So, for Fakiru week this year, I’m doing a 7-part modern Pride and Prejudice AU I’ve been thinking about for some time now. :3 I hope you’ll enjoy, and I’m sorry that each of these chapters are late :x
Also, this is all self-indulgent so like. I’m sorry :x
Ahiru and her sisters weren't born with silver spoons in their mouths.
On the contrary, life with the Featherbottoms was more like giant ice cream scoopers, aprons stained with crepe batter, and a limit to only two free samples per customer because running a parlor was expensive business.
... Ahiru thought it rather silly to limit them to two samples each, since barely anyone ever came in anymore.
Their little ice cream and crepe parlor sat on the eastern end of a dismally failing outdoor mall. Most stores sat empty. Other lots housed some random boutiques and the occasional rug store bound to be out of there by the next quarter. Ahiru swore she saw tumbleweed brush past the glass paneled doors at least once a week.
Her parents, well-meaning and ridiculous as they were, insisted that their big break was coming---that Rue's balletic talent ("her one redeeming quality!" they'd say, much to Ahiru's chagrin) would carry them off into comfort and riches eventually, and persisted with keeping this little shop going as long as possible (if only so they wouldn't lose the apartment). Not without cutting corners, though: they swapped out fresh strawberries for preserves, removed avocado from all their savory crepes, convinced Ahiru to make smaller scoops per order, and other such minor details that soon coalesced into one giant mess of a business.
"Rue!!" came the shrill sing-song of their mother's squawking, "Let your sisters handle the shop today! You must keep to your lessons! I've heard from your instructors that you've been focusing far less lately!"
Rue frowned impatiently, stubbornly pulling her thick hair into a tight bun. "Ahiru will be left alone here."
"I can handle it!" Ahiru said brightly from her spot in front of the display glass, wiping at the window above the bins of ice cream. Though her parents saw Rue's dancing as a way out of their struggles, Ahiru knew that her older sister genuinely felt her happiest in her pointe shoes. "I don't think it's gonna get busy! And Pique and Lilie are coming in this afternoon, that's what they said!"
Rue gave Ahiru a withering stare.
Ahiru's expression wilted. "O-Okay, so they're not coming in. But still, it'll be okay, won't it? I know how everything is done!"
"Heavens, no!" Mrs. Featherbottom gasped, utterly scandalized, "The whole place would fall to pieces, and we'd be left with absolutely nothing! We'll be forced onto the streets: beggars! Spinsters!"
Ahiru blinked owlishly. "Spinsters?"
"Spinsters!"
"Oh." Was Ahiru really that bad with the store upkeep?
Rue turned her nose up, her lips pursing, and to their mother, she might've looked haughty. But Ahiru caught the subtle slump in Rue's poised shoulders. "Mother, I'll stay here until Pique or Lilie comes to relieve me. I'll make up the lessons on my next day off."
"Well, be sure that one of those two comes here soon! The darlings---they work so hard and have such hefty schedules! But we must balance our priorities, after all! And Rue, you cannot have your talents go to waste!"
Rue took her spot at the crepe station while Ahiru sampled the strawberry flavor. Minutes passed. No customers, as expected.
So, Ahiru bumped the volume on the speakers and skidded across the tile floor, a mop her guitar and an ice cream scooper as a microphone. Rue gave her that same, tiny smile, the one that said, "you're so silly, I love you, little sister," and rose to the tips of her non-slip shoes to twirl into a dance behind the counter.
Working wasn't always that bad.
Overcast weather over an outdoor mall always promised slow days. They simply got used to the lack of customers in the fall. Crisp, cloudy, and cool, this was the quiet season (or at least, quieter than usual).
These moments were rather nice, despite the fact that their days in this business were numbered if things kept on as they were.
Ahiru tried to appreciate it all for what it was.
Then, on one such gloomy day, the door opened over the lull of humming freezers and retail music. And Ahiru would've swooned at their new customer if she wasn't distracted by the way Rue shyly glanced away and tucked a loose strand of hair over her ear.
He was lovely, with warm, golden eyes and hair of pearl---the sort of face that would make Pique and Lilie run in screeching. And his smile was sweet and genuine. Ahiru's own customer-service grin came quite easy to her in his presence.
Rue didn't even look him in the eye. Ahiru took note of this.
"Hello! I didn't know there was an ice cream place here!"
"Hi there! Um, would you like a free sample, sir?" Ahiru offered, waving from behind the glass and hopping up onto the step stool so she could see him clearly. He dressed smartly---so different from anyone else in these suburbs. A nice tweed jacket, a crisp, white button-up ...
He shook his head politely. "No, but thank you very much for the offer. It's rather chilly, actually. Do you happen to serve coffee?"
"Yes, of course!"
"I'd like one please. Oh!" He spotted the menu on the back wall. "And crepes! I love crepes!"
Rue shifted, keeping her expression hidden. Ahiru's smile grew mischievous. "Aaaah, of course! Go ahead and order with Rue over there! She makes really, really good ones! I'll get your coffee!"
"Thank you so much."
Forced to greet him now, Rue kept her expression carefully controlled, an even, pleasant smile for a customer. But Ahiru, ever-so-attentive to her older sister's habits, caught the way she gripped her apron.
The man's eyes widened, and he paused in his step, his lips parting in awe at the sight of Rue.
Ahiru giddily went about making a fresh brew, biting her lip and trying not to listen in as Rue and this new gentleman made pleasantries.
"Do you have any recommendations, Miss Rue?"
"Would you like something savory, perhaps lunch, sir? Or something sweet?"
"... I'd very much like something sweet."
"Hm. Then may I suggest the strawberries and nutella?"
"That sounds delightful."
Okay, maybe Ahiru was reading way too much into it. But ... this was super cute.
As the young man intentionally carried on conversation while Rue set to making his crepe, the door swung open once more, causing Ahiru to almost spill the contents of the paper cup in her hands.
"Dammit, Autor, the numbers aren't adding up! We pay you for a reason, don't we?!"
The deep, frustrated timbre drowned out the sweet discussion occurring on the other side of the parlor. He spat the words into his phone, his free hand shoved deep into the pocket of his slacks. His blazer and shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, a tie undone and hanging loose from his collar. With sharp, green eyes and rich, dark skin, Ahiru would've found him stupidly attractive.
You know. If not for the way his lips curled into a snarl and how he barked into his phone like it was the nastiest thing in the world. Ahiru didn't bother to hide her frown.
"Well, fix it!" He glanced up from his phone only to look in the other man's direction.
The sweet, good, much-nicer-and-altogether-better person gave him a sheepish smile and a shrug.
He rolled his eyes. "Look, Autor, I'll call you back, and when I do, you've better have ironed out everything we just discussed." He pulled his phone from his ear and tapped it with an impatient thumb. "Mytho, what are you---"
"They have crepes, Fakir! I haven't had a crepe in so long!"
"Are you seriously---"
"They have coffee, too."
"Fakir" frowned, noticing the way "Mytho" leaned in and smiled with gentle affection toward the woman making his crepe. Without passing Ahiru a single glance, he scoffed and sat at the table next to the window. "Coffee, then. Black. Fresh-brewed. I don't want leftovers."
Ahiru's jaw dropped. Well. Well. WELL!
As Fakir tapped and scrolled angrily at his phone, Mytho cleared his throat and leaned toward Rue again. "I'm so sorry. He's not usually like this. He's just having a rather stressful day."
"So I see," Rue muttered in reply, spreading nutella along the crepe's surface.
Meanwhile, Ahiru grit her teeth. Fine. Fine. Fresh-brewed, just for Mr. Cranky-Pants. He would have the best coffee in the world. It would be the most delicious, most delectable, best shot of caffeine he'd ever have in his life, and probably go on to keep being a jerk and how in the world were these two people even acquainted?
She passed Mytho his coffee first with a smile---which he returned with a quiet thanks and an apology. Then, she placed the other coffee---THE BEST COFFEE EVER---onto the counter.
"Your coffee's ready."
He kept on tapping at his phone.
"Um. Sir?"
He scowled and scrolled.
"Siiiir?"
Still nothing.
"AHEM."
When he refused to acknowledge even that, she grabbed the best coffee ever and stomped around the counter toward his table. She pointedly placed it down right in between his face and that poor, abused phone screen. "Your coffee's ready, sir! Black, freshly brewed, super delicious, and the best ever! Sugar and cream are at the counter!"
He scowled and finally looked up at her. "Hey, watch it---"
Her lips pursed as he paused. His brow unfurrowed just slightly, the tenseness in his jaw loosening.
Her cheeks heated and she gulped.
Then, she shook her head and stalked off back around the counter with a huff. Okay, so he had a staring problem, too. She'd had some lousy customers before, but this guy really took the cake!
"Miss Ahiru," Mytho said, walking toward the register with coffee in one hand and crepe box in the other, a skip in his step and a twinkle in his eye. "Rue tells me you've been in business here for many years. How do you like it? How's the area? Thinking of renting one of these empty stores."
Ahiru prepared to reply with enthusiasm, but that Fakir butted in. "You've seen it already, Mytho. This place is dead. Numbers are dropping constantly."
"Ahem!" Ahiru rang him up with perky jubilance, her grin wide. "I like it here! It's nice and quiet and we get to meet nice people who walk their dogs, and we have a Halloween store that shows up every year and a tree-lighting ceremony during holidays! So, with a little imagination, it's a great place! Numbers aren’t everything!”
She dared to look around Mytho to throw a triumphant grin in that Fakir's direction.
... She was mildly surprised to see that he wasn't scowling.
"Well, that's good to hear!" Mytho paid without further incident, before stepping toward the crepe station. "Miss Rue ... thank you for your time. I'll ... I'd like to try other crepes again soon!"
She smiled a little, polite and even. "We look forward to it."
As he took his leave, Ahiru called out to Fakir, her grin super-duper wide. "And yours is 2.50 plus tax!"
He stood and approached the register.
Hoo boy.
Okay, he was tall.
She readied herself for some kind of mean spirited comment or grumpy complaint, but all he did was hand her a ten before following Mytho out the door.
The sisters were left in silence.
Until Ahiru spoke, shaking off that weird warmth that filled her cheeks under that Fakir's piercing gaze. "Ugh. If he ever comes in again, I'm gonna kick his butt."
"Please do. Looks like he left you a big tip, though," Rue countered.
"I don't want his dumb tip! Did you see the way he spoke to Mytho? And, and, and me, and the person on the phone! Hmph, I wish that stupid silver spoon in his mouth stopped him from talking!"
"How could anyone like Mytho be in business with someone like that?"
At this, Ahiru felt her mood lighten.
"... Mytho was really nice, huh, Rue?"
"... Oh, stop it."
Mytho nibbled delightedly at his crepe, but sighed as he glanced up and down the pathetic halls of the outdoor mall. "... You're right, though. This area ... isn't all that promising when you look at it now. Other than that delightful ice cream place."
Fakir rolled his eyes.
But numbers aren't everything.
Tumbleweed brushed against the toe of his polished shoe and he kicked at it.
And after another moment, he looked up, fighting the urge to follow his friend's gaze back to the parlor a small distance away. With a little imagination ...
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omg Okay I know I should be working on other things but the ballgown AU has consumed me again ;A;
So here's a short, awkward conversation.
Having already received reassurances from the Duke of Blackwell that his intentions (if not his meetings) with her little sister were entirely pure, Tutu allowed herself a tiny smile as they danced their third waltz together, here at the Royal Wedding, before every noble and well-to-do aristocrat in the kingdom.
Truthfully, she'd been worried that Ahiru would have difficulty situating herself in courtly society---Tutu certainly did, and fitting in was a constant, day-to-day struggle.
She should've known that Ahiru would be the one to carve out her own place here, without regard for formality or possible gossip. Midnight rendezvous, public affection (a kiss before a crowd, no less!), happy, unsubtle glances ...
Who knew Fakir Blackwell capable of blushing so fiercely, just from a young lady's smile?
... Tutu's own smile froze, though, as the shift of wide, white skirts swished beside her, and Rue politely cleared her throat.
"Lady Tutu, good evening," she greeted, light and pleasant.
But Tutu sensed Rue's underlying discomfort---the guilt and worry. It sat heavy in her stomach. She shakily curtsied, putting on an acceptably genuine smile. After all, if the new queen extracted herself from the crowds just to speak with her, this conversation must've been quite intentional. "Congratulations, Your Grace." Her heart's wounds had healed (well, scarred), but it'd been ... a long while since she and Rue spoke, just the two of them. "You look lovely, and I wish you every happiness."
It was the truth. She did wish them every happiness, even at he expense of her own. And she held herself in contempt for being so miserable during such a wonderful occasion.
"Thank you, my lady. I'm ... so glad you're here. Truly." Rue glanced away and Tutu couldn't help but wonder if she purposefully avoided her gaze. "It seems our siblings have been getting along quite well, wouldn't you say? I'm so grateful to have met Lady Ahiru. Your sister is a breath of a fresh air, especially here in court."
Tutu knew Rue was trying. She opened herself and her heart---just a little. "I was worried for her. I shouldn't have been. Look at her. She looks happy."
Was Mother more like me, or Ahiru I wonder? It grew harder and harder to remember.
"... And how are you, Lady Tutu?"
Tutu's grip on her gloves tightened. "I'm quite well, Your Grace. Thank you."
"... Good. That's good. I'm very glad for that."
Tutu tried not to glance toward the royal banquet table where the king was seated.
"I've missed your company," Rue said in earnest.
Tutu's eyes stung. "I've ... I've missed yours."
"Come by for brunch next week. Please?" The queen reached out and placed a hesitant hand to Tutu's elbow.
Something in that touch left Tutu content. Resigned, but content nonetheless. Perhaps it was destiny that the two dearest people in the world to her would come to fall in love with Blackwells---but Rue's invitation and a happy grin from Ahiru across the room quelled her heartache.
They would love the Blackwells, but Tutu was still in their hearts.
"... I'd be delighted." This time, Tutu's smile, however watery and quivering it might've been, was real.
... The moment was disrupted by the movement at the corners of their eyes. A valet approached the king, whispering fervently into his ear, and with wide eyes and a gesture in Fakir's direction, King Siegfried and his closest friends stood from their seats or politely separated from their dance partners to stride towards the doors. Had there been some unannounced arrival?
"Pardon me," Rue whispered in a rush, following after them in a flurry of white silk and lace. The whispers permeated through the room, and something electric was in the air.
It wouldn't take long for the gossip to spread: that a long-lost brother and friend had returned, just in time for the king's wedding.
Something would change tonight. Whatever it might’ve been, Tutu was yet to find out.
AAAUUUGH I'M SO LATE ;A; but happy belated birthday @zerozeroren!! I hope all your birthday wishes came true, ilu!!!
Kind of a possible post-series Fakiru thing, in which Ahiru has to collect the shards of Fakir's heart after another writer defeated him :3a
His glow was warm, expression soft in that particular way she sorely missed since his heart had been drawn out of his chest by the tip of another writer's quill---immaterial as this heartshard was, the depth in eyes was almost tangible, as if beholding her for the first time in an eternity.
Not affectionate as when he would stroke her feathers with ink-stained fingertips; not devoted as he was when his eyes grew fierce and his jaw clenched---this look was familiar, yet so new, so unhindered, so pure and undeterred by any other emotion that could possibly wish to conceal it.
His heartshard smiled a little, the corners of his lips curling upward with gentle longing, and she thought she could cry at the sight of it---why would he spare her such a glance, a stupid duck who couldn't help him when he needed it most, a useless bird who could only watch as his heart splintered and her body took on this false, girlish form all over again (she couldn't even be Princess Tutu anymore; how could she even hope to save him and their story as just her dumb, clumsy self)?
Then, he reached up to take her hand, incorporeal, but real nonetheless, and asked her, "Do you really not know?"
With a final, gentle brush against her freckled cheek, Fakir's Heartshard of Love melted into her hold, a warm, red stone sitting between her palms, ready and willing to be returned to his heartless form---
---(right beside her, as even without his heart, Fakir remembered his vow, pledged to her beneath the still waters of a dark lake).
THIS MIGHT BE LATE BUT happy birthday @caramoccii!! :D I hope all your wishes come true! YOU ARE A DANCING QUEEN <3
Have a 5-sentence Fakiru fic!! :3 Some salsa/bachata stuff.
... This was supposed to be line-dancing night---either Pique and Lilie were greatly mistaken, or they did this on purpose.
Turned out it was salsa night instead, the music intricate, the movements fast-paced, the turns sharp and exciting, and there were far too many unfamiliar steps for her poor legs to handle, clunky and stomping and all but destroying her poor salsa teacher's toes; she was a disaster in a sea of sleek salsa shoes, swishing skirts, and playful twirls.
She could tell her teacher grew impatient with her, the clench of his jaw and the grumble under his voice marring his otherwise total and complete super hotness (tall, dark, handsome---ugh, Pique and Lilie definitely did this on purpose); impatient enough for him to suddenly slide his hand around her waist, his fingers warm and firm at her lower back as he drew her hips into his own---his tall form and the sharpness in his eyes made her blush.
"Here," he uttered beneath the sultry music, his breath shortening somewhat as she slid her hands up and over his broad shoulders (oh gosh, oh lord, oh my, oh goodness), "this is less footwork."
He drew her into a bachata, hips undulating and swaying against her own, coaxing and sending her reeling; she followed as he led, her world spinning as her head rolled back and her body arched into his solid hold---and when she returned, his green eyes were fierce, and she was sure that no one had ever looked at her that way before.
Happy birfday, @amissapanda!!! :D :D I hope all your birthday wishes come true!
Have a modern Fakiru 5-sentence fic~! :D
She wouldn't allow him to spend his birthday alone; she showed up at his doorstep with a tub of ice cream, popcorn, a couple pizza delivery coupons, and a small cake from the grocery store across the street (he was mildly amused she hadn't dropped them all on her way up to his apartment).
He was grateful for her presence---it was certainly better than the fancy dinner party Mytho wanted to plan for him, and when she was all smiles and bouncy steps like this, he couldn't help but think it to be a better birthday present that he could ever ask for.
It all started innocently enough.
There was a pizza delivery and some casual gaming (and several infuriating blue shells), but after the exploding cans of soda, the frosting smearing across her chin, and side-splitting giggles and chuckles from nothing at all, Fakir found himself sprawled out on his couch, her arms around his neck, his hands at her shoulders, their lips moving eagerly against the other's.
... 'Nevermind,' he thought, pulling back to stare at her in awe, at her wide eyes and shy smile and blushing cheeks, 'this is the best birthday present I could’ve ever asked for.'
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Happy birfday, @nanenna!!! I hope all your birthday wishes come true!! <33
Have a Magical Girl!Reveal Fakiru AU 5-sentence fic!! :3 (Your art last night got me in such a mood for magical girl stuff :3 and like, PT is already a magical girl anime but idk here's a more classic version i hope you like it!)
The monster dissipated in a burst of pink and blue and yellow shimmers, and Princess Tutu crumpled to her knees in exhaustion and relief---she gulped greedily for air, dropping her feathered scepter with a useless clatter to the hard ground.
Then, she heard his muffled groans from his position against the wall of the building nearby, hunched over beneath his cape and favoring the injury across his chest; with a graceless, quacklike squawk, she scrambled over to him on hands and knees, reaching out with shaking fingertips for his shoulder.
"Sir Lohengrin," she whimpered; this was her fault, all her fault, because she wasn't fast enough, because she got in the way, because she was such a lousy Princess Tutu and because of that he was---!
"Ahiru," ---
(he knew---her blood ran cold---he knew who she was, he knew that she was really just some stupid teenager who couldn't do anything right---how did he, who was he---)
---he continued in a soft mutter, his low tones gentle, with a dark, wry chuckle hidden beneath his pain that sounded so suddenly familiar, "it's alright, I'm fine."
He drew her hand toward his mask, coaxing her to take it, and her fingertips trembled upon the smooth, warm skin of his cheek, and her heart seized at the striking, piercing green of his eyes, and his real name passed from her lips before he drew her down to kiss her breath away.
Happy birthday @seasaltmemories!!! <33 I hope all your birfday wishes come true!! :D
Have a 5-sentence roleswap Fakiru fic for the occasion!
The rolling hills reached far out to the horizon, green and sprawling, full of wondrous life that could only exist in a fairytale---but from his vantage point here on the balcony of a grand castle, towering over the village beneath and watching the happy subjects go about their daily lives, he felt wretched.
(How could he ever be crowned prince of anything so pure, when blood and black feathers were all he knew; how could he ever be happy here, while Mytho was far, far away, without the ending he deserved---should it be Prince Siegfried standing here beside his princess?)
But he felt her approach, her small hand curling into his---warm, soft, welcoming, full of the willful initiative she lacked since even his childhood; she brought his palm to her chest, and he felt the steady pulse of her heartbeat (so unfamiliar, but strong, and the thought almost brought Fakir to his knees).
"I love you!" she exclaimed with a grin, and he could've crumpled right then had she not drawn him down to press her forehead to his, "Did you know that I love you---with every part of me, the good and the bad---there isn't a single piece of me that doesn't love you!"
Broken and battered and undeserving as he was, he couldn't deny the sweet pull of her lively, expressive eyes, the strength in which she held his hand in hers, the caress of her fingers to his cheeks, the pounding of her heart against his touch---and in her kiss, he found the strength to try.
Happy birfday, @mewuniverse!! Hope all your birthday wishes come true!!
:D Have a Fakiru 5-sentence fic for pi day!! <33
Ahiru fidgeted in the booth and blushed when her server approached, his arms crossed and eyebrow raised, but expression soft as he regarded her: "The usual?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Actually---not this time; I was thinking, y'know, since it's today and all, maybe a pie, or---you once said that the strawberry pie is really good?"
He gave a singular nod and walked off to the kitchen, leaving her clinging to the edge of the table to calm herself (and it was so silly, because she didn't always feel this way about him, and he wasn't the perkiest server in the world, but he was kind, and was patient with her, and sat with her whenever he could on the day she got stood up here, and he sometimes wrote teasing notes on her receipts with such nice handwriting and---).
Her breath hitched in her throat when he returned with the strawberry pie buried beneath a mountain of whipped cream (which he knew she loved) and a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream (aaaahh, that didn't usually come a la mode, but she loved a la mode and---!) and a little candle sitting on the top---
---wait, he knew it was her birth---?!
He sat down the plate in front of her, lit the candle, and said, "I'm not going to sing or anything, so go ahead and make a wish,"---and she smiled, wide and bright, and knew just what to wish for.
