Tags: Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Grand Romantic Gestures, Slight Angst
“Can I look now?” Spectre asked, embarrassed. “Please?”
He had Ryoken’s hands clambered over his eyes, holding his head. Together, they awkwardly side shuffled from the top of the hallway to the bottom of the hallway.
“No, not yet, give me a second.” Ryoken replied.
Ryoken leaned away from Spectre whilst keeping his hands on Spectre’s face. He carefully toed the door open from its previously ajar position that he had had the fortuitous foresight to leave it in before going to fetch Spectre for this surprise. This surprise that he was very, very excited for and Spectre could feel said excitement in the slats of Ryoken’s fingers over his eyes. They twitched; he could practically feel Ryoken beside him beam with grandeur.
“Okay, let’s keep going,” Ryoken said, “just a little bit further.”
“Alright, alright.” Spectre mumbled.
They shuffled over the threshold and through the door. Already Spectre could feel a change in his surroundings, just by taking a few - more difficult than they had to be - steps. His nose crinkled. The smell of the air inside this room that Ryoken had wanted to show him was different to the air of the corridor. It was recycled, stagnant, in contrast to that previous, norm of what air was like, it was was fresh and crisp. Delicious. More importantly, straight away, it reminded Spectre of something precious.
Home. It reminded him of home.
Just as Spectre’s hackles began to rise, his excitement beginning to match Ryoken’s, Ryoken took his hands away from Spectre’s face.
“Tada.” Ryoken chimed in as he unveiled this room to Spectre. “Do you like it?”
Spectre was flabbergasted for words. His heart raced as he soaked in all of this room. It was in its beginnings but he could see the might and virtue that it would grow into, it was like an indoor forest and one day, it would be. With his care and stewardship, no doubt.
He could not believe his eyes which began to water. Everything was perfect, as he would like. Sapling trees barely taller than him stood in retained garden walls, various groundcover blossoms and mosses shyly flowered, perhaps earlier than their season. The lights overhead were synthetic but they felt like sunshine - and peeking through what would one day be an unseeable ceiling, was a huge sky-light so there could be actual sunshine here, as well. Sprinklers attached to the ceiling and lines of copper irrigation down below.
Spectre absorbed it all and he turned his head to Ryoken as he had his emphatic reply, “I love it.”
“I’m glad.” Ryoken replied, eager to boast but tempering himself out of respect to the budding emotions that Spectre was going through. “But it gets better.”
His hand dipped down to behind Spectre’s back, and he urged him closer to one of the ornate planter boxes. To look closer and Spectre gasped. He recognised those flowers. The way their colours were scattered across their petals and the way their veins moved through their leaves. He looked up, towards, another set and they too, were memorable to me.
He looked back to Ryoken, manic, “How?” Spectre demanded, his hand shooting up to hide his mouth, entirely over the moon in both his gesture and expression.
“It cost a lot and not everything could be saved, otherwise the resale value of the mansion would tank, but I had some professional landscapers try to rehome as many of your plants from the garden and the greenhouse as possible.” Ryoken said. “I hope you like it.”
Spectre smiled, “Thank you. Truly, Ryoken-sama, thank you.” His lips quivered and there was a question to follow.
One that Ryoken predicted.
That humble to the point of self deprecation question, just a mere two words.
But why?
He was Spectre. Weak, snivelling, cowardly Spectre. Loyal, sure, but it seemed to pale in comparison to how else he was, how he was perceived by the world. He had failed to protect Aso, if only he had complied but when his family was in danger, even Spectre acted out of character and he still held those wounds in his mind, inflicted upon him by the Dark Ignis. They lingered. They left him asking those two words inwardly but not outwardly as Ryoken spoke gently in reply to a question Spectre never voiced.
“I know you were not enthused about leaving the mansion to live on the sea full-time but I want you to be considered and comfortable here. I thought having you leave behind what you had grown at the mansion might be a bit too much so here you go.” Ryoken answered, his voice gentle and Spectre’s gratitude glowed off him. Ryoken swallowed and continued. “I know we both have different recollection of the mansion. To you, it was like a fairy tale castle, finally, a place to belong.”
“Correct. All thanks to you.” Spectre commented, appreciative, in a small voice. A tiny smile tugged at his lips as he allowed Ryoken to continue - and to have an opinion contrary to his coloured in roses.
“But to me…. It’ll always be the place my Father ruled with an iron fist, and died in. So I wanted to get away. Thank you for getting away with me though.” Ryoken said, a tear dribbling down his face.
“Thank you for having me” Spectre replied and he reached out, he took Ryoken’s hand and held it for a moment.
“No, seriously, thank you for being with me.” Ryoken affirmed. “You gave that mansion more meaning and value to me than you’ll ever know. Yeah, sure, the garden you managed gave it monetary value but you being there, enjoying yourself, that means more to me than any cent of money could be worth.” Ryoken half-smiled at that cue. “Though, all the money I used to make this for you, absolutely worth it. And look,” he pointed to the far window which was uncharacteristically bay style for a boat, “a little reading nook, for if you ever need to get away.”
“Well, I hope you join me there then, just now and again, perhaps.” Spectre said and Ryoken tugged him along, suddenly both were giddy despite the now passed downcast moment.
“And look, you have a vegetable patch, and some fruit trees, and-”
Spectre laughed as Ryoken kept going. Just so childlike in how much he wanted to please and show off this extravagant gift to him. They all but raced around the room, Ryoken presenting all the craft that his hired contractors had gone into turning what was meant to be a ballroom into the grandest garden imaginable for his beloved Spectre.
And when they made it back to the front of the room, to the door which led out to what was, Spectre had almost forgotten, a pristine cruise liner, he felt content. As did Ryoken.
“Thank you,” Spectre said, “for this wonderful gift. I promise to take care of it.” He leaned in for a kiss.
“I know you will.” Ryoken replied as he met Spectre’s lips with a kiss which tasted of all his sweet gratitude.
Ford Foundation Headquarters, NYC Architects: Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo Landscape Architect: Dan Kiley Designed 1981 The Ford Foundation is unusual for Manhattan in that it occupies fewer square feet than the site allows. Rather than designing a shorter building to cover the entire site but break the existing skyline, the architects took advantage of the excess space. The offices occupy only a portion of the site, with the remainder devoted to an interior garden within a greenhouse-like atrium. The flourishing vegetation and generous space provide a focal point for the workers and an interface between the Foundation and the city.
I was growing a bunch of little plants under a grow-light display at work, but we had to move the display so I got to take them all home :3 each plant in the box has a story and all of them were grown from clippings or saved from the compost <3
