Okay here we go. A lighter, fluffier chapter as an apology for the feels in the last one. That and, I had this idea written in my drafts so here it is. I do ask that you please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!"
DISCLAIMER: I only own Fora, and maybe plot changes.
Warning(s): Lots of capital F Fluff, if it's not too much of a difference from the talks of murder in the last one.
"You know, I'm still wondering why you'd want the illusion of a giant apple hat on your head. People keep giving us weird looks and it's blowing our cover." She spoke up, finally addressing the rather obvious issue.
"If I say it's for practice you won't believe me."
"Well I'm just saying there are less conspicuous things to wear for practicing than an apple."
"But I was born in an apple grove. I feel more connected to it if I make a nice hat that represents where I came from."
She gave him a flat look.
"Kidding."
"Let's say it is for practice. Why not make a bracelet or something, instead of hiding your hair? You are missing out on so many possibilities!"
"Possibilities for what?"
"Your hair. I could braid it, or put it into a man-bun, maybe even give you a mohawk!"
"One, why are you getting so excited for this, and two you are not giving me a mohawk or braiding my hair. I refuse."
"Well, since you didn't say anything about the man-bun," He stared at her blankly, "I get to put it up! Now if you'd be so kind as to take down your illusion?"
"I can't believe I actually let you do this."
Fran was in his usual outfit consisting of an oversized navy jacket, plain black t-shirt and jeans, with two differences; his apple hat was gone, and it was replaced with his teal hair held up in a loose bun.
"Now, for this to fully work we need your hair to grow out a bit more, but it's lookin' good!"
His cheeks turned slightly pink, and his hand lightly grazed his new hairstyle.
"I guess... it's not horrible..."
"I think this qualifies as a... Fran-bun. "
He swatted at her half-heartedly, before leaning back in his chair.
"No! My work..!"
"Ha. That's what you get, after that terrible pun."
"Oh yeah! I have something for ya! But," She held her finger up warningly, "after you get this, I have the freedom to make as many jokes as I want. Deal?"
He shrugged.
"No promises."
"I guess that works, cause this is technically a birthday gift. Though I don't actually know your day of birth..."
"Don't worry, I don't know either."
"Well anyways, here ya go! Hurry up and open it!" She thrust the extremely-well wrapped package into his arms as he stumbled.
"Hai, hai." Fran tore open the paper and tried to get the tape off before giving up and making a box cutter.
"..."
He stared blankly into the gift, and slowly lifted his head to give her a flat look while pulling out another box wrapped entirely in duct tape.
"Really?"
She merely 'Ushushu'ed' with an excited grin.
He tugged on the tape ends helplessly, sighing and grabbing the box cutters to at least try to make a dent.
They didn't.
"D-Do you," she wheezed, laughing her ass off, "need some help t-there?"
He gave a small glare, and materialized industrial scissors for assistance.
"Ooo! Gimme gimme!"
"No."
"Aww, why not?"
"Because of this packaging."
"It's just duct tape!"
"Exactly. Duct tape is impenetrable." He waved the scissors around. "Do you see what you've done? I have to use sharp objects and even then I'm having trouble opening it."
"In all seriousness, do you need some help? I'll admit, I may have gone overboard with the tape..."
He wordlessly passed the box to her with a sigh.
"Okay, so there's a trick to it. On this corner, I ended all the tape pieces for easy access, you just didn't notice. Now if you pull from here..." She tore all of the tape off in one fell swoop to reveal another box.
"There you go! It should be pretty easy to open it now!" Fora handed the box back to him, and he finally got to open the gift.
Inside was... a necklace. Beautifully carved from sterling silver was a familiar design they had made together.
"I figured that, since you're basically my literal partner in crime, we should match with this," She pulled a similar necklace out from under her shirt, "Do you like it?"
"A diamond? You could be showing off that you were a royal, a rich one at that, and also just get to paint in blood." He shrugged, before going back to reading.
"You know what? I actually like that idea... and if we add a crown to the middle, it'd be obvious I'm royalty!"
He gently lifted the necklace and clasped it around his neck carefully, as if it were made of glass.
"Thanks, nee-san. I really... really appreciate it."
She smiled, and he felt the need to say something before the scene got too sappy. "I hope you know this doesn't make up for the pun from earlier."
"Sure it doesn't kiddo."
He nodded, ignoring the warm feeling in his chest as he clutched the necklace.
"Now come on, let's get going. I waited three weeks for that to come in ya know, and I'm sick of the place."
"Hai, nee-san."
Extra ~ Regret
There's probably a phase that fits him perfectly, but he doesn't know what it would be. Strange, isn't it? An utterly useless thought that does nothing but distract. Maybe that was the point. He'll never know, and by now it's forgotten, within all the pain and regret.
Regret?
.
Only when someone is dead are they cherished, remembered for all the good things and none of the bad, somehow getting to have a clean slate in the end.
There were only a small amount of people who would actually think that about her.
It's funny, really. So many were ignorant of what she did. One of those who helped the process of saving the world, even if originally she tried to end it.
She'd hate him for saying she was a martyr, but by definition, she was. Dying for a cause she believed in, even if it meant not seeing the fruits of her endeavor.
In any case, Fran was numb. He received the news merely an hour ago, and since then sat in the same spot, staring at the same, stupid blank wall. It was the one time they were fighting in different countries, and this happened.
The team that reported it still hadn't recovered her body, but it was only a matter of time.
He almost didn't want them to.
Retrieving a corpse confirmed someone was dead, and he wanted to entertain the hope that she was still among the living.
Regardless, he sighed, finally moving from his spot after so long. The bones cracked, and for one tantalizing moment, he wished it meant his life had ended and his body was mutilated until it was impossible to tell it once belonged to a human.
Only for a moment though.
Only for...
.
.
.
He shed no tears when they said she was found. None when he was on his way to see her in person. Not even when he saw her, or what was left of her, did his face change. The burning sensation was there, the watery eyes too. He knew what was supposed to happen, his brain was preparing for all the gross things to pour from the various holes his face but...
He felt nothing.
It was as if it was a game. He had the control, knew what was happening, it just seemed like he was merely behind glass or watching a movie.
It was as if he was impersonating... himself.
And isn't that strange?
.
.
.
Her body was cold.
He grasped the necklace she had gotten him custom made to feel something other than freezing flesh.
His hair had fallen out of the bun hours ago, and was hanging limply in front of him.
He didn't care.
His only family for over ten years was gone, and he felt nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
If anything, he was empty. Missing something. It was obvious he was missing something because right in front of him lay someone who took care of him and they were dead.
He almost wanted to laugh.
Of course this would happen. It always happened to him.
People died all the time. It was just his luck that the person who died was the only one he actually cared about.
She was gone, and Fran?
Well...
Fran wasn't.
Okay so uhh, I might've lied when I said it was just gonna be fluff, but I wrote this and really wanted to add it with this chapter... In any case, I hope you, enjoyed please review your thoughts and I'll see y'all next time!
~ TheAngelicPyro