#defenderadora

tw: blood mention

          when he’d been up and teleported, the city of nova was probably the last thing diego had expected to find himself. he didn’t even remember the last time he’d been to a big city like this in real life. and by some stroke of luck, diego had found himself unharmed from the battle, except for a few minor scrapes and bruises. but, really, that was nothing that diego wasn’t used to being a martial artist.

          the first person that crossed his mind once the battle ended was none other than his adora harlow. and maybe he’d been one of the first to cross her minds, too, because it wasn’t long before he was answering her intercom message.

di...? can you hear me? i was hit on my right side. i think i'm near some club. there's an ice cream place too.

          hearing her voice, so clouded with emotion and tears...diego just about broke down himself right then and there. but, he had to remain strong, for her. seeing her again, feeling her in his arms, that’s what kept diego going. he raced through the streets of nova, shouting her name while checking every nearby club for any sight of her. finally, he came upon a corner club, an alleyway, and an ice cream shop across the street from both of them. the man immediately ran down the alley, calling her name. 

          “harlow! harlow! harlow, are you down here?” at least if there was someone else who overheard him, they wouldn’t know of a harlow, persay; most people in velia only knew her as adora 

          the first thing diego spots is a trail of blood. his heart jumps into his throat as he follows it, trying to find its source and hoping that, by god, she was still conscious. finally, he spots her slumped up against the brick wall. “harlow, my querida,” he sighs, running over to her, falling at her feet, and pulling her into his arms. “you’re okay, shh. i’m right here.”

ғʀᴏᴍ : x  ( @xjpg )

ᴛᴏ : ᴀᴅᴏʀᴀ  ( @defenderadora )

——     x   is standing near the line where the beach meets the forest, letting his weight rest against a thick  &  particularly shady tree.  there, the male could find some peace while watching how everyone celebrated the ‘ end ’ of the battle.  well, the end for now ... ! he’s enjoying an improvised cigarette he made by himself with leaves found on the floor.  it doesn’t burn as good as the ones uncle carlo used to buy for him back in italy, but it gets the job done.  

he’s been holding the smoke inside his lungs for a few seconds, when his hues spot a headset of blonde  ( mud stained )  hair not too far away from where he is standing.  his eyes glistening at the thought of being able to piss her off, even now that is back  &  probably tired from the battle.  it was his sort of welcome gift.  

Say what you would about Velia, but there was no debate when it came to its physical beauty. Not that she could remember all the details of a proper sunset. Perched on a large jagged rock formation, Cricket studied this one. The way the colors just...melded into each other were breathtaking. She did her best to focus on the ways the orange laced into the blues. Or the way the pink seemed to make them both pop. Or anything other than the fact Adora would be arriving any minute. This was most certainly a terrible idea. She felt it deep within her core. A nauseating, acidic feeling and she knew she’d have to tread carefully to avoid their usual pitfalls. After Achillieus things....they just hadn’t-- they just didn’t work together. She was never under the illusion it would. But she had to do this. For Leo and to admit...well they’d cross that bridge when they got there. 

Hearing the sound of the teleport, Cricket swallowed and her eyes caught sight of the woman as she rendered. She didn’t look pleased. But then again, she never did. “Thanks for coming,” Cricket said, slipping down from her perch. “I know I’m probably the last person you wanna waste your time with and I can’t promise you you’ll feel any different after I say what I gotta say...but I think it’s-- I think it’s important I do,”

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❤❤❤  I trust you with my life. I know you would never hurt me.

“Well, duh. First off, I wouldn’t even try to hurt you without you killing me first... but well I’m glad you know I’ll always have your back, or whatever.”

          the catalyst npc and diego speak in hushed tones; he had overheard them and their companion mentioning their guild’s second in command, and diego had to shake his head to make sure he had heard the name right. adora. but no, it couldn’t be the same adora he’d known outside velia, the one who he’d fell for during the three or so months he was in australia. that’d be impossible. 

          “i’ll trade you this virtually indestructible shield for information,” he bribed the npc, holding up said shield (picasso was a martial artist, so he rarely used any kind of weapon or handheld armor anyways). scowling as the npc made a counter offer, the desperate man agreed to it. “fine -- the shield and a bottle of harold’s finest scotch. now will you tell me her address?”

          when he had finally succeeded in getting what he’d wanted, diego took off for FLOOR 37 without another word. on his way there, he had mapped out exactly what he was going to say if it was her: how wonderful it was to see her again, how he hadn’t stopped thinking about her these past four years, how much she’d meant to him -- but his mind fell blank when he walked up the steps of her cottage.

          taking a deep breath, diego smooths down his unruly, curly hair (there was no hope for it behaving) and raises a hand to knock three times on the door. he shuffles back and forth as he hears footsteps coming closer to him. his heart beats twice - or maybe three times - the speed it should be as he stands there. finally, the door opens.

          and he’s met with the familiar, albeit battle-hardened, face of his beautiful blonde savior. he gulps, and a weak greeting escapes his lips: “harlow. hi.”

cry: wipe away their tears.

seeing the tears fall hot and fast down adora’s cheeks practically broke picasso’s heart in half. jumping out of his seat, he goes over to where adora sat and places both hands on her knees as he kneels in front of her. “harlow, querida, what’s going on, baby?” 

kiss: a kiss on the cheek, knuckles, forehead, in their hair.

it was late. probably around 1 am. harlow and diego were in his bed, and she was fast asleep, her arm draped lazily around his waist. diego sighs softly as he replays that night in his brain; velia had shocked him in a lot of ways but never, in a million years, did he expect to find his first love from real life also in the game. 

harlow tosses in her sleep, her face contorting from, diego guessed, a bad dream she might be having. “shh, shh, querida. you’re okay, i’m right here,” he murmurs, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him. as she settles down, diego rests his chin on the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair every time he inhales. “i’m right here,” he repeats, whispering in her ear before kissing the top of her head.

bandage: patch them up when they get hurt.

diego shakes his head when adora comes up to him, limping. “querida, what did you do?” he sighs. the brunet wraps one arm around her waist and encourages her to lean into him. “c’mon, let’s get you to the couch – and don’t you even think about seducing me,” he adds teasingly, winking at her. 

after taking her to the couch, diego goes to his kitchen to get some ice for her foot. upon returning, he sits down next to her and gently pulls her injured foot up onto his lap. the brunet places the ice-filled towel on her ankle. “now, dime. what happened?”

carry: pick them up.

“don’t you dare, harlow –” the man exclaims, shooting behind a column just in time for a water balloon to ricochet off of it. leaning his head outwards, he shouts, “ah-ha, you missed!” – but his victory doesn’t last long, for in the next moment, he’s sopping wet. running a hand through his now-soaked hair, diego lets out a long sigh. “you really shouldn’t have done that, querida,” and then he’s running after her until he’s caught her by the waist. as he lifts her and spins her around, they both begin laughing. 

in the back of his mind, diego knew that harlow didn’t give herself a chance to let loose and have fun in-game often, so he was glad she was able to let her guard down with him. and what’s more fun than an impromptu balloon fight?