#just now realizing this looks like that one drawing of Judge Holden a little bit

[darligvane]

So about Harvest…

He’s always been very “bull centric” if that makes sense. He’s a brute and a fucking asshole- amongst other things. He also has a tattoo of bull horns on his pelvis so this fits. Beastkin AU in which he’s a longhorn bull.

[citrinekay]

Modern setting. They have been together for a long time now but they haven't come out to the bureau. Holden wants to, but Bill is more reticent. It's not the right time, what if something happens to one of us, what if you don't like me anymore? Holden can't convince him but they love each other so that's more important. There's some company dance or gathering (or something) and Bill decides it's time and has the dj play one of Holden's fav songs and takes Holden's hand and they dance and kiss x

wah this is such a great prompt!!! Also, I’ve never done a modern setting with them before so this was fun! Hope you enjoy :) (and here’s the song I picked for them to dance to.)

“Do you think the tie is too much?” Holden asks, fiddling with the knot as he gazes critically at his reflection in the mirror. 

“It’s business casual, Holden.” Bill says, uttering a sigh as he leans back against the headboard of their bed. “Nobody else is going to be wearing a tie.”

Holden groans in frustration and yanks the tie from around his neck. 

Taking a drag of his cigarette, Bill suppresses the urge to not roll his eyes. He’s been dressed for fifteen minutes while Holden is still agonizing over what to wear to their department chief’s retirement party. They have this same conversation anytime they go anywhere together whether it’s dinner or the movies. Holden is wildly indecisive about unimportant things like which t-shirt to wear while being unimpeachably decided about a number of other things. 

“Just wear a polo.” Bill says, motioning to his own navy blue shirt. “It’ll be fine.”

Holden takes off his button up as he goes back to his closet to consult his choices. He drags his fingers across the row of shirts while he contemplates aloud, “I wonder if Wendy is bringing Kay.”

Bill draws in a deep breath as he dusts some non existent lint from his pant leg. There’s a pointed note in Holden’s voice, a question underlying the innocent pondering. A question they’ve been over only about ten times in the past week. Once Holden gets an idea in his head, it’s difficult for him to let go. 

“Probably.” Bill says, “Everyone got a plus one.”

“Including us.” Holden mutters, toying with the sleeve of a black knit sweater. 

Bill smashes his spent cigarette in the tray on the nightstand. “Are we really going to have this argument right now? While we’re trying to get ready to go? You’re gonna make us late.”

“Yeah, then everyone would notice that we’re arriving together.” Holden says, turning around to cast him an unperturbed glare. 

Bill longs for the days when a gruff tone of voice was enough to smother Holden’s simpering. No longer. They’re in a relationship now, and Holden is unbothered by his frustration, well aware that his bark is worse than his bite. 

Not too long ago, he’d been a sergeant in the Army. Where had all his authority gone to? 

Bill swings his legs over the edge of the bed and stands with a sigh. “Come on, let’s go. I’m not fighting with you about this right now.”

Holden’s petulant gaze follows him out of the room before cutting back to his closet. 

Ten minutes later he’s dressed in a gray pull-over sweater and black slacks. Bill motions him out the door, checking his watch with a flare of annoyance.  

Holden scrolls through his phone while Bill drives them to Quantico. Pushing aside his frustrations, Bill reaches a tentative hand across the space between them to touch his knee. Holden laces his fingers through Bill’s, but he doesn’t look up from his cell. 

Bill squeezes his fingers around the wheel. He feels like he should apologize for being short, but a flinching part of him hides fiercely behind prickly armor. He’s never outed himself to anyone. While Holden has been out and proud to most of their co-workers since the day they met, Bill has always kept his sexuality a secret. Even after a failed marriage to a woman, it’s difficult for him to look at Holden’s gay friends, a community of proud, loving individuals, without wondering if he’s some kind of fraud. He’d spent the first half of his life trying to live up to antiquated ideals set forth by his family, by the military, by the Bureau, and the idea of identifying to everyone around them that he’s just as gay as Holden and Wendy scares the hell out of him. 

But he can’t tell Holden that. He can’t say aloud that he’s scared more than anything else. The relationship is too new and fragile. What if they made their relationship public, and then realized how incompatible they really are? Bill’s cover would be blown forever, and for what? 

Bill glances across the car at Holden whose face is illuminated by the blue LED of his cellphone screen. For him. 

Holden looks up from his phone. “Wendy just posted on Instagram she’s bringing Kay.”

Bill clenches his jaw. Social media. Yet another affirmation by fire. 

“They’re adorable.” Holden observes, holding out the phone so that Bill can see the photo of Kay kissing Wendy’s cheek while Wendy gazes blissfully into the lens. 

“Yeah.” Bill says, averting his gaze back to the road. 

“You know,” Holden says, after a moment, “Wendy already knows. And probably so does half of the department.”

“What’s your point?” 

“My point is that nobody is judging us.” Holden says, “It’s 2019, Bill. People are getting more progressive, believe it or not. All it would really be is signing the consent form and-”

“I don’t want my relationship to be a matter of FBI record.” Bill says, “Is that too much to ask, Holden? That I don’t want to sign some paper saying we’re sleeping together?” 

“I’m sorry, I don’t see what the big deal is.” Holden says, “It’s just to avoid sexual harassment law suits. It’s just a precaution. It’s not some big declaration of your love for me.”

Silence settles on the car, and Bill disentangles his hand from Holden’s. His fingers are itching for a cigarette, but Holden complains every time he lights up in the car. 

“Okay.” Holden mutters, sounding wounded. “Maybe love was too strong of a word.”

“It isn’t, it’s just-” Bill says, the protest cutting off as his throat knots around the magnitude of honesty. 

Holden’s eyes are glazed blue in the flash of streetlamps speeding past them. His mouth purses softly as realization settles across his expression. For once, he shuts his mouth and turns his gaze back to his cellphone. 

When they reach Quantico, they walk across the crowded parking lot together. Bill checks his watch, noting that they’re five minutes late. 

The party is located in the dining hall where the fully stocked bar is already flowing with a variety of wines and cocktails. Bill makes a beeline for the whiskey while Holden immediately gets pulled into a lively conversation with some of their co-workers about the merits of psychology in horror films. 

Bill sips his whiskey in the corner while Holden mingles. He’s better at these shindigs than Bill, and it’s probably for the best that they mostly keep their distance tonight considering the conversation they just had. 

Bill swallows back his first drink and goes back to the bar for another. His stomach knots as he replays the discussion in his mind, every word marinating in the pit of fear opening up in the back of his mind. Watching Holden’s animated gesticulating from across the dining hall, he suddenly wonders whether or not he’s being ridiculous. Two other men in the discussion with Holden have their arms wrapped around each other. He wants to know what that feels like, holding onto Holden like he’s a prize deserving of being shown off rather than cowering in the corner for fear that someone might judge him. 

“Hey, Bill.” Wendy says, jolting him from his thoughts as she approaches. 

Kay is on her heels, fingers wrapped loosely around Wendy’s. 

“Hey.” Bill says, “How are you?”

“Good.” Wendy says, leaning in to give him a hug. “You look awfully lonesome standing over here by yourself.”

“They’re discussing horror films.” Bill says, motioning at Holden’s group of friends. “I’m not exactly up to par on the subject.”

Wendy chuckles, “Not a horror film junkie? I’m a little surprised.”

“I was in the Army.” Bill says, “I know what real horror looks like. The fake stuff is just … fake.”

Wendy nods, “I see. Still, I’m sure you would have something to contribute.”

Bill narrows his eyes. “You know I’m not a social butterfly, Wendy. Did Holden say something to you?”

Wendy cocks her head to one side curiously. “About what?”

“Never mind.” Bill says, cutting his glance away. 

Half an hour later, the catering service brings out dinner and bottles of champagne. The director makes a speech before wishing everyone a good night. Upbeat pop music thuds over the roar of conversation while the dinner plates are cleared away, and all the party attendees slouch over their cups. 

Bill leans back in his chair while Holden braces his elbows on the table, leaning into the conversation with other agents at their table. Bill watches the back of his head, the curve of his spine, his mouth smiling wildly as the alcohol is quick to get him tipsy. 

Something warm and humming wraps itself around his ribs, smothering whatever withering fear he’d carried into this evening. Maybe it’s the whiskey or the champagne. Maybe it’s the candlelight, and Holden’s hair gleaming like bronze in the low, yellow light. Maybe it’s his joy and radiance, everything about him that had drawn Bill in like a moth to the flame, forcing him to lay down his insecurities at the threshold of their relationship and plunge ahead with nothing but each other to hold onto. Now all that’s standing in the way is Bill’s stubbornness of a piece of goddamn paper. A signature, a declaration - because truly, that’s what it is. 

Across the table, one of the other agents, Jared,  is vividly recounting him and his boyfriend’s weekend escapade at the gay strip club. Holden doubles over the table in laughter as the story gets more and more wild, perhaps embellished a bit. 

“You should come with us next time.” Jared says, “I know you would be a lot of fun.”

“Ah, I don’t know.” Holden says, running anxious fingers through his hair. “I don’t think my boyfriend would like it.”

Bill shifts uncomfortably in his chair, wondering if the rest of the group can see his face getting unbearably hot.

“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” Jared says. 

“Yeah, um, it’s kind of new.” Holden says, his tone dwindling. “It’s not like … official or whatever.”

 Jared raises his eyebrows. “But he’s already telling you what to do.”

“What, no.” Holden says, sharply. “I’m just being respectful of boundaries.”

“Okay, sure.” Jared says, shrugging. “But you should really come with one of these days. It’s a helluva lot more fun than this party.”

Bill clears his throat. “I’m going to step outside for a cigarette.”

Holden’s gaze cuts sharply over his shoulder, eyes speaking a number of racing questions even as his mouth purses anxiously. 

Bill shoves his chair back, and escapes the stifled atmosphere of the party. Outside, the bassline of the music thuds a distant vibration while the blue sky lapses into melted purples and pinks of sunset. 

Sliding a cigarette to the corner of his mouth, Bill lights up and draws in a deep breath. Nicotine floods his strung-out veins while Holden’s voice echoes in his mind. It’s not official. Well, that makes it sound like some kind of quick and dirty hookup. Bill flinches at the thought. 

He takes his time smoking his cigarette, thinking and vacillating, shivering and pushing aside his fears. 

He has a lot to lose. His pride, for one. His standing as a military veteran. His position as a father trying to co-parent with his ex-wife. His own self-identity. It’s all at stake while Holden, already out to the world, has nothing to lose. 

The only thing they both stand to lose is each other.  The thought strikes him as if it had dropped out of the clear blue sky. 

Dropping his cigarette to the ground, Bill turns and marches back into the dining hall. 

The music has quieted down as couples migrate to the open floor at the middle to slow dance in muted, half-drunk intimacy. Piano notes tinkle across the speakers just before the Penguins begin to croon “Earth Angel.” 

Bill scans the room for Holden, quickly picking him out of the crowd. He shoulders his way past clusters of agents and department heads, muttering apologies in his haste. As he approaches, Holden glances up from his conversation, and their eyes meet from across the room. 

Holden’s wide blue eyes regard him with a faint frustration that quickly melts into hopeful longing when he sees the look on Bill’s face. His mouth slips partially open, tongue running anxiously across his lower lip. 

Bill jolts back into motion. Closing the few yards of distance between them, he shoulders his way into the circle of Holden’s friends. 

“Excuse me.” He mutters, ignoring Jared’s glare of disbelief as he grabs Holden’s hand.

“Bill-” Holden begins, his tone colored with surprise. 

“Can I have this dance?” Bill asks, nodding at the floor where half a dozen other couples are wrapped in warm embraces. 

Holden blinks in shock for a moment before a smile creeps at the corner of his mouth, quickly evolving into a excited grin. 

“Yes.” He says, fingers wrapping around Bill’s. “Yes, you can.”

Grasping tightly on Holden’s hand, Bill leads them away from the group, all of whom are standing still with their mouths open in growing disbelief. As they reach the dance floor, Bill hears one of them break the silence with a shout of encouragement. 

“Are you sure about this?” Holden asks as Bill pulls him around against his chest. 

“No.” Bill says, reaching down to grab Holden’s hand, and bring it up into position. 

“I don’t know how to dance. Do you?”

“It’s slow dancing.” Bill says, tightening his palm against Holden’s lower back. “Here, just lean against me and sway. That’s all there is to it.”

“That’s all there is to it?” Holden echoes, his mouth tipping with mild amusement. 

“Hey, you can gloat later.” Bill says, “Just let me have this.”

“Okay.” Holden says, leaning in closer. 

He nudges his nose hesitantly against Bill’s, asking for yet another boundary to be crossed. 

Ignoring the stares of people around them, Bill leans in to place a chaste kiss against Holden’s questing mouth. 

Holden closes his eyes, humming a sigh of relief. 

Bill chuckles a small, choked laugh. He buries his face in Holden’s neck, hiding the sting of tears in his eyes. Holden’s body leans into him, so close that he can feel the beats of their hearts connecting. The music swells over the speakers: Earth angel, earth angel. I’m just a fool in love. In this moment, Bill doesn’t care whether he looks like a fool or not - to himself, to their co-workers, hell even their bosses. Maybe he’ll wake up tomorrow still afraid of what signing some silly relationship disclosure form means, but for tonight, this dance is declaration enough.

[stormcrow-whispers]

Father’s Day

The sun was just barely peeking up over the rooftops of Holden as Kallista weaved through back alleys and side streets. Typically when she was out on her own she walked at a clipped pace, but given the big box of scones and the small bag she was holding in her arms, she was going much slower than usual. She was glad she'd snuck out so early, otherwise this totally wouldn't have worked.

She was really excited. She couldn't wait to surprise him.

Once she got home, Kallista did her best to quietly tip toe through the front door and around the kitchen. It proved a bit difficult with all the things she was carrying, but she managed to place everything on the kitchen table without much incident. After plucking a plate and mug from one of the cabinets, she set about arranging the things she’d bought with great care at the head of the table. Once she was satisfied, she pulled a small sheet of paper from her bag and placed it next to the spread.

Good. It all looked good. Maybe a little more crude than she’d envisioned it, and with much smaller gifts than she’d wanted, but still good nonetheless. She really hoped he liked it.

With a small nod, she moved towards the stove to get the tea kettle. She was a bit nervous of dropping it, but she needed it to finish the surprise. The thing was old, metal, and felt like it weighed a ton, at least to a small child like her. Ever so carefully, she tried to pick the thing up to put it over the fire. It went well at first, but after a few steps her arms began to wobble from the weight, and it slipped from her grasp, landing with a loud clang on the ground.

Kallista panicked, looking back towards the hall to see if he’d woken up, then turned back frantically to try and pick it up again. She was about to lift it when a voice made her jump.

“What exactly are you doing?”

Kallista froze. He sounded annoyed and tired. The exact opposite of what she wanted today of all days. After standing in silence with her back to him for several moments, she turned around to face him, wringing her hands together nervously as she did so.

“Why are you out of bed so early?” he pressed her, his voice still thick with sleep but his eyes bright and alert and trained on her.

Kallista stared down at the floor, shrugging her shoulders and swishing her tail around her legs in discomfort. “It’s just...today’s Father’s Day and I...I wanted to...I know you’re not...I just…” she trailed off with a big sigh, a sad tone overtaking her voice. “I just wanted to do something nice for you and I ruined the surprise.” she pointed towards the spread on the table as she spoke.

Ronan frowned at her for a moment before turning his gaze towards the table. When he spotted what she was talking about, his mouth hung open ever so slightly in surprise. Arranged before his spot at the table were three freshly baked scones, a small tin of tea with a bow wrapped around it, and a drawing. She must’ve gotten up extra early to run into the Marble District to buy the scones judging by how warm they still were, and the tin of tea happened to be one of his favorites. The thing that struck him about the tea wasn’t that she’d known it was his favorite, but that the tea was quite expensive, especially for a child. She must’ve used up quite a bit of her savings to buy it for him. Finally, he inspected the drawing. It featured him and her standing on rooftop, in their gear, with the little Kallista throwing what looked like confetti. At the top she’d written “Happy Father’s Day” in big red letters. It was a bit messier than some of her other drawings, but it was still rather nice.

“I..um...I know it’s not much...but I saved up for a while and this is all I could get...I really hope you like it…” Kallista said shyly, shuffling closer to his side so she could see his reaction.

Ronan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected her to do anything for him, in fact he’d forgotten about the holiday entirely. The fact that she cared enough to go through all this trouble was…he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel. But he wouldn’t deny the small squeeze he felt in his chest at the sight of it all.

He glanced over to find her staring up at him timidly, a hopeful look gleaming in her red eyes. He watched her in silence for a few seconds before reaching down and ruffling her short hair, mumbling a soft thank you to her under his breath. Judging by the way her face lit up, she definitely heard him. And when he thanked her again after eating the scones and drinking some of the delicious tea, she was practically over the moon.

As the warm light of the early morning sun filtered through the windows, Ronan lounged across his couch, still half asleep, a warm mug of tea in hand. Despite having nothing to do today, after decades of getting up with sun he’d lost the ability to sleep in. So instead he relaxed, drank his tea, and prepared his woodcarving tools to begin a new project.

A loud knock on the door broke Ronan from his peaceful respite. He frowned curiously at the door, but made no move to answer it. He wasn’t expecting any company, in fact he’d made sure no one would bother him today on his day off. He had absolutely no plans to be social, and whoever it was at the door could just leave a note. He turned back to his tea, taking a long sip and settling back into the couch. He had just about gotten comfortable again when they knocked once more, this time louder and more insistent. On the third set of knocks, he cursed under his breath, setting his mug down on the table and getting up to see who the hell was pestering him at such an early hour.

He cracked the door open ever so slightly, and when he peered through it he found Kallista standing before him, a hand on her hip and a toothy grin on her face. Of course it was her. No one else in their right mind would show up this early to be a nuisance.

“Hey old man, you busy?”

He grimaced at her in response as he opened the door all the way, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well I was busy enjoying doing absolutely nothing, but I guess you’ve come to remedy that.”

She snorted, “I take it you forgot what the date is then. Old age certainly isn’t doing you any favors.”

Ronan narrowed his eyes at her, “What are you…”

Oh. It was Father’s Day wasn’t it.

He groaned when he came to the realization, putting his head in his hands. He heard her snicker at him in response, and he glared at her. “It’s my day off, you know.”

“Oh yes. Because I cleared your schedule with the hire ups a month ago.”

“You did what?”

“I have so many fun things planned for today, and I wasn’t about to let work get in the way of it all.” She clapped her hands together with a big smile. He rolled his eyes at her and grumbled in annoyance, which only made her smile grow.

“And what if I don’t want to do anything?”

Kallista said nothing, just folded her hands behind her back and watched him expectantly, an amused glint in her eye.

He let out a disgruntled sigh, covering his face with his hand. “You aren’t going to leave me alone until I come with you, are you?’

“Nope!”

He shot her a withering look, but after realizing he wasn’t going to win this argument, he finally stepped aside so she could come in. “Fine. I guess I’ll come. Not that I really have a choice.”

Kallista beamed at him and pranced in happily, her jewelry clinking together softly with each step she took. Ronan watched as she busied herself about the kitchen, looking through the cabinets for her mug and some tea leaves. His lips twitched up at the corners ever so slightly as he recalled her doing the same as a small child, only now she was tall enough to not need to clamber onto chairs or the countertop to try and reach everything. He arched an eyebrow at her as he finally noticed her outfit, or rather, the ridiculous amount of jewelry she was wearing today. It looked like she was wearing practically everything she owned, but all things considered, coupled with the sleek black dress and breeches she was wearing, the ensemble suited her, even if it was ostentatious as hell. He’d never understand how she found that much jewelry even remotely comfortable to wear.

“I take it we aren’t going to be doing anything dangerous if you’re dressed like that.”

She grinned, waving a hand in the air at him dismissively. “Oh no no no, today is super low key. Nothing exciting.”  

“From the way you’re talking this sounds like it’s going to be an all day affair.” he said tiredly, leaning against the kitchen table.

“Oh absolutely, I’ve got every part of the day planned.” she replied as she finished mixing some honey into her tea. She turned on her heel to face them, mug held up close to her face. She looked him up and down with a comically disgusted look, gesturing at his loungewear with her mug. “Please tell me you’re not going to try and leave looking like that.”

He scoffed in annoyance but otherwise said nothing, trudging to his room to change. Kallista pulled out a chair and sat down to enjoy her tea while she waited, watching Baskerville scurry around the kitchen in search of crumbs.

After several minutes Ronan came back, clad in a casual but refined looking all black outfit consisting of a sweater, breeches, a scarf, and leather boots. Kallista clapped mockingly at him with a huge smirk. “Much much better! Now I can actually be seen with you in public!”

Ronan rolled his eyes. “I really don’t get why you’re insisting with this. It’s just a made up holiday.”

“Oh hush, just accept it and enjoy not having to pay for anything.”

“To be fair, there’s quite a lot of things I don’t pay for already so...”

Kallista shushed him and herded him towards the door before he could stall their departure any longer, scooping Baskerville up from the floor as she did so. After locking the door behind them, they joined the early morning hustle and bustle.

Ronan followed close by her side as she weaved through the crowded streets, shaking his head a bit at her determined stride. “You know I really don’t understand why you’re going through all this trouble. You could’ve just given me a card or something.”

Kallista scoffed. “I’m not a kid anymore, dad. I have a job and the means to actually do nice shit for you. Besides, you deserve way more than a silly card. And I’m certainly not letting you stay holed up at home on Father’s Day of all days.” she patted him on the back, leading him down another side street with a soft smile. “Trust me, it’ll be worth leaving the house, ok?”

Ronan sighed. He wasn’t really sure why she was being so insistent, but from the looks of things doing this meant a lot to her, so he followed her willingly.

She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she’d planned out the whole day. They started out having brunch at their usual place, same as any other weekend. She got them an over abundant spread of eggs, breakfast meats, pastries, and tea. Definitely more food than their usual fair, but he wasn’t about to complain.

Next she took him to the Marble District. She’d booked them a multi hour spa package at one of the nicest bathhouses in town. They tried out all the fancy baths, even the one with the weird electric shocks they’d heard so much about. Afterwards they got massages done by some friends of the Gash (one could never be too careful, Kallista had said), as well as a slew of other things he completely lost track of. He was too relaxed or dozing off to remember half of it, but he definitely left in a better mood and with a pep to his step now that most of the kinks in his back were gone. Kallista sung praises to whoever it was that worked on her for being able to work so well with her strange legs, which made him chuckle and shake his head.

For lunch she took him to a posh tea house for sandwiches and afternoon tea. The place sold a plethora of rare teas from all over the continent, as well as a few from Iclas. He was able to drink his favorite for the first time in many years, and it brought a small smile to his face as he drank it. Before they left he made sure to buy a tin of it for later, as well as a couple of other kinds he’d liked. Or at least, he tried to buy them, considering Kallista insisted on paying for absolutely everything. A nice change of pace for once, but also a bit weird.

After tea they went to a wine tasting, which they were nearly thrown out of for ‘unacceptable behavior’. The nobles weren’t entirely fond of their unorthodox wine drinking habits or the snide comments and mocking faces the two made at them behind their backs. Baskerville scurrying out of her bag and onto her shoulder was the final straw for the patrons and management, and they were confronted by one of the waiters about it. Kallista charmed their way out of trouble easily, and they left without incident, but not before swiping a bottle of one of the better wines on offer as a souvenir.

For dinner they went to a small steakhouse tucked away in one of the side streets. It must’ve been fairly new, since he’d never eaten there before, but it was away from the large crowds, served drinks, and from the looks of it had very good food. The bison steak he ended up having was incredible, and from the way Kallista devoured her food he assumed hers was good too.

At the end of the night, they found themselves sitting on their usual rooftop haunt, passing the stolen bottle of wine back and forth between them. After a particularly large swig, he glanced over at her, a wry smile crossing his face. “Alright, I’ll admit, that was a pretty good day you planned out.”

She shot him a toothy grin, “See, I told you you’d have fun! And here you doubted me.” she snatched the bottle from him, taking a sip as she kicked her legs back and forth in the air where they dangled over the edge of the roof.  

Ronan gave her a long look before turning away and staring out into the dark night sky, his expression turning solemn. He really appreciated her doing all of this for him, even if he complained sarcastically every step of the way. He'd softened up significantly to the whole thing during tea time, although he wouldn't admit it aloud, and he really had genuinely enjoyed himself. But a part of him felt like he didn’t deserve any of it. He had a lot of regrets about how he’d raised her, about how he’d treated her when she was younger, about bringing her into the Gash at such a young age, about bringing her into the Gash at all. He wished he’d done so much differently, but at the time he really hadn’t known what to do. It ate away at him, especially at times like this when she essentially sung praises about him and how great of a dad he was. He wasn’t sure he agreed with her in any capacity, but it was nice to know she cared enough to do all this for him. There really wasn’t anyone else in his life he could say that about.

The sound of Kallista’s voice broke him from his thoughts with a bit of a start. “Oh! I almost forgot! I got you something!”

Ronan turned to face her once more, lilac eyes falling on the small package she held in her outstretched hands. He frowned slightly at the sight of the new gift. After everything she did for him today, after everything she planned, she still got him a gift? He shuddered to think how much she’d spent on him. He examined the box critically for a moment before taking it.

Kallista leaned back as she watched him unwrap it, gesturing at it with the wine bottle in her hand. “I figured I’ve given you enough handmade sweaters, scarves, blankets, and shit like that to last a lifetime, so I thought I’d go with something a little more practical this year.”

Inside the box he found a beautiful silver knife with a black leather grip. The blade itself was decorated with elegant floral engravings done all in black, and a blood red gemstone was embedded in the pommel. He took it from the box and spun it around expertly in his fingers a bit, watching the way the moonlight played across the blade. When he glanced back into the box he noticed a small handwritten note from Kallista nestled in the wrapping.

Happy Father’s Day!

Be glad I didn’t knit you another sweater, because I was so so close to making you one that said “World’s Crankiest Dad” on it.

I hope you like the knife, I had it specially made and enchanted for you. Figured you could replace some of your old carving knives with it since some of them are starting to look rough.

Thanks so much for everything you do. You’re seriously the best. I hope you had as much fun today as I had planning it all for you.

Lots of Love,

Kallista

Ronan stared at the knife and the note for a long moment. He was flattered by the gift, especially considering how pricey and rare magic items could be in Holden, but it was all so much. He really didn’t deserve all this, the gift, the outing, the praise. He was at a loss.

“Why did you do all this for me?” he asked quietly, a serious look crossing his face.

“You mean besides the fact that you’re my dad?”

Ronan nodded, his eyes trained on her face as he waited for her answer.

Kallista set the bottle of wine down on the ledge next to her, looking out into the city below them. She said nothing at first, but after a while she spoke. “You’ve done so much for me over the years. You’ve taught me so much, given me so much. You were there for me when no one else was, even if I was a royal pain in your ass and still am half the time. You could’ve easily dumped me on someone else, but instead you let me worm my way into your life and you became my family. You mean a whole damn lot to me, you’re like my best friend, and I’m not sure if I’d still be around if you hadn’t come along. We may not have the most normal relationship or life, but honestly I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’ve never really had the means to show my gratitude other than by making you shit, but now that I do? I just figured I’d try and show my thanks by planning you a day fit for a king.” She trailed off for a few moments, a far away look in her eyes, before she turned back to face him, a sad smile tugging at her lips. “I’ll probably never be able to repay you or show just how thankful I am, but I guess this is a start at least.”

He was somewhat taken aback by her response. It always took him by surprise when she was this sincere, even now. Despite all the shit she went through growing up and all the terrible things she’d seen and done with the Gash, she was still the same sweet and stubborn girl she’d always been. A small smile broke across Ronan’s face and he chuckled softly. She really was something else.

“I wouldn’t say I’m as good as all that, and I hardly think I deserve all this. But thank you.”

She didn’t say anything to that. Instead she shuffled a bit closer to his side, bringing the bottle of wine with her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes with a warm smile. “Happy Father’s Day, dad.”

Ronan wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, leaning his head down against the top of hers. He thanked her again softly, his smile growing ever so slightly as they stared out into the dark night.