wanted her place on the throne so sent assassins to kill her. As you do. So Fleuretta went into hiding, taking her loyal guard, Duardo with her. He went willingly, of course.
Duardo considers himself Fleuretta’s bodyguard, and he can’t be anything more. He doesn’t really have “romance” or “relationships” in his vocabulary. Fleuretta, on the other hand, wants Duardo to see her as more than an obligation. She’s a very unconventional princess, so she’s the one pursuing him. Which baffles the hell out of him.
It takes Duardo some time to realise that Fleuretta is actually serious about disavowing her royal family and becoming an explorer, and having him by his side as a romantic partner.
It takes a few close calls for Duardo to realise that he can’t really see his life without Fleuretta in it. And maybe a life as an explorer for the both of them isn’t so bad.
In Nexus, they’re in a fledging relationship. Fleuretta is still very blunt in her adoration of Duardo though.
Tyvon (white haired dark hunter ♂) and Charity “Charli” (brown haired gunner *male portrait* ♀)
Tyvon is a street rat of Lagaard. Grew up on the streets and did what he could to watch over the other vulnerable street rats. Despite his class, he’s a caretaker. He tries to help other vulnerable people. But the vulnerability he sees in Charity’s eyes really catches his attention. It also helps that she’s kinda cute.
Charity came to Lagaard to hide from her sister after witnessing her brutally murder a couple of street kids, and tried to blame her for it. She was very skittish and tried to keep to herself in order to keep others safe. She couldn’t shake Tyvon, though. Especially when the two of them are found by Vlad in less than ideal conditions, and he took the two into his guild.
Their relationship started with friendship, to developing crushes on each other. After a near encounter with Charity’s sister, which put Charity in hospital, made Tyvon realise that she could be taken from his life forever and he didn’t like that.
Even after the murderous sister had been dealt with, the two continued with the Just Friends charade, even though they’ve admitted that they would like the other to stay in their life a little longer.
In Nexus, they’re beginning a fledging relationship. Taking things slowly because neither had been in a relationship before.
Garek found Skylark alone in the labyrinth as he attempted to train. He didn’t like that because being alone is dangerous, so practically drags Skylark back to town and gets him to join his guild. Nup. If Skylark wants to train on his own, to master the bow he had inherited (and which his sister is willing to kill him for) he to deal with Garek tagging along. No ifs or buts about it.
Starts off as Garek being Skylark’s bodyguard, to helping him train, to simply hanging out. And it kinda develops from there. There’s no “what are we exactly” talk. They just go with the flow.
Jamal (dark skinned imperial red hair ♂) and Oceana (brown haired fortress *male portrait* ♀)
Oceana is boyish in appearance, but the mother-figure of the entire guild. She never knew her mother and was raised by a hard-working single father. She’s a blend of toughness and gentleness. Jamal is a cynical imperial who is looking for information of his “missing” father.
Oceana is drawn to Jamal first by his looks. He’s rather hot, after all. But its his secret pains that gains her full attention. She understands what he’s going through and wants to help.
Their relationship starts out rather platonically. Jamal sees Oceana as a fellow warrior. Someone to have his back in battle. But he slowly begins to see that she’s there for him outside of battle.
Their relationship starts off as physical at first, the two just needing someone to touch and hold. They soon develop a true bond though Jamal isn’t sure what that is because he hadn’t encountered anything like it before. After Oceana nearly dies does he come to the realisation that he wants a future with her.
In Nexus they’re married, and a short while later Oceana finds herself pregnant.
Celeste is a bit of an airhead. She was raised in a small village out in the Windy Plains to become a Priestess of Nature. In order to do that, she needed to visit the labyrinths. Harlan is a simple low-level soldier for the empire. They don’t really have anything in common.
Even so, Harlan realises how naïve Celeste still is and kinda took it upon himself to ensure she doesn’t wander into danger. So he finds himself tagging along on her little wandering journeys. It’s through these journeys that they bond and develop feelings for one another, though it isn’t until they shared an unexpected kiss do they ask “What are we?”.
They still don’t know. But it’s nice, so they’ll stay together.
Rosetta is quite the character who doesn’t care for social cues. She makes her intense interest in Jake known from the moment they meet. That confuses Jake in return and since she’s rather deadpanned about it, he can’t take her seriously.
Rosetta may seem like she’s outrageous in her attempts to get with Jake, and Jake is just a hapless victim. But he has the ability to tell her to fuck off, and she knows when she’s pushed too far. She doesn’t see the point in hiding or being reserved. A part of Jake respects that. He still doesn’t know how to handle her, though. He’s not used to anyone being so openly and honesty affectionate toward him.
In Nexus, they’re in a relationship. Rosetta is still openly and outrageously affectionate. And Jake still finds himself overwhelmed at times. But they genuinely care for each other and Rosetta knows when to hold back and when to push forward.
Miguel (blond dancer ♂) and Shanti (alt purple haired dancer *male portrait* ♀)
Shanti had been raised to be ashamed of her body. She’s out of everyone’s league and she’s destined to live life alone because she’s so useless and such. To say that she’s suffering from low self-esteem is an understatement.
Miguel is outspoken in his complete adoration of Shanti. To him, she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. He’s very encouraging, both gently and outrageous. He knows when Shanti needs a pep talk, or need someone to simply sit quietly with her.
Interest at first sight which turned into a gentle friendship, to a gentle relationship. Shanti still believes that Miguel deserves better than her, but she also doesn’t want to push him away.
In Nexus, they’re officially in a relationship and Shanti is slowly allowing herself to show Miguel affection out in public.
Daniel (brown haired EO4 medic ♂) and Ryland (brown haired EO4 landsknecht ♂)
Daniel is Tharsis’ most eligible bachelor and his mother wants nothing more for him to settle down with a nice girl and start popping out grandkids. Daniel has other ideas, however. He’s interested in his medical training and to advance that, he agrees to start a guild with his friends.
Ryland is emotionally stunted and suffering from the radical abuse he had suffered as a child. He sees himself as a warrior, not a person. A punching bag with no emotions.
For Daniel, it’s interest at first sight when he meets Ryland. As a medic, he decides that it’s his duty to help Ryland to understand his emotions. He wasn’t expecting Ryland to be so adorable, though. Or so attached to him. Ryland himself is startled by how attached he is to Daniel. His sister, Rosetta, was the only person he had allowed himself to become attached to.
Their relationship turns physical rather quickly because Ryland isn’t used to using words. Action speak louder than words, and sleeping with Daniel helps him to realise how much he means to him. And how much he means to Daniel.
They have a rather unconventional relationship, but Ryland is very attached to Daniel and only sees himself doing “those types of things” (aka, sex) with no one else but Daniel. And Daniel is protective of Ryland, and will protect him no matter what.
Brody (younger white haired EO4 medic ♂) and Sonya (younger purple haired landsknecht EO4 *male portrait* ♀)
Sonya has an obvious crush on Brody and tries whatever she can to get even a moment alone with him, or do something romantic like going on picnics or dates. Brody, however, is older than he looks and he refuses to have anything to do with Sonya at first. He doesn’t encourage her crush on him. He figured that it’s a phase and she would move onto someone much more suited.
It’s not until Nexus that Brody begins to realise that Sonya is indeed quite the beautiful young woman. And she’s as determined as ever. He’s still reluctant, however. He’s a bit of an asshole. A known one. Sonya deserves better than that.
So, currently, they’re in the “they obviously care for each other” phase of their relationship.
They were friends since childhood and Neroli had dragged Lotus around on little adventures. Only her. He wants to see the world, and he wants to see it all with Lotus by his side. Lotus only wants to stay with Neroli and she wants to see him happy.
They have a very, very innocent and pure relationship.
Devlin (black haired nightseeker ♂) and Kali (white haired nightseeker *male portrait* ♀)
They were in the same cult as children, though they had different roles. Kali was selected to become the Priestess of the Moon and he was nothing more than a lowly guard who is meant to pledge his entire life to her. But something went wrong during the ritual and Kali’s hair turned white. Using the chaos to his advantage, Devlin grabs Kali and flees to Tharsis where they’ll be safe from the cult.
Kali doesn’t truly remember her attachment to Devlin, just that she trusts him with her life. Devlin has cared for Kali for years and had wanted to get the both of them out of the cult for years. He’s dedicated to Kali and makes his affection toward her known. And Kali is as dedicated to him. She doesn’t remember everything of their past together, but her heart does. And that’s all that matters.
They have a strong relationship, having only eyes for each other. During the nights of the full moon, their relationship is very sensual and physical.
Theron (earthlain portrait) and Alexis (younger dragoon ♂)
They’ve been friends for years. Theron is the son of a noble family and expected to find a wife. Alexis’ family owns a chocolatier, which he is expected to one day own, thus giving up his “silly” dream of exploring.
Alexis is a martyr, putting everyone first. He has had feelings for Theron for years but refuses to tell him in fear of ruining their friendship. And Theron deserves better, in his opinion. Theron doesn’t initially see Alexis’ crush on him. But when he does, he goes on a crusade to show Alexis that his feelings are returned.
Which is surprisingly not that easy. It takes some time for Alexis to accept the fact that handsome, rich Theron does indeed like him. He likes him a lot.
In Nexus, they’re in an official relationship. Theron is very handsy, one could say.
Zachary "Zac" (piercings Harbinger ♂) and Astara (long haired warlock *male portrait* ♀)
Astara lost her family in a terrible fire some years ago, but she’s lost a great deal of her memories from that night. Zachary is a bounty hunter who may know a little more about that night than he’s willing to reveal.
They started off as guildmates before Zac found out about Astara’s trauma, so he becomes her secret protector. First, that is out of duty. But after spending time with her, he realises that he’ll do anything to keep her safe.
To Astara, Zac was rather intimidating. But she soon learns that he’s quite the nice guy. Very smart, easy to spend time with. Protective, too. She develops a crush on him rather quickly. She doesn’t do anything about it, though as she’s still struggling with the lost of her family and her memories.
In Nexus, they’re not quite in a relationship. They’re both working through personal issues. But it’s obvious that they care for each other deeply. To others, they’re basically off the market. They just haven’t made it official yet.
Chantall comes from a high ranking council family and expected to marry well. She’s interested in exploration however. And in order to get her family off of her back, she makes up an imaginary man and tells her family that they’re dating. Well, fuck me, they want to meet this man!
Desperate, she turns to Xanthe, an unsocial warlock, for her in pretending to be her boyfriend. Amused by her plight and revelling in the possibility of fucking around with a snooty family of high society, he agrees. Much to Chantall’s shock.
A series of cliché moments between them cause them to spend time together. And they realise that the other isn’t so bad. They’re kinda nice. Cute, too.
In Nexus they’ve decided to make their pretend relationship into a real one.
Ramon (squared jaw Necromancer ♂) and Lilybeth (Fencer *male portrait* ♀)
Ramon was meant to marry a daughter of a noble family. But he decided that he would rather throw himself head first into the labyrinth than marry. Lilybeth is the sister of the betrothed and is sent to find him and drag him home. Instead, she finds herself joining him and his guild, becoming a explorer.
Ramon has made his interest in Lilybeth known practically from the beginning. Lilybeth had been her family’s human punching bag, so relationships are foreign to her. She does find herself drawn to unconventional Ramon, who is hell-bent on helping her to lighten up.
In Nexus, Lilybeth has turned her back on her abusive family and is beginning a relationship with Ramon. They’re kinda in the courtship stage, Ramon going out of his way to woo her again.
Valente is the eligible bachelor of Iroys, and he loathes the title. His family is pressuring him to get married. So he gets childhood friend, Mikazuki, to be his pretend fiancée. And in order to teach his haughty family a lesson, she agrees.
Their relationship is outrageously “affectionate” when they first begin their façade. It soon has them both seeing their steady friendship through a more romantic lens. And they soon realise that their “pretend” is becoming more natural.
In Nexus, they’re in an official relationship. Still outrageously affectionate, but sweetly so now. Especially in private.
They started off as partners working on the case of Selena’s murdered mentor. Spending long hours together, usually just the two of them, had them starting a close friendship. That soon turned into a sexual attraction, which they soon began to explore.
They fell into a natural relationship after that. They’re both very spiritual individuals, and quite mature. So they just went with the flow of things to see where it would take them.
Radhi (younger Pugilist ♂) and Jasmina (Rover *male portrait* ♀)
They both have obvious crushes on each other. But they deny them because they’re a couple of idiots who think relationships are silly and not for them. They’re also stubborn.
They do care for each other greatly however. They’re not sure how to express that, though. So often get into verbal fights, especially if they’re worried. They don’t get vicious with each other with their words though. And don’t say outright negative things about the other. When alone they weakly admit how worried they are and how relieved, and such. Like a pair of idiots.
In Nexus they’re still in the denial stage, but are slowly accepting that they have crushes on each other.
They’ve been through quite a bit; their prince’s assassination, being stranded on Lemuria before Maginia arrived, and Nadiel being hurt. But they managed to survive by working together. Mercy healed Nadiel while Nadiel kept her safe from harm.
They developed feelings for each other while they were on the lam, but they did not fully accept them, and certainly didn’t do anything about it. They were too busy trying not to get killed by assassins. Now that they’re safe with the guild, they had a few conversations about their feelings and though they felt guilty about failing their prince, they knew that their prince wanted them to be happy. And they’re happy when they’re together.
They have a very sweet and supportive relationship. Very gentle and healthy.
Tabris’ family’s name was ruined several years ago after a member claimed to have seen a monster that “should not exist”. Kaidus had his reputation at stake after the party he had been escorting was wiped out by a monster that “should not exist”.
It started off with Tabris wanting Kaidus to help restore his family’s name. But he soon found himself having to protect Kaidus from those who don’t want him to tell anyone what he had witnessed. Kaidus reluctantly turned to him because he felt guilty about not protecting those in his protection and he wants to help Tabris to restore his family’s name, even at the cost of his own.
Tabris’ protectiveness toward Kaidus soon turned into genuine affection. And Kaidus himself had never saw himself in a relationship, but there’s something nice about being protected by Tabris. And being shielded in his arms.
Currently, they’re in the Not Quite a Relationship stage, though it is obvious that they care deeply for each other.
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Christ, that took longer than I had expected. And there’s likely more of them in the future. Of course I have a lot of purely platonic “couples” but I’ll leave them for a later date.
Note: I actually did it. I wrote something. These two are becoming one of my new favourite pairings. I hadn’t originally planned them to be a pair but after seeing how well they work together, it now makes total sense. I’ll try a fic from Mercy’s POV next. Maybe. If inspiration strikes. We’ll see. Let me know what you think of this pair in any case.
Characters: Nadiel (young male shogun ♂) and Mercy (alt younger medic *male portrait* ♀).
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"We're going to need to camp overnight. Everyone cool with that?"
As the others of the party agree, either enthusiastically or with grumbling annoyance, Nadiel turns to look over toward Mercy. And finds the practical medic nodding her head also. Though she wears her calming smile and her flawless express that of peacefulness, Nadiel can see a hint of hesitation in her eyes. He wants to ask her if she is really ok with their impromptu overnight camping, but he knows what the answer will be. She will claim that she is and that there's no need to fuss over her. And certainly not to fuss over her in front of the others.
Mercy has a great aversion to causing worry or troubles for others.
Nadiel knows full well why Mercy is hesitant to camp. The last time she had spent an entire night in the labyrinth was when she and Nadiel had been separated from their prince and chased by a band of assassins ready to finish off the remaining stragglers of their prince's party. But then there was just the two of them and they had spent more than one night roughing it with primitive camping.
Nadiel himself doesn't remember much of that time to be honest. He had been too busy on high alert for any danger or menace. In the Lush Woodlands at the time, there were plenty of nasties within the thick foliage around them. That in itself had been their saving grace as well as their menace. The assassins that followed them also had to content with the raging bears that inhabit that forest. And those bears were not fond of aggressive intruders.
This time is different, though. And Mercy herself is likely to understand that and that is why she agrees to the idea.
Waterfall Woods are vastly different to Lush Woodlands. But the sentiment stays the same; they were in the labyrinth, overnight, surrounded by monsters. And possibly anything else that wishes to trek the labyrinth at night, too. And the thought of those assassins returning is always at the back of their minds. Their surroundings however is a small reminder of home, too.
A place they may or may not return to...
It doesn't matter now. Nadiel is with his sister and the sister of his prince. He is by Mercy's side, too. Mercy is safe now, with him and with their new, very large, and incredibly protective guild.
Seeing that there is no other choice, Nadiel sets about helping his party members ready themselves for a overnight stay. Find a secluded spot that does have an escape point. Space to lay down a quick campsite. Wood for a fire. Food to cook over said fire. They all move quickly so they have everything they need before night is fully upon them.
As night finally falls around them, Nadiel's gaze wanders over to Mercy once more. She is the one who takes on the role of cook for the night, her medical coat cast aside as she rolls up her sleeves. Everyone else idly paces the boundaries of their campsite. Keeping one eye on their surroundings, and the other on each other.
And as they move about, Mercy is jumping ever so slightly at each noise from the wilderness around them. Each time she tenses, she purposely relaxes her posture and seem to mutter a few words of frustration toward herself.
With her dark pink shirt, and blue trousers that sit snugly on her hips and fits perfectly against her legs, Mercy has always valued practicality over style. Her hair long enough to be placed in a small ponytail and out of her eyes. She carries only the essentials in her blue medical bag. She is calm, practical, and resourceful. And keeps many of her concerns to herself.
Her greatest fear is to be a burden. Someone who is in the way and causes trouble for others. She never wants to be the one responsible for the pain of another.
That is why she's reluctant to admit how nervous she really is. But Nadiel can tell. And he's fairly certain that the others of their party can tell as well. Thankfully they do not say anything. They know she would deny it and try harder to keep her unease hidden.
Nadiel walks over to her, purposely loudly so not to frighten her. Mercy looks up from what she's doing to give her one of her sweet little smiles. He can tell that there is a hint of gratitude to her smile however.
"Food is almost ready," Mercy says.
"Are you all right?" Nadiel asks instead.
Mercy pauses in her cooking for a short while before a short sigh passes her lips. And surprisingly she decides to be honest with him. "I'm...as fine as I can be, I suppose. I've been camping overnight in a labyrinth before. Just not after..."
Not after they were stranded and then hunted by assassins for five days and nights straight.
"This is different, though," she continues, more so attempting to reassure herself. "We have an Ariadne Thread and we have companions."
And they have companions waiting for them back in Maginia. Should they be any longer than two days, they will come looking for them. His sister, Opal, likely to be at the forefront of that search party.
"And you're not injured now...because of me."
Nadiel utters a sigh. He had received multiple injuries while attempting to protect his prince before being forced to go on the run with Mercy. The gentle medic blamed herself for many of his injuries. Less than half of the injuries Nadiel had sustain during that first battle against the assassins occurred while he tried to protect His Highness. The others were from when he tried and succeeded for the most part to protect Mercy.
Their nights lost within the Lush Woodlands were significantly harder on Mercy. She is not an offensive fighter. But she had to take on the role of strategist and survivalist as they laid low and hid from those assassins. Nadiel's only goal was to keep her safe, uncaring of his injuries. Her goal was to keep him alive with the bare essentials that she had to do so.
Nadiel abruptly closes the distance between him and Mercy and pulls the pink-haired medic into a hug. When he feels her tremble softly, he holds her tightly as he leans down and rests his head on her shoulder. He whispers into her ear all the things that wasn't her fault during that time. How he was alive because of her. How he had reunited with his sister because of her. How he got through that dark time because of her.
Mercy wraps her arms around him in return and just nods her head quietly. Her grip on him tightens every once in a while, as if she's attempting to reassure herself that what he's saying is true.
He'll tell her as many times as she needs to hear it, until she believes it.
"Hey, Love-birds; food ready?"
Nadiel reluctantly pulls away from Mercy to shoot a glare in their guildmate's direction. He can easily see that they were busy.
Mercy flushes lightly as she takes a half step back. "Ah, yes. Food's ready. Sorry for the wait."
She gives Nadiel one of her sweet little smiles once again as she hands him a plate of food.
Nadiel retrieves his food and moves to take a seat on the grass as Mercy hands out food to everyone else. After she's done, she takes her own plate and sits down on the grass right next to him. Staying as close as possible. Now, with everyone sitting down, chatting idly and laughing, it helps lighten Mercy's silent unease further.
With Sinclair launching into one of his long-winded stories, Nadiel slips off his coat and drapes it around Mercy's shoulders. Again, she gives him one of her sweet little smiles. As the night darkens, Mercy snuggles closer to Nadiel, seeking both warm and comfort from him. He wraps an arm around her shoulders as she leans her head against his.
The bright fire, the carefree chatter, the knowledge that they could leave any time they wish was reassuring. Comforting in a way.
That time they had spent running for their lives was over. And it won't happen again.
Mercy tilts her head back to place a sudden kiss to Nadiel's cheek. As he turns to look at her, she gazes at him softly. "As long as I'm with you I'm safe."
Nadiel tightens his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to him, and allowing him to kiss her softly but deeply. She melts in his arms and he has to remind himself that they have others present, even though they were currently amused by Sinclair's wild tale.
Yes, she was safe. And he will do whatever it takes to ensure that she stays safe.
