7. INSOMNIA : for one muse to find the other still awake at 3am.
It was late in the night, and definitely not planned for. Time had escaped him during a scheduled inventory sweep of a recent shipment; due to an injury caused by a worker of his, failing to follow safety protocols, the anticipated time ended up taking longer. Luckily, instead of it escalating any further than needed, Silvio was able to talk the guy into his silence and sent for a physician to check on his injuries which ended up not being life-threatening. He heaved a big sigh, brushing his hands together at a job well done, everything accounted for and a bullet dodged all in one night — all he wanted more than anything now, was just to lay up with the woman he loved and hadn't seen since early morning.
As the days grow by of finally accepting his feelings, you filtered through his mind more often than before, always wanting to spend every waking minute with you and as much as he love nothing more than that, he had responsibilities that needed tending to that he trusted no one else to perform than himself. Giving the dazzling sea of stars a glance over, he strode back towards an already called upon carriage to head back to his home of a palace. A home he shared with you.
Once arriving back, you've made him hyper aware of how his steps carry through the halls and the sounds of his jewelry echo with each step, so in times he comes home late like this, he tries to be sufficient at lessening those sounds; partially because surprising you was a fun endeavor as well, getting to see the sudden smile breach your features made his long day worthwhile.
Some nights, it was hard to really give a certain time of when he'd be back home, so you'd often stay up, awaiting for him to enter the doors to your shared room, curled up warm by the candlelight with a new book in hand and the moon's caress shining from the windows onto your body. He could already picture the beauty of the sight now— his ethereal, bookworm looking goddess. The sight was even more pleasing when you didn't hear him coming.
So when he approached the doors, he went to open them quietly. However, to his surprise, the butterfly feeling in his stomach twisted to a gut wrenching one when he didn't see you in bed, in the bathroom, or on the balcony. Anxiety and panic suddenly flooded his rational thinking, leading his thoughts into multiple directions: did you finally get tired of him, were you hurt somewhere alone or had a kidnapper come to use you for ransom? He had to shake his head and pinch the bridge of his nose.
Stop being pathetic and think. She wouldn't just vanish on ya even if she was tired of you. She'd give me a piece of her mind before that. There's no way in hell she's hurt, I have the best people to watch over and treat her in a worst case scenario. And if someone had the brain the size of Glumskull's, they'd leave a ransom note at least and I don't see shit anywhere. Think; where else could she be this late at night?
And that's when it hit him.
He didn't leave any more time to think and acted, making quick work leaving the room and heading down the hall with a mission in mind, not paying any mind to his footsteps and the jingle of his necklaces. He just hoped he learned you enough and his intuition was correct.
Once pushing the door open, he hadn't realized his heart had been racing as the minutes passed but it finally relaxed and fell to a soft rhythm again once his eyes reached your form in the corner of the library, curled up by a single light of a candle with your nose in a book. It must be a good read because you didn't even notice him enter the room, your eyes probably adapted to only the area around you. It was a little chilly tonight, why weren't you wearing anything more to warm yourself?
He mentally clicked his tongue, immediately moving to undo his cloak as he approached you, wrapping it around your shoulders. You jumped at the sudden presence of another person, finally relinquishing your gaze from your novel to look up at the man you'd been awaiting for his return. He could tell from the look in your eye that sleep was teetering at the seems and you had been trying hard to fight it back.
"Why didn't ya bring a blanket? Are you tryin' to get sick? How come you came to the library? The bed's more comfortable and warm than this cold room."
You rubbed at your eye and allowed a yawn to escape your lips. He couldn't help but smile at how adorable you were being.
"The bed was lonely without you. I was just trying to pass the time until you came home, I didn't want to go to sleep without you."
Ah, damn it. A blush crept to his cheeks upon hearing your honest words. It was crazy how bad you were for his heart. Without a second more, he scoops you from the ground and into his arms which you gladly allow him to do, finding yourself comfortable in his embrace. You breathed in a deep whiff of his scent before adjusting deeper into his arms. "Mmm.. I missed you."
How can you still say such embarrassing things? You say them even more when you're on the verge of sleep too. He hopes you know that one day, you were going to be the death of him. He couldn't help his smile. You were like a vulnerable child in his arms; so honest and innocent. He leaned in, leaving a loving kiss to your forehead that lingered a few seconds long before speaking once more.
"Ha, I missed you too, silly. C'mon, sweetheart, let's go to bed."
perhaps this Kiro/MC touch-starved snippet? 👀 thank you c:
“Hey…” Kiro murmured as delicately as only he knew how and gently wrapped his arm around MC. She went pliantly—so willingly, in fact, that he had to wonder if there was any strength left in her body. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”
He stroked her back over the blanket, only pausing when she froze and tensed against his shoulder.
“Don’t stop?” she asked, barely above a whisper, voice fragile and higher-pitched than normally. And so he continued.
Summary: With the first droplets of the first downpour of spring comes Leonardo’s first request. It had been hanging in the air since they had first crossed the other’s mind unprompted, he simply needed to be reminded of one thing - she would be his, he only had to ask.
Warnings: SFW with veryyyy mild spice. I’m talking Nando’s lemon and herb spice. Nothing graphic here just...the beginnings I suppose HAHAH.
Notes: I know I cut it fine hahah but here is my gift for @aquagirl1978 as part of @ikemenlibrary ‘s gift exchange!! I absolutely loved the prompt and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring a ~spicier~ side for the first time! I hope you enjoy it!! :) and thank you Bryn for all your hard work in setting up this exchange. I know how much effort you’ve put into this and it’s been such a wonderful experience. Thank you thank you <33
***
“When was the last time you saw her?”
The departing sun had spilled orange onto the sky when the men of the household started to gather in the dining room. Comte had been spending the past hour asking around the residents for her whereabouts, knocking on door after door. Yet, nobody could give him an answer. It was only when he asked Sebastian, as he was preparing dinner alone, did a foreign kind of panic start to settle in his bones.
“She was rather pale this morning so I gave her the day off. She said around noon that she was going out for some fresh air, but I haven’t seen her since.” He admitted, voice steady but fingers fiddling with the buttons of his jacket.
“That girl, she sure does know how to sneak away. Not that I’m unfamiliar with that kind,” he said, thinking back to his oldest friend who also had a habit of being rather slippery.
As if on cue, the heavy doors of the dining room creaked open, as Leonardo waltzed in with an apple in hand and his features breaking out into a yawn.
“Have a cup of tea, le Comte. I could feel your panic from down the hall,” he croaked, taking a bite of his apple.
Comte decided to ignore his friend’s jest, opting to focus on the matter at hand. “Well excuse me for being concerned about my guests.” A thought. “You haven’t sent her on another one of your silly tasks have you?”
Leonardo chuckled, “Scusa, but this was not my doing this time. She’s a grown woman, I remind you. Who spends her days cleaning after and attending to a mansion of old men, no less. Can’t blame the girl for wanting some time for herself without having to tell daddy Comte where she’s going or what time she’ll be home.”
There was a hint of guilt behind the eyes of the men in front of him, but concern also lingered. They knew he was right, but she was still everyone’s best girl. It was still dangerous out there, they were still worried.
“However,” Leonardo said with another crunch of his apple, “it is nearly dark and she shouldn’t walk back alone. I’ll go get her.”
Comte laughed, though it was nearly a scoff, “Do you really think you’re going to be able to search the whole of Paris before the sun sets?”
“Nah,” Leonardo smirked, chucking the unfinished fruit to his friend as he made his way to the door, “I know where she’ll be.”
***
And that he did.
He found her by the lake, like she always was whenever she got like this. Leonardo knew she was happy staying at the mansion, and he knew that’s where her heart wanted to be. But he also knew the weight and ache of missing somewhere you can never return, of knowing you are happy where you are but guiltily missing where you were regardless. She never wanted the others to doubt her happiness, because she didn’t doubt it, she just needed her time every now and then to mourn the before.
Leonardo leant against a tree, arms crossed and head tilted as he watched her expression. Facing the sun, the warm glow bathed her face as she kept her eyes closed, allowing her skin to absorb the light and heat. Her hair ever so slightly danced in the breeze, hesitant but no doubtedly swaying. Soon enough he saw her eyes slowly crack open, her lungs deeply filling with the new air of spring before letting it go, irises roaming over the gentle ripples. She blinked once, then twice, and then she stood.
Leonardo finally stood straight, “All done, cara mia?”
He swore the smile she showed him from over her shoulder made his ancient heart throb. It was a smile of safety, of comfort. If he didn’t know any better, of love.
She began to make her way to him, “You should be careful about sneaking up on girls like that. You might just lose a few teeth.”
He chuckled warmly, “You say that like I make a hobby of watching over lone women.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.”
“You should be,” he spoke lowly, only an arms length away from her now, “I don’t have an interest in other women. Only a concern for you.”
The tension had been palpable between the two of them since she first arrived at the mansion that one night. There had been a shift - a turning point - when he woke up with her in his arms outside le Comte’s office. That had been the first time his eyes met hers, and he knew that something was beginning. He didn’t know what exactly, but he knew she was going to bring something into the mansion and into his life, making his world change its course.
Over the months, Leonardo began to understand. He had only ever intended to help her, to make sure she felt safe and supported before she left. She had been frantic, panicked, like an injured bird in a cage of lions. A child. Eventually she settled, and with that came a softness he’d never seen from her. She still teased and poked and laughed without restraint, but now he caught her occasionally in the depth of the garden, on the edge of the balcony, with an expression of ease and contentment. Of wisdom. A woman.
Leonardo believed that was when he started to fall. Or at the very least, when he was past the point of recovery.
She looked at him now, lips easily curving into a smile as her eyes roamed over him before shyly moving to the ground between them.
He held out an arm for her, “Come on you, before le Comte rips all his hair out. I know a shortcut.”
She took it, a flash of amusement in her eyes as her arm curled around his bicep, “It’s funny how your shortcuts always take longer than the normal path.”
“Story of my life, cara mia,” he said, and she didn’t miss the hint of sadness in his tone, “but the normal path becomes boring when you’ve walked it so many times. And besides, I can’t help but want you to myself for a little longer.”
He caught the light blush of her cheeks, but that didn’t hold back her next statement.
“You can have that whenever you so desire. You only need to ask.”
***
They couldn’t have been more than five minutes into their journey home when they felt the first droplets of rain hit their skin. Before she even had a chance to fully acknowledge it, Leonardo was shrugging off his coat and resting it on her shoulders.
“Here we are again, cara mia. This is becoming a little tradition of ours, heh.”
He grabbed her hand as the rain started to come down in full force, leading her through the empty field until they came across a lone oak tree, seeking shelter from the onpour.
And it was in the scarce light of dusk that she got to have another good look at him. She had tried to keep her desire to look restricted to mere glances in passing, but she always longed for longer. Now she could examine the creases by his eyes, the beginnings of stubble along his jaw, the slight bump in his nose. She could follow the tracks of raindrops from the points of his soaked hair to his cheekbone to his chin. She could see the twinkle in his eye as they met hers, catching her in her observations.
“What? Got something on my face?” he said with amusement, feigning coyness as his hands reached up to touch his cheek.
She enjoyed his teasing, but she wasn’t in the mood to joke anymore. “No, I just like to look at you.”
His smile dropped ever so slightly with his arm, searching for something in her expression. She held her ground, not shying away from his examination. Nor from his step towards her.
“Careful, cara. I might get the wrong idea.”
“I don’t think a genius like you could get this wrong.”
“I think you’re overestimating me.”
“And I think you’re underestimating me.”
It was her turn, her play, and she took a step towards him. Now toe-to-toe, eye-to-eye, she willed him to remember.
You only need to ask.
And there it was, the silent request. She saw it in his tensed jaw and in the slight parting of his lips - the flicker of his eyes to her mouth.
May I?
She leant forward - her answer.
Please.
With a hand cupping her face and one curving around her waist, Leonardo tilted her head before capturing her lips with his own.
He had lived many years, seen many things, felt many emotions, but somehow after all this time she still managed to teach him something new. In the simple action of moving her lips against his, in wrapping her arms around his neck, she taught him the true beauty of being alive.
His grip on her waist tightened when she sighed into his mouth, leaning on her tip-toes to get closer, to taste him more. She felt a droplet fall from his eyebrow onto her cheek as she filled her hands with his damp hair, an action that was gratefully received with another squeeze of her hips. Months of longing and desire poured into this one exchange, and both parties found it completely, utterly addictive.
Leonardo pulled away first, just to get a good look at her. Lips swollen and pupils blown, but her expression was as gentle as before. The way she looked at him never changed even after they had crossed this line in their companionship, telling him all he needed to know.
She had fallen too.
He leant his forehead against hers, both catching their breaths as the rain continued to soak them to the bone. Not that either of them minded, nor particularly noticed. Leonardo caressed her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb, leaning in to steal another peck from her lips. “You don’t know what you do to me, cara mia.”
He felt the brush of her lips against his as she smiled. He could see each individual droplet on her eyelashes from this distance, yet it still didn’t feel like enough. He was restless, desperate in the palm of her hand before she leant up to his ear, those same eyelashes tickling his lobe.
“Well, I’d like to.”
***
They made it back to the mansion shortly after the rain had stopped, much to le Comte’s silent concern masked as irritation. After a good scolding and accepting the blankets from a frantic Sebastian, they ascended the grand staircase of the mansion, hyper aware of every heavy step against the wood.
Leonardo walked her to her room, fully intending to bid her goodnight and be on his way. He wouldn’t push his luck, and he was still reeling from their shared kiss in the rain. He would give her space.
But when she caught his hand as he turned away, he couldn’t deny her. He didn’t want to deny her. Denying her would also be denying himself.
He followed her into the darkness of her room, only lit by the moon high in the indigo sky.
There was a thick silence in the air as they simply absorbed each other’s presence. It was like they were dancing, but completely still. Abstractly in sync, this pair, as if they hadn’t known anything other than this. She noticed the twitch of his fingertips, he noticed the catch of her breath. Somebody was going to have to give in.
Leonardo couldn’t stand it any longer. He stopped right in front of her, barely a breath between them, tugging at her soaked blouse, “You’re gonna get sick if you stay like this.” He wasn’t teasing.
A shiver ran up her spine. Not because of the cold. “You think you can help me out with that?”
His lips were already trailing her collar bone and along the base of her throat, leaving open mouth kisses just below her ear as she started unbuttoning his also drenched shirt, “Yeah, I think I can.”
His shirt was peeled off him when he left his first mark upon her skin, her sigh sending goosebumps along his arms. With her fingertips tracing over the contours of his torso, feather light over scars from time forgotten, he snuck his hand under blouse and tugged her closer to him by her waist. Flush against each other, like they had been carved from the same stone.
He stopped his administration on her neck to catch her gaze, asking one more time. Just to be sure.
May I?
Please.
***
I hope this is what you were hoping for, Aqua!! Lemme know if there’s any edits/things you’d like me to add, it’s your gift after all I want you to be content with it :) thank you for reading!!🌻
A/N: This is my gift for @violettduchess for @ikemenlibrary's gift exchange! I haven't been much into the fandom anymore and I apologize for that! But thank you Bryn for hosting such a fun exchange that I got to be a part of and even though I haven't written Silvio in a while, I hope this turned out okay! ❤️
You didn't expect a man on the streets of Rhodolite to pay you any mind, let alone a whole prince from another country. Now, he's offering you what he considers a “once in a lifetime” deal to be in a fake relationship with him. The circumstances were that his father was getting sick of him and needed him to find a suitable wife and produce an heir, but the woman chosen was… not at all his type. Just the same kind of woman he'd toy around with for fun and that was it. Definitely not one he'd even consider himself marrying!
“Look, we both get somethin’ out of this. Ya get my old man off my back and you get a chance to be with me.”
By his logic, it seemed only he was benefiting from this. But even through his brash behavior, you couldn't help having a massive crush on him for the longest time now, completely enamored by the man portrayed in his books about his adventures.
You both sat as a cozy little tea/diner place in Rhodolite for him to unleash his idea on you, stealing you away from both Rio and the other princes to try and convince you of this crazy scheme of his. And, you'd hate to admit it, but after sipping the delicious tea the establishment had to offer, you gave him a smile. "Sure, I can do that for you.”
The look on his face was priceless. He expected a smart comment, a sneer, your usual back talk but ... you actually agreed? If only you could take a picture to frame and hang it on your wall, you'd hate to forget the expression of complete dumbfoundedness.
" ... What's the catch? Why'd you go and just agree so easily? That's not like ya.”
Of course, he'd be confused. But you couldn't help the easy, amused chuckle that escaped, his face reddening in embarrassment. It's cute that he thought he had you pegged.
"Simple! I choose all we do today and you have to comply! Easy enough, right?" He'd shoot an uneasy glare your way but forfeit any argument. Time was of the essence and he didn't have time to try and find another noblewoman to take your place.
The day started in the gardens; the sweet floura wafted the surrounding air with its springtime presence, the sun beaming down on them like a warm hug to welcome them. They sat quietly on a bench as the breeze tickled their hair, swaying in a dance upon the wind. Some flower petals were spared from their buds to drift silently past. The simpleness helped relax your mind as you lul your eyes closed to absorb it all in. Silvio laid casually with his arm behind the bench behind you, not truly understanding the silent take of the beginning of the date but couldn't help himself to stare at you and your beauty as you sat picturesque amongst the scene before him.
That's when ... you first started to catch his eye. Granted, he's always had an eye on you from afar. From the way you held yourself to how you spoke to other people, always baring your heart on your sleeve for the world to see. How could you be so brazen and careless to show your weakest point? He didn't understand it. But, it piqued his curiosity about you. His sea ridden glaze stayed on you for the longest ... until your eyes fluttered open did he make sure his stare turned away.
Your smile was brighter than the sun on the coldest days. The nervous chuckle you expressed was like the melody to his favorite song. Your touch upon his hand to lead him away to your next location sent shivers of goosebumps along his skin and your eyes, those hinted of warm chocolate ravaged his heart unhealthy.
What ... exactly was this feeling? What was wrong with him? For now, he bottled it down.
You tugged him along to the vendor stands in town, elated to show him every little incentive Rhodolite had to offer from their foods down to the littlest of trinkets. He ... smiled at your childlike excitement for your hometown and all it had to offer. Once the distraction was over, you turned to him and noticed that handsome smile and thought, "why doesn't he smile like that more?”
Surprisingly, he held your gaze for but a moment with that smile before he realized what he'd been doing, quickly turning away with a tint of red dusted on his cheeks. He brushed the expression off to claim some excuse but you didn't mind at all. It ... seemed like he was enjoying himself.
As the day trinkled to sunset and the sky had painted itself into hues of pink and orange, the last spot you had in mind was to get into a small boat and relax on the waters; on some occasions, Rhodolite would shoot fireworks at night during some celebrations and luckily, they were going off tonight. You thought it would be a perfect end to an adventurous day.
He didn't deny the idea and continued to observe you quietly through your energetic rambles and explanations, finding himself more relaxed with you and a smile always tugging at the edge of his lips. It was then he knew as the sparkle in your eyes looked to him once more, something he'd been keeping in his heart and denying a possibility of happening, that he had ... feelings or even, love for you.
Eyes stared at one another in silence as the moments passed, neither of you daring to look away. You both felt it, huh? That warm feeling in your stomachs as your hearts raced. Silvio went on a whim and reacted. His hand carefully reached to cup your face with both of his hands, looking again into your eyes for approval before he swallowed his pride and leaned in, allowing his lips to collide with yours.
In that moment, the sounds and colors of fireworks sketched themselves across the skies, falling like fireflies around you. The kiss lasted like a lifetime, like hearts had mended into one. No words were exchanged, lips never parted and hearts never stopped racing. That's when he knew, without a doubt.
I call this "Licht not giving a single shit", part of a series 😌 yes I am still on my meme shenanigans
3. Least favourite things to draw?
can I just say drawing in general? hmmm probably the dreaded ✨hands✨ sometimes they turn out great sometimes they look like questionable breakfast sausages. I love hands, but they're my worst enemy to draw
10. What's that one thing that inspired you to make drawing your consistant hobby?
I just loved drawing so it's what I'd do to pass the time, then when I got involved in otome games and servers, I was drawing my ocs for those games, and recently (and cause of a certain gift exchange), I've really gotten the urge to consistently draw for the ikemen games again. I've got 9 wips and counting currently that's keeping me drawing consistently 😂😂
almost 200? how do you not have way more?! the way you depict your love for Silvio is something so noteworthy that you should be the top most followed Silvio blog 😉
I WISH MAN, but thank you for the love beautiful 🥹 I will continue to love Silvio and share my love for him
