#dusky writes

[duskymrel]

A Cold Touch

Synopsis: You have been sick for a few weeks and Malleus has been worried sick about you. However, he's pleased to find that you've had a sudden burst of energy! This must mean that you're getting better, right?

Reader is gender neutral and has been married to Malleus for a little over a year.

Tw: death :((

---------------------

Malleus sat at the meeting table, distressed that he had to be here and not by your side. He hated it. He hated it. It showed on his face, too. Everyone at the table felt the sweat beads roll down the napes of their neck under their king’s glower, eager to finish the meeting as soon as they possibly could.

You had been ill for several weeks at this point, and Malleus had been in a constant state of dismay over it. He fretted over you, bringing in every health professional he could from all over the region. Despite his demands, nobody could figure out quite what was wrong with you. They assured him, however, that you would be fine.

That didn’t stop him from worrying.

He felt a buzzing in his head as one of the diplomats from the kingdom beyond his blabbered on. Malleus knew this treaty was important to avoid war, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. Every second he wasn’t by your side was a second you could leave him. A second he wasn’t there to protect you. What if the forehead kiss he gave you before going this morning was the last he ever gave you? It plagued his mind, repeating like a broken record.

Finally, finally, the damned meeting was over. Malleus all but flew out of the meeting room, cape billowing behind him. He took a moment to compose himself outside of your shared room, for he never wanted to show you how troubled he truly was by your illness. It was the principle of the thing. He softly opened the door and entered, but found himself quite taken aback by what he found.

You had gotten out of bed by yourself and had photos scattered around you on the ground. He felt his heart grow lighter and walked over to you, sitting down. You glance up at him and smile brightly, with the energy he was used to seeing. It filled him with relief.        

“Hey, Mal-Mal. How did your meeting go?”

“Awful. I hated every second I wasn’t with you.” You laughed at that, that wonderful laugh that made him love you all the more dearly. The laugh was broken by a coughing fit and Malleus attempted to help you up and put you back in bed, but you waved him off.

“No, no, I’m fine. I feel better than I have in weeks, actually. See, I was just looking through some of my old photos!" Malleus looked at the photos you had laid out and smiled at the fond memories. There were photos from Night Raven, with all of your friends. Grim. Ramshackle. Graduation. He liked the ones from your wedding best. Being coronated after the wedding. The most recent photo was of the two of you celebrating your first anniversary. So many happy memories, so many years of your life laid out in front of you on the floor.

Malleus took your hand and kissed the inside of your wrist. He had taken to doing so recently, as the sickness had made you so cold to the touch, but your wrist remained warm. It reminded him that you were still here, with him. He looked up at you softly.

“I’m glad to see you with so much more energy today, darling. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“...Can I have a kiss?” Oh, who would deny such a simple request? Certainly not he, so he indulged your request and leaned in to give you one.

Malleus’ heart grew heavy as he kissed you, for suddenly he was struck with a foreboding feeling. Why, all at once, did you have all this energy that your illness robbed you of? He felt a chill go up his spine, but he pushed aside his unease. It just meant you were getting better, surely.

You were alive and well, he reminded himself. This was a good thing- he should enjoy it.

“It’s getting late, my love. You really should go to sleep to build up your energy.” Malleus took your hand and gently helped you up. You conceded and allowed him to help you into bed, grumbling a little. He then picked up all your photos and carefully placed them back in your box, just the way you liked it.

Then Malleus crawled into bed next to you and held you in his arms. The two of you talked for a long while, and he was pleased to see how full of energy you were. Perhaps he really was stressed over nothing and the doctors were right. You would be fine.

He didn’t allow himself to fall asleep until you did, something he had done throughout the entirety of your relationship. As his eyes drifted shut, he smiled to himself. You were going to get better.

You were going to be okay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Malleus blinked his eyes open, sunlight peeking through the curtains directly onto his face. He could see outside a bit. It was your favorite kind of morning: sunny, warm, and the sounds of life could be heard outside. Perhaps you might be feeling well enough to go on a walk with him. He closed his eyes again and rolled over to face you.

“Good morning, love.” He took your hand and pressed a kiss to your wrist, smiling softly. Then his eyes flew open.

Your wrist was cold.

Malleus scrambled up, looking at your face. You looked like you could just be asleep. After all, you looked so incredibly peaceful. You looked paler than usual, but then again you had been pale since you first got sick.

He raised a shaky hand to your nose, but felt…. Nothing. No breath. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest with how hard it was pounding. He could hear nothing but the blood rushing through his ears. He felt for a pulse. Nothing. Laid his head on your chest. Nothing.

Nothing, nothing, nothing.

He felt the world tilt. He gripped your shoulders and shook you desperately. He could barely hear his own screaming over the heartbeat in his ears. He shrieked your name so loud that servants burst open the door and rushed in. He paid them no notice. He paid no more notice when Lilia, Silver, and Sebek rushed in.

Malleus held you close to him, crying into your shoulder. His screams echoed through the halls of his palace and sent chills down the backs of those who could hear it. Lilia hesitantly stepped forward, gently laying his hand on Malleus’s shoulder.

“Malleu-”

“EVERYONE OUT.” Lilia flinched back, but nodded to the others. They all left, leaving Malleus alone to clutch onto you.

It felt as though he was being swallowed whole, like the very essence of his being was crashing down upon him. He had been a broken man, and you had taken the time to piece him back together again. The irony of you being the one to break him into smithereens all over again was almost palpable.

You had been Malleus’s rock, his anchor that brought him back to his humanity. But in the end, you became his Achilles' heel.

How long did he sit there, holding you in his arms, begging you to come back to him? He wasn’t sure. But at some point the numbness began to set in, slowly seeping through his veins like poison. An icy grip squeezed Malleus, and he finally had to admit it to himself: you were dead.

Malleus held your lifeless body close, unable to believe that he would never hear you laugh again, never kiss you again, never get to grow old with you. All he could feel was his heart breaking with every passing heartbeat, and for the first time in his long life, he could not summon the will to go on.

-------------------------

When was the last time I even wrote anything. 💀

Idk anyways I got the idea from this from a thing my bestie @meltedbuttersblog wrote!! Totally check out their blog btw they're wonderful.

[builtlikeastickofcelery]

GUESS WHAT GUYS

[duskdragonxiii]

BtE Cyber Dystopia Au

🩵💜 beyondtheend.gay

more on this au below. if u even care

I've been picking away at this for days (this is a big thing for me to not force out a full illustration with multiple characters in one go) but i got thinking abt how the themes of posthumanism and stuff actually fit really well with BtE

This is a kinda cyberpunk au based on the BtE Universe. There's a sort of ideal "perfect" society where nothing seems to go wrong but theres bs under the surface called Heaven. Everyone in heaven has a halo chip that wirelessly connects them to a supercomputer called the Metatron. The man who built the Metatron has been missing for quite some time but the people of Heaven were never told he was gone and that the Computer was running itself via a dangerous ai that steals data etc (lol)

Outside of heaven the world is post-apocalyptic where people struggle to survive. People outside the city are also not allowed in, but people who have managed to leave the city have no intent to ever go back because theyve seen the shadow cast by the bright lights of heaven.

"Hell" is a facility outside of the city that helps refugees with tech thats been salvaged from scrap and stuff. They can even remove Halo chips and stuff. while the chip may be "disconnected" they still may collect and send data back to Metatron without being completely "uninstalled". However they have very shady practices and thier tech is known to backfire and cause injury or worse. Some say they even do it on purpose.

[soulshards]

FFXIVWRITE 2024, PROMPT #7: MORSEL tw: none • words: 366

a small piece or amount

Beneath the towering trees of the Shroud lay the old, ancient city. Gelmorra. Though many paths and homes long since lay to ruin, the Duskwights who resided here took great care of their homes that were still liveable.

They made sure their streets were clean, that everyone had what they needed, in order to continue a life that had been long forgotten by many - those who ventured out into the Shroud, no longer fearing the Elementals wrath. Now that some semblance of sanctity and peace had been gained in the overworld.

Not everyone was so willing to let go. Not everyone was so willing to forget their history, who they are, where they come from. Many Duskwights wished to remain beneath the soil, where it was cool and safe.

Though, safety was no guarantee.

The people were bundled together in a street, parents, children, strangers, neighbours, all coming together to wait - to pray. The heat around them grew, causing stray drops of moisture to sink down the mossy walls. The noises that echoed through the caves, their city, were terrifying; shrieking metal, deep impacts in the earth. Dust and particles shuddering from the stone above as they hoped it would not cave in atop them.

Kiros stood near the edge of the street, where a great tree’s roots had burrowed through the earth and created a canopy in the centre of what was their market. A small amount of light would slip through, a morsel of the outside world, as mismatched eyes peered up into the darkening sky above; a red hue building as fire graced the earth. Dalamund was falling.

Their tunnels collapsing, their people in fear - just like the rest of the world, really.

His hand would rest upon his sword, staying low, ignoring the cries and whispers of the panicked people behind him as he kept his gaze on that slither of sky that slipped by the tree roots. His focus on that, and that alone, so he could tell everyone to run if they needed.

Because there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. They could only hope they had a home to return to, once the sky had finished falling.

[duskyashe]

Attention!

Sorry, this isn't a camp nano post, I've discovered that I read fic while I write fic, and with AO3 being down due to a DDoS attack for the last 17.5 hours, give or take, I haven't been able to really read any fic since last night 😅 so instead of writing today, I was working on this Danny Phantom fanart!

It's still just a WIP, but I wanted to give you all something to tide you over until I have something written ❤️ I'll post the final piece either as a celebration for hitting 500 followers or as a celebration of AO3 being back up, whichever one more closely coincides with when I actually finish rendering this drawing!

[harrietmjones]

Thank you for the tag @lovepollution. 🥰

make a moodboard with…your fav celeb, your fav quote, a cute outfit, your fav drink, your fav color, your fav place, your fav hobby, your fav flowers, and your fav book

(Just wanted to say, that some of these change on the regular but for now, they’re all correct. Totally struggled with fave celeb ngl, so decided on two who make me laugh, together and separately!)

Tagging: @popsworth, @markwatneyandenesemble, @tamsinbeybey-she-no-porcupine, @escapismqueen, @eliotqueliot, @wonderlandleighleigh, @theycallme-thejackal, @lesliesknopes, @asofterhibou and @bekindreblog and whoever wants a go. ☺️

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

A single shaft of sunlight breaks leaden clouds on New Zealand’s Dusky Sound

National Geographic | September 1971

* * * *

Master Lu Tzu said : That which exists through itself is called Meaning (Tao). Meaning has neither name nor force. It is the one essence, the one primordial spirit. Essence and life cannot be seen. It is contained in the Light of Heaven. The Light of Heaven cannot be seen. It is contained in the two eyes.

The Secret Of The Golden Flower By Richard Wilhelm And Carl Jung

[ i-will-talk-fish]

[mrsoharaa]

i just had this beautiful perfect cozy dream (i just woke up like half an hour ago lmao) of me and miggy going on a casual/comfy (long sweatshirts x baggy sweatpants) pier date :((

[dusky-dancing]

Two Sides Fanzine Preview

I had the pleasure to write a sokai story for the @twosidesfanzine, a sokai and rokunami cookbook featuring recipes, art, and writing based on Disney worlds ✨ Here’s a little sneak peek of my story and some of the beautiful spot art done by @nosieposie! Can you tell which Disney world it’s in yet? 😉

Pre-orders are ending in a few days, so get a bundle while you can! All proceeds will go to Feeding America 🥰

[skyhighchibi]

OC-Tober Day 8: Past

tw for referenced abuse and possible implied transmisogyny

"Hibby! Hibby! Dad's gonna give me a haircut today!" Duskie yelled.

Hibiscus shuddered, before taking a deep breath.

"...What's wrong?"

"... Father was not kind like your own." She signed.

"Oh... what happened!?" Duskie then paused, realizing what he just asked. "If... if you're comfortable saying!"

A shadow came over Hibby's face as he signed with gritted teeth. "When I was just a child, Father did not want his son to have hair as long as mine... and cut it. By force."

Duskie gasped and shuddered. "... It's a really good thing my brother killed him, huh? Let's go watch some anime instead of thinking about stuff like this!"

[duskymrel]

Ghost Wingwoman

synopsis: After Eliza marries Puffy, she's content with her newfound life with him. But... she feels a bit guilty about Idia, and notices that he's pining after a certain Ramshackle prefect. So what better way to make it up to him then by playing Cupid?

She had the happily ever after she always dreamed of. She married Puffy, who - while not what she expected - was everything she could ever want. She felt on top of the world, never having experienced so much pure bliss in her life.

But despite the joy, the guilt she felt for what she had done to Idia plagued her, making it hard to enjoy her newfound happiness.

But it wasn't about her, was it? It was about Idia. Eliza realized that she had been focused on herself for far too long. Hell, she had even kicked Yuu out of their own dorm just to fulfill her obsessive search for the 'perfect prince'. But despite having a selfish motivation for it, Eliza knew she had to make it up to Idia somehow. Thankfully, Yuu was kind enough to let her stay at their dorm longer, giving her the opportunity to right her past wrongs.

Eliza was strolling through the halls of NRC when she heard the sound of Idia and Yuu's voices. Curious, she stopped to peek around the corner and was stunned to see Idia in person - he never left his room much usually, especially after... the incident. She cringed at his awkward demeanor. He would often sputter out gaming and meme references, clearly distressed, and she couldn't help but groan. She had wanted to marry this guy? Yet, Yuu seemed unbothered and continued their conversation cheerfully. Eliza took a closer look at Idia and paused, stunned. 

It was his eyes.

She studied his eyes for a moment and the realization hit her. This was it. Love.

After Puffy's confession, the same subtle signs of affection became clearer to her. And now, without a shadow of a doubt, Eliza knew what love looked like. The look on Idia's face, though awkward, was unmistakably similar to the look Puffy had given her. She finally had her answer.

The gears began to turn in her head and a plan was forming. What better way to make it up to Idia than by setting him up with his crush? Oh yeah. It's all coming together.

She wondered how to get the plan started. Where to begin?

...

Okay, with all due respect....... Everywhere.

Idia's lack of confidence was evident. He constantly slumped his shoulders and kept his eyes fixed on the floor. Eliza knew the potential he had. With his gorgeous face and lustrous hair, why was he so hesitant to take care of them? Despite his tendency to speak in memes and video game references, Eliza admired his witty humor. Eliza decided it was time for a makeover. 

After waiting for Idia to return back to his dorm, Ortho answered the door, reluctantly inviting her in. As she greeted Idia, the boy shrieked and attempted to flee. Eliza awkwardly smiled as she tried to reassure Idia, 

"Keep your composure, I'm only here to make it up to you."

Idia mistrusted her, but she had successfully blocked his only exit.

"Huh? And how're you going to 'make it up to me'?" Idia asked suspiciously.

"By giving you a makeover, inside and out!"

Idia was tempted to bolt, but Eliza stopped him.

"Trust me, you'll like where I'm going with this."

She worked tirelessly to transform him into her desired version of Idia. First, she taught him good posture, how to walk with confidence, and proper speech. He constantly called it “swag”...

Next, she forced some healthy foods into his system. 

“What even is this rubbish??”

“Raman…?”

“Disgusting. Here, have some gluten-free whole grain avocado toast-”

Now that she felt his 'inner self' was fixed up, she turned to his appearance. Exfoliation, moisturizers, attractive makeup and nice clothing - the whole shebang. She called it 'fancy', he called it 'gaudy'. But it was time for the final plan, all the steps Eliza had taken had led to this moment.

Of the three people she spoke to, only one was told the truth. Idia was asked to accompany her for dinner to practice table manners. Yuu was asked to accompany her to a nice dinner to thank them for all they’ve done. And Azul was asked to prepare a private room for them to have a dinner together. He normally would have demanded something in return, but after looking at the expression on Eliza’s face, he decided his pride wasn’t worth it.

Eliza watched in anticipation as Idia and Yuu entered the private room and looked at each other in surprise. Yuu couldn't help but show their annoyance at Idia's unfamiliar outfit - fancy suit, stiff shoes, and hair done up perfectly. Eliza smirked, satisfied with herself and the situation she had created. But she was ready to move on to the next part of the plan. She stepped forward, her presence now revealed

“Okay, so I lied. Anyways, enjoy your date~!”

Eliza let out a mischievous giggle as she shut the door, prompting Idia and Yuu to look at each other in disbelief. They both knew the true nature of their "date" but decided not to question it and simply enjoy themselves.

“Well, I got all dolled up and I’m hungry. Might as well.”

Idia simply sighed and went along with it, secretly hoping for something more to develop between the two.

Eliza patted herself on the back and went off to tell her husband about her matchmaking skills. She excitedly told him about what she had been up to the past few days, but his reaction was…… unexpected.

Puffy raised an eyebrow at Eliza, a bit concerned about the consequences of her actions.

"Dear, aren't you concerned that this might hinder their relationship?"

Eliza's smile faltered.

"What do you mean?"

"Idia and Yuu aren't the type of people who like going on unexpected dates or being set up with someone. They need to develop a relationship naturally. How do you think Idia feels about being coerced to change himself and being forced into a surprise date?

Eliza mulled it over.

“I think I made a mistake. I should talk to them.”

Puffy smiled with relief, having been unsure if his headstrong wife would see reason, and nodded. “You should do that.”

Eliza rushed over to the door and cracked it open, wanting to check on the situation herself. As she peeked through, she saw Idia and Yuu engaged in small talk and seemingly enjoying their food. But something felt off. Idia was acting the way she had coached him; no informal language, proper mannerisms, no video game references, etc. Yuu set down their fork and sighed heavily, prompting Eliza to reconsider her actions. Should she really have them go through with this? Should she step in?

“Idia, what's wrong with you today?”

Idia started at the accusation, feeling anxious.

“W-what do you mean?” “Look at you. You're wearing clothes you hate. You're acting prim and proper. You're even eating sushi - which you hate!! For fucks sake, you despise raw fish! You’re acting like, dare I say it? A priss.”

Idia flinched at this, his demeanor crumbling as Yuu correctly pointed out that he was pretending to be someone he wasn't. It was all Eliza's doing, and now, he regretted going along with her plan.

“Eliza told me to act like this... to not scare you off, I’m guessing. I thought that the person she instructed me to be was more likely to get a second date.” Idia sighed, his demeanor changing again to one of resignation.

Yuu’s face softened.

“Did it ever occur to you that if you were going to scare me off, you would have done so already? I know you hate cliches and corny things, but I genuinely like you the way you are.”

Idia quirked an eyebrow at the cliche line, but was quiet, not knowing what to say. Yuu gazed at Idia, marveling at his long hair and handsome face - beautiful even, without any makeup. Their eyes scanned Idia's clothing, noticing the discomfort and unease it caused him. 

"Idia, you don't have to be anyone but yourself. I like your quiet presence and your video game and meme references are hilarious. Others may see you as 'weird', but to me, you're perfect. It’s perfectly okay to want to be a better version of yourself, and to be your best self for those you care about, but it’s not okay to change who you are completely." 

They smiled gently at him. After all, Idia deserved to be accepted as he was. Idia slumped down and loosened the tie that was drastically restricting the amount of air he was taking in.

Yuu cracked a warm smile, pleased to see Idia back to his usual self.

"How are you so good at wording?" Idia asked, genuinely curious.

Yuu chuckled lightly and answered, "Practice."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Yuu took Idia's hand across the table.

"Tell me if it's too much, okay?" Yuu said softly.

Eliza slowly shut the door behind her, providing Idia and Yuu with the privacy they needed. She was shocked by how wrong she had been. Instead of changing Idia, she should have improved his weaknesses and used his strengths to their advantage and-

No.

This was her problem. She was always trying to intervene in other people's lives. Puffy had been right. Idia and Yuu had natural chemistry and would have developed a relationship naturally. But like many times before, Eliza was acting brash and self-centered. Thankfully, she didn't completely ruin things.

She returned to Ramshackle and wrote Yuu and Idia separate apology letters, then slipped them under their doors before leaving (along with Puffy) for her honeymoon.

But beforehand, she requested Ortho to keep her updated on Idia and Yuu's relationship. She needed to know whether or not she had ruined what could've been a beautiful romance.

She was delighted when, a week later, Ortho messaged her, excitedly announcing that the two had gone on a second date.

------

Had a blast writing this one! Hope you all enjoyed it!!! <3

Remember that I do take requests! Check out the pinned post on my blog to see my rules for requests.

*MWAH* Love yourself babygirls

[builtlikeastickofcelery]

so i have made zero progress on drawing the comic, but do you want my animal poetry? here. take it. I hope this sates your hunger.

I am a white deer in a green haze of leaves

the pond is milky blue and the light

is the color of a dark ocean,

though I've never seen one.

the only salt i will ever taste is my own blood.

i am the ordinary,

dirt colored coyote that will kill me.

i won't be the only one I kill,

but maybe the only one

that will leave me thinking as much

as my small canine brain

can think. i have seen fresh blood

on fresh snow

before.

i am the stag

that kills a boy who is trying to feed me

by accident

at the national park.

i am the dead raccoon on the highway out,

through the woods.

my guts spill out of my mouth,

but later someone will find my skull,

still intact. they will polish it

and set it on their dresser

when they get home.

i am the mourning dove, the

sick mourning dove that perches

on my bedroom windowsill

and looks at me sideways

and lets me press a finger

to my beak

through the screen

like a small comfort.

i am a stray cat on your lap

carefully, i pull in my claws all the way

i resist my instincts

i resist what i've known, for you.

i am a dirty thing, i am a wild thing,

but i am not, in the end, an evil thing.

or, at least, i am some sort of smart.

i am the loose donkey

that killed your German shepherd.

i only half understand why you shoot me.

in the end, it wasn't really my fault.

i can't help what i was trained to do.

and i am the gun.

and i am the bullet.

but you are always the one that shoots me.

and i am an animal.

i am an animal.

i am an animal.

i am an animal.

i am an animal.

i am an animal.

[glitchydyke]

hi hello mj! can i interest you in my new defendant!franziska case fic by any chance...

WOOOO DUSKIE THAT WAS SO SO GOOD… U WRITE FRANZISKA SO WELL + ALSO PHOENIX AND TRUCYS RELATIONSHIP WAUGFHGN <33

[duskyashe]

HEY GUESS WHAT! I HAVE 500 FOLLOWERS NOW! 🥳🥳🥳 To celebrate, here's two versions of my Danny drawing from last week! The second one is under the "keep reading" due to depictions of injuries and ectoplasmic blood (though it isn't too graphic cuz I was finishing it with my BF watching over my shoulder looking very concerned for Danny, which is, y'know, valid 👍🏻)

Also, is anyone interested in helping me out with image IDs for this post? 👀 Cuz I don't know how best to make them but it's something I'm interested in including, specifically with this post, but also with my previous art posts, too 🤷🏻‍♀️

[minswaitingroom]

Had an Epiphany this morning and now my pinterest board for my romance arc in my DR is Fire.

(It's Red Bull x Last Unicorn if it were written by Emily McIntire.)

[rain-filled-garden]

{𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓷…}

Standing quietly near the doorway a few feet away, Vimur watched with not much more than a soft smile as Kasimir stood near by, gazing over his own reflection in the standing mirror. Dense, long strands of fiery red locks still spilling loose over his back as the young man stared down at the buttons of his vest.

A scene familiar, yet... Still just a little different for the ravenette looking on. After all, he recognized those puffed, lace trimmed sleeves, and the soft burgundy he could spy peeking out from beneath that vibrant curtain of hair. It was an old outfit, but one very much cared for with love... A gift that he could recall his father crafting for another dear redhead... Ah, he could still remember the man fretting a little over what color to pick for the vest. Worried that even this deep, yet muted red wouldn't be a good choice... Until Vimur had come with reassurance, that is.

Giving a quiet chuckle at the memory, he noticed his son jump a little with the sudden sound, faintly pink cheeks and red hues looking back from over the young man's shoulder. To which his father just gave a warm smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you~..." He laughed with a light tone, to which the younger just sighed a little. "You could've let me know you where there sooner..." Soft words murmured in reply, which only earned another faint chuckle from the ravenette as he moved a bit closer. "Sorry, sorry~... But, since I'm here... Do you want a little help with something?"

"Hm? Ah, no I've..." Kasimir began, only to pause, then add. "Yeah, the buttons..." Just a little stubborn to admit it... So much like his other half. With a fond little smile, Vimur hummed in agreement, before softly leaning into his son's back as he brought his arms around to begin easily popping buttons into their proper holes. Of course, he doubted the young one really needed help in the moment, given how easy this was... A fact proven by the gentle weight he could feel resting back against his chest... But, decided that he wouldn't let on to knowing that little detail.

Once the last button was settled, and a following request was made to help with the cravat styled cloth as well, Vimur followed suit in providing said assistance. "Want me to tie up your hair for you too?" He asked in a contented little hum, to which he gained a soft sound of agreement and small nod. And so, fingers gently began to comb at dense locks, knowing more than well by now a brush was out of the question.

"Mind if I ask just why you felt like getting all dressed up? Not that you need a reason, but..." Chatting softly as he gathered up long strands into a manageable bunch. "Mm, well... I'd seen this outfit of Papa's in an old picture with you, him, and grandfather... And I liked it, so I thought I'd see if it would look any good on me."

The ravenette simply smiled with that answer, tying up Kasimir's hair with a silky black ribbon to match his outfit. "Well, it looks handsome on you... Just as handsome as it did for him... And I'm sure Vati would think so too." The words became softer as he went on, ending with the man taking a subtle, but deep inhale. Ruby hues trying to blink away the bit of mistiness he felt pricking at his vision... Only to look up and back toward the door as he heard footsteps along the floorboards.

"Ah, love~" He purred in greeting to the dear face looking in from the door, fingers making a final subtle pass through their son's hair before he went over to give his beloved a peck on the cheek. "Doesn't our Kasi look handsome~?..." Despite trying to play it off with his usual playful tone, Vimur still had to relent and bring a hand up, wiping away his misty eyes with a palm. "Gods... Has it really been that long?..." A thought murmured softly aloud, more to himself than toward Noel. It seemed like just the other day that the angel was the one he'd helped get ready in that outfit... Or that their boy was small enough for him to carry.

{drabble context under the cut-- because this post is already long lol}

in the main/canon blog timeline this is a moment from like-- wayyy in the future lol-- at a point where Vimur and Noel have married, had one son (Adri) and watched him grow up/find love of his own-- Vimur has passed and then later returned as a demon-- and then the two later had a second son (Kasimir) after that--

so long story short-- much of Vimur's family isn't around at this point, aside from maybe his younger siblings (Emilie at least is, for sure lol)-- and Adri's lover has also already gone through the cycle of rebirth as well-- but even with it being set so far past any of the usual timeframe i'd write from-- for the sake of how sweet this whole scene is, i couldn't resist and wanted to post it u w u