#bloomnini

Nightowl 

The two of you had said the phrase near the beginning of your guys’ relationship, but at the realization that might put too much pressure, slowly started using it less and less. It had been a while since the last one had been said, although neither one of you could exactly remember the last time. 

You both had been talkative that night on call, but had been winding down for over an hour. Owl had been laying down for a little bit now, and you had leaned in close to your computer to see if he was asleep. He seemed right on the edge of sleep, and you couldn’t help but admire how peaceful he looked. 

His blonde hair was a bit of his mess on top of his head, barely allowing you to see that his eyes were closed. You wished you were in there in person so then you could admire how long his eyelashes were. How soft his skin was, press a kiss to his cheek before snuggling close to him. 

You said your sweet, quiet three words, not really realizing they were uttered until hearing your own voice. You panicked for a small moment before realizing he probably couldn't hear it anyway. 

Ending the call, you figured it best to get to bed too. When he heard the sound of your soft words and then the sound of him being left in call. He felt a blush and small smile come to his lips as he fell asleep that way. 

You woke up to a voice message returning the sentiment in the morning, allowing you to have the most wonderful day imaginable in a while. 

Xyx 

The two of you hadn’t quite gotten to the freely admitting love part yet. You both knew how each other felt, but saying it verbally was a completely different story than subconsciously knowing it or showing it. It felt like everytime the words were about to be said, they would just get stuck and silence would be left. 

You thought maybe in person would be best time to do it. You two were already planning for you to fly out in a couple weeks, after all. Planning currently on call made you even more excited, the two of you having big goofy grins as you talked about what could be done during the visit. Xyx, of course, was suggesting more adventurous plans, but also kept in mind your safety. 

“C’mon, doll, I’m sure you'd look amazing on the back of the bike.” He teased, leaning on his hand as he grinned at you through the screen. “Imagine it. Holding onto me while the wind and cars are flying by. Gets your heart racing in more ways than one, yeah?” 

You rolled your eyes a little bit, half not minding the idea, half worried about his leg. He chuckled at seeing it. “Xyx, as much as I love you, maybe getting a ride is a better way to get me from the airport.” 

There was silence for a moment, making you look at the screen. It wasn’t until you saw the big blush on Xyx’s cheeks did you realize what you said. You thought twice about scrambling to cover your ass about it, not wanting to take back what was true, which made the blush on his cheeks just deepen. He looked away, unable to hold eye contact for such a sincere moment. 

“I… Love you too, so I’ll be careful while you’re on the bike.” He slowly admits, so quietly that you nearly missed it. A slow smile came to your lips, feeling your heart swell. 

While it wasn’t in person like you originally thought, it was just as wonderful. 

Quest

It had been a relaxing call for the two of you. The server wasn’t very active that day, with at most Nightowl demanding a bit of attention earlier on in the chats. It had been a moderate date for his work, too, so he was able to stay on call while working. 

That's what Quest was doing at the moment. Working on some spreadsheets and documents, his mic sensitive enough that you could hear the click clacking of his keyboard. Or maybe it was just that his keyboard was that loud, with him being the only one in the office this late at night. You weren’t completely sure. 

You hadn’t been doing much while watching him. Maybe reading a book, or playing a small game on your phone. No matter what you were doing, you found yourself continuously looking back to the screen and admiring him.

You adored everything about him, it would be hard not to admire. From the way that his glasses would sometimes slide down his nose to reveal his eyes to you easier. To his scars in which you hoped to trace your fingers along one day, show him they’re not bad. 

You must’ve been staring, because after some clicks could be heard, a chuckle came from him. 

“Angel, why are you staring at me? Unless I’m mistaken and you’re reading something on your screen.” His question made you snap out of your adoring daze, making your cheeks heat very quickly very easily.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I just love seeing you, love talking with you and love you, I–” You cut yourself off at hearing yourself say that, heart beat immediately feeling like it doubled. 

A blush came to Quest’s cheeks, but he couldn't help a laugh. “God, angel… You’re messing with my heart again. I've said it again and again, but truly, what are you doing to me here?” He leaned a bit closer, resting his elbows on his desk as he smiled at you. 

“I love you, too, angel.” 

Toast 

After that original week, it took a while to get used to the connection between you two. Down the line, the two of you talked about how heavy the phrase might be, and decided to start from scratch with affectionate phrases. You both knew you loved each other, but wanted to make sure that saying it was just as special. 

With that in mind, it had been quite a while since it was said. They had been the last one to say it, in another bout of adrenaline similar to how it happened the first time. You reciprocated it, of course, adoring seeing them so happy and full of life. 

So it was more surprising in this situation. They had been trying to teach you more and more about Final Fantasy overtime, the lack of censors allowing them to be a guide for you both in game and in call. You hadn’t quite yet gotten the hang of it yet, but you were enjoying listening to them crack sarcastic jokes to help you understand. 

Which lead to you laughing and saying, “I love you and your jokes, but truly, that was a bad one.” 

He had laughed before he could process it fully, and when it did set in what you just said, he couldn’t help but stutter. All thoughts about trying to explain this game to you left his head for a moment, only the feeling of warmth and adoration filling him. 

“I-I love you too, but…” He muttered, clearing his throat before trying and failing to smoothly move on. “My jokes are not that bad that you need to use the I love you card on me.” 

Overall

One thing I just have to include is that I believe Salo and his wife Mara would act as parental stand-ins for Toast, Quest and Nightowl. Possibly yourself, too, if you do not have a close relationship with your family. They don't do it as much with Xyx since he has his supportive parents, but they do keep a close eye on him through Salo's account on the server to see if they need to speak to his parents about something.

They would go to the ends of the earth for the newlyweds, and act as a source of reassurance for you. They’ve been through enough actual parental roles with their own kids’ weddings that they basically get the drill by the time they’re asked by your LI or yourself to fill that position.

I imagine Mara to have this very gentle, very kind but stern presence about her, and acts as the “look you need to make the decision” person whenever the two of you have difficulties with wedding planning, while Salo is happy and reassuring saying “don’t worry everything will go well”. They’re the ones to first step in if they notice even a hint of nervousness on anyone’s part. They cry like actual parents would on their kids’ wedding days.

The entire server gets invited to every wedding. I imagine June being the flower girl, and Two2 being the ring bearer, both to any of the weddings depending on what you and your LI decide. Onion would attempt to help with any planning possible, especially the financial side, while BigLady would offer to be the Maid of Honor to anyone who would like it or need one. The other three LIs are the LI of choice’s groomsmen, with Xyx and Toast being each other’s Best Man, and Quest and Nightowl being each other’s.

Toast

He would wish for a smaller, family and friends wedding. He doesn’t bother to invite his actual parents, as he knows they won’t come anyways. He gets extremely anxious when you brought up asking Salo and Mara, but after some reassurance from you, he does so and is visibly relieved when they accept immediately.

They have some inputs on important things like the ceremony and what should be done during the reception. But they leave things like color scheme, decorations and that sort up to you. While they wanted it to be their happiest day, they knew it would be as long as you were marrying them, they would be extremely happy.

You two had decided to walk down the aisle together, not really the ones for traditionality. But when it came to you two actually meeting outside the main hall before the ceremony, you hadn’t expected him to be completely frozen. And then start crying. Which caused you to start crying, which is probably not a good look for both the soon-to-be-newlyweds to be crying outside the main hall.

“I’m sorry, honey, you just look… You look perfect, God…” They mumbled, moving close to you so then the words could only be heard between the two of you. “I can’t believe it's actually all coming true. You’ll be my spouse after this.”

You mumbled reassurances and mutual feelings back to him til it was time to walk down the aisle. He offered his hand, sniffling a bit as he smiled big and whispered, “Ready to spend the rest of your life with me?”

Xyx

The opposite of Toast, he wanted everyone to know you two were getting married. He would want to invite anyone you two were even acquaintances with. He didn’t care about the cost, he knew he could handle any cost if it meant that as many people as possible could see you two securing your love for life. He would also make it as lavish as possible while still respecting your wishes about it.

He had big opinions about some things, like the ceremony. His legal side showed especially when it came to the vows, making sure the two of you had it all down in writing and you both agreed on the vows. While he understood it was meant to be sentimental, he wanted that to be saved for the speeches of the reception. He knew he would make everyone either laugh, or cry with his speech to his adoring spouse.

The two of you had decided to do a first look where it was just the two of you. Some of the others were pushing for the photographer to be there, but he wanted to keep that special moment between you. He didn’t want to hide his true feelings from you on the wedding day, especially when it took him so long to get used to showing them around you. And it went exactly as he thought it would.

The instant he had turned around to see you in your wonderful wedding outfit, dressed to the nines and looking as if the gods had blessed you with everything they could possibly imagine, he couldn’t help the way it made his heart soft. He could only smile as he slowly moved closer to wrap his arms tight around you, gazing at your face like you were his world. And in that moment, you were.

“Doll… You make me feel like I’m the most lovesick and most lucky man in the world…” He mumbled, his eyes flickering over your face as they shone with love. “How do you do that, hm?”

Quest

He also wished for a small wedding. A small wedding at a chapel or at a small venue, where it could be very personal. Everyone from the server gets invited, of course, but depending on if you have your friends or family involved, they would all sit on Quest’s side, since it would otherwise be empty. He doesn’t mind it one bit, however, because they’ve been his closest friends all these years.

He would like to keep everything quite simple but elegant. Lots of the decorations would either be handmade, second hand, or bought by Xyx or Toast in contribution. It was mainly handmade, having made the decorations in your guys’ spare time of the past few months, sitting together and talking while making them at the dining room table. It was something that reassured him that he was doing the right thing, and something he looked forward to on his days off or when he could get off work at a reasonable time. It was your guys’ version of the perfect wedding.

You decided together that you wanted to do the traditional walk down the aisle, with you either going down it with Salo, Nightowl, or your own family member of your choice, if you decided not to walk alone. You teased him about how you knew he was going to get choked up without doing a first look, but he reassured you he wouldn’t mind it one bit. You were right, of course, as the moment that the doors opened to the main hall and he saw you, he was smiling and crying to keep his tears from spilling over.

When you reached him, he took both your hands gently in both of his, sniffling a bit in happiness. You had gotten to the point of tears at that point, too, having to laugh or giggle through it to make sure both of you didn't start crying at the altar while the officiant chuckled and let the two of you take your time. You could feel the eyes of your friends and family, although they were simply appreciating the love displayed in front of them.

When Quest got a handle of himself, he murmured to you. “You look stunning, angel… Let's finally make what we’ve worked towards after all this time come true.”

Nightowl

When you first started planning the wedding, he was the most conflicted on how big or small he wanted it. Mainly because he knew there was almost minimal chance that he could get out of inviting his parents to the wedding. He was stuck on that for ages as he knew he wanted a special wedding, but he knew that if he told his parents that he was getting married, they would take it over and make it how they wanted it to be. He was stressing over it more and more every day.

It wasn’t until Xyx made a joke did he realize one last option: Eloping. Why hadn’t you two thought of that sooner? After you both doing some research into it, and making sure it was absolutely something the two of you wanted, you started planning. You would go to the townhall and get officiated, before going on your guys’ honeymoon. With this plan, you were able to put much more time and thought into your honeymoon, doubling the time you two spent on it.

He had practically been jumping with excitement when waiting to be able to sign the official papers. He had rented a simple suit specifically for this, and you had gone and either done the same, or gone short dress shopping or borrowed from a family member. He couldn’t help how much he was smiling as he gazed at you while attempting to pay attention to the officiator.

When you two had finally been able to sign the papers, making the two of you legally married. He was so over the moon that he immediately leaned over and gave you a big kiss, not able to hold back anymore at that point. When he leaned back, he took your hand and guided you out of the town hall with a giant smile.

“C’mon, cutie! While we do have the rest of our lives together, I can’t wait any longer to have you all to myself.”

Nightowl 2

He has the same struggle with his parents in this one. But in this one, Toast makes a suggestion: trick his parents. While he knew there was a risk that they could get mad at him for not telling them it was his wedding instead of some sort of family gathering, he admitted it was ten times better than trying to fight his mother off from her trying to take over the planning. So he got the big celebration he wanted without having to sacrifice his plans. And if anything went sour on the wedding day, he had Quest, Salo and Xyx there to keep them back.

He was at your side at every step of the planning process. While at some points he had no or very little input, he wanted to help you as much as possible, and made sure that you were going through the planning how you would spend the rest of your lives: together. His big thing is that he wanted to make sure that the cake was big and the dance floor would be amazing.

You had also planned to do a first look, but your future husband had other plans. You were still getting ready in your dressing room when you got a knock at the balcony window, startling you. When you looked over, there you saw Owl, sheepishly grinning, in his wedding attire but very clearly wanting to be let in. Luckily for you, the others that had been previously been helping you get ready had gone to make sure everything else was ready, so when you opened the balcony door, it was just the two of you.

You immediately questioned him on how the hell he got up on the balcony, in which he was barely able to speak fully as he admitted that his dressing room was just a few balconies over and he was able to hop over a few to get there. And then he spoke fully, his excitement and happiness very clear, amazed as he stared at you.

Toast

They would try to avoid having too many questions, and depending how much pain you’re in, would lay down in the bed with you and pet your hair, all nervousness gone because you're not feeling well. They wouldn’t even speak, they would just lay there in silence, staring at the ceiling at the wall as they attempted to comfort you with their presence. They wouldn’t speak until you did, basically, and then when you did, their awkwardness would show a little bit as they tried to figure out what they needed to ask to check up on you.

Or get you medication, and put some noise canceling headphones on you to play soft, gentle music. They would have you snuggle with them while they game, knowing that them holding you makes you feel better, occasionally taking one half of the headphones off to murmur check ups on you. They would be very quiet that day, even if the headphones are noise canceling because they don’t want to bother you one bit. A blanket is over the two of you to keep the body heat together in comfort, and they don’t notice you’ve fallen asleep until they check up on you next.

They don’t bother moving you, keeping quiet as you sleep, until they eventually join you in your nap later on in the chair, arms wrapped around you.

Nightowl

He would murmur reassuring words, dim all the lights within his room, make sure all the curtains were closed as usual. Then would get you under the covers with him so he could gently snuggle you close to his chest as he petted your head and rubbed your back. Depending how bad it was, he would either be quiet, or hum songs he knew you liked, or talk very quietly about things you enjoy.

When you’re well enough to talk fully, he asks if you’d like a TV show on, and puts on your favorite show on his laptop on a low volume and low screen brightness. He would be quiet while listening and watching the show with you, occasionally glancing over to make sure you were okay, along with checking that the volume and brightness was at an okay level.

If you wouldn’t want any other noise, he just talks about his day with you, keeping to cute or sweet stories until you eventually dozed off.

Quest

He would immediately make sure you’ve drank plenty of water, and then check if you’ve eaten, before setting you on the comfortable couch and wrapping you up in a blanket. He kisses your forehead before disappearing into the kitchen, trying to make as little noise as possible as he starts to make an easy and comforting soup for you. He would try to make it nutritious while also tasting good, or even make your favorite soup depending what it is.

When hes all done making the soup, he comes back out of the kitchen with a bowl and setting it in the coffee table to cool. He disappears shortly before coming back with headphones for you, picking one of his favorite softer playlists before putting them on you. He keeps only one warm yellow lamp on as he feeds the soup to you, not allowing you to take the spoon no matter how much you protest.

Once you’re all done with the soup, he sets the bowl in the kitchen before pulling you into his arms and snuggling you close as you fall asleep against his chest, laid back on the couch.

Xyx

He stops most of his jokes when you tell him you have a headache, and immediately turns his voice down as he reaches out to rub your cheek. He shoos you to the bedroom to lay down as he gets you medication and a small snack, before joining you on the bed. He scolds you gently if you try to deny the snack and meds, but understands if you say that meds don’t work.

Once he's made sure you’ve eaten, at least, he gets up and disappears out of the room for a few moments, before returning with a book of your favorite genre. Or a book that he knows will be comforting. He gets under the covers with you, himself sat up against the headboard as he pulls you close to his chest with one arm. It allows you to feel the soft rumble of his chest as he starts to read the book to you in a low voice, putting a little expression here and there to be entertaining but mainly soothing.

Nightowl freaks out the most out of the four when realizing it. He realized the instant he heard your voice because he had your songs constantly on repeat in his playlists, and he meant all your songs. He tries to keep it cool but he fails really badly when he realizes he has a poster from one of your performances on his wall behind him and you realize it, and he rambles his adoration for you and your voice. You end up singing a customized song for him after a few calls. When you do so, he’s flustered beyond belief, not believing he actually got such a song from you. When the two of you start dating, he gets free tickets to every one of your shows or concerts, and likes to think he cheers or screams the loudest for you. Every time he ends up with a hoarse voice afterwards, but bringing you cute plushies or gifts are congratulations for a show well done.

Toast isn't much better, but at least he isn't completely obsessed. He has your records on preorder the minute they're announced, and then keeps them in pristine condition once he gets them. When you see what you think are your records in the background, carefully placed on a table, they blush a bit and admits to it, saying that they had been a fan of yours but didn't want to make you uncomfortable. You reassure them it's fine and you two talk about how much of a fan they’ve been and how much you appreciate it. After you two start dating, he gets sneak peaks at the songs you’re working on. You sometimes stream as you work on the songs to him, being extra careful that no one else is able to see it or listen to it. He would be elated that you trusted him enough to even let him watch as you recorded some things, and gave him the downloadable version once it was all done since you knew he would keep it under strict lock and key.

Quest didn't realize it at first. He had your playlists and everything, as he found your voice very soothing, but always ended up going into a daze when hearing your smooth music. So he didn't realize until you two were on call and he went into a daze while you talked for a while. He eventually asks after the two of you had started dating, and tells about how he adores your music but unfortunately can't afford to support you much. You say just for him you'd give him all of your records. He protested, saying you deserved for your albums to be actually bought instead of just giving them away. But you were already planning for them to be sent his way, as this was after the censors had lifted. You called it a “free gift” when you ended up showing up with the package of new albums on his doorstep.

Xyx had been having troubles at work recently. It felt like no matter how he tried, he couldn’t get everything straight. Everything was meant to have its place, but it’s as if there was an explosion in his office recently and everything was in the last place it was supposed to be in. He asked all his coworkers if they knew anything of what happened within his office, but they were all struggling themselves.

After some time, it came out that an intern decided to rearrange everyone’s office. Without telling anyone. Then go on vacation. Of course the intern wasn’t fired, but they did get a strong scolding when returning to the firm after their vacation. Everyone had setbacks in their cases and constant mix ups now.

Xyx seemed to be struggling the most. He didn’t know if it was because the intern didn’t particularly like him rejecting them when they asked him out previously – he was still tempted to take that to HR – but it felt like he could never get his papers and records in their proper places again. It wasn’t until he started to find that case papers were starting to be mixed between files did he report it, and then start looking for a secretary.

He hated this part of the job. Xyx would have to rely on someone else this way, which he hated to do. While he was friendly with those in his firm, he was known to be a lone wolf. He had to be, in this career. Working with others meant having to rely on promises, on someone’s word, on someone else’s gut. He didn’t even trust his own clients at times, why would he trust another lawyer who could screw up the entire case thinking they were doing right?

Once he had posted the job offer with permission from the firm, he started analyzing every resume he came across. He needed the most ideal person he possibly could find in a short notice. He didn’t know how much longer he could go with his office being like this, even with the intern now being fired for their inappropriate behavior, allowing him to get at least the sections fixed without worry of it being fucked up again.

Then he came across the perfect resume. Experience in secretary positions, flying color reviews from those previous positions, including even an experience of being a secretary to a lawyer that retired last year. It appeared they had been assisting firms with smaller things while looking for a permanent position since the lawyer’s retirement. Wasn’t too old to be stuck in old times, and wasn’t too young to be a novice or doe eyed.

Xyx’s brows furrowed as he learned closer to his computer, wondering how the hell they hadn’t been hired by anyone else until now. Any lawyer looking for a secretary would be ecstatic to have this resume come across their desk in time of need. He opened up the cover letter attached and as he read, started to understand.

Mr. [REDACTED], I am hoping you will read this letter to its fullest. I also hope you forgive, or appreciate, any unprofessional wording done within this letter.

When looking into your case work, I can see you do wonderfully considering the amount of shit you’re given. I also know you treat everyone with equal respect, but refuse time and time again to hire a secretary. Considering you’re now looking for one, there's two things that could’ve happened.

The first is that you got tired of the lone wolf routine you have. Got tired of the long hours, and wish to push the work onto someone else for once. Take a backseat in the work, per se. I highly doubt this is what caused the job posting, but even if it is, consider this resume mute.

I am tired of working for people who do not respect me for my hard work. I am tired of being surrounded by those who do not realize how important secretaries are, yet at the same moment give me all the work they do not understand or do not wish to do. I’m not even given a proper introduction most of the time, I’m just called “my secretary”. I will not be “my secretary” for anyone else.

The second option is that shit hit the fan and you couldn’t handle it alone, no matter how much you tried. Probably took quite a while to wear you down before you got to that point, but you still got to that point. Now you’re looking for the perfect secretary, or the closest thing to perfect, as you won’t settle for anything less even in a time of need.

If you’re even reading this, it means I’m the ideal secretary for you. If you’re going to treat me as your equal, these are my available interview times.

Right below Xyx read a little chart of available times within the next two weeks, and a sprawling e-signature.

They certainly are bold. Xyx thought, sitting back in his seat as he glanced over the letter a few more times. Bold is good. But they must’ve gone through some deep levels of shit for them to do this in a direct cover letter like this.

After some thinking, he decided that he would schedule the interview and see how everything went. He looked over the availability schedule, and decided it would be best to email them immediately. He was ecstatic when he got an email in return confirming the appointment within the work day.

The interview day came quicker than he expected. He had cleared a couple hours from his schedule just in case he needed to show the interviewee around the firm, around his office, all that sort. He also made sure to finish his work well before the scheduled time, as he had a gut feeling that if he had them wait even five minutes, they would walk out.

Xyx wasn’t exactly in the position to give up such a perfect interviewee, especially when he didn’t make any other interviews. Against his usual gut feeling, he put all his eggs in one basket. But from the way he was tempted to frame that cover letter and hang it up in his office, it would be the best basket he’s ever come across.