#rune factory fanfiction

[strawberry-tales]

(I actually edited this cover slightly) I keep slacking on posting my fanfic covers and scenes...oops.

But, remember that drawing I posted a few days ago? Yeah, it's from this fanfic. 😂

Read the "When Summer Becomes Winter" Series (on AO3)

[peace-andharmony]

I wrote dis 🥸

[aashiyancha]

This is long overdue but I finally finished the next chapter of the Adventures in the Capitol Arc. Above are the images I used in the chapter. Click below to read:

[crestfallencrest]

Tell Me

Fandom: Rune Factory 5 Pairing: Ryker/Ares Word Count: 3,654

Summary:

Ryker lets his fingers brush gently across the other’s cheek, lingering near the dark circles under his eyes. “...Ares, can you do me a huge favor?” Ares’ face leaned slightly into Ryker’s touch, eyes closing with contentment. “Yeah?” “...When you have to go out of town for SEED errands or anything like that, could you let me know? I can’t stop myself from worrying that you’re going to get into some kind of trouble while I’m not there...”

[x] - Read on AO3

It was a chilly autumn day, with winter just on the horizon. Ryker couldn’t help but shiver as a particular cold gust of wind blew past him and he knew he would likely have to stop by the bakery and see if Granny Yuki had any warmer coats on hand. Otherwise, he’d have to improvise. That much wasn’t a problem. In fact, if he got too cold, he at least had someone that he could cuddle up to in order to warm up.

Speaking of...

Ryker let his gaze trail over towards the field that sat not too far from his spot on the grass. He watched as the familiar blonde stood underneath the orange tree that he had put so much time and effort into. He remembered the day that the tree had begun to bear fruit, remembered the day he came across Ares gushing and rambling in excitement to Priscilla and Cecil about how much his hard work had paid off. About how excited he was to eat one of the oranges that he had grown himself.

That was the day that Ryker figured out that Ares really loved oranges, and liked fruit in general. For a while, he never really knew why he filed that information into the back of his head at the time. Really, Ryker should have realized why but he was extremely thick headed at times. But it was when Ares confessed to him that he finally figured it out.

They had been dating for a while now, and already, Ryker has had his fair share of screw ups in their relationship. Nearly screwing up accepting Ares’ confession because he simply couldn’t look Ares in the face because of how embarrassed he was, running away from their first date because they were seen by Martin... and then nearly leaving Ares for good in order to pursue the dream of becoming Basara, under the delusion that it would get his old family together.

Even now, he still remembered how hurt Ares sounded when he found out about Ryker’s crimes. How heartbroken he looked when he had ‘lost’ their competition, how lost he looked. So lost that he didn’t even notice that giant monster sneak up behind him. If Ryker hadn't looked back, Ares would have been...

...Ryker couldn’t even stomach the thought of it. The scar across his own chest that Ryker had received from when he took the hit for Ares was entirely worth it, if it meant that Ares didn’t get hurt because of his own stupidity. The idea of losing Ares was almost unbearable. He was an idiot for nearly leaving the man behind in the first place, but a world without Ares... he couldn’t imagine that.

“...Hey, Ares.”

Ryker watched as Ares perked up at the sound of his name, arms full of his daily harvest of oranges. His blue eyes were practically sparkling with life as he quickly dumped his daily prize into a nearby basket. “Yeah, what’s up? You okay?”

When Ryker requested that they hang out today, Ares seemed a bit uncertain about it, due to him having to do some last minute farm work to prepare for the oncoming winter. The end and beginning of a season always seemed to be the busiest time for the ranger so Ryker couldn’t really blame him for wanting to turn him down but... Ryker really just wanted to be near him for a while. So, he asked if he could just hang out and nap on the sidelines while Ares did his work and the man eventually agreed.

Not that Ryker got much napping done. Not when he was too caught up in watching his boyfriend pick his oranges, the blonde smiling as if all of his dreams had come true. And now, that cute little smile was pointed in his direction and the white haired man could feel his heart skip a beat.

Ryker really didn’t want to get in the way of Ares’ work but... “C’mere for a second?”

As Ryker held a hand out, Ares gave a momentary pause as he looked down at the basket full of oranges and then gave a quick glance around the area, as if determining just how much work he had left on his plate. There probably wasn’t too much work left to do, since Ares ultimately decided to walk over to Ryker to gently place his hand onto the other’s. “Is something wrong, Ryker?”

Ryker grinned. “Nah. You just fell into my trap, is all.”

“Huh?”

That was the only response that Ares could get out before Ryker yanked hard at his arm, pulling the man down onto his knees next to him. And then, with a swift movement, Ryker wraps his arms around the other’s waist and pulls him close enough for Ares’ back to press against his chest. For a moment, Ares scrambled for a moment, trying to gain an understanding of what was happening but just as quickly calmed down as Ryker rested his chin on Ares’ shoulder. Once Ares was seated securely between Ryker’s legs, Ryker loosened his grip on the other as he smiled into the man’s shoulder.

“There we go. Much better.”

Ares turned his head to try and look over his shoulder at the white haired man, his voice on the brink of laughter. “What in the world are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m holding my boyfriend.” Ryker could feel his cheeks heat up but from Ares’ vantage point, there was no way he could see his cheeks... right?

“Yeah, but I told you I have a lot of work to do!”

“Yeah, but it’s break time.” Ryker grins, squeezing the other again. “C’mooon, you’ve been at it for a while.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Nope. Break time. Take a minute and breathe and look at the sky with me, okay? Then I’ll help you with the rest of your work.”

Ryker knew that his offer to help was a critical success, judging by how Ares went still and couldn’t offer another retort. Ryker smirked in victory as he felt Ares slump back, leaning back against Ryker’s chest with a tiny sigh. “Okay, but only for a little bit.”

Considering that Ares didn’t clarify how long ‘a little bit’ was... Ryker could work with this. “Fine by me. I just wanted you to take a bit of a break. You’ve been looking exhausted lately.”

Ares falls quiet for a moment before a tiny chuckle leaves his mouth. “Heh... well... you know how the end of the seasons are. Plus... SEED work has been pretty rough lately.”

Ryker frowned. He had noticed that Ares and Scarlett both had been leaving town a lot lately, or running around like rampaging cuckadoodles. It wasn’t even just him that’s noticed. The entire town was beginning to notice just how exhausted Ares had been lately. But the ranger would always wave it off with a smile, even turning down free food that had been offered by Elsje, Randolph and Granny Yuki. He even almost turned down a couple of free baths from Murakumo but one pointed look from Misasagi and a perfectly planned puppy dog look from Hina was enough to get Ares to accept the family’s kindness.

It helped, but it wasn’t enough to get rid of the faint and barely noticeable dark circles that were beginning to form underneath his eyes. Harvesting the oranges was probably the most life that he had seen from Ares in the last couple of days. Just what in the hell did SEED have Ares doing?

“...I’ve noticed that you’ve been going on mission after mission for SEED lately. Do I need to complain to the captain about putting too much on your plate? I know how you are. The word ‘No’ doesn’t seem to be in your vocabulary when it comes to people needing help, so if you’re struggling, I can—” Ryker’s offer trailed off when Ares quickly shook his head.

“No, no— it’s fine. Captain Livia isn’t overworking me... Things are just crazy right now, that’s all.” Ares hesitated before shifting in Ryker’s arms, pulling the man’s arms off of him so he could turn to face the other, sitting back on his knees.

Once again, there was that damn smile. That smile that was constantly telling him and the others to ‘Not worry.’

Ryker was never one to worry over much before. Maybe he would worry about making blueprints that would make Palmo’s reputation look bad but he never really had much else to worry about. But then Ares came along, so brave, so kind, so reckless when it came to protecting others... How could one not worry about him?

He took a deep breath, breaking his gaze from his boyfriend before the urge to wipe that smile off of his face took over the entirety of his body. “... Just be sure not to take too much, okay? You’re... amazing. Maybe too amazing. And dependable. And overall, just extremely helpful to everyone you meet—”

From the corners of his eyes, Ryker could see Ares’ eyes widen and his cheeks began to turn a faint shade of pink. “Ryker... I’m not—”

Ryker shook his head and took Ares’ hands into his own. “You are. Maybe not as cool as me, but... just because you’re all of those things, doesn’t mean you need to take on the entire world’s burdens by yourself, okay?”

Ares tensed as Ryker spoke those words and the smile faltered for only a moment. He watched as his blue eyes darted down to their joined hands and for the tiniest moment, Ryker can see past that barrier that the other kept up in favor of putting everyone else first. 

Ryker decided he wanted to tear that damn wall down more than anything.

“I...” Ares squeezed Ryker’s hands. “I’m not alone, Ryker. I have everyone here in Rigbarth and that gives me enough strength to keep pushing forward. Captain Livia, Scarlett, Priscilla, Lucy, Cecil— Everyone. But most important of all, I have you, don’t I? Even if I see you just in passing, just seeing your face is enough to energize me.”

“Heh...” Ryker tilted his head, ignoring the heat on his own face. “I guess I just have that effect on people.”

That managed to get a laugh out of Ares, at least. Ryker would count that as his victory of the day. “It has an effect on me.”

“I would hope so, considering that we’re boyfriends.” Ryker laughed. And then, as silence settled between them once more, the white haired man tugged his hand free so he could lift it towards Ares’ face. He lets his fingers brush gently across the other’s cheek, lingering near the dark circles under his eyes. “...Ares, can you do me a huge favor?”

Ares’ face leaned slightly into Ryker’s touch, eyes closing with contentment. “Yeah?”

“...When you have to go out of town for SEED errands or anything like that, could you let me know? I can’t stop myself from worrying that you’re going to get into some kind of trouble while I’m not there...”

Ares’ eyes opened again to meet Ryker’s gaze, confused and questioning before the gentle smile made its return. “You’ve gotten really overprotective lately.”

Ryker returned the smile as he goes from brushing his fingers against the other’s cheek in favor of cupping Ares’ face instead. “I can’t help it. You’re really important to me, y’know?”

“And you’re important to me, Ryker...”

Ares was just a few inches away from his face now and he wasn’t entirely sure when they had gotten so close to each other. Wasn’t sure when he had started leaning into Ares’ personal space, or when Ares had scooted closer until he was practically in his lap. Ryker stole a glance down at the others lips and even just a tiny glance was enough to make Ryker’s heart race. Come to think of it, despite their many dates... he and Ares still hadn’t shared their first kiss together, have they?

Ryker took a deep breath and leaned in closer. “There’s something else I wanna ask you, Ares.”

“Yeah?” Their noses were barely touching now as Ares moved his other hand so that it would rest on Ryker’s shoulder. His cheeks were a deep red now, his lips parting and Ryker wanted to lean in so badly, to steal a kiss so badly, more than anything—

But still, he found himself asking for permission. Because Ares’ comfort and happiness came above all else in Ryker’s eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

“...Yeah.”

And that was all he needed to hear. Ryker leaned in and pressed his lips against Ares’, with the blond turning his head just right so they could slot their lips together perfectly. As their eyes slipped closed, they lost themselves into the kiss, becoming the only two people left in the world at that moment. Ryker’s hand, the one that rested on Ares’ cheek, moved so he could slide his fingers through the back of Ares’ short blonde hair. He could feel the hood of his coat fall back as his partner slid his arms around his neck, in an effort to get as close as possible.

There was something... desperate about the way Ares kissed. He gripped onto Ryker like a lifeline, his eyes were shut tight as if he were afraid of opening them, afraid of coming back to reality. He even trembled slightly under Ryker’s touch, sighing against the kiss every time Ryker squeezed him and tried to pull him closer. At first, he thought that maybe Ares was getting really into it and that maybe they needed to move this somewhere that wasn’t the backyard of SEED Headquarters… but then he felt something wet slide down Ares’ cheek.

Ryker tore away from Ares in an instant, breathless and maybe a little hot but he shoved that to the side for now as he put all of his focus into Ares. His hand moved back to wipe at Ares’ cheek, panic shooting through his body. “Ares? H-Hey, what’s wrong...? Why are you crying?”

Ares’ blue eyes were brimming with tears as he stared back at Ryker with a confused stare. It seemed to take him a moment to realize that he was crying in the first place and then soon, the boy jolted back to reality in favor of wiping his face. “I’m crying—? Ah, I-I’m sorry, Ryker, I dunno what got into me—”

Ryker frowned and continued to help Ares wipe at his face, even going so far as to offer part of his cloak to dry his eyes with. Not once did his eyes leave Ares’ face as he rubbed gently at the other’s back. “Did I do something to upset you? Was it the kiss? It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

It was a weak attempt to make a dumb joke to try and get Ares to stop crying but even if Ares was able to let out a tiny laugh, the tears wouldn’t stop falling. Ryker was... torn. Torn between pulling Ares closer to comfort him, but being unsure if he was the reason he was crying to begin with.

“C’mon Ares... Talk to me. What did I do?”

“Nothing— You didn’t do anything. I’m so happy right now but—” Ares cut in immediately, shaking his head as he wiped at his face. “I just... I guess I just got emotional. That’s... That’s all.”

Ryker’s eyebrows furrowed, a doubtful look on his face. Upon seeing Ryker’s doubt, Ares leaned in and pecked him on the lips once. Twice. Three times and smiled widely at the man when he pulled away.

“I just really love you... you know?”

Ryker nodded quietly, eyes fixed on Ares’. He seemed genuine about that. He was genuine and sincere about everything. It was one of the reasons why he loved the man so much. But still... something didn’t seem right. Something was bugging Ares. But what...?

It was getting late, as the sun began its descent in the sky. It would be night soon and normally, Ryker held more energy as soon as the moon rose. Usually by now, he would start getting more active, start making his way through the town to run off the energy but something told him that the rest of his afternoon was going to be tied up.

“I love you too, Ares.” Ryker dabbed at his lover’s face a little longer before tilting his head with a tiny grin. “Hey... Do you wanna finish up your work real quick and then maybe... I dunno. Head to your room and nap for a while?”

Ares hesitated and for a scary second, Ryker wondered if maybe he was overstepping by inviting himself to Ares’ room. He watched the smaller man glance at the fields and then back towards the SEED headquarters and— Ah. Right.

Ryker wasn’t exactly planning to do anything other than nap but in the few times he had been in Ares’ room, he was very quick to note that there was very little privacy in that place. If someone came upstairs looking for Ares, they would definitely get caught cuddling. Ryker’s face burned at the mere thought of it. “Uh... We can also head back to my place instead? Palmo’s out of town for a job and won’t be back until late tonight so...”

Ryker’s face burned even more. They would have the place to themselves. He almost wished he was feeling brave enough to try and make a move and maybe, just maybe, he would have if Ares wasn’t currently trying to dry his face from whatever had just upset him.

Maybe next time, the helpful part of his brain suggested.

He pointedly decided to tell that part of his brain to shut its trap for right now.

The sound of his heart hammered in his chest seemed to go on forever as he watched Ares, waiting for an answer. And right before Ryker could think to take it back, right before he could just mumble out a “just kidding” in order to save face, he’s blind-sided by that smile again. The smile that told him that no matter what was going on in Ares’ brain right now, Ryker was at least making something better by just being around him.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I would love that.”

—

Ares let his finger gently twirl and brush through Ryker’s white locks as they laid together in the apprentice’s bed. The house was strangely quiet due to the absence of Palmo. Ares couldn’t help but wonder how Ryker could even stand staying in this house when it was as silent as it was. Palmo was such a loud and joyous individual, it was hard to imagine staying here without hearing him at least singing in joy in the next room.

Despite how strange the silence was, Ares couldn’t help but be grateful for it. He could imagine that they wouldn’t have had this moment of peace otherwise. Which meant that Ares would also have missed out on watching just how adorable Ryker was when he was sleeping. It never took his boyfriend long to pass out if his mind was set on resting.

Ares wished he could sleep as easily as Ryker could.

The gentle smile resting on Ares’ face slowly fell away into a more pensive expression. His fingers fell from Ryker’s hair to brush against his cheek and the blonde let out a heavy sigh that he had been holding all day. He wished he could sleep just as peacefully as Ryker could.

Unfortunately, it was hard to sleep at all when the fate of the world weighed down on your shoulders.

At the grim reminder of what was at stake, Ares felt his entire soul grow weary as he shifted closer to Ryker’s sleeping form. His boyfriend’s arms were wrapped loosely around Ares’ waist and upon feeling him shift in his grasp, Ryker let out a tiny mumble before Ares felt the other squeeze him in his sleep before moving to bury his face into Ares’ hair. Ares felt something warm blossom in his chest.

Even if he, himself, couldn’t get enough sleep, he could count on Ryker to sleep enough for the both of them... Mostly. He still had a habit of running around in the middle of the night but one way or another, he managed to catch up on sleep somehow. Ares simply... couldn’t. No matter how much he tried. And he likely wouldn’t get much sleep at all until Gideon was taken care of.

Soon, he would be leaving to go chase after Gideon in his fortress in the clouds. Soon he would be confronting the man who led SEED into power, and would be stopping him from trying to force the world into his image. Soon, he’ll be fighting and putting his life on the line in order to protect the world and the people he had grown to love in his short year of living in Rigbarth.

But for now, he’ll simply rest his head against the chest of the man he loved and listen to the steady and soothing heartbeat within. Even if he didn’t sleep, this was still more than enough to energize him for the coming turmoil that Ares would soon be facing on his own.

All to protect his friends. All to protect Ryker. And all to protect the life he had created for himself, despite everything.

And when he got back, he was certain that Ryker would be more than happy to spend the next twenty four hours in bed with him in order to allow the ranger to catch up on days of lost sleep. It was something that Ares could look forward to when he came home.

Because, he told himself repeatedly, I will be coming home.

[kiwi-smug-silvalina]

Well its time for one of those tag games! 

Though this time its themed after THOSE FANFICS THAT ARE JUST STUCK IN YOUR HEAD AND NO MATTER WHAT FANDOM YOURE IN; THEY KEEP COMING BACK IN YOUR BRAIN AND YOU HAVE THE URGE TO REREAD THEM-

Ahem, yes! Link as many fanfics as you want and tag someone else to do the same! 

The only rule is one fanfic per fandom and a sentence next to the fanfic that describe your emotions towards it! I shall start!

Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43463049

Holy shit what the hell did i read you cannot expect me to be the same after this-

Rune Factory Frontier: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9151039/chapters/20790229

This is the sweetest thing I have ever read in my entire life and its just- healing from trauma one day at a time my beloved.

Boku no hero academia: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13617231

I will always think about this, this is peak chaotic energy and so fucking funny.

One Piece: https://archiveofourown.org/series/366521

I never said it couldnt be a series- ANYWAY THIS IS AMAZING; ITS SO LONG BUT SO AMAZING

Spiderman: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17395793/chapters/40943768

Ok yeah this is rlly fucking funny cause Peter is basically in a love triangle- WITH HIMSELF

Ducktales: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29841321

This is amazing and i cant wait to reread it again

Sonic the hedgehog: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21580105/

I almost cried in class because of this fucking fanfic

And these were all from the top of my head! Ill just @ a couple of mutuals and if any of you dont wanna join thats alright too of course!!!

@oneshortlove @revitalizationrat @diona-98 @trashyandtiredsol @tinkerthedragon @midnighticee @hatekawa @v-albion @confuzzledhooman @temva @qeelovestea @abbys-tmnt-side-blog @leosmasktails @cruilty-ink ok these were enough I THINK

and i apologize for @ literally all of you but also mutuals amirite and if any of you just dont read fanfics you can ignore this pffff

AND ANYONE I DIDNT @ CAN ALSO TRY THIS OUT IF THEY WANNA; THIS MIGHT BE AN EXCUSE TO STOCK UP ON READING MATERIAL WHO KNOWS BCDWHBCH

[kindlystrawberry]

Comfortable Intimacy Prompt!

Let's go with [ injury ] sender cleans receiver's wound and patches it up. (I'm always so weak for a little wound care)

Can't pick a ship tho, so I'll let you pick who you think fits best with it.

PROMPTS FOR COMFORTABLE INTIMACY (accepting!) THANK YOU for this prompt, I'm also weak for wound care so this was an absolute joy to write. I think I may have written a slightly similar scene in Blue, but oh well, my heart yearns for it. Also, please suspend your disbelief a little at why they didn't just cast 'Return' to get home and drag Frey to the clinic. Let's say they were worried about moving her or something. AO3 link

! Content warning for some mildly gory injury descriptions in this one !

The ice is chilled beneath Frey’s hands, where her fingers curl into the ground to try and stifle the pain shooting up her leg. Still, there’s a layer of softness before it’s just sheets of ice and rock, likely from the fresh snowfall the night before. 

Despite the rest of the crummy nature of the afternoon, the soft snow is a nice texture, at least.

She sits with her legs sprawled out in front of her, and the sun shining in her eyes as it rests uselessly over the border between the Sechs and Selphia. In front of her kneels Arthur, who is dutifully tending to the injuries sprawling up the length of Frey’s left leg. 

Despite the sun, she’s shivering quite thoroughly, though absently Frey wonders how much of that is the weather and how much of that is the blood loss… 

Either way, she’s grateful for where her lover had laid both his heavy cloak and his button-up coat around her shoulders, even if she’s worried about how he’s doing.

“The weather is helping coagulate the blood, at least,” Arthur murmurs, seemingly more to himself as his utmost attention is focused with clinical intensity on her leg. It isn’t a pretty sight, as dark red globs of crimson stain deep into the snow.

Thankfully, the princess isn’t too squeamish. It would be hard to be, after all the adventures and battles that her time in Selphia has taken her through, and all the (albeit, temporary) injuries she’s suffered in the meantime. 

Still, this injury is particularly… not great.

It’s far from the worst that she’s gotten, but the great gashes of bite marks ooze blood in severe amounts.

“I need to disinfect it before performing any healing magic,” Arthur explains, voice lacking any of the ease of conversation that it usually carries. He pulls out some cloth from his bag and a bottle of clear liquid. “Otherwise the healing may close the infection inside the wound, which would not be ideal.” 

“It’s good you came prepared,” Frey adds with a forced laugh, as her eyes trail from Arthur’s downcast face to his bag full of supplies.

He simply says, “Yes, it is,” before beginning to clean down her leg.

It hurts like absolute hells, of course, and the antiseptic that Arthur is applying adds to the overall pain. Regardless, Frey does her best not to wince or groan too much. She’s handled worse. 

And, well… She doesn’t want to draw too much attention to herself right now.

For the last few minutes as the hurried haze of battle wares off, and as Arthur had quickly ran to where she collapsed and started performing first aid, Frey has had the sneaking suspicion that the blonde might be mad at her.

Even through its sheen of focus, Arthur’s face is pinched with displeasure in a way that it rarely ever is. His shoulders are stiff (so much so that they’re not even really shivering despite Arthur being in his undershirt), and his voice is curt whenever he has to ask her to move a certain way, or brace her for the next step he’s about to do. 

She could attest all of these things to him simply focusing of course, as well as to being concerned, but even though Frey’s sure those are true, she’s convinced there’s something else too.

His face is less polite than his usual expressions almost always are; she wonders if it’s the cold environment, or maybe the adrenaline of a difficult battle leaving them both dazed, but Arthur almost seems more raw around the edges than normal. 

His composure, almost always polished to perfection, now looks frayed, like rope on the verge of snapping.

And Frey thinks it might be her fault.

“Listen, Arthur,” she says carefully, unable to stand the silence any longer. Silences with Arthur are supposed to be comforting, relieving, romantic. Not tense and horribly awkward like they are now. He doesn’t lift his eyes, but she knows he’s listening. “I’m sorry that today didn’t go all that well, but everything’s going to be—“ she has to fight back a hiss of pain as he cleans a particularly deep gash— “f-fine. I’ve had worse, and—”

His curtain of blonde hair is blocking most of his expression from Frey’s sight, but she can hear that lance of something in his voice hot and clear now as he snaps, “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” 

“I—” Frey’s eyes widen in shock. “What?” 

“Knowing that the person I love has been hurt even worse than this is meant to be a comfort to me?” His voice cracks like a whip, not particularly loud but wound tightly like he can barely keep it under control. His hands don’t pause in what they’re doing, but when Arthur looks up at her his crimson eyes flash with a mix of pain and anger.

Ah. Yup. She knew it. 

Somehow, the confirmation doesn’t make Frey feel better. It also doesn’t make Arthur’s anger go away.

Still, she finds that she can’t do much more than gape at the unusual shock of his outburst.    

“I would hope,” he continues, voice more controlled now but still tense and simmering, “that at the very least your other injuries weren’t for reasons as careless as this one.”

“‘Careless?’” Now it’s Frey’s turn to sound upset, her voice turning indignant. “I knew what I was doing, it’s not my fault that the wolves ambushed—”

“You were being foolish.”

“I was protecting you!”

For the first time since Frey’s known him, Arthur’s voice raises to a shout. “And you shouldn’t have!”

The sound rings out across the mountainous caverns of ice and rock. Immediately Frey and Arthur freeze, both turning their heads to take stock of their surroundings. Thankfully, the alcove of rock they found seems to still be well-hidden enough from the main road, and there also doesn’t seem to be much activity on the border anymore. That, of course, was why Frey had thought it would be fine to let Arthur tag along while she foraged for materials today, but…

In front of her Arthur sighs, drawing her attention back to him. 

His expression is pinched again, though this time more with regret than anything else. “I apologize.” His voice is still a little too stiffly formal, which Frey has always thought is one of the (admittedly few) tells that Arthur isn’t in a good mood. “I should not have raised my voice at you like that. And of course, I know you are not to blame for what happened today with the sudden monsters, but…” 

He lifts his head, and once again the raw emotion in his eyes shocks Frey to her core. This time, however, they’re flooded with pained concern. For the first time, she realizes that Arthur is trembling now, but she’s not sure if it’s the cold or something else. 

“Arthur…”

He casts his eyes down, focusing on her leg again. Having set the cloth and bottle aside, he spreads his palms wide and a green glow of magic dances beneath them. The relief is immediate, pain slowly starting to fade as magic aids Frey’s leg in stitching itself back together.

“If something were to happen to you—” Arthur cuts himself off as a tremor threatens to rise in his voice. He takes a deep breath, magic glowing stronger, and purses his lips. His voice is calmer when he starts again. “I loathe the idea of anything hurting you, in any capacity. If something awful were to happen, and even more so if it’s due to an effort to protect me then I… I don’t know if I could forgive myself.” 

Despite the fact that Arthur’s speaking almost at a whisper now, and despite the icy winds howling in the distance, Frey catches every word. 

She raises a hand to cup his cheek, and her heart aches at the way he leans into it. “Arthur… I feel the same way about you. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I want to get hurt, but… I just can’t help it. When I see you in danger like that, of course I’m going to throw myself in front of you.” Here her voice drops to the utmost sincerity. “I would do anything to protect you.”

Arthur finally smiles at that, as small and wry a thing as it is. “Of course, your selflessness is one of the things I love most about you, Frey. And yet… I can’t help but wish that sometimes you were a bit more selfish. At least when it comes to taking care of yourself.” A pause. A self-deprecating chuckle. “I do realize this sounds quite a bit hypocritical, coming from me.”

“Yeah, a bit.” A bubble of laughter passes through Frey’s lips, and her heart delights in how Arthur’s smile grows minutely.

With one last bright flash of green, Arthur’s magic goes out, leaving Frey’s leg almost completely healed. There’s still some scarring and scabbing here and there, but nothing that either Jones can’t fix or that she doesn’t already have somewhere else on her body. 

“How does that feel?” Arthur asks, sitting back. His face is pale from exertion, and there’s sweat pooling on his brow, but otherwise he looks much calmer than he did a few minutes ago.

Frey shifts her leg, trying to put some weight on her ankle at this angle to test it. “Pretty good! Let me see if I can…” she starts to stand, though Arthur is quicker to jump to his feet and offer his hand in assistance. “Thanks,” she says, with a fond smile and something of a blush, even at the smallness of the gesture.

Arthur’s cloak and coat fall off her shoulders, but she is able to stand and put weight on the leg with only a lingering weight behind it.

“Practically good as new,” she says, turning a bright smile on him as they both bend down to pick up his fallen clothes. “But if you don’t at least put your coat back on, you’re going to die of hypothermia before we make it back to Selphia Plains.”

A wry smile lightly touches Arthur’s lips. “Alright, but I insist you keep the cloak. If you don’t wear something over that dress in this cold then I might just die of worry first.”

They both laugh at that, picking up their bags and things, and as easily as ripples form in a lake their hands drift towards each other, fingers intertwining. 

“I apologize again for raising my voice like that,” Arthur says regretfully, as they start to make their way back the way they came. “I shouldn’t have added to your pain, when you are already injured.”

“I forgive you. And I’m sorry for worrying you like that. And…” She takes her bottom lip between her teeth, gnawing a bit at the cold, chapped skin. “I can’t promise it won’t happen again, but… I promise to try and be more careful.” She whirls on him, pointing a finger at his chest. “If you promise to, too!”

Arthur’s smile grows. He grabs the hand that’s pointing at him and raises it to his lips, pressing a cold but tender kiss against her knuckles. “I promise. I love you, Frey.”

“I love you too.”

[durotoswrites]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 5 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alice/Reinhard (Rune Factory) Characters: Alice (Rune Factory), Reinhard (Rune Factory) Additional Tags: Romance, Pining, Mutual Pining Summary:

As Reinhard joins Alice for the Seaside Lights Festival, he can't help but notice how increasingly... dangerous Alice has become to him.

Hehe, it’s finally complete!  I hope y’all enjoy! <3

[milkymosaic]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 1: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Felicity/Raguna (Rune Factory) Characters: Felicity (Rune Factory), Laura (Rune Factory), Raguna (Rune Factory) Additional Tags: Fluff, Surprises, Pining, Chronic Illness, RFSS2022, Rune Factory Secret Santa 2022 Summary:

Ever since Raguna helped lift the curse that had been afflicting her, Felicity has been trying to think of a way to thank him. After much deliberation and a little encouragement from Laura, she’s finally ready to give him his gift.

—-

Happy Holidays everyone! This is my gift for @runefactorynonsense for the Rune Factory Secret Santa 2022. I hope you like it! It was a blast to write. ^^

[shadow-farm-dragon]

This work is part of the Rune Factory Secret Santa 2022 (@runefactorysecretsanta). I was the Secret Santa for @alexmarie-draws-stuff, who requested a story featuring Clorica from Rune Factory 4.

I hope you enjoy!

[strawberry-tales]

Ah yes, a scene from Chapter 30 (Apologies, Appreciations, and Amends) of my Rune Factory 2 fanfic, "Spring Essence" Content Warning: The chapter noted may cause distress to some readers!

You can read the fanfic on AO3 Or FanfictionNet (But do note that my fanfics are updated on AO3 more frequently)

[peace-andharmony]

Wrote the next chapter of my Ryker x Alice series! I took a lil writing break but tried to get back into it today.

[aashiyancha]

Adventures in the Capitol is finally ready to continue! For the next few chapters I'm going to be presenting the arc in story with pictures style so I'll have the link to the full chapter below. But enjoy the images I'm using this chapter as a preview!

Enjoy!

[the-shipping-forecasters]

I'm here to bang Anime Milves and Grow Turnips (Rune Factory Special)

We've interrupted our planned Fire Emblem content to talk about a topic close to Grace and James' hearts; anime milves.

Nicks out of town unexpectedly, so we took some time to look at a smaller topic (but one Grace is very into). Join us as James learns all about farming, and in a rare role reversal Grace has to keep James on topic!

Apologies for James' sound difficulties, that microphone was turned up way too high!

The Hatsune Miku Pizza video we discuss:

Listen to the episode here

Or here

Or any other podcast place too!

Oh, and we have an Instagram now! You can follow us here if you like: https://www.instagram.com/fanficsandchill/ stuff will be uploaded as we get round to it...

[ladyhoneydee]

30 Day Song(fic) Challenge: Day 20

Aaaand we are officially 2/3 of the way through my Song(fic) Challenge! I am very excited to be here, and with my progress so far! I'm doing a lot of things I've never done before this month--which extends to today's fic, which is a bit different!

Today's prompt was "a song that makes you feel cozy", and I had a bunch of options for this one, since I have an entire 4.5hr playlist of slow cozy love songs. I ended up going with "One and Only" by Teitur, though, which you may better recognize as the song from the water tower fireworks scene in the 2000s classic mermaid movie, Aquamarine. The instrumental in this song has always reminded me of the OST for the farming adventure sim Rune Factory 3, and so I deviated from my usual LoZ to write for a new fandom instead--for the first time in nearly four years!

Stars Above, Stars Below

Game: Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

Pairing: Micah/Marian

Word Count: 1582

Keywords: romance, love confession, handholding

He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but sometime between running away from that two-handed weapon she called a syringe, waking up after fainting in one of the dungeons with her tending his bedside (gleefully overcharging him while she was at it), and their walks along the beach through the summer and fall, feelings had blossomed in his heart like the flowers he grew in his fields. He couldn’t help but to fall for her chaotic charm: her determination, her humor, her desire to understand the world and herself, her selfless desire to help others that still never outweighed her selfish desire to help herself.  Micah was a slow grower, but Marian made him want to keep up.

Read the fic on AO3, or under the cut!

The stars shone down on the Sol Terrano Sand Sea with dizzying brightness. Above their heads, Micah saw galaxies upon galaxies, layered atop one another like celestial tulle in one of Evelyn’s designs. Violet splashed into emerald green; silver sparkled atop indigo. He hadn’t known a night sky to contain so much color before in his life. Even if he’d had all his memories, he was pretty sure that would still be true. 

Of course, he hadn’t stargazed with Marian before like this, either. Perhaps every sky shone brighter with her by his side. 

She lay next to him on the dune. The sand, still releasing a soothing warmth from the day’s heat, cushioned them like the finest of mattresses. If Micah wasn’t hyperaware of his date’s every breath and shift in position—she never could sit still for too long—he might have found it comfortable enough to fall asleep. 

A warm glow flared to life in his heart at the thought of falling asleep next to Marian someday. Spirits, he was truly head over heels for her, wasn’t he?

He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but sometime between running away from that two-handed weapon she called a syringe, waking up after fainting in one of the dungeons with her tending his bedside (gleefully overcharging him while she was at it), and their walks along the beach through the summer and fall, feelings had blossomed in his heart like the flowers he grew in his fields. He couldn’t help but to fall for her chaotic charm: her determination, her humor, her desire to understand the world and herself, her selfless desire to help others that still never outweighed her selfish desire to help herself. 

Micah was a slow grower, but Marian made him want to keep up. 

“Micah, are you cold?” Marian asked suddenly. His brows drew together in concern at the slight quiver in her voice. 

“Maybe…a little? Why?” Was she the cold one? The desert did get chilly at night, it was true. If she wanted to go back…well, it would be a little disappointing, since they’d only been out for half an hour or so, but he would gladly walk her home to the apothecary if that was her choice.

“You just have those little gaps in your sleeve on your shoulders! It’s perfect for a shot, you know.” In the past, Micah might have shuddered at a comment like that, but after seasons of getting to know her—and watching her sense of medical ethics slowly improve—he only smiled affectionately up at the sky. “I thought maybe you’d be cold, with those exposed.”

“Oh!” Micah considered it, for a moment. He was a bit cold, if he was honest. Not enough to want to leave, or that it was unpleasant, but enough that he could feel it, and knew he’d feel nicer if he was warmer. “Maybe a little. …What did you have in mind?”

He snuck a peek over at Marian’s face beside him, and found her staring up at the sky with wide eyes, and a blush so hotly red he could see it even in the dark on her cheeks. “Well, I have my cloak with me, and it’s so warm and fuzzy…I thought, if you were cold, we could…share it? Like a blanket?”

Micah’s own cheeks flamed at the thought, and he turned back upright himself so as not to be caught with the incriminatingly gleeful, shocked smile on his face. “S-share a blanket? With you?”

Marian twitched beside him, just for an instant. “Um, yes? But you don’t have to if you don’t want to! I can just keep it to myself.” 

Oh, no, it hadn’t been a twitch after all. It had been a flinch. Micah’s heart dropped into his stomach. 

While he was feeling guilty, Marian had kept on rambling. “Actually, I might have some medicine here somewhere that would raise your body temperature—”

Micah interrupted as Marian’s hands darted to her skirt pockets. “No, no! I…want to.”

“To take medicine?”

“No!” His voice was too loud, but spirits, Marian could be so endearingly dense sometimes! He made a conscious effort to lower it. “To share your cloak, Marian.”

“Oh!” Micah wasn’t sure if she was trying to mask the delight in her voice at all, but if she had, she had failed. The pressure bearing down on him from his accidental near-rejection of her advances lessened, and he took a full, deep breath. “You should’ve said so from the start, silly!”

He laughed. “You’re right, I should’ve.”

There was silence for a few moments. Micah resisted the urge to look back over at Marian, worried that he would see something on her face she wouldn’t want him to see. Instead, he searched the sky above for any stars of the same candy-cloud blue as her hair. Many came close, but there was never an exact match.

“I’ll…scoot closer, then!” Marian said eventually, her voice high. “Although, I should take off my cloak first, I guess…”

She sat up beside him, and Micah watched, eyes wide, as she untied the large yellow bow that held the cloak together around her shoulders. Her shoulders weren’t anything new to see—they’d shared the beach before, after all—but under the desert starlight, her skin seemed to almost glow.

Or maybe that was a side effect of some new medicine she was researching. He wouldn’t be surprised. 

Marian laid back down, and began to scoot across the sand towards him. They’d been about a foot apart before, but that distance shrunk quickly. Micah felt his heart thump-thudding in his chest. Not to leave her hanging, he scooted forward too, until his left arm bumped into her right. 

Marian swiftly shook out her cloak and let it flutter down over them. The warmth was immediate: between the sturdy-yet-comfy thick fabric, and Marian’s own body heat that had radiated into that cloak all day long, he felt like he was in a soft cocoon of coziness. Not to mention the way feeling Marian beside him, with all her sharp edges and hesitant presses against his side, made his own internal temperature skyrocket.

“This is a lot warmer,” he said, although he felt quite foolish at such an inane comment. Why couldn’t he be more suave? What was he so scared about? “Thank you for sharing your warmth with me, Marian.”

“You’re welcome!” That higher-pitched tone was still there, but she seemed genuinely pleased by his words. He could take comfort in that.

They lay together under the cloak-blanket, and Micah felt them both begin to relax, ever so slowly. His own tension at not saying the right thing and the new challenge of functioning normally with Marian so close began to abate as he simply enjoyed her company, and Marian’s posture beside him became less rigid. 

“The stars are beautiful tonight.” Spirits, why had he opened his mouth? What a useless thing to say.

“They really are!” Marian agreed. He smiled at the zeal in her tone. No matter where, Marian was Marian. 

Still no stars in Marian’s color in the sky above them. He was beginning to think that the only celestial body in the whole universe with it was lying right beside him.

Micah took a steadying breath, and then reached out with something besides his stumbling words.

Under the cloak, his tentative hand found her own. His fingers grazed across her palm, and he felt her shiver, just before their fingers intertwined. 

Oh, oh. If Marian was a star, he was a supernova. And yet, the feeling of her hand in his brought a strength and courage he hadn’t felt before.

“Marian…there’s something I want to ask you.”

He turned his head to the side, instinctively seeking out the familiar aubergine of her gaze. To his surprise, she was facing him already, eyes widened, mouth poised in an ‘o’.

“I…really like you, Marian,” he confessed, heart thrumming in his throat like a hummingbird’s wings. “No, I—I love you. I don’t think I could’ve gone another day without telling you.” 

The recipe for the silver-and-ruby engagement ring flashed in his mind’s eye, and he rushed to clarify. “I-I mean, I’m not ready to get married, I still have so much to do with the farm, and Vale River to free! And I know you still have dreams too at the apothecary that you want to focus on! Not that you’d have to give them up if you married me, of course! I only mean—” Spirits, he was digging himself into a hole here. “I’d like to promise myself to you, though, for the future. If you’ll have me.”

Marian’s gaze had transitioned from shocked, to confused, to amused, as he spoke. Now, she stared back at him with unbelievable tenderness. 

“I like you too, Micah,” she whispered, eyes sparkling. “And I love you. And I’d be the silly one if I turned down such an adorable guinea pig.”

Micah cracked a grin despite the seriousness of the moment. He squeezed her hand once, twice, three times. I love you. 

Someday, he’d tell her of the significance of the motion, and they would repeat it all the time, until he could get three squeezes back even while she slept beside him in their marriage bed, blue hair tickling his face and legs tangled with his. For now, he stared into the stars in Marian’s eyes, knowing that they were a reflection of the same joy and excitement in his own. 

[kindlystrawberry]

may i do the comfortable intimacy prompt?

doug x dolce with [pick up]

gosh i am thirsty for this rare pair!!

PROMPTS FOR COMFORTABLE INTIMACY (accepting!) [ pick up ] sender scoops receiver up into their arms and holds them as they walk Thank you for sending this! I'm always happy to find another interesting rarepair :3 AO3 link

Dolce glares down at her ankle like it, personally, is offending her. Because it is.

She has always been quite fond of taking walks in the evening, ever since she was little; Mama and Papa had made a tradition of it, and she's never let it go. After moving to-- or rather, in some capacity, waking up in-- Selphia, Dolce has continued the habit.

Tonight is a hot Summer evening, the sun nearly done making it's slow descent over the horizon. The walk had gone just like any other, with Pico floating nearby and chatting away while Dolce watched the way shadows fall over everything, steadily growing as the night progressed.

Then, of course, she hadn't watched where she was going and ended up tripping over one of Selphia's many sets of cobblestone steps on Melody street.

'Dolly!' Pico cries in pure agony, as she sees Dolce cradle her ankle and wince. 'You've been hurt!'

"It's really nothi--" The young women tries to stand, but stumbles down again the moment she puts weight on her injured ankle.

'DOLLY!'

"I probably just twisted it, you don't have to--"

Pico has already started swinging her head around wildly, and upon not seeing anyone else on the street loudly declares, 'Stay here Dolly! I'll get help, please survive this!'

Dolce raises a hand in protest, but before she can open her mouth the ghost is already gone, flying down the street towards the clinic.

Dolce is left sighing, sitting on the sidewalk, and glaring down at her offending ankle again. She undoes the clasps on her boot and gingerly slides it off, then rolls down her sock. Her ankle stares angrily back at her, colored a reddish-purple and immediately swelling.

"Ugh," she declares again aloud, and tips her head up to glare at the night sky for betraying her like this.

Except. It's not the night sky that she sees, but rather a head of bright, reddish-pink hair glancing down at her, upside down.

Were Dolce more prone to reacting she would probably startle and yelp, but instead she simply widens her eyes as Doug tilts his head with a look of friendly confusion.

"You alright there, Dolce?" Then his eyes trails down, and bulge as he takes in her ankle. "Woah! That's a nasty one. D'ya need help getting to the clinic?"

"No," Dolce replies monotonously, putting all her energy into fighting off the heat that is threatening to prickle at her cheeks. "I'm fine."

The dwarf squats down so they're at level with each other, and Dolce very, very begrudgingly has to admit that he is much more handsome when not upside down. Of course, she would rather die and have her soul be surrendered to whatever sentimental, horrifying whims strike Pico for eternity than admit to a single person of the budding crush she's been trying to squash down for the last couple weeks.

"You sure?" The object of her begrudging affection asks, staring skeptically at her injury. "It looks pretty rough from here."

"I'm fine," Dolce grits out, then to make her point begins to stand again. She does manage to stand up to her full height, albeit she does so by leaning most of her weight on the fence railing beside her, and keeping her injured foot hovering slightly off the ground. "See? Perfect. You can leave now."

Doug raises an eyebrow at the display a little skeptically, and then grins. As if he enjoys seeing her stubbornness-- the thought of which is both aggravating, and makes her have to fight off another blush. "Oh yeah? then why don't you go ahead and walk yourself to the clinic?"

Glaring at him, Dolce weighs her options in her head. Pico should be back any minute, but somehow the idea of her catching them like this seems like the worst case scenario; even if she doesn't know anything, Dolce has always found her to be terribly perceptive. One look at Dolce's face with the other man around might be disastrous.

Determinedly, Dolce takes one step forward.

And immediately her leg is a burning lance of pain, before Dolce is sent tumbling to the ground again.

"W-woah!" Doug yelps from behind her.

This time, it's not hard cobblestone that catches her, but something soft and steady. Two somethings soft and steady.

When Dolce glances down at her waist, she sees that Doug's arms have wrapped around her before she could hit the ground.

"You okay there?" he asks above her.

His arms feel... surprisingly strong and warm, despite his thin, boyish appearance.

Dolce's face immediately catches flame, and she wishes the earth would swallow her up this instant.

"Okay..." Doug says, sounding even more concerned. "Yup. Alright. We're getting you to the clinic, no protesting. Grab your boot and hold on tight."

"What do you--" before Dolce can finish, Doug is squatting and looping an arm underneath her knees, and then she's being hoist up into the hair.

"Up we go!"

Immediately her free hand shoots out to his chest for stability, though the hold does feel steady. Dependable.

Dolce's face burns even hotter.

She wants to die.

"Sorry about this," Doug says above her, and Dolce is surprised to hear a certain bashfulness in his usually unflappably casual, friendly voice. When she glances up, she swears she sees pink dusting his cheeks as well, though it's hard to say what's from the summer heat.

"It's-- it's fine," Dolce says, voice quiet. She curses the timidity she can hear in her voice, and the way her heart is beating out a nervous staccato rhythm at how warm and comfortable it is to be held like this in the dwarf's surprisingly strong hold.

As they make their way towards the town square, the sun has fully finished it's descent across the horizon, and night has spread all around them. Fireflies have even started to emerge, their yellow-green lights sprinkled across the warm sky and bouncing off of every surface.

Unable to help it, Dolce glances up again, and is breath-taken to see the way the lights play off of Doug's eyes-- they're like silver pools of light, taking in everything around them and reflecting it back tenfold.

As if sensing her eyes on him, Doug glances down too. His eyes suddenly widen, and a blush unmistakably flares across his handsome, boyishly cute features.

Our faces are so close, Dolce can't help but think, before her mind tunes out to pure white noise. She can't hear anything except the pounding of her heart.

Only one noise could possibly cut through this moment and it--

'DOOOOLLLYYYYY I'M COOOMING!'

Pico comes soaring into view, flying down the street so quickly that she's nearly a blur. She stops short at the sight of the two of them, and even in her ghostly form has to stumble to try and stop short of flying straight through them.

She fails, and a shiver passes through Dolce's skin at the unmistakable feeling of a ghost going through someone. She can feel Doug shiver similarly.

'Dolly?'

A second later two other sets of footsteps sound off, sprinting down the town square.

Nancy and Jones also stop in front of them, though they do so with much more grace and decidedly don't crash into Doug and Dolce.

"Is everything alright, sweetie?" Nancy asks, eyes wide and somewhere between concern and curiosity. "We heard you were hurt."

Doug comes to her rescue for the second time tonight, awkwardly fumbling out, "Oh, yeah! I just found her near the uh, General Store, and it looked like she hurt her ankle and couldn't walk so I was-- uh, bringing her over to you guys. G-good timing!"

Dolce simply nods.

Nancy and Pico are watching Doug carefully, like they could see straight to his soul if they stare hard enough, but thankfully Jones has already moved forward to inspect Dolce's ankle more closely.

"Thank you, Doug," he says with a nod. "Please do bring her, I'd like to make sure there's no fracture."

"Yes, thank you, Doug," Dolce says at last, her voice soft but otherwise level.

Dolce can feel more than see Doug nod above her, and pointedly doesn't look at the other two women as they begin to make their way back to the clinic.

[durotoswrites]

Winter prompts! Hmmm... what about Decorating and Vishnal (and the rest of the butler squad if you feel inclined)

I see what you did there! I'll have you know I played some RF4 this week, hehe. Butler Squad, roll out! I had a lot of fun with this one. Thank you for the ask!

Winter Themed Prompts - Asks are open!

Vishnal wasn’t sure how many times he had attempted to hang the pine boughs, but the muscles in his arms were screaming from constantly adjusting the garland.

This is just part of of the job. A good butler should never complain about any sort of discomfort.

He furrowed his brow.

Power through – no one else is complaining.

He felt sweat roll into his eyes as he climbed down the ladder to observe his handiwork. After wiping his face carefully on his handkerchief (after all, a butler should be as pristine as his castle), he stared at the greenery, frowning and turning his head.

“What do you think, Clorica?”

She blinked rapidly, straightening her posture. “Oh? The garland? It looks fine to me,” she replied with a heavy yawn.

He tilted his head, biting his lip. “It’s not perfect.”

“It’s not going to be exactly symmetrical with natural branches, though. That’s part of what makes it so pretty.” She continued placing delicate glass ornaments in the large glass vase before her. It wasn’t long before she closed her eyes, her hands deftly placing the shiny baubles in various containers.

Vishnal was about to chide her for “resting her eyes” as she liked to call it, when a booming voice emerged from the hallway.

“Has Vishnal finally finished that doorway yet?” The scent of spiced tea preceded the head butler. Volkanon had been busy with his specialty brew, still donning a spotless apron.

Snapping to attention, he turned to face him. “Y-Yes, Sir!” He held his breath as his boss appraised his handiwork.

The pine boughs had been hung around the door frame carefully, and an elegant wreath adorned the door, complete with a stylish and lavish bow.

“Not bad, but do you intend on leaving the area above the door so bare? This is our special guest’s room we’re talking about.”

Vishnal felt his cheeks flame. “O-Of course, I’ll fix it right away!”

After much precise measuring and several trips up and down ladders, two matching bows were placed at the top corners of the door frame.

Clorica clapped her hands with delight. “Aw, how cute! It kinda resembles Frey’s hair, doesn’t it?”

He let out an audible gasp. “Oh, no! I’ll have to take it down, and…”

“Aw, I like it.” Clorica’s voice had a sad tone to it. “Although, it would look nice with some ornaments spread throughout, and maybe it could use something for a centerpiece?”

Clorica sleepily shuffled through a box and produced a ball of greenery adorned with white berries. “She’ll be sure to like this!”

Glancing at Clorica’s pristine handiwork, he had a feeling that Clorica’s taste was more refined than his own. Thanking her profusely, he climbed the ladder again, hanging the final adornment as Clorica helped him center it. Volkanon’s commanding request for them to try the tea (which both butlers knew would take longer than a mere sampling) left Vishnal scurrying to finish the work, dropping and shattering one of the ornaments in the process. Clorica promised to buy some time for him as she went to Volkanon.

Sweeping the mistake off of the floor, Vishnal silently berated himself.

It looks like I still have a long way before even becoming a semi-decent butler… Why can’t I stop screwing things up?

A delighted squeal caught his attention. He turned his head to see Frey staring at the hall, her mittened hands over her heart as her jaw dropped.

“Wow… this is gorgeous!”

A smile crossed his lips before he knew it; Frey’s excitement always gave him that effect. “It was a group effort, and I’m glad that you enjoy it!”

“Enjoy it? I love it!” She whirled around, taking in the sights, her long pigtails moving with her. “Ah, and my door! It’s so pretty!” She stood in the doorway, looking up at the ornaments.

Vishnal set his broom against the wall and wrung his hands, his heart pounding. “I’m so glad you like it, Princess.”

Her eyes traveled toward the centerpiece hanging above her and her face went scarlet. “You did this?”

“I had some suggestions, but I assembled it.”

She shyly looked down at her boots. “Thank you. I really like it. Um… if you’re available, will you wake me tomorrow morning?” She looked back up at the mistletoe ball, not meeting his gaze.

“Of course! You can count on me!” His cheeks hurt from grinning.

“Well, it’s been a long day. I think I’m going to turn in early and have a cup of hot tea.”

“Tea?!” Vishnal’s eyes widened as he remembered Clorica stalling for him. “Ah, I forgot that I’m supposed to meet with Volkanon. Have a good night, Princess, and sleep well.” He flashed her a smile as he hurried down the hallway.

Frey clung to the door frame, watching him leave. Her face flushed deeply, but the winter chill had nothing to do with it.