a/n : was going to make a longer post with all the courtiers but got stuck on some </3
:ఌ¨ ♱ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : sfw, consul valerius x gn!reader/apprentice.
— Valerius is almost unbearably uptight, but if you can volley verbal jabs with him and aren’t easily offended, you’ll get along just fine. He’s a nag and a snob, but has your best interests at heart.
— Anyone who makes so much as a snide remark in your direction will be read to filth. His knack for picking out other peoples flaws is like his superpower. He won’t be satisfied until they‘re sniveling, weeping, and humiliated by the end of his tirade for disrespecting his partner. It’s the only time you truly see him lose control.
— Trust you will be spoiled! His gifts make up most of your wardrobe, and since he has an eye for what looks flattering on you, it’s hard to refuse.
— Yes, you suppose that necklace does complement your eyes… and the shade of that garment does go perfectly with that bag you’ve been wanting to use…
— He’ll want to coordinate outfits for social events, but not before a proper pampering at a spa date. He insists it’s a necessary step for looking your best, and you have to admit holding hands while getting massages is romantic.
— Expect mindless touches he doesn’t think twice about, like fixing your hair, brushing lint off your collar, and a guiding hand on your waist to steer you around puddles.
— Aside from that, Valerius mainly expresses his love through gift-giving. It was a little overwhelming when you first began courting, but now you eagerly await every shiny trinket he bequeaths to you.
— He pays more attention to you than you realize. From what sort of foods you do or don’t like, the style of clothing you gravitate towards, the jewelry that makes your head turn in the marketplace.
— Valerius’ kisses are slow, deep, and something to be savored. He takes his time, learning what makes you sigh and lean into him. He tastes of wine and mint, and makes the cutest whine when you bite his lip. It’s all too easy for him to become kiss-drunk, chasing your lips when you pull away too soon.
— Nothing annoys him more than when you tease him by turning away at the last moment so his kisses land on your cheek. He is petty and will withhold kisses from you the rest of the day to teach you a lesson </3
— Beneath all that powder and priss, Valerius cares more than he’ll dare say. He especially cares what you think of him, if you can believe it.
Author's note: Bit of a different format than usual, just trying something new because of the nature of the characters. It's not much, just some words before headcannons, and it teases the idea of how courtier routes would actually go in game. Question, do you guys think I should do less of the GIFs? Please let me know.
Warnings: The courtiers in general, slight violence mentions in Vulgora's, alcohol in Valerius', Valdemar's has... Valdemar being themself so medical stuff/experiments/sickness. Kinda yandere? Not really explicitly, just close to being there. Cheating is mentioned in Valerius' but it's not you guys, he's just giving out a little gossip on someone.
Descriptions: Relationship headcanons, seperate, with Valerius, Valdemar and Vulgora. Gender Neutral reader
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How did this happen? You remember before, being so... scared of them.
And yet here you were, hands intertwined with theirs, and while it might have just been the slight chill of their skin against your warmth, you couldn't help but feel like something had gone wrong.
Maybe this wasn't supposed to happen. Either way, here you are. What can you do next?
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Vulgora~
-They're aggresive with how they express love for you
-They don't know how else to do it
-That vine with the guy who SCREAMS I LOVE YOU DOG?
-That's them with you
-They won't yell if you don't loud noises, though
-Instead they'll hold you and whisper I love you in your ear, it's weirdly threatening but also cute in a way
-They'll fight anyone who you don't like
-Hold them back please
-They treat you like royalty and expect everyone else to do the same
-The their credit, they would have a very good bedside manner despite everything else about them, they know a lot about fighting. They know what happends when you get hit in certain places, so they have enough knowledge to empathize a bit and take care of you
-Doesn't like kissing, only on special occasions or when you're sad. Otherwise they generally just don't want to.
-Their compliments are only ones that would make sense coming from them.
'I love you'
'I love you too, Vulgora'
'I love you so much I''d stab someone for you'
'I know, darling'
'Can I stab someone for you'
'No, darling'
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Valerius~
-Annoying but in a fun way
-You're never bored around this guy
-He likes bringing you to wine tastings, just likes relaxing with you and drinking together.
-The go-to gift for him too, by the way
-Forget Valentine's Day? Some holiday? Give a bottle of wine to him and he's fine.
-Doesn't like saying much to you, he's more of a gift-giver
-Fool knows how much he's got to use, and he spends a lot on you
-Not nadia levels, nobody could do it like she does, but he does put in a lot for gifts.
-Loves gossiping with you
'Valerius, do you know about the-'
'Yes I know'
'He wasn't there for the birth!'
'Doesn't matter'
'Why?'
'Because it's not even his'
-Any rumor about you he is sure to get rid of, and he would know if there's any. You still don't know how he gets it all, but he knows everything about everyone. Everything.
-Loves vacations with you, going to beaches, maybe to Prakra, anywhere.
-Likes being with you
-Again, doesn't say it much
-But he shows it in his gifts and all the time spent with you
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Valdemar~
-Loves touching you in any way, especially when you're out and about, having an arm around you is a must
-They're possesive, not an overbearing way, they just want to make sure nobody gets in the way
-Doesn't see the point in gifts, but will get you a few every now and then
-They're exquisite, of course
-Just casually do whatever, they bring over a little box and inside is a silk robe and they have no idea why you're so enchanted by it
-It's only what the salesperson said was good for a gift, was it really worth that much to you?
-If you're sick, they're stopping everything they have to do to take care of you
-They're even experiment to find out how to treat you
-Nobody is better than you are to them. Nobody.
-They're honestly mad if anyone tries to flirt with them, how dare they think the can compare to you?
I cut his hair myself one night / a pair of dull scissors in the yellow light / and he told me that I'd done alright / and kissed me 'til the morning light.
samson — regina spektor
pairing: consul valerius x reader
no warnings / 2k words / posted on ao3
-x-
You begin to notice the small details about him: like how he likes his coffee with sugar—more sugar than you would’ve wagered. Or how he doesn’t believe in sleeping in past sunrise unless it’s an emergency; not only because it’s a waste of time to him, but because he genuinely enjoys watching the sun rise. He hums whenever there’s long stretches of time when no one says anything else, and, normally this would be enough to drive you insane but—
you begin to notice that it doesn’t. There’s something about how, when he does it, you don’t mind.
Maybe it’s the way you sometimes feel the reverberations soft on your skin when you’re close enough, when he’s close enough. Maybe it’s because it isn’t lost on you how otherwise noisy his mind must be. Maybe it’s because it always sneaks into your mind to ask what song he’s thinking of.
Tonight, it’s because you’re both caught in a moment of complete solitude: the meetings that you’re both required for are over for the day. The shop is closed for the day. You have both unwound for the day and have wrapped up in each other. Your fingers curl into his hair, and his hands press you securely against a resting place on his chest; both new habits that you have recently allowed each other. Valerius, true to his nature, is humming a tune that you can’t quite name, and you feel as though you are on the brink of closing your eyes to rest.
Almost.
The shift is barely noticeable, the quietness shifting into the air as subtly as the noise did. You adjust, waiting for the words you guess are holding in Valerius’s mouth.
“I think it’s time,” he finally says.
“For what?”
“I think it’s time—I think I want to cut my hair.”
You wonder whose breath catches longer.
You think that, certainly, it’s you who goes the stillest as you consider what he’s saying to you. Normally, you would think this is talk of too much wine; of a night that’s run too long in it’s course, and that you’re both tired past the point of clarity. That he’d feel differently when you both woke up the next morning.
But you know better.
You know that this, of all things, would be a very precise thought on his part. That this thought has been a heavy weight he’s placed on the scales that work in his mind, that he’s turned over the calculations until it made sense that the only thing that would make them balance out was to carry out his thought. That he meant it. That he wanted to share it with you.
So you still yourself.
Take a moment, take a breath, before your eyes focus back on him.
“Really?”
He nods once.
“Okay then.”
“Okay.”
The line between his brows smooths, and you feel as though your breath as returned to it’s normal pace.
Perhaps the ripples his words have caused have settled down, and that is that.
It’s another night where your only responsibility is yourselves. The candles have dimmed in the room you share, and you were almost sure that the quietness in the room would lull one of you to sleep before you’d made it to the bed. Your feet are tucked beneath you as your fingers flex in a concentrated attempt to create muscle memory of a spell you were new to; he sat with a book abandoned in his lap, gaze drifting to a corner of the room.
“I didn’t mean to lose myself,” he says quietly.
It’s almost a whisper. He’s almost scared.
You look at him. Really look at him, gaze leveling with his own golden stare that he’s turned your direction. After all this time, it’s still almost hard to choose how you could react. It’s still so tender, it is all so tender, the intimacy that he’s grown into.
You fall back into the thing you’re most comfortable with, the need to be close, as you bridge the gap between the two of you on the small lounger you share, your hand lightly brushing across his skin.
“Oh, honey,” you say. “I know.”
You’ve often wondered how far grace could be extended. You’d never said it outloud before, not to Valerius, but sometimes it’s the thought that kept your mind working late into night. You were there just the same as he was, had been resurrected, had seen so much torn apart because of things his own hands, the hands you chose to hold, had meddled in—
All this and you could still feel your own heart tug in sympathy.
It sometimes bothered you.
More than anything else, it sometimes bothered you the perhaps irrational way you could forgive the sins of all those who had gotten caught up in the web the Devil had spun around you all. It sometimes made you angry that you could even find yourself sympathize at all.
But then the rationale catches up with you.
You’re reminded that it was all just that: just a web.
You had all been trapped.
The realization almost breaks your heart all over again, and it makes it easier for you to let go of the more complicated emotions you feel. The anger, the hurt. It makes you feel better to forgive, even if it’s maddening at times. Even if it’s irrational, you feel as though the soothing balm you feel when you’re with Valerius is enough to start soothing everything else over.
You want to wrap him up. You want to shield him from his own thoughts, from the thoughts that others offer to him so freely.
But that’s not how it works.
And it’s not what he needs.
And you both know this.
“It can all be healed with time,” you offer.
The look Valerius gives you in return lets you know that he doesn’t believe you. You can hardly blame him. The hope you want to give him is far stretched, at best. You’ve heard him voice enough of his own inner monologue to know how much he could doubt the statement. You know yourself how much you could doubt the statement.
Rebuilding after all that had happened seemed like such a tall order; the physical things coming back much easier than the mental things. You had seen how everyone had lost pieces of themselves, had seen how everyone had come back. You had all smiled and said it was fine, you had all been thankful for the cause you had all sacrificed for.
You would doubt yourself, too.
He meets you one night, the moment you walk through the door of the apartment above your shop, a pair of scissors in his hand and a look in his eyes, and you know exactly what he’s asking of you.
The weight of understanding falls heavy on your chest, doubling when you take the scissors from his hands. You had imagined this all differently somehow, even though every scenario had left a taste in your mouth that wasn’t quite right.
His fingers slide between those of your unoccupied hand, and he directs you to the small kitchen. There are extra candles lit, a foresight on his part to give you more lighting to the act that was about to happen.
The words are you sure? Are you certain about this? ball up in the back of your throat. His hold on you is steady. You feel as though this is the most certain he’s been since he began rebuilding himself.
“Is this okay?” He asks.
Your brows furrow until you realize he’s asking about where he’s standing, if you can see everything that you need to see.
“Yeah.” You clear your throat. “But maybe sit down?”
“Okay.”
His fingers slip away from yours, and you’re grateful that you’re not the one that has to break contact. In the same motion, he pulls out a chair from the table, turning his back to you. His hair is still in a loose braid, falling over the back of the chair. You move closer, fingers touching at the hairline at his temples, softly trailing across the length.
“I’m going to take the braid out.” It only feels right that you narrate what’s going to happen before it does. He nods.
Your fingers undo the tie at the end of his hair, taking the braid out of with intention. You smooth out the hair that’s been kept tame all day.
You need a moment to pause.
You gather his hair in your hands, pushing it to fall over a shoulder. You press a kiss to the nape of his neck.
His skin is warm, but you can still feel the shiver that runs down his spine.
The selfishness you feel isn’t lost on you; this is his moment, of course, his transformation, his metaphorical shedding of one skin to grow into the next.
But you need a moment.
How often had you associated his hair with who he was?
You certainly hadn’t picked him because of his looks, or because of the meticulous way he had kept his hair. Even if he weren’t handsome by any standards, you would’ve still found a way to love him.
This superficial feeling—it was silly, you knew. It was old fashioned, traditional, and silly—but, it was so wholly and so comfortably what Valerius was.
Old fashioned. Traditional.
Steady. Someone you knew.
You bite your lip. Take another breath.
If he was ready, there was no reason for you to not be.
You pull his hair gently back into your grasp. The scissors raise, hovering at a length just at his shoulders.
“Is this length okay?”
“I think so.”
“Okay. Here goes.”
The snip of the scissors is enough sound to flood your apartment. It continues, you continue, until you hold a considerable amount of hair in your non-cutting hand. Unsure, you place the bundle on the table next to Valerius. His head tilts, barely glancing at it, before he returns to his straight-on gaze.
“It looks good,” you reassure, brushing your fingers through the new style. “But I’m just going to make sure its all evened out. Okay?”
“Okay.”
And so you do.
You take great care, even though the only experience you’d ever had was in cutting your own hair, to make sure it still looks like a style that Valerius would want. You take a step back occasionally, squinting to make sure of the evenness, stalling to make sure you could still carry through the act.
“I’m done.” You set the scissors on the table, place a hand on his shoulder after brushing off a few strands of stray hair.
“Thank you.” Valerius lifts a hand to cover yours, lightly squeezing your fingers.
“Let’s go have a look, hm?”
He stands then, so effortlessly, and you don’t know what else you expected from him. Turning, he cups your face between his hands, pressing a kiss to your forehead, then down to the tip of your nose. Your eyes close as he continues, a kiss to either of your cheeks.
“Thank you,” he repeats. His lips ghost against your own.
“You’re welcome,” you say, leaning into where he touches.
That night, the windows are left open in the bedroom of your apartment.
The weather is the nicest it’s been in weeks, and the moon filtering through the curtains is just enough to give the room a wholesome glow.
You are tucked into Valerius’s side, and he looks more peaceful than you have ever seen him before: face relaxed, rolling with soft curves instead of the harsh face he was so well-known for wearing. His hair, now fully brunette, is splayed out across his pillow in a way that he normally hated, reminding you of every way he tried to tie his shorter hair back, just to ultimately fail.
The neighborhood outside your window is finally asleep, rounding out the feeling of peace in the atmosphere, of the contentedness in your chest.
You aren’t sure if Valerius is asleep yet or not, but you’re not willing to test—you’ll be there, soon enough anyway. Instead, you continue to take it all in: this moment; this man, still steady and traditional, whose warmth underneath your fingertips had never changed.
Would you do headcanons for the M7 with the Heart of the Forest as their familiar? We only really hear about it in Muriel route but it was such a fun concept that I had to play around with it.
Okay, but that is such a good idea! I LOVE it! Thank you so much for the request, and I'm so so glad you like my woks 🥺💕
Spoilers for beggining (?) of Muriel's route ahead!!
Okay, so if someone didn't do Muriel's route, or just does not remember- heart of the forest is a winged dear (as far as I remember) who was protecting dark forest, in Muriel's route it's heart got ripped out by Lucio. That's why it would be so fucking funny if it would be Lucio's familiar. Okay so let's get to it! (Everyone's familiar is HOTF now, but their in game familiars are still like their companions, friends, or just pets)
M6 + Valerius and heart of the forest as their familiar
Heart of the Forest wanted you to call it by it's whole name
You said no
That's exactly how, their new name's Faust Junior
When Faust heard you call that name, she was so happy
She squished the Faust Junior
You both always put decorations on it's horns
Faust loves to lay on their horns
Them and Faust are best friends
Somerimes Faust Junior tries to lay in bed with bith of you
It does not work
But you made them a smaller bed-couch
Most of the time Faust sleeps there with them
Everyone loves to pet Faust Junior
They get pissed when you call them Faust Junior, but honestly, who cares
Daily trips to the Dark Forest to check on it
If you hug it you have some huuuge power boosts 'cause HOT(F)'s magical
Well, obviously
You can be sure it has it's own room in the palace
But like a huge ass room
So they can fly there all day and not ruin her beautiful chandeliers which are hanged all around the rest of the palace
Everyone in the palace has hate love relationship with them
Nadia didn't want to be mean, so she wanted to stay with calling them Heart of The Forest
You said no
It's name's Noddy now
You wantes it to be similiar to Nadia's
That was the closest you could find
Even if it's the one Lucio calls Nadia
You made a better use out of it anyways
Wing.care.101
Chandra often comes up to Noddy and sits on their horns
She wants to look magestical
It hella works
When it flied away for the first time he panicked
He thought it'll never come back
It siked him on purpose
Like he came back home after he hadn't seen HOTF for like 2 days
And this motherfucker was right there, on the couch, flexing it's wings
Julian almost died
You did too, but because you were laughing so much
That's why HOTF's name is Chad
It was your idea to name them that
They agreed so it's fine
Malak often bumps into them when he flies
You caught a dead raven falling from the sky around fifty times already
And Chad lives with you for like a week
Before, it was too scared to leave Dark Forest to it's own
Muriel protects it now most of the time
This indeed fit well
They're both at the Dark forest 24/7
You made club t-shirts for them
The club's called "WHNLSWPTDF"
Say that fast i dare you
Actually it stands for "We have no live so we protect the forest"
You did not tell them about that
Muriel REALLY didn't want to give another name to it so you're forced to call it Heart Of The Forest all the time
In secret you call it HOT tho
Cause like H for Heart O for of T for The and F was supposed to be there but you tell everyone that F is silent
And that's why you call white winged deer "HOT"
But for real now, their teamwork makes you jealous sometimes
Like, damm he's your boyfriend, and yet he has such awesome relationship with a deer????
Not fair much
HOT feels good in your hut
It's still at it's own home for once
Bestiess
Like she literally paints it's nails (hooves) on daily basis
They're chic bestfriends
Deer always walks around like Diva, with painted hooves, decorations on it's horns and some matching sweter with Portia, Pepi and you
You're like the badass trio + one
Portia's cottage is close enough to nature so it feels pretty good there
Pepi sleeps on it all the time
You named it Michael, just because Portia's book crush's name is Michael
Michael sometimes takes Pepi on flights around the palace
She loves it so much
Portia never minds helping out in the Dark Forest
When she's free of course
So... rather rareily
Most of the time you and Pepi help
But Michael appreciates it anyways
Love hate relationship at it finest
Like, just imagine-
It's some lazy saturday morning
You wake up to your beutiful boyfriend, and you fucking winged deer fighting
Isn't that just delightful?
Lucio and....
Lucenzo 2nd the Diabolic
It's pretty obvious who chose the name
You sucesfully stopped him from naming it Lucenzo 2nd the Horny
So Lucio and his small horned self bullying eachother all morning
So most of the time you hear
"Ouch you fucker"
"Get that horn out of my eye"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY MOM"
"Oh wait you're kinda right"
And shit like that
It's pretty funny
But it get's boring stiching both of them, after like first few times
But you know Lucio loves his deer
It's shows when you sometimes come back to your room and they're both laying in bed hugging the life out of eachother
You don't mind sleeping on the couch when that happens
This dude tried giving the deer wine so many times that it's getting fucking boring
He suceeded that one time
Everyone working at his estate remsmber that day way to well
Flying deer jumping from wall to wall knocking off all the chandeliers and eating all the grapes it could find
This was a sad day for Valerius
His favourite sculpture of Lucio got knocked down
You needed to high five the deer for it later
You didn't like that sculpture anyways
It was ugly, just like the original, living one
Bud Valerius was devastated
And that's fucking rude
But him and HOTF got along pretty well except for that
You both deided to name it Chardonnay
(It's white wine, from white grapes. Varies widely in style from the crisp lemon-lime-mineral flavors of classic Chablis to rich, oaky, buttery wines from California, Australia and many other)
Well mostly he decided that
But it sounds good so you don't mind
Valerius doesen't like helping it in the forest but he does that anyways
You receive a note from Valerius requesting your presence in the town square. When you arrive, you find a long line of civilians, and a set of stocks with your name on it.
The final part in the Young Gods/The Eternals series.
Featuring: AFAB reader, very public lemons, verbal humili-lemons, lemon-stuffing. 6k words (13k all parts).
The courtiers reaction to finding out MC’s been drawing them (like an entire sketchbook worth of portraits?) and when confronted about it, they blurt out they thought they were beautiful and couldn’t help themselves? And MC’s all embarrassed about it because they weren’t supposed to find out? If you’re swarmed with requests, you can ignore this. 💦💦 | Hope you’re having a good day tho!!
I'm taking 1000 years to answer but HERE I AM
Valdemar
they are both surprised and pleased that you think of them so highly
they're used to being called a monstrosity, but beautiful? not so much
they'll tease you for your obsession for them because they are who they are
expect your sketchbook to be fully analyzed while they compliment your technique
Vlastomil
he feels blessed
he's a demon dating an angel niw he's sure of that
will immediately shower you in compliment about your talent and say that he should be the one drawing you
he's a blushing mess
he will probably sneak in your drawer to look at your drawings again
Volta
a blushing stuttering mess
you're worried she's going to faint
she starts CRYING
'' I have never been loved like this before''
heart : broken
you hug her and pepper her face in kisses
Vulgora
big boost to their ego
they're proudly going through your sketchbook admiring themself and gloating in your words
they'll be grinning the entire time
expect a rough kiss followed by... closed door business
Valerius
he's the incarnation of Vanity
he knows he's stunning
so why is he blushing like a schoolgirl?
he just looks at you, speechless and with wide eyes
ah, it's because it's not only his looks you love about him, right?
will take you in his arms while telling you how much he adores you
warnings: maybe some innuendoes? floof. spice and everything nice. soft angst, but i dont think so. sofff valerius? spicy valerius👌👌 swearing. i think there's swearing
a/n: sorry this took so long @taeguccibracelet and i think its kinda short. lil fast paced too. my ask is open.
now when nadia asked you to spend a day with valerius, you did not anticipate the forever drinking man to be so.. so.. so sassy.
i mean who could refuse nadia? portia came scrambling in as you finished speaking with nadia when the redhead announced the early arrival of some foreign ambassador the countess appraised your company and asked that you entertain her's for a while.
now honestly, you'd rather let them scream at each other until they lost their voices. neither of them got along, asra once dismissed himself, but the nadia's hopeful eyes were hard to ignore.
portia was silently thanking you a thousand times over as she trailed behind the countess.
when the courtiers got wind of this?
you? entertain them?
all of them scrambled for an excuse to be elsewhere. everyone except valerius.
"well? you heard the countess." he raised a brow, motioning to the door making the wine in the same hand violently jolt in it's glass. "entertain me."
you had to grit your teeth. bite your cheek. curl your fists. anything to keep from snapping on this arrogant son of a—
"are you going to stand there?" valerius shook his head unimpressed that his needs were not met. "if standing around is all you're good for, now that you've gone and defeated—"
"listen here, you pompous piece of palace trash." there went your restraint. words were flying fast and not a thought in your head would stop you from giving this man a piece of your mind. "the only reason you're here, valerius, is because nadia took pity on your drunk ass. you're lucky that asra stopped lucio from dragging you down with him because if it were me? i would have dropped you like a bag of dirt. entertain. yourself."
the audience in your head was applauding you for a flawless rebuttal to valerius. you were storming towards the door and already planning how you would unwind after dealing with him. honestly, the nerve of that guy—
a hand shut the door you had begun to open. fear spiked at your nerves. for a moment you forgot who you were and the identity of the person behind you. striking up an ounce of bravery, you followed the hand over your shoulder to valerius.
now.. you would expect a furious courtier. the smell of nectar and a sweet floral scent filled your nose that would have put anyone to ease, but the bitter trails of alcohol were a sharp reminder of who you had pissed off.
but upon seeing valerius at ease, you didn't know what to expect. he raised a brow, a tiny smirk on his face upon meeting your wide eyes.
"if i had been lucio moments ago that little outburst of yours would have you banished from the palace walls in a second."
you wanted to tell him that you'd purposely give him food poisoning, but the clarity of his silvern irises rendered you speechless. especially when he leaned in until he was a breath away.
"but it's a good thing i'm not him." he whispered, staring into your glimmering eyes.
there was a moment of stillness. valerius staring into your eyes and you trying to figure out why you didn't want to rip him apart for invading your personal space. but then it was gone.
he was gone. turning his back to you and skillfully picking up a few bottles of wine and an old glass in another. one moment you could taste the sweet aroma on his breath and another he was back to you.
"come along, magician." valerius raised a brow to you, peering over his shoulder with a smirk. "why don't we disappear for awhile? it'd be a shame for you to have an episode in front of the countess."
disappear?
your eyes widened. no way. he couldn't have— could he? you chased after valerius, running through the door after him, "was that a pun?!"
valerius rolled his eyes as you both walked down a hallway and off the veranda into the garden. it was then you realized that the path valerius was taking through the garden was one you were unfamiliar with.
you reached for valerius, clinging to his arm as you glanced around at the different part of the garden where valerius was taking you. he only smirked, never sparing a glance as stopped in front of rusted iron gates that towered over the both of you.
"valerius, if you even think of assassinating me—"
valerius let out something of a laugh before glancing over at you, "obviously the palace magician isn't aware of the previous count's cellar."
"lucio couldn't have—"
"as much as lucio would like to claim this masterpiece, this is far too classy for his tastes."
you fought a laugh, watching as he pulled out a gilded wooden key and unlocked the giant doors.
valerius ushered you inside and closed the door, unaware of how you'd suddenly looked doe-eyed when you'd begun to take in your surroundings.
plush pillows and blankets were set over every inch of the floor. shades of maroon and magenta set out in the floor while floating candles lit themselves up upon valerius muttering an incantation.
"it's amusing that you consider yourself important enough to be assassinated." valerius called, plopping down on a large black pillow much too big to be for just one person.
"and i suppose you are?" you scoffed, raising a brow as you took one of the bottles from valerius and sitting next to him on the blankets.
he set a hand on his chest as he set down wine bottles, "vesuvia would weep for me."
"i would weep for vesuvia if historians thought you were important enough to be assassinated." you snorted, opening the wine bottle so the cork flew past his head.
in turn, valerius mirrored you except his cork hit you square in the forehead. he chuckled at the horrified look you gave him.
in favor of preserving your honor, you chucked one of the pillows behind you and it landed square in valerius's face. he sat up in time to see you on your back, laughing at the way his face contorted with disgust, but upon seeing you smiling he couldn't help but smirk a little.
he handed you a bottle and you took it wondering what on earth made his lips turn up in the slightest.
"i didn't know you could smile, valerius."
"I didn't know the palace magician could have fun." he shot you smile, gilded eyes watching you from over the rim of his glass.
"you never asked." you teased, wrapping your lips around the bottle's rim and dipped your head back to let the sweet liquid sliver down your throat.
if you'd been looking you would have seen valerius nearly drop his wine glass while he stared.
his eyes focused on the length of your neck before trailing up to the wine that trickled from the side of your mouth. valerius tore his eyes away from you so he could gather his thoughts as he stared into his own glass.
"if you keep drinking, you're going to end up drunk." he rolled his eyes, relaxing into the pillows behind him.
he wasn't expecting a weight to come crashing down on the pillows to his right. his eyes snapped open and his head snapped over to find you with your legs propped on his and raising a brow at him.
"are you—"
"why don't you like me?" he nearly choked on his spit.
he met your brillaintly dilated eyes and nearly swore aloud for it. every time he found himself staring at them he would nearly forget what he was thinking.
you crossed your arms, waiting for an answer. with your hair messed up and how you laid back with that bottle of wine...
he found his thoughts dipping into the gutter.
"p-pardon?" he asked, opting for switching his glass for the bottle to take a nice long drink.
"why don't you like me?" you repeated without missing a beat.
valerius set his bottle down while he gathered his thoughts and waited for you to continue.
"you're always nitsticking me—"
"nitpicking."
"see?!" you pointed your bottle at him and his lips puckered when he realized that he'd proved your point. "then you're always looking down your nose at me. so tell me, consul~"
he watched you climb up so you sat up beside him. valerius tried so desperately to maintain eye contact, but with the alcohol in his system and the delicious warmth radiating off you- it was becoming a challenge.
"why don't you like me?"
he scoffed, taking your bottle and nearing your face with the slightst smirk. "i'm like that with everyone, darling."
you snatched the bottle from his lips and before he could ground something out, you were straddling his lap and pushing him back by his chest as you took a swing.
he swallowed when you never broke eye contact with him. one of his hands curling around yours that pressed to his chest before yanking.
you went falling forward and valerius' lips caught yours, drinking down the wine from your lips before pulling back to look at your flustered expression.
wine trickled down the side of his mouth and he grinned, flipping you on your back before standing up. "despite how very alluring you are, i propose we reconvene after we're both sober, yes?"
valerius helped you to your feet and promptly guided you out of the cellar upon hearing the guards calling for you.
you couldn't help, but watch as valerius locked up the cellar with the same pointed look as always except there was a tiny pull upward at the corner of his lips.
"i'm surprised you didn't we didn't wine, dine, and—"
you were cut off by his chuckle and his hand caressing your cheek, leaning into you. "obviously, you've had too much to drink."
"so you're into me then, consul valerius?"
a mischevious smile on his face before he waved his hand and let out the most dramatic sigh. "i suppose it's the pretty face that got me."
he turned meeting your eyes, the sharp gaze making your breath hitch. especially when he extended a hand towards you.
"but you can't say that's what drew you to me." his fingers looped with yours and tugged you to walk beside him.
"i think~" you sang, spinning in his arms as the sunset flitted over the gardens. "it was the wine."
valerius rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to your knuckles before you parted to join the guards waiting for you at the veranda.
"until next time, valerius."
you were halfway up the stairs when he called you back.
underneath the moonlight, arms crossed over his chest as he gave a teasing smile. even in the wine stained robes, he seemed most radiant as he stared upon you.
"next time, we dine first."
a giddy feeling bubbled in your chest and you couldn't stop yourself from smiling then. maybe valerius was the cranky, ill-tempered consul.
Can you please do vlademar and Valerie's with a s/o who isn't really a tsundere but looks away while giving gifts or pats their head instead of words very affectionate just silent y,know thanks❤
Sure why not, I need something to post anyway lol
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Valerius
Honestly he does it to you sometimes as well.. looks away when giving you certain gifts and blushes lightly with a scoff.. but he won’t admit it’s something he also does.
However when you do it he finds it kinda cute. Usually he’ll start to question you just to make you blush more.
“What’s this? A gift for me? You really shouldn’t have darling..” he chuckles.
Will accept your gift though if he cares about you enough. If he didn’t he’d probably just throw it out.
Actually tends to look forward to you out of nowhere giving him gifts like that. With a strong bond he might actually pay your head back and ruffle it.
He doesn’t like many people, if any, in his hair so at first he might tell you not to do it. I guess after a while though he might grant you permission and say it’s fine considering how many gifts he’s taken when in reality he simply starts to like it.
Valdemar
They’re actually hella confused. Their a demon who’s used to people fearing them so in all honesty they might not even know what you’re doing at first.
They might just stare at you if you give them a gift in that way, might even lift a brow and ask what you want.
At first these actions bothers them, maybe even annoys them because they don’t understand but they learn to accept your gift out of curiosity. And while they don’t like any touching near their horns (their sensitive hon..) after a while the might get used to it.
Yes petting them out of nowhere either causes them to twitch or flinch at first so just be careful..
Later in the relationship they might get used to your actions but in the end they might not ever understand why you seem so flustered to give them things.
They maybe scary to many but you two seem to work together often so you should be used to them bye now, right?
