Reader Restaurant

You made your way into the control room, knowing the correct path to heart, by now.

As you entered the room, you were greeted by the familiar sound of the cogs grinding all around, and the crude smiles of the cardboard cutouts he had made for reasons you could only imagine. Not an unwelcoming sight, though.

And there the navigator was, as always inside the basket of his hot air balloon, tinkering with some sort of compass as Cornelius was safely tucked in his left arm.

How he managed to work and holding on to his beloved mascot at the same time, you could never get. Another reason why you found his skills so fascinating.

So concentrated on his work, Gripp seemed to barely notice your presence, so you gently knocked on the basket.

"Hello? Is the shop open?" you politely asked with a teasing grin.

Godrik suddenly gasped, as he quickly put the compass in his pocket and grabbed Cornelius in a swift movement. He suddenly bounced out of the basket like a spring toy, full of energy, but you could swear you saw the smallest hint of a blush rosing his cheeks.

"Why, of course, my dear! For you, Mr. Gripp's Emporium is open all day long, with the most enticing, affordable items for any kind of exploration on sea! I assure you, you won't ever find such treasures anywhere else! And for you only..." he added in a hushed tone, flashing a confident little grin "...I could even offer you something for free~".

His tone was charmingly boisterous, his salesman mode in full swing, as it always was whenever someone was in his room.

To others, it was annoying.

To you, it was adorable.

And you could tell he was making an effort to keep his gaze on you, to avoid darting his eyes around as he often would.

You couldn't help but giggle: he was trying so hard, just for you, and that made your heart flutter.

You cleared your voice. "Thank you for the offer, Mr. Gripp. But, I actually wanted to ask something about Cornelius, if he wouldn't mind?" you politely moved your head towards the hatted stick.

Gripp moved his cane a little closer to you with a flair, perhaps to hide his slightly surprised expression. "Oh? Of course! Lad is always eager for a chat! Well, what do you want to ask him?"

"Yes, uhm..." you put your arms behind your back, smiling coyly. "I was wondering if I could... give Cornelius a little kiss? I find him really cute."

Gripp gasped dramatically. "My! Such forwardness! I hardly think he'd- Hm?"

He suddenly stopped, moving Cornelius closer to his ear, moving as if the stick was whispering something.

That always caused you to giggle: he was so silly!

"What's that?" the navigator whispered in a cospirating tone. "Hm hm... Alright, I'll tell them."

Gripp suddenly bounced back. "Cornelius just told me he'd be glad to accept a token of your affection!" he blared. 

"Although..." he added, his voice suddenly quieter. "...he'd prefer if you could do it on his cheek. He's... he's rather shy, you see..." he concluded, shifting his gaze from left to right, suddenly a bit nervous himself.

You clapped a bit, to show appreciation. "Oh, of course! I don't mind, and I promise I'll be careful."

"Very well, then...!" and so the navigator started inching Cornelius towards you, and you couldn't help but notice his, ahem, grip around the stick was shaking a bit.

With a smile, you tried to gingerly cup Cornelius' carved face in your hands. You flashed a gentle smile, feeling the man's grasp loosening a bit as he calmed down.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Cornelius." you said in a cheery tone, and proceeded to place a light kiss on the stick's cheek.

As quickly as you did, Gripp swiftly shifted Cornelius from near your face to his arms. While feigning a gasp, he rotated his mascot in his grasp, as if it was caught in a dizzying spell. And, with a flourish, he let the stick fall into his arms, feigning a scene you'd find in a Pietà.

"Oooh, look at what you did, my dear! Cornelius couldn't resist your charm, the poor fella!" Gripp declared theatrically, although he couldn't really hide a dawning chuckle.

You giggled along, amused by his overly dramatic ways.

"Truly a shame..." you nodded, noticing that the inventor was still laughing, his eyes closed, too caught up in the hilarity of it all.

That was your cue!

"...and neither can you.", you declared as you quickly placed a gentle kiss on Gripp's own cheek.

Your sweet gesture froze the man on the spot. His laughter died on his lips as his face flushed cherry red. His own posture stood still, rigid as a statue, as he clutched Cornelius tight in his arms.

"Uhm, are you alright?" you asked tentatively.

"Oh, my..." was all that Gripp muttered, before he felt his legs giving up like pudding.

Reacting quickly, you caught him before he could fall out of his basket with a thud, although you still gave out a bit.

There you both were, sitting on the floor, you holding the dazed man from under his arms. You saw Cornelius rolling out of his reach.

From his wrist, you could feel his pulse still racing from your previous affectionate gesture. You blushed amused.

"Godrik, must you always react like this? I can't constantly catch you." you chuckled as you handed him Cornelius to help him calm down.

"Hm... W-would you mind if I wanted you to... to keep doing it?" he stuttered, still a bit dazed from the fall and the emotions he was feeling. 

There it was, his true, shy side surfacing. You giggled again.

"Of course not, buddy. I was just wondering why you still get so worked up every time I kiss you."

Gripp chuckled a bit, shifting his gaze as he caressed Cornelius with his finger. "I can't help it. You're so full of surprises, my dear..."

You shook your head, amused. "Godrik, I do this spiel every day with you..."

You felt the navigator tightening his grasp on your hand, almost as if he was afraid to let you go. "I know... That's what always surprises me..."

You gazed at Gripp, with love in your eyes.

"Oh, you silly man..." and you kissed his cheek once again, this time with more gentleness and intensity.

Gripp went limp once again, his limbs growing wobbly; he then dropped his head on your chest. You could feel the heat his cheeks were radiating from how madly he was blushing. You gingerly chuckled at his lovesick reaction.

You both stood there for minutes, listening to the sounds of gears grinding against one another. Once you got used to it, it almost felt lulling: no wonder Gripp loved staying here.

It was you who gently broke the silence.

"Need help in getting back into the basket, Godrik? I don't wanna keep you away from your work."

You felt your chest moving as Gripp slowly shook his head. You saw him clutching Cornelius tighter, as if he was holding a teddy bear.

"...not yet..." he answered slowly, almost sleepily. " I want to... listen to your heartbeats... just like a... clock..."

His comment tugged your heart with love. Maybe for others, such an analogy would've sounded weird. But from such a creative mind like his, it truly meant the world.

So you tenderly nuzzled your nose against his forehead, as your heartbeats and clicking clogs slowly lulled him to sleep, and you were ready to join him.

"Very well, Godrik..." you whispered tenderly.

. He’s clueless to romance to begin with. He knows it exists but… To experience it is a whole new thing for him. 

. Kinda guy to float through the air with hearts coming off him lmao . Okay, every kind of pet name is tried at least ONCE. They won't all stick, and he sure has his own creative ones, but goddammit is he gonna try them all. You're reaction will have a lot to do with what sticks. He does enjoy a good ol' fashion 'My darling'. I feel like calling him 'Lover' might just end him, he has no idea what to do with the amount of joy that hits him when you call him that. When you call him anything affectionate tbh. . He loves to come up with dates for you both. 'One-on-one' adventures so to speak. At the start, he's a bit more... Controlling about it? It's less out of everything needing to be done his way, and more the obsession of making something you'd love and just getting it right. Providing something special off the bat. . He doesn't understand at first if some of these dates are just... Too much for you. You weren't expecting to be tied to a railway track while he rushed in to save you. . As times goes on, he gets better. Hell, he comes to love the idea of planning date adventures together. He was scared letting you contribute might read as him not knowing how to please you. That you'll be disappointed he's not getting it right by himself and leave... . But... He finds it's more fun when you're there. When you're both bouncing ideas around, building on suggestions and making something special together. Hell, sometimes the adventures are left for another day because you both just got so caught up in planning them out. He loves those moments of getting to see your creativity and imagination shining through. It sparks his own creativity in a way he's not thought he'd ever expedience before. . It leads to him occasionally referring to you as his muse, in quieter moments. . You and maybe even the others around you are gonna notice his attitude shift way before he does. Because if you mentioned something like a particular flower on an adventure looking pretty? By the time you get back to your room, there’s a huge bouquet of them, wrapped in a bow in an elegant looking vase. . I think after things in the circus are more settled, he gets better at just… Approaching you. Not listening in and waiting to hear what you like but, actually going to you to find out why. It’s all well and good to give you a sea shell that’s the prettiest pink you’ve ever seen, but now? Now he wants to really understand.

. There’s so many little details on his partner that will just cause him to need a moment to reboot. At first, any sort of PDA sent him into a tizzy and you might just be stuck holding his hand for a sec while he comes back, because his hand is locked around yours while he’s out. . My guy is already… So scared of losing everyone to abstraction. Now, applying that to you? He does everything he can to not think about it. But, if he’s been pushing himself in the day (Because he’s still a busy-body perfectionist at heart), and he maybe starts resting at his desk? His nightmares are going to be vivid, consisting of all the intrusive thoughts he’s been shoving to the back of his mind. . The worst part isn’t even your abstracted form. It’s the dream continuing to days where you’re no longer there. He can never really hold you again, hear about your ideas, your jokes, your grievances. It’s all gone. . It’s gonna shake him to his core, and even if you're fast asleep he’s teleporting into your room. He can’t even talk about it. He just wakes you up and asks to hold you for a while. If you ask him if he’s okay, he’ll say he’s fine. It’s hard to believe when his teeth sit above your head, clattering just a touch, and his arms are wrapped around you, fingers sinking in wherever feels most secure.