#Garnet said *Cardi B voice* OMG what IS THAT??

[drabbleitout]

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Tagged by: @zmwrites over here My Words: smudge, step, small, soap, and shine Tagging: @kaiusvnoir, @writer-on-time, @writeouswriter, @waysofink, @asomeoneperson, & anyone else who would like to join! (As always, please don't feel pressured or rushed!) Your Words: Chase, Center, Cheek, Cute, & Cup cw: Gun mention, language, body horror(?)

Smudge Smeared

Scooting to the window, Garnet propped himself in the corner, heavy eyes surveying the diner, face smeared in glitter, powder paint, and TLN. He was tired. But this fatigue looked different than sleepless nights. It was a soft tired, a content tired, slumped and soft as if he didn’t even have the energy to hold up his walls. “You boys doin’ alright?” A twanging voice interrupted his thoughts, almost sure he saw Garnet flinch. A woman stood at the end of their table, wearing an apron over her diner uniform. She was carrying used plates, smiling through wrinkles.

Step

Movement in the door caught their attention, finding the Beau imitation riddled with gashes and scrapes. There was damage to his face, segments of plating along his jaw and temple dented or missing, leaving areas of his frame visible. “I thought I already dealt with you.” Garnet stabbed a finger at him, starting to step towards them only for Beau to grab him by the belt. Yanking Garnet behind him, he tore the pistol from its drop ring to aim. “Enough!” Duras barked and Beau went instantly still, gun raised, finger around the trigger, but he didn’t pull.

Small

“Wh-what… fuck… whatthefuckisthat?!” Garnet stammered, wide eyes fixed over Ryker’s head. He turned, light flashing over muck-crusted walls before landing on a towering, hunched figure in the distance. Its body caught light, inorganic and matte, limbs gangly for its almost human-like stature. Massive shoulders with a torso largely out of proportion to its hips and legs. Angular, a number of cords hung from its limbs, faceless with a flat, diamond-shaped head. “Hadrian, what is that…?” Garnet’s anger dwindled, sounding broken and small as if he were suddenly a ten-year-old boy.

Soap(y)

With his face tipped back, Garnet dampened the washcloth, carefully testing a small section of Beau’s face. “Gonna get this TLN off you,” he muttered, but Beau didn’t flinch when he was touched. Cradling the back of his head with one hand, he gently thumbed the cloth over Beau’s cheeks, along the bridge of his nose, around his eyes, clearing the TLN away. He traced the facet lines, not wanting to spill soapy water between them, but needing to clear away any grit. Beau was limp in his hold, jaw moveable as the washcloth wiped at his lips. “You aren’t hibernating or whatever, are you?” “No,” Beau’s eyes shuttered open, uncoordinated like an old baby doll’s. “Just checking. I’m not picking you up out of here.” “It’s really nice,” Beau admitted, closing his eyes again. “Do people sleep in the bath?” “If they wanna drown, they do.”

Shine

The beast tore itself free from Ives, backhanding him into a shallow wake-making slide down the tunnel. Ryker’s light caught the shine of faded stenciling across its back. ALPHA-1 “It’s a… It’s an A.I.“ Ryker lost air on the words, fumbling for understanding as it turned back for him. It was an A.I., capable of manipulating magnetic fields in order to attract the nanites in TLN. Like moths to a flame. A massive, bloodthirsty flame.