Julian devorak headcanons! general and slight nsfw
!: fluff, sub julian, bit of everything tbh, I was watching a film while I wrote most of this so it might read odd.
-very much loves the type of cuddling where his lanky limbs get all tangled in yours. he adores physical touch but when it comes to cuddling (like when he sits, or stands, or sleeps) he can't really find a comfortable position and lays in the strangest positions
writes you letters often (in his crummy doctor handwriting too!) even if the two of you live together or see eachother every single day, he'll still take the time to write out long notes or give you letters along with any gifts he gives you. draws little crows and hearts along the sides of said letters
he's about as good at being sweet with you as he is at getting himself in trouble (that is, it comes naturally to him) He's also really quite good with kids in the most endearing way
if you were to kiss his nose he would find it really sweet and cute
very much the type to like casual dominance. this would be you telling him what do do or just making small choices in his life, due to all his work stress (and, lets be real, depression) he finds it soothing to just shut off his brain for a bit and to have someone he trusts enough with that.
he can play more instruments than the violin, but often forgets that he can or somehow loses said instruments (bets, pawning them, getting drunk and using them to pay for something) despite this, he can probably play the harmonica shockingly well, knows a bit of piano and like, two songs on the guitar.
very drawn to physical touch, especially when worried or stressed he finds that it soothes him. even small things like holding his hand or a gentle hand on his shoulder would ease his tension in seconds. If you're not really one for physical touch, he would find alternate ways to be closer to you or lighten things. this would be by cracking jokes or telling outlandish stories or holding something on you -- tugging on your sleeve, holding onto a bag if you carry one. I think he sort of melds to the world around him and just adjusts himself to you
he's extremely attracted to the magical aspects of you: you using magic, walking through the magical realms with you, he's impressed even just by you giving him a tarot reading. it's namely the idea of his lover being powerful and talented that lures him in.
would find it so sweet if you traced patterns along the tattoo on his hand, he has very cold hands, they're just naturally like that. Cold to the touch, like running your fingers along the walls of the dungeons
He would totally offer to take you to one of his plays at the community theatre as a date and would run to you in the audience once the curtain dropped and the play ended
would occasionally bring you gifts from the seas or trinkets from his time as a pirate or foreign coins that you probably can't use at all.
If you decide to teach him magic, he would learn mainly healing magic and protection spells and would likely become quite proficient at both
He would really enjoy carrying his partner, mainly bridal style. Even if you happened to be taller than him he would still try his absolute best to sweep you up in his arms, especially if you're sick or in pain and he wanted to ease it in some way
before the two of you really make it official, you find him breaking into your shop or drunk at your doorstep a good handful of times (this has probably happened to Asra as well)
-the most sensitive parts of his body are his waist, his back and his inner thighs. literally just touching him there, even just a light caress would drive him crazy.
tbh this isn't a headcanon that I've seen much but imo he's very much a voyeur, especially if he's tied up or bound while watching you
-the type to love getting hickies all down his neck and his collar and his chest. undressing him starting with the weird buttons on his medical uniform, tracing light touches up his neck and down his chest would leave him breathless and longing for more.
probably less confident about it than his other myriad of kinks but he not so secretly has a thing for blood. as in he would swoon over mc if they were a vampire, encouraging them to feed off of him. or maybe get turned on by you tending to or licking a cut of his, squirming underneath you with want, even if the injury was a small one.
would probably adore letting you wash his hair or just run your fingers through it for a while. He isn't at all used to someone else taking care of him so it would soothe him so much that he nearly falls asleep under your touch
A/n - given that Julian’s birthday was earlier this week, I wanted to write some headcanons for him
He will be all down for any romantic gesture you pull
Breakfast in bed for him? Yes! Surprising him at the clinic with gift(s)? ABSOLUTELY
Julian lives for all the attention you’re giving him, taking in all your adoration
If he’s able to spend the day with you, it’s a whole day out in Vesuvia. Picnics, long walks, getting together with Mazelinka and Portia, kiss(es) as it’s sunset
Tons of cuddles the entire day!!
Maybe even some alone time together at the Rowdy Raven
Gift wise, Julian likes when it’s something near and dear to him, a more personalized gift from you speaks volumes to him
Julian comes home with a stab wound. Lucky for him, he has a lover who knows how to work a needle, and how to make his heart flutter
Notes: GN reader
Warnings: None (I think) Blood is mentioned like once
Julian stumbled through the door for the first time that day, and his lover peeked around the corner before he could even say anything.
"Julian!" They rushed to his side, spotting the blood seeping through his shirt. Their arm hooked around his shoulders, and they started to hold him up. "What happened?"
"Long story," he hissed in pain.
"Come on, love. I'll get you patched up." The two of them settled on the couch, and (Y/N) left to get some medical supplies. They came back with a hand towel, some gauze and bandages, something in a bottle Julian usually used to clean wounds, and surprisingly, a needle and thread. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, kinda," Julian muttered, sitting stiffly. He groaned quietly in pain and leaned back as (Y/N) lifted his shirt to see the wound.
"That looks bad," They said quietly.
"It could be worse."
"You could be dead."
Julian laughed shortly. "Yeah, I guess," he said, and then winced in pain.
"Is this one of yours?"
"Hm?" Julian lifted his head.
"One of your wounds. Or is it someone else's again?" (Y/N) started mopping up the blood.
"One of mine. Took a sword strike from a guard." (Y/N) only nodded and wiped up the rest of the blood, and poured some of the stuff in the bottle onto the cut. Julian hissed in pain, and (Y/N) gently stroked his hair.
"Hey, I got this," they said. "It's gonna be okay."
"You stole my line," Julian laughed to himself, but winced again. "Mmh, that stings."
"This looks deep. I'd probably have to stitch it up."
"Glad to see my lessons are coming into clutch, huh?"
"Yeah." (Y/N) threaded the surgical thread through the needle. "Hold still, okay?"
"You don't need to tell me twice," Julian smiled as (Y/N) pulled his bloody shirt over his head. "Heaven knows I could never say no to you. You could ask me to go to the ends of the Earth, and I'd probably do it without thinking twice."
"Lucky for you, love, I'm not asking you to do that," (Y/N) smiled, sticking the needle into his skin at the edge of the cut. "I just need you to hold still." They tied off the first stitch. "Now quit being so sappy, you're not gonna die." The stitches went smoothly, and the two of them didn't say much. "Why were you around the guards?"
"I wasn't paying enough attention to my surroundings," Julian said, his voice strained from the pain. "Mm, that feels awful."
"It'd probably feel better if you weren't stabbed."
Julian laughed shortly, and then grimaced. "Yeah, probably."
(Y/N) half smiled, tying up another stitch. "You know I love you, right?"
"Don't know why, honestly. I don't deserve it."
"I mean, nobody said you had to deserve it." (Y/N) stuck the needle back into his skin. "I love you anyway. I love you in your best, and your worst, and in my darkest hours, I always think back to you."
"Now who's being sappy?"
(Y/N) laughed shortly. "It's true. I love you. I really do. "
"I love you too," Julian smiled softly. "Ow, careful with that needle, darling."
"Sorry." (Y/N) grimaced, and tied off another stitch. (Y/N) fell into a rhythm of the stitches, and had soon made about ten, enough to close the wound. They gently placed gauze on the wound and wrapped his lower torso in bandages. "There you go, love. As good as new." They gently kissed his nose and ran their fingers through his hair.
Julian smiled and leaned back on the couch, his hands lying over his stomach. "Don't mind me, I'll be right as rain real soon, you know. Probably didn't need the stitches."
"It will help," (Y/N) assured him gently.
"I know, Julian smiled. "I'm the doctor."
(Y/N) brushed his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead, then sat next to him on the couch. "I know," they said. "But I wanted to care for you anyway." Julian's smile softened, a chuckle barely in the back of his throat.
"How did I ever get so lucky as to have you in my life?"
"Just how you got lucky for this," they said, leaning forward and placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "And this." Another kiss, on the other side. "Or this," they added softly, pressing their lips to his. "I love you on purpose," (Y/N) said with another, firmer kiss to the lips. (Y/N) shifted into Julian's lap and continued to kiss him, at the visible pleasure of the redhead in question. "Luck didn't have a dang thing to do with it."
"I don't know," Julian said, his smile turning into a smirk against their lips. "This feels pretty lucky to me."
His fingers wandered up to their face, and to their stomach, and their neck, and finally rested on their shoulders. "Maybe," (Y/N) shrugged, leaning their forehead on his and chuckling a little to themself.
"You'd think the magician would be the one to know about luck." Julian's hand brushed behind the nape of (Y/N)'s neck. He pulled them forward with the tenderness they knew so well, and kissed them again. It was simple and warm, and Julian's lips were soft like a summer breeze. His hand slowly moved to cup their face. (Y/N)'s hand absently rested on his chest, feeling the thump of his heart behind his ribs. He tilted his head and leaned into the kiss a little more. "Whatever this is, luck, fate, or just you being stubborn enough to stay with me." Julian stopped for a moment, his thumb rubbing their cheek. "It feels absolutely magical," he said, a little wistful, and a little bit ready to kiss them again.
"Naturally, the pretty words come from the pretty face."
"Is that so?" Julian murmured. "That explains the perfect words on those beautiful lips of yours." He smiled, praises on the tip of his tongue.
please can i request 8, 10 and 24 on the touching prompts list for julian (arcana) please? :]
Fluff Prompts #8, #10, #24: "Shielding with body" "Spooning at night" "Lips grazing skin/Whispering in ear"
Prompts #23, #37: "Life or death kisses" "Public kisses"
(A/n: I combined both bc they're both for Julian and I had an idea; also, I used less 'life or death kisses' and went more for adrenaline filled kisses bc it fit better I hope that okay❤️)
Hope you enjoy~❤️
Navigation
Warnings: None (italics are flashbacks)
Age Rating: None
Julian x GN! Reader
---------------------
Racing through the streets of Vesuvia you couldn't help the laughter bubbling out your throat as you held tight to Julian. The guards behind you yards away with no hope at catching the two of you, especially with Julian's knowledge of the shortcuts and secret paths that lined the streets.
.
Julian had insisted on visiting the market and dragging you with him, not that you really would have protested. He had needed to get some herbs and other medicinal items but had quickly gotten distracted after purchasing them; dragging you from a vendor selling wide brimmed sun hats that he made you try on ("C'mon, please, y/n? You'll look even cuter!") to a food vendor selling plump honey crisp apples stacked neatly on his cart in a pyramid.
It was here that the day went wrong: turning with a flourish to you to make a joke, his jacket swiped at a row of apples sending the whole pile to the ground. The shop keeper had apparently recognized the doctor but had decided to keep his mouth shut.. that is until the apples fell; he quickly waved down the pair of patrolling guards, prompting Julian to grab your hand and book it. Leading to the current situation.
.
Your foot caught on a loose brick as he guided you around a sharp corner. Bracing your self for the fall you were surprised to land on a soft surface. When he noticed you tripped, Julian had angled himself so you would land on him instead of the rough stones, effectively shielding you with his own body.
You could hear the guards approaching and quickly jumped up, bringing Julian with you, and booking it to the nearest alcove. Pressing yourself firmly against the wall, Julian followed suit, just as the guards ran passed and back on to the busy street.
Letting out a laugh of relief you turn to Julian, only to be pulled into a kiss fueled by pure happiness and adrenaline.
"You, my dear are absolutely, amazing." he breathes between kisses.
"I try," you reply with a grin, hands still playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
.
Finally back home, you and Julian were laying in bed, ready for the chaotic day to finally be over. Julian was behind you, arms tight around your waist holding you close as your legs tangled. Moonlight seeped into the room illuminating your forms in a pale, silver light as sweet nothings were exchanged. The feeling of your lover's lips on your skin as he whispered his love for you the last thing you remembered before slipping into sleep.
Summary: Julian knows he can give her everything that Lucio can’t.
Pairing: Julian Devorak x countess!fem!reader
Warnings: Lucio being misogynistic, blink and you’ll miss it. (Lmk if I need to add more)
A/N: THIS TOOK SO LONG IM SO EXTREMELY SORRY OH MY GOD. I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE IT AND THIS DOESN’T FLOP BECAUSE IF IT DOES I’LL BE MISERABLE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. I’m actually very proud of it so 😏 thank you sooooo much @ladyamoit <333 Enjoy everyone!
Her head still hurts as she walks down the hallways of the castle in search of doctor Devorak. This, unfortunately, won’t be the first time she comes to him at three in the morning with a migraine that makes her head feel like it’s going to combust at any moment. He should expect her by now. Every time Lucio and Y/N fight, she ends up in his office complaining of the throbbing pain from the stress the whole thing caused.
He heard them argue today, as many times before, and she just knew that if there was a possibility of him being more extra than how he already was, he’d be setting up his herbs and making some tea to help her headache and brag about how much he knows her.
She finally reaches his door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Only then, she noticed how the cold tiles on the floor touching her naked feet wouldn’t help her current state, but she could just hope he’d open the door soon so she could sit down and pull them away from the coolness. The thought made her even more impatient, so she reached for the wood with her hand curled up in a fist to knock again whe- “Hello there... your highness” he smiled, faking the decorum and tone he used back when they first met and bowing dramatically.
His everyday outfit changed little, the key being his blouse. It was unbuttoned all the way down, but still tucked. Might’ve interrupted him while he was changing. But he still opened the door, so, whatever. “Greetings, doctor Devorak,” she sighed with a light giggle, but picking up a serious demeanor right after sitting in one of the chairs inside.
“I’m here because I need help!” she said dramatically, trying to keep up with Jule’s silly little game. “Let me be useful, countess, for I was born to serve you. I’m all yours,” he winked, making her both laugh and blush furiously as he began heating water on a makeshift fireplace he had set up on his desk. “My head hurts terribly, I’m afraid,” “Oh dear! We must fix it right away. I can’t stand another second knowing milady is in agony... but what should be the reason for this tragedy?”
He asked like he didn’t know the answer, making her momentarily re-live the fight... displaying visibly on her face, assuming by how he continued his speech right away; “It must be that yellow fellow you have for a husband, huh?” he said, raising his eyebrows in question. The nickname he used for Lucio making them both die of laughter on the spot, her laugh making him laugh and beginning a never-ending cycle they greatly appreciated during such hard times created by the plague.
They laughed so hard, for so long, the hurting in her head moved into a much more pleasant one in her belly. Julian caused that pleasant pain that she never wanted to let go quite often.
And then there was that silence.
The one accompanied by the noises of two people trying to catch their breath and small giggles interrupting every once in a while.
Quietness. Sincerity approaching.
One...
He sits up straight and puts away the boiling water.
Two...
He turns to look at Y/N warmly.
Three.
“Wanna talk about it, darlin’?” he asks, looking her straight in the eye.
And to be honest, Julian knew she’d vent for hours and he’d listen to all of it if that meant she’d feel better. God, he’d love avoiding the pain Lucio caused her if he could. But he was her husband, and she was his wife. There wasn’t much left to do other than listen to her and treat the migraines all the crying served with the salty cheeks.
He’d kiss her tears away if he could- no.
He needs to stop himself for two reasons;
One, she was Lucio’s wife.
Two, in his head, she obviously loved him as a friend.
And Julian had been pondering this for a long time, yes. But he still couldn’t figure it out; Were the feelings platonic? Was he actually in love with the countess? Would she feel the same if he were? There were many unanswered questions rushing a thousand miles per hour inside his head when he had time to think about “mundane matters”.
Mundane matters? Were his feelings for the bright girl who walked with him through the city looking for herbs and other products mundane? No, they weren’t. Love is as strong as a hurricane and its winds can lift you high into the air, making you feel full of joy and adoration, only to let you fall hard and deep into the confines of a heartbroken soul. That isn’t mundane.
That’s rather important and something to worry about if you ask me.
Julian thought he had gone through all the potential scenarios that his feelings (or the lack of them) could cause. Considering all the possibilities, circumstances, issues, parts.
And he had, except one. A crucial part of this dilemma.
Y/N.
Oh, poor Y/N was confused too. She cried herself to sleep almost every single night over how the man she married ignored her most of the day. And smiled until her cheeks hurt over how happy Julian made her feel. Then she let the guilt eat her alive because how could she be feeling something other than friendly appreciation for someone else while still being married to that dickhead?
In the beginning, there were moments where she thought she could decide between Ilya and Lucio; like when Lucio came upstairs a bit earlier than usual and the first thing he did was hug her waist and leave a tiny peck on her head before dozing off. “He loves me. I fell in love with him... he might not show it all the time, but he’s really sweet. Plus, he’s really busy trying to protect Vesuvia from the illness,” she thought to herself, smiling and snuggling closer into his bare chest, only to be completely ignored the next morning.
At some point, she stopped hurting herself with fake ideas of what she could do to have her Lucio back.
That’s when she realized something about Jules;
His mere existence brought joy into the deepest confines of her hurt, neglected soul.
And so, they started spending more and more time together.
Truth is, they both knew they were slowly falling for the other, but subconsciously repressed and denied the situation.
“Darling?” he asked again while pouring the previously boiled water into a cup and adding some herbs before handing it to her. “I-It was the same old stuff, Julian. You heard us, no need to act like you didn’t” she laughed bitterly, the sound he loved to hear exuding everything but joy. “I’m sorry, Y/N” “What for? It’s not your fault Lucio keeps forgetting he has a wife or a life away from social approval and people who love kissing his ass all the time... or the plague. A-Am I being selfish? I’m sorry if I-I am Jules I- should probably go to Asra w-when these things hap-pen, r-right? On-e little spe-ell and po-off huh?” she recalled, feeling some tears well up in her eyes once again, emotions hitting her like a wave crashing into the shore as she giggled bitterly on that last part.
“Come here,” Julian cooed, opening his arms and letting Y/N sit on his lap, head buried in the crook of his neck as she sobbed. The position felt familiar at this point. He rocked back and forth softly, caressing her hair and whispering some comforting words.
“It’s okay, Y/N”, “It’s not your fault, doll”, “I’m here”.
He knew how to make her feel better, and he hoped the words he offered when she came to him would make a difference with time. For now, all he could do was hold her close.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, or a few hours. It could’ve been centuries. He didn’t mind.
Her crying stopped eventually, but she stayed in his warm embrace for longer, feeling certain familiarity and adoring it during every passing second. “Do you want to rest on the couch?” Julian questioned, mumbling it right into her ear as if he was afraid someone might hear them. "Yes, t-thank you Jules” she sighed, rubbing her eyes for a second before pulling herself to her feet with Ilya’s help.
They both walked carefully to the worn-out sofa Julian had spent many nights on, at least trying to sleep. She lay down, resting her head on a small pillow as Julian covered her with a blanket before crouching before her. “Are you comfortable?” he smiled, touching her forehead as he searched for any signs of fever. None. He felt tremendous relief, knowing that as long as she had no fever or popped red veins in her delicate hands, they were out of the danger zone. Good. “Hmm,” she hummed as an answer.
“Do you need anything? Maybe a bite to eat could help. I’ll go get you some from the kitchens. I’m sure they have some fruit or sweet bread for you to-” “Julian, I need you,” she admitted, not feeling uneasy about her confession whatsoever. He blushed and Y/N swore he’d find out someone can actually die of cuteness right then and there, her being the first victim. “D-do you want me to...” he trailed off, knowing full well he did not need to end his sentence because she’d just understand.
She giggled as she moved a bit to make space for him. “Yes, come lay down with me. You look like you could use some loosening with all this madness going on,” she spoke, nodding subtly to his desk full of leeches and walls covered in papers, then to the floor, which was crammed with books full of annotations. “Okay,” he nodded, taking off his boots and doing as she said gladly.
It was comical, really; His feet, uncovered from the shelter the blanket brought to the pair, rested on the end and fell off the surface slightly. A light pressure on his chest, having Y/N draw small shapes on the clothed part of his torso with her fingers. “Thank you, Ilya” Gods, how he loved the way his real name sounded falling from her lips. He could hear it forever. The sweetness, the delicacy of her tone when she said it was one of his favorite sounds. “I’ll always be here when you need me, Y/N” he assured, pecking her head softly and resting his cheek on it.
Those were the last words they both said to each other that night. Y/N didn’t take long to crash, and Julian followed soon, after making sure she was asleep, of course.
I think there’s no need to say that was the best sleep doctor Devorak had had in a while.
●
Nights with doctor Devorak were always unforgettable; full of cuddles, warm bodies, and comforting words that incremented the unanswered questions relating her feelings towards both men. But now, there she was again. And she couldn’t help but realize that no matter how many times Julian made her feel better, it was all temporary.
She’d always be back in bed thinking, wondering what she did wrong for Lucio to turn the way he did. Not even sad, just... curious and a bit self-conscious about it.
Her husband was now in a meeting with the courtiers and some doctors. They were waiting for her to show up, surely. She was supposed to show up. After assuming the fact that Lucio would never go back to being the same a few months ago, she slowly started to function as she did before, but without Lucio.
This time, she just didn’t want to attend the stupid reunion.
The simple thought of sitting next to Lucio while holding his hand as they listened to Valdemar talk eagerly about the number of deaths of the day and how they could improve the corpse disposal system if the coliseum was used as a common grave exhausted her poor soul. Why would anyone ever want that?
She had talked about the torture those sessions were with Julia-
Julian.
She immediately got up from the bed, fixed her hair quickly and walked out the door with a little smirk on her lips. “There’s no way I’m letting him go through that on his own,” she thought to herself, practically skipping her way in the hallways that led to the lounge the meeting was being held in.
As she got closer to the big white doors, she could hear boisterous laughs coming from the inside. Julian’s was the sweetest one. She opened the door to find them all sitting at one round table drinking tea, heads turning at the sound of doors opening. “Darling! Finally, we can start” Lucio smiled, patting the sit next to him softly.
“Hi everyone, hope you weren’t having too much fun without me” I said, glancing over them, holding my gaze on Ilya for a moment longer, earning a wink from him, making me blush lightly “It’ll be much more amusing with you here, countess” he smirked, grabbing my hand delicately and placing a kiss on my knuckles “Watch it, Doctor. Those charm’s could steal any man’s girl... or the man, in question” Lucio smiled, winking at Julian, who just rolled his eyes briefly before turning his eyes back to me.
“Can we start already!? The countess took long enough. We don’t have time for this,” Valdemar reproached, the other doctors nodding in agreement. “They only wanted to make this quicker because they love talking about the lives we lost in the past couple of days. Sick bastard.” She thought to herself, sitting down next to her husband and giggling at how Julian was death-glaring Valdemar. “Wait. One more thing... can I have a cup of tea?” Y/N smiled sweetly at them all, making Lucio and Volta laugh airily, directing their cups to their lips one more time.
“It’s not tea we’re drinking, sweetheart,” Julian explained after seeing her puzzled expression. “Is that whiskey?” she asked, smirking at their goofiness. “Of course it’s not whiskey! What do you take me for? A sailor? It’s brandy,” he said in a half-faked insulted tone, making Y/N smile. “Pour me some, doctor Devorak,” she giggled, reaching for a teacup, but before Julian could pour the liquid in it, a golden arm stopped him. “I don’t think that’s a great idea, Jules. You know how she can get when she drinks,” Lucio said mockingly while pulling his arm back, earning some shit-eating grins from some of the physicians looking for approval
“And I think she’s very much capable of making her own decisions, Lucio”
The room went silent. The only noise being the one of liquid filling the cup.
“Thank you, Jules” I said, looking into his eyes, both of us knowing my thankfulness wasn’t just because of the drink he handed me “Always” he nodded, staring back at me with the same intentions. “W-we can start now, Valdemar” I said, trying to drift the attention from the two men staring at each other and successfully doing so... well, Valdemar’s vicious smirk doing most of the trick.
The moment they started ranting about plague, I remembered why I loathed these meetings so much.
Besides Valdemar’s sick attitude, the whole ambience was discouraging and overall made me feel incredibly gloomy. All those people outside the palace’s walls who endured the disease as they all drank brandy in overly fancy tableware. That made her sick. Oh, the privilege they had; to be healthy, to not fear death constantly. Crazy how that became a pleasure of a few.
We all pass on, we all move from being a person to a cadaver. The tragedy thus is not death, but when, where and how? If the life was one of joy and love, it is a time of celebration and thanks. If we lived the life in suffering and struggle, or cut short by a plague, then it is a tragedy greater than any poet ever wrote.
A sudden touch pulled me out of my thoughts. Lucio was trying to hold my hand, but I shoved it off instinctively, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as Julian looked at me proudly. “Where’s your necklace?” he whispered in my ear, trying to avoid provoking Valdemar’s fury. “I don’t know,” she simply said, focusing back on them. He could’ve exploded right there, anyone could’ve guessed that.
Lucio took great pride when Y/N wore his gifts, especially that one gold necklace. It gave him a sense of control and reassurement that she wouldn't leave. Truth is, the piece of jewelry was too one of the many little things that made him take Y/N for granted. And she knew it. The countess had stopped wearing the pendant for around two months, and this was the first time Lucio noticed.
It was always like that; those moments where his “authority” seemed to collapse. When other people made it collapse. That’s when he seemed lost, in more ways than one. And she couldn’t help but relish in those tiny little moments.
Where he crumbled.
The count remained silent, fuming on the inside for the rest of the meeting. And unsurprisingly, it went by just fine. You know, without all the flirting he did with literally everyone in the room but his wife, it was easier for everybody to concentrate. The brandy helped as well.
After about an hour, the session was finally over. She wasted no time in getting out of the room, not caring anymore about anything and just looking for fresh air. Y/N got up from her seat and started walking towards the doors that stood high before all of them, the thought of going out of the metaphorically suffocating room almost implying the most beautiful of dreams. But she was stopped by a large frame.
And when she looked up at doctor Devorak’s face, she forgot all about the empty hallways or clean air, because he was the only drag of freshness she’d ever need.
“That was quite the show, doctor,” she giggled, referring to the petty argument with her husband. "Oh, get over it already, sugar. It was one of many minor inconveniences I’ve had with your dear husband... I’m sure we’ve put on more entertaining shows than that one,” he said, rolling his eyes playfully, relishing in the sweet sound of her laughter once again. There was silence. A silence in which they looked into each other’s eyes with lovelorn eyes and smiles, each one hoping the other wouldn’t notice the devotion in both of their looks.
Julian was 99% sure in that moment that she must’ve been some kind of siren, using her appeals to him to make him fall in love harder and harder every day. No one could ever be so perfect and mesmerizing, no human could ever be so perfect and mesmerizing. And then, without thinking, he said it:
“Do you have any plans for this evening? I’ve been thinking of taking you on a little adventure”
Doctor Devorak had been pondering this moment endlessly, and had even planned on telling Y/N in the perfect moment, in solitude. And it was technically that way since all the other physicians had stayed behind talking to the courtiers or Lucio. They were alone a few meters away from the doors, but not completely alone. Which wasn’t an issue for the countess to respond.
“I’m free, I’m always free-”
“When it comes to me,” Julian smirked, interrupting her briefly
“...when it comes to you” she nodded, blushing slightly
●
Waves crashed on the rocks that covered Ash beach’s shore as two “friends” soaked their feet in the icy water. Numbness from cold had taken over their limbs about two hours ago, but they didn’t care;
Because when she looked at him, flowers grew on his chest.
Because “just friends” don’t look at each other like that.
Y/N knew, Julian knew.
She had been wearing his cape almost since they walked out the castle’s doors, the coolness of the night crashing onto her a few minutes later; Doctor Devorak, being the gentleman he is, offered it to her. She happily complied, beaming inside.
Her blush gave it away. And he was fine with it.
Truth is, Ilya was perfectly familiar with Y/N’s world; the castle, her fondness for the flowers in the gardens, that special place in her heart for the people in Vesuvia, how she appreciated sitting in the grass and just looking into the distance when things stopped making sense. Few people knew these things about the countess.
In fact, two people knew these things about the countess.
Yes, her kindness was widely known, but only Julian and her knew how she adored painting but stopped doing so because of the lack of time she had after becoming royalty.
And she knew him like the back of her hand. She could decipher the little variants on his face depending on the emotion he was feeling, or she easily noticed the building up tension that had been forming on his shoulders since this plague mess started. She noticed.
Y/n, however, knew very little of his world.
Before this night, she did not know he was fantastic at singing duets or dancing after drinking some Salty Bitters to enter the mood. She didn’t know they both shared a passion for art until he asked her to let him draw her because she “looked divine under the moonlight” and pulled out a sketch-book filled with annotations. How he loved to splash in puddles just because he could.
She’d be eternally grateful for the night he let her in.
The night that started with them walking through Vesuvia with lovesick smiles on their faces and ended on them holding hands and embracing each other as they sat on the beach looking into the deep blue that shone from the first rays of sunlight hitting their town.
“Oh, dear... it must be 6 in the morning,” Julian murmured, not wanting to break the inundating ambience the waves had created “I’ve always liked the time before dawn” she yawned, smelling his scent further, the position of her head in the crook of his neck helping a lot “Why?” “Because there’s no one around to remind me what I’m supposed to be, so it’s easier to remember who I am” “I’m sorry if I’m ruining that for you, Y/N” he tensed up at the thought of spoiling something so sacred for the girl he loved.
“Oh Jules... you don’t need to be here physically for you to be on my mind. You can be miles away and you’ll still live in the silences between my thoughts,” she admitted, looking up at him.
Some gazes are the promise of love and protection. His was all that and more.
And then he kissed her.
His lips were like little butterflies when they first met her mouth, his bottom lip fitting between hers almost too effortlessly. Like it had been carved there before, a perfect hiding spot. Then they became fire. All that burning passion he had been keeping inside finally collapsing, both of their feelings melting in one hungry, desperate kiss.
He felt raw and familiar. She felt solid and safe. She wanted to cling onto his shirt, bury her face into the warm curve of his neck and never let go.
They dammed their oxygen-depending lungs when they had to pull away to take a breath while looking into each other’s eyes with dorky little smiles plastered on their swollen lips. Y/N giggled. Julian giggled back at the thought that crossed his mind after hearing that sweet vibration;
He fell in love with those giggles. How could he not? When his heart was in a vortex, they were the counter-current he cried out for.
“Julian, are you sure about this? About us?”
He couldn’t help but laugh a bit more. Wasn’t it obvious?
“Y/N, after all this time, I’m still convinced the rest of my life looks like you. I think we’d be an excellent us, my darling”
“We’d be a perfect us, Julian,” she nodded, smiling slowly, with little tears welling up in her eyes. This time, and after a while, joyful tears. ♡
Summary: Julian admits his feelings for you over a cup of black coffee.
There’s silence in the air as you drum your fingers along the surface of the counter. Your eyes are heavy with sleep as you drowsily stare ahead. It was a quarter past four in the morning in Vesuiva and you were currently watching the plague doctor anxiously pace around the front of yours and Asra’s shop. “Julian,” you muffle a yawn as you speak, “what’s wrong? It’s four in the morning.” He stops pacing momentarily and casts a glance in your direction before returning to his original pace. A sigh forces its way past your lips and you push yourself away from the counter and towards the distraught man.
“What is with you tonight, huh?” Although you want to be annoyed with the man, you still feel a smile grace your lips as you step in front of him, effectively cutting off his pace. “Who shows up at four in the morning, banging on the door and demanding they be brought inside, only to then go completely mute and pace around like a lunatic.” You take his hands in yours, only to then notice that they were trembling. Your curiosity is piqued at this and your eyebrow quirks upwards. “What’s going on? You’re actually like you actually killed someone this time.” You pause if ever so briefly, “You didn’t, right?”
Julian looks appalled at this and pulls his hands from your grip. “I-- why you don’t actually think I’m capable of something like that, do you?” He takes a moment to ponder it before a sly grin forms on his lips. “Well, I guess you could say I’m strong enough to, and possibly charming enough to trick someone into a trap. I guess it’s not a complete reach, but--”
“Okay, you definitely didn’t kill someone.” The sly look on his face falls and you have to stop yourself from laughing. “Now, now, don’t get so dejected over it.” You gently take his hands in yours again and pull him towards the small kitchen. “What’s got you so worked up? Are you lonely again? Nightmares?” It was nights like these that you were glad Asra was out of town so he wouldn’t be forced to stay up all night too. That and you doubted that Asra would be as kind to Julian in this scenario as you.
“Can’t a guy just come to visit?” His smile is weak and it doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed by you. Still, you know better than to pry if your relationship with Asra was anything to go off. At four in the morning, you wish to say, but keep it to yourself.
“You must be tired though. Your sleeping schedule continues to baffle me. How are you alive?” You sit him on a stool at the counter. “I’ll fix you up some coffee.” You weren’t sure if drinking coffee this early would be a good idea for anyone involved, but you were both already awake and it was unlikely that you’d both be going back to bed any time soon.
Silence stretches over the two of you as you silently get started on his coffee. You don’t want to intrude, so you wait for him to pick up the conversation and go with it where he pleases. If you were being honest, you could listen to Julian talk forever. He always had something interesting to say and even if you had no idea what he was going on about (which was something that happened often), you had no problems getting lost in his voice. It was a little unnerving, the effect he had over you. “I actually… I wanted to speak with you. I missed your voice.” Your eyebrow raises once again from his words. You can feel your heartbeat starting to pick up and you force yourself to stay quiet. Was he finally going to confess his feelings to you?
For the longest time, you and Julian had an unspoken thing between each other. Most of your time together was filled with flirting and fleeting touches, both being too shy to do anything more. You knew he liked you as much as you liked him, but you always thought that Julian needed to be the one to make the first official move. It just seemed right, and you didn’t want to impose yourself on him. He did this a lot though, begging to speak with you and act as if he’d confess before completely losing confidence and changing the subject of conversation all together. You were patient though, and you were more than willing to give Julian all the time he needs.
You keep your eyes trained on the coffee in front of you, trying to make it seem that his words weren’t getting to you. Oh, if only he knew. “I couldn’t sleep. I tried to, but I just wanted to hear your voice. I wanted to be in the same room as you. Everything’s always better when you’re by my side.” Julian’s voice is just above a whisper as he speaks, but the words don’t go unheard. You can hear them crystal clear, almost as if he were shouting them. There’s a ghost of a smile on your lips as you try to keep yourself from getting too hopeful. Even if he didn’t end up confessing, his words are true and they mean a lot to you. “Why do you think that is?”
“Hmm?” You turn around with two mugs of black coffee, your eyes landing on him curiously. “Why do I think what is?” You place a mug of steaming coffee in front of him before turning back around so you could add milk and sugar to your own. “Why do I think you enjoy my company?” He goes quiet again after your question and you don’t need to look to know there’s a deep blush on his cheeks. “I think you already know the answer to that if you’re asking me.” There’s a blush on your cheeks as well, but Julian doesn’t need to know that.
Once you’re content with the amount of sugar and milk in your coffee, you take the empty seat next to Julian. Out of the corner of your eye you can see him staring at you and you find yourself holding back a giggle. He’s flustered and immediately looks away when finding that he’s caught. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot.” You raise the mug to your lips, blowing gently to cool down the drink. “About us.” You nearly spill the coffee. The last time he said something similar to that, he had dragged you around the village all day in attempts to break up with you, if you could even call it that. Your slip up doesn’t go unnoticed by Julian, who instead laughs in response. “Relax, I’m not going to jump you. I just mean…” He takes in a deep breath before the words tumble out of his mouth. “IthinkIloveyou?” It sounded more like a question than a statement, but even with how fast the words came spilling out you knew what he had said. Still, that didn’t stop you from wanting to hear him say it again.
“I’m sorry, what?” You play coy, turning to the side so that you were completely facing Julian. “I don’t think I heard you right.” Your heart was swelling up as Julian looked everywhere but at you. He was completely red in the face now, sweat on his brow as he tried to rephrase his confession.
“I said that IthinkImayloveyou.” His face is somehow a darker shade of red now and you decide to end the poor man’s suffering. However, before you can intervene he speaks up again. “No, no. That’s not what I wanted to say.” His hands are clenched into fists as he murmurs a few words of encouragement to himself under his breath. “Iaminlovewithyou.” His eye is nearly twitching at his own incapability to confess his feelings aloud. “I SAID I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU.” You weren’t surprised that he tripped and fell over his confession, but you hadn’t expected him to shout it. It was cute though.
You both sit in complete silence, Julian opening his mouth to say something every few seconds only to close it when he decides not to make the situation any worse. You blink a few times before a lopsided grin forms over your lips. “I know.” You finally break the silence and Julian nearly topples off the stool. “You had me waiting forever for that confession. I knew you’d be a blushing mess but I didn’t think you’d scream it. That was a cute surprise.” He watches you with wide eyes before quickly masking his expression with that of confidence. “Oh, and I love you too.”
“Well-- well I mean, of course, wait-- what?”
“Did you really question if I felt the same? After everything we’ve been through?” You laugh under your breath before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You’re silly, but I expected nothing less.”
“You love me?” He sounds completely floored, as if he didn’t expect it. His eyes are wide as he stares at you, searching your face as if you’d suddenly confess that you had been joking. Neither of you thought you were that cruel, but Julian did have a tendency of overthinking things.
“You really think I’d let you wake me up at four in the morning if I didn’t?” Julian blinks several times as he leans forward on the counter, the widest smile on his lips.
Think about it. Pirate!Julian encounters Pirate!Reader when their crews start a bar fight
"Are you a good man, Captain?" (Captain!Pirate!Julian Devorak x Captain!Pirate!Reader
Warnings: Swearing, stabbing, woman-shaming,talking about death
Word Count: 1,615
"So I said to him, I said "Bernie, you pop that gum one...more...time"" Jackie had the attention of the whole bar as she told her storie, standing on a table"And he did. So I took the shotgun off the wall and I fired two warning shots...into his head"
I could hear a few gasps, a glass falling and a chick high fived Jackie as she got down the table, finishing her storie.
"And that's how I killed my husband, became a fugitive and joined this lovely crew" She winked at her mates and nodded her head at me.
"That's bullshit!" A guy yelled from the back.
Heads turned, including mine and Jackie's and a tall, muscular man, body filled with tattoos and a scar across his face, had his arms crossed over his chest, face filled with disbelief.
"And why do you think that?" Jackie copied his posture and crossed her arms as well.
"Are you kidding? You're a woman! Your type shouldn't even be allowed on the ship. I mean, only the ones who warm our beds" Some men matched his deep and disgusting laugh.
"I think you should shut your craphole before I stick my sword into it" Jackie drew her sword before I could even notice.
"Bring it on, sea whore" The man also drew his sword, a very long one.
"You know what they say about men with big swords?" Jackie grinned as she held up her pinkie finger. That made him growl in anger.
I decided it was better to step up before something bad happened. Climbing down from the high window I was sitting on, I walked to the middle of the bar, raising my captain hat from my face.
"Please, please, fellas. Why fight? Can't we just enjoy this beautiful night, drink some rum and tell more stories?" After finishing my sentence, I could only feel a breeze over my head as an axe flew over it.
I clenched my fist and turned to the direction where the axe came from and a very skinny man looked at me, terrified. Poor man, I would go easy on him.
"Ooookay, ladies and gentlemen" I turned around, waltzed away from the opposite crew and jumped on top of a table, grabbing the axe and yanking it out of the wall "get ready for a fight!"
Screams and roars came from both sides of the room and soon enough one crew was fighting the other, punches, kicks and all other types of attack were happening in the bar. I was ready to join the fun when something caught my eye.
A red headed man, helping other people to go up the stairs. Were they escaping? Definitely not on my watch. I analyzed the saloon and decided the safest and fastest way to cross it was going behind the counter. I ducked, walking close to the ground and made my way.
While crossing the bar unseen, I could see Jackie fighting the asshole from before. I jumped over the counter, pulled my small dagger from my belt and stabbed him in the back. The man let go of his sword and seeing that opportunity, Jackie kicked him in the jewels, giving me a thumbs-up.
"I'm going upstairs. I saw some of them trying to escape. Hopefully I'll be able to catch at least one"
"Maybe you could even catch the captain" He joked and I couldn't help but to snort.
"Those pigs only care about themselves. They are always the first ones to flee. Their captain is far far away" And finishing my sentence, I dashed to the stairs going to the second floor.
As usual, it was a corridor with many doors. Rooms for voyagers, couples who wanted some privacy and drunks who didn't want to go home and had some money in their pockets.
The last door though was sprung open, still banging on the wall because of the wind. They were still here. And if I ran fast enough, I could still catch at least one of them. Hopefully he would be the talker type.
Running through the corridor, I could feel myself burning up with excitement. It was always a win to come back with a prisoner. But going into the room, I saw something completely unexpected happening.
The read headed man was helping people out of the window. But that's wasn't odd. The thing that actually intrigued me was seeing a captain's hat hanging from his belt.
"My oh my, what do we have here?" The last person had just exited through the window when the man turned to me in shock.
He tried to jump out of the window before I could catch him, but his long legs made him trip on himself and falling all spread out on the floor. I walked with my hand on my hips, going over him and sitting on the edge of the window.
"What kind of captain are you?" I crossed my legs and adjusted my hat so that he could see my whole face.
He sat abruptly on the floor, almost falling again, and crossed his legs like a child "Wh-what do you mean?"
"You were almost invisible down there, didn't make a scene or a fuss, didn't start any drama, didn't interrupt nor encouraged the fight and even helped part of the crew to escape? Your no ordinary captain"
"Darling, you would be surprised by how peculiar I can be" He got up, putting on his hat, just to take it off again in a swift movement, bending over to me and extending the hat "Julian Devorak, Captain Devorak or whatever you wanna call me"
I got up myself, feeling slightly intimidated by his height but keeping my pose "(Y/N) (Y/L/N), Captain (Y/L/N) or whatever you wanna call me".
"You sure are very fierce, Captain, I actually though you would choke me to death" Captain Devroak took a step closer to me and gave me a devilish smirk.
"I mean, if you are into that" I almost pressed our chests together, leaving only a few inches between us "...it can be arranged"
He blushed and it did something to my body that I had never experienced before. His shyness made me feel shy as well. He had this magnetism that made me want to get close to him.
He stated to stutter, trying to respond to my dirty comment and leaned his hat lower, trying to hide his face due the embarrassment. But unfortunately, I wasn't taking any of that.
I placed my hand softly on his hat and removed it from his head, tossing it to the side. His hair was messy now and I could finally analyze him. His hair reminded me of the burning fire of a fireplace and his skin looked like porcelain. Almost to delicate to touch but starving for any type of contact.
I realized the eyepatch he had and I wonder why he had it. There was s small lump on it, so there was definitely an eye in there, but it wasn't the time or place to ask about it...yet. I noticed his lips quivering and decided to take the lead. I grabbed him by his cloak and pulled him closer.
"Tell me captain, why did you leave the rest of your crew downstairs?" He looked relieved when he realised I wasn't teasing him anymore.
"They aren't actually part of the crew. Those bastards tagged along a few days ago and we all found it very strange. They started bothering the women of the ship and that was unacceptable. We tried to fight them, but they had one of them hostage. My plan was to get them drunk as a distraction and leave them behind. But I guess your crew took better care of that part"
"I see" I pulled his cloak in a way that made him lean down, faces coming closer "Now tell me, Captain, are you a nice, good and honorable man?"
He chuckled, getting his confidence back "Definitely not, Captain. I'm reckless, rowdy and completely bad"
I could help but laugh a little of him "Uhmm, that's exactly how I like it"
I stretched my whole body to be able to brush my lips against his and he placed his gloved hand on my back. We looked at each other's eyes and I could definitely see a sparkle on his.
"Captain! We won!" Jackie bursted into the room and Julian turned his head while I ducked to the side to look at her "Ooooh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were, well, yeah. I'm, uh, going down and, well, see ya!"
We kept looking at the door until the sound of her footsteps were nothing but a simple memory. We stared at each other again and starting laughing, still holding onto one another.
"Now that was a mood breaker" I pressed my forehead against his chest and he sighed.
"Well, I'm sure we'll be able to continue our fun another time"
My eyes went wide and I smiled at him "We are having a party tonight at my ship, you and your crew should come!" I realized I sounded to excited and fake coughed "I mean, only if you want to"
He laughed lightly and kissed my cheek "It'll be my pleasure, darling"
I let go of his clothes and walked past him, going out of the room, but stopping before he vanished from my sight "Maybe you can show me how bad you are"
I ran down the corridor, rushing down the stairs, excited and giggling like a teenager. I couldn't wait to tell Jackie all the juicy details.
