Team Tinies IDK WHAT'S HAPPENING

[weddingcupcake]

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[weddingcupcake]

[So in this AU I guess Tokiomi is like 12 and Kirei is FSN age/personality and it's 4th war time.

And we have somehow summoned a tiny Gilgamesh to go along with the tiny Tohsaka.





This is not what I expected.]

[blinged]

[It's strange, being summoned back into the world in this form - Gilgamesh doesn't have the mind to argue, since the proper offering was made. To be honest, he hadn't quite expected his master to be equally as small, but regardless he gives a polite bow as the smoke clears from the summoning circle]

Ah, what a surprise! Are you my master?

[weddingcupcake]

[Elegance, Tokiomi. We can't show visible surprise!

He takes a deep breath, then returns the bow with a deeper one of his own.]

I am.

[blinged]

I need to thank you for the tribute, then. What's your name?

[tracings]

[hi there bet u weren't expecting this bro]

[unhappymeal]

[jesus christ you can't just crash through the chapel roof you dick look at all the stained glass you ruined THAT WAS ART YOU KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ANSWER TO ELDERLY GERMANS FOR THIS]

[tracings]

[THEY'RE OLD, THEY'LL FORGET SOON ENOUGH.

He casually brushes the shattered glass off himself and tilts his head, questioning. He's not allowed to recall previous summonings, but he's fairly certain this isn't the first time he's made such a grand entrance.]

...what a mess.

[Mostly his fault. Still worth commenting on.]

Am I correct in assuming you're the one who called?

[unhappymeal]

[how is this happening what is my life]

That's correct. ...You've made an unconventional appearance.

[tracings]

[GOOD MORNING MASTER, guess who made breakfast for you and Iri and then sparkled out the moment your ass woke up? Wow, who even breakfasts anymore? Archer, that's fucking who, and if you're going to be grail war-ing you better not be letting piss poor nutrition affect your performance.

Also this shit is Japanese as fuck -- eggs, rice, miso soup, grilled sausages, and salad. Also coffee. You're fucking welcome.]

[unhappymeal]

[Where did you even get the ingredients for Japanese food you bizarre excuse for an Archer?]

[tracings]

[Don't listen to any reports of break-ins at nearby clothing stores or markets. They're all lies. You must direct your attentions to more pressing matters.

Still hiding, though he can't keep himself from a snide remark.]

You're surprised. Is food in the morning such a foreign concept?

[unhappymeal]

A full Japanese breakfast, in Germany, made by a mysterious Servant without any such order. What do you think?

[weddingcupcake]

[In the evening, Gilgamesh goes off to fight. Small or not, this is the Holy Grail War and they have enemies to defeat. So off he goes, and Tokiomi either goes with him or stays in the safety of his mansion.

Tonight is the latter. While Gil is off duking it out with the other Servants, Tokiomi keeps watch using a familiar. Only about halfway through the night, Gilgamesh will suddenly feel the pull of a frantic summons. Not the command spells (for some reason), but the insistence of his Master's need for his presence. It escalates, and after a few minutes there's the blaring mental alarm saying that Tokiomi is in mortal danger.

At that point Gilgamesh is forcibly summoned by command spell. When he arrives, he'll find the living room in disarray, with scorch marks and overturned furniture everywhere. His Master is in a terrified heap against the wall, breathing erratically and bleeding enough to have trailed drops all the way from the coffee table. Kirei crouches in front of him with black key in hand and a smile on his face, a tight grip on one arm yanking Tokiomi out of his defensive curl. It's mere moments before a final blow will be struck -- if the existing wound isn't fatal already.]

[blinged]

[It would be a blow to his pride to allow other Servants to best him because of his size - he finds Archer a rather distasteful individual ("rather difficult and unoriginal," in his own words), but regardless, he gladly crosses blades with the other Servants. He's calm, almost cocky, but at the end of the day his Master seems to be first on his mind at all times. When Tokiomi is nearby, he's fiercely defended. When he stays back, Gilgamesh returns as soon as he can.

When he feels his Master's pull, he thinks to disengage, looks for an opening in the fight, and yet finds himself pulled back with a command spell before long. It doesn't take long for him to realize the grave danger his Master is in, and he doesn't think twice before summoning Enkidu's chains from his gate and using them to bind and yank Kirei away from Tokiomi.

And when he speaks, his voice is even, almost pleasant, but there's an undeniable anger dripping from his words.]

Kirei, do you dare raise a hand against my Master? I'm surprised, I thought you'd know that treachery towards him is treachery towards me, too!

[partyintheback]

[Kirei is not surprised. What he is is both disappointed and impressed that Tokiomi managed to call Gilgamesh before Kirei could kill him. The paranoia that kept the child from turning his back enough to be surprised was definitely Kirei's work, but the bravery that allowed him to fight back is new. If it weren't annoying, Kirei would be in awe of Gil's ability to affect his Master so much in such little time. Of course, that feisty spark was easily snuffed once Tokiomi was wounded and cornered, but the fact that it was present at all was something like a miracle.

He knows he could die here, and that's also annoying. But he has no particular care for his life, so he can't say he minds too much. Tokiomi isn't getting up off the floor, and that's a good sign he can appreciate whether he lives or not.]

Ah, Saber. I must congratulate you on your timing.

1/2

[blinged]

It was my Master who was quick to call.

[Gilgamesh punctuates that with a tug on the chains, to drag Kirei further from Tokiomi and hold him there. He can feel his blood boiling and that small bit of sadism buried inside him telling him to cut Kirei's throat and be done with it. Kirei harmed his Master, he dared defy the order of things, and that makes him angry - but for the moment, he stays his hand. Tokiomi has seen enough for now.

So he gives Kirei another threatening glare for the moment before turning attention to Tokiomi - he sees the blood, and he can feel his Master's terror.]

[prebeard]

[This is a moment nine years in the making. Tokiomi is 21 now, and after single-mindedly ignoring first Kiritsugu and then Waver's warnings (and eventually convincing Waver to supervise and help), the moment of truth is here. The magic circle for the Holy Grail has been destroyed, and bits of the components have been recycled and modified with dedicated research until a spell to materialize a Heroic Spirit's true self has been created.

With this, a real hero can be reborn. With this, that hero might remember previous full summonings such as have only been accomplished by the Grail War before. The downside -- the thing that makes this spell ridiculous and impractical and likely to be banned in the future -- is that there's no way to directly control a heroic spirit revived this way. It could cause a massive disaster if things are done incorrectly.

Still, the basement of the house in London isn't much different than the basement of the house in Fuyuki. It's the same dim light, the same scent of old paper and magic. And when the smoke clears, Gil's being stared at with the same wide blue eyes, determined but full of both nervousness and hope.]

[whoreofbabylon]

[He's never been summoned like this before - it's a gauche process, really, a power that yanks him from his place at the throne without his assent. Still. Still. Someone has called, and he cannot ignore the fact that he would have agreed to answer anyways.

What a fearless summoner this must be! What a blasphemous man, to assume he'd have the king's approval!

Somehow, Gilgamesh is curious - it abates the anger, at the very least. It makes the situation a bit more palatable. And when the smoke clears, when he sees the face of the Master who called, he feels an unfamiliar twinge in his gut. Familiarity? Gratitude? He does not know the latter word, not well enough to call it forth properly in his mind, so he simply glares down at the man, confused and disapproving.

For all the knowledge the throne can bestow upon him, it does not distribute the names of Masters freely - that's something that must be exchanged properly by one's own choosing. Still, Gilgamesh knows this man's face and can speak his name.]

...Tohsaka Tokiomi. What foolishness possesses you to call me here?

[prebeard]

[He can't say he was expecting a joyful reunion. He was afraid it wouldn't be a reunion at all, really. He could have gotten something wrong and ended up with a monster, or a Gilgamesh that didn't remember a thing.

A bad attitude on revival is well within the acceptable limits -- especially considering he seems to have gotten the older version this time. Even with the insult, hearing his name come out of Gil's mouth causes relief and a wash of other complicated emotions to hit his face. His legs threaten to go out from under him, but he won't let them. He knows he has to be as strong now as he was back then if he's going to have any kind of positive result.]

It was you who taught me to answer to my true desires.

[prebeard]

[They made it more than half a year. Tokiomi & Gilgamesh have continued and evolved their strange relationship despite the practical advice of outsiders (and family), and all seems to be going well.

That is, until the day Tokiomi goes out to the post office and comes back scuffed up, worn out -- and very, very ill. It's not that surprising that someone would want to annihilate the remainders of the families responsible for the Holy Grail. When one of them has been bordering on crossing the line into taboo, it's even more expected. But even though Tokiomi won that confrontation, it left him suffering under the effects of an unknown curse.

Three days later he's bedridden, feverish and in pain that mundane medicine doesn't help. Without being able to dispel the curse, it's almost certain his future is now shortened to days. A less stubborn individual could have passed already.

For Gil, it must be akin to a horrible flashback.]

[whoreofbabylon]

[He could not imagine something more terrifying than this - he, the king who had won every treasure known to man, had been unable to save the one man who had mattered most to him. And now, days away from enduring the same thing all over again, Gilgamesh is on edge. He knows from experience that denial is a pointless endeavor, but he has no knowledge of curses or magic and spends what time he thinks he can afford barking orders at Kariya and Shirou. Surely if they have even a tenth of Tokiomi's worthiness, they could find some means to dispel this thing.

As for himself? He is a constant fixture by Tokiomi's bedside as he attempts to maintain a facade of his normal personality. He grumbles in Tokiomi's direction, insults Kariya and Shirou's intelligences, and generally makes a nervous, babbling idiot of himself. He can only pretend to handle this well - the reality is quite the opposite]

...I cannot imagine what's taking so long this time. One would expect the command of a king to inspire greater haste.

[prebeard]

They're busy trying to solve it, you know.

[The last time Tokiomi complained about pain was when Kirei betrayed him. Since then, he's doubled his efforts to be calm and in control of himself at all times. He never makes a fuss about hardship, because it's always just a small obstacle in his pursuit of his wishes.

Even now, he does his best to be composed. He tosses and turns both in his sleep and in the delirious in-between state that's replaced the majority of "waking", but he never cries and never admits defeat. His breathing is ragged and shallow as a constant, and yet he grits his teeth through the worst pain and insists that he'll be fine. Of course it's a given that they'll figure it out. He can't accept impending death.

But occasionally he's hit with an episode that takes all his determination to weather. Waves of nausea and agony come at irregular intervals, each seeming worse than the last. His immovable elegance up to this point only makes it a sharper difference when the next one hits. He was reaching to give a reassuring touch, but it suddenly turns into gripping at Gil's sleeve, Tokiomi's face paling as he gasps and curls in on himself. This time, he can't help the drawn out whine -- or the hyperventilating that follows. All he can do is put his free arm over his face to try to hide the tears pricking at his eyes.]

[blinged]

[It was a familiar scenario: Gilgamesh being himself, lazing around Tokiomi's room, bottles and trinkets from his Gate strewn about while he made a pest of himself. There was joking criticisms and irritation from Tokiomi, the usual fond yet infuriating responses from Gil, and finally the threat to lob one of the bottles at the King of Heroes' head.

"You may try to hit me!" Gilgamesh taunted. So Tokiomi did.

It was an unexpected result, mostly on Gilgamesh's part, and the bottle shatters on contact, splashing him with its contents before shooting out plumes of damp, sweet-scented smoke.

...as the air clears, there's one thing the now-tiny Gilgamesh can discern immediately: his older self has no sense of self control.]

Here again! What an unexpected surprise...

[prebeard]

...Gilgamesh?

[Well that was. Not his intention.

Tokiomi is sitting on the floor, books on magic theory spread out around him. As he does most days since his illness, he's researching in hopes of finding a way to get his power back. So far there's been no luck, but he's not caving yet.]

[blinged]

Good afternoon, Master! I hope my older self didn't disturb you too terribly!

[For Tokiomi's sake, he carefully tugs his shirt, now too big, down to cover himself appropriately before carefully folding up his pants.]

I suppose no misconduct is a surprise anymore, though.