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For Gepard it has started like any normal Thursday; rise with the sun for his brisk morning jog, warm up with a steaming shower followed by a hearty breakfast, water and tend to his ever expanding hoard of houseplants, clean thoroughly then reattach his prosthetic, and finally don a fresh uniform and head to the office. All this before the clock had even struck 9. In fact the normality of his routine extended into his early shift . From his usual good mornings, passing small pleasantries with his coworkers. To looking though and filing any reports from the overnight watch. Indeed the trajectory of his day didn’t deviate till midday.
Gepard had just finished his lunch, proudly prepared with his homegrown vegetables, and was headed towards the restricted zone to check in with Dunn when he heard it. “… and he apparently waved her off like it was nothing. Can you believe it!” “If Mila asked me back to her place that blatantly not even 100 fragmentum monsters could stop me. He must be nuts!” Gepard didn’t mean to eavesdrop, honestly. The guards stationed at the waypoint just hadn’t noticed him approaching. He was about to clear his throat to make his presence known when the third officer finally spoke up. “Well it’s Koski, what do you expect?” Now that had gotten his attention.
Over the last several weeks Gepard had noticed Sampo’s behaviour seemed more eccentric. Almost all of his patrols had him coming into contact with the man one way or another. Not necessarily for him doing anything illegal (that he can prove). Sampo, just by happenstance , had been apparently travelling the same way and decided to keep Gepard company. At first he would refuse, almost always ending with him having to chase the older man off. Though it seemed his patience paid off. As after the first week, with no evidence of conman’s usual mischief Gepard would just roll his eyes and choose to ignore the man’s presence. At least if he was keeping an eye on him he wouldn’t be swindling anyone.
Sampo seemed to have no issues filling the silent snowy air with, if Gepard was being honest with himself, rather amusing one sided conversations. That too didn’t last more than a few days. It was a simple one word answer that finally got him to respond. But once the flow of dialogue started, it felt so natural. He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed so much on patrol. Though he was loath to admit it, Sampo Kaski could be quite charming. Gepard actually found himself looking forward to seeing the conman.
He was so used to seeing Sampo in a more adversarial light that this change of pace was honestly a little eye opening. From learning of Sampo’s work helping Wildfire, to the in truth quite adorable antics he got up to with the Underworld’s kids. Gepard discovered himself noticing more and more about the older man. The slight way the corner of his eyes would crease when he allowed himself a genuine smile. How animated his body language would get when recounting his favourite part of a story. His generosity in bringing Gepard a warm drink on particularly cold days. The almost ethereal way his soft looking reflected the light at dusk. When a chilly gust of wind touched the exposed skin of his hips, how he’d break out in goosebumps. The glossy sheen left after licking his dry lips…
Okay so maybe Gepard was paying a little too much attention. But sue him it’s his job to be observant. Now hearing that others had noticed Sampo’s odd behaviour it just assured him that something was indeed off. Again he was not eavesdropping, it was simple information gathering. If he silently crept closer to the waypoint, then it was out of obligation to know what the rumour mill- he meant 'trusted eyewitness’ had heard.
“That’s not even the wildest part. You’ll never believe how he rejected her.” The other two soldiers leaned in closer in anticipation. “He said-” the fist soldier posed for dramatics mimicking Sampo’s antics.“ ‘my heart already belongs to a Landau heir.’” It was only for the fact that the other soldiers had much larger reactions that Gepard’s own gasp went unnoticed. “Well damn, did we see that coming or what.” The third man snorted. Gepard couldn’t help the way his face warmed, it was the shock you see. Sighing wistfully the second soldier added “honestly I don’t blame him Serval is a stunner!” Ah, of course. What was there not to love about Serval? The roll of nausea he felt was simply the worries of a protective younger brother. The lingering disappointment was just a byproduct of that. He should check in with Serval, see if she’s heard anything about this. Gepard would happily shut down the rumours if they made her uncomfortable. Lost in thought he missed when the other men laughed at the second. Unfortunately, out of ear shot to hear exactly which Landau sibling had “bewitched” Sampo.
Serval’s shop was thankfully empty of customers when Gepard arrived. This is not the kind of conversation he wished to have with an audience. “Geppy!” Serval smiled as she turned away from the heater she was working on. “Not that I’m not happy to see you,but what brings you to my neck of the woods this early in the day?” “W-well you see it's just.” Gepard awkwardly cleared his throat, moving further into the shop. “I’ve been hearing some rumours being spread amongst my fellow guards. I was wondering if you’ve heard anything of…interest?” Serval lowered her wrench giving her brother a bemused look. “You're going to have to narrow it down a bit for me.” The younger man looked anywhere but at his sister, not thinking he could say this if he was looking her in the eye. “It’s regarding Sampo Kaski.” Gepard then quickly added. “Because of his criminal history! It’s important I stay informed of his going ons. And more importantly who he might be trying to associate with.” He finally looked at Serval as he finished speaking.
Her bemused look turned to a leering smile as he studied Gepard’s nervous body language. “Yeah you could say I heard a thing or two.” Leaning forward on the counter she rested her chin on her hands. “I should be asking how you feel about it though, shouldn’t I.'' With a serious expression Gepard said “Honestly my top priority is your comfort. You’ve explained to me in the past of your lack of interest in men. As such I assumed hearsay of this nature might make you feel ill at ease. I’ll happily shut down the rumours of Kaski’s interest in you-” “ME!” Serval jumped up in surprise, before laughing to herself. “Ok, wow bro. I’m going to need you to go back a couple of steps. What makes you think he has an interest in me .” The longer this conversation was going on the more Gepard could feel his face heat up. “It seemed fairly obvious from my point of view. You're beautiful and extremely talented in many respects. Anyone should hope to be lucky enough to be with someone like you. So when I heard Sampo was interested in a Landau I naturally thought of you.” “You sure know now how to fluff my ego Geppy.” Serval rounds the counter to face her little brother. Resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “But I can assure you, Sampo and I don’t have that kind of relationship that could be misconstrued like that.” Reaching up she ruffled his hair. “And try not to be so hard on yourself, you’re quite the catch Mr.Captain of the Silvermane Guards.” With a reassuring smile Serval returned to the half disassembled heater. “I’m not going to give you all the answers though! Just rest assured I’m not Sampo’s Landau of choice.” Now Gepard was back at square one. With a quick but warm goodbye to his sister Gepard left her shop.
Gepard took a deep breath of Belobog air trying to clear his head. The conversation with Serval was short but enlightening. The rumours must have been mistaken afterall, clearly it has all been a misunderstanding. There was only one viable Landau sibling and she had just set the record straight. With a wistful sigh Gepard pulled out his phone, needing to see if he had missed anything urgent after he had run off. Thankfully his messages seemed fairly normal. From sharing a rye bread soda recipe with the Trailblazer, to Lynx discussing her latest ‘Belobog Caveman’ encounter.
The ‘Belobog Caveman’ he recently learned was Sampo. Sampo, who's interested in a Landau . No he wouldn’t, not with Lynx… right? Gepard was gripping his phone so hard the screen cracked. “ Koski .” He seethed under his breath before turning towards the area of his usual earning rounds. Knowing who he would find there.
He found Sampo in the same place he had for the past few weeks. Learning agents a dilapidated house near the entrance of the Snow Plains. Smiling absentmindedly with his hands tucked behind his back. He perked up as he saw Gepard approaching. “Oh my lovely Captain! You’ve graced with your presence earl-ACK!” Sampo was abruptly cut off by Gepard clamping his metal hand around his throat and pinning him against the building. The force of it shaking the shabby wooden walls and knocking snow off window sills. His grip was tight enough to hold the man in place but not fully choke him.
“I’ve heard the rumours, you pervert.” Gepard’s voice dripped with disgust. Sampo’s look of surprise turned to one of genuine hurt as Gepard continued. “I knew you were low but I didn’t think you were this low. Here I was thinking maybe you had some principles, but no! You're just a depraved lecher. To think I was beginning to like you, then you turn around and do this.” Sampo had heard the rumours over the day. He knew he would have to talk to Gepard about it tonight. Sampo had even prepared for what he thought would be the worst case scenario. Not in his wildest dreams did he think Gepard would be this homophobic!
Sampo raised one of his hands in defeat, the other still tightly behind him. “Geppy, please understand I never meant to upset you like this.” “Upset me? Upset me! ” Gepard’s grip tightened, frost beginning to accumulate on his prosthetic. “I’m not just upset, I’m furious !” His breath came in angry pants. Puffing in the freezing air. Sampo’s adrenaline was probably the only thing keeping him from breaking down at this point. Where was his kind and adorably blushing Geppy. Who had replaced it was this hate filled monster. “Calm down. I’m sure if we just talk this over-” Again he was cut off by Gepard. “What, talk about what you want to do to my little Lynx.” “Lynx?” Ok, Sampo was officially confused now. “Yeah, that's right. I heard about your intentions with my underage sister. That you're in love with Lynx!” Gepard yelled in frustration only to be told in an even louder voice “I’m not in love with Lynx, I'm in love with you!”
The rushing winds and their panting breaths the only sound filling the air as the last spoken words sink in. “Oh.” All the colour drained from Gepard’s face as he slowly loosened his grip. “ Oh.” Sampo’s odd behaviour and Serval’s cryptic wording make a lot more sense now. “ Oh .” Just as quickly as the colour had drained from his face it was now replaced with a quickly spreading blush. Covering his eyes in mortification he couldn’t bear to look at Sampo right now. Sampo lightly rubbed his neck while clearing his throat “what made you think I was into your little sister? I thought I was laying it on pretty thick with you, honestly.” Gepard slowly slid his hands down his face. Though still not willing to look at Sampo he looked down at his feet, awkwardly kicking at the snow. “I actually thought it was Serval at first.” Sampo cracked a half smile. “Let’s start from the beginning, ok buddy.”
Gepard felt as though the heat radiating off his cheeks could probably stop the Eternal Freeze all on its own with how flush he was. When he could finally muster up the words it was barely above a whisper. “Some guards on watch mention you had your heart set on a Landau. I was sure it must have been Serval, but she made it clear it wasn’t her.” Braving a quick peek at Sampo’s reaction he saw the man looking at him with growing amusement. “So you naturally jumped the conclusion I’m a kiddy diddaler.” Though Sampo said the words with a smile, the hurt was evident in his voice. It was like a knife through Gepard’s heart.
“I’m so sorry! Logically I know you're a good person and would never harm a child like that. I was just so upset when I heard you were interested in someone else.” Gepard was so caught up in explaining himself he didn’t realise when he let slip “I guess the thought that I had lost my chance with you was too hard to process. I went into anger instead of heartbreak. Trying to make you the bad guy so I could deal with the thought of losing you.” Now with Gepard’s full attention on him Sampo had to cover his mouth with his not hidden hand to disguise his snort of laughter. “Oh Aha you must be loving this.” Looking at his big blue puppy dog eyes, pleading for forgiveness. Sampo couldn’t stay mad. His Geppy was just too cute after all. He did want some clarifications though.
“Why did it never cross your mind that you were my Landau of choice?” Lowering his head again, Gepard took a second to figure out how to properly articulate his answer. “I shouldn’t be anyone’s choice.” Hands clenched tightly at his side he continued, but in a much more strained voice. “I’m a workaholic who puts my oath to Qilpoth above all else. I’ve been given accolades and metals when better men than me didn’t make it home from the front lines.” Gepard clenched his eyes firmly shut, the glow of his Geomarrow arm another stark reminder. “I’m not even whole anymore-” This time it was Sampo who cut Gepard off, by placing a hand on his cheek. The soft leather of his glove cooling Gepard’s heated face as it was tilted upwards. Once again re-establishing eye contact.
“Well in this man’s humble opinion that’s all a lode of bull.” Gepard noticed that this time when Sampo smiled his eyes carried those handsome smile lines he adored. “When I look at you I see a man who is dedicated and loyal. Humble even when he's earned the right to brag a little. Willing to sacrifice anything, even his own body, to protect those he loves.” As Sampo continues Gepard could feel himself getting misty eyed. “Someone who can be stubborn as all hell. Adorably nieve when being obviously flirted with. Clearly protective of his family.” That last line said with a wink. “A person anyone could only wish to call there’s.” Sampo finally pulled his left hand from behind his back revealing a beautiful, if slightly squished, bouquet of roses. “And someone who sure changed the plans I had when it came to confessing to them.”
Gepard stood frozen for a moment, eyes bouncing back and forth from the flowers and the hopeful look in Sampo’s eyes. Then all at once it was like a tread snapped. He surged forward, taking the older man into his arms. Hiding his flushed, now tear lined, face into his shoulder. Nuzzling as close as humanly possible. Whimpering between breaths a repeating mix of “I’m so sorry” “I trust you.” and most importantly “I love you”. Sampo let Gepard cry himself dry. Happy to finally be able to hold the larger man in his embrace.
When Gepard had claimed enough to catch his breath he turned his head, cheek still resting on Sampo’s shoulder, to look at the other man. As he did he noticed a slight bruise starting to form on Sampo’s neck. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him. Slowly raising his prosthetic, he lightly coated the metal digits in ice. As gently as he could, he softly pressed the cooled fingers to the discoloured skin. “I should never have put my hands on you in anger like that. It’s inexcusable. How can you even forgive me for this.” Gepard’s voice cracked as he spoke.
Squeezing the younger man’s waist, Sampo pressed a light kiss to his forehead. “Hey, if I thought someone was thinking of Hook or any of the other kids like that, they wouldn’t have just gotten away with some small bruises and a stern talking to. I get it.” A leering slime spread across the con man’s face as he leaned to Gepard’s ear and added . “And in all honesty, getting manhandled like that by you was kinda hot. In a better environment I could see myself really enjoying it, actually.” With a flustered gasp the soldier buried his red face back into Sampo’s shoulder, this time out of embarrassment. Sampo burst out laughing at his reaction. “There’s my adorable Geppy!” Sampo continued laughing, peppering any parts of Gepard’s face he could reach with kisses. Being overwhelmed with all the affection, Gepard quickly turned his head back towards Sampo. Resulting in an unintentional, but not unwanted, joining of lips.
Objectively it was probably a pretty terrible first kiss. Sampo’s lips were dry and chapped. Their noses bumped uncomfortably against each other’s. Gepard’s face was a mess of drying tears. The ambience of a frozen Thursday late afternoon, up against the abandoned homes lost in the Snow Plains, is no one’s idea of a romantic getaway. However both were so enraptured in the moment none of that mattered to them. They only focused on how Sampo tightened his grip on the younger man’s body. When Gepard moved his flesh and blood hand. Running it through Sampo’s, as he had guessed, soft but slightly tangled hair. How the warmth of their flushed faces kept the brisk air at bay.
Slowly pulling back they locked eyes again. Gepard lost in the look of total adoration he saw in the elegant green. Sampo, in the returning look of wonderment dressed in sky blue. The world seemed to be just for them at that moment. They were only snapped back to reality when Sampo, who had unintentionally loosened his grip, dropped the bouquet. Gepard was quick to retrieve them, holding them protectively to his chest. “I should get these home, the cold isn’t good for them. They need to be put in water.” Quickly glancing from the roses to Sampo, though not for long as he hid his skittishness back in the flowers, he shyly added. “Maybe you could help me find somewhere to place them.” Without missing a beat Sampo casually threw an arm around Gepard’s shoulders and started them back towards the city.
The younger man gave into the urge and leaned into the older. Breaking out in a hearty chuckle, Sampo grinned at Gepard. “This was all pretty dramatic, huh? But the kind of story we’ll laugh about in a couple of years.” Sampo paused to smack a loud kiss on Gepard’s cheek. “I’m definitely bringing it up in my marriage vows.” “Marriage!” “Oh, our kids will love our ‘getting together’ story.” “ Kids!”
As they walked together towards their new future, Gepard remembered to not believe all the rumours he hears.