My emo phase matured into a goth phase @yanderepuck - Tumblr Blog

You didn't ask but you sure did receive. New Salaì fic hot and ready. AND ITS NOT SMUT. THERES NO SMUT. WHAAAT. I went a little overboard with this fic bc I focus too much on the guys interacting and not what the fuck is actually about. Which isss....HIM PROPOSING.

This takes place a few years after his route. You two love together and have been together for about 2 years. If you didn't read/finish his route no issue there, it technically doesn't reference anything but you two don't live in the mansion.

And this is 5k words. I'm sorry

Having a bit of a criminal past isn’t always a bad thing. It gave him the ability to easily sneak around and not feel too guilty about it. The only downside is that you don’t wear much jewelry to begin with.

“How the hell am I meant to figure out her finger size,” he groans. Salai runs a hand through the top half of his hair to push strays out of his face. He wasn’t sure how ring sizes worked anyway. Should a ring be a little loose? A little snug? You don’t want it to fall off but you also don’t want it too tight. Finding one that you already have and wear would be much easier. Do people even know their ring size? Either way it’s not like he can ask. That is way too suspicious.

Going through your jewelry box was a pain. All the rings you have are fairly simple, small gems on them if anything. Nothing big, the band is quite thin, maybe one has a wider band. There was a mix of gold and silver. It didn’t seem like you had a preference. Same with gem color. Some were clear, there was a blue one, a green one, even a red one. Now that he is thinking about it he doesn’t recall actually seeing you wear this. Or was he just never paying attention?

He tilts his head back and lets out a loud groan. Luckily you were in the shower so it’s not like you were going to rush in and ask him what was wrong. None of this help narrow down what you would want

“That’s the last time I take advice from Comte,” he mumbles. Comte probably bought these for her anyway. He tried on a few of them to see if any of them fit his fingers so that maybe he could measure his own finger at a later time. A few of them hit his finger at the same spot and he tried to make a mental note of that.

Maybe he could go to a jeweler and look at a few things? At least get that part of his finger measured. With a sigh he closed the jewelry box after making sure everything was in the same spot as when he opened it

“I’ll figure it out. No problem.”

He was finally able to start to get consistent work with his paintings. Comte may be helping them pay for the villa they are living in, but that doesn't mean he wouldn’t try to work. He has managed to get this far with scraping by.

Salai grabs a scrap piece of fabric off the dresser and starts pulling his hair up as he is walking out of the bedroom, and into the spare room that he has been using for a studio. It’s a mess. It’s not like he needs the whole space so there are some boxes in the corner.

He isn’t sure how much time passes before he feels your arms wrapping around him from behind. There is still some heat from the water radiating off of you that he can feel through both of your clothes. The dampness of your hair rests against his cheek as you rest your chin on his shoulder, looking at the painting before turning to him and kissing him on the cheek. That got his attention. A smile appeared on his face and he turned to kiss you on the lips.

“Have a nice shower?”

You hum in agreement as his free arm wraps around your waist, not letting you leave his side. He wipes his paint brush on his pants before dipping it back into a puddle of paint. A sigh leaves your lips as you watch him ruin his pants more.

“Yes, Polpetta?” He leans forward to lightly brush the paint onto the canvas, getting small details.

“You need to stop doing that to your pants.” This isn’t the first time you have said something to him about it.

“These pants are for when I paint. These aren’t good ones,” he looks down at the mess on his thighs. With oil paint, the pigment didn’t wash out easily. You have tried, multiple times. It was just easier to get him new pants because there was no way you were letting him walk around the city with pants that are that much of a mess.

“And you already have paint on your face,” you lick your finger before rubbing it against his cheek. “How did you even manage that?” You fuss over him so much but he has cleaned himself up a lot since you two moved in together. His clothes have never been nicer or cleaner.

When your hand got close to his face he teasingly stuck his tongue out to lick you.

“Hey!” He laughs, and boy it is contagious. You can’t help but laugh with him. “Next I’m going to convince you to wear an apron when you paint.”

“Now that is bold of you. I think we should be happy that I don't still mix paint on the floor.”

“On the floor?” Being an apprentice of Leonardo you would think that they had some of the best materials that existed. How could Leonardo be okay with-

“Maestro was bad about that too. He said he got more done if he sat on the floor, and then he would forget to grab his pallet and instead just mixed the paint directly onto the floor. I think he passed that onto me.”

That definitely explains it. So much of Leonardo rubbed off on Salai. “You better not ruin the floors.”

“Just this room, I promise,” he giggles and tilts his head to lean against yours, wanting to touch you even more. He puts the paint brush behind his ear like how anyone would with a pencil. You always worry about him getting paint in his hair, but the more stories you hear, the more you believe that it could be worse.

He pulls you in front of him, placing you between himself and the painting, standing between his legs. “Now that’s a masterpiece,” he smiles. Wrapping his arm around you he pulls you even closer.

“You’re going to paint on me,” you look down at his pants as he is trying to kiss you. He spreads his legs further apart.

“Better? I’ll do a split if I have to.”

“Will you?”

“Please don’t ask me to, I don’t know if I can.”

You laugh and finally kiss him. “Have you been working long? You should get changed and help me start dinner.

He kisses you back and takes the brush out of his hair. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll come help you. I want to finish this little part first.”

A few days later Salai finds himself at a jeweler getting that part of his finger measured and looking at what an engagement ring typically looks like. The more he thinks about it the more he is unsure what you would like. Maybe there is a reason why you don’t wear the rings you have. Maybe you would want a necklace or a bracelet. But it's to propose, is it really right to get something that isn’t a ring?

He walks out of the shops and immediately lets out a groan. Not only did he not have a clue what you would want but there is also no way he could afford one of those rings. Normally he would never be against it, but there is no way he is going to steal your engagement ring. But at least he now knows what size to get. If he gets anything.

“And what makes you think I can help?”

“I don’t. I just knew where you would be.”

He went to the art studio in the city where Theo often went. Salai took up an upholstered chair while Theo was looking at someone’s art. He told him his whole dilemma, leaving out the small detail that all of this is because he wants to propose. Not that Theo was a gossiper, but he didn’t want word getting back to Leonardo just yet.

He groaned. “I don’t recall hondje ever wearing much jewelry, but I also don’t think I was paying attention.”

“I want to get her something nice since we have been together for so long.”

“If you have been together for so long shouldn’t you know?”

Salai groans and sinks into the chair more. Theo isn’t wrong there. But he’s never been the greatest gift giver.

“As much as I hate to say it, Arthur might be more suited for this than me.”

“Yeah but weren’t you married before?”

Theo froze when he said that. “Well yeah. But- ugh,” he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Hondje works with her hands a lot. Maybe she doesn’t like to wear rings because of that, they get in the way and she is worried about damaging them. A necklace would probably be more fitting, or a bracelet. Something not so small.”

Salai nods. Maybe he should tell him what this is for. But what he said makes sense. Why would you want something on your fingers all the time when you are constantly doing things? Having a ring on while painting would be a pain. He would get worried about getting paint on it and not being able to get it off.

“Hmm. That may have actually helped.” He gets himself out of the chair.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. I got what I came for. Why did you need something?”

“No,” he mumbles. Theo was hoping he was coming to him with news of the painting he is working on. He can’t rely on Leonardo for any new paintings so he keeps poking at Salai.

“See ya later then.” He leaves the studio, not sure of where to go now.

~~

“A-kun is great at things like this.”

“Why else would I be here?”

“Tell me again what you are even needing?”

“How do you pick out jewelry for a woman?”

Salai is sitting on the couch watching Arthur and Dazai play a game of billiards in the parlor. Arthur hit the cue ball, only knocking a ball into a corner hole.

“Don’t you think you should know what she likes, chap?”

“That’s the issue. I went through all of it but she doesn’t seem to like a single thing. Some are silver, some are gold. The gems are all different colors. I think the band is on the thinner side.”

Arthur comes around to the other side of the table to face Salai directly. He leans back against it and looks at him for a few seconds. Salai raises his eyebrow, trying to figure out why he is just looking at him.

“What? Didn’t expect me to actually go through her things?”

“You’re looking for an engagement ring.” It wasn’t a question. It was a fact and he knew it. But even with calling him out, Salai’s facial expression didn’t change.

“Can’t I just get her something nice?” he challenged back.

“Would you really be putting this much thought into it if it was just any other gift?”

“When have you ever known a thief to be a good gift giver?”

“And why would you be so worried about the band? Hm?” he takes a step forward, leaning down towards him. “Only a guy who is thinking about proposing would be putting this much thought into-”

Salai slaps a hand over Arthur’s mouth. “Fucking fine! Yes! I am! Now shut up!” He couldn’t help but slightly bare his fangs at him, wanting to make sure his point across.

Arthur laughs and starts to stand up straight again. “It wasn’t too hard to-”

The red head cuts him off again, this time grabbing him by his ascot and forcibly pulling him down to his face. “And if word gets out I’m taking that pool stick and shoving it so far up your ass that it-”

“Okay okay okay! I got it!” Arthur rips Salai’s hand from his clothing and takes a step back before he can grab him again.

Salai sits back again. Dazai is standing on the other side of the table, leaning against the stick. “Are you two done over there?” Arthur rolled his eyes and turned back to the table, walking around to one of the ends.

Salai pushes his hair back only for it to bounce back. “So what do you think I should do?”

“Well since she doesn’t seem to have a preference,” he waits until he hits the cue ball before he continues his thought. “Get something simple. I think a simple gold band is most common right now. When I got my two they had their birthstones on them.”

“That’s right, you were married,” Dazai comments to himself, almost sounding disgusted by the fact. He looks over where to make his next move.

Arthur’s face scrunches up. “You say that as if you weren’t.”

“I’m not. I’m not even born yet,” he gives Arthur a smile that is screaming for him to change the topic.

Salai looks between the two. “Has everyone in this mansion been married?” Maybe he had more options than he thought.

“I believe it is fifty-fifty,” he starts to count on his fingers as he lists everyone. “Poor Vinc has a tragic love history. Newt is married to his work. Dear Jean died too young. Sebas might also be married to his work. Le Comte has never mentioned a wife but I wouldn’t doubt it. Leonardo obviously but you know that.”

Rather than taking his turn next, Arthur sits beside Salai, bumping shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with going simple.”

“I know,” his eyes drop to the floor. “The idea of going through with this has never crossed my mind,” his voice gets quiet. “After 400 years I never thought I’d get over Maestro.”

Arthur decides not to comment and pushes the long wooden stick in his direction. “Stay for a bit longer and play a round.”

“It doesn’t look like you’ve gotten much further on your painting. Are you stuck?” You couldn’t help but notice that Salai has barely been in the studio. Normally he is in there as soon as he wakes up, and then you have to drag him to bed.

“Hm? Oh yeah. I think I’ve been looking at it too long, so I’ve been trying to get out of the house.”

You smile and kiss him. It’s about time he starts taking care of himself. You keep telling him that he needs to do more than just paint. There have been times he would spend hours on that stool and not even get up to stretch. But you also feel bad for interrupting him when he is in a flow state.

“That’s great to hear. I know painting is what you do, but you spend too much time in that room some days.”

He chuckles and wraps his arms around you, pulling you close so he can give you a kiss back. “I know. I won’t be home much for the next few days. I’m helping Theo with something.” It was an easy enough lie. It’s not something you would question too much.

After all these centuries he never once had an issue with telling a little lie. He would always throw one in here and there to make his story sound more believable, or to get him out of trouble. He always made sure to keep the story straight and to never get anyone involved with the lie.

The amount of people he has come across that can’t lie to save their life has astounded him. He has had to lie too many times to literally save his life. It’s just natural to him. Sometimes he doesn’t even know when he is lying until it is too late. Oftentimes the lies become the real story and even he doesn’t realize it started as a lie.

But something about lying to you didn’t sit right with him. He didn’t like to lie to you. But this was different. It was something small that could be true on any day. He couldn’t have you find out what he was really doing after all. It's a lie for a surprise, there is nothing wrong with that and it is hurting no one. What are the odds that you are even going to run into Theo today? Basically none!

“Is he doing another gallery? Vincent did say that Theo found a few artists he wanted to showcase.”

Salai nods, his curls having a light bounce. “I’m going to help him move the paintings over and get everything set up.”

“Do you think you’ll need any help? I can-”

“We’ll be fine.” He didn’t mean to cut you off. But once you start talking about helping then that means you will find a way to help no matter what. “And he was talking about going to a cafe nearby for lunch. So we have that figured out too.” Because he knows you will show up with food for him as well.

“Oh! If you guys need anything just let me know.”

“Of course.” he kisses you again before picking you up, getting a yelp from you. “Now let’s go to bed.”

Rather than going to find Theo, Salai leaves in the middle of the morning to go into the city. His destination couldn’t be any more different from what he told you. He walks into a shop as he is pulling his hair up.

“Hey Jean,” he drags out his name, trying to sound sweet as if he has the biggest favor in the world to ask him.

Jean looks up from behind the table he is at. “Gian? What are you doing here?”

Salai walks over, the grin on his face completely disappearing as soon as he gets close. “I need your help on making a piece of jewelry,” he sounds desperate. There is no way he can buy one, but he has the artistic skills to make one. He thinks. He has never worked with metal in his life, but luckily Jean does.

Jean looks at him, deadpan as usual. “Gian.”

When he doesn’t continue with his sentence he breaks the silence. “Yes?”

“I make guns.”

“Ugh I know!” he rubs his face with his hands, groaning at himself. “Don’t you know anything about making jewelry? Just a simple ring? Even just a band? Surely making weapons is harder than a ring.”

“Both are complex but in their own ways.”

Salai dramatically lays over the table. “Why did I know you were going to say that?” He looks up at him, not embarrassed about being overly animated at all. “Can I at least use your shop to try to make something? I’ve never worked with metal. It’s just for a ring. I can use scrap.”

“As long as you aren’t in the way of what I’m doing I don’t see why not.”

“Perfect!”

Jean shows him some small scraps of metal he has around. It doesn’t take much to make a ring but he needs to make sure there is also enough in case he messes up. After finding a scrap piece of silver Jean shows him how to cut the metal down to size. The trickiest part is hammering the metal into shape. He got the metal roughly to the right length, but now had to round it out before Jean would show him how to weld the two ends together.

He had to look around the shop for a metal rod that was roughly the right circumference that he needed. By the time he found it, it was already getting late in the day and Jean was closing up. He didn’t get nearly as far as he wanted to, but he did tell you that he would be out for a few days.

The next day he gets to the shop not long after Jean said he would be there, and he starts hammering the silver.

“This might be worse than mulling paint,” he mumbles as he is getting the ends to curve around the rod.

Once he got the edges close together, Jean helped him set up to weld them together. He practiced on some scrap before actually doing it on the ring, then went back to hammering it on the rod. Once it seemed to be a perfect circle he took it off and put it on his own finger, remembering where your rings fit on him.

“It’s too big!” he screams.

He cuts the ring open and takes out a small piece before hammering and welding it again.

“Don’t hammer it too much. It will flatten the metal and stretch it more.”

“Now you tell me,” Salai huffs. He didn’t think metal was this easy to manipulate. He gets more careful with the hammering, making sure to only even out the curves. Trying it on the next time, it hits his finger where it should. It is a bit looser than he would like, but he would barely have to remove a millimeter, so it's not worth cutting it apart again.

“You don’t happen to know how I could possibly add a gem do you?” Salai is now trying to sand down the edges to get them smooth. This he can do, he is used to sanding wood, the only difference with metal is that you need to wet sand it.

“Gian. I make-”

“Yeah yeah, never mind.” He gets done with the sanding part and it’s time to call it a day again.

On the third day it’s more fine tuning. Get it smooth and polished. A plain silver band looked so boring. But it was only an engagement ring. The wedding ring was meant to be the flashy one. He didn’t know the first thing about gems either. Where would he even buy one? How much even are they? Maybe Arthur was right and that simpler is better.

In the middle of polishing the silver it hits him. He doesn’t even have a plan on how to propose. He has been so worried about the ring itself that he forgot that part.

“I feel like this looks bad,” Salai sits on the bench, leaning over the table with his elbows propped up so he can look at the ring. “I should have made the ring out of wood or something. I at least know how to carve wood.”

Jean comes over and takes it from him, looking it over. It’s almost done. There’s still a few small scratches that will be gone soon. “For it being your first time it’s really good. It’s clean.”

“Maybe I should start over. I know what not to do.” It would take him another three days. Which is fine, it’s not like he has a deadline. He can take all the time he needs, but he will need to come up with another excuse as to where he is after a while.

“I don’t think you need to start over. Why won’t this do?”

He didn’t want to tell Jean what it was for. It’s bad enough that Arthur and Dazai know. The two who really shouldn’t know. “It’s just not good enough.” He gets back up and goes over to the scrap box and pokes around to find another piece. “You can do what you want with that. I’m going to try again.”

And he starts over again. Taking what he’s learned from making the first one, he makes another one, being more careful with how he hammers it, and how he sands down the edges. He gets it the right size quicker this time. Since he for sure isn’t adding a gem on it, he makes the band a little thicker. It is still definitely on the thinner side, but not as dainty. The outside edge is curved rather than flat. This time he manages to finish it in only two days.

“There. It’s done.” He flexes his hands, his fingers cramping from all the polishing.

Jean comes over and looks it over. The surface is completely smooth, not a scratch anywhere. “You might be better at polishing than me.”

Salai lays over the table. He’s been hunched over all day and just wants to lay down. “That’s what happens when your maestro is da Vinci. If it’s not perfetto it’s not finished.” he pauses for a moment as Jean sets the ring on the table. “Which explains why he didn’t finish a lot.” He sits back up and puts the ring on his finger, triple checking that it hits where it should. “I wish I could engrave something on it, but I don’t have time for practicing all that.”

Now he has to figure out when to give it to you.

~~

A few weeks later.

You lean your head back, looking up at the sky. Against your back is Salai, with his arms wrapped around you. You two often go to a hill top and sit in the grass where there is a good view of the city. It is a perfect view for a sunset, and it is tucked away and quiet.

You smile up at him and give his cheek a kiss. He makes a happy little hum before turning his head to kiss you back. His arms wrap around you tighter, bringing you closer for a squeeze. After letting out a soft giggle he lets you go and you look back out at the city. His hands move up and start playing with the ends of your hair.

“We should go somewhere this summer,” you suggest. You two have been together for nearly two years now and haven’t taken a trip together. Salai has too much of a problem with putting his work first and wanting to finish what he is working on. However he also has the issue of working on multiple things at once so he is truly never done.

“Is there somewhere you had in mind?” After being on the go for so long nothing feels better than not having to worry about leaving a place. He isn’t against going on a trip, but he likes to be home.

“I would love to see where you grew up.”

His fingers stop twirling your hair. Even he can’t remember the last time he was there. “Oreno? I don’t know if there is much to see there anymore. I haven’t been there since,” he lets out a huff of breath trying to think. “1502?” That felt close enough. “Milano would be a better option.”

“We can do both. Milan sounds like a beautiful city, but I want to see where you are from, too. Then maybe we could even visit my home. It probably looks much different from how I’m used to it, but I’m sure I could still show you around.”

He leans his head forward and rests his chin on your shoulder. “That would be nice.” He heard you, but the words didn’t really register.

“Andrea?” his tone sounded off. “If you don’t want to then you can just say that.” Though that isn’t really something you’d like to hear.

His body jolts suddenly. “No, I’m sorry! I’d like to see your city. It’s going to be much different from mine, I know it.” he takes his hand away from your hair. “Maybe we could aim for next summer, or maybe fall when it starts to get cooler. Milan gets too busy with tourists.”

His hands move into your lap, playing with your fingers. You smile at his touch and lean your head against his. “Nexy year?”

He can feel his heart beating so fast he is starting to worry if you can feel it. “Yeah. There is somewhere else I’d like to go first.”

You don’t say anything. Instead you turn your head, waiting for him to keep talking. With the sun just on the horizon, his eyes take the color of the sky. Pinks, oranges, and purples overtake the soft grey they would normally be. Even his hair seems to be absorbing the colors. It actually doesn’t matter the time of day that it is, he always looks beautiful. Even with such curly hair you have never seen him have a bad hair day, he always gets them to lay right.

“Polpetta,” his voice trails off. The smile on your face disappears for a moment when you turn to see your hand raised up against the horizon. The last rays of the sunlight slipping through your fingers. Your eyes dart to the silver band on your finger.

Your eyes widened and if he said any other words you didn’t hear them. Your smile turned into your jaw being dropped. You couldn’t pull your eyes away. Yes it was a simple silver band but you knew what it was for before he could even get the words out.

“Yes!” you yell it so loud and fast you both were scared from it. “Yes yes yes yes yes!” you repeat over and over as you turn around to face him. You both fall back, your arms wrapped around him squeezing him tighter than even a vampire can handle. You then put your hands on his cheeks and kiss him roughly.

“So that’s a yes?” he chuckles

“Of course, Andrea.”

The grin on your face is going from ear to ear. You sit up and hold your hand out to look at the band. You twist it a little to make sure there isn’t anything on it that you were missing.

Salai sits up and kisses your forehead. “Sorry it’s so plain. I’m not used to working with metal to engrave it, and I wasn’t sure what kind of gem-”

“It is beautiful, I lo- wait,” you quickly cut him off once the words registered. “You made this?” you lower your hand to look at him instead.

“Yeah. I couldn’t- oof!”

You knock him back to the ground again with your arms around him. “I love it!” you plant kisses all over his face. You can feel your eyes tearing up. “I love you so much, Andrea.”

He leans up and kisses you softly. “I love you too.” He puts an arm around you, his hand resting on your back as you start to settle down, resting your head on his chest, unable to resist yourself from holding out your hand and looking at his craftsmanship.

~~

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