#like he doesn't say that he doesn't want hugo too it's more he can't allow himself that happiness | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

littlemisslol-fic · 2 years

Text

The Silent Opera

Chapter Six: Out of Tune

Summary: In a world populated by Soulmates— people drawn together by wordless music connecting them to their destined other half— Varian is an anomaly. He is Songless, someone without a Soulmate of his own. He makes due with the cards dealt to him, used to being the castle oddity by now, but when an interesting blond takes up residence in the castle, he can't help but be drawn to him.

Hugo, on the other hand, is horrified to find that not only is his Soulmate a palace brat, but that Varian doesn't hear him back— meaning Hugo is trapped in a one-sided bond. When presented with a horrible choice between completing the theft Donella had sent him to do, or taking a frightening step into vulnerability, Hugo finds himself at an impasse he just might not be able to charm his way out of.

And then politics get involved.

Notes: Hey everyone! Things are rolling hehehehe, let's goooooo! On one note, we have TWO (?!?!??!!) beautiful fanarts for last week's chapter, one from notapeaceful duck (bless ur heart <3) over here, and the other from wallywestfest, which is over here!! They're both absolutely stunning, so please give them some love if you haven't already!! Thank you so much guys!!

Varian can’t help but feel spread thin.

The Socrians have wormed their way into castle life, constantly demanding, constantly present, constantly there— like a barnacle, or a scar that just won’t heal. It’s probably wrong to think that about… well, about someone he’ll be stuck with for the rest of his life. Landis remains… fine, always looming, always popping up around corners and being awkward and—

Rapunzel had told Varian to give Landis a chance, but Varian couldn’t help but not want this. The urge to dig in his heels and refuse this whole charade rings so strongly in his chest that he nearly gives in. But too much is riding on all this… on him. His friends, his family, the people who he’d hurt so much, and in turn had forgiven him with time and patience. Varian knows he owes them— there’s a debt there that he cannot ever hope to repay. If a lifetime with an awkward partner is all it takes to keep them from the brink of war, then the choice is clear. The deal is too good to ignore.

He and Landis are out on the terrace. The older man had showed up at the door to Varian’s lab— something he’d been doing a lot of, recently— and asked if Varian would accompany him to lunch. It’s been nearly a month of this, of Landis requesting time, energy, and attention from Varian with stilted words and awkward bows. Varian always says yes, though that’s more about not being able to say no.

Varian can’t help but slouch, picking at his little finger sandwich listlessly. It’s even ham, one of his favorites, and yet he can’t find it within himself to be hungry. Instead, he entertains himself with sneaking food to Ruddiger, making a game out of how many carrot-sticks he can get to his pet without Landis noticing.

The brunet pulls a face when he sees the raccoon swirling around the table, purring as he chows down on his snack.

“Is it really allowed in here?” he asks, moving his foot away when Ruddiger tries to sniff it. “It’s vermin, isn’t it?”

Varian’s nose scrunches. “Ruddy’s tame. He’s really very nice, you just need to give him some time to get used to you.”

“It’s unsanitary.”

Ruddiger chirps in offense, moving to sit near Varian again. Landis’ mouth pulls down into a deep frown. “It’s not coming back to Socria with us; my estate management would never approve.”

Varian feels the first swell of offense, bending over to pick up Ruddiger and hold him in his lap. He has to bite at the inside of his cheek to stay civil. “Where I go, Ruddiger goes.” His tone is hard, much more than he’s ever used with their guest before. “He’s my best friend.”

“How sad.” It’s not a joke. Varian’s pretty sure Landis doesn’t know how to make jokes. A prickle works its way up his spine, one that makes him think of Hugo: deep and profound irritation.

“He’s a pet,” Varian reiterates, “more specifically my pet. He won’t cause trouble for your estate, and if he does I’ll deal with it. Did you not have pets as a kid?” He holds Ruddiger like one would a baby, scratching the raccoon’s tummy. Ruddiger squeals, pushing himself toward Varian’s hand for more attention. Landis’ lip curls.

“I didn’t,” he says, “though my father had hunting dogs. They were work animals; when they got old he’d replace them.”

Varian swallows thickly, hugging Ruddiger just a bit tighter. “I… oh.” He’s not sure why exactly that’s so sad; he’s seen more than a few old dogs hit retirement age, one of Quirin’s friends had even bred the things, but he’d never heard of someone who fully replaced them. Usually, they’d spend their sunset years in front of a fire or going to a family who wanted an old dog just to love. He’d never heard of someone just ditching a dog. It seemed almost astonishingly cruel.

📷Landis doesn’t seem to notice Varian’s pale face, instead opting to pick up an olive on a toothpick and eat it. “It’s only natural,” he says, through his chewing. “When something isn’t useful, you get rid of it. That’s how things work.”

His arms tighten around Ruddiger. Is that how things work in Socria? It certainly isn’t like that in Corona. It hurts his heart to think of animals being treated like that—like Ruddiger being treated like that. Varian knows he must look like a fool, mouth gaping at the statement and the idea— but Landis just shrugs.

“I guess you can keep it,” he says, swallowing his olive. He looks down at the raccoon in Varian’s arms, before rolling his eyes. “How long do they live? Maybe we can make use of it then… there’s a man in Socria who makes hats out of their pelts, apparently they’re worth quite a bit of gold.”

📷A wave of nausea washes over Varian. He presses his mouth into the crown of Ruddiger’s head, both seeking comfort in his pet and also silently vowing to protect him— even though the raccoon obviously doesn’t know what’s being said. Varian feels a twist in his stomach at the thought. Who the hell offers to make someone’s pet into a hat? Landis continues talking, eyeing up another small sandwich, completely ignorant to the distress he’s caused.

“You know, I was on a hunt, when my Song stopped, but that day we did actually pull quite a few pelts. My father took them, so I never bothered to figure out how much they traded for— now I’m curious.”

Wait…

Wait.

“When— your what?” Varian manages to choke out the question, just barely getting it past the weird emotions in his chest. Landis looks up from his plate, arching a brow.

“The Song,” he says flatly. “You know, the reason we’re both here? I was on a hunt when it stopped. Nearly knocked me off my horse.” He chuckles then, but there’s no mirth.

But that doesn’t line up.

Alarm bells begin to subtly ring in Varian’s mind, the alchemist combing through his memories. He could have sworn…

“Didn’t you say you were asleep?”

Varian’s question rings. Landis pauses, halfway through the motion of eating a spoonful of pea soup. He puts the spoon down, looking at Varian and tilting his head.

“When was I asleep?” he asks. Varian just catches the way his fingers twitch. Something isn’t right. The twist of discomfort gets tighter in his chest, urging him to dig deeper, to pry. He knows what he heard. Varian bites the inside of his lip, looking to their unaware guest; something’s shady. His eyes narrow, not backing down.

“When we first met, you told me your Song had stopped when you were asleep,” the alchemist explains. “You said that you just woke up and it was quiet. That’s how you knew your Soulmate was gone. But just now you said you were on a hunt.”

Landis barks out a laugh, looking back to his food. “I don’t think I did,” he says, “you must be misremembering. I was on a hunt with some of my men; there’s a large forest behind Dorgoil House, it’s perfect for hunting for deer. I was around fifteen so it was a good idea to stay close to home.”

Wrong again.

Varian isn’t stupid. He knows what he heard. Landis must pick up that he’s not convinced; the brunet huffs as he stirs his meal.

“You must have misheard me,” he says. “Do you really think I don’t know when my own Soulmate died? Really, Varian, why would I lie about that?”

Varian's suspicion curls into shame.

“Right,” he mumbles, “I must have been mistaken. Sorry.”

Landis plucks another olive from the tray. After he eats it, he uses the toothpick to point at Ruddiger. “It’s fine,” he says. “As I was saying, you can bring it along—just make sure to keep that thing away from the hunting dogs.” He laughs then, but Varian can’t find the joke. Landis flicks the toothpick off the balcony, uncaring, before meeting Varian’s eye with a humored smile.

“If it gets too close, they’ll tear it to shreds.”

—————♪—————

Varian, despite his best intentions, can seem to chase that conversation out of his thoughts. At first he just stews over it, mulling over everything in his head— he could have sworn Landis had said he was seventeen, asleep, that he’d woken up to Silence— combing through his memories to see where the hell he’d picked up this wrong thought that stuck out so directly; he can’t find it, but that doesn’t stop his mind from gnawing on the topic like a dog on a bone.

He’s sitting in the lab, tapping on the table with a pen as he thinks. Varian’s supposed to be watching Seventeen the Plant and his twenty-nine siblings, but the alchemist’s wheels keep spinning in the mud. Because Landis hadn’t soundedlike he’d been lying— he’d spoken with the same flat cadence he always did— but it was a splinter in Varian’s mind. Needling, digging deeper the more he thought about it.

The alchemist huffs, pushing away his notepad. He looks over to the plants, frowning slightly when he doesn’t see much change since they’d been planted. He’d been hoping for a more visible change by now, but it seems like the stubborn things just aren’t willing to work with him.

He perks up at the sound of footsteps, snatching his notebook and opening to a random page. If he looks busy, maybe they’ll leave him alone—

“Hey, goggles, how are the kids?”

Oh, Hugo.

Maybe he can spare some time.

“They’re fine,” he says, closing the book again. “I wish they’d grow a little faster, but I’m sure they’re doing their best.”

Hugo snorts, approaching the table. He gently places a bag down in front of Varian, right on top of the open notebook. It’s warm. In his other hand he holds a second paper bag, a basic brown one that’s crumpled at the top. Varian’s is too; Hugo must have been holding them tightly.

The blond plunks himself down around the corner from Varian, so that they’re just beside each other. He puts his own bag on the table, tilting his head to get a look at Seventeen.

“Still nothing, huh?” he asks, frowning.

“Well, Seventeen grew a new leaf,” Varian admits, “and four through eight have gained about two inches of height since we last measured… but not much else has happened.”

“Bummer.” Hugo cracks his bag open. A wonderfully sweet smell drifts from it, making Varian’s stomach growl. He reaches for his own bag— slightly concerning, he hadn’t asked Hugo for anything— and looks in, his eyes going wide in delight. Hugo must see the look on his face, the blond beginning to snicker.

“It’s chocolate tart day in the kitchens,” he says flippantly. “A little birdy told me you liked them, so I snuck down and grabbed some.”

Little birdy— Rapunzel. Of course.

“Well. Uh. Thank you.” Varian scoops the tart up in his hand, quickly taking a bite before it can get cold. He can’t help the smile that spreads across his face at the taste— sweet and fudgy and oh so good— even when Hugo begins to laugh at him again. Varian doesn’t even care, he’ll kill Hugo later, for now he’s just going to enjoy himself.

Hugo eats his own food, stuffing half the thing into his face without a care in the world. It’s just a simple egg tart, interesting. Hugo makes a weird, questioning noise, and tilts his head as he chews, reading Varian’s notes with a confused face. He swallows thickly, eyes bugging a bit before he manages to get his snack down. Varian’s just grateful that he does—he’s not about to deal with Hugo choking to death in his lab.

“What’s going on with this page?” he asks, for once sounding completely confused. Varian looks down to the page, his face going red at his scribbling about Landis. It must look like the ravings of a lunatic, from an outside perspective. He quickly tries to cover it with his hands, feeling a hot wave of mortification wash over him.

“Nothing!” he says quickly, “nothing at all, just some scribbling—”

“Aw, c’mon, what is it?” Hugo’s face goes downright devious, reaching for the book. Varian nearly shrieks, trying to pull it away, only to get flicked on the nose by one of Hugo’s long fingers. He yelps, covering it with his hands at the sting; Hugo takes his chance, snatching the book and dancing away, even as Varian follows him in a panic.

“Hugo!” he snaps. “Give it back! It’s nothing, don’t look!”

Varian nearly snarls as Hugo holds out a hand, catching him by the face. Due to the height difference, Varian’s flailing arms can’t reach the blond in order to save his book. Fucking hell, now everyone in the castle is going to know—

Hugo tilts his head, holding the journal with the hand not currently holding Varian at bay. “What is this?” he asks, pulling a face. “I can’t make heads or tails of it; are you writing in code?”

Varian finally manages to slap Hugo’s hand away, ducking under him and grabbing the book. “It’s nothing,” he insists, “and even if it was something, that something would be none of your business!”

Hugo sighs, putting his hands on his hips. “You’ve been stressed,” he says, point blank. Varian cringes, opening his mouth to deny it, but Hugo cuts him off. “No, c’mon. We both know it’s been weird lately. Maybe getting things off your chest would help?”

Varian scoffed, shaking his head. “And who made you the emotional support, here?”

Hugo rolls his eyes, dropping back into his chair. “Fine, fuck it, be a brick wall,” he mutters. “Don’t come crying to me when you have a nervous breakdown.”

Varian… pauses. His chocolate tart, growing cold, sits on the table. The alchemist’s tired brain can barely puzzle through what’s happening—until he finally breaks through the wall and figures it out. Hugo was trying to make him feel better, in his own stupid way. Varian couldn’t help but feel a little touched; he let out a sigh, walking back to the table and sitting down next to Hugo.

“Fine,” he said, “it’s something to do with Landis—”

“—Prick.”

“Yes. But listen. A while ago we were talking, and I mentioned that I’ve. Uh. Never heard the Song, right?”

Hugo nods, popping a piece of egg tart into his mouth. “Mh-hm,” he says, chewing. Varian’s finger taps at the tabletop, a sharp rap-rap. How to phrase this and not sound like a raving lunatic…

“He told me that he was asleep, and that he’d woken up and his Song had gone quiet. And that he was seventeen, okay?”

“Okay?” It comes out more like m-kay, with the way Hugo’s still eating, but Varian takes it for what it is.

“Right. So, just now, at brunch, he just said a whole new story? That he was fifteen, and on a hunt. And when I asked him about it, he said I must have misheard him, but I’m sure I didn’t. Or at least— I don’t think I did?” He sighs, scratching the back of his neck. “Maybe I’m going crazy, I don’t know…”

Hugo swallows his food, squints, and shakes his head. “Nah, that’s weird.” He’s not meeting Varian’s eye, looking off to the side in thought. “You’re sure that’s what you heard?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why the fuck would he lie?”

“That’s what he asked, but I don’t know—”

“No, goggles, you’re mishearing me. I don’t think he’s not lying; I’m asking why he’s lying.” Hugo shrugs, pursing his lips. “If you say he’s not telling the truth, then he’s not. But why? What does he gain?”

Varian pauses at that. His mouth clicks shut, the countless defenses he’d been thinking of turning to dust in light of Hugo just… believing him. It’s a strange feeling, not one he’s used to— but Hugo definitely seems more enticed by the idea of trying to catch Landis in a lie than he does in disbelieving Varian. It’s a good change of pace, from the rest of the castle staff.

“I’m not sure,” Varian admits. “But I’m not crazy.”

Hugo nods, smirking. “Not from this, at least.” Varian punches him in the arm, making the blond laugh. The alchemist’s stomach flutters at the sound; it rings so genuinely, so unlike anything he’s heard from Hugo yet… hm. Hugo shoves at Varian’s shoulder in retaliation, a weak little push that makes him giggle, before settling down again.

“It’s also weird that he tried to turn it on you,” the blond says. “I don’t like that he made it seem like it was your fault that you caught him in a lie.”

That’s… a good point. Varian scratches at his cheek, feeling that same hot shame from before beginning to creep back in. Maybe he was imagining it, he’d been so stressed lately; but he wasn’t imagining it, right? Landis had sounded so sure… Varian doesn’t know what to think.

“Either way, that’s suspicious.” Hugo says it flatly, like he’s already accepted it as truth. “I bet if I did some poking around I could find out what happened—”

“No, the hell you won’t,” Varian stops him there. “If you get caught somewhere you’re not supposed to, it would be a political nightmare. Don’t even think about it.”

Hugo pouts, deflating playfully. “Not even a little snooping? How boring.”

Varian can’t help the smile that cracks across his face. “Yeah, well I like your head attached to your shoulders, thanks. Socria is even worse on its criminals than Corona was… is. Is.”

Hugo gulps. Varian just catches as Hugo lifts his hand, obviously about to grasp at his own throat before changing the movement to scratch at the back of his neck. Interesting.

“Anyways.” He manages to get the journal back from Hugo, closing it softly. “Maybe it was just a slip up. Maybe it wasn’t. I don’t suppose it’ll change much, in the end.”

Hugo’s mouth opens like he wants to say something. Varian just catches a twitch in his eye before Hugo’s jaw snaps shut with a click— interesting.

“Anyways,” he says, not meeting Hugo’s eye. “I don’t know what game Landis is playing… but thank you, for believing me. I think I’ve been stuck around Nigel for too long, I’m used to having to defend everything.”

Hugo shrugs, picking up Seventeen and chuckling at the joke. He shoots Varian a wink, wiggling the plant.

“Only the best for my co-parent,” he says, playing up the schmooze in his voice. “We have to give Seventeen and Co. a stable home life.”

“Hm, is stable the word for what we’ve got going on?”

“Oh, absolutely, if you want to see unstable there was this family in Koto I once met, all of them were absolutely crazy; you wouldn’t believe—”

Varian lets a smile creep across his face, balancing his chin on his hand and planting his elbow so that he can listen. He can’t help but watch the play of sunlight in Hugo’s eye as the blond gets really into his story, right down to different voices and big, showy gestures with his hands. Varian lets it wash over him, concerns of Landis and fear of the future slowly leaving his thoughts as Hugo’s nearly lyrical voice fills his ears.

He lets the tension bleed from his spine, relaxing for the first time in hours. Something about being here, in the lab, with good company—it was so easy to just let himself slip back into normalcy. To let the stress fade away and get caught up in Hugo’s stories. Here he could let himself relax.

If only for a little while longer.

—————♪—————

As seems to be the case, lately, Landis eventually shows up to ruin the fun.

When the brunet enters the lab he doesn’t even bother knocking anymore, a factor that sets Hugo’s teeth on edge; sure, ponce, just waltz in like you own the fucking place, why not?

The second Varian sees him he freezes. The Song makes a weird little skip, something akin to irritation mixed with suspicion and anxiety— a veritable cocktail of negative emotions that race through Hugo’s thoughts screaming AnnoyanceIrritationUnsettlement—

Hugo grits his teeth against it. He has to keep his face blank, holding it together lest one of the others catch his act. That doesn’t make staying strong against the torrent any easier, however. Varian eventually gets himself under control, standing from his seat and waving awkwardly.

“Landis,” he greets, “I, uh, didn’t expect you here— not that uh, you’re unwelcome, sorry, just—”

Varian’s hand flails backward, trying to close the journal. Fuck. Hugo reaches over without breaking his stare at their unwelcome visitor, gently closing it without incident. There’s a flash of gratefulness through the Song, relief shimmering through for just a second before getting dragged back down. Varian puts himself between Landis and Hugo, leaning against the table like he’s trying to hide his entire lab from prying eyes.

“Varian.” Landis’ voice is flat; his face pinches when he catches sight of Hugo. “And friend. I assume you’re not busy?”

Varian looks back to their plants, face going a little red. “Uh, kind of? We’re running a few trials of an accelerator for plant growth… oh! Do you want to see it? I promise it’s really fascinating, the science of it is just amazing—”

“Hm. No thank you. I’m afraid I don’t have time to listen about such… things.”

Varian deflates at that. The Song rings with disappointment, a sad little stutter in the beat that makes Hugo twitch.

“Hey—” he starts, standing up and laying his hands flat on the table, only to be cut off by Varian waving him down.

“That’s, uh, that’s fine, Landis. Can I help you with anything?”

Landis looks around their— around Varian’s lab, eyes narrowed. “I came down here to remind you to be ready for tomorrow night,” he says, “though now I’m not going to lie; I’m a little concerned that you’re going to want to take all this with you.”

“Well, I—I mean, not all of it, but maybe a bit—”

“Because you’ll have to leave such childish things behind, of course.”

Varian’s spine goes stiff. The silence of the lab suddenly thickens, enough to smother— enough to choke. Hugo opens his mouth again, ready to tell the ponce what for, but Varian beats him to it.

“Of course. Is there anything else?”

Landis shrugs, poking at one of the instruments to his left. It’s a delicate one; a little copper arm snaps off when he touches it. Hugo winces, watching it fall to the ground. It makes a loud ting when it hits the stone floor, the noise echoing through the awkwardly quiet lab. Varian’s Song pitches with frustration as the arm bounces. Landis only shrugs and makes for the door again— fucking prick.

“No, just make sure to be ready for five, tomorrow. Being late wouldn’t look good on either of us.”

Varian doesn’t reply. Landis simply leaves the room without so much as a goodbye, instead stalking from the room without a care. Hugo twitches as the Song rumbles, a stormy mixture of rage and offense… all undercut by the tiniest bit of hurt. He doesn’t even know what to say, let alone what to do…

But he has to try something.

“Hey,” he says softly, putting a hand on Varian’s shoulder. “Hey, fuck that guy—”

Varian jostles his hand away roughly, startling back to life like a machine that had just been turned on and moving to pick up the broken piece. He sighs, scooping the little copper bit off the ground.

“It’s fine.”

Hugo crosses his arms, leaning up against the table as Varian does his best to affix the arm back onto the machine it had fallen from. “I’ll be honest,” he says, “it reallydoesn’t sound fine.”

“Well it is. So drop it.”

Hm. I think the fuck not.

Hugo rolls his eyes, slouching back down into his chair. “I still don’t get why you’re so… normal, about that,” he mutters.

Varian blinks. “With what?”

“With the whole—” Hugo waves a hand, “—marriage thing. You’re going to get stuck with that guy, and you’re just okay with it?”

“I’m sorry, did I make it sound like this was my idea?” Varian snaps before he can think better of it. He obviously regrets it the second it’s out in the open, wincing. “I… okay. Hear me out. I may not like Landis very much—” A fucking understatement, “—but Songless people alone are an anomaly. There’s maybe a few thousand of us out there, if that. Add in the extra layer of nobility, and it becomes quite… slim pickings.”

Hugo tilts his head, digesting the new information. “How many are out there?” he asks.

“Fifteen total that I know of,” Varian says, “including myself and Landis. There’s only three others in the Seven Kingdoms, and two are already married to each other. The third is a young princess from Pitchford, but she’s only fourteen.”

Hugo suddenly feels ill.

“So.” Varian’s trying to keep his tone flat; he speaks like someone who’s used to explaining this— probably to his sister, seeing how against this whole thing Rapunzel is. “Countries want to make agreements with each other. Some of them are friendly enough that contracts and treaties are enough. Others… not so much.” Oh, fucking hell.

“Socria was allied with an old enemy of Corona, ages ago. Saporia. Even if we’ve annexed it, Socria still have never had a good relationship with us because of that.”

“Meaning…?”

“Meaning they don’t trust us to keep our end of the bargain. Remember Equis? If they decided to march on our borders, as our ally Socria would agree to join in defending us. In return, Frederick offered access to trade routes, and a lot of freedom from import and export taxes.”

Hugo groans, rubbing at his temples. “Goggles, simplify it for me. How does this translate into you getting hitched with the ponce?”

Varian scowls, throwing his hands up. “Because Landis and I are the only people who don’thave Soulmates on this stupid fucking continent. Everyone else already has their partners picked out. If we got married, there’s more skin in the game. We’d have to keep our word. Does that clear it up?”

For an impulsive, horrible second, Hugo wants to blurt out the truth. It doesn’t clear anything up— I hear you, I hear you, but you don’t hear me, is it my fault? Did I do this? We can fix this; all I have to do is Sing—

But Donella would kill him.

Hugo’s lips pinch together, like he’s pushing words back into his throat before they can escape. Donella would fucking kill you, if you blew this job for a pretty boy and a sad Song. He shoves the confession down, burying it deep.

“It sounds… complicated,” he finally says. Varian huffs a laugh, nodding. He leans up against the table, crossing his arms.

“And that’s the simple version.”

Hugo looks down to the table, picking at a splinter that’s begun to come loose. “It still seems… I don’t know. Not right. He’s a dick, Varian!”

Varian’s smile falls. He’s obviously trying to keep from fidgeting, but he must fail; his hands wind up tapping on the table again. “I… yeah. It’s not great. Like I said, Landis isn’t exactly who I’d pick, either. But in a positive light, I’ve been thinking of all the ways this will keep my family safe.” He looks down then, blinking away a brightness in his eyes. “Soulmates are basically arranged marriages too, just ones set up by the Song instead of politics. At least this way I know some good will come out of it.”

Hugo pulls a face, shaking his head. “Soulmates aren’t like that.” I’m not like that. His voice tremors, just the smallest bit. “The Song doesn’t pick your Soulmate, it just… helps you find them. Offers a little insight.”

Varian’s fingers tap a bit faster on the table. He makes a noncommittal noise. “How do you know?” he asks. It’s not accusatory but it’s an honest question. “How do you know they’re the perfect person, if you’ve been waiting for them?”

Fuck, this is a balancing act. Hugo pauses, blinking, but… hm. He can offer a bit of truth, can’t he?

“Because I haven’t been,” he admits.

Varian tilts his head at that, meeting Hugo’s eye. The blond blushes, not so much ashamed or embarrassed at his history, but more so that he’s admitting it to Varian—

“I’ve dated people before,” he continues. “Had a lot of good nights with people I didn’t really know.” He shrugs, then, scratching at his face. “I didn’t wait for my Soulmate. I didn’t think I’d ever find them. So, I had a bit… well, a lot of fun in the meantime.”

The Song falters a bit, the torrent of upset and anger fading slightly. He knows that Varian won’t judge him for this, he does, so why the fuck is Hugo so nervous—

But Varian only tilts his head. “I understand that.” He says it quietly, slowly. Like he’s lost in memory. “I’ve had a couple people try and see if I’d like to fool around,” he laughs, but it’s without mirth. “I guess when you’re Songless, people think you’re free game. Or desperate.”

Hugo winces, shaking his head. “Fuck them,” he says, voice wavering. “They don’t know shit. But I didn’t mean it like that.”

Varian’s head tilt gets more pronounced. Hugo sighs, scratching the back of his head. His words come faster now, tumbling over themselves as he tries to get his point across. “I’m— fuck, okay, so I’ve always been too busy to really care about the Song, right?”

Varian nods. Those blue eyes stare at him, transfixed, and fuck it’s not making this any easier.

“So, I don’t know, I just decided to have a good time without it, right? But I know that, out there, even if the Song wasn’t there… I think I’d end up drawn to them, anyways. It’s not a matchmaker; it doesn’t choose for us. It just… gives us a push.”

Varian’s eyes are wide. For a brutal, quiet second neither of them says anything— fuck, Hugo’s so stupid, he’s gotten too mushy and weird and now Varian’s going to laugh at him…

“That’s… I didn’t think of it. Like that.” Varian wrings his hands together, not meeting Hugo’s eye. “I guess since it’s not… not for me, I never gave the Song a fair shake. That wasn’t fair.”

He moves then, gently bumping Hugo’s shoulder as he walks past. “Thanks for the insight, Hugo,” he says. He passes by, slumping back down into his chair. Varian pauses, meeting Hugo’s eye with a small smile. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only unconventional one, around here.”

Hugo can’t help it; he laughs. Varian joins in, little giggles that— while not the full laugh Hugo’s come to enjoy prying out of him— are a much better option than the tears that had threatened to spill. They giggle together like children, light and lyrical and loose, without a care in the world. The Song trills with amusement, filling Hugo’s very Soul with joy. It’s like he’s eaten pure sunshine; it’s perfect.

“Okay,” Varian manages to get out through the laughter, “enough of that sentimental crap in my lab. We still have work to do; Seventeen and his friends won’t wait forever.”

Hugo snorts, picking up one of the plants with a fluid motion. He knows a fumbling topic change when he sees one— might as well throw Varian a line.

“Of course, sweetcheeks.”

—————♪—————

It’s late when Hugo gets back to his room. He and Varian had stayed up late, running tests and taking measurements on their plants. A few of the beanstalks had shown promise, hopefully with a bit more time and energy they’d be able to really start looking into a full test run. He’s not so sure when he got invested in the plant thing— maybe he got brain damage at some point and forgot— but Hugo’s been presented with a puzzle, and his big dumb brain just can’t help itself.

He finally makes it to his room at around one in the morning— way too fucking late, in his opinion. By the end of the night Hugo’s tired body had been begging to be put to bed, but if Varian was awake then by the gods Hugo wasn’t about to get upstaged by going to bed first. It’s a matter of pride, damn it.

He kicks the door open with a yawn. It swings into the small, dark room, only barely lit by the lamplight coming from the hallway behind Hugo; he steps in, rubbing his eye and reaching blindly for his own lamp with little success.

“Fucking— son of a bitch—” Hugo mutters, smacking around in the dark until he finally finds the switch. The room fills with light, forcing Hugo to blink a few times from the sudden change. It’s not the biggest of rooms— just a basic bed, a desk, a small table and shelf— but honestly it’s better than some of the hovels he’s stayed in under Donella’s orders, so honestly he’ll take it without complaint.

Hugo sighs, sinking down onto the bed. Fuckhe’s tired…

He slowly takes his boots off, his feet hurting from a long day. Usually this would be when he’d be scouting out the area around the vault but… not tonight. He’s got time. At least, a bit of time. He tosses his glasses onto the side table, barely caring as they nearly fall, and instead sinks into the bed.

The blond doesn’t even bother to take off the rest of his clothes, instead opting to flop face first into his pillow with a groan. Blessed, sweet softness… that is immediately ruined by the crinkle of paper.

“Fucksake,” he whines. He should leave it to tomorrow, could leave it to tomorrow, but there’s only one person in the entire world who would send him a letter— and it’s not someone who liked to be ignored. Hugo cracks his eyes open, reaching over and taking the envelope that had been left on his pillow. It’s addressed to him, though it uses the fake last name he’s using; there’s no mistaking who it’s from.

“Alright, Donnie,” he mutters, “what do you have for me?”

He cracks it open, the wax seal popping open. He pulls the letter from it, skimming it. Blah, blah, mission is very important, blah, require more updates— oh.

You’ll need to wait until the Day of Hearts, Donella’s written, in scratchy, stilted script. You’ve only been there for two months, it’s still too soon to make a move. Better to do it while there are thousands of visitors to the castle, when you’ll be nearly untraceable.

Hugo sighs, rubbing his hand down his face. She’s right, of course she is: Donella is alwaysfucking right. But it means staying in the castle for much longer than he’d anticipated. Usually, Hugo’s in and out within a few months— though, this is the largest job he’s ever been trusted with. It’s not surprising that she wants to play a longer game. The problem, though, is that means Hugo’s spending longer with the castle staff, with the guards, with Rapunzel, and Eugene, and…

And with Varian.

He should tell Donella. She should know that he’s already toed the line, that he’s starting to crack—

It’s been two months. One third of the time Donella had given him to get the jewels. The Song gets more insistent every day, a tugging hook embedded right through the ribcage. It’s growing more and more dire, the Song demanding its dues. Hugo doesn’t want to think about it, doesn’t want to even acknowledge it, but…

Donella would fucking kill him if he didn’t say anything.

She isn’t an unreasonable woman. She knows how Resonating hits a person, how important it is; Hugo knows that if he comes clean, she’d work with him. She’s not insane. He has to trust in her judgement. Donella would fix it, just like she always does when he fucks up.

He flips through the rest of the letter, mostly the basic stuff. Cyrus will be in town during the Day of Hearts. The plan hasn’t changed a bit. All Hugo has to do is get the crown out of the castle, then turn around and act innocent for another few weeks before it’s time to go home. Easy.

Easy.

Hugo groans, letting his head fall back. It hits the wall with a thunk, but he barely registers the pain through his whirling thoughts. He’s here for a job, he has to remember that. Varian doesn’t even hear him back, why the fuck would he ever want anything to do with Hugo by the end of this? He might bitch about his betrothed, but even Landis is a better prospect than some grubby street thief…

And that’s the crux, isn’t it?

Hugo knows he’s from a totally different world from these people, from Varian. He knows that they’ve never spent a night going hungry, never had to deal with gangs, or finding a safe place to sleep; they don’t know the fear that comes with not knowing where to go to get warm in the dead of winter. Hugo does. He knows it like it’s been tattooed onto his skin, embedded into his very self.

The niggling doubt crawls into his thoughts, pushing the Song to the back and forcing itself to the forefront. The constant push of not good enough, strange, not worth a Soulmate, useless—

Varian doesn’t hear Hugo because they’re not compatible. After all is said and done, Varian isn’t for him. Without a Song to bind him, he doesn’t have a reason to stay with Hugo, to stay at all. A knot develops in Hugo’s throat at the thought, especially as the Song dips low. Varian, wherever he is, has fallen asleep.

Hugo groans, rubbing his eyes. Maker, he’s so fucked; either he’s going to pine himself to death, or Donella is going to crack him over the head with a pole and kill him to shut him up. Either would be okay, honestly, so long as Hugo gets to fucking sleep. He would kill for the world to stop fucking turning for a while so he can get his shit together.

Hugo gets to the end of the letter, Donella reminding him one last time to keep his head screwed on straight. If only she knew.

He sighs, grabbing a piece of paper and a quill off the nearby nightstand. He only pauses a second before jotting down everything that’s happened, trying his best to act like he’s not having a fucking crisis about it. It doesn’t really work, but at least it’s down. He sighs, shaking his head and folding it tightly. He seals it, leaving it on the desk. He’ll send it tomorrow, for better or worse. Maybe she’ll be able to set his shit straight… or at least tell him what to do. She’s never failed in steering him in the right direction, come hell or high water. He trusts her judgment.

A slight weight lifts off his shoulders. Keeping Resonating to himself had been… almost painful, the inherent joy stamped out like a flickering ember. At least someone other than him knows, now. The relief is palpable. Hugo reaches over, flipping the switch again and plunging the room into darkness. He settles back into bed, his eyes slipping closed. Sleep takes him quickly, the gentle lull of Varian’s Song pulling him into the dark.

He just needs to wait for Donella to make a plan.

She’d know what to do.

#varigo #varian #tangled the series #tts #vat7k #silent opera #fic #MELODRAMA AHOY

22 notes · View notes

milkmateartist · 3 years

Text

HEAVENS Black Garden English Translation 【 Main Story Pt. 1】

[ --- I do not own Black Garden, HEAVENS, Utapri, or any of the characters. This is a fan translation using a combination of google translate and my own japanese knowledge --- ]

// Translated by MilkmateArtist

-------------------------------------------------

▽ = Speaking / Speaker

A deep forest covers the clear sky.

The air here is a little cooler than what's normal for the seasonal temperature.

The surroundings are quiet with only the noise of the trees and my footsteps.

▽ You

Is it really this way?

The continuing trail ahead of me looked more like an animal trail. It would be uncomfortable to even call it a road.

Anxious, I dropped my eyes down to the letter.

A letter that arrived to me even though I had no relatives.

It stated that I had the right to inherit the legacy of a person who claimed to be my paternal grandfather.

I lost my parents early and didn't know my grandfather, let alone his relatives.

Invited by the letter, I was now visiting the land mentioned there.

It was a place rich in nature called the "Heavenly Forest".

Everything I saw was shining.

▽ You

Maybe that is it over there...?

In an open area, there appeared to be a beautifully made road and an iron gate.

The gate is locked.

(A) Give up and go home

(B) Try calling out

(A) Give up and go home

▽ You

There is no sign of anyone around, and there is no way to ask.

I have no choice but to give up ...

I went back the way I came and returned to my usual life.

BAD END

(B) Call out

▽ You

I'm sorry! Is anyone there?

I shouted out loud. Behind the gath, the path led further back, and I could see a bit of the shadow of a house.

Maybe they will notice?. However, there was no reply.

CONTINUE

I picked up a stone that had fallen nearby and swung it down at the key.

▽ You

Eh……?

The stone rolled off the hand without hitting the key.

My head hurt like it was burning, and my vision went red.. I had no choice but to fall into the place without power.

BAD END

CONTINUE:

Next I tried to push the gate.

▽ You

It's no use, but I'll keep trying. I wonder what I should do now.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from a nearby tree.

A person jumped from the top of said tree.

▽ You

!! !!

▽ Hugo

Who are you? What business do you have at the mansion?

I could see that he's well trained from his large body and mannerisms,

▽ Hugo

Hey, answer my question.

▽ You

…… My name is (___). I got a letter and was invited here.

I answered frantically while under the pressure from his force.

▽ Hugo

(___) ?

▽ You

Yes....

He brought his face closer, staring at me with a sharp look.

▽ Hugo

Nope! I haven't heard of you. You're pretty suspicious..

▽ You

Eh?!

▽ Virgil

Hugo, calm down. This person is a client. Moreover, they should be treated politely.

A man came running up from behind and got in between us.

▽ Virgil

I'm sorry, I seem to have surprised you.

With a concerned expression on his face, he bowed his head politely.

▽ Virgil

Hugo's job is to keep an eye on the area around the building since he's the mansions gatekeeper. Don't think too bad of him.

▽ Hugo

……Hmph.. I'm going to go look around. Take it from here.

▽ Virgil

I'm Virgil, the coachman of this building. I was supposed to pick you up, but there seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding.

▽ Virgil

I apologize for the inconvenience, but you allow me to escort you to the mansion?

He extended his elbows as if he were dealing with a lady.

I was nervous, but followed him..

▽ Virgil

We have a short way to walk until we reach the mansion. Even someone whose familiar with the place can get lost.

▽ You

It's a very large area.

Even after walking for a while, I couldn't see the whole view of the building. I feel that the world they live in is different from my own.

▽ Virgil

Especially at night, it's pitch black, so it's dangerous. It's rumored that *things* come out around then.

▽ You

!! !!

I gasped, involuntarily making a large gesture.

▽ Virgil

Ah, that's a good reaction. You're cute, so I can't help but play around a bit. It's just a rumor!

▽ You

…… Oh, okay.

But it was true that there were dark places, that were black even in the daytime.

It's no wonder that something could lurk inside it.

▽ Virgil

Ah, we arrived!

Passing through the stone gate, there was a large mansion towering over it.

▽ Mika

Oh~ You're here~.

A child popped out from the entrance. He came down the stairs and stopped in front of me.

▽ Mika

I will guide you from here! Now go away Virgil!

When I took my arm from Virgil, he double-took as though he wanted to hug me.

▽ Virgil

Mika is pushy as always. But as many times as I say it, it doesn't matter.

He shrugged and went on, still somehow cheery in his tone.

▽ Virgil

I'll leave the rest to you. I'm going to the stables to check on the horses. I'll see you later.

▽ Mika

By the way, again ... I'm Mika! I'm working here as a messenger boy.

▽ You

Messenger ... Boy?

I tilt my head, puzzled. It's a profession I'm not too familiar with.

▽ Mika

I take letters from my master and deliver them to other peoples residences, and vice versa. Also, I'm so cute, so I'll be asked to accompany people when I go out.

The owner of this building must be a fairly high-ranking person.

▽ Mika

Leave the area to me, let alone this mansion!! I'm very on top of things, so I know everything.

He probably has a lot of opportunities at his job to come into contact with a lot of different thing.

▽ Mika

Indeed, I even know about that letter you have! My master told me that I went out to the town.

▽ Mika

I'll call Abel, so wait a bit here!

That said, Mika disappeared into the front door.

Left behind, I stopped in front of the big door at the front entrance.. Looking closely, I was amazed at the size of it. .

(A) Observe the mansion

(B) Look into the window

(A) Observe the mansion

I walked around the mansion, drawn to the splendor of the building.

▽ You

I've never seen such a nice house. I wonder if this is also in the inheritance of the heritage ...

When I gently touched the wall, the cool sensation seemed to tell me that this was not a dream.

▽ You

Oh, I want to know soon!

I was thrilled by the glorious life that would be waiting for me.

I thought I heard a loud noise, the next moment, a shock ran to my body.

A part of the dilapidated building collapsed and fell heavily on me.

I can't breathe and I can't move one finger. I feel like I heard someone's voice in the distance, but then I couldn't hear it anymore.

BAD END

(B) Look into the window

I turned to the large window above the front door.

▽ You

!! !!

What I saw for a moment through the gap in the curtain was a devil with a terrifying appearance.

An indescribable horror struck me and I fainted.

When I woke up, I was in a small dark room.

There is no way to know how much time has passed. I was paralyzed.

I was just helpless, wrapped in darkness and waiting for the last moment.

BAD END

I did as I was told. While waiting, I heard an energetic voice from the other side of the door.

I don't know what they were talking about, but I recognized Mika's voice.

He was probably explaining my presence.

The door opened and showed his face, smiling.

▽ Mika

He said you can come in!

I nodded and stepped inside.

▽ Abel

You've arrived, (___). . I'm Abel. The person who is entrusted with this mansion.

▽ You

Nice to meet you…….

▽ Abel

The owner of the mansion wants to extend hospitality to you. Please think of this as your home and relax.

▽ You

Thank you. Um ... may I ask you something?

▽ Abel

Oh. I'll answer to any question.

▽ You

The letter said that the owner of the museum was my grandfather, but what was he like?

▽ Abel

Is that so? I'm sorry for this. There is no way he could have written that. He is still alive.

▽ You

Oh is that so ...!

▽ Abel

He is on a trip now and away from the building. He was very concerned about whether you would respond to the letter.

▽ Mika

He was worried that you wouldn't come to see him.. Because you haven't been in contact for a long time.

▽ You

Above all, I am glad that you have done your best for me. I want to meet him in person and talk.

▽ Abel

Its best to relax until the master returns. You can use this building freely.

Feel free to use this large mansion ... What a luxury! Just thinking about it made me excited.

▽ Abel

However ...

▽ Abel

Do not enter only in the garden at night. Absolutely ...

He spoke in a soft voice up to that point, and my spine froze.

▽ Mika

……Oh... Oh yeah, That's right. I'll go call Keith. See you.

Mika looked frightened and ran to the back of the house as though to escape from something.

▽ Abel

It's dark at night and it's dangerous because the beasts come out. Of course, it's not easy to get in.

Before I knew it, things had returned to the original calm atmosphere.

▽ Keith

...... I made you wait.

▽ Abel

You're here. This is (___).

▽ Keith

...... I'm Keith. ……Nice to meet you.

I waited for his next words, but apparently this was the end of his self-introduction. He seemed to be the quiet type.

▽ You

It's nice to meet you.

▽ Abel

Keith is a servant of the master. He is also an escort and is a very reliable man.

I wondered if the sword on his waist was for escort too..?

▽ Abel

Keith, could you please guide them through the mansion? I have office duties from now on.

▽ Keith

……Yeah..

He nodded, extending a hand to me and we started walking.

▽ Keith

…… where to.. ...... Is there a place you're interested in?

(A) Somewhere to relax

(B) Somewhere fun

(A) A place to relax

▽ You

Where does everyone go to relax?

▽ Keith

……this way..

There was an open space beyond the entrance, with a large sofa.

▽ Keith

……the hall. Here ... people often talk ...

The light came in and there was a warm atmosphere. When I tried sitting on the couch I sank in, feeling how high quality it was.

▽ You

I might just wind up telling a long story now

CONTINUE

(B) A place to enjoy

▽ You

What do you enjoy doing during your breaks?

▽ Keith

...... Enjoy, huh? Not much ... entertainment around but...

Thinking about it a bit, he stepped forward. There was a quiet place in the basement.

Opening the door revealed many books. inside.

▽ Keith

Doing research ..., reading aloud ... Besides books, there are also games.

▽ You

Wow! With all of this there will never be enough time

CONTINUE

▽ You

Since this is such a huge mansion, is there a secret place? It's like a room that doesn't open.

Without thinking I curiously asked. Keith's eyes glistened.

▽ Keith

There is…….

▽ You

……!

▽ Keith

...... no such room.

▽ You

Ah, I- I figured....

I then saw at the end of the corridor that there was dim passage.

As I approached, I saw a staircase leading upwards. It was dark, and I couldn't see how long it was.

Strangely anxious, I stepped up the stairs as though they were sucking me in.

▽ You

Ah-…….

I couldn't understand what was happening.. A red stain was spreading at the soles of my feet.

▽ You

W..Why…….

Those were my last words.

BAD END

CONTINUE:

I was guided through the hall. There were various rooms, all of which were luxuriously constructed.

▽ Keith

There are still more rooms ... But I must not.. tire you out.

▽ You

Is there still more! ?? From the looks of things I think I can go on..

▽ Keith

You don't have to rush ... There is a lot of time ...

He smiled as he looked at me with my eyes rounded. Seeing that smile made me happy we were getting more acquainted.

▽ You

Hey, that sword is pretty neat. Is it for self-defense?

What I had been worried about for a long time just kind of spilled out of my mouth.

▽ Keith

This ...?

He touched the sword that hung from his waist.

▽ You

Yeah, I'm asking about what it's used for....

I swallowed words on their way out. Acutely my body froze up and I couldn't move.

Keith's eyes became sharp and sparkled with a suspicious light.

▽ Keith

………….

I thought he was going to silently take out the sword from the sheath, but in an instant he thrust it at me.

▽ Keith

It's a cursed sword that seeks the blood of a young maiden. ...... Should I try it out?

He had a cold expression holding no emotion.

▽ You

Eek ...!

▽ Keith

……just kidding.

With that said, he rotated the handle of his heavy sword and put it back in its sheath.

▽ You

Ha, haha.... That was something.

The tension released at once, and I sighed loudly.

▽ Keith

I'm sorry ... I seem to have surprised you.

Seeing his clumsy smile, I understood this was his odd way of interacting with me.

▽ Eric

Hey, Keith. Can you taste the food for me? I think I did a good job!

A young man ran up with a smile.

▽ Eric

You are...! Could it be...

He corrected his posture, astonished when he noticed me.

▽ You

I'm ( ___ ), . The person who came here after receiving a letter.

▽ Eric

( ___ ), It's a nice name. I'm Eric. Nice to meet you.

A bit shy, his cheeks went pink and he bashfully looked down.

▽ Eric

About that, ... I was cooking for you. I hope you like it.

▽ You

Thank you!

▽ Eric

Ah, it's not a big deal at all. I was a little unsure because I made a special menu that I haven't all that often.

▽ Keith

Do not worry. Eric's food is ... always delicious.

▽ Eric

Is that so? I'm happy you say that. That's not all, I'm also in charge of cooking.

▽ Eric

Have you met everyone else yet?

▽ Keith

They have not met Simon....

▽ Eric

Simon should be in the garden at this time.

▽ Keith

Eric ... It would be good if you took them ... I will continue the cooking.

▽ Eric

Really ? I still have a lot of supper preparations left.

▽ Keith

It's fine……. You're able to convey the charm of the garden better as a gardener.

▽ Eric

All right. Thank you, Keith. Well then, let's go.

▽ Eric

It's better to go to the garden from outside the building. We will use the back road, it's a detour from where we are now.

Leaving the mansion, we walked side by side on the road leading to the garden.

▽ Eric

The roses are in full bloom this time of year, so I really recommend seeing them!

He spoke with an excited gesture. . I could tell he loved the garden from the bottom of his heart.

▽ Eric

It's breathtakingly beautiful. I see them everyday but I find myself visiting. I often have tea with my friends there.

▽ You

Friends……. What kind of relationship do you have with everyone? It's nice being close.

▽ Eric

I'm a colleague, but it's like we're a family. I've lived here together since forever and we're always by one anothers side.

I was very envious of that kind of family relationship since I had no relatives.

▽ Eric

Oh, Abel ... He's my real brother. So he's actually family.

Now that I think of it, it seems their hair and eye colors are similar. But their personality and energy are completely different.

▽ Eric

We'll arrive in the garden soon.

▽ You

Um……. I heard that you shouldn't enter the garden at night. Why is that?

I tossed out the words I've been contemplating for a while after asking Abel.

▽ Eric

...... Who, did you hear from?

Eric stopped.

▽ Eric

Who ...? Hey ...?

I was grabbed by my shoulder and interrogated. The energy he was giving off made it feel like he was a different person.

▽ You

…… M-, Mr. Abel.

▽ Eric

What my brother says is absolute. Don't go against it ... absolutely.

With a serious look, I nodded deeply.

▽ Eric

Haha. I thought you would understand. Well, we arrived.

After passing through the aisle, there was a grand "paradise".

The calm garden, full of flowers, praised the beauty of the world.

▽ You

Beautiful ...

▽ Eric

Right? I'm glad you liked it. But I can't find Simon.

I looked around, but there was no sign of anyone.

▽ Eric

He should be taking a nap somewhere in the garden, so let's split up and find search.

▽ You

Okay!

We split up and started looking for Simon.

(A) Search behind the tall hedge

(B) Search in the flower field

(A) Search Behind the tall Hedge

▽ You

Is it behind this hedge ...?

It was a good hiding spot since it was as tall as a person and provided good shade for a nap.

I looked behind, but no one was there.

CONTINUE

(B) Search in the Flower Field

▽ You

He must be in a flower field.

It felt like If I slept surrounded by these beautiful flowers, I'd have a good dream.

Pushing my way through the flowers, only butterflies took off and there was no harvest.

CONTINUE

▽ You

Maybe he's further out.

The back of the vast garden was adjacent to the forest. Maybe there was a good place to take a nap in the woods, like under the shade of a tree.

I went deeper and deeper in.

( -----JUMP TO SIMONS ROUTE------)

CONTINUE:

▽ You

Where are you ...

Distracted by the surroundings, I tripped in the grass.

▽ You

Kya!

Falling forward, I landed in a bush.

▽ You

This is…….

There was a small space in the bush that allowed me to get up, and in that place there also was a young man with transparent white skin.

▽ You

Are you Simon ...?

▽ Simon

Who are you ...? Why are you here ...

He curled up as if frightened, and bore the color of hostility in his eyes.

▽ You

I'm ( ___ ), I'm sorry to have surprised you.

▽ Simon

( ___ ) ……. The Lord's relative?

Most likely being explained to in advance, Simon looked relieved.

▽ You

This is a warm and comfortable place huh. It's very relaxing.

▽ Simon

Oh……. Do you understand too? A feeling of being gently wrapped in nature .... It seems to awaken a memory of before being born.

His expression was ecstatic and his eyes were shining. I could tell that he had a pure and straight heart.

▽ Simon

Oh ... what a wonderful day. I will once again enjoy the splendor while feeling the vibrations of the earth ....

Then he gently closed his eyelids.

▽ Simon

Zzzz …….

▽ You

Simon, don't sleep!

I grabbed his shoulders and shook him but it didn't help much.

▽ You

Eric was looking for you..

▽ Simon

...... Eric was ...?

▽ Eric

I found you! So you were here huh.

Eric looked into the bushes.

Suddenly, the low roar of thunder sounds.

A black rain cloud cast a shadow over the clear blue sky.

▽ Eric

The weather is going to change, so let's go back to the mansion.

We quickly left the garden.

---------------------------------------------------

Go to Black Garden English Translation Directory here for more routes.

#utapri #uta no prince sama #uta no prince sama heavens #uta no prince sama heavens black garden #black garden #heavens black garden #heavens black garden game #black garden game #heavens black garden english #heavens black garden english translation #utapri heaveans #heavens april fools #black garden english translation #black garden game english translation #utapri heavens black garden english translation #uta no prince sama heavens black garden english translation

83 notes · View notes

tbznewberry · 3 years

Text

Take Care Of A Beautiful Face

This is a snippet out of a swedish book I’m writing. I’ve translated this part for you.

What’s basically happens is that Hugh has a disease where he needs the IV-stand otherwise his body hurts like hell. He’s not allowed outside the ‘hospital’, but two of the other boys in this medical experiment decides to try get him out and one wants to hurt him.

TW: psycho boy

"I shouldn’t be here," Hugh sighs and rests his head back against the wall.

On the floor next to him stands his beloved IV-stand.

"Why not? I like that you're here," says Ben. "You fit in here."

"Do I? Tell me one reason why I fit in here," says Hugh.

Silence.

"That's what I mean," Hugh sighs. "I should just go home."

"You can not go home," says Gustaf. "The contract does not allow it."

"Don't you think I know?"

They look at the sick boy sadly.

"You can go out and play football, run, play. The only thing I can do is sit inside," says Hugh. "The stand is not rolling out there and I'm too weak to carry it. I also want to be out there."

"We can carry it for you."

"Really? But I can not walk much before I get hurt."

"Shouldn't the medicine help with that?" Gustaf wonders.

"Well ... I do not feel the pain, but in the end the legs are too weak. Hard to explain."

"We can carry you."

Hugh nods hesitantly. He pulls off the blanket and stands up.

"Okay," he says. "Lets go out."

Ben and Gustaf follow him to the stairs where they help him get the stand down. There they found Hugo. Hugh solidifies and swallows, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Hugo, do you want to come out for fresh air?" Ben asks.

"Is the glass boy going for a walk?" smirks Hugo. "It was new."

"We're just testing," says Gustaf.

Hugh hugs his IV stand, as if it can save him from the boy who has just arrived.

"You look sick, Hugh. Shall I follow you back to the dorm?" Hugo asks.

"No, no, that's okay!" Hugh hurries to say. "Can we go out now?"

Getting out in the sunlight makes Hugh calm down a bit. Not long after, Hugh's knees bend and he falls to the grass with a suffocating scream. The needle falls out of his hand.

"Are you okay ?!" Ben asks quickly and helps him up.

"My knees ...", Hugh chirps and hugs his legs. "And my hand. It hurts so much!"

"You're okay, look at me," says Gustaf, who sinks to his knees in front of him, holding his jaws in his large hands.

Hugh glances away at Hugo who is behind Ben and Gustaf with a crooked smile on his face. Gustaf insists that he should look at him, but Hugo distracts him.

"I should not get tired so easily," says Hugh. He looks at Hugo. "Did anyone push me?"

The three shakes their heads, but Hugo's smile widens.

"I'm helping him in," Hugo says.

"No! I ... I want to stay out for a while longer," Hugh says quickly, knowing what he did to the other guys.

"We're going to get a nurse," says Ben, signaling for Gustaf to stand up.

Hugh does not dare look at Hugo. The healthy boy gets closer to the sick one, squats down in front of him. Hugh avoids eye contact, noticing how Hugo raises his hand to place it on his cheek. He turns Hugh's face back to him. This is reminding Hugh of the kiss and he wants to slap him. But he doesn't dare to. Hugo will probably do something that'll hurt him more than it's doing now and play it off as an accident. Again.

"Poor, little, vulnerable Hugh," he says in a voice full of false sympathy. "You should not be outdoors." He starts stroking his hair.

"You pushed me, didn't you?"

"What proof do you have of that?"

"Let me go. I'm going to go in again."

Hugo backs away. Hugh has trouble standing up, but once he gets back on his feet, he tries to take the first step. His whole body aches and the knees bend again. Hugh screams when he falls. Hugo does not catch him.

"You're not that smart, are you?" he wonders, caressing his cheek. "You should take care of your beautiful face. Would be a shame is someone destroyed such a precious face like yours, don’t you think so, hm?"

Just then, two nurses come running. Hugh glares at Hugo all the way in. He is taken care of and gets the needle back in his hand. The nurses tuck him him in his bed so he can rest for a while. Hugh can't keep his eyes open. He lies there, unaware that Hugo is standing in front of the bed, staring at him with scissors in his hand.

--------------

A/N: what did you think? Would you like more of my personal stories like these? I can write much more in these since I'm not writing about real people!

#horror #psycho #novel #personal #please tell me what you think about it!!!!#yandere

11 notes · View notes

a-crook-who-was-caught · 4 years

Text

Taylor's Gayest moments

1. And I snuck in through the garden gate every night that summer just to seal my fate

2. She performed the closeted gay anthem that is Let It Go

3. Waking up next to a naked woman dressed and a man in a song all about how if she was a man everything she did would be considered normal/accepted

4. The concept of "Breakable heaven" sounding a lot like "glass closeting"

5. All her varied pride/bi/pan flag moments

6. The pride speech on the rep tour

7. Saying gay pride is part of what makes her, her

8. Karlie having her own room in Taylor's house but Taylor not mentioning if any of her other friends have the same treatment

9. How the vouge photoshoot looks like Ellen's wedding shoot

10. How she only ever genders one person in How You Get The Girl

11. Her performances with openly queer artists, Ricky Martin, Hayley kiyoko, Troye Sivan, St Vincent, and Tegan and Sara

12. Being a unicorn/Pegasus while she was on Elvis Duran a radio shows who's host is openly gay

13. Speaking of kissgate they were literally dancing/swaying with their hands tied with bonus of E News shipping it

14. All the similarities between her and Evelyn Hugo and the author even saying she wouldn't mind Taylor playing her

15. The timeline not really allowing Forever And Always to be about Joe because they broke up in October and Fearless came out the next month meaning the album was probably already finished finalized and maybe even sitting in various stock rooms around the world waiting to be released

16. "I don't want you like a best friend" only making sense if it's gay because straight people just kinda inherently know when they like each other where as gay girls are never sure if you like them or if you're just being nice

17. The basketball "date"

18. Dedicating a song on tour every night to a known to be out person

19. Putting herself in the middle of the LGBTQ community for the whole You Need To Calm Down video to deal with the homophobes too

20. The narrative of the Ours music video not adding up with the song. Seriously who would disapprove of a relationship with someone in the army? The wives/girlfriends of army people are the strongest people ever

21. The infamous third polaroid we never got to see

22. Riptide cover

23. "now I understand why they lost their minds and fought the wars"

24. DWOHT

25. "World's Okayest Brother" not really making sense unless he's okay with Taylor being gay (it could be a big inside joke) all credit for brining this to my attention goes to @urgirlmarialz

26. Refer to my first point. Cruel Summer is about he whole summer when kissgate happened

27. The similarity between the lyrics "Bite your face to spite your nose" (Girls, the 1975) and And I cut off my nose just to spite my face then I hate my reflection for years and years". Kissgate happened at a 1975 concert while Girls was playing.

28. This whole video

youtube

29. That time Jack Antonoff accidentally outed Taylor by saying "I like women and particularly gay women" and covered it by quickly stumbling to say that he works a lot with Tegan and Sara but nobody listened

30. All these gifs

31. "You and me would be a big conversation" why would Taylor and a guy ever be a big conversation in any other way than the normal "be careful shell write a song about you"? Now Taylor and a girl that would be a big conversation in general

32. The beginning of Only The Young being exactly how lgbtq people felt on election night

33. "So I guess all the rumours are true" doesn't that sound weird to anyone else? It sounds like Taylor is accepting they're true but not in a happy way more in a sarcastic way

34. "Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh"

35. The whole Haylor relationship being so clearly PR considering she was able to get away with sneaking about new York for almost 2 years a short time later. Always remember Niall Horan's quote about how paps only really ever come if you call them.

36. That one time she sampled a cautious clay some in London Boy and the original played during a lesbian sex scene in Booksmart

37. Saying Victoria secrets models are and actual fantasy

38. "you're the west village" isn't about joe because he can't simultaneously be he London Boy but also represent The West Village which is in New York

39. That one time she basically serenading Karlie with Dress (all credit for the video goes to the person who posted it)

#taylor swift #gaylor swift #gaylor #karlie and taylor #taylor and karlie #kaylor #karlie what you want #taylor thats hella gay #thats hella gay taylor

232 notes · View notes

thatsgay-writes · 3 years

Text

Kipo x Reader Part 2

Summary: Kipo is finally able to turn you back into a human along with her mom. Season 3 final episode with two different endings.

Warnings: Light cursing? Spoiler if you haven't watched Season 3.

After capturing Scarlemagne and retuning to the Timbercats forest, Kipo immediately started working on a way to deal with Emelia and to turn you and her mother back to normal. It was lonely inside your head, it was just you and your panther, if this was what it was like for Song for all those years it must have been terrible. It also sucked to be so close yet so far from Kipo. At least you got to watch Lio question Kipo about your relationship and laugh at how much she blushed and went over some details of what had happened in the last months. It did sadden you however, where after talking about a memory with you, she started crying. You wanted to just turn into a human and hug the crap out of her.

You were stuck as a panther all through Kipo trying to make HMUFA and would try to go everywhere you could with her. Most days were boring since you weren't allowed inside the Timbercat's home and some days Kipo couldn't come and visit you and tell you about her day. It had been a few days since you've seen Kipo but when she turns up she's not alone. Following Kipo is her father and your friends. She seemed to be holding this small pink dart and was walking slowly, making sure not to drop it. You knew from how careful she was with it that it was very important and stepped back to let her go to her mom first. You watched as Kipo hugged her mom's finger and stuck the dart into it, taking it out once it was half way empty. You watched for a few seconds in silence before you watched, in shock, as Song slowly turned back into a human and got to meet Kipo as a human for the first time in years. You were smiling so wide at the happiness that was radiating off of Kipo and her family.

You almost forgot that Kipo still had half the dart left but remembered when she walked up to you. You're heart was beating out of your chest, you were about to be able to hug Kipo again, hold her, kiss her, love her. Sadly, you would lose the mute side of you but you didn't have an anchor or anything so it wasn't the big of a loss. You leaned down as Kipo got closer and held your paw to her. Seeing her up close made you realize that she had been crying, tears of happiness of course. You flinched a little as she stuck the needle into your skin but froze as she took it out. There was another second of intense silence before you felt weird and felt yourself start to shrink.

After a couple of seconds you were almost eye level with Kipo, you are taller than her. You look down at yourself for a couple seconds in shock before looking back up at Kipo, who had the biggest smile on her face and even more tears running down her face. "Kipo..." You whisper, your voice cracking some after not using it for a while. Kipo immediately launches into your arms and you spin her around some holding her just as tightly. You put Kipo back down and put your hands on her cheeks with a big grin before pulling her into a kiss. You almost forget anyone else is there until you hear Lio clear his throat. You pull back with a blush in your face and turn to look at your friends and Kipo's parent with a smile. You walk up to them with Kipo still wrapped around you and greet everyone. "It's great to talk to you guys again.

*Boop Boop Time Skip*

"Kipo! You gotta get up!" Lio yells as he held Song close to him. "Emilia's lost it!" You yell in concern as you watch the mute version of Emilia hold a building over her head. "We gotta do something!" Benson says in concern. You hear some rummaging and look to over to Lio and Song just in time to see Scarlemagne take off in his flamingo car. "What is he doing?" You ask in concern as you watch him get closer and closer to Emeila. "Holy..." Your eyes get big as you watch Scarlemagne hit Emilia causing her to fall and for him to go flying through the sky.

You notice that Kipo is slowly waking up and run to her as she changes back to normal. You help her stand and watch as Mute Emilia runs away. "Where... Where's Scarlemagne?" Kipo asks after she catches her breath. You watch as Lio and Song look over to where smoke was coming from the ground. "No." Kipo says as she collapses into your side and puts her hand over her mouth. Lio reaches out and outs a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine, me and Song will go check on him. You guys should probably go deal with Emilia." You nod your head as Kipo turns into a Mute again and let's you, Benson, and Wolf hop on.

"There she is." You say and point towards a cowering Mute Emilia. You all hop off of Kipo and let her turn back to normal. Kipo takes the last dart from Wolf and walks up to Mute Emilia. You debate silently whether or not to follow Kipo as she walks up to Mute Emilia.

(I'm being extra so there is two ends depending on what you do. I'm also not writing in Hugo's death or the flash forwards because I feel like I'm making this run on too much😅.)

You don't follow Kipo:

You stand with Wolf and Benson with your arms crossed. "I guess it's over after this... huh." You say as you all stare ahead and watch Kipo interact with Mute Emilia. "Yeah it's been a crazy ride." "Seriously." Wolf said agreeing with Benson. "What are you guys gonna do after this?" You say looking over to Benson and Wolf. Benson shrugs, "Probably do something with Troy, maybe take a vacation." "Yeah I could dig that." You all stand in silent as you watch Kipo turn Emilia back to normal. Then you all run up as you watch Kipo push Emilia, causing her to fall into a kid like goo. "Holy..." You say as you stand behind Kipo. "It's over... it's officially over." She says as she leans back into you, exhaustion finally seeming to set in. You turn her around to wrap your arms around her and hug her. You give her a kiss on the side of her head before speaking. "After checking on Hugo, you and I are going on a long vacation... Or sleeping for a week straight." You feel Kipo chuckle against your collar bone before nodding her head. "I'm good with either as long as I'm with you."

You follow Kipo:

You follow behind Kipo a little, taking time to take in how big Emilia's mute form actually is. "And to think... She turned into what she wanted to get rid of just to take you out." You say thinking out loud. "She definitely got desperate." Kipo doesn't respond and has a quick conversation with Mute Emilia before finally pricking her finger with the dart. You watch as Emilia slowly turns back to normal and sits on the ground. You make sure to stand next to Kipo to seem more intimidating in case Emilia tried something. "Why did you change me back?" Emilia asks with some confusion in her voice. "No one deserves to be stuck like that." Kipo sticks out her hand to Emilia. "You've been stuck in the dark for a long time Emili, but you have a choice. You can stay there or fight through it."

You watch as Emilia seemingly thinks for a minute, weighing her choices. You watch warily as Emilia grabs Kipo's hand. Something about this doesn't feel right to you. You watch in slow motion as Kipo pulls Emilia up, only for her to lunge at Kipo with a piece of glass. Your body goes into immediate protection mode and you push yourself in front of Kipo. As Emilia stabs you, you punch her across the face. Emilia flails for a moment, off balance, before falling back and over the edge. You let out a breath of relief before feeling an intense pain in your stomach. You look down to see a large glass shard sticking out of your stomach with blood coming out fast.

You stumble back a little and start to fall as Kipo catches you and lowers you to the ground. "No no no no." Kipo says as she cradles the upper half of your body. You hear Wolf, Benson, Dave, and Mandu run up. "Oh no..." You wince as Kipo puts pressure on your wound, mumbling like crazy to herself in worry. "Ow... Kipo. Kipo stop!" You say as you grab her hand away from your wound. "It's okay, everything will be okay." You say trying to reassure her. You knew you were too far away to get help from anyone and were losing to much blood to make any sort of journey. "It's not okay! It's over we won! You can't give up now!" Kipo says as she's sobbing. You put one of your hands on Kipo's cheek and cringe a little when you see blood on your hand.

"You're right we did it, we won. And I couldn't be any more prouder of you." Kipo leans down and puts her forehead against yours. "It's not fair I just got you back, I can't lose you again. Especially not permanently." You close your eyes tightly trying not to let any tears spill over. You look over to see Benson hugging Dave and Wolf hugging Mandu. "You'll be okay, maybe not immediately but one day. You still have our friends by your side and I'll be watching over you. I promise." Kipo just shakes her head not wanting to respond. You can feel yourself slipping away and hate it. It wasn't supposed to end like this, after all the work you did, why couldn't you get a happy ending. "I love you so much. All of you. I am so glad I got to meet such amazing people and to fall in love with one of them." You pull Kipo's head away from yours to look into her eyes one more time. "I love you so much." You say as the world around you blurs and you close your eyes for the final time.

Lio and Song watch as Kipo in Jaguar form walk up to the building there at, kneeling next to Hugo. They watch as her friends slide off her back and are confused when they don't see you. Before they could open there mouths and ask, they watch as Kipo turns back to human form and is carrying you in her arms, tears still streaming down her face. "Oh no."

#kipo and the age of wonderbeasts #kipo x reader #female x reader #Female Character #kataow #x reader

52 notes · View notes