Chapter Text
The inability to stay still was clear in Heathcliff as he sat. Bouncing up and down was tiring to his leg. Especially with how fast it went.
“I can't believe we’re doin’ this, Don,” he scathingly whispered into her ear.
“'Tis the only possibility to proceed forward I hath espied.” The warm breath tickled his ear, but that didn’t calm the butterflies fluttering about. “If thou hath a better plan, prithee, tell me of it.” Though he let out a little gasp, nothing came of it. “Exactly. Now thou must remain calm, ‘twill be just fine, my love.” Reaching for his hand, Don Quixote grabbed and squeezed. If anything would calm him down, then she hoped it would be this.
“Really? ‘My love?’” Craning his neck, the brunet smirked at her.
“Is something the matter with it?” Challenging his look, the blonde raised her eyebrow at him.
“Nah. I love it, Don~” Leaning forward, Heathcliff wanted to give her a kiss… But jumped instead. The door suddenly opening startled him just as it would any skittish dog.
<Sorry about that. Outis needed me for a moment.> Walking around them, Dante tried to ignore their obvious tension. Acting oblivious, however, was entirely impossible as their manager. <So, what seems to be bothering you two?>
“We… uh…” Heathcliff was being rather bashful. Significantly more sheepish than usual. “We wanna tell ya somethin’…”
“Mhm, ‘tis… rather stressful, Manager Esquire.” Nodding along, Dante looked them straight on before resting their clock on their hands.
<Oh? You two being together is stressful?> Their mouths opened in tandem to refute Dante… but not a word came out. They were choked, muted. Strangled silent by the clockhead’s ticking. <I’m… not really an expert in relationship advice, but I suppose I ca—>
“H-hold on, clockhead!” Heathcliff shouted, blushing as surprise coursed through his veins. “Whaddya mean you knew?!” At his side, Don Quixote was despairing. Eyes spiraling as she wondered what would happen because of this…
“Did Young Sinclair tell thee…?” Empty. There was nothing within that beautiful voice of hers. She was hollowed out by Dante.
<Huh? What would Sinclair know that I don’t?> With a rub, they swiped away whatever ‘sweat’ ran down the side of their clockface. <I thought it was pretty obvious since you two were holding hands. Pretty sure you still are.>
With shared curiosity, they both looked down. And, just as Dante said, Don still had her hand around Heathcliff’s. Squeezing it as well.
“… shite…” The dog was out of the bag, and already it was running through lava. But it was during this boiling run that the dog realized something. “Hey, hold on though… you said that like you already knew we were together, Clockhead.” If they could sweat, then it would be pouring down their golden hands.
<Outis maaaay or may not have been saying some things about you two…> Raising their hands and waving them left and right, Dante tried to distract the dog before it pounced on them. <But! But if you give me a moment, Heathcliff, I can tell you why I thought you two were dating!>
“Go on then,” he growled, leaning back in his seat with a glare so fierce it could tear through steel.
<Well you two haven’t really hid your ‘status’ in the LCE at all. I saw you two walking down the halls hand in hand after that breach a few days ago.> Hanging his head in shame, Heathcliff looked at the ceiling. They had never been as secretive as they thought. <… sorry for asking this, especially to you Donqui, but are you… sure you’re fine with this, Heathcliff?>
“You mean datin’ Don?” The tick from Dante was a clear ‘yes’ to the brunet. “… ‘Ey, ‘ave ya visited her at all, Dante…?”
<With Hohenheim, yes.> Don Quixote was out of the loop in this conversation meant for the two with solid memories. <I’ve… told her about how you’ve been doing since that day on the roof.>
“Figured you would,” Heathcliff said with a miserable sigh, “I’ve been doin’ it too.” There was nothing remarkable about the ceiling, but in it he could see that same sepia toned mush of a sky in it. “See, I used to have hope that I would have her back soon, that I could go to bed and have her back in the mornin’, laying right beside me…”
“But seeing ‘er like that made me realize it’s not gonna happen anytime soon. That it’d take years, maybe decades… maybe my entire life for me to get her back…” Don Quixote’s brows were pinched together as she stared with worry at her boyfriend. “N’ you’ve been tellin’ me for forever that she wanted me to live… to move on… And I’m tryin’ to.”
Reaching for Don Quixote’s hand as he lifted his head, Heathcliff pulled it close. As he gave the back of her hand a gentle kiss, he pulled himself closer.
“I. Love. Don. Quixote.”
Wrapping his arm around the back of her neck, he pulled the blonde close. Blushing with a nervous smile, Don Quixote could hear his heart beating in the chest the back of her head was again.
“Before ya ask, this isn’t some rebound or something that I dove into headfirst either. I… really do love her, Dante.” And the tight one-armed hug only strengthened his statement. “I don’t want to lose her too… which is why we’re here.”
<To see if your relationship despite being coworkers is allowed, I get it.> Nodding, Dante bridged their hands together while looking at the both of them. <I can ask Faust about it, but you mentioned something a bit ago. About how Sinclair saw you?>
“V-verily, he witnessed our kiss just today.” Don Quixote’s throat was sticky, gummed up with emotions that welled from her chest. “‘Tis why we hath come before thee to announce our relationship, Manager Esquire.”
<And I’m glad you two did.> A happy chime played out from their head, as if to say that Dante was smiling. <It’s better that I found out before anyone else, that way, I could at least try to mitigate anything that happens. Imagine if Outis was the one that saw you two kiss, hah, the bus would be on fire if that was the case.> Their joke didn’t help cause the pit in their stomach to close.
“Probably…” Heathcliff muttered, gaze becoming abysmal as he witnessed that bleak possibility.
<A-ahm… sorry,> Dante ticked, feeling bad that their attempt to lighten the mood failed. <Now, uh, to ease your worries, I can look for some sort of rule on my PDA or even ask Faust if that’s alright with you. Truth be told…> Dante leaned forward on the table, coming closer to the both of them before quietly whispering. <I don’t want you two to break up because of a stupid rule. I think its really cute too~> If they could, then there would be an ear-to-ear smile on their face.
“Doth thou mind if Miss Faust knows, Young Heathcliff?” With a shake of his head, Dante had their answer. And with it, they rose.
<I’ll go see if Faust is up so I can ask. Don’t leave, I’ll try to be right back.> Walking around the two, Dante swiftly exited their room. With them both left alone with their thoughts and one another, they could properly sort their situation out.
“Who else would know about us?” were the first words out of Heathcliff’s mouth when that door shut. “‘Cause ‘ow many times ‘ave we risked it outside of our rooms?”
“Uhh…” As she counted in her head, Don Quixote’s fingers rose and fell. At the start of it, her digits rose rather quickly, coming to a solid seven. But then they slowly rose, and continued to unfurl with every incident she could think of. “Ah. ‘Tis 37, Young Heathcliff… We hath been closer than one wouldst constitute as normal on thirty seven separate occasions…”
“Ohhh shite…” Heathcliff solemnly muttered, “we are so fucked if Dante says it’s not allowed, Don.” The blonde shook her head, as if to deny the possibility that he jinxed them with.
“I care not for Manager Esquire nor Limbus Company’s rules.” Pulling away, Don Quixote looked right into his pretty eyes before continuing. “I wish to never part from thee, Young Heathcliff. Thou’rt the one soul I adore with mine entire heart.” With her hands cupping his cheeks, the blonde pulled, tugging on the scars to bring him to her height. “And naught a single other shalt prevent me from loving thee.”
“Well, yeah, obviously,” Heathcliff scoffed right in her face, “I’m a bit of a rulebreaker, lass~” With a giggle she pulled herself toward him, bridging that gap to give him another lovely kiss that he immediately got absorbed in. The same went for her; both of them forgot about the world around them in favor for their union.
<Alright, so I found a few things ouuuut… … …> Dante stood motionless in the doorway for a few moments before entering their room and shutting the door behind them. Then, they turned, facing the door to give the two just about as much privacy as they could give. <While it’s not particularly against any sort of rules with her, Faust did say she was concerned about a falling out if ever you two broke up… Not that I think you will, b—>
“Gnay,” Don Quixote slurred as she interrupted Dante. A strand of drool between them broke, falling onto Heathcliff’s knee. “I cannot envision mineself falling in love with another, Manager Esquire.”
<… I see. Faust also wanted me to tell you that it might be best to… come clean about it.> Turning their head a little, Dante saw that they weren’t kissing so they faced the two properly. <She said that if any other Sinners complained to people more powerful than her, then they could act upon it and make you both separate. Something about the rules on your contracts or something, she went too fast. I think it was because your relationship could lower the odds in gettting a Golden Bough…?>
<Point is…> Dante’s hands pressed together, as if praying in front of their face.
<You two will have to tell everyone…>
“Fuck.”
“… curses.”
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
<I hereby confirm today’s close of business for the Sinners.>
Although today wasn’t as stressful as usual, a wave of relief still washed over the Sinners. Relaxing in their line of work was always a treat. And much like a good group of dogs, they deserved a nice and tasty treat. And they all had an idea for their own kind of tr—
<That is what I would like to say. However, we have one more order of business. Heathcliff, Don Quixote.>
“Right then,” Heathcliff muttered to himself before he rose and walked toward the front, “Come on lass.” Dragging her feet, the blonde walked beside him before turning around to face the rest of the bus.
<I believe in you two, so don’t feel nervous. We’ve faced worse, haven’t we?> While the encouragement was great, they didn't really need it. They already decided to tear the bandaid off, even if it tore their skin away too.
“Mine gratitude, Manager Esquire~ ‘Tis warming to know thou’rt in our corner.” Her whispering tongue went unheard by everyone. Even Sinclair who was the closest couldn't hear.
“Right then, I’m gonna be as blunt as possible.” After clearing his throat, Heathcliff took a deep breath. Words were meant to come out of his opening mouth, yet nothing but dead air left him. Maybe this was a little more difficult than he really thought… “…” shite…
“A-ahem.” Don Quixote took the spotlight, hoping that she wouldn’t freeze up like Heathcliff did. “What Young Heathcliff wished to address was that some of thee may hath… witnessed things not meant for thine eyes.” Her orange-sherbet flavored eyes moved, falling upon Sinclair who shrunk in his seat. “A-and that… w-we art…” Tying in her mouth, her tongue suddenly made a knot so tight it would never be undone.
Dante looked at the two of them, wondering if stepping in and saying it for them was the right call. Which was why they gathered the courage to stand up for them… only for it to fall flat.
“Don n’ I are dating!!!”
The world around them went silent.
Not a word could be heard, nor could a breath be felt.
All that existed were the hearts pounding in their skulls.
All as they were silently judged by everyone besides Dante.
Their gazes were piercing, frozen, daggers filled with disgust and malice towards the monsters who dared to dream and love.
All of them poised to stab their rotten hides because of the curse they both bared.
The curse of existence.
The curse of living…
… of daring to be like man…
“Told ya Chiquita and Heath were dating, Ishy~ So pay up.”
Huh?
“Haaah… can I just give you the chocol—”
“Are you telling us that relationships between the Sinners are allowed, Executive Manager?”
“As long as the relationship doesn’t obstruct the daily tasks of the LCB’s business, Faust is fine with it.”
“Oh. Very well then.”
H u h?
“You had a bet going on Rodi?”
“Yep; Shu, Ishy, Meur and I had a bet going on.”
“Did you not include me because I would’ve bet too large?”
“Spot on, Hongy~”
“Aww… I would’ve bet a reasonable sum on them dating after I saw them cuddling in the lounge watching anime.”
H U H?!
“‘Ow… ‘ow many o’ you knew about us…?”
“For aught who knew prior to today, please raise your hand.”
Everyone, even Charon and Vergilius, raised their hands to the sky.
It was as if they were all trying to accept the energy of the world around them.
“Huh? Sinclair? You knew too?”
“I-I saw them kiss yesterday…”
“Awww~! I would’ve loved to see that!”
“A.B?”
“N-no… that was the first time I saw.”
“Boo, Charon knew about it before stinky boy.”
“Hey! I’m not stinky!”
“Stinky chicky-chick.”
“Charon. Manners or no candy.”
…
…
ALL of them knew…?!
“Okay then, so Sinclair was the last to find out.” Rodya grinned, leering right at the blond boy who quickly noticed her gaze and blushed. “Oh you are so oblivious, Sinclair~”
“I-I’m not…!” His shout was pathetic, maybe even a bit weak. And that made Rodya snicker, stifling her laugh as she held a fist in front of her mouth. It was way too easy to tease him. But he caught on quick, especially after Heathcliff teased him in the bathroom. “Wh-whatever,” he turned his head, “How come no-one ever told me?”
“Well… that’s a secre—”
“There was a secondary bet about how long you would be oblivious to the relationship between Miss Quixote and Heathcliff. The longest guess was 273 days observed by Miss Ryoushuu.” Meursault awoke from his stone-faced prison to rat the gambler out, making her eyes widen with shock. Especially since Sinclair was rather upset last time they bet on how much he could bench press and she was the closest with her low amount. “Furthermore, I, with 176 days, was the closest with a gap of 96 days.”
“Wait…” Heathcliff muttered to himself, finding that number Meursault spat out odd.
“Executive Manager, I wish to have a meeting with you. Right now, if you will.” Outis’ eyes were shaded, making the glow of them look dark as she stared right at Dante’s face.
<Uh…> Sweat poured down their face, dripping down the clock hands in the middle of the— Right. They couldn’t sweat in the first place. It was rather odd that Outis’ look could do that for them… <Are you two going to be alright then…?>
“Huh?” Donqui looked confused, which was reasonable. The revelation of their relationship being out in the open was rather shocking. “Oh, yes yes, Manager Esquire, I doth believe we shalt…” She trailed off, looking at Heathcliff as he physically counted. “Young Hea—” As soon as her hand touched him, he shouted.
“That's 80!” he suddenly blurted out, making the blonde at his side jump. “It was 81 bloomin’ days ago when you asked me out, Don!” The vein in his head bulged, just moments away from bursting. “‘Oo in the bloody shite knew exactly when we we’re dating?!” The room fell silent because of his violet gaze, all 10 pairs of eyes settling on him.
The culprit was silent. Whoever decided to peep on them was trying to evade Heathcliff’s ire.
“Me.” Except, Ryoushuu wasn’t scared, she was actively grinning at Heathcliff despite his deadly gaze. “Thought you were going to take off T.S when you went into her room.” At her side, the sword wiggled, though nobody noticed.
“So you… what? Listened to what we said?” With a nod, Heathcliff was set off. His anger blew through the roof, set entirely on the red-eyed arsehat. If he was given a chance to act on it, then he would’ve exploded. “Fucker.” But with Vergilius behind him, and Don at his side, that was all he could say without throwin’ a wobbly.
“Hehe~, Heath,” Rodya taunted while brushing her hair back with a shit-eating grin, “Shu-Shu told me first.” With a narrowed gaze, the brunet stared at the brunette, making her grin widen even more.
“So that’s the damn reason you called me lover-boy a couple o’ days after.”
“Guilty as charged~” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Heathcliff tried his best to calm down. That damned gambler had to make a whole game out of it. Of course she would too.
“If it helps to heal your ailing heart, Heathcliff,” Yi Sang quietly uttered, “I believe the both of you are quite cute together.” The genuine smile on his face helped a little, but that was short-lived the moment he spotted Rodya’s smug grin. “It reminds me of my time with Dongbaek before the ill-fated end of the League…” And plummeted even more when Yi Sang decided to open his mouth.
“Wow. W.A.B.E. G.J.I.” If he wasn’t pressured by Rodi, then Sinclair definitely wouldn’t have translated it.
“What A Buzzkill for Everyone and Good Job Idiot.”
“Nope.” Sinclair shot her a look, his golden eyes containing a look of utter confusion in them. “Don’t even bother. You won’t understand it.”
However, out of anyone in the room, Meursault knew what it meant. And it was because of the reaction from Yi Sang. The silent, meek blush that could be misconstrued with a memory of his past. However, not all that seemed true remained within the past nor the surface. It was deeper, within the soul. The one that grew embarrassed by Ryoushuu’s romantic language. However, he would not speak upon them. It wasn’t his place here. Nor was it his place to talk about Heathcliff and Don Quixote when he heard them in the hallway on that very same day Ryoushuu heard them.
“Excuse me, Dante,” Ishmael piped up, “Does this humiliation have to continue or can it be over?” At least she was trying to be nice to them. It was a better effort than certain others.
<Faust? Can you finish us out?> Dante’s question was completely out of pity for the two whose faces were as red as tomatoes.
“Of course. Ahem, thank you kindly. Starting now, you all will be given a maximum of 12 hours to partake in sleep and rest; the duration is subject to change. Have a good night.”
Now free to depart, Heathcliff abducted Don Quixote and ran right for the backdoor, hoping to escape Rodya before she could do the same.
But that was not what happened.
She tripped him, causing him to fall flat onto his face before sitting on his back to restrain him. All while Ryoushuu used her blade to stop Don Quixote from leaving her boyfriend behind.
From there, they were forced to spill everything they had done as a couple~
And oh boy, all of it was so lovely to hear~
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
Violet eyes stared at a hand scarred and marked by time. One calloused, burned, and even cut in half throughout their adventures. Its owner, Heathcliff, was fondly looking at the ring attached to its ring finger.
Dreaming and reminiscing was oft a pastime of his. Something he did so often that it was like breathing to him. And right now, he was thinking back to a fond time in his life. One with… someone he was no longer with…
…
He lost her.
Forever.
Years ago…
… just like he lost Cathy…
“Heathcliff?”
He didn’t respond.
Not until a hand grabbed the back of his head and gently shook.
“Hmm?”
“Are you deaf? I’ve been calling you for five minutes.”
“Sorry luv. I was daydreamin’.”
“About what?”
Smirking, Heathcliff turned his chair around to face her.
Raising his left hand to her cheek, he cupped it with love.
The cool metal felt nice against her hot skin as she stood barefoot in her tank top and shorts.
It was a scorcher outside, so standing behind him and in front of the fan pointed at him felt fantastic.
When his purple eyes met her crimson ones, his smile grew, becoming smug in the process.
“You.”
“You’re such a corny dork, Heathcliff.”
With a little harumph, Sancho sat down right in his lap.
“My dork~”
“Luv come on,” he whined as the heat suddenly became unbearable, “You’re bloody boilin’.”
“What a peculiar way to call me hot.”
“You are. Both kinds, luv.”
“But come on, you’re makin’ it way too hot. N’ you’re way too sweaty.”
“But you’re cold. And I don’t want to be hot, soooo…”
Groaning, the brunet turned his chair back around, blasting them both with a frozen wave from the fan.
“Ooooh~” Sancho moaned out, drooling on Heathcliff’s shoulder after she collapsed on it.
“Oi, don’t get too comfy, I gotta take a piss soon.”
“I hope you can last an hour then, Heathcliff.”
“‘Cause I am not moving.”
“Haah…”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, Heathcliff pulled her back as he fully reclined in the chair.
“I love you, Sancho.”
“I love you too, Heathy~”
He loved her.
He loved his life.
But most of all…
Heathcliff loved his wife~
And only loved her more when she delivered a fantastic kiss to his neck~
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