#I kinda like helios now I have been converted

[ginkgowritings]

Neighbour - Mafia AU! Helios

My loveland cuties secret santa gift for the amazing @otomecooties​. A fluffy mafia AU because I’m not giving her angst for secret santa.

You had become fascinated by the man living in the apartment next door. You could tell he was dangerous, but your curiosity got the better of you, and you found yourself looking forward to any encounters with him. Despite encountering him regularly, he had refused to tell you anything about himself besides his name, Helios. He hadn't told you, but you knew he was dangerous. The way Helios dressed, how he regularly came home with new scrapes and bandages, and the occasional blood splatter visible on his clothes all gave it away. Still, you found yourself looking forward to your encounters with him, no matter how quick and fleeting they were.

Your first encounter with Helios had been the longest, and the most awkward. The landlord had notified you that someone was moving in that day, but hadn't told you anything else. When you got home that day to see a handsome silver-haired man waiting for the elevator, you hoped it was your new neighbour, and you were overjoyed when your hopes came true. He had made a point to ignore you the entire elevator ride, only acknowledging your existence when he realised you lived next door and he'd have to see you often. As you stood at the entrance of your respective apartments, his cold eyes met yours. He uttered his name, Helios, before immediately going inside and closing the door behind him.

After your first meeting, every encounter seemed shorter than the last. You regularly ran into each other as you both left in the mornings, but no matter how many times you exchanged pleasantries, he never shared anything about himself. His eyes were always cold, and he seemed to end every conversation as soon as he could. Still, you enjoyed every brief encounter and found yourself fascinated by him.

It had been two months since Helios had become your neighbour. Subconsciously, you had familiarised yourself with his schedule. You hadn't done so deliberately, but the buildings soundproofing was almost non-existent meaning you heard every time he came home or left. Helios left early in the morning and usually returned late at night. You weren't sure if he ever got a good nights sleep or ate properly. You'd seen him carrying his groceries home before, the seethrough bags revealing an overwhelming amount of instant food and surprisingly, sweets.

Lately, Helios had started to look thinner, his complexion was dull, and he always looked tired. You knew he didn't want you to interfere with his life, but you couldn't stop yourself from being worried. There weren't many ways you could help, and you weren't sure if Helios would even accept your help. Still, you were determined to help him in the easiest way you could think of fixing his terrible diet. Helios likely wouldn't accept your help so you had a foolproof you were sure would work eventually: annoy him until he gives in.

Determined to make your strategy work, you woke up earlier than usual to make breakfast for both yourself and Helios. After preparing two servings of a healthy breakfast, you quickly ate yours before packing the other serving into some tupperware. You braced yourself before making your way to the front door of Helios' apartment, nervous but determined to succeed. You knocked on his door and waited, only to be met with silence. After a few moments, you tried again.

"Helios! I made extra food. Do you want it?" You called through the door while knocking. You listened carefully, hoping to hear him coming and smiled to yourself when you heard his footsteps approaching the door. Helios opened the door, his icy eyes immediately meeting yours and hardening into a glare.

"Why would I want your food?" Helios asked, annoyance clear in his tone. "Because you only seem to eat instant food and your diet sucks" You instinctively retorted without thinking, only realising retorting might've been a bad idea when his glare got even more intense. Helios glared at you for a few moments without responding before huffing to himself and closing the door in your face, the food meant for him still in your hands. Knowing he wouldn't open the door again, you went back to your apartment. Helios was a difficult person, and you knew him accepting your food on the first try would be unlikely. You ate his breakfast for lunch and fought off your disappointment, determined to try again tomorrow.

And so you did. The next day you made Helios breakfast again and brought it to his front door. You took a deep breath and calmed yourself before knocking, calling out to him to let him know why you were there.

"Hey, Helios! I've made breakfast again, will you have some?" You called though the door. After a few seconds of silence, the door abruptly opened, revealing a glaring Helios. "Are you going to do this every morning?" He asked you. You nodded in response making him sigh, unsure what to do in this situation. "You should mind your own business, little lady." Helios scolded you, his icy glare piercing into you. "I'm taller than you, little man." You teased back before you could stop yourself. You noticed Helios' eyes widen, the coldness replaced with surprise. He wasn't used to people talking back to him; most people were too scared. Before Helios could recover from his shock and close the door on you again, you quickly shoved the food into his hands and turned to walk away before he could return it. "Leave the empty container in front of the door. I'll collect it later!" You called back to him as you quickly made your way back to your apartment, refusing to look at him as you walked so you wouldn't see his annoyance.

As soon as you were inside, you let out a breath you hadn't realised you were holding and felt yourself relax. Feeling happy you managed to give Helios the food you went on with your day, already thinking about what you could make Helios for breakfast tomorrow. Later in the afternoon, you heard a quiet knock at your front door. You opened the door and found no one there. You thought you misheard before you looked down and saw the empty tupperware on the ground. Every last crumb of food had been eaten, and it looked like Helios had cleaned the container before returning it. You smiled to yourself as you picked it up, already looking forward to seeing Helios again tomorrow.

The routine of making Helios breakfast continued every day, and you found yourself looking forward to it more and more. Helios had slowly warmed up to you, the iciness in his eyes now replaced with a tenderness you never thought he'd show you. He'd also become more willing to make conversation. Both of you now talked to each other for several minutes when you came to give him food, and he no longer immediately left after leaving the tupperware at your door.

It had been over a month since you started making Helios breakfast, and he already looked healthier. You had already successfully given him his breakfast this morning, and you were going about your day when you heard him entering his apartment. Helios was usually out all day so his early return surprised you, but you decided to take advantage of it and use him as an excuse to make cookies. Knowing Helios has a sweet tooth you were excited to share them with him, even though you knew he'd try to hide any excitement. Happily humming to yourself you started making the cookie dough, messily mixing the ingredients until you got to the sugar. As soon as you pulled out the sugar, you knew you didn't have enough. You considered going to the store when you realised Helios likely had some sugar. Though Helios didn't cook his sweet tooth made you sure he'd still have sugar, even if only to add to his coffee. You put your shoes on and made your way to Helios' door, confidently knocking as soon as you arrived.

"Helios, do you have any sugar?" You asked through the door before he even opened it, fully knowing he was inside and could hear you. You heard quick footsteps before the door yanked open, revealing a wide-eyed Helios. "You shouldn't be here, little lady. It's dangerous right now." Helios warned you in a hushed whisper, an uncharacteristic panic in his eyes. As soon as you heard his warning, you realised Helios wasn't alone. Inside his apartment, you could see several men, each one looking more intimidating and dangerous than the last. They were clearly in the same profession as Helios, but while you felt at ease in Helios' presence all the other men you could see made a shiver run down your spine. Helios positioned himself so he was blocking the doorway, seemingly trying to block both your view and theirs as their prying eyes tried to get a glimpse at you. You tried to hide your nervousness as you looked at Helios, attempting to only focus on him to calm yourself down. "Do you have any sugar? I'm making cookies." You managed to ask him, your voice quiet in an attempt to stop the men inside from hearing. "I'll bring it to you later. You need to leave." Helios whispered before softly closing the door.

You went back to your apartment to wait for Helios. As the realisation that you had likely just walked into a mafia meeting washed over you, you felt yourself become overwhelmed with anxiety. Trying your best to distract yourself, you stayed occupied as much as you could. You tried reading, writing, playing games, and watching movies, but no matter what you did anxiety stopped you from fully focusing on it. After several hours you jumped when you suddenly heard a knock at the door. You quickly got up and nervously made your way to the door, you hesitated for a few moments before opening it to reveal Helios with a large bag of sugar in his hands. Initially, Helios looked a little mad, but his expression immediately softened when he picked up on your nervous state.

"Are you okay?" Helios asked you tenderly, his voice uncharacteristically soft. You nodded before stepping aside to let him in, leading him into your apartment. Usually, he'd hand you the sugar and come back when the cookies were done, but he knew you wanted some familiar company right now. Helios followed you to the kitchen and sat down on a stool. His eyes were drawn to the kitchen counter, where you had previously made a mess while making the cookies. A slight smirk tugged at his lips and you knew he was about to make fun of you.

"Say anything rude, and you get no cookies." You cut him off before he could make any snide remarks, but that only caused his smirk to widen. "I don't care if I don't get any cookies." Helios immediately retorted. "I've seen how many sweets you buy, you definitely care." You replied while grabbing the sugar and picking up where you left off earlier in the day. You felt Helios' eyes on you, but neither of you said anything, instead choosing to bask in the comfortable silence. Once the cookies were finally in the oven, you made your way to the living room and let yourself collapse onto the couch. After a few moments, you heard quiet footsteps as Helios approached you. He silently sat next to you on the couch, staring intently at you in silence before finally deciding to speak.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft once again. You locked eyes with him and nodded in response. While you knew you shouldn't have walked in on that meeting, being in Helios' presence now had drastically eased your anxiety. You knew he was just as dangerous as those other men, but you believed he wouldn't hurt you. "I'll give you my number, and you can text me before you come over next time. It's dangerous for you to come over unexpectedly." Helios insisted, already holding his hand out for your phone. You unlocked your phone and handed it to him; though you weren't getting his number in the best circumstances, the prospect still excited you. He gave your phone back as soon as he finished and you found yourself staring at his name in your contacts, barely able to believe he had given you his number.

"Why did you even start making food for me?" Helios asked you curiously, breaking your trance. "You looked like shit." You replied bluntly, all your previous anxiety now gone. "You know, the last person that talked like that to me is at the bottom of a lake," Helios warned you. You knew he could be telling the truth, but there was no malice in his voice, and you couldn't bring yourself to be afraid of him anymore. "You wouldn't hurt me," The words had left your mouth before you even realised what you were saying. You expected Helios to disagree and warn you, but you were surprised when he just released a soft sigh. "Yeah, I wouldn't," Helios said softly, to the point where you could barely hear it. You felt your heart pound at his words, unsure what to say in response. You both stared intently at each other in silence, neither of you sure what to say next. Suddenly, a smoky smell wafted through the living room making your stomach drop.

"I think your cookies are burning, little lady," Helios teased, a smirk returning to his face. "I'm still taller than you little man!" You yelled as you rushed to the kitchen to retrieve the cookies, a smirking Helios right on your tail. You hoped the cookies were salvageable, but even if they weren't you were still happy. You were sure you'd have many more chances to make cookies with Helios in the future.

#mlqc #mr love queen's choice #mlqc helios #helios #I kinda like helios now I have been converted #jasmine writes

[ohifonlyx33]

nerd post alert

OK. Consider names for a second.

I've looked at various name sites and they all point to the fact that Leigh put some thought into her names.

Alina means "sun ray, light, bright, beautiful, fair, noble" And a derivative of Helen (from Greek, helios, the sun), the famous greek queen with a "face that launched a thousand ships" ...Okay so that's obvious, right?

But get this... a possible masculine variant of Alina that has been used is Alistair which is a strong derivative of Alexander (man's defender, warrior). Which is really interesting to me. Because I thought his name was pretty dumb until I realized how it connect to Alina. See, the general had a noble name like Alina, further solidifying that he may have once been good like her. But the difference is he abandoned his name for a title that held power and fear. Only a small part of him still remembered his true name. He was no longer a defender of man.

Malyen is a little trickier as it is a fantasy name and has several options as to where it came from. In Welsh, Mal is a short form of the name Maldwyn, a variant of the name Baldwin, meaning bold friend. Yeah, that checks out... But uh, Mal is also short for Malcolm, literally from 'Mael Coluim' (disciple of Saint Columba). Thus Mal means Disciple. THAT ALSO SUPER CHECKS OUT. Now once more, Mal can be short for Mallory which comes from 'malheure' meaning unlucky, unhappy... which is fitting given what he has to go through. And from Germanic, it can mean "army counselor" ...SO YEAH. Also Yan/Yen is a variant of John, meaning God is gracious/merciful which kinda also works with the whole ending of R&R. In Hebrew, "Mal" also means Messenger of God and in Irish it means Chief. Which kinda weaves into the aesthetic, I suppose. There's just... a lot to work with here.

Edited to add: how did I not notice Oretsev is very possibly a derivative of Morozova? Morozova -> Orozova -> Orozov -> Oretsev ...maybe?

After her martyrdom, Alina abandoned her name to live in peace and quiet with the love of her life. And Mal abandoned his. She was no longer a noble light, and he was no longer her suffering disciple.

All this being said, I want to know the names they picked. I know Misha came up with names of his own... but I like to think Mal and Alina picked out new names for each other.

For Mal, I looked at a few options. I tried to stay close to Slavic variants, but it's not an exact science. I thought about Damir ("provides peace") or Konstantine ("constant") or Lev ("lionheart") or Edmon ("guardian").

But I like to think she chose the name Maks ("the greatest of men") because it also sounds enough like "Mal" to be familiar and it's what she thinks of him. 🥰

Fun Fact: I briefly considered Anastas, which is a masculine form of Anastasia ("resurrection")... and I kid you not, that led me to look at diminutives of the name... Which lead me to Stacia (feminine) which led me to Eustacia which led me to the male form, Eustace, the patron saint of hunting who was converted when he saw a sign between the antlers of the stag he was hunting and later was burned to death for his faith. NO JOKE. 😯

...Which made me kinda like the name Stacia for Alina? Maybe? Just because it's a nod to the stag that connected them, and a nod to resurrection... ok no, really this name should be Mal's new name but it just doesn't sound right as a guy's name.

As for Alina, part of me likes to think Mal picked a name that still honored the light she had, such as Svetlana ("she who shines brightly"), while part of me likes to think he picked a name like Katia ("clean, pure, plain") to take her as she is and cherish her for being ordinary... But part of me thinks Alina wouldn't care for either of those names and Mal would pick something sweeter. For her, I really like a name meaning peaceful like Evania, or a form of Irene... Yarina even sounds close to Alina too. I also have a soft spot for Karina, meaning beloved friend. Beauty, beloved, cherished, my heart. 😭

Conclusion?

Malina -> Marina

if Mal become Maks and Alina becomes Karina that means the "greatest of men" and his "beloved friend" get married... 😭😭😭

and maybe they have kids. Anatoli [from the sunrise], then twins Evania and Stacia [peaceful + new life].

ahhhhhhhhhhhh

#malina #shadow and bone #alina starkov #malyen oretsev