#galo is straight-up not having a good time :((( | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

newbornwhumperfly · 5 years ago

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if I had an orchard...

CW: intoxication, negative self-talk, references to non-con, references to punishment, (brief) reference to vomiting

so i’m back on my bullshit, and by bullshit I mean I wrote another spinoff fic of the GW series!!! *hides face* insp. by my own ask (lmao) https://haro-whumps.tumblr.com/post/614488313974407168/if-you-would-consider-a-very-very-drunk-galo once again, I hope @haro-whumps enjoys!!!

the title of this fic comes from “helplessness blues” by fleet foxes

Galo is very, very drunk.

Well, maybe not twice very but he’s not sober, that’s for damn sure. He knows better than to try and stand now, at any rate, cause the ground keeps tilting in a funny and not-at-all scary way. Like a gentle roller-coaster. Or a see-saw. He needs to keep his eyes on the not-ground right now – probably a good idea. Maybe he shouldn’t have sat on the porch swing when he went outside to drink but, well, hindsight is…better. He giggles a little bit but it isn’t very silly and sounds all snotty, given that he’s crying and all.

He should probably stop crying.

Should is a great word. Means there’s something you ought to have done. Haven’t done yet. Are supposed to be doing.

He’s fucking everything up and he hasn’t the first clue of how to stop.

Case in point – this wine seemed like a really good idea at the time, especially after the second top-full glass had been swallowed. He’d only meant to get a bit buzzed, honest. It wasn’t healthy or wise but he found himself leaning more and more on the distraction when something inevitably crumbled around him. It was only once he’d wandered far into the realm of tipsy that he dimly wondered if getting hammered was the mature thing to do.

Fuck it, he’d decided with his big magnificent brain, and swigged straight from the bottle.

Seemed like a good idea at the time, isn’t that how the saying goes?

You’d think after all the Sunday school lessons he’d know when he was laying down paving stones on a winding trajectory straight to hell. Trying to do the right thing doesn’t mean shit when you hurt people anyway. No matter what you do, it’s gonna hurt, one way or another. Isn’t that what he’d said to himself? Giving himself an out to do whatever the fuck he wanted anyway?

Why did he get those gifts? Stroking his own ego? He didn’t mean to…but there it is. He’d wantedto do something and he just did it and dug the pit so much deeper and if he falls down and breaks his crown, well, too fucking bad, Jack. Should’ve thought of that before you went and stuck your foot in it. It’s so much worse than merely breaking his crown though, his crown was fine. He’d be fine.

He’s left them all tumbling after him. That’s the sin, the unforgivable blunder which sits on his chest. A heavy, cold, unyielding stone of guilt cramming the joy out of his lungs, pressing until his words sit sour on his tongue and every smile feels scraped hollow. He’s making it worse with his absurd self-pity, feels the taut chill of tension stretch the air thinner with every meeting.

He’d heard what they were saying. He didn’t mean to – spying on people was shitty and wrong. He’d been in the kitchen in the middle of the night and didn’t think anyone would be downstairs, ducking into the pantry at the sound of voices. If he hadn’t been so tired, he’d have thought better of it. What else is new? He’d have thought better of a lot of things.

What he’d heard between Nyla and Sasha and Evan was…horrible. The stuff they said, speculated on as casually as tomorrow’s weather, dropped his heart, icy and spinning, into his stomach, settling there to thrum shallowly and churn the swelling nausea.

How he’d clearly meant to show them that things such as eating or wearing clothes or sleeping in a bed or having hair and not being raped were…privileges. That they all ought to be grateful for less than basic fucking humanity. To be…allowed…to merely exist without pain and humiliation was to be seen as a precious gift from their Master. That they all ought to be grateful.

Galo had only kept from vomiting at the knowledge they would hear him. It was the first thing he’d done when able to sneak back to his room, hurling into the toilet. Panicking on the tile until he was sick again. He hadn’t cried that night, weirdly enough. It was all so raw, bloody and fresh in his mouth, it was like he hadn’t swallowed it yet. He didn’t truly feel the horror until he woke up, fitful and sweating, from a nightmare into the cold dawn and knew he had failed.

He was having nightmares now. No more sex dreams for good old Galo – at least, not good ones. More like utterly fucking horrific. He knew better, technically, then to let it haunt him. Knew that the dark dream-shadow of himself was a twisted echo of his own pain. It didn’t make him any less able to forget the way he was trapped inside himself during those nightmares, a puppet dancing on monstrous strings as he writhed and thrashed against his own fists and feet and arms and fingers, crushing and twisting and hitting – no.

His heart couldn’t give a shit what his big-smart-boy-brain calmly explained about these terrors. Smart enough to know it wasn’t real, that he’d never, for love or money or fucking God, hurt these people. Not smart enough to know how to make them know that.

The worst part about this living nightmare was how it was effecting everyone. More and more, Galo felt trapped in his own body, unable to stop his misery from bleeding through and staining the atmosphere with red, oozing tension. He was trying so hard to keep his smile soft (not brittle), his hands loose (not shaking), his eyes kind (not wet). He has taken to keeping out of their path as much as humanly possible, a delicate dance of dodging and sidestepping which left him dizzy and often more uncertain than ever. He’s almost certain that it isn’t helping. If it was a barbell to hoist or a level to beat or a paper cup to scoop off the grass and toss into the garbage, he could do that. But this? This can’t just be…fixed.

He can’t avoid them forever and he shouldn’t.

He just…doesn’t know what to do.

He should. He should fix it. It hurts.

Galo shook his head, violently, glugging the dregs of his bottle into the glass and letting it roll of the swing, hit the floor, break. He’s gonna have to clean that up, he thinks, downing his final glass before setting it on the ground near swaying feet. How dare he? How dare he feel sad? He’s not the one who thinks he’s gonna be beaten or raped or brutalized in some sick way he probably can’t even invent but has been done to these people who he ownsand can do anythingto and nobody’s stopping him but himself. Yeah, he should feel really fucking sad for himself right now.

It doesn’t stop the deep sobs dragged from his lungs, hitching his shoulders, seizing his limbs in feeble twitches. It is pathetic and despicable and he can’t stop. He hasn’t cried like this in a long time, not from regret, not from pure, cold, hard, driven misery. It’s mixing with the wine and making him dizzy and ill and that all only fuels his sadness. Awfully, stupidly, he wants to be comforted. Feels like a big fucking kid and just wants someone to pat him on the shoulder and say he did his best.

But he’s an adult.

A goddamn useless adult and he’s alone and helpless and his best isn’t enough.

Useless.

He sobs into his hands.

Useless.

~ ~

Nyla doesn’t realize she isn’t alone for a moment.

When Lilah squealed, sudden and sharp, from the tub with the fretful worry that she’s left her gloves outside, Nyla glided from the basement to find them as the only one still fully dressed. She moved quicker than usual, since nobody was around to see her, abandoning a little grace in favor of haste as she searched the porches encircling the house. Only at the final stop at the back of the house did she spot the object of her quest.

Slipping through the back door, shivering in the wintry air, she had plucked the bright mitts off the swing when she heard a muffled noise.

Heart leaping into a frantic pace, Nyla spun about, clutching the soft knit to her chest like a shield. An animal? A guest? She blinked hurriedly against the halo of dim lamps and through the blur, eventually, made out the source of the sound.

Master Galo.

She goes alert in a second, less, hairs on end on her nape and forearms, as she clasps her hands demurely in front of her and feels her smile slide easily into place, pulled quick across her face as a curtain on a rod, neat and wide and polite.

Perfect.

“Good evening, Master. I apologize for disturbing you.”

She notices that Master seems…hunched, for lack of a better word, curled in on himself on the farthest swing. His large legs are cross and tucked up under him, wide torso curved over his knees. It is only once he raises his head at her voice, ringing light and soft across the night air, that she realizes his face was buried deep in his enormous hands. It is another moment before she sees that he is…he is…

Master Galo is crying.

Sobbing. Even startled out of it, he is quaking, big body trembling with great heaving gasps.

“N-Nyla? What, what’re you, what, what’re you doing here?”

He is slurring and Nyla glimpses the glint of glass, a shattered bottle and discarded cup scattered below the swing beneath Master’s feet. He has been drinking and Nyla cannot suppress the shiver coiling through her body. It is more than the air, frigid and unrelenting against her flesh, which makes her shudder. She has never seen him really drunk before, doesn’t know what he might be like. It frightens her.

“I was searching for an item I left outside and came to retrieve it, Master.”

“’m sorry, can’t hear you?”

Nyla breathed. Low and steady, once, and strode forward, drifting like one of the snowflakes until she floated to a halt directly in front of Master Galo. At close quarters, the yellow glow of lamplight outlines Master’s face. It is wet, eyes puffy, his mouth turned harshly downwards at the corners.

Her smile widens without her trying, a mirror of her Master, corners stretching taut to her ears until her lips hurt.

Why is Master crying?

“Is there anything you require, Master? Whatever you wish, I am honored and ready to be of service.”

Master Galo nods and his mouth trembles, fingers curling below his chin, as he sniffs and tries to speak. He has to try more than once, most likely due to the alcohol. The broken bottle is empty, only a few drops of wine dripping from the shards upon the planks. Like blood.

“Of course you are. You’re always, you’re so good. So, so sweet all the time. You know that Nyla? You know how good you are?”

“Thank you, sir. I am grateful, Master.”

A moment after those words leave her lips, Master Galo’s mouth crumples and his shoulders begin to quake once more as tears pour anew down his soaked cheeks. Nyla goes abruptly cold, down through her skin to her blood, flowing frantic and freezing through her limbs. Master is displeased.

Nyla is spinning, airless, icy water trickling down her chest, a frigid current swirling around her heart. Master is crying. She doesn’t…she doesn’t knowwhat she is supposed to do? He is displeased but he is not angry. He is crying and not yelling or smiling in a bad way or a good way and she doesn’t know what to do.

She knows what do to.

Folding swiftly to her knees, she leans forward, bangs brushing Master’s dangling shins.

“I apologize, Master. I reacted poorly.”

“Please don’t say that, Nyla. P-please…you don’t, didn’t do anything wrong. You never do wrong.”

His hands, wet and shaky, fall into her periphery and he touches her shoulders, tugging upwards with his fingertips. His hands are like blocks of ice, chilling through the thin fabric of her gifted gown. She lets him guide her up and over until she is seated beside him on the swing. As soon as she sits, his touch flies from her, like he is flinching away from touching something too hot.

There is nothing she can do but remain where she has been placed, perfectly poised, perfectly still, perfect. Master Galo presses his hands to his face again, hitching once more, lurching forward to gasp and shudder into his palms. Nyla does not move or speak, presses down on the urge to apologize or offer or anything but sit like a quivering stone on the furniture while her Master is crying and wait.

“Don’t know what to do, Nyla.”

She suppresses a flinch at his muffled voice, still, wide-eyed and still-smiling as Master Galo raises his face again and stares at her mournfully. She finds herself pinned in place by his swollen green eyes, spilling tears which roll and drip off the end of his chin. He is the very picture of anguish and Nyla’s heart is fast and aching and a little sick.

“I…know I’m not, I’m trying but I…you think I wanna hurt you and I know why. Everyone’s fucking shit and, and, and you were sohurt. And it hurts me, fuck, no that’s…I’m sorry. I can’t do shit and it hurts because I don’t wanna hurt you or anyone and it’s not, I can’t make it different and I should. And you’re so scared. You’re so scared all the time.”

Master Galo shuts his eyes, rattling breath drawn deep, and he brushes his fingertips against her clasped hands.

“You’re scared right now.”

Nyla can’t breathe. She isscared. Fear courses, dark cold water, through her veins, ears thundering and swelling her throat closed. The water is inside her, choking her, a river in her chest where her heart should be, a crashing rumble against her ribs.

Her smile falters with the pain in her jaw, radiating through the strain in her mouth. She runs her tongue, furtive and quick, over her chapped lips. She lets her palms unclasp and fall open, the pooled sweat cooling in the open air as she lets Master Galo’s fingertips fall into the raisined cup of her hands.

“Master, please, if you would…tell me what you wish, I would do anything you require.”

Master’s hand shifts further within the little oval her palms have made and something she cannot name twinges when his palm twitches and presses, like a wild animal trying to hide and run at the same time. It is the nameless pang which causes Nyla to fold her hands shut around her Master’s, cloistering it, protecting it.

It is ridiculous and horrifying and wrong, how her two hands barely enfold his one. The chill of the palm draws the clammy heat from her touch and she squeezes, once, barely. She doesn’t breathe.

Master Galo’s sobbing stops, the hitching slowing. Nyla repeats the gentle squeeze, daring, somehow, to brush both thumbs, light as cobwebs, over his knuckles. His hiccups slow to juddering inhales and then, finally, soften to wet and raspy breath. His eyes are still shut but they aren’t clenched and tears no longer flow. Though his mouth is still tremulous and downturned, the crumple begins to smooth.

“Thank you.”

Nyla’s blood warms, slows, from its frigid undertow at the words. Fear doesn’t abate but it loses its bite. She loosens her squeeze, ceasing the movements of her thumbs and merely cradling the palm now. He is smiling now and Nyla does not know why she feels like he has mirrored her now. It is a silly thought, fleeting, and she lets is melt against the swirl of wariness and concern and confusion. But his eyes are gentle when he opens them and, in that moment, she cannot find it in herself to be afraid.

“I was grateful to be of service, Master.”

#don't mind me i'm just Obsessed with this series!! :)))#gw #haro-whumps #writing #galo #nyla #angst #intoxication #crying #trauma #emotional whump #guilt #galo is straight-up not having a good time :(((

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awkwardnoob · 3 years ago

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A bunch of Promare AUs because I show my love for things by thinking of them obsessively until I have enough AUs to fill a mountain. Mostly shippy, I will not lie

*All AUs are completely free to use if they inspire you!

*Thyma lives in all of them because I said so

1) ‘One of them thinks they’re dating while the other is unaware’ style AU with a twist. Lio tells Galo they’re dating, and instead of clearing it up, Galo desperately tries to pretend that yes, he totally knew that the whole time.

The twist: Lio was joking.

Now Lio thinks Galo genuinely thought they were dating and also desperately tries to pretend that yes, he totally knew that the whole time.

- Shenanigans ensue probably.

- They both keep subtly trying to figure out when the other thought they started dating, but of course they have no luck.

2) Galo and Lio meet months before their fight on the rooftop and start dating. Galo tells Burning Rescue about his boyfriend, but they don’t believe him because:

‘He lives out of town and I can’t call him because he doesn’t have a phone. He comes to find me when he’s here’

‘He hates having his picture taken, I don’t get why’ (because he’s a labeled terrorist and he knows having pictures of him could possibly get u arrested Galo)

‘He hates coming into the city, so he won’t meet us to hang out, sorry guys’

- They met at the frozen lake while Lio was checking out the area.

- The lake is their meet up spot. They probably do plan meetings/dates in advance

- Galo probably does find out Lio is burnish at some point, doesn’t care at all. (Might even make him angrier at Mad Burnish for giving Good Upstanding CitizenTM Burnish like Lio bad reps)

- If there isn’t a big, angsty reveal on top of the building when Lio gets arrested, is it really a dating in advance AU?

- Galo reveals that Lio was his boyfriend after Freeze Force is gone. Burning Rescue feels super bad for him. Team hug ensues.

3) The Burnish are aliens AU Galo is just your average civilian firefighter, and while he knows the Burnish exist and are having peace talks with humanity, he doesn’t really think it’ll affect him at all. Until he learns his boyfriend Lio is actually their King.

- Lio wasn’t even hiding the facts that he was burnish or that he was their king, Galo just missed literally every sign.

- Naturally, the burnish do have their own foreign language, and while humans liken Lio to a ‘King’, the burnish are insistent that the closest human translation to Lio’s title is actually ‘Boss’.

Bonus World Bulding:

- The Promare still exist, and are creatures native to the burnish’s home planet.

- The Burnish are so similar to humans that without the Promare you basically can’t tell the difference. (Humans and Burnish can 100% breed)

- The Burnish’s home planet was like earth, but a bit more star like, so the Burnish came to exist, and so did the Promare. They ended up forming a symbiotic relationship. Baby burnish is born? A Promare will come and bond with them for the rest of their life.

- Human/Burnish babies are ALWAYS compatible with Promare. You can have one human/burnish pair then have their descendants only breed human/human for the rest of forever, but the Promare will still bond with them for the rest of forever too. Given enough generations, the Burnish and Promare will assimilate all of humanity through this method.

- Naturally, racist assholes are scared of this and think the Burnish are pulling some long con hostile takeover, but they’re not. It’s literally just how the genetics and science work in this AU and there isn’t anything they can do about it.

- The Burnish’s home planet is gone. Straight up it died, and the Burnish had to evacuate Parnassus style (unlike Kray’s plan though, they actually got everyone out. Both because they had a smaller planet/population in general, and, unfortunately, because the planet dying means a fuck ton of them died to stuff like starvation and disaster before escape preparations could be completed.)

- The Burnish are rather frustrated because c’mon, humanity, look at all those volcanos u can’t get near because of the heat! They’re perfect for us! And we can stop them from erupting!

4) AU where Galo admits he would never want to be a Burnish/that he would hate it, which pisses Lio off because he thought Galo was better than that. Naturally, it leads to an angsty fight type of deal. Later, Galo admits that despite saving the world and being a firefighter and all that, the fire that took everything from him still has him deeply traumatized, and while he lit a fire for Lio those two times, he still hates setting fires. Since the Promare need to burn, Galo feels that as a burnish he might end up neglecting their needs, or he’ll have to suffer through lighting fires when it feels so incredibly bad for him. Comfort ensues.

5) Promare Return AU They open another rift but like, in the sky or something so they’re not trapped in the core and putting the earth at risk again, but that also means they can physically get to their host. So they do, settling inside their bodies like they belong there. Except, the ratio turns out to be 1 Burnish to 1 Promare, so Lio is confused on why he has 2. Turns out that one is the Promare that belonged to Kray, that is deeply traumatized and really doesn’t want to go back and re-bond to Kray, so it clings to Lio’s Promare. Promare Rehabilitation ensues.

- It probably clings to Lio’s Promare because they are its ‘mother’. (If you wanna go the ‘Lio is strong because he’s special’ route, then mother Promares are very old and very rare/Or Lio’s is the only mother and their home star is ‘her’ nest)

- Kray kept his Promare caged for so long that it’s actually scared to burn, even though it’s so, so hungry. (It got to burn in the combustion, but that only did so much for it) Lio has to gently encourage it and feed it stuff like firewood.

- Burning Rescue throws a bonfire party thing for it and suggests Lio feed it Marshmallows. Lio tries to argue that the Promare won’t find any difference between the marshmallows and firewood but everyone else argues that the Promare deserves to treat itself. It gets to burn Marshmallows.

- An optional treat for the Burnish!Galo Lovers out there: Once it’s feeling a little better, the Promare eventually starts eyeing Galo as a possible host. Galo ends up once again sending a big ol’ fuck you to Kray just by existing.

- Lio wishes he could spite Kray as much as Galo manages to spite Kray despite Galo not even thinking of Kray 99% of the time.

6) Band AU with Promare! The existence of the Promare is common knowledge in this au, but the thing is, they really like music. Do it right and their fires will go out, (or go blue and harmless) so Burning Rescue firefights through performing.

- Kray is still bastard and still hiding shit.

- Burning Rescue’s (Kray’s) method makes the fires go out, but what they don’t know is that it works like drowning out and suppressing the Promare’s voices. It’s not actually good for the Promare.

- Mad Burnish on the other hand, makes the Promare fire turn blue, which keeps burning but stops destroying shit. It’s great for the Promare and helps them with their combustion. Their method essentially has the Promare sing with them.

- Except basically everyone is under the impression that Mad Burnish starts the fire in the first place (the Promare do it themselves because they need an outlet), and they have to get the hell out of dodge before they get arrested.

- Of course, then units like burning rescue come and put out the blue fire they made, undoing all their hard work (not completely, but they get far less effect for effort), and the fact that blue fire doesn’t destroy anything is left undiscovered (and any time it would be, the corrupt government makes sure that info never sees the light of day because reasons)

- The world is saved by combining their bands and Lio and Galo singing a duet for a giant, world wide concert. Like, it’s super extra, the kind of extra that matches the magnitude of making a giant mecha. Yes, the world still burns.

Alright, that’s all I have for now. That was a lot.

#Promare #galo thymos #lio fotia #Galolio #Liogalo

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haro-whumps · 4 years ago

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Group Whumpees 14: Headway

CW: slavery, multiple whumpees, aftermath of abuse, property destruction, migraine, actually a pretty fluffy chapter all things considered

Tag List: @bleeding-demon-teeth @theycomeinthrees‌ @redwingedwhump @whimperwoods @inpainandsuffering @whole-and-apart-and-between @whump-whump-whump-it-up @whumpingupastorm @newandfiguringitout @lonesome--hunter @looptheloup @icannotweave @deluxewhump @whumping-every-day @yeet-me-out-a-window @what-a-whumpy-world @burtlederp @swordkallya @finder-of-rings @fairybean101 @adventuresofacreesty @arlennil @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @lumpofwhump @thatsthewhump @pinkdiamondprince @shameless-whumper @whump-only @kiretto-laorentze @eatyourdamnpears @whumpzone @bluebadgerwhump @fanastywhump @jo-castle @muffindaddy @whumpsy-daisies

Please let me know if you were not alerted or if you asked to be added to the tag list and I missed you, tumblr’s been messing up badly lately.

Masterlist

Nyla was… conflicted.

But it didn’t do her any good to be conflicted, so she put on her smile, fastened her shoes, and got to work.

Master had been very generous the day before, giving them a truly absurd amount of time to just sit and relax--threat of ghosts notwithstanding. But now it was time for her to resume her routine, as much of it as she still had.

And, since they’d been preoccupied with ghosts, or non-ghosts, or whatever it was Greyson had seen and Master Galo had dealt with, that meant Master Galo’s “crash course on queerness” needed to happen this afternoon. Which, hm, well, it was rather unreasonable to be nervous about it, right? Master was kind, and the last gathering had been a net positive. Maybe it was just because it was something to look forward to, and Nyla was nervous about things to look forward to.

Also there was that dumpster out front and Nyla wasn’t sure what it was for (perhaps another volley with the art pieces?), but she would deal with that when Master ordered her to.

She was passing by the front door when it opened and her heart leapt into her throat. She whirled, stepping back, but a familiarly massive outline stepped in and she relaxed, smile turning a little less forced.

“Welcome home, Master,” she greeted, kneeling as she took his extended hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. He was damp with sweat and smelled like cut grass and warm air. “Did you enjoy your volunteer service?”

“Yeah; it’s gorgeous out. Partly cloudy and kinda hot, perfect early summer day.” Master Galo pushed his wet hair away from his face, Nyla watching the way his arms flexed and moved and observing her own lack of fear response.

Don’t think about it.

“I’m starving though; any idea when lunch is?”

“Apologies, Master, but it won’t be ready for another half-hour yet,” Nyla said, knowing Sasha had only just gotten it in the oven. Her smile tugged at the corners of her eyes, face tight.

“Sweet! Enough time for a shower then,” Master Galo said with a bright smile, loosening some of Nyla’s nerves.

Nyla gave a short bow, hands clasped in the folds of her apron skirt, and took a deep breath as she rose back up, watching Master Galo’s back as he climbed the steps two at a time. Alright then. (He really did have a nice back) Alright then.

Do your job, Nyla, focus.

It’d be easier if she had anything to focus on. She almost wished Master Galo would host something, bring over guests or Guests of his own. Something Nyla could be active for, something that would require planning and management and preparation.

But it wasn’t her place. Master Galo would do as Master Galo pleased and she would facilitate where she could and be good and patient and pleasant and useless if Master wanted her to be because it was fine, it was fine.

“You were right,” Nyla said, voice quiet and weirdly flat for her. Evan looked up at her inquisitively, a winter boot balanced on his good thigh and a polishing rag in hand. “We’re entirely out of things to do.”

Evan snorted. “Told you.” He waved the boot good-naturedly, though smug as a cat,” I mean, c’mon Nyla, it’s barely even summer.”

“I’m bored--I’m, stir-crazy,” she whispered, ridiculously daring but if she didn’t complain to somebody she was probably going to explode.

“I think Greyson is the only one who isn’t--or, well, I mean, there was that whole thing yesterday…” Evan trailed off, and Nyla chanced a small, barely-audible groan.

“What am I supposed to do?” she lamented, and Evan carefully scooted himself sideways, making room for her on the boot bench.

“Come sit and be bored with me. I’m always down to complain about things, and hearing you go at it is pretty new.” He patted next to him, and Nyla glowered at the clean, unassuming wood before plopping down next to him. She huffed, lifting up the hem of her dress and pulling a loose threat taut so she could snap it.

“I just wish he would give us tasks. I wish we’d had the… talk, this morning.”

“Yeah.” Evan handed her the matching boot to his own and she diligently started polishing, feeling instant relief at having something to do with her hands. “Waiting for it… sucks.”

Nyla felt a strange little curl of emotion in her and nudged him with her elbow. “Well, you would know better than I.”

“Hey!” Evan gasped, looking at her in honest shock before laughing, open mouthed and still surprised, and Nyla smiled. “So now little miss perfect is going to scorekeep?”

“Little Miss Perfect, I like the sound of that.”

“We should bore you shitless more often,” Evan said, leaning forward with playful curiosity dancing across his features.

“Don’t get used to this,” Nyla said, turning up her nose and deliberately sitting with pristine posture. “I’m just having a psychotic break real quick and then I’ll be back to normal.”

Evan laughed, and she smiled, a pang of pain shooting behind her eyes as she did but she was having a nice time, so she smothered any wince before she made it. “Well I better take advantage of it while I can, then.”

The sound of the water shutting off had both their heads snapping upwards, despite the fact that neither of them could see through the ceiling, and Nyla’s perfect smile was back in place, tension in her temples. “...It seems you may have to wait,” Nyla stated, setting down the boot and brushing out her apron, gathering herself. She quickly finger combed her hair, smoothed down her apron once again, and Evan caught her around the wrist.

“You okay?” he asked. Ah, she’d fiddled too much.

“Just nervous, I suppose. Nothing that won’t be resolved after lunch.”

Evan nodded slowly, letting her go, and she changed her perfect slave smile to her “don’t worry the family, I’m fine” smile. Like usual, he seemed to buy it, and Nyla slipped her perfect smile back in place with a whirl of skirts and went to serve Master Galo lunch.

He’d demanded that Grey ‘take it easy’ yet again, and Nyla decided, rather selfishly, that that meant she would take his duties as butler from him that day. But then, was it truly selfish, when Sasha would just as likely faint if she was asked to, and Evan couldn’t walk on that leg of his? Lilah was able to do it, sure, but old habits die hard and Nyla couldn’t help but want to keep their littlest as far away from their owner as often as possible. Even though this one was kind.

Then the five of them were crowded together on a couch, Master Galo standing with his laptop hooked up to the TV in front of them. Nyla subtly covered Sasha’s hand with her own, where it gripped her sleeve, and Lilah leaned against Greyson with her legs hooked over Evan’s good one.

“Alright, so, queer shit 101,” Master Galo said with a bright smile to the group, hands propped on his hips. “I am going to attempt to keep things basic while still covering the bases, but please ask questions if you have them. In the great words of someone older than me, I don’t know what you don’t know. And I also don’t know what misconceptions you might have, though given Auntie Bethany, I can make some more or less solid guesses. So, without further ado.”

Master Galo hit a key on his keyboard and the slide changed, “Queer! Our first term, the word used for the entire community of people who are neither cis nor straight. In recent years people who wish to gatekeep, meaning to exclude people from our community, have voiced backlash against the word ‘queer’ as being ‘too-inclusive’ and have recruited well-intentioned but ultimately inexperienced youths to cycle their rhetoric. That is bullshit. Queer is our word, it is a good word, just because ignorant and hateful people are bigoted against us does not mean it isn’t our word, and it’s an all-inclusive label for anyone and everyone who finds their home among us.”

Lilah tentatively leaned forward, hand extended, and Master Galo pointed to her with arched eyebrows. It wasn’t as threatening as Nyla might have once considered it. “What’s ‘cis,’ sir?”

“That is on my next slide, I promise. For right this current moment, just know that queer is the big main umbrella word for everyone. It covers all the bases, all your base are belong to us.” Lilah nodded as Master Galo chuckled at his own joke. Nyla didn’t get the reference, but she recognized that he’d made one.

“Cool, so, you will see many squares with lots of stripes throughout this presentation. You don’t have to memorize anything, I just think they spruce up the slides, but for reference this one is the queer flag. You may or may not be familiar with the rainbow flag, that one’s a little different, we’ll get to that.”

Master Galo flipped slides. “Transgender!” he announced happily, a blue, pink, and white flag on the TV behind him. “You have seen this flag on various articles of clothing and buttons I own. And stickers. In general I have this flag around a lot, but! That is because, I am trans. You know this,” he said, making a broad gesture towards their group.

“The word ‘transgender’ effectively means ‘anyone who isn’t cis,’ and yes I will explain. So! Say there is a little baby, and the midwife or doctor lifts the little newborn body up to examine, and says ‘she’s a girl!’ Now, say, years down the road, that person thinks of herself and says ‘yeah sure I’m a girl.’ That is what’s called ‘cisgender,’ when the gender you were assigned at birth matches up with your own sense of self. Now, say that same baby grows up, but says ‘actually, I’m not a girl.’ That would make that person transgender.

“I am what’s called ‘binary trans;’ I was assigned female at birth, grew up, discovered I was actually a dude, and here we are. Thus, I am called a transman. The same thing happens for transwomen, but in the opposite direction. Transmen are men, transwomen are women, but some people are neither a guy or a girl. They are what is called,” Master Galo switched the slide.

“Nonbinary!” Nyla squinted, tentatively raising her hand, which Evan and Lilah were also doing. “Okay wow, lots of questions, Nyla?”

“I… apologize, sir, but I’m not sure I understand. They’re not a man or a woman?”

“Correct.”

Nyla shared a quick, anxious glance with the rest of her family.

“Okay, don’t worry,” Master Galo said, holding up his hands with a small chuckle, “I will explain. First, Evan and Lilah, was that your question too? Yeah, figured as much, okay. So, I have found the easiest way to visualize nonbinary genders is like this: Say men are blue, and women are red. Or pink, but that’s just a light shade of red, so, anyway, color theory is not today’s presentation. Back on track! If you’re imagining gender like a color wheel, that means some people are gonna be purple, right?”

Nyla nodded slowly. Okay, that made sense. A combination of traits both male and female.

“But, on that same vein, not all other colors are purple. Sometimes colors are green, or yellow, or orange. Men and women do make up the majority of the human population, but not all of it. There’s lot of ways to have a gender, and none of them are wrong.” Lilah raised her hand again and Master Galo pointed.

“How does that--I mean, if you have a vagina or a penis, shouldn’t that be, I mean, hard? To…”

“Okay, okay, good point. Very good point Lilah, I jumped the gun a little. Backing up a bit!”

Master Galo clapped his hands lightly, no force or noise to the motion, and Nyla had the brief thought that the gesture made him look somewhat teacherly. Which made sense, given… everything happening, but there was something distinctive and pleasant about that thought. Hm.

She wasn’t gonna worry about that. Focus.

“So, biological sex and a person’s gender are two seperate things. Often, they go hand in hand. That’s where cis people come from. However, while biological sex is, y’know, biological, gender is a social construct. Which means, it has more to do with perception and sense of self, and nothing to do with your actual physical body. So, since this is the 100 level course, I could frame it as, gender’s in your head and sex is in your genitals, make sense?”

Another round of slow, wary nods.

“It’s technically a little more complicated than that, but we’re not gonna get into that today.”

Evan raised his hand again, and Master Galo pointed at him with a smile.

“So… Sir, do you, have a dick?”

Master Galo’s lips instantly folded in and he raised a hand to cover his mouth, his shoulders shaking a little, and Nyla felt a spike of anxiety, crown of her head feeling taut. But it was laughter, a wheezing chuckle escaping her master when he said, “Uhm.”

He took a deep breath, “So, no. I do not. I don’t really want or need bottom surgery and am comfortable with my genitals the way they are. Bottom surgery is not a necessary component of transitioning, and some people, like myself, don’t have it done. However,” Master Galo continued with a rush of air, “it is generally considered extremely rude to ask a trans person about their genital structure unless you have the explicit intention of sleeping with them. I am aware you meant nothing by it!” Master Galo rushed, hands held up as Evan began to flounder. “You weren’t intentionally being rude, it’s chill. Just, for future reference, if you ever meet another trans person, that’s on the list of questions you don’t ask.”

Master Galo cleared his throat, looking a little red, but in good humor about it. He turned back to his screen with a, “Now, Lilah, you bring up an interesting point.” Master Galo flipped forward a few slides, to a screen with a yellow square that had a purple circle in the middle of it.

“Intersex! Sex, like gender, is not actually straightforward. There are many ways to be intersex, ranging from genital structure to chromosomes to secondary sex characteristics. But ultimately sex, like gender, is on a spectrum. Just because the majority of people fall easily into little categories of, urg, ‘biologically male’ or ‘biologically female,’ which for the record are not phrases you should… use, but since this is an intro to queer shit I’m making this as understandable as I can. Anyway.” Master Galo seemed to gather his thoughts. “Right! People fall into one category or the other most of the time, but not all of the time! And the ‘not all of the time’ people are intersex. Some intersex people do not feel that their biology automatically makes them queer, and do not percieve themselves to be part of the queer community. Others take comfort and community among us, so it’s always up to the person.

“Anyway, flipping back a few slides, nonbinary! This is the umbrella term for everyone who does not fall completely into ‘100% a man’ or ‘100% a woman.’ There are many ways to be nonbinary, but for the record, many nonbinary people prefer to be referred to with they/them pronouns. Not all! But, like how men use he/him, or women use she/her, many nonbinary people are referred to with a singular ‘they.’ I am aware my aunt may have had grammar-based arguments complaining about nonbinary people and gender neutral language, but I promise the singular ‘they’ predates my aunt by multiple centuries.

“Genderqueer,” Master Galo said with another slide, “This one goes hand in hand with nonbinary. Effectively, it means ‘neither fully masculine nor fully feminine,’ and is, as the word ‘queer’ might suggest, an inclusive, broad term for people who don’t have a particularly hard line definition for their gender.

“Genderfluid, meaning that a person will shift between genders depending on the day. So like, some days this person would wake up and say ‘I’m a girl today,’ and other days ‘I’m a boy,’ and maybe some days they wouldn’t feel like either of those at all. Again, this varies from person to person, but the general idea is that they flow between genders.

“Agender, meaning they have no gender at all.”

Again, Nyla, Lilah, and Evan’s hands rose. Nyla was surprised to see that even Greyson’s hand lifted, if only a little, on that. Master Galo smiled with a huff, but Nyla didn’t feel threatened. “Let’s go with Greyson, yeah?”

“How would someone simply not have a gender, sir?”

“So, if we’re imagining genders as like a color wheel, agender would be like, white, blank. No color. No gender. People ask them ‘are you a guy or a girl’ and their answer is a flat out ‘no.’”

Nyla was struggling with that. Nyla was struggling with that one pretty hard. Her brain felt tight. She got the concept, but…

“Master?”

“Yes Nyla?”

“Would it be alright if we understood in theory but not in practice?”

“Yeah, this can be hard for people to wrap their heads around, mostly I just want to introduce you to the concepts. That’s perfectly reasonable Nyla.”

Nyla dipped her head in thanks, her family nodding as well. Master Galo flipped the slide.

“Neutrois. Hand in hand with agender, if we’re using the color thing then, like. If agender is white, then neutrois would be black. People who are neutrois might describe their gender as ‘null’ or ‘void’ and other descriptors of the like. Again, I just want to introduce you to the concept, you don’t need to be able to conceptualize it perfectly.

“Okay last one under the trans umbrella,” Master Galo said, “Bigender. Someone who is multiple genders simultaneously. So, for simplicity’s sake, you could say someone who is both a man and a woman at the same time.” Master Galo smiled at them. “There are many other genders people have, but again with this being the introductory course, I just wanted to hit the big ones. Any gender questions?”

Nyla tentatively raised her hand. Master Galo smiled at her, and his expression took the edge off her anxiety.

“So, we know you, had surgery on your chest, sir,” Nyla said, hoping she wasn’t being rude by bringing it up, “do nonbinary people also engage in,” she floundered, not sure what the word for it was, but she wasn’t going to ‘um’ or stutter (even if he’d said it was okay, she could do better, and she would).

“Some do,” Master Galo mercifully cut her off. “Some people are fine looking the way they do, or use cosmetics to accentuate certain features, and some receive surgeries. It all depends on personal comfort. And also sometimes to alter others’ perceptions, I knew someone who had no real issue with their chest but other people would assume they were a girl because of it and surgery was affirming and helpful with other people’s way of viewing them, which in turn lowered their discomfort.”

“And, sir?” Master nodded. “If a person’s name is, very feminine or masculine?”

“Most of us change our names!” he said brightly, “Like how I picked Galo for myself. Many nonbinary people will also change their names to something a little more ‘neutral.’ Again, not all though.”

Evan raised his hand that time. “You picked your own name, sir?”

“Yup! When I started to transition I changed my name. I should show you all the movie it came from sometime; it’s real fun you might enjoy it.”

“Sir?”

“Yeah, bud?”

“What was your name before Galo, sir?” Evan asked. Master Galo made an unidentifiable noise, but Nyla didn’t think that it was good. Her spine lengthened and her hand left Sasha’s on her arm to clench neatly in her lap.

“Sooo, you don’t get to know that,” Master Galo said, ducking his head with a slow gesture of his open palm towards Evan. “The name I had before Galo is what is called a ‘deadname,’ the name a trans person was assigned at birth that has since been put to rest. Again, I know you are being curious and I would definitely like to encourage you to continue asking questions, but, that’s another one of those questions you should not ask anyone who is not me. Asking for someone’s deadname is considered rude, and referring to someone by their deadname is extremely rude and actively malicious.”

“Sir, I wasn’t--”

“Easy, Evan, I know,” Master Galo said with a patient smile. “It’s good that you ask me these questions, and not someone else, because you’re learning, and I know you don’t mean any harm. But, in sum, the name I had before is not relevant, and it is not something to be shared. Any other questions at the moment? We’ve had good ones.”

A brief bout of silence, and Master Galo flipped the screen to the only flag Nyla did recognize.

“Onto sexual orientations! Sexualities, they’re called. You will probably recognize the gay flag, this is another one of those umbrella terms meaning ‘anyone who isn’t straight’ while also having the capacity to mean ‘someone who is exclusively attracted to their own gender.’ It is a term meant for everyone in the community, much the same way queer is. Yes, Evan?”

“Are you gay?”

“No, actually, I’m pretty much straight. I’m aware that men can be attractive but don’t really feel attraction to them.” Master Galo cocked his head. “You worded that kind of intensely there, you alright buddy?”

Evan was already stiff, and Nyla recognized the way his mouth twitched when he was biting down a snarl. “I’m fine.”

The lack of an honorific made the family tense, eyes on Evan because he was, like a moth to flame, doing something stupid again, but Master Galo either ignored it or didn’t notice.

“Cool. So, along with ‘queer community’ and ‘gay community,’ you may or may not have heard the phrase ‘LGBT.’ This stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, and is sort of the most widely-in-use acronym for the queer community.

“Lesbians! What would the world do without them,” Master Galo said, flipping to a slide with lots of pinks and oranges. “Nowadays, lesbian is the word for women who are exclusively interested in other women, but historically it was used to describe any queer woman at all, back before bisexual really entered into people’s vocabularies. For the record: nonbinary people can be and often are lesbians. Anyone who has literally any ties to femininity and is attracted, more or less exclusively, to women and people with ties to femininity, counts as a lesbian.

“Bisexual! People who are attracted to 1. their own gender and 2. other genders. Sometimes it’s phrased as ‘attraction to men and women,’ which, for the record, is a fine way for you to conceptualize it here in the introductory course, but I want to be clear that bisexuality does and always has included nonbinary peeps.” Master Galo smiled. “Bixesual is a perfectly good and normal thing to be; there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said, and if Nyla had to guess she’d say he was deliberately not looking directly at any of them in particular.

“Pansexual! Hand in hand with bisexuality, pansexual people are attracted to others regardless of their gender. It can be difficult to distinguish between the two, but for some people the differences between sexualities are important. For some people, not so much, and they identify as bi and pan simultaneously. Again, we fall back on the ‘it all depends on the person’ idea. I will state that pansexuals are not attracted to everyone, they’re just attracted to every gender. Just because someone is of a certain gender doesn’t mean others won’t still find them ugly.

“Asexual! The umbrella term for people who don’t really feel attraction to other people, no matter the gender. We love respect cherish and support asexual people,” Master Galo said, oddly firm on that one. Lilah raised her hand.

“So, they just, don’t? Anybody? Sir?”

“Yeah, so, like, a straight man would only feel attraction towards women, and no attraction to men. A gay man would feel attraction to men, and no attraction to women. A bisexual man would feel attraction to men and women. And an asexual man would not feel attraction to either.”

Lilah nodded. “Okay, thank you sir.”

“However, ace--asexual--is an umbrella term. There are multiple ways to be asexual.”

Nyla frowned minutely, but then her smile was back in place. She wasn’t really sure how there could be multiple ways to not feel attraction to someone.

“There’s the spectrum of sex-positive, sex-neutral, and sex-repulsed asexuals. Sex-positive asexuals enjoy sex, the action, they just don’t think anybody’s hot. The activity is fun, but no one they look at hits that ‘oh hot I wanna have sex with them’ vibe. Sex-neutral asexuals don’t find anyone attractive, and don’t have any particularly strong feelings towards sex. It’s on par to like, going for a jog or having dinner together. Sort of a bland ‘whatever’ feeling. Sex-repulsed asexuals don’t find anyone attractive and do not, under any circumstances, want to have sex with anyone, ever. All of these are good and well! There’s no ‘wrong’ way to be asexual.”

“Next up we have grey-ace. 99% of the time, they don’t find anyone attractive, but every once in a blue moon they’ll see a person and go ‘oh hot.’ They are still asexual, they just have occassional feelings of attraction to seemingly random people. Or maybe they have a highly specific type! Again, depends on the person.”

“Last up for the ace umbrella, demisexual. Demisexual people are capable of feeling physical attraction, but only after a strong, meaningful, romantic bond has been formed. This is different than waiting in a relationship until you’re close. The person does not feel attraction, at all, until a committed bond has been formed.” Master Galo paused, letting them turn that over in their heads, but when no one asked any questions he flipped the slide once more.

“And wrapping up our crash-course on queer terminology, aromantic. Aromantic is similar to asexuality in all aspects, except that instead of talking about physical attraction, it’s about romance. Some people just do not feel the inclination to form romantic bonds with others. They still might, depending on the person, just like an asexual person still might engage in sexual activity, but the attraction isn’t there. They don’t see people and go ‘I’d like to see if this could work out as a romantic relationship’ they’re just in it for friends. Grey-romantic and demiromantic people are, again, much the same, but with romance, feeling that 99% or only gaining the capacity for a romantic relationship after a strong, meaningful, committed bond of friendship has been formed.”

Master Galo took a big breath. “Any questions?” he asked with a proud smile.

Nyla honestly felt like she had too much information rattling around in her brain to even begin formulating a question, but Evan raised his hand.

“I don’t mean to be rude, sir,” Evan said, sounding like he was struggling not to grit his teeth.

“I know. Go ahead.”

“So, since you’re a transman, and you’re straight, then you’re only attracted to women..?”

“Yep!”

“And then, if a woman is attracted to you..?” Evan trailed off.

“That would still be considered ‘straight’ attraction, yep. The woman in question might be straight, or bi, or pan, or maybe ace! It’s all up to her. But her attraction to me would be ‘opposite-sex attraction’ yeah.”

“Was that rude sir?”

“No, no, you’re good, bud. And now you know!”

“Thank you sir.”

“Of course! I’m glad you’re asking questions. Anyone else?”

Another beat of silence.

“Alright, cool, good talk team. To wrap it all up, there are all sorts of ways people can experience gender and attraction, and none of them are wrong. Everything I talked about today is good, natural, and worthy of respect. Go ahead and let me know if you ever have questions in the future, I’m perfectly willing to talk about it.”

He took in a deep breath.

“The queer community has long faced oppression on a global scale. However, many cultures saw queerness as natural and didn’t much question it until, ah, interlopers became involved, and rerouted the course of history. But regardless of acceptance or ostricization, all cultures have their own queer histories, their own words and perceptions.

“In recent years, and I mean really recent, queer people have started making great strides in changing legislation and public opinion of us towards the positive, though we still face a number of obstacles. You have probably noted that I am not fond of police. This is in no small part due to the fact that I am transgender. And then of course people like my aunt and various religious institutions will also condemn myself and my peers, due to malicious misconceptions or just straight up bigotry.

“So I understand why you all may… struggle, with this information, for a bit. But I assure you, nothing is as bad as my aunt made it out to be, and if you ever want to know more I’m happy to talk with you about it.” Master Galo beamed and propped his hands on his hips. “Which about wraps this up.”

The doorbell rang. Everyone, including Master Galo, tensed.

“I think I’ll answer that,” he said. “Uh, dismissed? No, wait, wait here, we’ve got a group project I wanna work on this afternoon.”

Nyla was not in a habit of thanking god for much of anything, but she thanked god for that. Finally, a task.

Master Galo made a pleased noise and a bit of chatter Nyla could identify as friendly, there was the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, then the door swinging closed.

She was on her feet and smiling when he returned, leaning his big arm on the doorway and looking happy. “Sweet, so, the stuff we ordered has started to arrive, which leads me to another thing I wanted to talk about!”

Master Galo rounded back in front of the couch where he’d been, clapping his hands together and smiling. Nyla tentatively sat back down. ‘So! I would first like to establish that I am not suggesting you break up your current sleeping arrangement. However, you’re not gonna be able to fit all the stuff you collectively ordered into that one room without it turning into a nightmare, so I’ve thought about it and it’s my idea that you all should have rooms that are your own space. Not to sleep in, obviously, just rooms that you can use to store your stuff and you can decorate them to your own interests and you’ll have a private area you can go to if you need alone time. Sound good?” Master Galo asked, looking to Nyla, to Lilah, scanning over the group.

“You are quite generous, Master,” Nyla said, but no, no, that wasn’t quite right, for him. “Thank you,” she tried again, simpler, far too rude for Mistress, but for Master…

He smiled at her, pat her on the head far too briefly, and said, “You’re welcome. Let’s go check out what arrived, yeah?”

All of Nyla’s dresses, the skirts and top Sasha had ordered from that company, and a couple of Lilah’s things were in the first two boxes, and Evan’s t-shirts and jeans were in the third. “Sorry Greyson, looks like your stuff isn’t here yet.”

Greyson nodded, outwardly impassive, and given that it had barely been his idea to order anything at all that made sense. Nyla and the others followed Master Galo to the basement, their Master helping Evan down and hastening the process, and showed them the rooms he’d selected for them. Nyla hesitantly stepped into “hers.”

It felt wrong. She’d cleaned and examined this room countless times before, but now, standing inside it felt incorrect.

The bed had been folded up into a couch, which was standard for the beds housed in the series of apartments in the basement. The sitting area and kitchenette that existed in the middle of these rooms were indicative that these were for long-term guests, not, not slaves. The closet, filled with more hangars than she remembered, the dresser, the small desk, they were for people, not Nyla.

Except, apparently, they were for Nyla now.

“Oh, shoot, that lock is totally broken,” Master Galo’s voice came from elsewhere in the apartments, “Here, go for this room, then, sorry I totally hadn’t noticed that earlier.”

A broken lock? It was something Nyla had failed to notice, too. Her heart rate accelerated and her head felt tight; Mistress would cane her for missing something so obvious, but she deliberately swallowed and took a deep breath. Master Galo was not Mistress. She couldn’t keep expecting him to act like her.

He was so much kinder. Gentle, and careful, with a sweet voice and warm hands that only ever touched her--

Nyla yanked a hangar off the closet’s bar with far too much force, utterly graceless, and it caused all the other hangars to clatter together and make a right ruckus. Her heart picked back up again, because she was clumsy, noisy, a fumbling little blushing nuisance! She unfolded her first dress and willed herself to remember that making noise was okay, it was allowed now, she could make noise and still be perfect, no one was mad at her, no one was going to come hurt her.

And where was her smile!?

She really was falling to pieces, she thought to herself, pulling another hangar off the rod properly and fitting another dress onto it. Smiling. She was smiling, she was grateful for this unexpected and unasked for privilege (weren’t they supposed to ask for things? Why was this happening unprompted?!), she was graceful and perfect and, fine. She was fine. Her temples felt tight, but she was smiling and composed and fine.

It really was satisfying to see her dresses hung up all neatly, though. When her skirts and sweaters and undershirts arrived, she’d be able to finish filling the closet, and it would look so neat and it would be hers and it was selfish, to be so vain and materialistic, but maybe since Master Galo had ordered it, that meant it was okay?

She rubbed at her right eye and stroked her hand down the material of the first dress, admiring the ruffles around the neckline and the neat, black stripes of the sewn-in green vest. She would get to wear that. She would get to wear all of them, with their pretty patterns and their pleated skirts and their ruffles and lace and bows.

It felt far too pretty for the likes of her.

She wished she knew how to properly show her Master gratitude.

She wanted, she--wanted. She didn’t want to be caned or cut or bleed or cry, but she wanted to do something, something physical, something to show just how much she appreciated everything he was doing for them, to make him happy, like he’d made her happy.

But what did a slave have to give, except her body and her service? He’d already made it clear that he didn’t want either of those, aside from her now mind-numbing chores, and that was hardly something to make him happy. More of just an expected base behavior out of her, out of all of them.

She didn’t know his favorite foods; Greyson never reported any particular signs of delight no matter what Sasha tried, at least nothing that stood out from his regular compliments. She didn’t have any way to engage with his hobbies. She couldn’t kneel at his feet and beg him to hurt her with her lips on his shoe. His base state of friendly and cheery made it impossible to tell what he liked best. The only real, solid thing she knew he liked was when they asked him for things, and it was the receiving of things that Nyla wanted to express gratitude for!

It was the weirdest, strangest, most unfamiliar form of frustration she’d ever felt. Maybe--maybe it wouldn’t count as Attending him if she offered a massage? Greyson was better at it than her, and she hadn’t had much practice in the last decade and a half aside from occasionally working a knot out of Sasha’s shoulder or soothing the nerves out of Evan or Lilah. But she’d been trained properly, and she could quickly skim an internet article sometime to refresh herself.

Oh but if Master Galo figured out she was trying to Attend him, even just a little, he might get mad, and she wouldn’t be able to handle that. She would just have to be extra-perfect for him. Sit and not kneel, smile, be unobtrusive but able to fulfil his every whim or need, maybe ask him for things? But what else could she possibly want that he hadn’t already given her?

She brushed down her apron and left “her room,” walking primly to the family bedroom and pulling out all the clothes from her drawer, which were smaller in number now that her other dress had been sliced open. She went ahead and grabbed Evan’s clothes too, and Master Galo was in the sitting area in the middle of “their rooms” when she walked back. She nodded to him, and he smiled at her before tilting his head and gesturing at the clothes in her arms.

“What’s that?”

“My clothes, as well as Evan’s, sir, from the shared dresser.”

“Oh, good memory,” he praised before returning to his phone, and she couldn’t help but flush faintly under his casual approval. She went into “Evan’s room” and found him sitting on the couch, elbow on his good knee and hands pressed together in front of his face. He looked mad.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly, so faint ideally their Master would be unable to hear. He looked up at her, dark eyes glinting with what she just knew meant trouble, and hauled himself up onto his crutches. He made as though to walk past her, and Nyla turned in confused alarm, which morphed into full alarm when he closed the door.

“Evan! Master Galo is--”

“Right there, yeah I know,” Evan said, voice mercifully quiet even though he flipped the lock. Nyla could scream if she wasn’t rooted to the spot in shock. Evan took the clothes that were his and gave her a brief “thanks” before he threw them on the floor.

“Evan,” Nyla hissed in bubbling horror, staring at the rumpled fabric.

“Hey, it’s ‘my’ room, right?” Evan sneered as he sat back down with a heavy thump, wincing when he jostled his wound. “Which means I can make a mess of it if I want, right?!”

“Evan, these rooms are gifts--”

“That we didn’t fucking ask for. We’re supposed to ask, right?”

“He told us, it’s because we don’t have space in the main room for the things we did ask for!” Nyla hissed, “And keep your voice down!” She didn’t mention that she’d been having the same doubts. She was trembling, clutching her clothes to her chest. “I--I need to go. I need to finish putting my things away.”

She stepped away from him, needing to pause at the door to summon her smile, to suppress her wild shivers, to take a deep breath and gather herself, and when she flipped the lock she heard Evan call after her, “I’m sorry.”

She turned back again, carefully crafted smile slipping, and Evan had his face in his hand, the other clutching the edge of the cushion. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just--sorry. I’m sorry Nyla.” He ran his fingers back into his hair and gripped, hard, pulling at his roots. “I’m sorry.”

Her shoulders dropped, chest squeezing, and she swaned over to him, dropping to her knees in front of him. He startled, letting go of his hair, and she reached up her free hand to cup his face. He closed his eyes as she leaned up and kissed his cheek, and nuzzled his face against hers as he pet a hand down her hair.

“Just try to work through whatever this is before you leave the room, okay?” she asked softly, trying to be gentle with him, to not get scared and frustrated like she normally felt when he got like this. Master Galo wouldn’t hurt him like Mistress did; she didn’t need to be scared, didn’t need to be frustrated with Evan because he had more time now. “Master Galo’s in the sitting area.”

“Yeah,” Evan answered her, finger combing his bangs to the side. “Yeah. Sorry. I will.”

She kissed his forehead as she stood, and was able to summon her smile much easier this time. She rubbed at her right eye, brushed down her skirt, and went back to “her room” to finish hanging up her clothes and arranging her underthings in the drawers.

When she finished, she skimmed her fingers over the dustless wood of the dresser. “Her” dresser. Pink with floral designs, old fashioned and expensive, an ‘antique’ that was as good as new. It was… surreal. She left the room, crossed to her Master, and slipped to her knees, then rump, to sit next to his feet. Her hands folded neatly in her lap, and she blinked away the weird feeling in her eye.

“Thank you, Master,” she said again, wishing she could say it better, express it better.

“Yeah, you’re welcome,” he said gently, leaning forward in his seat and petting his fingers through her hair. She allowed herself to tilt her head, eyes slipping closed, and she savored the touch. His knee was right there, it would be all too easy for her to lean in and lay her head against it. But no, no, she was better than that. He hadn’t expressed a desire for her to submit to him in that way and she was going to be perfect for him.

“Master,” she started, reminding herself that he liked questions, that technically all times were good times and she couldn’t pester him with too many, “is there a way you would like to be thanked? I am grateful, and want to show it to you properly.”

“No, Nyla, you don’t need to,” he said gently, and he sounded almost sad. “Just saying ‘thank you’ is enough.”

She tried not to feel disappointed. At the very least, she wouldn’t show it. “As you like, sir.”

The others joined them, Sasha sitting as close to Nyla as she dared, Greyson kneeling at Master Galo’s other side, Lilah sitting on the couch in a way that made them all panic slightly but reaped no consequences. When Evan joined them, a noticeable stretch of time later, Master Galo made no comment on his late appearance, only smiled and put his phone away.

“Great, you’re all here. So, about the project I mentioned. You may have noticed the dumpster out front. I would like everyone to please work together and move all of my aunt’s canes, chains, whips, restraints, muzzles, cages, knives, and the like into the dumpster. Anything she used with the purpose of hurting or humiliating you, I would like to see go. I’ve got a power drill and I’m gonna work on her, uh, dungeon, and rip up those D rings in the den and music room, but just, like. Anything you can think of. Anything used with the purpose of you guys’ pain. Get rid of it, please.”

Someday, Nyla would stop being surprised by all of Master Galo’s many surprises.

Even so, an order was an order, and like many of Master Galo’s commands she found this one easy enough to obey. Nyla rose with all her grace, curtsied, and walked a direct path up two flights of stairs to the fireplace in Mistress’s boudoir.

Mistress had never used the fire pokers on Nyla. Lilah, sure, Evan, occasionally, but Nyla had kept herself perfect, too perfect to burn. But the fear, the ever present knowledge that she could burn, at any moment, at her Mistress’s slightest whim, the moment she stopped being flawlessly, untouchably perfect, had kept her tense as a coiled wire. She stopped by the main floor’s fireplace and grabbed those pokers too, one set in each fist, and all too gleefully hoisted them into the dumpster out front.

She diligently visited every fireplace in the house, after that, removing everything that could and would have burned her, had she not kept herself perfectly poised on her self-made pedestal. Evan was in Mistress’s room, Lilah the den, Sasha the music room. Greyson, Nyla wasn’t sure where he’d gone, but wasn’t going to get bent out of shape over it. She rubbed her right eye, then temple, and returned to the basement.

Master Galo’s power drill was loud, making her wince and the space behind her eyes sting, but she entered the Punishment Room regardless. He’d collected a small pile near the door: the shackles he’d removed from their anchors in the wall, the thin mats Nyla was pretty sure were intended for yoga that had served as sleeping pallets to the two cells, the oil and wax sconces and dishes that had hung from the walls and ceiling. The wooden horse. All of the tools, the whips and floggers and knives. Nyla gathered up an armful, and Master Galo paused in his drilling to smile at her.

“Hey, thanks.”

“Of course, Master. Do you require any other assistance?”

“No, I think I’m good. Dismantling my evil aunt’s evil shit is kinda cathartic, really.”

Nyla bowed, and trotted back up the steps with her load of chains and whips and manacles. It was satisfying to hear them clatter down into the dumpster. She felt weird. Good?? Strange.

“Oh, are you hauling stuff for Master Galo?” Evan asked. Nyla nodded with an affirming noise. “Great, so he’ll stay down there. Lilah, hand me that cane, Grey, don’t throw that in yet.”

Nyla looked and saw that Greyson had brought the dog cages up from the utility room. Greyson cocked his head at Evan, but set them down on the drive. Evan, crutch under one arm and heavy, metal cane in his dominant hand, proceeded to beat the shit out of the cages.

The family mostly just stood there, and watched, as he reduced the cages to little more than messy heaps of broken wire. He was panting, hard, by the end of it, and tossed the cane into the dumpster.

“Did you reopen your--” Lilah asked, cut off by Evan’s, “I’m fine.”

“Okay, it just looks like you might’ve ripped a stitch out, from all’a that.”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t have done any differently,” Evan said, laughing a little and pulling Lilah in for a hug. “Fuck, that felt really good. You guys should try that.”

“I think th-that’s a y-you thing,” Sasha remarked, and Nyla chuckled. Then giggled. She rubbed at her eye, and headed back inside to grab another armload from the basement. She got the wooden horse up under her arm and shimmy-stepped her way up, the thing large and cumbersome but she couldn’t wait to get it out of the house. Greyson helped her lift it into the dumpster, and Nyla grabbed a third round.

It was on her way back down to grab a fourth armful that the pain struck her, right as her foot came down on the top step. She recognized it instantly for what it was. Ordinary pain was, in a rather hard to describe manner, very different from migraine pain. It was impossible to confuse the two.

A migraine. She was having a migraine. Oh of course, her head had felt tight all day! And her eye, that was her aura, oh, she was so stupid! How could she not have seen this coming?

Oh, god, the pain was settling in fast this time, too. It never set in all at once, but the speed was less gradual than usual, right then. She whimpered. The basement would be no good. Master Galo was using power tools down there, right across the hall from the family bedroom. Her normal migraine spot, under her nice, dark, quiet bed, wouldn’t work this time.

Think, she had a limited amount of time before the pain got bad. Where should she go? The butterfly room? That was nice and dark, no windows, but would it be quiet? She naturally gravitated towards the idea of a bathroom, where the tile would feel cool against her forehead and she could turn off the lights. Upstairs, probably, she went upstairs, hoping to escape the noise of things landing in the dumpster and her family moving and talking around her. Near the back of the house, not the front, not near the driveway. The bathroom off the lilac bedroom? She went straight for it, closing her right eye since she couldn’t really see all that well out of it.

God, it hurt so bad. She closed the door, plunging the bathroom into merciful blackness. It was quiet, just what she needed, her family and Master would be busy for a while yet, they wouldn’t need to come looking for her. She could just stay where she was, curled up against the bathroom floor, in the dark, in the silence.

God, god it hurt.

And she knew it was only going to get worse.

Galo had the bars unscrewed and the dungeon stripped down to nothing more than walls, the floor, and an archaic looking chandelier that he did not have the electrical expertise to deal with. He needed someone with, like, training to deal with that.

Nyla hadn’t come back for a while yet.

Which, okay, it was a big house and she probably had plenty of grudges to act out against inanimate objects, but it was weird that Nyla of all people would start helping haul away the stuff he piled up and then stop midway through. It wasn’t like her.

And when Galo’s brain told him to worry, he was starting to come to terms with the fact that it was usually right. Did it count as anxiety when it was true?

He hauled up a load after scanning the basement, and finding no one there. He got rid of the evil library books as he paced through the first floor, as well as the armchair from the den. He found Greyson and Evan, but no Nyla. Hrm. He asked if Greyson would please take care of the D rings in the den and Evan volunteered himself, which, whatever worked. Upstairs he ran into Sasha in the music room, and he pried up the D rings like he said he would since she didn’t exactly seem like the type for power tools, and was glad to hand the task over to Lilah when she gravitated towards him, leaving the drill in her capable hands.

But where was Nyla?

It was ridiculous to think that she’d been kidnapped by Barbra but Galo couldn’t help but jump to that conclusion. He stalked through the second floor, trying not to be visibly distressed lest he upset the other slaves, but running out of places to look. He opened the door of a guest bathroom, if only for the reason that it was closed, and his eyes widened with horror to see his girl lying in the fetal position on the floor.

“Nyla!” he shouted, rushing forward and dropping to his knees. She flinched, worse than he’d ever seen her jump, and curled in tighter, a muted scream passing her lips, and Galo’s panic bubbled over.

“Nyla, Nyla what’s wrong, what happened?!”

“Please!” she begged, sounding so small. “Please, please no, migraine, Master, please stop!”

Oh--oh. Oh, and his yelling would only have made it worse.

“Shit, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, guilt consuming him as he bent and caught sight of her silent tears. “What do you need, what helps?”

Galo didn’t know anything about migraines, other than “head hurt.” He knew they were awful, horrible things, and Nyla deserved to never ever have one. But he didn’t know--would medicine help? Was this one of those things that nothing helped, and she’d just have to wait it out? How long did they last? An hour? Should he touch her?

“Painkillers. Dark. Quiet. W--” she choked on a sob, high and pained and Galo’s heart broke into a thousand pieces. “Water, please, cold.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll go get painkillers and a glass of ice water? Do you--is the bathroom good? Is this a good place for you to be?”

“My bed,” she whined, hands over her eyes and body trembling faintly.

“Okay,” Galo said, mindful of each word, keeping his voice as quiet as possible. “Can--can you walk? Should I carry you? Should I touch you at all?”

“Just, don’t rattle me, please, don’t--hit my head, please, Master--”

“Never,” Galo breathed, and his heart broke all over again, to know that she still feared him so much, that Nyla had so little trust that she thought he would ever hurt her, much less when she was like this. “Never, Nyla, please, please believe that. I will never hit you.”

Nyla’s breath hitched, a little gaspy inhale, and then she slowly reached one hand out, and gripped Galo by the pant leg. Galo froze, standing on the edge of a brand new precipice, and tried to make his brain work, tried to think fast for once in his goddamn life, but his brain continued its sloth impression and he couldn’t process what this meant, though he felt its importance.

“Help me,” she begged, though it felt more like an admission than a plea.

“Please, I don’t want the others to see me like this; I hate it when they see me like this,” she continued, and that felt closer to normal.

“Okay, okay, I can’t promise we’ll be able to avoid them but I’ll try my best. I’m going to pick you up now, alright?”

“Okay,” she whispered, barely moving her lips, but he understood why she wouldn’t want to nod her head, right then. Carefully, he gathered her up in his arms and stood. She curled in immediately, pressing her face into the crook of his neck, and he felt like he was holding the most breakable, easily-shattered entity in the universe. He felt a surge of protectiveness, a bone-deep need to take care of her, to make it better in any way he could.

When they passed by the music room, its door open and Lilah inside with the drill, Nyla whimpered and pressed her hands hard against her ears. She wasn’t just pressing her face into his shoulder at that point, it was like she was actively trying to burrow into him, curled up so tight and stiff against him he felt she might shatter. He moved away from there as fast as he could, wanting to spare her everything he was able to. He tried to keep his gait smooth as he walked, slow on the stairs, and he actually did manage to avoid running into any of the others slaves.

He settled her down onto the cool sheets of her bed, wishing the slaves had softer pillows and wondering if he could get them any without them freaking out about it, and settled a palm between her shoulderblades.

“I’m gonna get that glass of water and those painkillers. Do you need anything else?”

“The blinds,” Nyla gasped softly, and Galo shut the blinds of the tiny skylight tightly, angled up so practically no light filtered in at all. He moved quickly, giving Greyson a probably-unconvincing smile as he passed him, but Nyla had asked that the others not know, so Galo wasn’t going to say anything. When he returned, he helped her sit up and handed her the medicine and the cup. The cool water seemed to help.

Galo knelt by the bedside, elbows and forearms laid out in front of him on the mattress and his chin on the sheets. He stared worriedly at Nyla’s face, and wasn’t even thinking when he reached out and stroked a hand over her hair.

Realizing halfway through what he’d done, he snatched his hand back with a quietly hissed, “Shit, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to touch your head.”

“T--” Nyla swallowed, “Touch is fine, Master. Just, no… patting, or, percussion. Touch feels, good sir.”

“Yeah?” Galo whispered, no more than a breath. “Would you like me to stay with you?” he asked quietly, stroking a gentle palm down from the back of her head to mid-spine.

“...Yes,” she admitted tremulously. “But--they last a while, Master.”

“Shhh,” Galo hushed, “I’ll stay. The others are busy and they’ll be fine, just focus on you for a little while, shh.”

Galo pet gently at Nyla’s hair, her shoulders, her back, needing to reposition a couple different times as certain parts of his body got tired or sore or lost blood flow. By the end of the first hour, Galo’s anxious concern had burned itself out, and the mild worry that remained was going to bat pretty hard with his boredom. By the end of the second hour, he’d fallen into a light doze and had been there for a while, his hand covering Nyla’s much smaller one, his thumb stroking very, very slowly over the skin on the back of her hand. He was fully asleep by hour three, Nyla’s fingers curled around his tighter than she’d ever dared before, so what a shame that he was asleep for it.

His impromptu nap came to an abrupt end when Nyla shifted, eyes flicking open but otherwise staying exactly where he was. Oh his neck was gonna have a SERIOUS crick in it.

“Nyla?” he asked softly, “Do you need anything?”

She shook her head slowly, and he perked up to see her voluntarily moving it. “It’s mostly gone now, Master.” She sat up very, very slowly, rubbing at her neck, and Galo mirrored her from his spot on the floor.

“Okay, that’s good,” Galo said, still speaking quietly, “Is it like, a fade-out kind of thing?”

“Yes sir,” she said, slowly stretching out her legs and wincing a little.

“How’re you feeling?”

“Sore, sir. And hungry, and--exhausted.”

She sounded tired. Galo was pretty sure he’d never heard her sound quite this tired. Carefully, watching her face for any sign of a negative reaction, he reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I’ll get you something to eat, yeah?” he offered softly. “You can stay here and rest.”

Nyla shook her head again.

“I can get up, sir. I don’t want to trouble you and the others will have noticed our absence and I need to walk out the stiffness and eating here would get crumbs in the bed, Master.”

Well, Galo could only really argue with one of those, but doubted Nyla would buy that she wasn’t causing him any trouble anyway. He stood, his own body protesting the movement, and stretched his arms up high above his head.

“Thank you.”

Galo glanced down, letting his arms drop, and smiled kindly when Nyla didn’t continue.

“Of course, Nyla, I’m here for you if you ever need me.” Then, because Galo was allergic to Emotional Moments, “Sooo, are we telling your friends we got abducted by aliens for the last,” he glanced at the time, “three and a half hours, or?”

Nyla giggled weakly, which, ten points to Gryffindor!

“I don’t mind them knowing, sir. It’s just when I have the migraine that I…”

“Okay, that makes sense,” Galo said. Not wanting to be seen while vulnerable.

So what does that mean that she let me? he thought with a flip in his stomach, but pushed the thought from his head.

Sasha seemed anxious when they entered the kitchen, but interestingly enough that anxiety did not seem to spike when she caught sight of Galo. Though that might have been because she simultaneously caught sight of Nyla, who was, as near as Galo could tell, Sasha’s main comfort in life. Best friend? Were they best friends? They might be best friends.

Galo wished he knew more about the lives of the people he Literally Lived With.

“Migraine,” Nyla said with a tight smile, by way of explanation, “Master Galo helped me.”

That did successfully key Sasha up, and Galo smiled, lips pressed thin. He should leave. His presence was an intrusion and would only make them feel like they couldn’t talk freely.

“I’ll leave you to it, then?” Galo offered, moving away from Nyla and sliding his hands into his pockets. Open. Nonthreatening. He knew when he wasn’t wanted.

“You don’t have to, Master.” Or maybe he didn’t. “I’m sure you’re hungry too, sir.”

Nyla sounded uncharacteristically nervous, but that also made sense. She was vulnerable, at the moment, fresh off a migraine and not at her absolute best.

So why was she asking him to stay, then? He wished he knew what she was thinking.

“Yeah?” he asked, searching her face and then Sasha’s, who seemed more shocked than anything. “Okay, cool. We can eat together.”

It was stiff.

Which, yeah, expected. Nyla apparently got peanut butter cravings post-migraine, which, huh! Who knew people got cravings after demon headaches, not Galo!

Sasha did not like that Galo was there. Galo did not fault her for that one bit. Nyla was coming down off a migraine and Galo was preventing Sasha from fussing over her, and Sasha really only seemed to know what to do about him in the mornings because they’d had their nice routine and Galo really didn’t hang out in the kitchen beyond that. He should, like, dedicate some time to Sasha. Lock himself in the bathroom and let her sniff him through the door, he thought with a private chuckle to himself.

He now understood why Lilah had asked for extra kitchen stools, since there was quite literally only the one. Galo had the closest thing to an argument that he’d had, with Nyla, firmly insisting that she be the one to seat herself, then awkwardly stooped over the counter with all his bulk and height.

“Ahaha,” Galo ‘laughed’ self-consciously with a rub to the back of his head. Maybe he should’a sat after all. “Sorry, don’t mean to loom imposingly. Really, I can just… head out.”

Sasha looked away, lips thin, but Nyla’s eyes remained on him.

“You, are not all that imposing. Sir.”

Galo blinked, and was peripherally aware that Sasha was now also looking at Nyla like she’d spouted a second head. Nyla was flushed, and staring at Galo’s shoulder rather than his face, but swallowed and continued.

“When you first arrived, the size of you was frightening, sir,” she said, her voice quiet but Galo was far too enraptured to have missed even a single word. “But you kept Barbara from stealing me, and rescued Evan, and yesterday you gave Greyson both comfort and lenience.”

Nyla reached out her hand and placed it, very delicately, on top of Galo’s on the counter, Galo’s eyes tracking the movement in a fashion that might be described as gobsmacked.

“You have always been kind to us, Master. Stay.”

“Oh,” he said, as something important clicked in place.

#whump #slavery #slave whump #gw #nyla #galo #greyson #evan #sasha #lilah #migraines #aftermath of torture #multiple whumpees #mine #writing #my friend and her husband both get migraines and let me pick them for research purposes #i'm so sick of looking at this #*flings it into the void of tumblr* take it

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iturbide · 4 years ago

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LIO FOCCACIA BREAD

look i know for a fact these are both from the same person so i’m just doubling them up

How do I feel about this character?

Lio Fotia is a little pyro in every sense of both words. That...that pretty well sums it up, actually. I love him a lot, and I think that he’s a fascinating character: he’s obscenely powerful, but he adheres strictly to a non-lethal policy, and insists that those who follow him uphold the same. He cares about his people, and “his people” include any and every Burnish, regardless of whether he knows them personally or not. He’s so dedicated to them and their safety that he quite literally becomes an avatar of the flame for the sole purpose of confronting the person responsible for their pain. And all he really wants is for his people to be able to live safe, healthy, peaceful lives. Lio as a character, when you dig into him, is fascinating and powerful, and I care about him deeply (even if I will make fun of him relentlessly).

Who do I ship this character with romantically?

Galo. I can’t help it, they literally exploded into a heart made of fire near the end how can I not. Their dynamic is really interesting on the whole, and the fact that they come to respect each other, learn from each other, and depend on each other over the course of the movie is glorious. I love the idea of them being partners for life, not just on the job.

Who is my brOTP for this character?

Meis and Gueira are pretty obvious, but I love the bond between the three active heads of Mad Burnish. They call him ‘Boss,’ but the level of care and concern they show for him are staggering, and well above what I would expect for subordinates to a leader, even one as powerful as Lio. Their affection is palpable in places, and I love the idea of them as this cohesive unit, with the two of them trying to take care of Lio as much as he takes care of all of them.

...also Lio and Thyma as QPP is my vice which I blame @banyanas for.

What’s my Unpopular Opinion™ about this character?

He’s so feral you guys. Popular Fandom Theory is that Lio’s some high class guy, but I’m pretty sure the outfit is just for show: he thinks it looks cool so he goes with it. As far as I’m concerned, Lio was born off the grid and has lived his whole life that way, such that he knows nothing about how society is run outside the lawless wastes where the Burnish struggle to survive. His education is therefore entirely piecemeal, since he never got any kind of formal schooling: he learned how to read and write, and he can do basic math thanks to various Burnish he’s known throughout his life -- but while he doesn’t have more than a rudimentary grasp on the idea of genetics and inheritance properties that most kids know in grade school, he has a startling grasp of anatomy and knows some advanced Burnish first aid (including the flame-sharing CPR). He’s absolutely feral and he’s not going to need re-introduction to society, he’ll need to be introduced for the first time.

What’s one thing I wish would have happened with this character in canon?

LET HIM KEEP HIS PROMARE DAMMIT. The ending of Promare is the one thing that always gets me really upset, because I don’t want the sentient fire to go away, I don’t want the Burnish to lose a part of themselves and need to (re)integrate into society -- I want it to stay, and see how society is forced to change and adapt once it becomes clear just what Kray Foresight was doing (not to mention how valuable Burnish can be to society at large).

And this is why I have a 200-300k word fic in progress, which is also banyanas’ fault.

How do I feel about this character?

Galo...is my favorite kind of character. I have this weird soft spot for the meatheads, and when I first saw Promare, within the first maybe two minutes of Galo’s screentime I knew that he was going to be my favorite (I was not wrong, but Lio does end up in a tie with him). Pure of heart, dumb of ass pretty well sums of Galo’s character: he’s incredibly kind-hearted and wants to help everyone, went into Burning Rescue for the purpose of saving as many lives as possible...but he’s such an idiot sometimes. A capable idiot! But an idiot all the same, what with the whole fighting fire shirtless and the epic speeches before just about everything he does (not to mention his matoi presentation that Lucia indulgently gave him to show off for Mad Burnish, which is still one of the most hilarious things in the movie, alongside Galo getting a separate video screen just to show his thumbs up). He’s a really good guy, and his personal growth throughout the film, how his mindset changes as he realizes plight facing the Burnish, is wonderful to watch.

Who do I ship this character with romantically?

Lio. Again, they turned into a giant flame heart near the end, that says a lot and doesn’t even get into the fifteen second mouth-to-mouth thing. They worked together wonderfully throughout the film, pushing each other and learning from each other and finally coming to respect and trust each other enough to not only work together, but save each other and the world. Their partnership is powerful, and I want to see them as partners for life.

Who is my brOTP for this character?

Basically the whole Burning Rescue 3 crew, but especially Aina and Lucia. The fact that Lucia literally used her free time to build him an experimental tech suit based on his ancient firefighter fixation (complete with built-in slideshow because I’m not over that) says a lot about their relationship, and I love the idea that he’s a willing guinea pig for a lot of her experiments because they usually involve him getting to play with awesome new toys. He and Aina also have a really close relationship in the movie: she goes after him when he runs off, worries about him and what kind of trouble he’s potentially getting into -- heck, she didn’t hesitate to drive straight to Foresight Tower and confront her sister the minute she heard Galo had been arrested. She thinks the best of him, and he clearly thinks the world of her, too; the idea of them being super tight best friends is really heartwarming, and I love the idea of them sticking together and supporting each other through everything.

What’s my Unpopular Opinion™ about this character?

He’s sharp. A lot sharper than a lot of people would give him credit for. Yes, he is frequently an absolute dumbass, but his emotional intelligence is frankly astounding. He makes a pretty thoughtless remark about Burnish when he firs wakes up in the cave after Lio knocks him out, but he rapidly reads the whole situation and despite the fact that he’s surrounded by Burnish, he still offers to help when he recognizes the gravity of Thyma’s situation, and later he talks about the emotions of the Burnish in that moment and the clear grief they felt, though most people would have written off the Burnish as terrorists and left it at that, judging from how they reacted to finding out the pizza baker was Burnish. On top of that, he sees a giant Burnish flare tearing through the city, and unlike everyone else, he instantly recognizes that it’s crying from the sounds its making and the fire coming off it. So while he definitely has a penchant for running his mouth when he shouldn’t, he still knows how to read a situation and act thoughtfully.

What’s one thing I wish would have happened with this character in canon?

I kinda wish he’d gone Burnish. There were actually a couple moments where I really thought he had, and I’m disappointed that it was never more than hinted and left to interpretation. For Galo, the “firefighter with a burning soul,” I think it would have been fascinating for him to have the fire spark in him, and come to grips with the fact that it doesn’t make him dangerous -- since Promepolis society generally deems Burnish to be dangers, and even if he’s working to unlearn a lot of that, he’s still a firefighter, and fire is something that needs to be put out. It could have been fascinating to see him learn control of the flame, rather than constantly exerting dominance over it, especially since fire protects him on more than one occasion in the final third of the movie. It’s a shame they never explored that, because it could have been amazing, especially combined with the Promare not leaving.

Give Me a Character

#answered #anonymous #meme #promare #lio fotia #galo thymos #gunhorse i know this is you #you and i are the only ones who call lio foccacia instead of fotia #but we watched promare today and it was once again fantastic #now i miss life goes on

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mitsuhasnolifebutwatchesanime · 4 years ago

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Promare (2019)

H-how did I just up and forget to review Promare? I honestly don’t know. I definitely spent months obsessing, getting merchandise, doujins, etc. I have a theory, I haven’t proven, but the smaller a piece of media is, the bigger the fan-boom it might have. Like when the Me Me Me music video dropped, HUGE week long obsessions over it, theories, fan works, gifs, etc. Little Witch Academia’s first lil diddy? Very big reception of people begging for more. Promare had a pretty big boom too. Here’s the thing though, while I definitely want *more* like, a few more OVAs, I think the fan content has got me covered.

The thing about Studio Trigger is they can’t handle long format series before something goes wrong plot wise. This isn’t a straight up deal breaker, but they just lose momentum somewhere along the line. Promare gave me hardly a moment to breathe. The first of SIX TIMES I SAW IT IN THEATERS I had to do so though a headache, yet I still had a great time.

Story follows a world post “The Great World Blaze” wherein fire weidling mutants called the Burnish arose and ya know, extreme arson, prejudice and such occurs. The lead character is a rookie firefighter, Galo Thymos, who in a show of pride and arrogance, goes one on one with the leader of the terrorist organization, Mad Burnish, Lio Fotia, a great battle ensues, and then Galo soon learns, maybe the mad burnish aren’t terrorists. Maybe someone has been lying about what the burnish are the whole time… He and Lio keep crossing paths throughout the movie and then become one unstoppable team to save the earth from a sinister plan unfolding literally underground!

If I could describe promare in a few words: big, loud, bright, funny. If I could compare it to other anime, honestly because I STILL HAVEN’T SEEN GURREN LAGAN, Gunbuster came to mind first and foremost. In fact, like the other Trigger/Gainax series, Promare makes MANY a reference to Gunbuster which I wasn’t expecting at all.

The animation is amazing, beautiful, smooth, even the CG, smooth, pretty. I laughed so hard so many times, the emotional beats were (chefs kiss), and ya it really doesn’t give you much time to cool down. It literally calls out its own Deus Ex Machina which is ballsy and hilarious. The soundtrack is one of the best I’ve ever heard.

I’m not kidding though about how I went to see it in theaters six times. Three times in Texas (I live in Oklahoma for reference), so 6 hour drives (3 one way) to see a maybe 2 hour movie, but also I hung with friends and did stuff. The other three times were the three days in a row it was playing again for Redux and my local theater had it. I had a chance to expose my girlfriend to it and give her promare brainrot (she is the Galo to my Lio), saw the sub and dub, and most importantly: experienced in 4DX.

I was VERY lucky my local theater had a 4XD theater and chose to run Promare’s version. This movie is definitely akin to a rollercoaster and it was a BLAST being really in the action. The highlight was the 30 seconds into the credits, which are quiet and a little stylized and the chairs began to gently swivel and tilt and everyone in the theater just started giggling “eheheheheeeee” it was great. I wish I could see it in 4XD at least seven more times. And ya know, the characters and designs, mech and so on, were a highlight!

There’s a reason I and many many others obsessed over this movie so hard. There was a LOT wrapped up in a relatively small package. I was told to watch the Galo-hen Lio-hen OVAs before my first time seeing the movie, but they were online and unsubbed. Thank god I know Japanese. It bummed me out a little bit that they were not a part of the first US theatrical release, and even during redux, they only showed galo-hen. Glad I got my Special Edition blu-ray DVD release. I HIGHLY recommend you give this movie a spin if you like: great sci-fi, great animation, comedy, anything trigger/gainax has ever worked on. It’s just a Good Time.

#promare #galo thymos #lio fotia #studio trigger #trigger #studio gainax #anime movie #anime review #mitsu review

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arata-is-a-dunce · 4 years ago

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The Kanoichi Clan

*This will be long, but bare with me. Please note that this is all speculation and not concrete.*

I have been thinking about this clan. But specifically on one bitch.

Kanoichi Satoru’s deadbeat dad. (I don’t really like the man. And this will be more bashing on the man because of what he did to Satoru.)

Is this man even alive? Don’t know but for now, let’s say yes.

I will focus on Kanoichi-san and his son.

For the rest of this thing, I will call the father “Kanoichi-san” and Satoru “Satoru” or “Kanoichi-kun.”

I am not apologizing for anything that might make one mad and I don’t condone what Satoru did in his introduction. This is to look at the characters on a deeper level.

Anyway, without further ado

This bitch would have allowed his son to be permanently disfigured (at worst, killed) for the house god beside him.

So, exactly what would his reaction be to our main character?

Let’s get a little deeper with this.

According to Satoru, his father had never been like this before. He would never have sacrificed his son for anything. But let’s let it be known that children never know their parents’ true colors until later.

Could it be that Satoru’s father had always been like this, and this incident revealed that to Satoru? Kanoichi-san probably didn’t care much about his son, seeing him as nothing but a tool that can be replaced. He can make more children if Satoru was to die, as stated in these panels.

“Unfortunately, that boy cannot be used as a threat. I can always make another child after all.”

“His eyes . . . His heart . . . Go ahead and gouge them out.”

This fucker, didn’t see Satoru as his son in this moment. “That boy” instead of “my son” or “Satoru” as in Japanese they don’t really have “he/her” pronouns. (Or is it just “you” that they don’t have a word for?)

Anyway. He didn’t care.

Satoru believes that his father would never have done that if it hadn’t been for the Another.

If it had been a different situation, I do believe Kanoichi-san wouldn’t have cared either way. He would have allowed the perpetrator to kill Satoru at any point no matter the situation.

Kanoichi-san probably never cared for his family and Satoru is finally seeing it, but the situation warped his way of thinking. Instead of finding blame in his father’s actions (or lack thereof), he placed the blame on the Another who is protecting them (I think this is how that works, correct me if I am wrong). The Another is there to help prosper the family and home, keeping it safe.

In the anime, during this flashback, Akane was saying how she’s gotten to understand Suzu (the mansion god) a lot better since Arata had come by. She compares Arata to Kanoichi-san:

“Everytime I see how Miyako-san acts with Anothers, I remember my uncle . . . your father. He was friends with Anothers. He was Suzu-sama’s best friend.”

(We also get his face here instead of the manga. Strange. They might have pulled things from the latest volumes.)

(The man would probably be in his late 50s-late 60s now depending on how old he was when he had Satoru. And he would probably not look a day over 40. Here he does look well into his early 30s but it’s difficult to tell.)

In this scene, Satoru and Akane spoke in a way that it came across that Satoru’s father (Akane’s uncle) has passed away.

As noted by Akane saying “[he] was Suzu-sama’s best friend.”

In the manga, the wording is a little different.

“He was even getting along with the mansion god . . .”

“The mansion god” is used instead of “Suzu-sama.”

A little odd on why the anime added more to the elevator scene and changed up Akane and her relationship with the Zashiki-warashi. (Unless that’ll be something later down the road in the series and they just pulled it towards the beginning.)

Again note the change in wording. Here she says

“It reminds you of . . . your father.”

Not whatever she said in the anime. Not the “I remember . . .” but the “It reminds you . . . ”

This makes it a bit more meaningful. Allows us to see a different side. Everytime Satoru sees Arata acting in such a way, he’s thinking of his father. He’s remembering his trauma and what had led up to it, the why he has a scar in the first place.

There’s also this tidbit in the same page:

“Do you leave it there just to spite him?”

Satoru still keeps the scar to spite his father and the clan. And Satoru has made it clear to the audience the only reason he hasn’t given up his family name and turned his back on the clan is because Akane is still there.

So, these are giving mix signals. Is Kanoichi-san still alive or has he passed and Kanoichi-kun is trying to hold onto something as a reminder?

Kanoichi-san is . . . something.

I doubt he’s ever been a good father. He is probably one of those fathers that choose their obsesssion (work or hobby or something) over their own family.

The Zarashiki-warashi is the reason they are prospering. As stated by Satoru here:

You can see his anger but also the fear that he probably still holds.

He doesn’t see the worth in being a sacrifice for prosperity. And I don’t see it either. It isn’t worth sacrificing your child to live a prosperous life unless you’re a greedy person.

And he doesn’t trust Arata because he fears that he will sacrifice a human if it meant appealing to Anothers. He doesn’t have a reason to trust Arata either. He doesn’t know him other than as a new face in the work—naive and ignorant and fully willing to be all buddy-buddy with the beings that messed his life up.

So Kanoichi-san is a person willing to sacrifice his own child for the sake of keeping an Another safe. What’s not to stop him from sacrificing something or someone else for something even smaller?

This will now go into my theory of how Kanoichi-san will react to Miyako Arata. You can skip straight to the comments to rebuttal me.

If anything Kanoichi-san probably has an obsession with Anothers (not like Saejima). It’s toned down, nonchalant with the need to know, to find out. He is patient and does not rush, calm and cautious with his movements.

(I’m trying to think of an anime villain. Probably Aizen from Bleach? Dude planned for hundreds of years and experimented and got things done without rushing and it bore fruit.)

So say, Kanoichi-san is all the willing to watch the pieces on a chessboard fall, being careful in his movements and will take out and sacrifice anything along the way. (I’m not a chess player so this metaphor probably doesn’t make sense but pretend it does)

All of a sudden, some kid comes out of nowhere being able to speak to these creatures that have always fascinated him. This kid can understand them and learn from the creatures than whatever theories the humans make up. He would probably watch carefully from the shadows to see what he kind of information could extract before striking.

Arata is a fascinating character to the outside world. He is descended from a great onmyōji and has this man’s rare ability. So, now, he’s also fascinated by this human.

Patience can always wear thin and break.

Since he would give up his own son to protect an Another. What lengths would he go to get this human with the ability to speak to them on his side?

They are of a prominent clan, so they would be rich. Money could go a long way. Money could sway others where it won’t sway some.

He could most likely get away with kidnapping, yes?

But that’s a thought for another time.

Kanoichi-san gives off these little vibes of an antagonist who’s willing to wait in the weeds for the right opportunity. He will probably resort in taking Arata if it means helping him get close to Anothers. (Trying to think of character who betrayed mc after “teaching” them. Can’t think of anyone atm. Anyone know of anyone?)

(Wait, Kray to Galo. Even if he wasn’t really a teacher nor liked Galo.)

If Kanoichi-san is to cross paths with Arata, then I fear for the redhead. He will probably not see anything wrong with talking about Anothers with someone willing to listen after having been brushed off (maybe a little iffy cause dude bro is sketchy and related to trigger-happy Satoru). Because of this, he doesn’t really delve into weaknesses since he doesn’t really know them. He keeps important information to himself.

Despite being a patient person, Kanoichi-san finally allows himself to move.

Then, well, RIP Arata I guess.

Of course, this is all speculation. Except for the Satoru’s part because wow, he got the short end of the stick. I do feel bad for him, but I don’t condone his burning of babies.

Same with Sakaki Kyouichi, don’t condone him at all in the Hell Arc. I will get into that another time.

I bid you farewell with a soft Satoru. Look at him, baby.

#mayonaka no occult koumuin #midnight occult civil servants #kanoichi akane #kanoichi satoru #kanoichi clan #kanoichi-san #mnok manga spoilers #mnok headcannons #mnok theories #is this a character study?#miyako arata #ears of sand #mnok anime spoilers

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maraudingforflesh · 4 years ago

Text

Finally got around to watching Promare and now it’s all I care about so here you go

Galolio

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23056468

Housefire (13,785 words); galo is the ultimate himbo and lio can’t not fuck him and also fall in love with him

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23408767

How Lio Fotia started dating Galo Thymos (3,289 words); everyone, including galo, knows that they’re dating, but somehow lio missed that memo

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23235223

want your fire on me (20,431 words); galo takes lio camping

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20871527/chapters/49611149

A Man About A Bicycle (12,939 words); lio is different after losing the promare and he needs to learn more about himself before he’s ready to accept love from galo

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21235193/chapters/50559224

So I Carry the Torch (16,974 words); galo is going to propose to his boyfriend which is great news to everyone except lio who is in love with galo and doesn’t know that he’s galo’s boyfriend

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24176056

Galo Likes... (14,620 words); lio spends his time learning more about galo and what he likes, but it takes a surprisingly long time for him to figure out galo likes him

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23190973

the stars in your eyes are my future (but my future is you) (9,985 words); lio is an unofficial member of team burning rescue and he’s also unofficially living with galo he has a toothbrush and everything

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21534886

cause in your warmth (I forget how cold it can be) (7,055 words); lio craves warmth now that the promare are gone so he starts touching galo as often as possible

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22905886

everything stays (2,596 words); lio gets sick for the first time and assumes he’s been poisoned so his obvious next step is to break into galo’s apartment in the middle of the night

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21773674

freezing heart (4,662 words); in the aftermath of losing the promare lio struggles to find his new place in the world but galo is there to keep him warm

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21648961

nexus (9,207 words); lio is finding it hard to live in promepolis but once he’s with galo everything feels easier

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21785446

You Are Unbreaking (Fear and Fire) (9,071 words); galo gets drunk and lio takes him home also there’s some good old fashioned healing from trauma

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21074195/chapters/50135684

things we lost in the fire (13,389 words); rebuilding isn’t easy, structures need to be raised and minds need to be changed so healing can commence, but galo makes it easy for lio to find a new place in the world

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21010829

Warm Blanket (19,338 words); galo hopes lio remembers their kiss but he also hopes he doesn’t. Lio definitely remembers their first kiss and makes sure it isn’t their last. This fic is a really sweet story covering their rebuilding efforts and how easily they work together.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22612525

my song on louder, my soul on fire (4,178 words); arson as a coping mechanism and found family shit

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23955244

build a little home (6,282 words); lio sleeps for several days straight after they save the world and by the time he wakes up galo has already built a home for them to share

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24076651

A Long Way Here (And A Long Way to Go) (7,364 words); vignettes of their relationship as they get together and find comfort in one another

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21396439

Next: Us (5,732 words); galo and lio keep each other company when things are rough in the middle of the night

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1506554

Rebuilding (4,917 words); rebuilding the city, the burnish people, and themselves in the aftermath

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20920991

Matchsticks (5,321 words); lio is cold all the time now and bad at sharing his feelings but galo is warm and his roommate just wants him to be happy and comfortable

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21607996

Talking About Him (3,368 words); galo is struggling to move on after losing the closest thing he had to family after finding out his mentor hated him the whole time

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21984034

Apartments (2,591 words); lio has a breakdown following the identity crisis of having your whole existence change in a matter of minutes but galo shows him a new path

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24093661

Not quite the way it seems (6,623 words); lio is working himself ragged and galo doesn’t always help when tensions run high. Lio gets jealous when he hears galo mention kray.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20993078

Hot To The Touch (4,250 words); lio has a nightmare, graduates from the pullout couch to the bed, and galo makes him feel better

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21037316

whenever you need me (3,062 words); lio gets sick for the first time and faints at the station

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829442

Galo’s Matoi Obsession (2,833 words); get you a bf who listens to you talk about your special interest that’s the autistic dream y’all

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22780246

something like a family (3,611 words); gueira and galo have a rough start but they find their rhythm and become friends

Gueira x Meis

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20859245

Reigniting a Familiar Flame (3,740 words); they try to get better at kissing because gueira is a little insecure about how the first one went

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21863347

Good Intentions (1,756 words); galo is convinced that gueira and meis are boyfriends

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22539298

stuck together (3,078 words); gueira has appendicitis

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1651969

Recollections (series); they reminisce about how they met

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23481070

The Grand Optimist (3,326 words); after everything happens they remain constant with each other

Aina x Lucia

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21725974

Lucia Fex and Lio Fotia's Great Big Tiddy Heist (starring Lucia Fex and Lio Fotia) (1,858 words); feat. Galolio, Lucia just wants aina to smother her with her tittys as any of us would want

#galolio #promare #gueimei

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yuusa · 4 years ago

Text

-ˋˏ 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 ˎˊ-

-ˋˏ 𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 [𝟏] ˎˊ-

✧𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

𝑺/𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒅 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝑳𝒊𝒐’𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒅𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆.

𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: 𝑴𝒆𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒖𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝑳𝒊𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺/𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌

“Sheesh, I can’t believe you guys already got here before us!” You complained, scratching the back of your head as you walked towards Meis and Gueira with Lio by your side. “We were at a dealership earlier trying to see if we can get a new bike for Lio.” You reached towards the top of Lio’s head, gently ruffling it as he huffed.

“Oh? Did you guys find anything?” Meis asked, he and Gueira were both wearing their leather jackets that they had during the Promare, they stated that it was too precious to let go of so they wear it often. This time, Meis had his hair tied back in a low ponytail instead of his usual style.

“The employees kept thinking that Lio wasn’t experienced enough in riding so we had to go for a test drive out in the back,” you laughed at the earlier memory, “but we did find a really nice one that he liked, it looked pretty close to the old one he had, we’re gonna go back to pick it up later on, luckily the old gramps was nice enough to reserve it for us!”

Lio crossed his arms across his chest as he pouted childishly, “the employee was acting like a total ass so I raced him, it was obvious who the winner is here. Serves him right for forgetting who I am.”

“You’re so competitive Lio. . .” You flicked the side of his cheek teasingly, “I bet if Galo asked you to push him in a shopping cart you’d do it in a flash.”

“You say that as if we hadn’t.”

“. . .What?” You grabbed onto his shoulders and vigorously shook his body around, “is that why you’re not allowed in the local supermarket?! I was wondering why they told me I couldn’t go inside with you!”

“Galo said to go straight into the mascot. . .”

You growled, “Lio!”

“We were gonna buy some new helmets as well,” Lio added, completely ignoring the fact that you were still shaking him around, “I was hoping for us to get matching ones.”

“Eh? Matching ones?” You asked, suspicious of why he wanted to buy matching helmets all of the sudden. Earlier you were just talking about how Lio wanted a new bike to replace his old one, you hadn’t expected him to want to continue having you ride with him. You felt oddly skeptical about this.

“So Galo and Aina can feel jealous.”

“I knew it!”

Gueira’s eyes sparkled at the idea, “sounds great boss!” He didn’t seem to be too fazed at the fact that you were still shaking Lio, it was a reoccurring thing that happens whenever Lio does something that you hadn’t known about, in this case it was about his ban from the supermarket and his need to make others jealous.

“It’s a good idea, that will show the Burning Rescue who is the best couple.” Meis added while Lio eagerly nodded, “are you gonna buy anything S/o?” the long-haired man noticed that you might feel a bit left out if everyone was gonna buy something for themselves, other than your supposedly matching helmets with Lio.

You tilted your head as you placed your finger underneath your chin to think about your answer. When coming to the mall with Lio you thought about your previous skates from junior high which don’t fit you anymore. “Hmm. . . I heard there was a store which sold rollerblades here, I don’t know if I will still pick up figure skating again though.”

“Ooh! We should go rollerskating next time then!” Gueira suggested, “then you could teach us too! You make it look so easy!”

“Great idea! Me and Lio will make room in our schedule then.” You intertwined your fingers with Lio’s before tugging him forward, “let’s start exploring then!”

#promare #promare imagines #promare scenarios #promare x reader #lio fotia #lio fotia x reader #x reader

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libraryscarf · 4 years ago

Text

once like this (t) 4.5k words

Galo did not expect to meet an angel at the bus stop.

But then, not many people expect to meet an angel anywhere, bus stop or otherwise. Most people go entire lifetimes without meeting angels.

All of them, in fact.

Until now.

“‘S’cuse me?” Galo said, because he couldn’t very well say anything else.

The young man standing in front of Galo repeated himself obligingly.

“I am an angel.”

Galo gave him what he hoped was a flattering once-over.

“Well…you do look…um.”

The young man who called himself an angel did not seem either flattered or offended by Galo’s stuttering. In fact, he looked a bit bored with the whole conversation.

He was quite a bit shorter than Galo, and he seemed…translucent, somehow. As though he were more an echo of a person than the real thing. He was remarkably pale. He had a pale, angular face, and pale, silky-looking hair.

The only part of him that wasn’t pale were his eyes, which were a fierce, bloody pink. That couldn’t be healthy, Galo thought. Conjunctivitis, perhaps?

“You do not believe me,” said the young man who called himself an angel.

Galo’s eyes went very wide.

“Oh. You’re serious?”

“Of course I am serious.”

“Like, an actual angel?” Galo prodded “With wings and shit?”

The young man nodded. Galo needed a moment to process this. He needed several moments.

He could call Aina. She would probably know what to do.

“She would tell you to call the police.”

Galo reeled backward. “Can you read my mind?” he demanded.

“No,” said the angel. “But I know what you usually do in unprecedented situations. Right now, all of your friends would tell you I am delusional, and that you should call the authorities and get away from me as quickly as possible.”

Galo hesitated, then asked:

“Should I…do that?”

The angel looked him square in the face with those ferocious, beautiful eyes.

“That is your choice.”

Galo felt hot, from the tips of his toes to the very top of his scalp. He suspected that had more to do with this stranger’s devastating attractiveness than with his alleged divinity.

He cleared his throat.

“Can you prove you’re an angel?”

“I could, but it would destroy this body.”

Galo inhaled sharply.

“You would die?”

“No,” said the angel. “I cannot die. This vessel, however, can.”

An expression flickered across his face; if Galo trusted his eyes, it was almost a smile.

“As a general rule,” the angel said, “the human body does not enjoy housing a pillar of divine fire.”

Galo wasn’t sure if he should laugh or not. He tried to do both at once, which resulted in a sort of choked snort.

“We can start somewhere else,” he suggested. “Do you…have a name?”

The angel considered this for a moment.

“I did not give myself a human name,” he admitted. “It seemed unimportant.”

“Unimportant!” Galo repeated incredulously. “But it’s—it’s you! It’s the first gift you get in your life! You should give yourself a name. I can help you.”

The angel’s lips twitched again. Galo wondered, if under the right circumstances, he might hear him laugh.

“I do have a name,” the angel said. “A celestial one. It’s not exactly…friendly to human ears.”

Galo puffed his chest up.

“My ears are up to the challenge.”

The angel raised one pale eyebrow. Then he opened his mouth, and Galo’s vision went blurry. His head began to ring; it felt like all the air in his chest was being pressed out of him.

Then, everything went white.

When Galo woke up, he was lying prone on the bus stop bench. Something hot and metallic ran sickeningly down the back of his throat. He coughed, wetly, and realized his nose was bleeding.

The angel knelt next to him, and the expression on his face was no longer hard to read. He looked absolutely horrified.

“Are you all right?” he asked, as soon as Galo opened his eyes.

Galo sat up, wiping his nose off on his shirt. His head still seemed to echo with that otherworldly bell.

“Yeah!” he said. “That was cool as fuck! That’s your real name?”

The angel regarded him with narrow eyes.

“Something like that,” he said.

“I’m not sure I can pronounce that,” Galo admitted. “So I’m gonna think of something else to call you. Hey, our bus is here!”

: : :

Keeping an angel in his apartment proved to be more of an ordeal than Galo anticipated. This was complicated by the fact that, despite claiming to be a near-omniscient heavenly entity, Lio had no idea how to use a sink, or a toilet, or a stovetop.

(The name was Galo’s suggestion. “I think it sounds kickass,” was his argument. Lio had agreed.)

“For an angel, you sure seem hellbent on hurting yourself,” Galo muttered, snatching Lio’s hand away from the gas range for the third time that evening.

“I am merely researching.”

“Yeah?” Galo stirred the marinara sauce with unnecessary aggression.

“Can you go research on the couch, or somewhere else where you won’t burn your fingerprints off?”

“I don’t have fingerprints,” Lio said. He waggled his hands in front of Galo’s face to demonstrate that he did not, in fact, have fingerprints. The pads of his fingers were as smooth as glass.

“Damn,” Galo said. “You could really confuse some detectives.”

Lio blinked. “Are you suggesting I carry out a crime?”

To Galo’s horror, he actually seemed to be considering it.

“It would be a very new experience,” Lio murmured. “I would, of course, have to take precautions.”

Lio did this sometimes. He seemed to forget that the things he said inside his head and the things he said outside of it were not one and the same. It worked the other way too. He would occasionally wait for Galo to answer a question that had not been asked aloud.

Galo wondered if telepathy was a thing angels had. He swallowed hard, and looked deliberately away from Lio’s soft hair and pretty shoulders. He really hoped it wasn’t.

“We’re not going to commit crime,” he stated firmly.

“Of course you aren’t,” Lio corrected. “I was referring to myself.”

Galo pointed him sternly out of the kitchen.

“Go sit on the couch and watch TV until you stop thinking about setting your hands on fire or breaking the law. We’re going to have a nice dinner.”

Lio’s forehead wrinkled, cutely. Most of the things he did were cute, which made Galo miserable.

“You know, of course, that I do not need to eat,” he pointed out.

“And I still don’t care,” Galo retorted. “You can’t just sit around my apartment not eating.”

“Why not?”

“My conscience won’t allow it.”

“As an angel, I overrule your conscience,” Lio said. “By quite a lot, I might add.”

Galo dropped the spoon back into the saucepan.

“And there’s that.”

He spun to square off against Lio, hands on hips.

“I want answers.”

Galo tried to sound mad. He really, really did. But Lio was hard to be angry at. Negative emotions seemed to slide right out of Galo’s brain when he looked at him. It was like Lio emanated a calming, gentle aura that hung about him like a golden curtain. When Galo tried to look through it, he felt like he was on the verge of seeing something too good: too relentlessly beautiful to exist.

The whole situation really was a pain in the ass.

Galo fixed his eyes a little to the left of Lio’s face, trying to evade direct confrontation with the pleasant, tempting warmth that tickled the edges of his psyche.

“So if you’re an angel,” he said, slowly. “Why did you show up to me, specifically? Is this some It’s a Wonderful Life shit?”

Lio didn’t have a ready reply to that, which fueled Galo’s suspicions.

“I don’t understand what you’re asking,” Lio said stubbornly.

They had been dancing around this ever since the beginning: days and days of simply not talking about it.

Now, it suddenly seemed to Galo that this wasn’t something he would normally do. He wasn’t often the type to look at his feelings sideways.

On the heels of this thought, he realized: it must have been Lio’s influence. That sweet, irresistible halo of warmth depositing a steady stream of pleasant chemicals into his brain. Galo hadn’t wanted to talk about anything uncomfortable—not with the way Lio’s presence made him feel.

Now that he knew that, Galo was pissed.

“Not cool of you to dope me up with your weird angel pheromones, dude,” he said tightly.

Lio looked a bit alarmed, and the cloud of seductive warmth around him dropped instantly to a dull fizzle. Galo winced as the comforting glow in his head faded, replaced with awkward reality.

“I…I apologize,” Lio said. “I wasn’t…strict enough with myself. I too am learning how this works.”

“I want you to start explaining shit,” Galo said bluntly, before his own, entirely human reactions to Lio surfaced and caused any problems.

“What kind of shit would you like explained?” Lio asked meekly, his mouth pursed in a charming pout.

Galo narrowed his eyes. So the angel could play dirty.

“What are you really doing here?” he demanded. “And if I think you’re lying I’m gonna send a prayer direct to God himself and narc on you.”

Lio’s nostrils flared in what Galo chose to believe was amusement.

“I’ve never lied to you,” he pointed out.

“No, you just distracted and misdirected me. You started glowing all nice and everything just…slid out of my head.”

Lio maintained his staring contest with Galo’s chin, even as his own eyebrows drew together. It was the first time he had really displayed worry, and despite Galo’s demand for honesty, he wanted desperately to smooth those furrows away.

“I was hoping to curb your curiosity for your own safety,” Lio admitted. “I intended to tell you—afterward.”

The way he said the last word made the bottom of Galo’s stomach drop away.

“After…what?”

Lio pressed his lips together and looked up—straight into Galo’s eyes.

Galo saw it then. A wrong fold in the fabric of his life.

He remembered another himself: a Galo identical to him, but at a different time. He remembered fire. He remembered the door behind him locked. He remembered suffocation. He remembered pain.

For a moment, Galo remembered dying, as clearly as if it were happening that very moment.

When he opened his eyes, his cheeks felt warm and wet. Lio raised a hand to his face, wiping off the tears and mucus with his own sleeve. The intimacy of the gesture sank into Galo’s heart like a bullet.

“I’m going to die,” he said.

And he knew, as he said it aloud, how true it was.

: : :

Despite knowing the fact of his future death, Galo was more concerned with who was responsible for it. Someone had trapped him there on purpose. Someone wanted him dead.

“That’s not important for you to know,” was Lio’s only response. Galo saw red.

“There’s someone out there who wants to—who succeeds in—killing me!”

“You aren’t going to die like that, Galo Thymos,” Lio said.

“Well, how about some other way?” Galo retorted. “How am I supposed to relax, knowing that someone wants me dead? How can you say that’s not important?”

Lio’s face closed off like a trap, which meant Galo had struck a nerve.

“I’m not going to look for revenge or anything like that, Lio,” he pleaded. “I just want to be prepared. Please.”

The muscles in Lio’s jaw worked as he fought with himself. Finally, he ground out:

“I have broken so many rules just to get this far,”

“Great!” Galo said happily. “What’s one more?”

The wave of aggravation rolling off Lio curled the hairs on the back of Galo’s neck.

“Never mind,” he amended quickly.

“Galo Thymos,” Lio said, in a somewhat strained voice. “This is the end of your involvement. I ask you—I beg you, to let me take care of the rest.”

Galo went silent for a few moments. When he spoke again, it was quiet. Hurt.

“Who would hate me that much, Lio?” he asked. “Are you really not going to tell me?”

Galo felt sick at the very thought of it—that he had offended someone badly enough to warrant that hatred. That just wasn’t his style.

He was the guy everyone liked. Even if he was ignored, even if he wasn’t respected, he could be liked. He’d done his best at this, and after all that—had he really failed?

Lio said nothing, but he cupped Galo’s cheeks in his hands and lifted his face. It felt lovely.

Until today, Lio had so rarely touched him, and his skin was feather-soft. That alone was almost enough to make Galo forget how miserable he was.

Almost.

“Maybe that was the way it should have happened,” he said, barely above a whisper.

Lio’s fingers against his face twitched.

“What?”

“Maybe…” Galo’s voice trailed off. His throat felt like a clogged pipe.

“Maybe if I did hurt someone that badly…then maybe that way was right.”

“No!”

The light touch on his face vanished, just as Galo jumped at the force in Lio’s tone. He looked up and gasped.

Thin, bat-like wings unfurled from Lio’s shoulder-blades. They were huge and black: a hungry, hot black that made Galo feel slightly dizzy. Simultaneously, two horns erupted high on Lio’s forehead: wickedly sharp, their color bright, fearsome white that cast the rest of the well-lit apartment into shadow.

“You will not die before your time, Galo Thymos,” Lio said. Except… it didn’t sound very much like Lio anymore. His voice seemed to come from everywhere in the room, and the floor trembled.

“I will not let you.”

Galo could only stare, awestruck. When he found his voice again, the wings and the horns were gone. It was just Lio again, sitting there innocently like nothing had happened.

“Is that why you’re here?” Galo asked, promptly shoving the impossible vision aside to be dealt with later. “To prevent my death?”

Lio avoided eye contact. He hadn’t yet mastered the human art of lying. Despite the telltale silence, Galo had to believe there was another reason. Angels didn’t simply fall to earth to save one life.

“Let me guess,” he said, adopting a melodramatic attitude. “You’re here on a special mission to prevent global conflict! You have been assigned the critical task of protecting Galo Thymos, whose tragic and early death sparked riots all over the world!”

Lio didn’t laugh; he gave Galo a hard look.

“You do not seem to understand the value of your own life,” he said.

Galo shrugged.

“In my line of work, dying is part of the contract,” he said lightly. “But…I did kind of hope I’d be able to put out a few more fires before it was over.”

Galo’s rueful smile slid off when he looked at Lio again. For the first time since they had met, the angel looked furious. His eyes were pools of molten heat.

“How dare you,” Lio hissed. “How dare you, Galo Thymos?”

Galo’s mouth flopped open, uselessly.

“Huh?”

Lio stood, and for a moment Galo worried he was about to sprout wings and horns again. But the only thing he did was keep glaring down at Galo, rage peeling off him in terrifying, invisible waves.

“You would die alone,” Lio said cruelly. “You would be mourned by the few who know you, and then you would be forgotten. This does not bother you?”

“It sure doesn’t, now that I know heaven exists!” Galo shot back.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew it was foolish to escalate the argument, but he was tired of being scolded, even if it was Lio—beautiful, wise, immortal Lio—doing the scolding.

He stood, and was pleased to note that despite the angel’s formidable aura, Galo was still significantly taller.

“Typical Galo Thymos,” Lio said. His eyes were narrow slits of fire.

“Arrogant, irresponsible, and reckless.”

He turned, stalking out of the room, and Galo was left with a heaviness tugging on his heart that he had never felt before.

: : :

Despite his swagger and his bravado, Galo was afraid of many things.

He was afraid of hesitating during a crisis. He was afraid of losing the small group of people he considered friends. He was afraid of taking any action, making any decision that might dishonor the great man who had saved his life. The great man who stood before him now.

Kray Foresight grinned down at Galo like a lunatic, his eyes blazing red through a haze of smoke. The pungent scent of melting metal hung around them like a poisonous shroud, stripping away the inside of Galo’s lungs.

“I certainly didn’t expect you to make this so easy,” said Kray. “But you are, if nothing else, predictable.”

Galo was without gear, without matoi, without backup. He had already been inside the building when the fire started, just two floors down from the governor’s office. When smoke began pouring into the room, Galo realized that it was here.

This was the place he died. This was the man who killed him.

He thought he knew now what Lio meant, when he said dying alone was something to fear.

Kray looked down at him, the smoky shadow of his immense form filling the doorway. His eyes burned with insane, festering hatred as he looked at Galo choking on the floor. Then, wordlessly, he shut the door, and the lock clicked into place.

Galo tried to cry out, but his throat was on fire, his lungs withering. He shut his eyes against the smoke, and felt the dark coming to meet him.

Then he was lifted, cradled gently against a strong, warm body. Galo was confused at this. Had he already died? Could this be the beginning of an afterlife?

“I am sorry for cutting it so close.”

Lio’s voice came from nearby, the tone of it jagged with distress. To Galo, it sounded like every beautiful noise in the world.

“Ugh,” he groaned. “I ain’t dead?”

He hadn’t opened his eyes, but he knew from the lightness of his own heart that Lio was smiling at him.

“No, Galo Thymos,” Lio said. “You are not dead.”

Galo laughed aloud at that, even though it hurt. He was giddy from the adrenaline, the pain, the endorphins.

“What’s with that?” he muttered. “Why is it always ‘Galo Thymos’ this, and ‘Galo Thymos’ that?”

Lio seemed to relax as soon as Galo began complaining. “Is that not your name?” he asked innocently.

“It is! It totally is. But my friends just call me ‘Galo’.”

“Is that what we are?” Lio asked very quietly, almost to himself. “Friends?”

Before he could answer, Galo realized they were no longer moving. He peeled his smoke-crusted eyelids open. That was when he started to yell.

“Lio!”

“Yes?” said Lio, bewildered.

“We’re a million miles in the air!” Galo hollered.

“Two point eight, actually.”

Galo clung to Lio’s torso, his mind in ruins from trying to make sense of what was, quite obviously, a view of Promepolis from cumulonimbus height.

“Oh my god, we’re gonna die,” he muttered. “Oh my god, we’re totally, definitely, absolutely going to die. Holy shit.”

Lio’s laugh was a gorgeous sound, but Galo was too busy panicking to appreciate it.

“You really think I rescued you from a burning building just to send both of us plummeting to our deaths?” he asked, still chuckling.

“Yeah, actually, I do think that!”

Lio gently began untangling Galo from the protective pretzel he had tied himself into around Lio’s body.

“You can stand, you know,” he said, but Galo just gripped more tightly.

“I really gotta remind you that you’re the angel here?!”

Lio dropped him.

Galo gasped; he expected to feel the air rushing out of his lungs as he shot toward earth. But instead, he was standing up. It was as simple as it was impossible. There he was, standing on nothing at all.

Galo stared between his feet, every muscle screaming in panic. He squeezed his eyes shut again.

“Please don’t tell me this is some ‘believe in it and it’s real’ shit,” he groaned. “Because I am not good at controlling my thoughts.”

Laughing again, Lio said: “I know this about you, Galo Thymos. Do I have to remind you that I am the angel here?”

Galo forced himself to open his eyes. He looked from the distant ground back to Lio, then from Lio to the ground. He looked back at Lio, and his brain point blank refused to acknowledge what he was seeing.

In all the ways one might expect, Lio looked exactly the same. But he was another creature entirely. Galo saw, flickering at the edges of his vision, a massive, winged shape that seemed to be made entirely of fire.

He blinked a few times, but despite its size, the flaming, winged form managed to escape his direct gaze, and searching for it strained his eyes. But Galo knew without a shred of doubt that Lio was, somehow, both beings at once.

“I cannot let you see my true nature,” Lio said in answer to Galo’s wordless confusion. “I do not believe you would survive.”

Galo bristled.

“But I’m—”

Lio held up a hand to stop him. “Yes, despite being the great Galo Thymos. You need to comprehend at least nine more dimensions before you can behold my full glory.”

“I bet I could do it.”

Galo couldn’t believe the look on the angel’s face at his challenge. Lio was smirking.

“Do you really?” he asked dangerously. “I couldn’t even tell you my real name without half of your pitiful little organs exploding.”

But that smirk had Galo fired up. This, he wouldn’t lose.

“Try me.”

A few seconds later, Galo woke up, feeling the warm, salty trickle of blood out of his nose. Lio was crouching over him, his face torn between amusement and concern.

“Are you convinced now?”

“Okay,” Galo said sheepishly. “Maybe nine dimensions is still above my pay grade.”

He wiped his face, but then realized the blood was already gone. Moreover, his desiccated lungs now felt full and healthy. His scorched clothes were whole and clean.

“You’re, uh, burning a lot of that angel fuel on me right now,” he said. “Where was all this generosity when you first showed up?”

An odd expression flickered across Lio’s face.

“I had to be cautious,” he said. “I could not cause too much of a disturbance as long as your death was a variable. But now it doesn’t matter.”

A chill rippled through Galo’s stomach.

“What does that mean?”

Lio smiled and shook his head. He helped Galo sit upright, then lowered himself beside him. It was just the two of them, perched on nothingness.

At the periphery of his senses, Galo felt the presence of the “real” Lio. His head hurt at the idea of that enormous, incomprehensible entity manifesting as the beautiful young man next to him, feet dangling into emptiness. But Galo, above anything, wanted to perceive that true, divine shape. He wanted to show Lio how capable he was of understanding him—how willing he was to learn.

“I want you to look at the sunset now, Galo Thymos,” Lio said quietly.

“I wanted you to see it once like this.”

: : :

“I can’t come back with you.”

Galo frowned. The words didn’t immediately make sense to him. Of course Lio was coming back with him. Where else would he go?

“Why not?”

Lio gestured to the city beneath them, dappled with the shadows of clouds.

“This is as close as I can get.”

“But…you’ve been living in my apartment!”

Lio nodded, and the peaceful, resigned look on his face made Galo feel sick.

“Why can’t you come back with me?” he asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

Lio turned his head to look at Galo. The warm, dying colors of sunset made him look more human than ever.

“Remember what I said about the fragility of this body?”

Galo stared at him numbly as the pieces fell together. The Lio he had known—the Lio he had come to love in the fierce, desperate way a person can only love something temporary—was gone.

“You sacrificed it to save me,” he said. “Didn’t you?”

“It is good this way,” Lio replied. “I couldn’t have stayed forever.”

“Why not?!” Galo blurted out. He was so angry, it was so desperately unfair. “Why couldn’t you?”

“Because…I’m in trouble.”

Lio’s tone remained light, but Galo knew it was terribly serious.

“I ran into some friends earlier, at the Foresight Foundation building.”

The way Lio said “friends” led Galo to believe they were quite the opposite.

“They made it very clear that if I saved you, I would suffer for it later,” he said with a sigh. But rather than looking at all concerned for himself, he glanced guiltily at Galo.

“That’s why I took so long. I am sorry. Again.”

Galo could only stare. Lio looked so young and golden, it nearly broke his heart.

After a few moments of unbearable silence, Galo asked in a quiet voice:

“Are you going to tell me now? Why you saved me?”

The angel smiled at him, warmer than light itself.

“You still have to ask?”

Galo goes grocery shopping on a Thursday night.

He buys six frozen pizzas and twelve cans of dog food. He slings the bags over his arms and jogs out into the brisk night air. Ever since he moved deeper into the city, the sidewalks have never been empty. He weaves in and out between slower walkers, calling pleasant greetings to those he recognizes. Despite his better judgment, his eyes follow a head of pale blonde hair until it is out of sight. Another stranger, he thinks.

Galo takes the subway to a stop near his apartment and disembarks. The station is much less busy than usual, and although he doesn’t mind a crowd, it’s nice to hear just his own footsteps echoing against the tile.

Six years have passed since Kray Foresight was charged with first-degree arson. To Galo, each of those six years is a gift.

He almost doesn’t notice the slender silhouette leaning at the top of the stairs. His arm bumps their shoulder, and he utters an automatic apology.

Galo takes another two steps. He stops. The bags of groceries fall out of his arms, cans clattering across the concrete. He doesn’t want to turn around. If he doesn’t ruin this illusion, maybe it will last a bit longer.

From behind him, he hears a voice: achingly lovely, and as familiar to him as his own.

“Are you always this rude, Galo Thymos?”

: : :

Most people go their whole lives without kissing an angel. But for Galo Thymos, on a warm Thursday night at an unusually quiet train station, things were very different.

: : :

fin

(author’s note: this piece was written for the “parallels” galolio au zine, which raised over $800 to donate to the National Black Justice Coalition. it was fantastic to be involved in the project and work with some amazing people!!)

#scarfwrites #galolio #galolio fanfiction #promare #promare fanfiction

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matoitech · 4 years ago

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hello u dont have to answer this if u dont want, but ur situation with gender is scarily similar to where im at except im in the mindset that im nb wlw and dont rlly kno whats going on. I guess if u kno how to explain it, I wanted to ask how u made that jump or how u could tell it isnt just a "womanhood is like that" kind of thing and is actually "i am a guy"

oh man i wish i had smth that would make it Click for u easier cuz i def understand being rly confused abt this kinda thing.. i got a few Thoughts, idk if they will help u out but hopefully they give u some more thoughts to chew on that will maybe help anyway. this got so long oh hell sorry gbfhg

i think like the main thing as like a tip b4 we get in2 the Meat of it is it is good to relax and b open to thinking abt bein a guy as a possibility, i dont know if this will make sense bc i do not know how to explain it rly but when i was struggling 2 figure stuff out what i had rly needed 2 know was that being a dif gender can just feel like You (but as u become more comfortable w it, you but happier!) for some reason i thought u had to meet certain criteria to b ‘allowed’ to make what seemed 2 me at the time a Leap but thats not how it works lol. u as u r right now can b a guy if u want to or r considering it. u dont have to feel different and u dont have to think abt ur body a different way or anything. sry if this part doesnt make sense its difficult for me to verbalize lol

it was hard for me personally bc ppl would b like ‘if u Want to b a dif gender than b one’ but like i said in those last posts, for a long time i genuinely did not know i Wanted to be a guy/was a guy, or whatever. i had no conscious longing about it or anything, that came later once i was more comfortable w accepting it. i didnt have ‘i want to be a boy/am a boy’ moments i can rly consciously remember putting into those words as a kid, cuz i just did not care about gender on that level till i was a teenager. like i cannot stress this enough, ur life and feelings abt gender n whatever do not have to match up with what u have commonly heard the trans experience is about. once u figure stuff out and r more comfortable w urself u may look back and notice things that may b like that common trans experience, but remembering this stuff or having these childhood experiences or whatever in the first place is not a ‘requirement’. like i said, no requirements for bein a dif gender

for me like.. knowing it for sure... making the Jump as it were. like its kinda embarrassing but literally the way i Found Out was i was feeling all sorts of things whenever i watched promare and i just felt this INTENSE longing whenever i saw galo that i later realized was just me rly feeling the Gender w him and being envious of that.. it had happened w other chars b4 growing up, but i had never rly noticed to that extent till now. and one night i was thinking my usual ‘i wish i looked like galo i wish i could be a guy’ maybe for the first time in like a Conscious thought, when i had never rly heard it in words b4, and i kinda stopped and was like. what? i WHAT? and then it clicked and it was like a euphoric moment for me. easily top 5 best 2 ams of my life. it is kind of a hyperspecific experience but it is also not UNCOMMON rly lol

also figuring out my sexuality was intertwined in that bc i was iding as a butch nonbinary lesbian and i had tossed the idea of ‘maybe id b more comfortable as a man’ around a bit but the idea of being a straight man didnt feel right 2 me, but luckily i kind of made the connection of wait im a man and im attracted to men at like the exact same time, it had to b both at once for me personally to figure it out and b happy about it. idk if thats smth going thru ur head at all but it was for me and was part of my Journey i guess and may help to think abt it a bit lol

and while yes its absolutely about what makes u more comfortable at the end of the day, i think it wouldve helped for me to hear ppl say that just bc the idea of being a dif gender (in this case Man) might make u feel confused and maybe even uncomfortable rn, that doesnt necessarily mean u r not one if youve been struggling w this and wondering, it might just mean u havent had that clicky moment and r ready to rly think abt it yet. i have grown much more comfortable w myself over time as ive figured this stuff out and i am still open to figuring out more abt myself and i think thats a good place to b at! just b open to stuff like this that u maybe had never thought would have a positive effect on you or make you happier.

speaking from experience i think if ur confused and maybe even miserable telling urself that womanhood is just like that and u gotta suck it up and get used to feeling uncomfortable and bad, u dont have to live like that! im not saying that ‘oh im actually a guy’ is gonna b what everyone who is struggling w thats answer is cuz obviously thats not true- and im not saying how i just described it is even how u feel- but like. as someone who thought that same thing but less consciously. womanhood does not have to be a confusing sad experience, its not an inherently miserable experience, it is possible it just isnt for you and trying smth else might make u feel better. and that can b rly hard to figure out in the moment, cuz ur Used to feeling like this and even if youve heard it can b different it might b hard to have that ‘oh theyre talking to ME, it can be different for ME not just everyone else’ moment lol

also i dont know if this is relevant to u but im saying it in general 2 anyone who needs it i guess; being a man isnt a bad thing and it doesnt make u an inherently bad person, manhood and masculinity r not inherently or naturally toxic or something. thats a harmful mindset to have for multiple reasons and a whole nother post so im not gonna b like and now a word about transphobic red flags but like, worth mentioning that that can b harmful or dangerous to trans ppl, transmascs and transfems.

my god this got rly long... if anyone else has went thru a similar thing and has anything 2 add, feel free to :0 hope i somehow got around to answering ur question w all the rambling! i am just one guy and my experience may or may not b helpful to hear about, especially bc my memory is not the best lol <3 hope it helped at all tho!

#long post #NINE PARAGRAPHSSSS #fess replies #anon

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karaliswrites · 5 years ago

Text

Cold

I wrote this really late so it’s probably terrible and full of mistakes. Contains spoilers

~~~~

Lio has been lying to Galo for months now. Well, it’s not necessarily lying, he's just omitting the truth. The truth that each and every night he shivers himself to sleep, despite the heavy blanket Galo gave him. He sleeps on the couch and it leaves his back sore in the morning, but he doesn’t mind. Galo offered him the empty space in his own bed many times when he first moved in, but after countless rejections, he just gave up trying.

Lio’s tried to sneak some clothes from the laundry to provide him extra warmth, but one time this little secret was revealed. He had slept through the alarm he set to wake up before Galo to change out of the blue-haired man’s clothes, and he was caught practically swimming in an old t-shirt of his. His face had turned crimson and he had quickly pulled off the shirt and chucked it at the smiling man’s head. After that incident, Lio was hesitant to steal any more of Galo’s clothes.

So every night he struggles to fall asleep and to stay asleep. Some nights he doesn’t sleep at all, and he knows Galo can tell by the way he sends him worried glances every few minutes at work. But he doesn’t tell Galo about his problem. He’s the ex-leader of the Mad Burnish and he’s been through far worse than a little chill. Even though this is much more than just a little chill. With the Promare gone, the entire world is like ice to him. But he can handle it on his own.

It’s October and Lio’s wrapped tightly in two blankets, an extra for the change in the weather. But still he finds himself trembling. He tries to stop his teeth from chattering, but to no avail. He snuggles deeper into the little warmth he gets from the blankets, and he can’t help thinking how pathetic he is. A few months ago he was leading the Mad Burnish and trying to stop Kray’s plans, and now he’s shivering despite being wrapped in two blankets, his eyes red and burning from lack of sleep. He hasn’t slept more than two hours straight in days. He’s been waking up with a frozen nose and icy skin.

Maybe that’s what has him standing and rubbing his arms as he walks towards Galo’s room. The door is slightly ajar and he nudges it open, peeking inside to see his friend soundly asleep. He’s not even wearing a shirt. Lio doesn’t understand how he isn’t a literal block of ice, but he figures Galo isn’t used to the warmth of the Promare like he is. He shivers and a jolt of cold shoots down his spine. He bites his lip as he moves towards the bed, his stomach churning. He stands there a moment, looking at Galo’s peaceful face. Strands of his hair fall across his forehead and Lio gets an overwhelming urge to sweep them away, but he stops his hand midway. He pulls it back to wrap around himself and tries to steady his shaking as much as possible. “G-Galo . . . ,” he whispers, but the man doesn’t stir. He swallows.

“Galo,” he says louder and he shifts. “G-Galo, wake u-up.”

His eyes squeeze tightly shut before they open, revealing that stunning teal. “Lio?” he asks groggily, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “What is it?”

He’s visibly more awake as he says this, sitting up as his gaze becomes clearer and his speech less slurred. “Is something wrong?”

Lio holds himself as still as he can possibly muster, but he still feels his muscles spasming. “Do you have an e-extra blanket?” he says softly, afraid if he speaks any louder he’ll lose control of his voice. Galo’s brow furrows slightly. “You’re still cold with two?”

His tone isn’t bitter. It’s more concerned. Lio shifts, feeling himself shudder as the movement breaks his resolve. “A l-little,” he mutters, wrapping his arms tighter around himself.

“Well, c’mere.”

Lio looks at him like he’s crazy as he extends his arms towards the blond. He feels his cheeks start to warm. It’s a pleasant sensation. “Wh-what do you mean?” he finds himself stuttering and Galo just smiles wider.

“I mean c’mere.”

Lio takes a shaky step forward, expecting Galo to scoot back, but he doesn’t. When Lio’s close enough, Galo grabs him around the middle and pulls him on top of him. Lio gasps at the sudden rush of cold air that whizzes past him, and when he comes to a halt on Galo’s chest, he hits his shoulder softly. “Galo!”

“You’re like ice,” he remarks and Lio huffs.

“How exactly is this helping?” he asks, trying to hide his slowly reddening cheeks behind his hair. But Galo’s hold on him is firm and he can’t do much to hide his face. “I’m keeping you warm with my burning soul!” he says cheerfully and Lio groans.

“Right.”

“Hey, it’s helping, isn’t it?”

He’s suddenly very aware of the fact that his fingers are pressed against Galo’s exposed chest and he’s definitely blushing now. Galo is practically radiating with heat, curse him, and Lio feels himself shiver as his warmth thaws his chilled bones. He lets out a sigh and melts into Galo’s arms, laying his head on the firefighter’s chest. “You are pretty warm . . . ,” he admits. He can’t see him, but he knows Galo’s smiling. “I told you! It’s my burning soul!”

Lio makes a pathetic sound as he snuggles further into Galo’s warmth and he thinks he hears the blue-haired man’s breath hitch. He lies there for a moment, basking in his body heat, until his human heater speaks up. “Were you this cold last night too?”

Lio doesn’t respond, his fingers sliding over Galos’ chest and shoulders absentmindedly. “Lio.”

“I . . . I’ve been cold this entire time . . . ,” he finally admits. “All the m-months I’ve been here. I’m not used to life without the Promare to keep me warm . . . .”

Galo is silent for a long moment. “Is that why you look so tired at work?”

Even though Galo is the biggest idiot on the face of the earth, he’s not really that dumb. He’s actually a lot smarter than anyone gives him credit for. “Yeah . . . those nights were really bad. Sometimes I couldn’t get any sleep at all.”

“What?” Galo exclaims, grabbing his shoulders and Lio raises his head. His heart stutters at the expression on his face, full of concern laced with what looks a little like heartbreak. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve let you come in here with me if I knew you were suffering through that.”

He suddenly feels very ashamed of not telling Galo and his stomach sinks a little. “I’m sorry,” he mutters, his eyes fixed on Galo’s collarbone. “I didn’t want to be a bother . . . .”

“Lio,” he says and the blond can’t help looking back into those beautiful teal eyes of his. “You aren’t a bother. I opened my apartment to you. It’s yours too. And I’m here for you, okay? Always. I want to help you if you need something. I’d give you the last clean spoon so you could eat your ice cream, man.”

Lio can’t help the giggle that escapes him at that. “What?! I would!” Galo cries, but he’s smiling too. He draws a design on his bicep. Something similar to a heart. “That’s very sweet of you,” he replies, half-jokingly. “You know I can’t live without my ice cream. Especially when I constantly feel like I’m in subzero temperatures.”

“Hey, it’s always best to eat ice cream when it’s cold outside.”

Lio gives him a look. “What?”

“You idiot,” he says, looking at him like he’s lost his mind. “You don’t eat ice cream when it’s cold.”

“Why not?” Galo asks genuinely. Lio can’t believe they’re having this discussion right now. “Because it’s cold.”

“So?”

“What do you mean so?”

“I think it’s good!”

Lio shakes his head. “There is seriously something wrong with you.”

Galo pouts and Lio wishes he could kiss it from his lips. He suddenly remembers a question he’s been meaning to ask for months. “Another thing that proves there’s something wrong with your brain,” he says, gently flicking Galo’s forehead. “If there even is one in there,” he mutters beneath his breath, to which Galo cries out indignantly. Lio fixes him with a smug gaze, unable to keep the smirk off his face. “Where did you learn to do CPR?”

“I . . . learned at Burning Rescue . . . .”

“Did they teach you to use tongue?” he asks teasingly, dragging a finger over Galo’s collarbone. His face turns bright red and Lio smirks, thinking he’s adorable. “U-Uh . . . ,” he stutters and Lio’s heart does so as well. “W-Well . . . it’s uh . . . .”

“It’s what?” Lio asks, leaning slightly closer to Galo’s face, feeling his heartbeat pounding against his chest where they touch. He quickly looks around before his gaze returns to lilac eyes. “I-It’s Burning Rescue procedure!”

Lio raises an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

“Y-Yeah!” he says quickly and Lio smirks.

“Do you always whimper when you do CPR too?”

“Y-Yes! It’s . . . good for . . . c-calming me down. R-Releasing a sound is good for expelling e-energy.”

“Oh, it had the opposite effect on me,” he purrs, stretching out a little on top of Galo. “I was quite excited hearing you make those sounds.”

Galo turns impossibly redder and Lio’s stomach is doing somersaults. “I wonder if I could make you make those sounds again . . . .”

“Yes,” Galo says suddenly and Lio thinks he hadn’t meant to. He glances away nervously and Lio has to try very hard to keep himself from saying ‘cute’ aloud. “Oh really? And what would I have to do to make that happen?” he asks mocking innocence and Galo opens his mouth before closing it again. His chest is rising and falling much more shallowly and Lio tilts his head slightly. “Looks like you’re having a bit of difficulty breathing there, Galo. Maybe I have to do CPR on you.”

Galo swallows thickly and Lio inches closer. “Maybe I’ll have to try the Burning Rescue technique while I’m at it,” he says, his lips brushing Galo’s as he speaks. Before the firefighter can respond, he leans the rest of the way forward, connecting their lips once more. Just like the rest of him, Galo’s lips feel like flames. He runs a hand over his burning skin to tangle in blue hair, gently slipping his tongue between Galo’s lips like he had done to Lio months before. He releases a sweet noise and Lio’s stomach somersaults at the sound, urging him to kiss him — sorry, do CPR on him — for the rest of time. Galo’s lips are soft and eager and welcoming and Lio feels like he’s drowning. Drowning in flames. His mind is blank and the entire world fades away as their tongues dance slowly in Galo’s mouth. Lio lets out a small moan, feeling himself starting to fade as exhaustion rudely interrupts his very important resuscitation.

He pulls away reluctantly, leaving both of them panting slightly. Galo gives him a crooked grin that has his heart skipping beats. “Wow . . . you’re really good at that . . . .”

“Well, I learned from the best,” he smiles, lightly pecking the tip of Galo’s nose. He lies down on his chest and lets out a sigh that takes all the tension in his back and shoulders with it. He melts into a puddle in Galo’s arms and presses a sleepy kiss to his collarbone. “We should get some sleep though.”

“We should. Sleep is good. Especially for my boyfriend.”

Lio’s entire body is set ablaze at that word and he lifts his head. “Boyfriend?”

Galo’s face falls. “I-If that’s okay. I . . . I really really like you and I-I thought —”

Lio silences him with a soft kiss. When he pulls away, he gives Galo a smile. “I really really like you too, dumbass.”

He can practically see the fear fade from his face and he smiles a little wider. “So it’s okay. It’s more than okay.”

He settles back into Galo’s arms and another sigh dances over his boyfriend’s skin. His boyfriend . . . .

He feels himself start to drift and he lets his eyelids fall heavily shut, thankful for the sweet relief from their exhausted burn. “Wow,” Galo’s voice pulls him from the beginnings of sleep. “Lio Fotia is my boyfriend.”

He giggles. “Yes,” he mumbles, pressing a soft kiss to Galo’s neck. “Now get some sleep, you idiot.”

“Okay,” he replies, wrapping his arms tighter around the blond. Lio hums and snuggles into Galo’s warmth, feeling himself start to fade. He’s lulled by the pattern of his breathing and the soft thud of his heartbeat, and soon he’s overcome with the wonderful embrace of sleep.

#writing #my wrtiting #galo thymos #lio fotia #promare #galolio #galo x lio #lio x galo #fanfiction #fanfic #i forgot how i tag things on here #hello hi im not posting thus awful thing instead of sleeping what #whatre you talking about

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