A Vow to Return
Mar. 28th, 2019 09:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nyanderenekoWord Count: 1,248
Summary: Nova gets Mordecai something for his birthday, which is a risky move in and of itself. Much to her surprise, she receives more appreciation than scolding for her bold and thoughtful action.
*Author’s Note*: The 28th is Mordecai’s birthday!! So many things are happening at the end of this month/beginning of next, it’s a little hard to keep up with it all ^^’ I wasn’t actually sure I was going to have time to whip something up for him, but I really wanted to, so even if this isn’t the most phenomenal piece ever I’m still glad I was able to do a little something just to acknowledge the day. Despite everything, Mordecai has consistently been a presence with me for the past couple years. It’s hard for me to keep him at #1 because I don’t really have anyone to discuss him and his series with, but every time I see him or am reminded of him, I get overwhelmed with the same love I’ve felt for him from the beginning. There are a lot of things I like about him, and he’s just really special and important to me…but anyway, happy birthday to him! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.
He was startled to have a plain colored package suddenly thrust into his line of sight. Pushing it into his hands, he was left with barely any time to register what was happening. His ears twitched and tail flicked in confusion, and he scrambled to gather the words he needed to inquire as to what was going on. Before he could properly share them, though, he found himself equally distracted by the appearance of the object that’d just been placed in his possession. He wasn’t sure what kind of occasion could have possibly called for an offering like this, and as he sifted through several separate subjects in his brain, the reminder that he needed to say or do something in response kind of got left behind.
“You don’t have to open it now, but I would like to know what you think,” she explained, and his frantic mental processes came to an abrupt halt. “I mean, I suppose you’re not actually obligated to tell me, and if you don’t like it please don’t feel like you have to keep it for my sake. I just—”
“Give me a moment to catch up,” he interrupted, and she buttoned her lips.
She knew she could be a bit overbearing when she was nervous, a subconscious response to try and cover as many bases as possible and prevent any measure of conflict from arising. Not to mention that the longer they stood here together, the more her nerves intensified. Stowed away in one of the underground structures unassuming alcoves, she’d caught his attention just before he took off on another assignment. She knew interfering with his work was unprofessional and selfish, but she wasn’t sure when she’d get another chance to deliver it in a timely manner. The theoretical time limit wasn’t relevant to anyone but her, either, but her anxiety coupled with this self-imposed schedule sort of made her want to just get it over with.
“May I inquire as to the purpose of you presenting this to me?” So he was oblivious to the arbitrary event that she’d been stubborn enough to remember…that was alright. But now she knew that answering him was probably going to feel a little embarrassing.
“Well…it’s a birthday present,” she sheepishly informed him. “I know birthdays probably aren’t something you like to talk about or celebrate. And before you ask how I found out—”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m fairly certain I already know the culprit’s identity,” he replied a bit briskly, his displeasure with the individual in question as unmistakable as always.
“Regardless of who told me, I chose to do this. To get you something. I know it’s kind of pointless, and it’s probably not even something you wanted or can use, but…I don’t know. I just wanted to give you something, or at least do something for you to acknowledge the occasion.”
Flashbacks that belonged to past iterations of said holiday briefly occupied his thoughts. Some of them were enjoyable, most of them were not, or rather not to the standard or outcome that he preferred. But this small exchange…he supposed it was nice, in its own way. She wasn’t making a big deal out of things, flamboyantly spreading the news to anyone and everyone she came across, which he knew from experience Mitzi was wont to do just to irritate him. It didn’t seem like she was going to press the issue after this, either, which was a welcome relief that only made his acceptance of her small gift more manageable.
Carefully undoing enough of the wrapping so that he could slip the contents out without too much fuss, Mordecai examined the object with genuine curiosity. It was a book branded with a title he vaguely recalled learning in passing before, involving a subject he knew Nova was probably completely out of touch with. How she’d even succeeded in finding such a thing was beyond him, but he supposed the means didn’t really matter. She’d gone out of her way to do this for him, even presenting it to him in a manner that she hoped would distress him the least. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d received a gift, or the last time he’d enjoyed one…but he was confident that was the kind of emotion that was welling up inside him now.
“Thank you,” he uttered these two simple words, and nothing more. To Nova, they were more than enough. Trying to conceal the childish elation that tightened her chest and drew an involuntary purr from her throat, she accepted his thanks with a modest dip of her head.
“I know you’ve got things to get back to, so I won’t keep you,” she insisted, turning on her heel to leave. Her tail puffed up as she was halted by the sudden sensation of a grip on her hand. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed that Mordecai was the one holding it, though of course she’d known it had to be him before she’d even looked. Her fur bristled and face flushed, and he released her in the same moment that he’d infinitesimally tightened his grip.
“I’ll be sure to tell you what I think of it when I return,” he vowed, which only astounded her further.
As she turned around to ask him more about the nature of his enigmatic gesture, she found that he was already striding away at a purposeful pace. Although she found it hard to believe he could have been equally as flustered as she was about their exchange, that was the simple truth. It seemed that she was just going to have to wait until he was prepared to discuss it further to find out more…but he’d already made a promise to return to her, so she supposed that would have to do for now.
Summary: Nova gets Mordecai something for his birthday, which is a risky move in and of itself. Much to her surprise, she receives more appreciation than scolding for her bold and thoughtful action.
*Author’s Note*: The 28th is Mordecai’s birthday!! So many things are happening at the end of this month/beginning of next, it’s a little hard to keep up with it all ^^’ I wasn’t actually sure I was going to have time to whip something up for him, but I really wanted to, so even if this isn’t the most phenomenal piece ever I’m still glad I was able to do a little something just to acknowledge the day. Despite everything, Mordecai has consistently been a presence with me for the past couple years. It’s hard for me to keep him at #1 because I don’t really have anyone to discuss him and his series with, but every time I see him or am reminded of him, I get overwhelmed with the same love I’ve felt for him from the beginning. There are a lot of things I like about him, and he’s just really special and important to me…but anyway, happy birthday to him! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.
_____
Fumbling with the object in her hands, Nova wasn’t sure if she had the courage to pull this off. It seemed like such a simple task, but when he was involved, things were usually more complicated. Not just because of what he meant to her, which admittedly exaggerated the inherently stressful context of the situation for her, but because he was quite a shrewd individual, and hard to please. His mood was an elusive mystery, almost always sour and seemingly impossible to improve. She’d caught him being amiable on a few occasions, even smiling of all things. And those few times when he did, it took her breath away, stilled her heart and flooded her chest with a rare warmth. They were smiles she never wanted to forget, and she hoped the future would afford her more lucky chances to see them. Right now, the state of his mood was one of the most important things she needed to keep in mind.
He was startled to have a plain colored package suddenly thrust into his line of sight. Pushing it into his hands, he was left with barely any time to register what was happening. His ears twitched and tail flicked in confusion, and he scrambled to gather the words he needed to inquire as to what was going on. Before he could properly share them, though, he found himself equally distracted by the appearance of the object that’d just been placed in his possession. He wasn’t sure what kind of occasion could have possibly called for an offering like this, and as he sifted through several separate subjects in his brain, the reminder that he needed to say or do something in response kind of got left behind.
“You don’t have to open it now, but I would like to know what you think,” she explained, and his frantic mental processes came to an abrupt halt. “I mean, I suppose you’re not actually obligated to tell me, and if you don’t like it please don’t feel like you have to keep it for my sake. I just—”
“Give me a moment to catch up,” he interrupted, and she buttoned her lips.
She knew she could be a bit overbearing when she was nervous, a subconscious response to try and cover as many bases as possible and prevent any measure of conflict from arising. Not to mention that the longer they stood here together, the more her nerves intensified. Stowed away in one of the underground structures unassuming alcoves, she’d caught his attention just before he took off on another assignment. She knew interfering with his work was unprofessional and selfish, but she wasn’t sure when she’d get another chance to deliver it in a timely manner. The theoretical time limit wasn’t relevant to anyone but her, either, but her anxiety coupled with this self-imposed schedule sort of made her want to just get it over with.
“May I inquire as to the purpose of you presenting this to me?” So he was oblivious to the arbitrary event that she’d been stubborn enough to remember…that was alright. But now she knew that answering him was probably going to feel a little embarrassing.
“Well…it’s a birthday present,” she sheepishly informed him. “I know birthdays probably aren’t something you like to talk about or celebrate. And before you ask how I found out—”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m fairly certain I already know the culprit’s identity,” he replied a bit briskly, his displeasure with the individual in question as unmistakable as always.
“Regardless of who told me, I chose to do this. To get you something. I know it’s kind of pointless, and it’s probably not even something you wanted or can use, but…I don’t know. I just wanted to give you something, or at least do something for you to acknowledge the occasion.”
Flashbacks that belonged to past iterations of said holiday briefly occupied his thoughts. Some of them were enjoyable, most of them were not, or rather not to the standard or outcome that he preferred. But this small exchange…he supposed it was nice, in its own way. She wasn’t making a big deal out of things, flamboyantly spreading the news to anyone and everyone she came across, which he knew from experience Mitzi was wont to do just to irritate him. It didn’t seem like she was going to press the issue after this, either, which was a welcome relief that only made his acceptance of her small gift more manageable.
Carefully undoing enough of the wrapping so that he could slip the contents out without too much fuss, Mordecai examined the object with genuine curiosity. It was a book branded with a title he vaguely recalled learning in passing before, involving a subject he knew Nova was probably completely out of touch with. How she’d even succeeded in finding such a thing was beyond him, but he supposed the means didn’t really matter. She’d gone out of her way to do this for him, even presenting it to him in a manner that she hoped would distress him the least. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d received a gift, or the last time he’d enjoyed one…but he was confident that was the kind of emotion that was welling up inside him now.
“Thank you,” he uttered these two simple words, and nothing more. To Nova, they were more than enough. Trying to conceal the childish elation that tightened her chest and drew an involuntary purr from her throat, she accepted his thanks with a modest dip of her head.
“I know you’ve got things to get back to, so I won’t keep you,” she insisted, turning on her heel to leave. Her tail puffed up as she was halted by the sudden sensation of a grip on her hand. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed that Mordecai was the one holding it, though of course she’d known it had to be him before she’d even looked. Her fur bristled and face flushed, and he released her in the same moment that he’d infinitesimally tightened his grip.
“I’ll be sure to tell you what I think of it when I return,” he vowed, which only astounded her further.
As she turned around to ask him more about the nature of his enigmatic gesture, she found that he was already striding away at a purposeful pace. Although she found it hard to believe he could have been equally as flustered as she was about their exchange, that was the simple truth. It seemed that she was just going to have to wait until he was prepared to discuss it further to find out more…but he’d already made a promise to return to her, so she supposed that would have to do for now.