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whalesandstars · 11 months

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In the end, not even sakuras will remember

Scaramouche & Ei, Familial [Hurt/Comfort]

Post-3.2 update, written before patch 3.3

Summary:

“Live on. This time, you will get the life and the love I could not give you.”

In the midst of his never ending slumber after his defeat, a familiar face appears to bid farewell.

Wherein Ei tells the things her creation needed to hear before she erases herself from Irminsul.

The puppet dreamed.

Sometimes he would be Kunikuzushi who basked in the memories of warmth and smiles, with faces he learned to cherish as a family. Sometimes he would be the Balladeer, drowning in the poison of betrayal and agony of the Fatui’s experiments. Sometimes, he would be in an endless void. Alone, exhausted, and hollow.

Ever since he fell from the pinnacle of godhood and plummeted into the ground, back into worthlessness and shame, he was dreaming. He kept dreaming for who knew how long. He kept dreaming and dreaming, for he never wanted to wake back to a world he had no place in.

If no one wanted him,

If the world did not want him,

Then he would stay here…

…even if he did want himself either.

He was curled up on the abyss when he felt another consciousness enter his dream.

“What are you doing here?” He did not spare the familiar presence with even a glance, “Are you here to mock me? Tell me how pathetic I was for losing to Buer and the traveler? Or perhaps you’re here to gloat on how right you are that I’m just a defective, useless puppet?” His voice held no sharpness to it, his words dulled by exhaustion.

“I did not come here for such things.” Ei spoke, her expression unreadable.

“Then leave.” He curled to himself further, “I no longer have the gnosis. There is nothing more inside my chest worth taking.”

“But there is something worth saving.”

“Save?” A bitter laugh rose from his hoarse throat, “You’re going to save me? When you’re the root of all my demise?” How hypocritical of you to play the hero when you’ve abandoned me in the first place. I’m not some kitten you can save just to decorate your ego.” He scoffed, “I don’t need your saving. I don’t need salvation from gods. Now, leave. This place is mine and you have no right to be here.”

“Do you not seek answers? I am here to give them to you.” The god laid out her bargaining chip. The softening of her gaze unnoticed by the back facing her.

“Answers for what?” He spat out, “Haven’t you given your answers already? Back when you deemed me to be defective and useless, and left me to sleep eternally in that domain? Haven’t you given your answer back when you refused to lend aid when I pleaded for Tatarasuna?” Uncurling his body, he turned to face his creator, a raging storm of pain and hatred in his purple eyes, “I already got my answers. You are Beelzebul, a cold and unfeeling god who left me and her people. That is the truth isn’t it?”

Embers of loathing burned inside him, its heat forming his words, “That I’m just a puppet and your people are just people. I’m merely your tool and they, your subjects. All you cared about is your stupid ideology of eternity.”

He hastily wiped away the tear that rolled down his face, “We didn’t matter.”

Stupid tears. If only he had his hat to block the gaze of his creator. He could not cry in front of her and make himself look weak.

“I didn’t matter.”

The tears would not stop, damn it.

“So just leave!”

“That is not true. You are–”

“But it is true!” He clenched his chest, “I’m nothing but an insignificant tool that you’ve thrown away to rot in that pavilion.” His non-existent heart ached, “You should have just killed me right at the beginning! That way I’d never have to…” He shook his head, his tears falling to the infinite darkness beneath his feet, hollow just like the hole in his chest, “You should have just killed me…”

He sobbed, “Do it now. Do what you’ve failed to do before.” He spread his arms out in surrender, “Erase this last remaining consciousness and let me die.”

Ei closed her eyes as a flash of pain crossed in them, “Is that why you refuse to wake these past months?” A sigh sailed past her lips, “Buer delivered you to me when your wounds have healed. You have been in my care ever since. However, you refused to wake up.” She lifted her eyelids and her somber gaze staring at the weeping boy before her, “Because for you, it is better to never awaken is it not?”

“Is that why you’re here? To wake me up?” He bitterly laughed, “You want me to wake up after you have doomed me in an endless slumber before?”

“While it is true that I have left you all alone, know that I wanted you to find freedom.” She looked up at the dark sky, a memory forming from the void, “When I created you, I had eternity in mind. I wanted to create a being that could hold the gnosis and would remain unfazed by subjective thinking, but I…” Melancholy embraced her voice, “My longing for my sister ended up taking over while I was in the process of making you and you turned out to be too much like her. “You held the same kindness and softness in you. Hence why you cried in your dreams.”

“Then that is worse.” He laughed coldly, “I’m a mere replacement for someone, a defective puppet, and a weakling all at once.”

“No, you misunderstand.” She pulled her gaze back down to the boy, “I do not want you to share the same fate as she did, so I decided to let you go. But I should have let you choose. That way, you could have…” She shook her head, “On my way to reach your inner consciousness, I have seen your memories.” Her hand reached over her chest and sincerely spoke, “I am sorry. For everything.”

The boy crossed his arms around himself to shield himself from her sympathetic gaze, “Spare me your pity nor your apology. I don’t want it.”

“I do not expect you to accept my apology. But let it be clear that I am not pitying you. Instead, I am looking at you with respect. For even if you have lost your way and did things to hurt others and yourself, you endured. You are still here.”

Ei’s footsteps were loud in the endless void, but still quieter than the boy’s cries, “I am not here to get forgiveness for what I have done. I am here to help save you from yourself.” She wrapped her arms around him, cradling his sobbing form in her warmth, “I am here to let you know that you deserve to be loved even if you do not see yourself as worthy of such, to let you know that you do not need a gnosis or godhood to be perfect. You do not need to be perfect at all.” She caressed his hair and let him cry on her shoulder, “You were never a mistake, Kuni. Remember that. It was I who had done horrible decisions and you are a casualty of those.”

She cupped his face between her palms, her thumbs wiping the wetness on his cheeks, “Your tears are not flaws. Your emotions are not weaknesses.” Ei laid her palm over the place where his heart would be, “They are proof that even though there is no heart beating inside your chest, you are human. “ A tender smile bloomed on her lips, “You are a beautiful human who deserves to be loved.”

Inside the nothingness, the boy felt like he had acquired everything. He had heard the words he had longed to hear for so long, seen his humanity in his reflection on those amethyst eyes, and felt the warmth of acceptance and love from the person he yearned for the most. Here in this void, the hollowness inside him had been filled. Here, he was loved. Here, he had a…

“Mother…” Overflowing emotions spilled out of his lips.

A melancholic smile, “I am not worthy of such a title, but somehow…hearing it brings me great joy. Thank you, Kuni.”

She wrapped him in her arms once more, letting the last of his tears fall on her kimono, “When I first created you, I wanted to hold you like this but I was scared. I was terrified of learning to love you, only to lose you like her again. I hesitated.” A kiss was delicately planted on a bed of indigo strands as she tightened her embrace, “But now let me hold you for the first and last time.”

The boy tensed, “Last?”

“I…I have decided to fix the damage I have caused to you and the others.” Her thumb ran in soothing circles on his shoulder, “I have accessed Irminsul and…removed myself from the memories of Teyvat.”

Kuni bolted out of her hold, “Are you out of your mind?! Did you really do it? Do you know what that implies?”

Her gaze fell to her lap, “Yes. It would remove me entirely from this world and I will cease to exist, as well as all traces of me in history.”

The boy opened his mouth but Ei cut him off, “During your slumber, I have reflected on life, on everything.”

Her palm run over her kimono, her skin feeling the fabric where sakuras were imprinted, “Back then, if Makoto did not have someone who could stay at Inazuma to look after it, she would not have gone to that place and meet her demise. If it was her and not me who ruled Inazuma, its people would not experience such heartache and tragedy. If not for me, you could have avoided going down this path.” Her hands curled into fists, “So I will fix the damage I have caused.” She looked up and smiled at her son, “This time, you will get the life and the love I could not give you.”

“That’s absurd!” He stood up, enraged, “Such what ifs are only hypothetical! Removing your existence guarantees nothing. It’s meaningless. You are just running away from your responsibilities and repentance! It’s selfish!” Desperation crept into his voice.

He wanted her to die.

For so long, he wanted her to disappear as a way to ease the pain she had caused him.

But…

But now that it was staring at him in the face,

Now that he got what he wanted,

Why did it hurt?

Why did he want to cling to her?

Why did he want her to hold him again?

Why did he crave her warmth?

Why did he keep wanting to see that smile?

Why did he refuse to let her go?

Ei stood up from her seat, a soft smile on her face, “Yes, your mother is quite selfish.” Her figure started to fade, “But I hope you find it in your heart to love such a mother.”

“No! No, don’t go!” He lunged forward and held her tight, tears prickling on his eyes once more, “Don’t leave me! Not again!”

She ran her hand through his hair, “Live on, Kuni. Live on and enjoy a better life without me. When you wake, everything will be brighter.”

In the middle of the darkness, a boy cried as he held on to a fading light…

…until it disappeared with a shower of sakura petals that whispered,

“Thank you for being born.”

“Kuni?” A woman with long indigo hair was staring at him, the warm sunlight shining down on her parasol and the gentle breeze blowing on her white kimono, “Is there something wrong?”

Was there? He could feel tears on his cheeks and an ache in his chest but…

What is it?

What…

What was he thinking about?

He shook his head and wiped his tears, letting the wind sway the sakura petals to dry his damp skin and carry away the pain from his chest, “Nothing. Let’s get going, mother.”

#genshin wanderer #genshin scaramouche #genshin ei #genshin raiden shogun #ei #scara #scaramouche #genshin impact #genshin #genshin fanfic #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #hurt/comfort #ei erases herself like rukkha did #just a what if #the needed mother and son talk #makoto lives #wherein scara lives a happier life #with another mom tho

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writer-and-artist27 · 1 year

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Tumblr Short Story: "Unholy" Kisses

Summary: This is a day that never dawned, a night that never came to be. A time where a Master spoke up beyond her mortification, saying things that inevitably led to more earlier down the line.

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Note: This is probably the most “thirsty” story I’ve written in a hot minute (and that says something when I’m the ace and look at most thirst-related FGO artwork with a One Punch Man “okay” face), and I’m affectionately blaming Sebas/@exmeowstic for this due to his encouraging it. And also inspiring me with his recent commission artwork for Passing Days. Thankie, beloved friend.

Note that the following does have spoilers for the manga adaptation of Salem, as well as consist of an AU/alternate universe of Passing Days proper. Kinda like a “what if” scenario after the ending of Day 45, where specific things could’ve played out differently. With a lot more yearning and kissing mixed in. So. You’ve been forewarned.

For a song to listen to, I recommend Kyle Landry’s 2021 piano cover of Dearly Beloved from Kingdom Hearts.

Please enjoy!

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“From what I’m aware of,” Sanson said with a face, giving Robin a look over Vy’s head, “your injuries aren’t serious enough to prevent you coming back into the troupe full-time. But I did have to apply stitches to your wounds, so at the moment, bedrest is a must, Archer.”

“Of course,” Robin deadpanned, unable to keep the grimace off his face in spite of Vy continuing to cling to him with her arms around his neck as he patted the top of her head. “How’s Circe?”

“Working,” Sanson replied, turning back to the nightstand to start packing up his first-aid supplies. “Last I checked, there were still a few things she wanted to adjust within her workshop, so I imagine she wants to be left alone for now.” As a bottle of antiseptic went back into his duffel bag, Robin could hear the soft clink clink of the glass bumping something inside. “She was the one to bring you back here, after all.”

No wonder the little sparrow was so worried. Robin glanced down at the brunette still hugging him with an internal sigh before returning Sanson’s gaze with a wry smile. “That explains things.” To Vy, he couldn’t help but raise his other arm to start rubbing comforting circles into her back, unable to ignore the growing wetness on his shoulder as she trembled against him. “Little sparrow,” he whispered, “I’m not going anywhere. You can let go now.”

To both his and Sanson’s surprise, Vy furiously shook her head, merely tightening her grip in the hug as she buried her face into his neck. “D-Don’t wanna,” is the mumbled response, sounding almost like a petulant child as she continued to have a bad case of the sniffles. “You w-worried me, you absolute dork…”

“Vy…”

“Which I understand your feelings, Master, all too well in fact,” Sanson put in, softer this time as he reached out to rest a hand against Vy’s shoulder, “but your clinging to him may make it harder for his stitches to stay in place. Is it alright if you could let him go now?”

By that point, Robin’s not sure whether to glare at Sanson or not as a soft “Ugu” tickles his neck, but Vy still loosens her grip on him as she pulls back from the hug. It didn’t stop him from feeling a nugget of guilt start to weigh down his stomach once he takes in the look on her face, and Sanson seems to notice it too, because he withdraws his hand in half the time it takes for Vy to sit back in her chair at Robin’s bedside, long brown hair shading her eyes. Tears still tellingly glisten from her cheeks and at Robin’s shoulder where she was crying, and the little sparrow proceeds to shakily reach into one of her pockets on her Standard Chaldean uniform. With another sniffle (not muffled this time), she pulls out a microfiber cloth, taking off her glasses to start wiping at the lenses with the small thing. “‘M… ‘m sorry,” comes out in a shaky wisp of a voice, hints of another sob climbing up her throat as she swallows thickly. “I… I…”

“Vy,” Robin said softly, giving Sanson his own look before the Assassin could open his goddamn mouth again, “it’s okay.”

Mid-wipe of her glasses, a few droplets fall onto the lenses past her fingers as Vy’s shoulders shake. “N-No, no, Robin, it’s not… it’s not…” A noise caught between a sob and a high-pitched wail then leaves her mouth, echoing in the room enough to make Sanson freeze in place as she shook her head. “It’s not okay, it’s just not…”

Oh no, Robin thinks.

“I’ll…” Sanson gulps, looking more and more uncomfortable by the second as he zipped up his duffel bag, slowly backing away to grab his coat as he inched closer towards the door. “I’ll take my leave now. I… I can see I have intruded on what appears to be a private moment, so you two can hash things out, Archer,” he then adds hastily, his hand finding some kind of purchasing grip on the doorknob before throwing open the door. “Don’t push yourself, Master,” is all he leaves Vy in passing as the door closes behind him, locking in place with a very solid click, and by then, Robin is left alone with his little sparrow.

His crying, very upset little sparrow.

Normally, Robin would’ve been pissed at Sanson leaving him to handle the work. But in this case, he couldn’t be bothered to even feel angry.

Not with Vy still crying in front of him.

“Vy,” Robin tries softly, sitting up and scooting out of the bed some to extend an arm in her direction. “It’s not your fault I got hurt.”

“B-But I was the one who ordered you to go out there with Circe to investigate the Whateleys, Robin…” Vy shockingly clams up in response to his touch, folding her glasses in her palm to squeeze with the microfiber cloth like a gosh darn stress ball as she brings her knees up to her face. “I was the one to ask you to go out there, and you…” This time, there is a sob as she shrinks further into her own little ball. “You could’ve d-died.”

And that’s the crux of the issue, isn’t it? Robin already knew Vy never liked seeing the people around her hurt. Heck, he knew things Sanson and the others didn’t thanks to their bond, from how she tried her best at everything, how she worked harder than anyone else just for the people she loved, even if it meant making a false image of being happy for her parents when they worried — forcing a smile for that aunt of hers who was still in the hospital for a cancer she wasn’t sure about when on a call before this whole mess of a Singularity. It didn’t make him feel any less guilty at knowing his calculated risk of a plan with Circe to face off against that fake-Lavinia ended up hurting her. Again, after what happened in SE.RA.PH too. And here he thought he was doing better at making it up to her.

“‘M sorry,” Vy sobs before Robin could open his mouth, wiping at her eyes fiercely with her sleeve while refusing to move from her new burrow of her knees, even if it meant her tears were starting to darken part of her stockings. “‘M sorry I wasn’t… I wasn’t there for you… I—”

“Hey.” Robin could feel his voice crack as he reached over, his hand finally finding some purchase in resting on top of her hair. “Hey, Vy. Don’t say that. That’s not it at all.” I could never blame you for a plan that went wrong. “I was the one who agreed to the plan. Besides, you did what you could, little sparrow, and it’s okay, really. Don’t clam up on me and just look at me, will you?”

Vy sniffled, but after a few more coaxing rubs of her head, she slowly peeked out past her wet stockings to meet his eye, and Robin couldn’t help the smile growing on his face as he reached over with his other arm to pull on her chair. Once the bottom half of the chair hit the mattress with a quiet thump noise, he reached out to her on instinct, ignoring his abdomen screaming at him from the bandages as his arms encircled her trembling form to pull her into him. Something small yet sharp was poking his waist, probably Vy’s glasses, but he couldn’t care less. Not right now.

“I’m still here, little sparrow,” he whispered, stroking her hair once her nose softly bumped his other, less wet shoulder. “I’m not dead yet. Just a bit mana-drained and hurt, that’s all. It’s not something we both can’t fix. So you don’t have to cry.”

Shaky hands reached up to press against his chest, a few more telling sniffles echoing into his neck as Vy slowly nodded. Then, to Robin’s surprise, she whispered, “S-So… if you got mana, you wouldn’t be as hurt right now?”

Robin blinked, pulling back some to let Vy wipe at her eyes with her sleeve as his muscles in his arms tensed. “I mean… yes?” Where are you going with this?

Vy ducked her head, extending one arm to drop her glasses and microfiber cleaning cloth onto the nightstand where Sanson’s duffel bag once was in time with her taking a deep breath. In and out. From their closeness, Robin could feel her chest heave from the effort. “Th-Then…” her ears turned pink from what he could see past her hair as she scrubbed at her face with her other sleeve. Were her cheeks turning pink too? “What if… what if I kissed you?”

“…Uh.” It took Robin a moment too long to realize he choked on his own saliva. “What?”

Vy inhaled sharply. “I-I said… what if I kissed you?” She then raised her head to meet his gaze, and Robin knew he wasn’t mistaking the bright rosy hue of her cheeks as the color spread to her nose. Embarrassment and familiar hardy determination shined in her red-rimmed eyes, all the more clear without her glasses as she stared at him. “I-I heard from Da Vinci a while back how mages could transfer mana through the… the exchange of fluids,” she stammered, shaking her head but still scooting closer to him, her fingers bumping his. “A-And said fluids could be anything from blood to saliva to…” Robin could then do nothing but watch as Vy covered her reddening face with both hands, shaking her head vigorously as she bit out, “Sexual fluids, and, and I thought saliva would be the safer option!”

…She went there. She really went there.

“Little sparrow,” left Robin in a voice he briefly couldn’t recognize as his own, “you don’t have to do that. Assassin stitched me up and bedrest is already on my agenda.”

“B-But!” Vy peeked at him through the cracks in her fingers, her brown eyes pleading now. Ack. “You’re still hurt, Robin…!”

“That doesn’t make it permanent, little sparrow,” he says, and goddammit, now he’s blushing too. “You don’t have to push yourself for me.”

“But it’s you!” Vy blurts out next, making any protests on his tongue crumble away once her hands fall to her lap and make fistfuls of her skirt. “I-I know, I know kissing without consent is considered sexual harassment, but it’s still you, you’re still hurt, and…” Vy shuts her eyes tight, enough for a stray tear to form in one corner (from her previous crying, no doubt) and slowly trickle down her red cheeks as he watches. “I don’t want to lose you, Big Robin. Even if I… I’ve never kissed someone ever, I’d rather kiss you if it meant not losing you. If it meant letting you live.”

Now what could he possibly say to that? To his little sparrow, with her shaking shoulders and fidgeting hands, basically offering herself to him on a metaphorical silver platter?

Robin exhaled a breath he didn’t need, feeling sweat start to form on the back of his neck as he considered. Da Vinci, Arturia, Achilles, and some of the other Servants back home definitely would have his head in the end if things went wrong (and really, what could be more wrong than what was going on now?), but, at a time like this—

“Okay,” he relented weakly. “Let’s do it.”

“…Huh?”

“Hey.” Robin reached over to take one of Vy’s hands in his to squeeze, unable to hide the weak grin forming on his face as he met her eyes. “It’s not sexual harassment if I consent to it, right?”

“Um,” Vy blinks, her cheeks turning redder by the minute. “Yes? I-I mean, I think so?”

How did I fall in love with such a clumsy little sparrow like you? A traitorous part of him thinks. Outwardly, he chuckles, tugging on her hand so that she’s leaning into him now. Her hands are pressing against his chest as his other hand slowly cups her cheek. “Then let me take the lead this time,” leaves him in a huff of a breath, unable to hide the delight starting to bubble up in his throat at the sight of Vy’s eyes reflecting his image alone in time with her cheeks turning rosier with his slow closing of the distance. “You’re shaking too much, Vy.”

“I-I’m sorry…” But Vy still leans into his palm, her cute pink lips parting some as her eyelashes fluttered at him. “I know I said what I said, but I-I really don’t have any experience with this…”

“Then close your eyes, little sparrow,” he whispers, his thumb rubbing at the corner of her eye where that one tear once was, wiping at it with all the care a ghost of a man like him could give. “I’ve got you.” An inch away from doing the deed, he finishes with a faint, “Stop me with a Command Seal if you ever feel uncomfortable.”

Vy still lets out a sound close to a whimper once his lips gently press against hers, but she doesn’t clam up like before. If anything, she tenses up just a bit, frozen as he moves his mouth against hers, but her hands aren’t pushing him away. To his surprise, they’re trembling against his chest, weakly clutching at some of his bandages and even the chain to his silver necklace around his neck for some kind of relief (or maybe to cling to him?) to match her timid demeanor. It’s a mild kiss, not nearly enough to exchange saliva like she probably intended to, especially considering it’s just a light press of mouths to begin with, but it’s soft and faintly sweet. In all honesty, Robin wanted the gesture to last for a single moment — not too long so that Vy could regain her composure, but when pulling back and looking at her red face, something inside him somehow snapped.

So cute…

A soft “Wah!” is then muffled between them as Robin leaned up to press his lips to Vy’s again, and this time, he swallows the noise in its entirety as he opens his mouth to trace her own with his tongue. She shivers even through the palm he has on her cheek, shyly opening her mouth after he rubs a coaxing line into her back with his other hand, and then her tongue carefully touches his. It’s just as shy when it comes to moving around, but Robin can’t help the smile he has going on mid-kiss because his taste buds finally get a taste of what he’s been dreaming about.

Sweet. Just like maple syrup. Did Mata Hari make pancakes for Vy’s breakfast?

Vy lets out another noise as he continues the kiss, something along the lines of a surprised “Ah!” this time. Her grip on his bandages and necklace weakens as she goes on to melt into his arms, the energy seemingly leaving her body as she leans into him. Her fingertips gently brush the skin along his collarbone a second later, making his heart jump when it didn’t need to, and so he can’t help the hand he has on her back moving to her waist to pull her down with him to the bed. Once his head hits the pillows behind him, he can feel her long brown hair tickle his cheeks as energy surged through his veins, the kiss barely stopping for breath because he finally got a taste and it’s not enough.

My little sparrow…

“B-Big Robin…” Vy squeaks (something along the lines of an embarrassed “Fwah—!”) once he pulls back and then his lips inevitably find hers again, interrupting her attempt at a sentence as the palm on her cheek moved, cupping the back of her head to keep her close for as long as he could savor it. Her weight doesn’t feel heavy against his abdomen as electricity tickles the back of his brain, his bandages for once not screaming at him as she leans against them, her chest pressing against his to the point he could feel how soft it was. Her tongue is pliant as he tugs at it with his own, the heat of her cheeks starting to warm his with the closeness as he tilted his head the other way. It’s not even a question of whether saliva is being exchanged anymore — every passing second has more mana running through his arteries and Vy is still kissing him back.

It takes Vy letting out another whimper for a shred of Robin’s common sense to come back, but it doesn’t last long once he breaks the kiss (was it the third? Or the fourth?) to take in the shininess of her lips and the bright red rosiness of her cheeks.

This little sparrow of mine…

Robin doesn’t realize he’s hastily unbuttoning the collar of Vy’s Standard Chaldean uniform until Vy’s eyes are wide open and she’s squeaking again, but he doesn’t regret pushing her hair back and pressing his lips to the column of her exposed neck where he could feel her pulse, nipping there some with his teeth to encourage more noises out of her throat. A little “Nn” here, an embarrassed “Ah!” there. They made up such a unique little song, just for him. It all sounded so cute, so irresistible, he really couldn’t help it. Plus Sanson locked the door, so he could do that much.

Despite his True Name, Robin Hood was still a petty bowman who could fall to the charms of a lovely young lady. And the young lady in his arms, Vy — it was still his little sparrow. His and his alone.

A small red mark lingers on Vy’s skin once Robin’s given her neck enough attention through so many trails of kisses, and looking up revealed Vy staring at him with wide and teary eyes past her curtain of brown hair. “Th… that wasn’t part of what Da Vinci told me,” she whispered, but the tiny smile and the little bit of embarrassed joy leaking through their bond reveals she’s not averse to it either. “But um… Robin?”

Robin grinned, moistening his lips with a swipe of his tongue. “Yeah?”

“Uh.” Vy blushes, her hands still pressing against his bandaged chest and collarbone. “Could you… could you kiss me again? O-On the lips, I mean? You still look hurt…”

What an excuse. I can’t even feel the stitches anymore.

With a chuckle, Robin sat up on the bed to take Vy into his lap, retracting the hand he had on her head to rest it against her chin, his thumb unable to help itself from tracing her bottom lip. It was a little swollen compared to before, but it was still so soft and pink and cute. “Be careful with those words, little sparrow. You’ll be eaten up by the big bad wolf at this rate…”

“N-Not if it’s you, Big Robin…” she insists, but she still closes her eyes and leans into his touch as he ducks his head to kiss her again. “I-I think I’d only want you anyways…”

Well, damn. Robin already knew if Abby walked in, the scene he’d be making with his Ringmaster would probably look “unholy.” But at this point, with Vy shivering in his arms and being oh so receptive to a former bandit taking her first kiss and then some, he couldn’t find himself caring much. The atmosphere was growing hotter, the air was getting stickier, and Vy was tasting sweeter.

And hey. Even a bowman like him could take some pleasure in tangling his fingers up in his little sparrow’s brown hair to pull her closer for more breath. More of her taste, more of her tongue, more of her lips when he never got such a delight out of them before. It honestly made him wonder why he didn’t kiss her sooner, because nothing in his time alive really compared to this. His old policy of “no strings attached” be damned — it weighed nothing compared to feeling his own Maid Marian melt against him, making noises only he could hear thanks to his actions.

“R-Robin…” Vy’s hands tug at his necklace this time. “Th-The others might come in later if we’re not careful…”

With another press of his lips to hers, Robin shrugged. “That’s what my cloak is for, isn’t it?”

“M-Muuu…” Her tongue still weakly reaches out to intertwine with his once he dives back in. “D-Dork…”

“Love you too.”

“Muu—ah!” And oh, Robin liked the sound of that one. He should nip at her neck more often.

In yet another kiss, Robin absently decided to bandage up Vy’s neck later so that no one would ask questions. Those marks were his and his alone, and no one else had to know. That was that.

Knowing his little sparrow, she wouldn’t mind talking it out. Probably.

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