Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Some would assume it’s easy when you’re the daughter of a teacher, because no matter what, you’ll always be the teacher’s pet in one form or another. This is not the case for Libri Doctrina, however. Despite her mother being a teacher, she was considered by her mother to be only a student, even in the comfort of her own house.

She was a strict woman, and didn’t allow for Libri to have much. Reading has always been Libri’s greatest source of comfort, and she’s spent many hours of her free time in the library, reading through its hundreds of books at a leisurely pace and loving the peace of mind it offered her. She’s learned to cook through it as well, since her mother’s always too busy to do so and they would otherwise only eat out, and Libri’s gotten very sick of it over the ten years she’s been living in that house.

Libri’s often gotten comments on her accent, but she blames that one her mother, who apparently got the accent from her mother – Libri’s grandmother. Her grandmother had been a refugee from the Crown City, if what her mother claims is correct, and, in fact, she was once part of one of the richer families within the city.

Libri has some trouble believing that initially, with how they are living now, but upon some research she quickly discovers that the Crown City had utilized its own currency city that was used within the confines of the Old Wall only. And those coins were useless beyond the Wall, which meant their family had been dropped back to square one.

But Libri doesn’t care.

She’s just happy that she has the time and leisure to read whenever she likes, because she’s always sure to get her homework and studies done in time. And it helps that she soaks up knowledge like a sponge and doesn’t let it go.

Like this, studying becomes both a pastime and a hobby at the same time.

When she spies the young brunette girl the first time in the library, she’s far from intrigued, as she never is when seeing a new face in the library. The vast majority of people never stay here long; they find the books they want, check them out, and then leave as fast as they came. So Libri merely glances at her once as she enters, and then goes back to her book on the Line of Lucis. She’s almost finished it, and she hates to leave a book unfinished if she has the ability to finish it the same day.

Libri finishes it about an hour later and she quietly closes the heavy book before she stands to go set it back in its proper place. And then she spots the girl again, sitting alone at a desk, a book open in front of her and her head propped up. However, she looks extremely bored and annoyed at the same time, and after a moment of watching her, the girl groans (far too loud) and drops her head on the desk.

Many others are looking at her angrily, but she doesn’t seem to care and Libri wonders what the problem is. She moves over quietly and looks to the book, trying to determine from the few paragraphs she could read what book the girl has in front of her.

A history book on Eos, she quickly determines.

She’s not sure why she does what she does then, but she addresses the girl.

“Having some difficulty with history there?”

It all spirals out of her immediate control so fast after that. Libri isn’t sure why or how they even got to be as close as they did end up getting, or when her name is suddenly shortened all the time to plain “Libby”, but it doesn’t necessarily feel bad, because she’s allowed to say “Regi” instead of using Regina’s full name all the time, even though she still does it most of the time out of habit.

Regina’s not a bad student at all; she has the desire, sure, but she gets distracted too much when she’s alone. She needs a person by her side to aid her in keeping her head focused on what she needs to focus on. And while there are certainly times that Libri wonders about the type of questions that Regina asks, when she thinks about them carefully, there’s actually some logic behind them every time.

And then there’s the fact that Regina was the first to figure out Libri’s love for adorableness, and the brunette just loves to exploit that weakness whenever possible, like when she’s invited to Regina’s sixteenth birthday and is informed there will only be four of them and the rest will simply be Regina’s family.

She’s told ahead of time that Regina’s invited a boy over, and that his name is “Domi”, has been told about his unique sense of fashion and Libri had been expecting the worst… and then when she meets him, she has to make a very concentrated effort to keep herself from gushing over him. She wonders that first time if he really is a boy, but Regina ensures her that he is over and over and who is she to deny it then?

And then there’s Terry and Libri’s still not sure what she’s to think of her. Terry is certainly not a bad person, but she’s so loud and often very obnoxious and Libri tells herself over and over to keep Terry out of the library. Again, she’s not a bad person, but with her loud voice, she’d be an instant annoyance to everyone there.

Regina herself is quite possibly the most interesting of the group to her, though, if only because she simply doesn’t know what it is she seeks to do with her life. Domi wants to be an artist, or perhaps a fashion designer, though he has the capabilities to do both if he so wishes, and Terry intends to become a full-fledged hunter eventually, even though she can already take up that title whenever she so wishes to, given that she’s three years older than Libri is. Libri’s pretty sure she’ll end up as a teacher someday, because she finds great joy in spreading the knowledge she holds to others, and she might take on a small part-time job as a chef, on Ignis’ recommendation.

But Regina has no such dreams. She’s a strong fighter and she could probably hold her own against most average beasts out in the wild, yet she doesn’t want to be a hunter like Terry is determined to become. She enjoys fishing, and whenever there’s a pond with a pier, she has to go there and do some fishing, even if the sun is beginning to set and the daemons will be coming out soon, and yet she doesn’t want to become an expert angler who does fishing for a living (though the argument is that she’d have to get up even earlier than she already does). She’s also decent with a camera, as she catalogues their journey as friends, but, again, it’s not something she intends to do for a living.

Regina tells everyone whenever they ask about her strong points that all she has is her strength (which she admits isn’t even that much) and her skill at fishing, and that’s it. She doesn’t count her skills with the camera, because she considers them to be sub-par in comparison to her father’s. But Libri strongly disagrees.

Above all other things, Regina is kind, caring, sympathetic, and even if she herself doesn’t see it, Regina is a born leader, holding their group of four together like glue. Libri would have never approached Terry on her own because of her loud voice and just plain clashing ideals, and she would’ve never dared approach Domi for fear of making a fool of herself when trying to speak to him. And yet here they are, almost 3 years further and still as tightly knit as they had been since their initial meetup with each other on Regina’s 16^th birthday. None of them would’ve met otherwise, and none of them would’ve even bothered unless Regina was there to pull them together and convince them all that they were all perfect together.

And she was right; they were perfect… but only because Regina held them together in unison.

“…You should take up a political role.”

Regina snaps her head up so fast that Libri’s afraid she’ll get a whiplash after, but she doesn’t say anything on the matter, and doesn’t even look up from her own reading, although, for once, she’s not doing much reading.

“I should wha…?”

“You heard me well the first time,” Libri says, as she closes her book and sets it down before looking to Regina, who’s now staring at her like she’s suddenly grown two extra heads. “I believe you would do well in leading people. You’ve certainly done well with us.”

“I… I couldn’t possibly… I-I mean… we… we’re just friends! That doesn’t mean anything…”

“Yes… but we are only friends because you brought us together, Regina,” Libri points out, not minding her friend’s stuttering. She’s known the brunette for long enough to know that she does that when she’s unable to find the words she needs. As kind as she is to others, when it’s about her, she will clamp up and become almost shy, unable to barely get a word out edgewise. “If you had not met either of us, befriended us, and then convinced us to meet, we would have never become friends. And you’ve kept us together, too, despite our differences.”

“Well I… I guess, but…”

Libri adjusts her glasses briefly before she continues speaking. “If you would consider for a moment. You’ve been talking a lot recently about things that require change, and have been actively working on aiding in bringing those changes about. Would it not be better suited for you, then, to be in a higher position of power so that you can bring more people together and bring forth the change you believe is required?”

“…w-well… when you put it that way…”

She’s fidgeting in her seat, absently fingering the edge of the page she’s been reading until Libri decided to speak her mind. It’s clear to the bespectacled girl—young woman, now that she thinks on it—that Regina is hesitating, unsure if what Libri says would even work. For all her leadership in battle, Regina was just an awkward mess when it comes to talking about matters that revolve around herself.

“Think on it,” Libri offers, as she moves to another book and flips it open to a random page. “Would you care to practice on history?”

“Huh…? Oh… yeah, sure…”

She accepts the change of subject gratefully, closes her book and then focuses on answering the questions Libri asks her regarding Eos, Lucis, Accordo, and Tenebrae. She slips in a few politically themed questions that don’t really have anything to do with it, just to see how the other would react, and Regina spends much longer than she normally does to formulate an answer, and Libri feels like she can see the gears in her head working to think about what the optimal solution would be.

And Libri does not regret bringing the topic up when it is time to return home.

“…hey, Libri?”

Libri blinks in surprise, setting down her book slowly before she turns to her friend. Regina isn’t looking up from where she’s leaning on her folded arms, gazing down into the open book in front of her, but her eyes are hidden by her bangs.

“…You rarely ever address me by my full name these days,” Libri states first and foremost, because that is an important matter, despite what people may think. She can count the number of times she’s been called by her full name by Regina in the years they’ve known each other on one hand, and this time doesn’t even pass on to the next hand. “What’s troubling you?”

“…just… can I ask you something serious?”

“Certainly.” Libri’s starting to worry now; Regina’s never this subdued. This… serious. She’s always been laughs and giggles, jokes and friendly jabs at her expense, and while there’s been times she’s been withdrawn, it’s never lasted long and she normally goes right back to her normal self. “Do you wish to talk in private?” she adds after a moment, realizing the public library might not be the best place to have a discussion as serious as this seems to be.

“…yes, please.”

They leave the library shortly after and they then move to Libri’s apartment. She’s moved out from her family home since she had the funds for it, thanks to the hunts that they’ve been attending on a regular basis, and it’s another thing she’s thankful for.

It’s a very modest home, and holds everything she needs, and there’s even one extra room where she keeps all those plushies and squishables that Regina insists on getting her every time. She doesn’t mind, and there are times where she’s just in the room and just enjoying herself around all the adorable creatures surrounding her and falling on top of her.

She offers some coffee, and Regina seems to consider it, before she asks something unusual. “…do you have Ebony?”

“…Yes, I do. Do you drink that?”

“No, but… I’ve heard it’s good.”

She doesn’t question the hesitation in her friend’s voice and she goes to set some coffee for them both. Ebony isn’t something she normally drinks, but her mother does, and thus she has a small stash, just in case she comes by unannounced. Not that she has, mind you.

Once their coffees are prepared, Libri passes one cup to Regina, who’s already settled herself on one of the chairs in her living room. Libri seats herself across from her, on the couch, and she takes a slow, generous sip of her own coffee while she watches her friend nurse her own drink.

Regina takes a slow sip, and she’s not sure if the other likes it, but she doesn’t say anything of it either way.

They sit in silence for a while, and Libri waits patiently. She’s prepared to give her friend all the time she needs to collect her thoughts. Because that’s clearly what she needs right now.

“…I’ve… been thinking about what you said.”

“Hm?”

“…about that political stuff…”

Well that’s a surprise. She hasn’t expected Regina to bring it up like this, but she’s certainly not unhappy about it. In fact, she’s glad that Regina seems to have been considering the advice. Though she wonders what her friend’s decided upon in the end.

“Ah.”

It’s all she offers, because her friend needs to talk. And she does that best without too many interruptions.

“…I… do want to change things…” Regina finally admits, turning her cup between her hands. “But… I’m not sure if the change I want to bring… is good. Or… well, I know it’s probably good but… I guess I’m worried that… people might not accept it.”

Libri waits for her friend to continue, but when she doesn’t, she decides to step in. “What sort of change do you wish to bring?”

“…I…”

Regina falters, but Libri waits, patiently, because she knows her friend will come through. It will take a little bit, but she’ll come through.

“…I want to rebuild Insomnia.”

Libri actually chokes on her drink, as she’d been in the middle of a sip. “You want to what!?” she gets out, before she coughs and composes herself again. “Regina, with all due respect as your friend… don’t you think that that may be a bit extreme?”

“The Crown City was safe,” Regina points out, not looking up still. “The Old Wall was enough to keep beasts out… and before Niflheim invaded and they were forced to cordon off the city, Lucis thrived… people were happy… and there was… well, some semblance of order.” She pauses and takes a small sip, but she keeps her gaze down. “…If I can resurrect Insomnia… I feel like… we can finally recover… and maybe… maybe things will be okay for everyone then…”

Libri’s not sure what to think. It’s a noble goal, certainly, but does Regina even realize the weight she’s about to place upon her shoulders with that lofty goal? She can’t possibly expect to do this alo—…oh.

“Libri Doctrina…” Regina says then, and when she looks up, there’s no hesitation there. She’s serious about this, and Libri can tell that her friend would be prepared to put everything at stake to see her dream come to fruition. It’s a determination that Libri had never seen in her friend’s eyes before, and it almost makes her feel small in comparison, even though that’s a silly notion.

Regina takes a heavy breath, holds it for a moment, before she lets it out slowly as she asks a single question.

“Will you stand by me?”

The implication of the question is perfectly clear to Libri; Regina’s asking for her help. Asking her to help her in realizing the dream—the goal—she has set not just for herself, but for the whole of Eos, so that everyone can feel better. And Libri’s comes to realize just how big Regina’s heart is that she would seek to safeguard the dreams of others rather than fulfill her own. Or perhaps fulfilling the dreams of others has always been her dream from the very start…

Whatever the reason for her dream… her lofty goal… whatever it is, there’s no hesitation when Libri speaks only two words.

“I will.”

Chapter Text

You’d think that, after living the majority of life in the sunlight, that the sun would grow to be a nuisance over time. But if there’s anyone who doesn’t think that, it’s Ternio Iocus. As someone born during the Decade of Endless Night, as many referred to it nowadays, Ternio knew what it was like to live your entire life in fear of the dark, wishing and praying in the relative safety of your little house that your nightlight doesn’t give out and allows the daemons to invade your house.

When the dawn returned after a decade of darkness, Ternio hadn’t known what to do except stare in awe as the sun pierced through the endless darkness that had been an integral part of her life for all of the four years that she’d been alive. It hurt her eyes to stare into it for too long, but when the sun rose up and illuminated the world around her, Ternio came to see the whole world in a different light—pun totally intended.

Since the dawn returned, she’s hated being cooped up and she’d spend all her days running outside, without a specific goal at all; she just ran and ran until her legs would give out on her and she’d have to drag herself back home to rest… before bolting right back outside again.

She was Lestallum born and bred and so she was expected to be strong and powerful, unmoving and steadfast, and she’s never had a problem with that. And the fact that she gets to run free with the sun shining down on her and the wind in her short hair, blowing against her face and just messing her up in general with the sand and dirt it kicks up is a nicely added bonus. For a long time, running is her life, until she discovers the joy of combat and the thrill that comes with a good hunt.

Now, of course, she didn’t start out hunting big game; but there was certainly enough small game within Lestallum that she could hunt without any real danger to her person. And Ternio decides early on that she’ll be a hunter when she grows up, and her parents are very proud of her decision to do so.

She knows she needs to be in tip-top condition to be able to become a full-fledged hunter, though, and so she goes out jogging regularly, even jogging along the roads of Leide every now and again when she’s in the area.

And she probably should’ve been more careful then, as she could’ve avoided the whole issue then. Instead, she tries to clamber over a rock, hopping along without any real climbing equipment or anything, really, and just as she’s climbing, the ground is suddenly shaking and she’s losing her grip.

She’s not sure what happened next, but the next thing she knows is that she feels nothing but pain and she screams. The memory is fuzzy, but she knows the despair of being trapped there, even when help arrives, and with the sun about to set, she knows she’s running out of time. She tells the big guy—the one with the giant sword—to not bother with an unbreakable rock and to deal instead with her more pliable leg. Yeah, she shocks him, and his companions, and herself a little bit, but she refuses to go back on her word.

Because the Six be damned, she will not die a daemon’s snack!

Ternio thought she was ready—she’d been so sure of it—but then the pain hits and she screams through the rag keeping her from biting down on her own tongue or lips. It’s pure agony, like fire ripping along all her nerves and she’s clawing at the ground and wailing as tears slip unbidden from her eyes, her eyes unseeing as her thoughts are focused solely on the pain…!

She thankfully passes out shortly after, but the pain remains, numbed as it is when she wakes. She tries not to think too much on it, tries to sleep through the night… but then a tiny voice calls out to her after she’s shaken awake by a tiny hand.

“…are you okay?”

Ternio finds that she likes little Regi, as she calls the girl from then on. She’s got an air about her that’s very enjoyable, and she strikes Ternio as very considerate. Even as she continues her rehabilitation to learn to deal with the fact that she has to spend the rest of her life walking on a fake leg, she keeps thinking of the little girl. They meet a few times, and by the third time, they’re already super close.

They’re far from best friends, and Ternio will never pretend to be, but she won’t deny that they’re close. Regi’s competitive, and Ternio’s always up for a challenge, and once she’s able to actually run without feeling weird to have no more flesh and bone below her knee, that’s exactly what they do more than once. Ternio wins most of their runs, but then again, she’s been running since forever.

Despite their close friendship, though, Ternio will never lie and say she wasn’t surprised over being invited to Regi’s 16^th birthday. She actually hadn’t expected Regi to value their friendship that much, but she’s certainly not complaining.

She’s been informed of the other two friends that Regi intends to invite, with one of them being a boy, and Ternio wasn’t even sure what kind of boy Regi would like enough to invite him to her party. Ternio herself’s never been too fond of boys in that sense, but she supposes that, should she meet the right guy, that could all change in a heartbeat. But still, imagine her surprise when she arrives and to find (after a shower) that the guy Regi’s invited looks more girly than Regi herself!

Domi’s definitely a weird one, but he’s not a bad kid, she supposes. She can see why Regi likes him.

Now Libby, on the other hand, is like the epitome of refinement and Ternio gets a damn kick out of ruffling her feathers the wrong way and watching that perfect composure come undone whenever she can do it. Again, she’s not a bad person, but definitely not someone that Ternio would involve herself with under normal circumstances.

She’s not complaining, though; she’s in fact having the time of her life with her three buds.

If there’s one thing Ternio doesn’t do a lot of, though, it’s worrying about the future. She’s always told herself she’ll walk the bridges of life when she reaches them. However, she knows that Regi’s got the tendency to think too much on things when, really, there’s no need to do so.

In Ternio’s opinion, anyway.

It wouldn’t be the first time she’s caught Regi lost in thought during a run to the point where the redhead has to slow her own pace and whack her friend upside the head to get her to focus again, and while it’s funny to watch, Ternio does worry about the younger girl’s mental state at times. Now she’s no expert on the matter, but she’s well aware that a lot of mental baggage is not a smart thing to carry around, like, ever.

Something that she wonders about often, though, is what Regi plans to do later, when she’s considered to be of age. Ternio knows what she wants; she’ll join the hunters once she’s built up a good enough rep, and she’ll probably stay there until the end of her own days. However, she’s not about to just up and leave her friends to deal with the hunts alone, so she’s been postponing it for ages now, just so she can stick around and make sure her buds will be safe.

They technically don’t need her protection, but hell, they’re getting it anyway.

Ternio’s not even sure why that feels so important to her, but she knows she just can’t abandon people in trouble, especially if those people are her best friends in all of Eos. Maybe that protective nature of hers was even why she’d decided she wanted to be a hunter… the thought of being able to protect people, in whatever way she could.

She never really stops to think on it for long. She just doesn’t consider it to be important enough.

But what is, is her friend’s state of mind.

“Gil for your thoughts,” Ternio quips almost cheekily as she approaches Regi by the docks of Galdin, and Regi almost jumps.

“Huh what? …Oh, sorry, Terry… I was just thinking,” Regi admits as Ternio moves over and plops down to sit down beside her on the dock.

“Yeah? Thinking of what?” she asks casually as she kicks with her prosthetic at the water. She doesn’t feel the cold of the water with it, which is why she doesn’t mind so much.

“Just… well, I guess I’m not sure what to do… yanno?” her friend murmurs as she fingers a small lure in her fingers. Another hint to her troubled mind; instead of fishing actively, she’s just staring across the water with her rod next to her and a lure in hand. “I mean… you know what you want to do later, Libby’s pretty sure what she’ll do… and Domi’s got a general idea… And I got nothing.”

“Hey now, I doubt that’s true,” Ternio points out as she leans a little forward, punching her friend lightly to the shoulder. “Just cuz you got nothing now doesn’t mean you won’t ever get anything. You just need a bit more time to figure it out. That’s all.”

“…you think?”

“I dun think that, I know that!” she laughs, shoving her a little harder and Regi laughs as well, shoving back. They spend a little bit shoving each other, laughing and cackling, before they calm and Ternio turns serious again. “But seriously, though; dun worry so much, Regi. You’ll see; before you know it you’ll be shouting your dream out from the top of Ravatogh for the rest of Eos to hear!”

“Oh hell no! I’m not climbing all the way up that mountain just for that,” Regi grumbles, and this makes Ternio laugh again, and Regi’s smiling too, so she considers this to be a fruitful talk.

Ternio wasn’t lying when she said she was sure her friend will know what she wants to do before long. It’s just a matter of time, really.

“…oy, Ternio?”

Ternio almost chokes on her water as she catches the words, but she manages to not make it too apparent as she turns to Regi, who’s still sitting on the ground from where they’d been working on pushups earlier. She’s not looking up at Ternio and seems more interested in her own feet.

“Oy, what’s with the full name crap suddenly? Yanno there’s no need for that, right?” Ternio says, because this is actually the first time (ever) that Regi’s called Ternio by her full name. which means this had to be serious. “What’s up?”

“…I think I know what I want…”

“Abuh…? …Oh! You do? Cool!” she says, grinning as she moves over and plops down in front of her friend. “So? What’d you decide you wanna do?”

Regi doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, she draws indistinct swirls across the ground, as if she’s thinking of what to say, or at least how to say it. It usually takes her a while when she has something important to say, so Ternio just waits patiently for her to gather her thoughts.

“…I want to rebuild Insomnia.”

And when she does speak, Ternio ends up staring in surprise. Of course she knows of Insomnia. The better question would be “who doesn’t know of Insomnia?”, but that doesn’t change the surprise that Ternio feels now.

“Insomnia…? As in… the Crown City and all that jazz?”

“Yes…”

This… was certainly not something she had expected to hear from her friend. But the longer she thought on it, the more sense it started to make.

It’d be stupid to try and deny that Regi was a caring and devoted friend, and once she set her mind to it, she would definitely see it through to the end. Ternio had heard many people make promises before, with 9 out of 10 unable to keep the promise as they realized how difficult it would be to do so. But Ternio was sure that, no matter what, Regi would see it through to the very end.

“That’s awesome!” Ternio says finally, grinning as Regi looks up. “Might mean there’s not gonna be much more hunts happening after… but hey! Can’t complain with the end results, eh?”

Regi looks at her for a moment, surprised, before she smiles. “Yeah…”

“So, hey, do tell, why’d you decide to go that route? I ain’t judging, or anything… just curious, is all.”

Her friend considers the question for a few moments, before she looks down again, shuffling her foot a bit. After a moment more of thinking, she says: “I want people to feel safe. To be able to wake up without having to fear that beasts or daemons will sneak into town and destroy everything. I know it won’t fix everything… I’m pretty sure nothing will be able to do that, but I want to make an effort, at least. To give people hope again…”

Ternio actually smiles then. She’d always known her friend to be a deep thinker (the exact opposite of Ternio), but she hadn’t expected her to think so far ahead as to think of the future of everyone, rather than just herself. She knew Regi would want the best for everyone, but this was way more than she’d ever expected her to attempt.

“…Ternio Iocus.”

Ternio blinks at her entire name coming from her friend’s mouth, because she doesn’t remember having ever given it to her, but she’s not about to ask her how she knows it. Not when she’s looking up at Ternio with such a serious, downright determined expression, allowing the world to see that she will not allow herself to be stopped.

“Will you stand by me?”

The question is just as sudden, but it takes Ternio only a moment to come up with the appropriate response as she grins widely.

“Do you have to ask? Course I will!”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t easy to figure out who you were when you start to grow up and become more aware of your sense of self. And that couldn’t have been truer for the child calling himself “Dominatio Percarus” at the mere age of 7. Growing up in a family comprised entirely of women did strange things to your head, he’s sure now, because how else could he have ended up this way?

He tries so hard to be “normal”, but at the same time he’s terrified of being judged and being seen as something he’s not. Dominatio wishes so desperately that he can just be who he wants to be and not be judged as a freak, or a weirdo, but the world just doesn’t work that way.

His mother would tell him the world is full of monsters and that he’d be safest in the confines of the city, but she fails to mention that the most horrific monsters are humans themselves. As much as he tries to be inconspicuous, they always find him and bully him relentlessly. He tries to ignore and avoid them, but it doesn’t help him any, and if anything, it only makes everything so much worse.

His sisters have a weird thing going where they make him wear some of their old dresses, because they’ve grown out of them and they can no longer wear them because of their work, but his mother scolds them every time, telling them that’s it’s a fool’s errand and that it makes him look ridiculous… and his sisters always agree, but they still keep doing it.

And every time after, Dominatio hoards his sisters’ old dresses, admiring them as he sits in his room, wondering to himself if his thoughts are wrong, somehow, and yet it feels right whenever he gathers the courage to slip the silky material over his head, letting it flow over his body. Whatever dress he wears, it’s always too big, even though he has more flesh than any of his siblings, much to his dismay. He tries to get rid of it, but how can he when his mother keeps feeding them these sweets, really?

He tries to sketch himself from the mirror when he wears the dress sometimes, but it always ends up looking horrible and so in the end he always throws them away, crumbled into a ball into something unrecognizable.

Eventually, he gathers up all his courage and he dares to venture outside, still wearing the dress, and he feels anxious, but when no one looks up at him, no one treats him weird, he can’t help but feel slightly more at ease with himself. He breathes easy, feels lighter, and he wants to believe that, maybe, just maybe, he was wrong about the world…

But then they show up and ruin everything…

What was he supposed to do? Compared to them, he’s pathetically weak, but he tries so very hard, still, to hold his own, but there was nothing he could do… and no one would do anything to help him…

…until she shows up…

Dominatio doesn’t know who she is, but she’s able to deal with all his bullies without so much as lifting a finger, and then, when they’re on the ground, whining and groaning, she comes to him and asks him if he’s alright. He’s still terrified, because he’s still used to other people being monsters, but when he looks up at her, into her eyes, he sees the genuine concern, and he wants to believe it’ll be okay…

As they walk away from the site, though, he’s still afraid that she may turn on him and he tries to stay behind her, but she doesn’t let him and continuously slows herself down to his tempo. Then, suddenly, she says something to him that no one’s ever said to him before, and it touches his very soul…

“I think the dress is very pretty on you.”

He feels his cheeks going hot as he stares at her and he tries to hide behind his sketchbook, but he’s sure she’s already seen, yet he does it anyway as he managed a small, squeaky ‘thank you’, and he yelps as she’s ruffling his hair.

“You’re so adorable!”

Adorable…

He’s never considered himself as such, and yet she thought him to be just that. And the words cause an unknown fluttering in his belly and it’s not unpleasant as the warmth spreads through his entire body. He wants to say something to her, even though he doesn’t know what he was planning to say—maybe another ‘thank you’?—when a shout calls out and she looks up in alarm.

She runs off, telling him she’d see him later, and all he can is watch after her, in shock and in awe, and he almost falls to his knees and he exhales shakily as he trembles. He doesn’t know why, but those words made him feel unbelievably good, and somewhere in the back of his mind… he wishes to hear those words again.

But his mother doesn’t allow it, and makes him stay inside, as punishment for going out, dressed as he was, and much later, Dominatio can only watch sadly from the window, because he sees her out in the streets, carrying something in her hands he can’t determine what it is… initially. But then he realizes what it is and he gasps softly.

He knows he shouldn’t, but he goes out to see her, without anyone knowing about it… but he misses her, and he almost whimpers… until he spots the dress she had been carrying, lying on a table.

And as he lifts up the dress, he holds it close and breathes in deeply, feeling his face move into a smile. He promises to himself to become better… to become someone worthy of her friendship. He knows it’s too much to ask… but he wants it so badly…

Dominatio works tirelessly to change, ensuring that no one of his family notices, and he picks up all the skills he knows he’ll need eventually, he sketches what he wants to bring out, adjusts the dress so that it will continue to fit him, but changes it around so that it’s barely recognizable as the original, and he learns to work with his hair, letting it grow out, and he buys makeup that he claims is requested by his sisters, when in truth no one knows of this.

It takes so much work and so much practice, but he assures himself that it’ll be all worth it…

It has to…

He sneaks out when he’s finally ready, and while people now look at him almost continuously, it’s different now, and it makes him feel somewhat better, but never the same as he had felt that one day.

Then he spots her, on the market and he smiles and hurries over and he breathes in to gather up all his courage, and then he reaches out for her. She looks at him in question as he manages to introduce himself, and she looks him up and down once and he almost fears he’s made a mistake… but then she smiles.

“Don’t I know you already?”

He doesn’t know how to respond to that, and he tries to play it off with a small laugh… but then she pats him on the back and says her name is Regina… and that people are waiting to meet him.

And all he can do is smile in relief and joy.

Dominatio doesn’t understand how he’s been able to become Regina’s best friend over the course of a scant few months, because surely, she’s had more friends before him, right? And yet she assures him almost continuously that he holds that spot even if they’ve only known each other for such a short time.

And this, for Regina, is more than enough of a reason to invite him to her 16^th birthday party, where she had only invited two more friends, with the rest of the guests being her close family. He’s so nervous to meet her family, and so he arrives far too early, because he knows he’ll only work himself into a frenzy if he spends too long fussing about it.

He relaxes soon after arriving, though, as Regina’s family was quick to assure him he was more than welcome, although Gladio seemed to be looking at him a little oddly, but he quickly shakes the matter off to focus on Regina’s other friends when they arrive.

Libby comes first and he admits that she’s pretty looking, but the almost too serious look on her face took away from her natural cuteness. Though when she regards him sometimes, he does spot the more relaxed expression that she only seems to get when face-to-face with something cute, as Regina had told him about before the party… which was why she’d asked him to wear the pink frilly dress he’d gotten a few months prior.

She’s also very nice, if a little strict at times, but he’s certainly glad to have a friend in her.

Then Terry comes and Dominatio’s not too sure what to think of her, because Terry is both tall and muscular, almost like a man, but she still has the definite build of a woman, and it’s certainly not unattractive. It is, however, a stark contrast between himself and her, and he wonders if maybe they had been given each other’s metabolism at birth, but he tries to not think about it too much.

She’s definitely someone with who he can have plenty of fun with, and he hopes they’ll remain friends for a long time.

And yet, despite their close friendship, he feels like he’s the only one who doesn’t belong there, but he doesn’t dare bring it up, for fear that he’ll be cast out…

Dominatio knows he’s by no means as strong physically as the others, and so rather than try and handle some unwieldy weapon like a great sword, or even a polearm like Terry wields, he settles on a pair of guns, because, really, anyone can handle a gun, though only few can handle two at a time, and he prides himself on his accurate aim with both. And his friends appreciate it, too, and he’s very glad of that, as well.

He’s always assumed he’d freeze up when faced with the monsters that roam outside, and yet the most he’ll end up doing is squirm and maybe squeal a bit when they’re up against some form of giant bug because eeeeew! And this never fails to get a small chuckle out of Regina, who claims to share his sentiments on the bugs. Terry tends to laugh at him, though…

He still looks back on all their hunts whenever he lays himself down in bed, almost continuously in awe over how smoothly they work as a team, or as a “unity” as Regina likes to call it. Dominatio often wonders if he actually deserves to be there, because no matter what happens, he’s always the odd one out. He’ll always be the only one wearing dresses because he likes to, with the others always saying they’ll pass because it’s not for them, even though Dominatio’s seen them all in dresses before when they were playing “dress poker”, and looking just fine (to put it simply).

But he never brings it up, because even if they look good, the way they normally dress does fit them better, still. And it hurts him to think he’d never truly be able to be on that same level with them.

Thankfully for him, Regina is always there to pull him out of whatever dump he’s in.

“Hey, Domi!”

He looks up curiously at the call and then cries out as a familiar flash blinds him and makes him reach up for his eyes, to rub the stars away from his vision and he pouts when he hears Regina laughing.

“That was unfair, love!”

Dominatio absently wonders as Regina laughs out an apology and settles down next to him if she’s ever noticed that he only uses that particular endearment with her alone, but he shakes it off, because he doesn’t need those thoughts right now…

“Sorry, sorry… what were you working on?” she asks, trying to peek over to his sketchpad, but he’s quick to hide it by pulling it up to his chest.

“Just… trying to think of a new design,” he admits, and it’s not a full lie, but he can’t admit the full truth just yet.

“Ah… no luck?”

“No…”

“Damn, that sucks…”

They fall into companionable silence and he can’t help but feel like he’s right where he belongs, for once. He knows, of course, that once they learn the truth, he can no longer stay with them, but he’s going to do his best to try and hold onto these fleeting moments for as long as he can.

When he looks over after closing his sketchbook, Dominatio isn’t surprised to see Regina absently flipping through the pictures on her camera. It’s become an indispensable tool during their journey to keep track of all their hunts and crazy escapades, and he often asks to see some of the pictures so he can turn them into life-sized paintings, and Regina’s always happy to share them with him… on the condition that she gets to see them first.

Which is never a problem, of course~

“…Yanno… I’m kinda jealous of you.”

Dominatio almost gawks openly at the words—actually, maybe he does…—as Regina utters them, unsure if he’s just heard her right.

“Jea-jealous?” he somehow manages to get out, and he’s grateful that his voice doesn’t crack. “Wh… why would you feel jealous of lil ol’ me, love?”

He tries to play his stutter off, and he hopes to the Six that it works, because he’s not ready to explain that just yet.

“Just, you know…” she says with a shrug, as she tilts her camera to show him a shot she took from their last hunt. He remembers when it was taken; one of the beasts had jumped at him and he’d managed to pirouette himself out of the way with barely a tiny scratch along his left hip, countering the leap with a flurry of shots that had required him to reload afterward. He doesn’t really like looking at himself like that, but he supposes it’s not a bad shot. “Somehow you make anything look good, yanno?”

He almost splutters at the—rather blunt—compliment, and he feels his cheeks flaring in embarrassment, because even after all this time hanging out with Regina he’s still not used to the almost random compliments she often gives him. Most of them have to do with his choice of dress, but there are also other instances where he just does something that Regina feels is worthy of praise that he can’t even place the reason for.

He takes a quick breath, shutting his eyes for a second longer than he needs to, before he smiles and titters behind a well-manicured hand. “Oh come now, dear; surely that’s no reason to be jealous?”

“So you say…” Regina grumbles softly, and she sounds almost a little upset, and it makes Dominatio blink as he drops the smile and watches his friend as she regards the screen. “I mean, seriously? No way in all inferno could I ever pull off something like that. I’d just be some dead weight in any picture around you.”

This comment actually does make him stare at her in shock at the realization that she actually believes what she’s saying! Oh hell no!!

“Give me that,” he says firmly as he swiftly scoots over and swipes her camera from her hand.

“Wha-!? Domi!!”

But Dominatio doesn’t say let her try and grab it back as he wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her up against him so that their shoulders are touching while he brings up the other—camera and all—as high above them both as he can. Even before she realizes what he’s about to do, she’s already working to right herself and hold herself properly, and she’s not even aware of it as he quips out a cheeky: “Say cheeseburger~” and snapping the selfie just as she looks up.

“Gah!! DOMI!!”

“Hihihi~ Turnabout’s fair play, love~” he titters with a cheeky smile as he lowers the camera and lets Regina go to rub at her eyes with an annoyed grumble.

As he looks at the picture he’s just taken, he smiles at the image of himself, smiling widely while Regina regards the camera in a way that’s both calm and stern, and, in a way, almost regal. He’s not sure if Regina even realizes she’s doing this half the time; it just seems to come natural to her.

“See? You look nice here, too,” he says once she can look out through her eyes again.

“…ugh! No way! I look awful,” Regina groans and she tries to reach for her camera, but Dominatio holds it out of range pointedly. “Domiiiii!!”

“Oh come on, dear, don’t be like that,” he says with a small pout, before he adds as he lowers the camera again: “I won’t lie, love; I doubt you can ever do the same motions I do—sometimes,” the last minute add-on makes her snort, but he ignores it, “but you have your own charm. How long did I give you to prepare for this?”

“Barely any time… like, 3… 5 seconds max?”

“And yet, here you are, looking much more presentable than, shall we say, Libby when Terry pulls her into a shot. And she usually gets a good 10 seconds.”

“Well… yeah, but…”

“Nuh-uh! No buts! I can’t even get myself into a proper position that quickly, and yet you reposition and compose yourself in less than five seconds for a picture that you don’t even realize is about to get taken.” He lets that sink in, and when her expressions shifts from slight anger/annoyance, to a sort of quiet acceptance mixed with a special kind of shyness that she rarely ever shows anyone, he smiles warmly. “Even if you don’t see it, love, I’m fairly sure everyone else sees it. And it’s charming~”

“…will you stop saying I’m… ‘charming’ or… whatever already?” she grumbles, and he laughs as he realizes she’s actually embarrassed.

“Nope~ Because you are charming, dear!” he laughs, as he immediately leans over and wraps both arms around her shoulders, tucking his chin into her shoulder and making her yelp. “And you’re handsome to boot~ What’s not to like about that?”

“Domi, get off!!”

He giggles at the half-hearted shove against his belly, because she can’t really reach anything else in their current position.

“Nope~” he quips, right before he moves up and smooches her on the cheek. “You’re comfy, dear~”

She snorts and then chuckles, but she stops trying to push him off, and so he merely cuddles up close and smiles as he settles there comfortably.

Dominatio knows this can’t last forever… nothing ever does… but he’ll take all these moments and cherish them until the end of his days. Dreaming of happier days…

“…Hey… Dominatio?”

He almost drops the plates he’d been taking to the kitchen at the call. Regina never calls him by his full name. It’s always “Domi” or “Dom”… or otherwise “silly” because… well, he tends to be a little silly sometimes and… yeah. There’s been moments where he’s even wondered if she still remembers the name with which he’d introduced himself to her, but he’s never brought it up himself. It never seemed important.

Dominatio sets down the plates in the kitchen, and then turns to Regina. She’s sitting at the table, arms folded loosely on the table and she’s leaning forward a little, but she somehow manages to not look like a slouch, and more like a thoughtful lean.

“Yeah? What’s wrong, love?”

“…you said I was… ‘charming’… right?”

He’s unsure where this is going, but he walks over quietly, then pulls out the chair next to Regina and sits himself down there, hands resting gently in his lap and his knees pressed firmly together. “Yes, I did.”

“…did you really mean that?”

“…I did. And I still do when I say now; you are charming. I can’t put into words why, or how, but you just are, and I’ve no doubt that others can see it as well.”

Regina hums softly, but he’s not sure if it’s in agreement or just in curiosity over his reasoning. She’s not looking at him, but she seems particularly lost in her thoughts just then, so he lets her thoughts simmer. He’s sure she’ll talk to him when she’s ready.

“…do you think people would… listen to me if I spoke to them?”

He’s not sure what the question is referring to, but he doesn’t hesitate to answer her. “Yes, I do. If you address them from your heart… then yes. Yes, they surely will.”

“…I see.”

There are no words said for a long time after, but Dominatio can’t remain silent and waiting any longer.

“Regina, love… where did this come from?”

“…”

She doesn’t answer immediately. She does, however, take a deep breath, and then pushes herself up to sit back in her chair, back straight and staring straight ahead. She exhales then, and she speaks without looking at him.

“…I want to rebuild Insomnia.”

Dominatio can’t help it; he’s staring at her in awe and disbelief, as he instinctively raises a hand to splay his fingers along his collarbone. It’s a small tick he’s developed when he’s in awe, struck speechless by… whatever has inspired such awe in him.

“Insomnia… you mean… the Royal Crown City…? You want to… raise it back up?”

“I do…” she says, lowering her head slightly so that her chin almost rests in her throat. “But I’m… unsure if people would hear me out. All attempts to rebuild… have resulted in failure and people have been less than thrilled about future prospects and ideas. Many have considered it to be… well, a fool’s errand.” She’s running her thumb along the back of her hand; her own little nervous tick, though it’s only visible to those who know her well. “I’m worried that… people won’t accept me.”

“…And you call me silly?” Dominatio asks with a small smile, and she looks up curiously. He continues to smile at her as he says: “I know you can be a little awkward with your words when you want to say something from your heart… just like now.” She frowns, but he continues before she can say anything else. “But you do speak from your heart. You say what you mean… what you want… and I’m sure everyone can see that. And when they do, they’ll understand that you can do that which others couldn’t.” He reaches out and touches her arm. “I told you; you’re charming… and handsome, plus you’re one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met. And people will surely come to your aid for this. I’m sure of it.”

She regards him for a long moment, and eventually she smiles softly, before she turns away again, looking down at her hands quietly. “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome, love,” he says, removing his hand again – only for Regina to take his hand by the wrist. “Huh…?”

“…Dominatio Percarus.”

He almost gasps as his full name slips from her mouth, and he’s almost sure his breathing’s stopped entirely when she looks at him again, her eyes full of hope, determination, and… something he can’t place entirely. He doesn’t understand why she’s looking at him like that, and he wants to swallow the lump in his throat, but he can’t… because he’s afraid he’ll miss whatever she’s trying to tell him.

“Will you stand by me?”

The words are soft, as her fingers lightly squeeze his wrist, not painfully, but hopefully, as if she’s praying him to say yes.

But really, she doesn’t need to do so, as he smiles and reaches over, adjusting his hands to hold her hand in both of his.

“I will… as long as you’ll have me, I’ll stand by you. I promise.”