The Air Is Crisp Today. The Flowers May Wilt In The Coming Weather. Adam Makes Himself Busy Picking Some

The air is crisp today. The flowers may wilt in the coming weather. Adam makes himself busy picking some for you, ones he think will look pretty tangled in your hair. The knights snicker when they see the bouquet he has made, but they make no comments.

He goes to see you. He must see you.

You are not in the kitchen, which is odd. The ladies are working on food for a royal banquet that shall be held tonight. A noble family is visiting, hoping their son may be a suitor for the princess.

"Where is...?" Adam asks, his voice surprisingly soft. Mary glances at him and smiles.

"She is at the gates, I believe. She is meeting—"

She is not able to tell him. He is already gone.

He goes around the grounds to the front of the castle. There is a crowd, a carriage that noblemen are exiting. There are knights and servants busying themselves with their horses and supples. And then there is you, standing on the outskirts, your back to him. He is approaching you when you squeal with delight, picking up your skirt and running to the knights.

His heart drops when you jump into one of their arms.

He stares, feeling an ache in his chest as the man spins you in the air, the two of you laughing and smiling.

And then, an unquenchable rage builds.

"Look at you!" you say when the man sets you down. "You have grown so tall. And your beard," you marvel, touching his jaw.

"And look at you! You have grown so beautiful, Y/N!"

"Oh, hush!"

"I mean it. I am sure the men of the castle fight for the chance to speak to you. Constantine must be jealous!"

"Oh..." You pull away, smoothing your skirt. "Constantine... he is—"

A large hand finds the man's neck, holding tight.

"Adam!"

"I will kill you," he says, strangling the man, almost lifting him off the ground. "I will rip you piece by piece!"

"Adam, you unhand him this instant!" you yell, grabbing his forearm and pulling. "You let go of my brother right now!"

Adam falters, releasing the man after a moment. He gasps, stepping back, touching his throat. You rush to him.

"Bernard, are you alright?" you ask, worry in your tone as you touch his face. He nods and you sigh, turning to Adam, your face scrunched in a hideous scowl. You stomp toward him, slapping him across the face. "How dare you?! How dare you attack my brother as if he is an enemy?!"

"I... my lady, I did not know. I thought—"

"I do not care what you thought! You have no right to act like a cruel beast, you—"

"Y/N," Bernard grabs your shoulder, steadying you. "It is alright. I am fine." He looks to Adam, giving an uncertain smile. "You are quite strong, sir. I was not prepared."

"I..." He swallows, feeling foolish. "You are lady Y/N's brother?"

"Yes, sir." He holds out his hand, a peace offering. "I am Bernard, Y/N's eldest brother."

Adam blinks, taking the hand and shaking it.

"Eldest?"

"Eldest of eight, sir."

"Eight..." Adam looks at you. "I... I did not know you had brothers."

"Five, to be exact." Bernard pats your shoulder as you cross your arms. "Y/N here is the baby."

"The baby..." Adam clears his throat, bowing slightly. "I am sorry, sir. I did not know you were related."

"Tis alright, good sir. You were merely defending Constantine's honor!" Bernard smiles at you. "Tell me, sister, have you had children yet?"

You shift, staring at the ground.

"I have not. Sir Constantine... died in battle... before we could marry."

"Oh..." Bernard pulls you to his chest, holding you as you wrap your arms around him. "Oh, my dear sister, I am so sorry..."

"I have grieved," you say, patting his back before pulling away. Bernard flattens his mouth before looking back at Adam.

"Then... who are you, good sir?"

Adam swallows.

"Sir Adam Fischer, sir. I am a royal knight at this castle."

"Ah, I see." He shifts on his legs, pointing at the bouquet in his hands. "And the flowers? Are they yours, or for your lady?"

"They..." Adam looks at you, holding the flowers tighter. "They are for..."

Bernard looks between the two of you and smiles.

"For my sister? How kind of you, sir!" He pats your shoulder as you turn away. "Y/N, look at the flowers he has picked for you."

"I will not accept them," you snarl, hands clasping at your apron.

"Sister, do not be so cold. They are a gift." Bernard beckons Adam to hand him the flowers. When he does so, Bernard holds them in front of your face, rubbing your back. "Look! Tis a lovely bouquet. Please, take them and smile."

You hesitate, eventually taking the flowers from your brother and bringing them close.

"Very good. Now, you must give me a tour of your castle. Show me all the best hiding spots." He jostles your shoulders and you huff out a laugh. He holds out his arm and you take it, beginning to walk with him. Bernard looks back to Adam and smiles. "We shall speak later, good sir!"

Adam watches the two of you walk away, his heart heavy.

At the dining hall in the evening, Bernard waves Adam to his table. He pats the seat beside him.

"I saved you a chair, good sir!"

"Thank you," Adam says, taking his seat. They gather food in silence as the room bustles around them.

"I... I am sorry for being so foolish today, sir," Adam says, hanging his head. "I... I was worried that..."

"You thought my sister was hugging a possible suitor, did you not?" he asks, looking at Adam. He glances at Bernard and nods. Bernard barks out a laugh. "So silly. But I would have done the same when I was younger with my wife. I accept your apology."

"Thank you, sir."

"You fancy her?" he asks, and Adam nods again. "I can tell. You are not subtle, good sir."

"I... I simply cannot help myself."

"What do you like of her?"

"She..." He sighs, resting his cheek in his hand. "She is beautiful. She is kind and sweet, and smart, and hard working. I admire her."

"There are many good reasons to like my sister." He shovels food into his mouth. "Are you courting her?"

"I am trying, sir." Bernard laughs.

"She is as stubborn as a mule at times. She will come to you if you practice patience."

Adam twists his mouth, thinking. Bernard watches him as he takes a bite of bread.

"She spoke of you today." Adam's eyes widen.

"She did?"

"Yes." He takes a sip of beer. "She said you were strong, which I have already experienced. She said you are brash and crude, and that you do not know manners at times."

Adam pokes his food with his fork, unable to find his appetite.

"She likes you a great deal."

Adam stops, looking at Bernard who is smiling into the distance.

"How can you tell, sir?"

"She is easy to read to me, always has. She tries to hide her feelings, but she is not always good at it." He scratches at his beard. "She was very careful with the flowers you gave. She touched them a great deal. She did not stop me when I put one of them behind her ear."

Adam hums, beginning to eat.

"I only ask that you treat her kindly. She deserves a good husband who will provide for her."

"I want to give her everything," he says, grabbing a piece of bread. He looks up at Bernard, who is smiling at him.

"You are a good man. I think you will suit her well."

Adam goes to the kitchen after dinner to apologize to you, but you are not there. He sees the bouquet he picked for you, sitting on the kitchen table, in a vase with water.

He feels his heart swell.

Starry Night

Sypnosis - Sitting together on a starry night...what could possibly be wrong with that picture perfect scenario?

Pairing - Satosugu x ! Female ! Reader

Warning(s) - mature themes

Word Count - 0.7k

! PIECE BEGINS UNDERNEATH THE CUT !

"'Toru? What are you still doing up?"

The sitting man jolts, his eyes flickering to you, their bright hue dimming as you cautiously enter the living room, draped in one of his shirts. His legs spread, palms patting once, twice against his thigh in a silent invitation for you – one that you accept without hesitation.

Your head tucks into the crook of Satoru's neck, nose inhaling his scent and committing it to memory – a pleasant mixture of sandalwood and the Earth. To you, it was comfort, it was a reminder of the home that you had built with him and Suguru.

"The stars are nice tonight, aren't they?" Satoru comments, his arms looping around your waist, holding you against him and tilting his head to rest his cheek against your hair. You hum against him, eyes flickering to the window.

Painted against the inky black sky are the stars that you and Satoru often watched together, laid out on a blanket on the front lawn and pointing up at them as if you had never seen them before. It was always cold during those nights, which usually resulted in Satoru tugging you against his chest, your body molding against his like a perfect little puzzle piece.

You two would lay there for hours, simply basking in the other's presence and staring up at the flickering yellow lights that adorned the sky. Both of your trances were only broken by Suguru's softened voice, scolding you both for being out so late and commenting how you would both likely be sick by morning.

Only then would Satoru roll up the blanket, helping you stand with gentle hands and allowing you to make your way back to the front door first. Softened aquamarine eyes watch as you beeline for Suguru's opened arms, hugging the raven-haired man and smiling brightly as gentle kisses are laid out over your face.

"Yeah, they're nice," you mutter offhandedly, biting back the yawn that claws up your throat. Your nose scrunches up, an action that Satoru once teased you for – though he stopped once he received a loving smack from Suguru, one paired with a gentle scolding.

Satoru hums, his eyes fluttering shut at the warmth that radiates from your body. Your breathing had deepened significantly, a telltale sign that you had fallen asleep against him – likely lulled by the gentle thump of his heart and the even rise and fall of his chest.

He tilts his head, pressing a gentle kiss against the crown of your head and looping his arms underneath you, lifting you against his chest and standing from the armchair. He couldn't have his darling wife sleep in such an uncomfortable position – you deserved much better than that.

Satoru walks silently to your bedroom, closing the door with his foot and gently laying you down in the sheets, tugging them around you and smiling gently as you adjust yourself. A content sight falls from your nose, cheek smushed against your pillow as you doze.

He climbs in beside you, tucking you against his chest and tangling his legs with your own. He blinks once, twice...then allows his tired eyes to finally close, welcoming sleep as it beckons to him with softened hands – hands that felt oddly similar to your own.

And somewhere across the way, resting on numbed legs and rubbing together cold hands, another pair of eyes watches the stars as they glitter in the night sky. He thinks back to a time where he would have enjoyed the stars – maybe even admired their bright yellow hue.

But that time is not now, and it is a time that he knows he can never go back to – not after what was said and what was done. Besides, he knew it was for the better. His departure from a domestic life was challenging...he had lost count of the tears that he had shed.

Tonight was one of those nights where he longed for the warmth of a bed, he longed for those two familiar bodies pressed against his own. He longed for the mornings where he would only half-listen to Frank Sinatra and watch as breakfast was prepared for him. He longed for the two people who had shown him endless care and support...but those two people were nothing but a pained memory.

Tilting his head up at the stars and at the crescent moon, shaky lips turn upward in a smile – one accompanied by salty tears that drip down his cheeks. His mind flashes images of those he longed for; one with snowy-white hair and the other with the kindest smile.

"The stars are nice tonight, aren't they?" Suguru mutters to himself, hoping that somehow – someway – maybe you and Satoru would hear him.

281 notes View Post

gabbag00l

7 months ago

Can we appreciate just how valuable the month of October is for fandom? We’ve got whumptober, flufftober, inktober, kinktober and no one knows how many more and I LOVE IT

21 notes View Post

gabbag00l

6 months ago

Nanami has a habit of kissing your left ring finger even before you guys are married. Right from the first date after he kisses you goodnight at your doorstep, to when he's finally standing in front of you at the altar. Holding back tears - oh, who is he kidding, Nanami's only regret that day was he got your pretty ring all teary when he kissed your finger.

It comes as second nature to him, and he's genuinely surprised when you point it out - as if why wouldn't he kiss your ring finger? Why wouldn't he make a silent promise to himself that you were the one.

Not that he needed any reminding, but he makes sure to kiss your ring finger even when his blond hair grows a little grayer, his smile a little wrinklier. Still by your side, still with that pretty ring on your finger.

9K notes View Post

gabbag00l

5 months ago