Chapter Text
“Nice dealin’ with ya!” exclaimed a black-cloaked man, with a strangely false-looking brown head of hair and very real green eyes, as he shook the hand of someone he’d just made business with. The latter took the offered hand with obvious hesitation, a frown settling in as they tried to remember why this man looked so familiar.
Before they could think anymore, the man in black bowed his head and skipped off, humming a pop tune as he went on his way. The notes lingering in the air, reminding the people around the skipping man of a song they’ve heard before but could not quite remember the name of.
As the man turned a corner, he happily trashed that mop of brown hair into a dumpster, revealing his white-tipped blue hair— ruffled from the roughly placed wig. “That was easy.” he smirked to no one in particular.
He lifted up a small item in his hand: a velvety soft, dark red, box. Gently gazing upon it, the man brushed the edges with his thumbs.
He admired its texture, but more so, admired what was hidden in said box.
A surprise.
For a loved one.
***
“Geppie!” Sampo called out, a vague tune to his voice. His eyes were bright and his hands were folded behind his back, the box he had earlier, however, was nowhere to be seen.
“Sampo?” Gepard questioned, looking up from a pile of stapled reports in his hand as he stood outside the Silvermane Guard headquarters. And wow. To Sampo, in that very moment— and all the time, honestly, the captain seemed ethereal.
With soft golden hair resting just slightly over his eyes, and those same eyes sparkling blue, and-
“Sampo!” the captain snapped, bringing the latter man back to reality.
“Oh, right. Sorry cap’n, you’re just too beautiful.” Sampo teased, inching forward and giving Gepard a playful smile.
“You shouldn’t be out here, Sampo.” Gepard sighed, rubbing the space between his eyebrows. Frowning, he gave his lover a warning, “You still have plenty of enemies.”
“Enemies, friends, psh! Who cares?” Sampo waved him off, only to slide next to him and place his arms over the captain. “All that matters is you baby!”
“Argh! Sampo, don’t call me baby.” Gepard cringed, wrinkling his nose in distaste. His face was bright red and the captain’s hands were clenched on the sides, but still, he did not move out of reach from his partner.
“Hmm? Then what should I call you?” Sampo leaned into the empty space between them, filling it up with his coy smile and gentle warmth— stunning Gepard and reddening him even more. “Sweetheart? Dear? Honey? My love- Ah, my love is such a classic, isn’t it?” he sighed, romantically.
“Sampo!” Gepard groaned, rubbing his temples and turning his head away from the latter. “Go away, my break is almost over.”
“Aww, fine.” Sampo faked a sob, “I’ll go, since you clearly,” and now he feigned delicacy by placing an upward palm on his forehead, “don’t want me here.”
Gepard observed his boyfriend, his eyes carefully scanning the latter’s face and body. The bandit peeked an eye, only for the captain to grab him by his forearm and drag him into an alley between headquarters and another building. There, Gepard lightly pushed Sampo against the wall, arms trapping the man on each side and giving him no way to escape.
“Can I kiss you?” Gepard asked, only having to lift his head ever so slightly for their height difference.
“Yes.” Sampo blurted out, not giving a single thought to the question. “You don’t have to ask every time.” he laughed, a blush blazing along his face and to his ears.
“I know, but I don’t want to do anything that will hurt you again.” the captain smiled, his gaze lowering to the latter’s lips. Before either of the two could say anything, Gepard moved forward and pressed his mouth against the other.
Sampo felt waves of delight emanating from his lips, his lover’s warmth filling him up to the brim until he could do no more than kiss back. Feverishly did they kiss, as if they hadn’t kissed in days or even years— but they had, earlier that morning before each left to their own devices.
Still, neither Gepard nor Sampo could resist their wandering hands and their increasingly desperate and heavy breaths, and the buzzing inside their heads that told them to keep going. And going. And going-
Up till Gepard moaned into his lover’s mouth, making the captain stop abruptly and pull away from Sampo. His face a burning red with wide eyes and a hand covering his mouth, a sight that could only make the bandit laugh as he realized why Gepard had suddenly stopped.
“You good, Gepard?” Sampo tilted his head, crossing his arms and smiling.
“Yeah- Yes. Of course.” the captain huffed, brushing some strands of hair back. “Why wouldn’t I be? I just- Ah, I need to go back.” Gepard cleared his throat, his face still a bright crimson as he quickly left the premises.
“Good day, Sampo.” the captain yelled as he left the conman’s field of view.
“Good day, Cap’n” he yelled back, fighting the urge to laugh.
Oh, how he loved him.
***
After their passionate encounter, Sampo decided to head to the Underworld, a familiar grumpy face in mind as his target. He didn’t have to walk very long until said person appeared right before him. She at first had a nonchalant look— a relaxed demeanor, but once she saw him, her expression turned sour.
“Sampo.” she grumbled through gritted teeth, placing a hand on her hip as she stopped and leaned on one side.
“Seele! My dear friend.” Sampo raised his hands, as if he was going to give a hug but he let them fall to his sides soon after, after receiving a sharp glare.
“Dear friend? Don’t make me laugh, Koski.” she scoffed. They stared at each other without saying a word, the people passing them by whispering at the awkward standoff between the two.
Sampo pictured a comical sweat drop running down his temple as Seele stared him down, “So,” the criminal coughed, “uh, anything going on?”
“Just say what you want to say, what do you want.” Seele shook her head, coming closer to him with her fists clenched— prepared to knock his lights out if he said something stupid.
“Well, how would you feel about being my best woman?”
***
“Okay, so hold up.” Seele breathed out, wide eyed as her and Sampo sat down at a table in a small, dingy coffee shop. However, unlike its gloomy and worn down physical environment, the atmosphere was quite comfy with its soft coffee scent and quiet animated chatter. “You’re going to marry Captain Landau?”
“That is the plan, hopefully.” he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. When Seele didn’t say anything, looking at him pensively, the crook nervously laughed.
“So, you haven’t asked him yet?” the Wildfire member scratched her chin, leaning back in her seat and crossing her legs. “Then it’s not certain that there’ll be a wedding, that gives me enough time to get a good outfit.” she smiled, nodding her head in an agreeing motion.
“You act as if that’s a good thing…” Sampo grumbled, running his hands through his hair.
“Haven’t you two been dating for four months? Aren’t you rushing?” Seele asked, tilting her head and scrunching her nose.
“We’ve known each other for years, we’ve been in love for years, so I don’t really think it's rushed but- Agh! What if I am rushing?!” he cried, scrunching his hair in his hands. His heart felt heavy, thinking back at everything Gepard and him had been through. All the cat and mouse chasing, the arguments and the occasional laughter, even fighting together against Fragmentum beasts— years of these experiences that he treasured like troves filled with jewels and gold and the most expensive crystals in the world.
No.
They were experiences worth more than that, priceless in their emotional value.
“Okay, okay, I’m not good at comforting, but no need to panic, Sampo.” Seele waved her hands, shaking her head in regret. “Ugh, I’m not good with feelings but looking at both of you, I do see- uh, some strong connection.” she grimaced.
She crossed her arms, pursing her lips before speaking again, “I see the same thing that… that I see with Bronya and me, and if it’s as strong as I feel about her, then- then I think you should get married.” Seele gave a weak smile, “Of course, I think you should talk to Gepard first, maybe hint if he is ready for that- it’s a big responsibility, Sampo.”
“I know- I will. Talk to him.” Sampo lifted his head from his hands, glancing gratefully at the warrior.
“Well then, now that it’s settled, I’ll head out now.” she stood up, the chair creaking behind her. Sampo nodded, but remained seated, leaning against the chair as he circled the rim of his cup. “And-” the criminal looked up, “I would be honored to be your best woman.”
Sampo’s first reaction was one of surprise, arched eyebrows formed curves in his forehead and his mouth slightly gaped, however, such expression soon turned into the crook’s signature grin. “Thank you, Lady Seele.” he teased.
“Whatever.” she scoffs and leaves the cafe, a content Sampo watching after her.
***
It was late at night, the darkness encapsulated the Overworld of Belebog and emphasized the orange glow of the occasional heater down the road, and Sampo had stopped in front of a door very familiar to him now. Tonight, there were no stars out as storm clouds obscured the sky, a fact that, for a reason the criminal didn’t know, left him unsettled.
He knocked quietly at the smooth wood, a light knock that made him rethink if he should do it again. As he was about to repeat the action, the sound of footsteps halted him in his motion.
The door opened with a quiet click and a face peeked out through the slip, blue eyes lightening up at the sight of Sampo. The person on the other side of the door opened it fully, smiling as the crook leaned against the doorframe in a flirtatious manner.
“Cap’n.” Sampo tilted a nonexistent cap on his head, grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s quite late isn’t it, Koski?” Gepard sighed, crossing his arms as he rested his hip against the opposite door frame.
“It sure is and this poor, poor criminal,” Sampo lifted himself and moved towards the latter, “needs a place to stay.” he pouted, clasping his hands together and bringing them up below his chin, trying to muster the best puppy-dog eyes he could.
“Hmm.” the Captain hummed, unconvinced and unamused, but his guard soon gave way after looking at his lover for way too long— weak to Sampo’s antics and face. “Fine, but lately you’ve been spending too much time at my house.”
“Aww, thank you, my love!” Sampo rushed to hug him as he closed the door behind him with his leg, lifting the soldier in the air to move him out of the way.
“Sampo!” Gepard protested, gripping the crook’s shoulders in a panic. His visible distress soon transformed into laughter as Sampo snuggled his chest, rubbing his head against his lover like an affectionate cat. “Sampo!” he yelled, but this time it was in delight as his hands cusped the back of his lover's head.
The criminal, after a few more seconds of playing around, gently lowered the Silvermane captain to the floor. “Sorry love, couldn’t help myself.” he grinned, placing a chaste kiss on Gepard’s temple.
The other’s response was a kiss on the corner of Sampo’s lips, soft and faint, but still enough to cause the crook’s heart to pound against his ribcage and for his head to feel like it was completely filled with cotton. He felt dazed and- so incredibly well, well loved.
The hold this man had on him was… frightening and thrilling at the same time.
“Let’s have a seat now, shall we?” Gepard offered, motioning a hand to the couch, and Sampo was already missing the warmth of his hands on the back of his head.
“Shall we?” Sampo repeated, grabbing a hold of the captain’s hands and pulling him towards the plush, blue couch at the center of the living room. The criminal had come to enjoy the humble decoration of the captain’s- well, more than humble it was as if no one lived here. The captain simply had this couch, a rug underneath a coffee table in front of said couch, and a fireplace tucked into the wall adjacent to the table. It was… a little sad.
“Don’t you think this place needs a little livening up?” Sampo mused, resting his cheek on Gepard’s head, the captain tucked in the crook of his neck as they laid down, somewhat atop of each other.
“I’m not here enough that it really matters.” Gepard mumbled, his arms were around the criminal’s waist, tightening them as if Sampo would somehow run away.
“Well, if I stay here from now on, will it matter more?” the criminal suggested, playing around with a strand of Gepard’s hair.
“You’re not staying here, Sampo.” he said, voice muffled into the conman’s neck, a ticklish feeling.
“Huh? Why not?!” he cried, his hand stopping what it was doing. The other must’ve felt the shift in the gravity of the topic as Gepard lifted himself from his position to make eye contact with Sampo. It was a sort of scrutinizing gaze that the criminal had seen many times before— often, back in the day, when they were at the dead end of an alleyway and Gepard was trying to figure out if the crook would escape or not.
“Sampo… Do you really want to live with me?” Gepard asked, furrowing his eyebrows like he couldn’t comprehend the notion.
“Yes? Is there something strange about that?” Sampo sat up and placed his hands behind him for support, the latter backing off as he did so.
“I don’t know, I feel like that’s a sort of thing that-” Gepard cut himself off, thinning his lips as if he was about to spill some state secret.
“What sort of thing?” he asked, Sampo’s voice laced with underlying frustration over a courteous tone. It was a tone that the captain had obviously come to recognize for he sighed and leaned against the arm hold, as if admitting defeat.
“The sort of thing that only marr-” there was a knock at the door, its sound startling them both. Simultaneously, they looked out the window, it was dark out still and it should have been around 1 in the morning at this point.
“Sampo, stay here.” Gepard slid off the couch, pointing at his lover like one would to a rebellious cat. The captain only left when he received an acknowledging hum from the other.
Gepard peeked through the peephole, and Sampo couldn’t see his expression but from the rush of the captain to open the door, he could tell that it was someone important. What Gepard said next only confirmed the criminal’s thoughts: “Lady Bronya?”
“Greetings, Captain Landau, I have some bad news.” she said, and it had started raining as she said her next part— in a dramatic fashion, like it knew what she was going to say. And in her voice ridden with regret and hesitation, she started, “It’s about Sampo.”
“What about Sampo?” Gepard asked, not looking back at his lover as Sampo only heard from his place what was going on.
Something about him? What could it be?
“He’s to be arrested, Captain Landau.”
Fuck.