I don’t know if I’ll be participating in every day of @leonilesweek2017, but here’s my piece for day one- firsts!
“Milord Leo, you’re certain of this?” Niles raised an eyebrow, frowning a bit.
“Of course I am. Have you ever had reason to doubt me?” Leo’s response was swift and confident as it always was.
Niles sighed, nodding at his liege. “Just the one. Alright, if you’re sure.” A smile slowly spread across his features.
“Just tell me if I’m moving too fast.” Leo said with a nod.
“And they call me the dirty one. Sire, you’re just teaching me how to use magic.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “You’re the one taking it weird. Whatever, are you ready to go?” He couldn’t hide the small blush on his cheeks, which only made Niles grin more.
“I’m ready when you are, Milord.”
Leo handed Niles a tome- a simple one, even though Niles was pretty sure it would tie his tongue in a knot if he tried to pronounce the name. “This one is simple. Just read the incantation and focus on the magic in your hand. Then cast it out.”
“I suspect others have different methods, then?”
“Yes. Since you did read the scrolls I gave you, you should be ready for this one.” Leo seemed a hint annoyed, but Niles nodded. “You know I treasure any gift from you.”
Now Leo blushed again, as if he wasn’t expecting such an answer.
Niles chose not to comment, instead attempting to cast the spell as Leo had asked. Though he tripped over his words a time or two, he finally managed to cast it properly, a chill spreading over the room as ice and snow caked the training dummy that Leo had set out. Its arm fell off unceremoniously.
Niles looked at Leo with an expression not unlike a puppy expecting a treat, and Leo merely looked at the dummy in shock.
“You did it.” Leo said dumbly, mouth agape at what his retainer-turned-apprentice had managed.
“I did?” If Niles had a tail, it would be wagging at a mile a minute. Or, perhaps the cat-like outlaw would be purring- who knows, the point is is that he was happy.
“You did. And with only a couple tries at the incantation, too.” He was still dumbfounded- typically it took budding mages a few tries to master Fimbulvetr. Yet Niles had only needed one real attempt.
“Shower me with praise, Milord.” Niles puffed up proudly, only to deflate sheepishly when Leo placed a small kiss on his cheek.
another @leonilesweek2017! the prompt this time was blood and i got headcanon-y
“Niles?”
Niles glanced back from the window he’d been looking out of, a small smile on his face when he saw his liege. Leo, however, didn’t return the gesture- in fact, he looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
“Is something the matter, Milord Leo?” he asked, giving Leo a small bow. Leo gave his usual gesture to indicate Niles had no reason to do so- they weren’t simply a liege and vassal any longer. They were friends, lovers, so close they formed a two-man family- no need for such a gesture.
“Yes. Are you… aware of the whereabouts of your mother?” Leo rubbed his temples as he tended to do when he had a headache. “Or your father?”
“One’s dead, the other, don’t care.” Niles didn’t like answering so curtly to him, but his lineage was a sore subject. “… Sorry, Milord. But why are you asking?”
“We found a woman the other day, wandering the streets of Windmire. She’s actually a member of the Nohrian army and claims to have had a son that’d be around your age.”
“I’m sure there are plenty of people my age missing a mother. Mine is dead. I can even show you her grave.”
“That’s the thing, Niles. Her records are spotty.” He sighed, rubbing his temples again. Niles lowered his voice in sympathy.
“… What are you trying to say?”
“This woman… she looked like you in a way I can’t explain. Her eyes were gold, but they had the same look you get when you’re set on something.”
Gold? “… Sure. I had a gold eye before some idiot cut it out. He told me I had eyes like some woman that had broken his heart, or something.” He made a slashing motion across his eyepatch, and Leo cringed. “I don’t know the whole story, but the man was one that had some serious notoriety for a while. Did we ever bring in any Thenardiers? I think his name was Malin.”
“The name is familiar, but no. Perhaps I’ll have to ask Sister if the name is familiar.”
Niles sighed, though a feeling of panic gnawed at him. Why had that memory clung to him so? Was it the blue eyes, that felt like looking in a mirror? Was it the snow-white hair streaked with gray and blood-red?
Was it the way that that man- the man Niles eventually learned was his own father- had left him to die?
And that woman- why did he care so much about her? His mother had abandoned him, had died- or faked her death, it seemed. If she had ran, why hadn’t she taken him along?
“Niles.”
Leo’s voice was soft, his hand warm as he placed one on the outlaw’s shoulders. “What are you going to do?”
“… if she’s my mom, we’ll know, won’t we? Don’t parents have this way of knowing?” Niles was looking back out the window, but had stepped aside to allow Leo to stand next to him, their hands finding one another and their fingers effortlessly lacing together. “… And why did you look into it?”
“You mentioned it one night, right as you fell asleep. That you were sorry you didn’t have a past you remembered to offer me. That you didn’t have a family for me to meet, or any idea how to be a decent husband.”
Niles laughed- a defense mechanism, giving him an excuse for the red on his cheeks. But Leo still looked at him the way he looked up at the stars.
“So I thought…” Leo sighed, a frown on his features. “I thought if I found some hint to your past, it might make you feel more… secure. That even if you wanted nothing to do with it, perhaps it could anchor your future. You could have the knowledge and move on.”
“Not that I’m stupid, Milord? But not all of us can just… know something and ignore it.” Niles sighed, leaning on the windowsill. “It truly touches me that you’d go to all that trouble for me, really, it does. But… I feel like I have to do something. That woman… what was her name?”
“She said you’d have known her as—”
“Marie?”
“How did you…?” Leo’s brow furrowed, a look of bewilderment on his face as Niles seemed to shrink.
“… Lucky guess, I… I’m… I don’t know. Intuition, or something.” He seemed to hug himself, no longer looking up at the sky but now down at the floor. Leo put his arms around him, hugging him tightly.
“… I’m sorry, Niles. It was wrong of me to pry.”
“You were just trying to help.” He sighed, sinking into Leo’s embrace, feeling comforted immediately. Something in Leo’s arms calmed him, made him feel at peace, even when his world was turned upside-down.
(i’m basing this off that conversation we had based off that “would you press the button” thing)
Frisk nervously twiddled their thumbs as they sat on the park bench in downtown- in the distance they could hear the belltower at their school playing out the usual hourly tune.
The town was usually filled with hustle and bustle at this hour- well, as hustling and bustling as a town with such a small population could be. But it was quiet- something that Frisk was quite grateful for.
They’d gotten a letter- written in bright pink gel pen- to meet at this location in their mailbox. After the series of awkward anons they’d gotten, using their full, old name, asking if they were that person, they’d gotten flustered and blocked them, only to finally get a message off-anon, asking if that was indeed them.
And then the message had arrived. If it was the same person that had caused all the shenanigans around school regarding them as of late, (he’d gone and asked to meet them, by name, on his talk show) then they had nothing to worry about- and if they did, there were, at least, people everywhere. So if they got too nervous, or tired of waiting, they could scamper off and hide.
Then they heard the footsteps- notably metallic against the stone streets.
“... You... really do prefer the name Frisk, don’t you, darling? It’s no wonder. Such a brave human would inspire anyone! Especially someone lovely as you.”
They jumped, turning around swiftly, being met with a smiling, seven-foot tall robot, wearing a jacket emblazoned with their school’s emblem on it- despite being so far from the magenta he loved, he was still wearing it proudly, a light pink glow from his cheeks.
“... I... it really is you. Mettaton?” They asked, almost cautiously. It felt odd, really, to be meeting someone they thought they’d never actually meet- and someone who was famous and had a massive crush on them, to boot.
“Yes. So I... I don’t have to keep looking now, do I?” His smile widened, and little hearts sprung up in his eyes. “I’ve found you, haven’t I?”
Frisk nodded, and immediately he scooped them up in the air, whirling around and laughing with joy.
8) ordering pizza
“Darling, I think it might be a bad idea for me to actually eat.” Mettaton sighed, flipping through one of Frisk’s textbooks as he reclined on their bed. They were currently sitting at their desk, frowning at the computer, trying to figure out what kind of pizza to buy.
“And besides that, I could make you one myself. I assure you it’d be as delicious as you are beautiful.”
Frisk covered their face in embarrassment, managing to sputter that they just wanted him to give his opinion on what he thought would be best.
Send me a ship and one of the following and I’ll write a mini fic
12. Things you said when you thought I was asleep
Moonlight streamed in through the window, a light breeze gently blowing through the slightly opened glass.
Sami was sleeping peacefully, her eyes shut, her breathing even and deep. Or, at least Elincia thought.
The queen gently brushed her beloved’s hair behind her ear, her fingers trailing down her neck to where the birthmarks that the pucette had for so long hidden lie covered once more beneath a thin layer of fabric. Though she couldn’t see them, she’d long ago memorized them, and while Sami might have thought of them as a burden, Elincia had come to find the intricate lines and runes dotting the skin of the pucette’s back as something nothing short of beautiful.
She didn’t notice that Sami had stirred in reaction to Elincia’s touch, and the pucette did her best to keep still as she felt Elincia’s fingertips pulling the back of her gown down a bit, and the Crimean Queen’s lips gently touch the top of the markings.
“… I’ll love you no matter what,” she whispered against her fiancee’s skin, “and I hope you never forget that.”
Send me a ship and one of these and I’ll write a mini fic
14. Things you said after you kissed me
(George do you realize what a trainwreck this is going to be)
It felt like the battle was taking forever. The stress on her mind was far, far too much, as though she was fighting not just an opposing army, but with herself as well, fighting for each and every step to ignore the voice in her mind.
And after watching one of her comrades almost felled by an arrow, Sami suddenly watched all of that disappear. She could see clearly.
Flying into a rage, she leveled the field, taking out enemy after enemy, until she took one too many hits and collapsed, barely able to keep breathing, much less move.
She thought she was done for, and wholly prepared to accept death. If this was what was coming, she suspected she deserved it, and knew it would be for the best in the end.
But then, out of nowhere, a flurry of sword swings and flapping of wings sounded, staining the snow with more, more red.
She forced her eyes open once more, watching, trying to make heads or tails of her savior, her heart warming when she saw who it was.
Elincia.
A few moments after, the queen ran to her side, staff at the ready before Sami had a chance to protest. Sami was dying, was more or less already there. She’d been so, so tired, and having all that life shoved back into her body so suddenly felt… weird, to say the very least. Her head spun as Elincia lifted her up and onto Belleza’s back, the pegasus whinnying slightly. She mumbled something about Caeda being injured and needing help as well that Sami still couldn’t make out, and flew her as fast as she could to the shelter where more and more of them were gathering, some kind of temple.
Sami rested for quite some time, Elincia checking on her when she wasn’t keeping an eye on the events. The pegasus knight heard singing, and began to wonder why she felt so energized all of a sudden. It wasn’t the voice of any heron she knew, though- had another appeared on the scene?
She slowly sat up, and Elincia was right back by her side, checked her pulse and a few other things, and was so taken up with happiness that the pegasus knight was alive that she hugged her tightly and did something Sami didn’t see coming-
The queen kissed her right on the lips.
Dizzied with a sudden rush of realized affection- not to mention the sheepish smile on the other’s face making her blush even more, all Sami could sputter out was a confused “what” before lying back down.
“… I-I gotta be dreaming… g-good night, good kisser d-dream Elincia! I-I have to go b-back to the real world!”
“… This is the real world.” You dork, Elincia added mentally, her grin growing wider as she sat Sami back up. “I’ll tell you what’s going on on the way, but you’re coming with me so I can keep an eye on you, okay? Don’t worry, we’re going to be rendezvousing with Ike and the rest soon enough…”
Of course, Sami had stopped listening long ago, only able to focus on the fact that, perhaps selfishly, how lovely it felt to be able to hold the queen’s hand for just a little longer.
Aradia<3Sollux, 23-"things you said [on your death bed]"
Send me a ship and one of these things and I’ll write you a minific
He’d caught himself just as he’d heard her screams, he’d realized what had happened, he’d gone into her ruined hive desperately seeking her out. But by the time he reached her she was already bleeding out, a nasty gash on her head, fading in and out of consciousness.
Her body was covered in dust and rubble and blood the color of rubies that had only just been dug from the earth. She was far too beautiful to be dubbed rust, she was a gem, she was beautiful.
And he’d destroyed her.
His mind was still fuzzy, still overloaded, the sickeningly sweet taste of the mind honey still on his tongue, his eyes still sparked red and blue, but he felt tears rolling down his face.
He was a mess, his blood not even worthy of being called gold, not in a thousand sweeps. She deserved to be known as gold, as something precious.
He didn’t know what had come over him.
Her body was already cold, her face frozen in an expression of fear, her eyes half closed- she must have braced for impact when the first rock hit her.
He could scarcely see through the yellow tears, but he brushed the hair back from her eyes, closed them, curled over her body and sobbed as though no one was watching. And in truth, no one was.
The last words she said to him still rung in his ears.
Send me a ship and one of these and I’ll write a minific
of course u send me my trash ship rip me
The phone rang, an unfamiliar number presenting itself on the screen of his phone. Shizuo frowned, rolling his eyes and grumbling. The last thing he needed to deal with today was a telemarketer, and then he’d have to go and buy a new phone. Again.
However, the voice on the other end made him freeze, calming him with a surprising efficiency.
“... I... don’t expect you to remember me. Is this Heiwajima Shizuo?”
He was silent for a moment. Was it truly who he thought it was?
“... Yoshida?”
“... Er, listen, please... don’t call me by that name anymore. I’m... I need your help, and I’m going to have to ask you like ten million favors, but I swear I’ll repay you for everything--”
“Calm down. What’s going on? I... I haven’t heard from you in... It’s almost been ten years. You barely even said goodbye.”
“Heiwajima. Please. I need your help. I can’t talk for long, I have to get home soon before my dad sends someone after me, but... are there any empty apartments you know of in Ikebukuro?”
He sighed- he wanted to know more, but leave it to Keira to decide when and where to tell him things. He figured she’d explain in due time, and did his best to let it just go.
“Yeah, there’s one in my complex. Do you want me to talk to the manager for you?”
“Please, please do. I... I want to come back. L-leaving was a mistake. But when I see you again, I’m not going to look at all like I did before, and I’m going to act a lot different. I don’t want to have to hide anymore. So don’t be worried for me, okay?”
He muttered an agreement as well, listened as she spoke for a while- she hadn’t changed all that much, still found herself rambling. But she ended her tangent suddenly.
“... Oh, god, it’s too late. I have to go, I have to be back by ten o clock. I... I’ll call you when I’m getting ready to leave, alright?”
“... Alright. Talk to you then, Yamakawa. And... could you do one thing for me?”
“Yes, of course. Anything to pay you back for all of that.”
“... Be safe. Get here in one piece.”
He heard her give a short, quiet laugh.
“I’ll do my best.”
And with that, the phone clicked, and there was silence.
The moment they saw one another again, it devolved into a clash of pure violence, the sound of dust exploding in the air, punches being thrown and blocked by a parasol that appeared all too fragile for such a thing.
Neo dodged with her usual confidence, that smile not once leaving her face, only to have it soon enough, quite literally wiped off her face.
Yang had finally connected a hit, square in the woman’s jaw, eyes flashing bright white as she froze in place.
This was not a hit to her semblance, nor was it a hit she’d tricked Yang into believing she’d made. This was something she felt, and the blonde hit hard. It didn’t help that Yang had bolstered her strike with that weapon of hers, leaving a mark on Neo’s face.
Of course, her grin only grew, and she fought back with a vengeance, using her semblance mercilessly, breathless laughter crackling from her throat with each hit she began to dodge, a mad sort of joy in her eyes as Yang only got angrier and her flames only burned brighter- but of course, once more, there was only one way for the fight to end.
A sword revealed itself from the interior of her parasol, pointed at Yang’s neck. A wheeze of laughter seeped out of Neo’s throat, and she heard a voiceless whisper- someone was speaking, yes, but it was so silent and incharacteristic of what she’d been expecting of Neo that she was too stunned to truly process it.
All her effort went into words Yang would never have heard between the sheer silence, the shock, and the ringing in their ears from the fight they’d just had.
Exhausted, Neo’s head began to spin. She sheathed the sword suddenly, hitting Yang hard on the neck before stepping back- it’d knock her out, not kill her. Oh, how fond Neo had grown of Yang. That sentimentality would likely kill her one day.
And before Yang lost consciousness, Neo placed a kiss on her cheek before she stepped back, walking away with a joyful skip in her step.
