kittlesandbugs

[kittlesandbugs]

PROMPT!! 14+E+X! I am leaving the characters up to you, and I am very exited!

I have a very sneaking suspicion this didn't go in a way you may have thought it would lol...

Title: Caught (AO3 link here) Pairing: Chargestep/hinted Chargentstep, but this is not romantic at all lol Warnings: None really, past violence lol Word Count: 582 Prompt: 14. “Take this, you look like shit.”, E. Memory, X. Put your character in a situation they can’t get out of easily

You come awake with a groan and blink your vision back to clarity. What… happened? You were fighting. In the streets, you remember. But this isn't… Your chest tightens in an all-too familiar grip of panic as cold metal bites into your wrists through the skinsuit and—

"You look like shit."

That familiar voice cuts through and you swallow down bile threatening to come up. The memories crawl back. The fight. The impact. The blackout. Maybe not completely safe now but. The Rat King presses against your mind, little paws petting, soothing, confirming, not in danger. Not really. 

Not yet. 

"That's your fault, you know," you mutter through grit teeth. The pounding in your head. The bruises. His doing. He wasn't exactly gentle taking you down.

"Here, take this."

You eye the pill between his fingers with the same wariness you'd give a viper. "What is it?" 

He sighs and rolls his eyes. "It's just a painkiller."

You don't think he'd poison you. It's not his style, not when he can look so good with flash and bang for the cameras. None here though, you note as you glance around the mostly empty warehouse. Not for the press anyway. He might be recording for posterity. 

"Stop being stubborn."

Resignation. A lack of anticipated anger in his voice. Did he expect this? No way to know scrabbling against his ever unreadable static.  You aren't meeting his gaze, but not because you're afraid of what you'll see. You're still taking stock of your surroundings. That's all. 

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ ( ･᷄ ︵･᷅ )

The Rat King curls around your hindbrain, trying to ease your aching head. You can almost feel a nose or five nudging you to accept. They don't think he'd hurt you either. Forced nap, aside. He didn't know it was you beneath the helmet then. 

"Little hard to take it like this," you mutter rattling the cuffs chaining your wrists to a pipe in the wall. Your eyes finally fall upon your gauntlets, resting next to your helmet on a table several feet away. Of course he stripped them off. Too damn smart like always.

"Do you have to be such a smartass about this?" 

"Learned from the best," you say with a crooked sidelong grin and a mocking tone that catches in his craw. It was usually a villain that tied him up though. You to the rescue. You don't think Argent will be breaking you of this though. How times have changed. 

"Just shut up and open up."

You oblige, toying with the idea of biting his fingers as he gives you the pill. But that really won't get you anywhere. You swallow it dry with the ease of too much practice as you ponder your next move. Can you control the nanovores from here to chew your way out? 

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ (_　_|||) 

No. Can't deactivate the void cage without it being connected to the armor. 

Fuck.

Satisfied, he backs away and curls his legs under him to sit across from you on the floor. Just out of kicking range. He stares at you, waiting. You still haven't been able to bring yourself to look him in the eyes.

"I just have one question, Riley," he finally says, once it's clear you won't break the ice yourself. 

You snort and stare up at the ceiling. "I find that hard to believe."

"Why?" 

It's a question loaded with so many parts, you buckle under the weight of it and all you can do is laugh. 

[kittlesandbugs]

As always for multiple sidesteps please vote for your main/favorite sidestep, or the most common answer amongst them.

[kittlesandbugs]

you ever see a character and go "wow, this character is so nuanced and morally gray! their actions and morals don't always align! they're complicated and make bad decisions and behave painfully realistically! I hate them and love them at the same time and that's on purpose! they're so cool! .... fan content is going to misinterpret them completely, isn't it."

[kittlesandbugs]

Meanwhile in west Texas, storm chaser Laura Rowe captured the picture of a lifetime on May 17th, 2021, with this fantastic shot of a mature supercell thunderstorm, illuminated at varying heights from the setting sun. x

[kittlesandbugs]

HELLO 👁️👄👁️ I'm going to challenge you... Feeling for each other in the dark, with Steel and Riley. Can be pre or post-HB, I'm not picky :wrex:

TY FOR THE CHALLENGE it's fun to write not-shippy stuff sometimes :D Pairing: Teensy bit Chargestep Warnings: Nothing much, just two slightly antagonistic comrades stuck in the dark without their mutual friend idiot. Word Count: 710 Not alone. You're not alone in this tunnel. The relief is almost instant. 

You feel his mind coming to, a slow clearing drag of fogged confusion before snap-sharp focus. He's slow. Methodical. Military-trained. Analyzing the situation. Where he is. What happened. How to proceed. 

The way his mind works is a little too close for comfort. 

Without him knowing you're there, the solid brick walls encasing even his surface thoughts are gone. In this pitch black, neither of you can see anything. His helmet is damaged. He's frustrated about that, not sure if the rubble or the explosion knocked out the optics. Either way, useless. There's a clang of metal on rock paired with the instant relief of fresh air as he discards the face plate. And more frustration when it's still pitch black. 

He climbs to his feet, mechanical joints grinding with dust and gravel. At least he isn't trapped. You couldn't help him right now. The gears grind more as he moves around, and he sighs. That's at least a few hours in the shop when they get back. He does all his own maintenance. Something you've admired but never said. 

"Is anyone here?" he asks. 

"Just me, I think," you call back. 

Instant offensive defense, the brick shield snaps into place.

"Sidestep." His voice is as dense and flat as his mind now. "Is anyone else here?" 

"If they are, they're unconscious. I can't sense anyone." You aren't worried though. "I can sense some of the others, they're digging us out."  Anathema's thoughts are especially sharp. She'll find you, you're certain of it. But it'll take a while in this labyrinth. They're being careful about further cave ins.

"Are you hurt?" 

You have to think about that one before you answer. You don't trust him but… you can't defend yourself. And he is very duty bound. "I think my knee is dislocated. I can't put weight on it."

It's been a dull throb thanks to the pain-gate, and you're certain if it were broken, you'd be in a lot more pain. Small favors. 

"Where are you?" 

"I think behind you. Against the wall. Your voice is going away from me." It's nice when the stupid shit beaten into your head actually comes in handy.

You hear the scuffle of boots against gravel sliding around you, the servos still clogged and angry. Following the wall. Is he trying not to step on you? Huh…

"Fuck!" But then his foot hits yours and jostles your knee. "You would hit that one."

"I'm sorry."  He actually does sound sorry. "Is that your left or right side?" 

"Left." 

More angry servos whirring, definitely clogged up joints because now you can hear the grinding, and a thud as he takes a seat right beside you. 

"Scared to be alone?" you ask, teasing because you don't know what else to say to him. Ever since he saw your face, he's been more distant. More disapproving. You haven't been able to hash out why, and you're pretty sure it's not just because Ortega kisses you. 

"No."  And then a few moments later. "You're injured. If they accidentally trigger another cave while digging us out, I can protect you."

"Why?" you ask sharply, not sure what to make of this. That's… more consideration than you ever thought Steel would have for you. 

He sighs, and you still can't see past the wall of his shields. "I may not entirely trust you, but you are a comrade. I trust that you would do the same if our positions were reversed."

"... oh." 

Maybe it's the pitch dark. But it feels easier to accept his implied help. Maybe he isn't entirely like your old handler after all. 

"... Thank you. I would," you say quietly. 

He grunts an acknowledgement and then falls silent. This is weird. He's being weird. It doesn't take long before being left with your thoughts and his silence makes you feel more claustrophobic than your actual situation. 

"Hey, Steel?" 

"Yes?" 

"Pawn to B5."

"Really?" He huffs a breath that almost sounds like a laugh. "Without the board?" 

"Too challenging?" you taunt, grinning in the dark. 

"No. Let me think," he says, and then you aren't sure how many minutes pass. "... Pawn to C4."

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR: Past connections Pairing: Sidestep (Riley) & Danny Warnings: TFW you don't get along with someone but they want to get along with you lol Word Count: 541 Prompt: write an interaction between your blorbo and a character you've never (or not much) "made them" interact with yet.

"Hey, um… can I ask you something?" 

Has Ortega been coaching him? That's his line to weasel in through your defenses and get you to open up about something… or at least consider it. You give Herald a narrow look over the top of your sunglasses, but decide to throw him half a bone since he actually managed to land something of a hit on you in training today. "Fine, you can ask, but I don't have to answer."

"Yeah, those are the rules," he agrees too easily, and now you're certain Ortega has been coaching him. He nods to himself as he considers how to phrase his query, blue eyes bright and inquisitive under his bouncing golden bangs. "So, I met someone, a young girl, a few years ago. She said she knew you before you became Sidestep, and that you saved her from being kidnapped."

You freeze, cookie forgotten halfway to your mouth as you gape at him before snapping your mouth shut. How on earth could he possibly know about Sadie? 

"She said she couldn't ever forget you, and I was wondering if you remember her?" 

"Of course I do…" Fuck, she must be in high school now. Maybe even college. The first person you ever saved of your own volition, your own choice. The first step into actually living. Free, mostly. Still chasing human approval and acceptance like a dog, riding high on gratitude, reliant on gratuity. You shake your head, rattling those chains of the past loose. You're no one's dog now. 

"... that okay, Riley?" 

You jerk with the realization that he was still talking to you and scrub your face roughly with your hand. "Yeah, sure," you mutter before sinking your teeth back into the soft cookie he bribed your time with, not willing to admit you didn't hear a word he said. 

"So, what was her name?" 

"Why do you want to know that?" The growl of your tone makes him flinch just a little. Good.

"Well, I mean…" He flounders, trying to figure out where he misstepped with you. "It's kind of hard to find someone again without even a name to go on?"

Oh. Fuck. That was what he asked? To track her down? Reunite you? He's as big a meddler as Ortega. Bigger, maybe. Ortega, at least, has stopped stepping in your past like dog shit. Mostly. 

"No." You say it with the flat finality of a closed door, shutting it in his face. She doesn't need to know how far her hero has fallen. Bad enough that he still clings to what you were, despite your attempts to divorce him from such idealism. "Leave that girl alone." 

"But you said I could—" 

"I changed my mind!" The bark is punctuated with a smack to the table that startles him into silence. As all eyes in the café turn to you, you just as quickly turn them away as you rise, slapping some bills on the table. 

"Sidestep is dead," you hiss the stark reminder in his ear as you pass, resisting the perverse urge itching under your skin to shatter the window of his hope and reveal just what crawled out of that particular corpse. "Let her stay that way."

[kittlesandbugs]

Title: Blood on the floor Pairing: Argentstep Warnings: Blood, Retribution spoilers, murder, nanovores being hungry Word Count: 652 Prompt: @sidestepping​ prompted a Halloween randomized prompt, I took “Argent” and “blood on the floor” Summary: Argent answers Riley’s call for help and finds a very gruesome scene at her base. 

The scent of iron hits like a sledgehammer as you enter the derelict water treatment plant. The shiver that follows rattles bone and nerves and guts and them. A feeling, a longing, welling up inside from your stomach to your throat. They can’t drool but if you could they would. 

You (they) smell blood. 

(blood means meat) 

(meat means prey) 

(it’s prey it’s prey it’s prey it's—) 

It's—

“Riley?” you call and somehow your voice sounds steadier than you feel. 

Shit, what’s happened? 

Is she…?

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[kittlesandbugs]

you remember when lucanis’ ‘mage killer’ title dropped and everyone got all heated discoursing over whether to preemptively hate him because they thought he hated mages when he was just killing rich powerful mages in tevinter and then it literally did not matter at all because the political and social power of magic is nonexistent in veilguard. that’s exactly the issue

[kittlesandbugs]

i think the key difference between george lucas’s star wars and disney’s star wars is that lucas is a man with an ideology. someone with a point of view, and all that entails. which comes with ideas of revolution, anti-imperialism, challenging the status quo, cultural appropriation and racist stereotypes. complex and contradictory ideas because that’s how artists are: complex and complicated people. disney is not. disney is a corporation. a corporation can’t have ideology, because ideology defeats the purpose of profit. and when the only thing you do is to turn on the movie manufacturing machine before you sit down and plan what ideas are you trying to convey to the audience, then your results are going to be washed out corporate garbage. and because when you’re a giant corporation who only cares about selling to the widest audience possible, you can’t take sides. you can’t decide on an idea. because you want to sell your product to people who are on the entire political spectrum. which results in movies without ideology, without purpose, without soul.

[kittlesandbugs]

[kittlesandbugs]

My other car is a rainbow trout

[kittlesandbugs]

FHR Flash Prompt: No interruptions Pairing: Chargestep (Sidestep days) Warnings: None, they fluffy Word Count: 515 Prompt: Pre-HB years. You just jammed the door of the HQ office supply closet with a screwdriver because you need to be alone with Ortega far from the cameras and augh, far from Steel’s shifty eyes. The door clicks locked. Ortega turns to you. Write / draw the scene that follows from your Sidestep’s POV.

The electronic door lock dies out with a whine and a shower of sparks and it’s fine, screwdrivers have plastic handles just for these occasions. 

What’s not fine is the look Ortega’s giving you, hooded eyes and a long slow grin that’s sending a shiver down your spine and a coiled fist of heat straight into your gut. 

“This is new.”

“We needed privacy.” Your voice is level. You think. 

You hope. 

His chuckle probably says otherwise as he rises from the bench, skinsuit half hanging off him at his waist. Unfairly accentuating the curve of his torso as he stretches languidly, broad chest tapering into slim hips. 

“Privacy? Looking to get a little personal here, Riley?”

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[kittlesandbugs]

NEW FISH JUST DROPPED

[kittlesandbugs]

Title: Electric touch Pairing: Chargestep (Sidestep Days) Warnings: Suggestive but nothing near explicit, just drunk handsy idiots Word Count: 386 Prompt:  @sidestepping​ prompted for something short (<400 words) and horny (it’s about the anticipation). Challenge: no use of hands, mouth, blush.

You’re drunk. You need to go home. 

The empty rum and coke bottles sit on the table behind you. His arms tighten around you, lips trailing along your jaw until they meet yours. Warm like your insides, warm like him, is there any place you’ve felt more at home than right here on his couch with him? 

Fuck. You really are drunk. You really do need to go home. 

Instead your lips part when his tongue teases for entry, head tilts to the side to avoid crashing noses as you let him in deeper. 

Wandering fingers tease at the hem of your shirts. Liquid courage in your veins stops you from pulling away. You swallow down the lump in your throat and instead capture his face between your palms and kiss him deeper. He can’t see if you keep him occupied, right?

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[kittlesandbugs]

bury me in an unmarked grave

(aka gideon dealing with rejection aka me thinking about the fact that gideon's ultimate act of love is the ultimate act of betrayal for harrow)

details under cut!