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saphstories · 6 months ago

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Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

A ShadowxAurora One Shot

Shadow never meant to keep it. With the limited space in his apartment, a piano wasn't exactly practical. But he'd seen it sitting on the street while on a run, a pathetic little spinet that apparently wasn't worth the effort for repair according to the owner, so it sat in wait for the dump truck.

Omega thought he was nuts when Shadow had used Chaos Control to transport the piano into the apartment, and perhaps he was. The instrument had definitely seen better days, and it would take more than a simple tune up to get it in pristine condition again.

That didn't stop Shadow from shoving the spinet against the wall between his mattress and the front door and then going out to purchase the necessary items for piano repairs.

The spinet became Shadow's passion project over the next several weeks. Any spare moment between his mercenary work with Omega and dates with Aurora, Shadow could be found with the spinet piano, painstakingly doting over the instrument to set it to rights again.

"You never told me you can fix instruments." Aurora had noted once, sitting on the little bench with her legs swinging while half of Shadow's body was inside the back of the spinet.

"Never came up." Shadow had grunted.

"Where'd you learn?" She'd pressed.

Shadow had shrugged. "I did a lot of things while off world, Light. Sometimes I was asked to fix things, and music is universal." Aurora had accepted that answer, and Shadow minutely relaxed.

No way he was EVER going to tell her that some aristocrat across the galaxy had taken fancy to him and tried to get his attention by breaking her piano, just so he'd come and fix it. It was the fastest he'd ever fled a planet. Omega still hadn't let him live it down.

The plan for the spinet once he'd finished repairs was simple enough: take it to the resale shop and get a decent sum of cash for it. He'd contacted the shop, gotten a good offer, and was set to deliver and receive his rings, but when he arrived and saw the buyer...a mother and son duo, the latter whom was whining about how much he HATED piano lessons and was currently and carelessly swinging a baseball bat around in his fit....Shadow took his piano and left.

No way was Shadow going to let all his hard work repairing his baby go to waste on some ungrateful brat that lacked basic appreciation. So, the little spinet piano became a permanent fixture in his apartment.

Shadow had never considered himself a musician of any sort. He was a warrior, a mercenary, the Ultimate Lifeform, a guardian. Music...required a certain softness that Shadow, with all his broken pieces and jagged edges, simply did not possess. But, somehow, that didn't matter. Sitting at his little spinet, gingerly filling his apartment with the soft tones of the classics centered him with a kind of peace he rarely ever achieved...with one exception. When he played, Shadow could pretend that was all there was. Just him and his spinet, creating something beautiful together. It was almost magical, if he believed in such a thing.

Shadow huffed a quiet chuckle, gently resting his hand atop the keys but not pressing down, his thoughts drifting towards the other almost-magical thing in his life. Honestly, if it magic was a thing, Shadow could believe it, because of her. The way she pranced through life, with such light and arms wide open, eager and excited for whatever came her way...could anything else but magical describe his precious Light?

Almost without his command, his fingers gently drifted across the spinet's keys, a delicate melody that swirled and danced through the air. Shadow sighed.

"Though I tried before to tell her

Of the feelings I have for her

In my heart.

Every time that I come near her

I just lose my nerve as I've done

From the start."

How many times has Shadow looked into those emerald eyes, seen that smile, and choked? It was three simple words, why was it so difficult? He's made peace with the past, hasn't he?

"Every little thing she does is magic

Everything she does just turns me on.

Even though my life before was tragic

Now I know my love for her goes on."

A sniffle behind him had Shadow whirling around, Chaos Spear halfway formed in his hand and a snarl on his muzzle, when those same piercing emerald eyes damp with tears stopped him dead. Shadow gulped, his ears flattening against his head. Damn. How long had she- Shadow made get up, averting his eyes as embarrassment colored his cheeks rosy red.

And then she's right there, pushing him back down on the bench with pleas of "Please don't stop, don't mind me-," and she's still looking at him with those eyes, pleading and wet, her body pressed tight against his side, lips protruding in the most pitiful pout...

Chaos, he was screwed, wasn't he?

Shadow sighed and tapped her nose with his finger. "You will say nothing to anyone about this." He commanded, and tried to ignore how distracting that beaming smile was in order to return to the piano. He gulped, frozen with his fingers in position. He knew his voice was not what anyone would call gifted, hers was so much better, and he chanced a glance down to his shoulder where she'd laid her head. She smiled at him again, eager and encouraging, and Shadow gulped and resumed playing.

"Do I have to tell the story

Of a thousand rainy days

SInce we first met?

It's a big enough umbrella

But it's always me

That ends up getting wet.

Every little thing she does is magic

Everything she does just turns me on.

Even though my life before was tragic

Now I know my love for her goes on."

Shadow rested his cheek against the top of her head, mindful of the short grouping of quills that acted as bangs, closing his eyes momentarily and just breathing.

"I resolve to call her up

A thousand times a day

And ask her if she'll marry me

In some old fashioned way.

But my silent fears have gripped me

Long before I reach the phone.

Long before my tongue has tripped me

Must I always be alone?"

Her arms squeezed him gently, reassuringly, around his middle, and he pressed a kiss to her head in response, smiling at the growing damp spot on his shoulder.

"Every little thing she does is magic,

Everything she does just turns me on.

Even though my life before was tragic

Now I know my love for her goes on,"

Shadow dropped one hand from the piano and cupped Aurora's cheek, tilting her chin up to look into her eyes, shining with light and joy, and he knew his words wouldn't fail him this time. He smiled at her and leaned his forehead on hers.

"Every little thing you do is magic

Everything you do just turns me on.

Even though my life before was tragic

Know that my love for you goes on."

Shadow ended the song with a soft kiss to her lips, sealing his declaration of devotion with all the love and passion and dedication he had in his heart in the best way he knew how. Words always failed him, but somehow, in this moment, it didn't matter. Aurora wept through his kiss, and he smiled as they parted, a quirk of his mouth so gentle and loving that only she would ever get to see it.

Aurora pounced on him a single moment later, using her own gift of speed to press kiss after kiss on his lips, face, head, everywhere she could reach, glowing so brightly and joyfully exclaiming "I love you"s between kisses. Shadow briefly wondered how she wasn't suffocating before dismissing the thought and basking in their shared love, trading her kisses and words with ones of his own. It didn't matter anyway.

Every little thing she did was magic, after all.

71 notes · View notes

peskellence · 3 months ago

Note

could I please request some reed900... 👉👈

Nines' skin is malfunctioning, but Gavin reassures him (in his own, Gavin way) that he accepts him as he is? Skin or no skin?

thank you. bless. kiss. forever indebted💕

Say less, friend, I've got you 🫡

Fail Safe

Pairing: RK900/Gavin Reed

Tags: M/M, Established Relationship, Fluff, Praise and Affirmation, Self Acceptance.

AO3 Link

Summary: Gavin and Nines are on security duty when an unexpected cyber attack results in the android's synthetic skin being compromised. Despite his worries, Gavin reassures him that their bond runs deeper than the pieces they are made of.

Word Count: 4.7K

Gavin and Nines had been assigned to security duty at the opening ceremony for a new Jericho Community Centre. It was due to be a pretty contained event, nothing overly flashy or publicised. Normally, it wouldn't demand any police involvement, but there had been whispers the Anti Android Alliance planned to attend—staging some sort of protest.

This turned out to be true, although not in the way that could've been anticipated. It seemed a particularly enlightened Dipshit In Charge had decided the usual M.O. of bats and bricks wouldn't cut it. Instead, they were going to make some waves with a street-deployed cyber attack. Send their 'message', whatever deranged bullshit that might be, by taking out some local figureheads with a home-brewed virus.

Fuck knows how they'd manage to string together the spaghetti code with their three collective brain cells—or how they'd loaded up said clusterfuck onto the batons concealed in their pockets. Nevertheless, about five minutes into the presentation, they started swinging. Weapons bared and flung into the faces of nearby pedestrians as they tried to make their way to the stage.

Shit hit the fan, but fortunately, not for their targets.

It turned out the engineering at Fuckhead H.Q. was just as shitty as the planning, as the would-be attempt at corporal justice folded like a house of cards. Most of the batons didn't work, and with the ones that did, the virus wasn't able to execute the way they'd wanted.

The intent had been to infiltrate the android's core systems through mass corruption of their internal networks. Ultimately, overloading the CPU and causing permanent shutdown, but without plugging the device directly into an access port—which they clearly had no idea how to do, and their targets weren't about to help with—its reach was incredibly limited.

Basically, it couldn't do shit. Stalling at the first line of defence: the chassis. Digital garbage hurled at a plastic wall.

Nines had been hit by one of the bastards—stuck in the side of the neck as he wrangled them away from a Jericho representative. Handling of the situation became a lot less gentle after that, with the man catapulted onto the floor, squealing like a pig as the android pinned his flailing limbs. Gavin had moved to assist, feeding the guy a couple of teeth for his trouble.

Total accident, of course. The man just happened to move his face as he was getting the cuffs on, and it just happened to slam into the detective's fist.

He didn't get much of the chiding he'd usually expect for this, as the virus had started to do its thing. Working across his partner's body, flickering in patches like a broken LCD. The corruption branched down his throat before retreating beneath his collar in search of available access.

Much like with the other android's affected, it failed. Nines was fine, mostly: the only exception being that the malware had managed to fuck up one of his less important functions. His synthetic skin.

At least, that's what the Cyberlife Tech on the phone suggested was happening when they decided to call. The glitches spread, with the majority hidden beneath clothes—but Nines could undoubtedly feel the effects of corruption taking hold. While he wasn't sure if this was something they really needed to worry about, the concept alone left a bad taste in Gavin's mouth.

They were forced to leave reinforcements to book the fucker responsible, as well as the rest of his brain-dead friends. A shame, as the detective would have loved to acquaint him with the book about to be thrown his way. Maybe give him a black eye to go with the dental bill.

As they made their way home, the vibrancy of glitches had started to decrease, fading into a translucent creep that filmed across the skin. Whatever receptors were present to lend cloaking abilities were beginning to short-circuit, creating an expanding kaleidoscope of freckles and plastic.

Gavin used full siren privileges to run every red light they encountered, determined to weave through the traffic as quickly as possible. He had never seen the android so panicked—frenzied—like the car would be at risk of imploding if it didn't imminently materialise outside their home.

With his understanding of Michigan Traffic Laws becoming increasingly lax, Nines continued to rip into the rep held at knifepoint in his temporal channel. He hadn't bothered to lock communication to his internal server and instead was speaking out loud—in a tone that a more diplomatic man might describe as 'a bit confrontational.'

In reality, he had gone all seven shades of middle-aged-mom-with-an-expired-coupon. Demanding the guy listen to every minute detail of his grievance and inform him how quickly it could be resolved.

Gavin would have found this hilarious had the intensity not been a little terrifying. Instead, it inspired him to punch the gas harder, resulting in a chorus of beeps as he pulled a particularly dangerous manoeuvre around a sharp bend.

It didn't seem to matter what the squeaky-voiced foetus on the line said; each suggestion was ruled unacceptable. Commencing a perpetual cycle of 'that isn't fast enough' and 'speak with your supervisor' and 'this is an emergency, William; it should be prioritised accordingly.' The rep responded to each chastisement with small, deflated whimpers, like a punctured balloon expelling air.

The virus, now engaged fully, worked in stages to target each section of artificial skin. Limbs faded out in sporadic blotches as glossy pinpricks expanded their way into dense bands of white. They tunnelled through rapidly shrinking pockets of flesh, with Nines looking like a six-foot lava lamp by the time they finally reached the apartment.

Admittedly, it was a strange image—with this something the android seemed astutely aware of. He had charged for the bathroom and locked himself in within seconds of entering their home, informing Gavin with no uncertainty he would not be coming out until help arrived.

This was all well and good at first, but after three hours—and five espressos—nature was calling. Not softly, either, having been forced to wait for a good fucking while.

The pressure grew, and rather than risk a hole being punched through the wall of his bladder, Gavin concluded he couldn't hold it. Rapping his knuckle on the wood, he pressed his face against it, making a pointed appeal to his partner.

"Nines, I need a piss. Let me in for a sec."

The request went ignored, bouncing uselessly off the door and crumpling at his feet. Frustrated, he knocked again, using his available grip to jiggle insistently on the handle.

"Come on, I'm desperate. Open the fucking door."

"The Cyberlife technician will be here soon," an even tone greeted him, undercutting the demand. "I am confident you can wait a few more minutes."

"It's been more than a few, jackass."

"The operative advised that their arrival would fall between 2 and 7. As we are nearing 6:45, we can anticipate—"

Gavin disrupted the explanation with a prolonged groan of protest. His head lulled back as he grappled with a growing temptation to slingshot it through the panel. "Those windows mean jack shit. You'll be lucky if the bastard shows up before June. Hell, you'll be lucky if he shows up at all."

There was a weighty pause as though Nines was attempting to formulate some form of mind-shattering retort. Words of assurance so profound they would effectively conclude the debate—as well as any and all that followed.

Despite having a world of knowledge quite literally wired to his brain, the android gave him nothing. Treading over the same tired deflection with a small, dejected huff. "Just wait. It won't take long."

"If you don't let me in, I'm gonna go in the litter box—or the kitchen sink."

The latter threat inspired a visceral reaction. Gavin swore he could see the red casting from his partner's temple, seeping through the cracks under the door. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me. It's full of dishes. You want that on your conscience?"

As though taking a moment to grapple with the grim proposal, Gavin was made to wait in anticipation of his partner's reply. A lull that seemed to stretch endlessly, as he tried not to focus on the uncomfortable pressure in his groin. Crossing his legs, he tapped his foot impatiently—a motion that would have likely attracted the attention of a marauding cat were she not out harassing strays.

There were muffled sounds behind the door, like rustling fabric, followed by the telltale scrape of something heavy being moved. It seemed like Nines had gone to the effort of barricading himself inside, just in case Gavin managed to break through the flimsy hold of the lock.

"Turn around and keep your eyes forward. I will only leave this room on the condition you do not look."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," the man grunted, eyes rolling at the theatrics. "I swear I won't look. Scouts honour."

Another rustle followed—and a click—as an internal mechanism was turned and released. The door creaked forward, with casts of fluorescents from beyond the passage starting to leak into the hallway. True to his word, Gavin turned around. Gaze fixed on a nearby wall—as though the flecked chips of paint were the most engaging things he had ever seen.

The panel swung open completely, anchored on creaking hinges, and steady steps crossed the threshold. They did not progress much further, as Nines failed to meet the steady foundation of the carpet, instead greeted with a cat toy being compressed beneath his weight.

The worn squeaker of the felt mouse strained to its absolute limit, wheezing in a prolonged cry, until it slipped out from beneath his toes and careened across the room.

Shit.

Nines opposed the trajectory, fumbling back and colliding firmly with the weathered plaster behind him. Dangerously close to where they kept their beast of burden's scratching post.

Shit.

Gavin wasn't sure if the glitching had affected his partner's durability, but he didn't want to find out. Certainly not by being forced to remove him from a surprisingly solid pillar of plywood.

Nines already had one near miss today. The last thing he needed was for the engineer's visit to end up a real emergency.

Don't turn, don't—

His head whipped around despite all resistance. It had been out of instinct, really, with no malicious intent intended. An innate compulsion to assist, justifying that he would've been more of an asshole if he'd wilfully allowed his boyfriend to skewer himself.

It only occurred just how badly he had fucked up when he saw him.

The partners froze, eyes locked, and the room around them seemed to vanish. The structural integrity of limbs and furniture was immediately forgotten as Gavin's heart plummeted into his ass.

Nines looked horrified. His LED flashed like a warning beacon, crimson pulses growing in frequency the more his eyes widened. He stayed that way for a period. Paralysed. Like a startled deer out on a highway, about to be struck by an oncoming vehicle.

It was nothing like him at all, and Gavin found it deeply unnerving. He then proceeded to make it worse, executing all the same grace of a violent roadside collision. Allowing the first slack-jawed musing that popped into his skull to tumble tactlessly from his lips:

"Oh shit."

The red illuminating Nines' face took on a different meaning in the wake of the outburst. He had broken free of his prey-like stupor and emerged angry—furious. Taking laboured strides toward the bathroom, levelling his partner with an increasingly scornful glare.

"I told you not to look."

Gavin winced at the accusation dripping from the words, as they were dragged through the snarled curl of the android's mouth. Damage control was needed, but he was unable to engage the appropriate mental factions.

Instead, he attempted to downplay his previous stunned reaction—gesturing his boyfriend up and down with feigned indifference:

"This is why you've been holding the shitter hostage?" He noted how his arm cast shadows against the sheened wall of plastic, masking his intrigue with a scoff. "Really, that's it?"

Nines jerked back, expression pinched as though he had been struck in the face. "What do you mean, 'that's it'? Gavin, look at me."

"So you're a bit pale. Grey round the gills. You should've seen me this one time at Summer camp." Gavin chuckled preemptively, arms folded across his chest as he attempted to recall the memory. "Man, I'd eaten like seventeen s'mores, and I swear they'd laced the marshmallows with laxatives because, after that, I couldn't…"

He trailed off as the pronounced scowl etched deeper into his partner's face. Informing it wasn't the time for jokes—and that the legendary saga of Preteen Gavin and the Exploding Bowels would have to wait for another day.

"... Seriously, what did you think I was gonna do?" he challenged, abandoning the playful lilt in favour of something serious. "Freak out and run for the hills because you look like a robot? Because newsflash, genius, I kind of got that. Your skin turns into a goddamn Rorschach every time we do it. Not to mention the static orgasms—"

Nines raised a hand to stop him, clearly not appreciating the growing vividness of the account. "There was a time when this would have been an issue. Please don't insult me by denying that."

His voice was stern—gravelly with a mixture of frustration and hurt—as his expression hardened further. A feat the detective had thought impossible.

He bore into him with sharply trained eyes, still the same vibrant grey they'd always been—despite everything else that had changed.

Remorse struck hard, twisting his gut and nearly knocking him back. Nines was right: not long ago, this would have been a big deal.

The consequence of a roadblock which spanned the numerous tangled alleys of his mind. Something established by years of resentment, growing uncontrollably over time. Soon, it had become impossible to bypass, not that he'd made much effort to try. Facing the beast, he just knew it was insurmountable.

That was until Nines arrived, rolling up to the rickety wagon he'd parked against the barrier and all but ripping him out. Tugged from his seat by the goddamn ears as he kicked and howled in protest.

"Plastic fucker—"

Of course, it wasn't all that dramatic. It didn't happen immediately, and definitely not in a single pull.

The occurrence had been slow and gradual, with Gavin only starting to scream when he realised what was happening. Because the closer they got—moved from aggrieved associates to unexpected friends—the more he had to challenge everything he understood about being alive. A painful, arduous process that forced him to confront wrongs he didn't even know he'd committed.

The conclusion should have brought relief, but instead, it was hollow. Something was still missing—and it sure as hell shouldn't have been. His entire worldview had been uprooted, enriched, and expanded by Nines' perspective.

What more could he possibly want?

Then came that one night spent together on surveillance. They'd been scoping out some low-life dealer: a notorious scumbag who had been running operations out of the back room of an underground nightclub. It was a particularly seedy establishment, turning out to be more 'brothel' than 'party spot.'

They had been forced to adjust their approach, cosying up to one another in an effort to assimilate with the handsy patrons. Not that Gavin was complaining—which, in itself, brought to light something extremely damning. The emergence of a serious problem, one that threatened to blow up his fragile state of composure with a fucking grenade.

A particularly enlightening moment occurred—where Nines had him pinned to a wall, held firm by his wrists—when he realised it was too late. The problem was there. Had been for a while. Shaped into the contours of a chiselled jawline and a cool, bright stare he wanted to drown in.

"Keep still, detective. Eyes on me. I believe I have a visual."

The request had been low, practically purred against his ear. It had sent his heart rate skyrocketing, blood rushing in frantic pumps through the lingering echoes of words still dancing in the canal.

Oh fuck.

After that, he couldn't keep convincing himself that he was content with friendship. He wanted more, wanted this, without having to pretend. Desperation drove him to the insane stunt he pulled seconds later. If it failed, he could always claim it was part of their 'performance.'

An excuse that wasn't needed.

Their lips had met, and after a fleeting blip of hesitation, Nines reciprocated. Practically melting into him, abandoning his wrists in order to capture the sides of his face. Like he was holding something valuable— worthy of care and reverence.

They'd lost their visual on the target, as well as any hope of catching up to their boss, but the impromptu trip to a motel had been worth the berating they received from Captain Fowler.

It couldn't be overstated just how grateful Gavin was that Nines had chosen to give him a chance. To show acceptance despite everything he had put him through.

Because even if he was better, nothing could change the foundational truths of the man he was. The innumerable faults that would continue to persist despite all best efforts. Recklessness, arrogance, and spite. Baggage that came wheeled on a dolly cart, stacked to the ceiling.

None of it mattered.

The android took it all—willingly—and without any ultimatum. From the start, the only expectation had been that Gavin would do right by both of them by not fighting the way Nines made him feel.

And nothing had ever made him feel this way. The kind of unconditional devotion and adoration that seemed unique to them, as well as the simple comfort of being together.

He owed Nines everything. The least he could do was offer some modicum of the same security. Especially now, when he seemed so vulnerable.

"You know your skin deactivates every time you go into sleep mode, right?"

The effort backfired horribly.

If Nines hadn't already seemed willing to take up permanent residence in the bathroom, this declaration came close to cinching it. His eyes widened to near-comedic proportions, looking like they might careen from their sockets. "Excuse me?"

Gavin, realising that this had decidedly not been the approach to take, acted quickly to rectify the mistake. "I'm kidding; I just thought it might make you feel better."

The android was seldom listening, making clear that the damage was done as he sidled closer to the bathroom. The exposed soles of his feet pressed against the linoleum, and Gavin's body howled, desperate for its overdue reunion with his porcelain throne.

"This is—just—I mean, you look—"

"I am well aware of what I look like," Nines interjected. His already tense posture had grown increasingly stiff, as though his back was being supported by a cast iron rod, "and just how far this version of me must detract from your preferences."

The words struck hard—much more so than the previous blow. Any ensuing attempts at fumbled retorts were abandoned as he blinked, stunned into silence.

"The issue will be resolved, and once it has, you needn't concern yourself with my default appearance."

Wait. Hold up.

"Now, if you excuse me, I will wait in the bedroom."

Awareness unfolded, leaving him floored—thoroughly astonished at how Nines, the paragon of informed deduction, could have been so cataclysmically wrong when it sought to matter most. To be able to speak so matter-of-factly, with such a candid degree of confidence, about something that couldn't be further from the truth.

His legs moved before his brain could catch up, placing him decisively into the path between his partner and their bedroom.

"Don't you dare go storming off like you're some goddamn teenager," he hissed, in full awareness that his standing there wasn't actually stopping anyone. Nines could quite easily pick him up and fling him across the room like a frisbee, although he trusted him not to.

"What else would you propose I do? Allow you to defecate in our kitchen because I refused to accommodate?"

"You aren't even giving me time to think." The injustice of the situation was becoming more pronounced, flaring hot in Gavin's ribs. "You're just assuming the worst of me, acting like I'm gonna be a total dick about this."

This proved enough to pierce through his partner's haze of contention. The sharpness in his eyes faded, giving way to a flicker of regret. His softened gaze then fell to the side, heavy with shame. "...That was not my intent. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

Clearly, it wasn't. The tension between them persisted despite the conclusion to their argument. It was suffocating, and Gavin couldn't help but notice how, despite making no further attempts to physically flee, his partner was still trying to hide. Sinking into himself, hands wrapped in a tense bind across his chest.

"...Nines." The name was gentle, settled on a pensive purse at the end of his lips. "Let me see you. Please."

The android didn't respond immediately, hesitation evident in every microscopic shift of his frame. Eventually, his arms slackened and fell back, revealing the expanse of exposed white torso. While still unsure of the idea, demonstrated in his continued refusal to look up, it was clear Nines was extending some form of invitation—one that Gavin accepted.

He traced his fingers carefully up the stretch of the android's chest. It was not made of a singular uniform piece as he had previously assumed, but rather, a complex network of small, interwoven panels. Segmented into varied shades of white and grey, connected by subtle welds.

As he delicately tested the marks with the heel of his palm, he noted how remarkably smooth they felt, blending seamlessly with the rest of the body.

Not everything beneath the chassis was covered, with pockets of plastic so thin they were practically translucent. It revealed a dense network of wires—vibrant blues shifting through the synthetic circulatory system, pumped in steady flows of biofluid.

The liquid originated from the centre of his ribs, beneath a protrusion in the sternum. Something that pressed to the surface—formed in a subtle ring. It pulsed gently, and the longer he looked, the more he was able to detect rhythmic glows of light.

Gavin whistled low, noting how the pace of the component increased when he placed a hand across it. Blue bled through his fingers, illuminating the veins and tendons beneath his skin. It seemed so calm and balanced compared to the uneven tempo of his own raging pulse.

"I didn't think you'd be able to see so much…" he mused, voice low with admiration. "It's fucking incredible. You know that, right?"

"I am a machine," Nines said bitterly—the word of contention spat with disdain, like a curse. "A collection of polymers and circuitry, designed and constructed together to perform a practical function. There is nothing remarkable about it."

"What you just described is a dishwasher. This is not a dishwasher; this is—" He scoffed in self-deprecation, realising just how unequipped he was to describe the gravity of what he was seeing. In the absence of any poise or delicacy, the man opted for honesty. "You're like some crazy modern artwork, a goddamn masterpiece."

"Stop lying to me."

"I'm not. You'd be able to tell if I was, right?"

Nines had nothing to say to that. His mouth jutted open, a tumultuous train of thought evident in the shifting glow of his LED before it wordlessly snapped shut.

"Look, even if you weren't objectively the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life, it still wouldn't matter."

The android still refused to look at him, posture locked painfully tight, but as Gavin traced a delicate finger around his regulator access panel, there was a hint of a shudder. Bristling through his shoulders, as the tension held there started to wane.

"I know you don't wanna hear this—because it doesn't fit into your tortured soul narrative—and honestly, there's no way to say without it sounding like something out of a shitty romcom—"

He was stalling for time and not effectively. This sort of sentiment wasn't his strong suit. It didn't come naturally, which Nines was aware of. Still, if there was ever a time to be nauseatingly, cavity-inducingly sweet, this was it:

"Truth is, I love you, and that's got absolutely jack shit to do with what you look like. It's because of what's on the inside, or whatever."

"You love me for my thirium pump regulator?"

The finger stalled in motion.

Gavin looked up to discover Nines was facing him, a mischievous grin tugging his lips. He glowered despondently and made a hasty attempt to retract his arm. "Shut up, you know what I meant."

The limb didn't get far, as Nines captured it by the wrist, keeping it anchored to his chest. "I did," he assured, caressing the skin, marking trails of bone and ligament with the end of his thumb.

Until the languid motions slowed as synthetic muscles seized. An aftershock of the previous state of anxiety. It was such a minor slip in control that anyone else would have unlikely noticed. Gavin knew better—keenly able to detect the change.

"This really doesn't bother you?", the android asked, accentuating the question with increased pressure against his carpus.

"Does it bother you that I have a mole on my chest the size of a quarter? Or that you can do a dot-to-dot with my stab wounds?"

"Of course not. Why would that matter?"

"Exactly." The man huffed, punctuating the point with an affectionate prod to the android's temple. "Come on, you're the one with the supercomputer brain; just think about it for a second."

Whatever equanimity his partner was still clinging to unravelled in an instant. He looked genuinely overwhelmed, struck by a tidal wave of emotion which he could barely seek to contain. The breaks showed fast, leaking through in small hitches of crackling breath.

"Gavin, I—" He stopped as though desperately seeking to regain some degree of composure. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Don't be a moron." He ushered him forward, capturing the hand still wrapped around his wrist. "Come here."

The android did not resist the embrace, sinking into it, as he enclosed the man with powerful limbs. Cradling the back of his head, digits toying with tousled brown strands.

"Sap," Gavin teased, although he revelled in their proximity just as much. Indulging greedily as he peppered kisses across a tempting expanse of shoulder. "You don't need to hide yourself from me. Ever. I'm here for you—and nothing else."

The charged sounds grew louder, like the rumble of a car engine, sending vibrations through Nines' throat. This was before he cupped his partner's chin and allowed the sound to escape through tightly pressed lips.

He moved with the sort of fervent passion that might suggest he was scared Gavin would disappear—but really, spoke more to the gratitude of knowing he wouldn't. It was only as he had fully breached the cavern of his mouth, and their hips were beginning to rock in sequence that the android finally pulled away.

Gavin was left mesmerised—and a little dazed—by the unexpected boldness. It didn't matter how often Nines did this or what other shows of licentious spontaneity happened to follow; he couldn't foresee a time when it wouldn't knock him off his feet.

How was he supposed to ground himself when he was perpetually flung into Cloud Nine, reminded of just how lucky he was?

"...Besides." He chuckled richly, the sound rolling into the part of tenuously divided lips. "Bald really isn't a bad look on you. It's kind of hot."

The man could practically hear the tight flourish of his partner's eyes before he graciously conceded to the attempt at flirting. "Oh, really? Is that so?"

With a hum of affirmation, Gavin leaned down, forming a seal on the junction between the android's shoulder and neck. "You ever wanna…you know…with the dome out. I'm game."

"Perhaps another time." Nines then returned a hand to the back of his scalp. Burrowing into the hair before resting a cheek softly against his temple. "Right now, I would like it if we could stay like this."

Gavin dutifully complied, removing his lips in favour of nestling against the collarbone. He savoured the gentle rush of warmth that radiated beneath the chassis. It felt like home, and his eyes slid closed, entirely at peace.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me."

#dbh #detroit become human #reed900 #dbh nines #dbh gavin #dbh rk900 #dbh fanfiction #dbh fanfic #gavin reed x rk900 #fic request #requests are open! but please be aware i am slow #and i mostly just write reed900 #i know what i like and it is trash man and tin can

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batfambrainrotbeloved · 2 months ago

Note

Obi and his cat :3

Don’t listen to him, it’s obviously not a raccoon. He’s just that type of dad who says they don’t want a pet but are the closest to them

AKSHDGAKSDKSD COSMO OH MY GOODNESS ITS MY BABIES HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jerry is basically a cat, he has a black hole stomach like one and will scream for affection while bowling into you (ignore the rabies)

And oh yeah, Obi is in denial but they are ever so slowly being won over. Especially since they got to see pictures of Jerry in a little sweater Zeek had thrifted munching on some fries.

But they will avoid the inevitable as long as they can.

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malarkgirlypop · 1 year ago

Text

He's the Boss Part 1(Bull Randleman x F!Reader)

Guys I don't know how I feel about this. Ah! There is a second part, yay, but let me if this one is good. If it's not I can write another one. IDK ahh having imposter syndrome. I feel like it's not good, which makes me sad. I was so excited for the story. I feel bad if it's trash cause I hyped it up. Based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters, no hate to the people involved.

I stifle my laughter seeing Perconte’s small figure clinging onto the back of Bull. Poor Perco got shot in the ass, and George owed me a fiver. I made my way over to the radio-man already grinning at him. He rolled his eyes knowing what I was smiling about.

“I’m not making any more bets with you Y/N!” He huffed, coughing up the cash. I pocketed it with a chuckle.

“You say that every time Luz!” I told him.

“What can I say, I'm a gambling man.” He grinned at me, as I gave him a playful elbow. He slapped me on the back as we walked to the house we made our base. We were all weary from the long stay in Bastogne, it was one of the hardest stints I’ve had in the paratroopers. We lost a lot of good men. However there was some relief, we had finally taken Foy. Which was one of the attacks we had been dreading for a while. I think we were all ready for a break but it wasn’t to be, ordered to go forth and take more towns that the Germans occupied. But for tonight we finally had a roof over our head and some proper shelter from the freezing cold.

We made our way into the house, the men quickly claiming their spots on the floor with their gear. Luz fortunately was thoughtful enough to save me a spot beside him.

“How’s your ass Perco?” I asked as we stepped over the man who was lying on the floor being tended to by Gene.

“Never had any complaints!” He retorted quickly, sending Luz and I into hysterics. Bull rested next to him, keeping him company. I straighten. “Sir.” I said, clearing my throat. He glanced at me unamused at my antics.

The Sergeant had never liked me. I’m not sure why, maybe because I mucked around with Luz all the time. I was serious when I needed to be but more often than not I was getting into mischief. Bull had never said anything to me or scolded me. But his disappointed stare was all he needed to send in my direction to send me running with my tail between my legs. He intimidated me. someone that large was intimidating, he didn’t have to say a thing.

“Give me your smokes, Y/N.” George nudged me as we got comfy on the floor.

“No way! People pay good money for these!” I shook my head. I didn’t smoke like everyone else, which meant I could use the packs to my advantage. I would trade and sell them to the other men when they ran out. I had gotten a lot of neat things by trading my packs. But George, who smoked like a chimney, was always bugging me for freebies.

“Oh come on Y/N!” He pouted.

“Fine! Fine! You’re a dick you know that.” He grinned happily as I handed him one of the hoarded packs I had in my bag. Picking one out he quickly lit it, puffing away. He offered me the smoke to which I shook my head.

“Where do you think Bull gets all his Cigars? I mean those aren’t part of the ration packs are they?” I asked, watching the man, he always had a cigar hanging from his lips. It always baffled me where they came from.

“Eh, I don’t know, never thought about it.” George shrugged.

“George, you don’t think about anything.” I said knocking on his skull proving my point that it was empty up there.

I watched Bull curiously. He was one of the quieter men in the company. He liked to sit and watch, rather than join in on the shenanigans. But whenever he did speak everyone hung on his every word. Even if it was only one comment it would be the funniest comment of the whole night. That would have everyone keeling over in laughter. He would just grin. When I first met the man I assumed he would be a brute, a man of that stature was surely big and scary. But he was kind and soft spoken in his thick country accent. No one really took too kindly to me though in the beginning, I was a replacement, and a female one at that. They all avoided me, scattered when I walked into a conversation, like I was infectious. After weeks of trying to prove my worth to the original Easy company men, I had befriended George. Well I say befriend, he says bribe. If he talked to me for more than a couple of sentences I would give him some smokes. So at first he would only talk to me to get smokes, but he found that we were similar and had become good friends. Always joking and laughing. He still says he only hangs out with me for the free smokes. But it’s ok I have him trained well. Bull was one of the ones who still hadn’t warmed up to me, I seemed to be able to make friends with the rest of the men. But the tall man was an enigma. If he was so kind and gentle, why did he dislike me so?

*************

Gun fire pelted down on our position as we crouched behind a rock wall. Every time I poked my head up to see if the cost was clear the shooting would start again.

“Goddammit they got us pinned.” I yelled over the noise to the men I hid with.

We needed to move forward into the town for this attack to be successful. It was currently not going the way we had planned.

“Shifty!” I called our sharpshooter over to help me.

“I need you to take out that sniper!” He nodded looking over the wall, only for us to flinch back as the machine gun fired on our position.

“I can’t, not with him firing at us like this!” I sighed, racking my brain for a way we could distract them.

“You’ve had an idea.” Shifty said, watching my face as if he had seen the mental light bulb go off in my brain.

“Don’t let him shoot me Shifty!” I said to him, he gave me a curt nod. I shuffled my way to the end of the wall, I took a deep breath. I stood up from my position, sprinting forward. The sniper was on me in seconds, bullets landing close to me, I could feel them whooshing past my face. Anytime now Shifty. I thought as I ran as fast as I could, the sniper barely missing me each time. I looked back over my shoulder to our original position, I could see Shifty but he wasn’t shooting. He motioned to one of the other men for another gun. Oh shit! Not looking where I was going, I stumbled, falling forward onto my hands and knees. Oh fuck! I was now a sitting duck, fun fact it’s easier to hit a still target than a moving one, which right now I currently am. I groaned out in pain as one of the bullets finally hit its target, lodging itself in my arm.

“Y/N!” I heard booming across the open field. “Get your ass moving!” Bull and his men hunched behind a broken down car. I got to my feet, making my way quickly over to where Bull was. The Sniper was hot on my tail, hitting the ground I had just left behind me. So close, so close! I dove forward, careening into Bull’s open arms. He caught me, but the force at which I flew was stronger than we both expected, as we fell back in a heap on the ground. I panted, my lungs burned from the effort. I sighed in relief at being safe again. I pushed myself off of the man, clearing my throat in an awkward way.

“Thank you Sarge!” I said straightening myself, and putting my helmet back on my head.

“What the hell were you thinking private, are you trying to get yourself killed?” Bull yelled angrily at me. My eyes widened. I don’t think I have ever heard him use that tone of voice with anyone. I flushed with embarrassment.

“I was just a distraction for Shifty.” I replied, my voice slightly shaky.

“Don’t ever do that again, you hear!” He reprimanded me. I nodded my head, tears welling in my eyes. It was one thing to be told off, but to be scolded by the Sergeant that never raised his voice at anyone, was humiliating.

“We’re moving out, Y/N you’re with us now!” I didn’t have time to be upset, we were in the middle of an assault, for christ sake. I took a breath, gathering my thoughts. I followed behind Bull’s team of men.

The assault was a success. I had found Shifty afterwards to ask him what had happened. His gun got jammed, he did eventually get the sniper with someone else's gun. We finally had cleaned up the town and were getting ready for the night.

“Y/N I heard you were up to no good today. Being told off by Bull.” George grinned at me punching me in the shoulder.

“OW!” I flinched away holding my arm, George laughed, then realised the tears in my eyes.

“Oh shit, Y/N are you ok?” He looked concerned, tears spilling down my cheeks.

“I got shot, I forgot. I had so much adrenaline, I guess I didn’t feel the pain.” We had been so busy, and I was so caught up in my own head about Bull yelling at me I completely forgot I had been injured.

“You forgot? Medic!” George looked shocked. Gene rushed over quickly, as everyone also looked. It was late in the evening to declare a wound.

“What happened?” Gene asked, also confused.

“She got shot and apparently forgot.” George tells the medic.

“Come on.” Gene moves me to a more private room, away from everyone else. I take off my jacket and top, leaving me in my white t-shirt. I lift the sleeve to expose the wound. I look down at my arm which is covered in dried blood down to my wrist. The bullet hole itself looked red and angry, a perfect circle had been punched into my skin.

“The bullet is still in there.” Gene said as he assessed the laceration. “I have to get it out, or it could cause infection. It’s going to hurt.” I nodded defeated. I watched him pick up big tweezers, and my stomach dropped. I turned away when he moved towards the wound with the instrument. Not wanting to see him plunge them into my skin. I winced, trying my best not to make any noise. I bite on my lip, trying to remain as still as possible for the medic. I gripped onto my leg, digging my nails into my flesh. My eyes shot open when I felt my hand being taken off my leg and squeezed. To my surprise Bull sat in front of me clasping my hand in his. It caught me so off guard I forgot I was trying to be quiet.

“AHH.” I yelped as I felt Gene twisted the tweezers in my skin. I gripped onto Bull’s hand tightly.

“Sorry Y/N, almost there, you’re doing good.” Gene muttered as he concentrated.

“Breath, Y/N!” Bull ordered, I hadn’t noticed but I was holding my breath as Gene worked. I gulped in air. Bull nodded, reassuring me. My cheeks were wet with my tears.

“Got it!” I heard the bullet clatter into the metal kidney dish Gene had with him. I sigh with relief, thankful the ordeal was over. He finished the dressing, leaving Bull and I in the room by ourselves. I didn’t speak, feeling awkward.

“Y/N I wanted to apologise for today.” Bull started, in his low country drawl. It was so smooth and silky, I’m sure if he read me a bedtime story I would be asleep in seconds.

“I only reacted like that because I was concerned.” I laughed, his brows furrowed with my reaction.

“You were concerned about me?” I asked unsure if I had heard him correctly.

“Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?” He asked, genuinely confused.

“Well, you hate me.” His eyebrows shot up, surprised by my accusation.

“I don’t hate you. Who told you that?” He leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knees. He looks pissed.

“No-no one, I just thought.” Saying this out loud to him now makes me feel stupid.

“You just thought what?” He squints at me, tilting his head for emphasis.

“You always glare at me.” I defend myself. “And you don’t talk to me.”

“You avoid me!” He counteracts. “You run away from me.”

“Well because…” He waits for my answer.

“I think there has been some miscommunication between us, don’t you think?” I nod.

“Well Y/N I can tell you now I certainly don’t hate you, in fact I quite like you. You’re good for the men, especially George, someone needs to keep him on a leash.” My mouth falls open, never in a million years would I have expected those words to come from Bull’s mouth. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. I will admit I was weary of you in the beginning. But that was because you were a replacement and the men we have had in the past have not been the best soldiers. You on the other hand, you did good.” I felt my face flush, I wanted to pinch my cheek, surely I was dreaming. Bull’s laughter shocked me, big and booming it filled the small room we sat in. It was rich in tone, just like his voice. I liked his laugh.

“Don’t look so shocked, darling!” He chuckles, he pulls his gun from the floor, opening the butt of it. From the compartment he pulls his signature cigar, he lights it, inhaling deeply as it glows a cherry red. He blows out the smoke, leaning back in his chair.

“I think I’ve sent you into shock.” He joked, pulling me from my surprise.

“I just-I don’t think I have heard you speak so much in one go.” He laughs again, a smile forms on his lips. My heart fluttered, it felt nice to make him laugh.

*************

“Y/N get off George, the poor man can’t breathe.” Bull said from behind me, he had walked in on me attacking George, poking him in his sides until he couldn’t breath from laughing. He had been teasing me insistently about Babe having a crush on me. Babe did not have a crush on me. We were friendly and that’s all it was, but George liked to wind me up. I stood up giving Bull a toothy grin as he shook his head, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“Bull, thank god you came, I thought she was about to kill me.” I sent a look to George, it wasn’t a threat but a promise that I would get him again if he wasn’t careful.

“Look at her, those eyes, she’s a killer I tell you.” George pointed at me. Bull chuckled.

After I had figured out that Bull in fact did not hate me like I suspected, we turned into close friends. We were polar opposites but we worked well together. I was a chatter-box and he was a listener. But I could get him to say more than any of the other men in the company could. He had the most interesting stories. I would listen intently as he spoke, sometimes getting distracted, just listening to his voice. His velvety rich accent always gave me goosebumps, so I would get him to talk as much as I could just so I could hear him speak. I found that he was just a big teddy bear. Very country boy, raised on manners and good faith. I liked to call him Ferdinand the bull off of the cartoon of the sweet bull who would rather sit and smell flowers than fight. It perfectly encapsulated the Sergeant. He was so gentle in everything he did. I didn’t want to admit it but I had grown quite attached to him, and differently to the other men of Easy. I made all the men laugh all the time, sure it felt good. But when Bull laughed at my jokes, I felt giddy. When he smiled at me my heart fluttered. I have never felt this from anyone. But I was sure it was just because I looked up to him, and not literally. He was my boss so of course I wanted to impress him.

“Bull, we are going to one of the pub’s tonight are you coming?” I sidled up to the man as he walked. His eyes flick down to look at me, as he puffs on his cigar. I smiled up at him.

“Sure I will, just because you asked.” I grin, I hold onto his arm giving it a squeeze.

“Alright, get to your task, Y/N.” He shoos me away with a small smirk.

“Yes Sir.” He laughs as I salute him walking away.

“Is he coming?” George asks from behind me, I turn, nodding my head. “See I told you he would come if you asked!” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” I scoff mocking offence.

“Oh please, you two are smitten with each other!” I glare at him, as he stares at me with wide eyes.

“George you think I’m smitten with everyone, five minutes ago you said that Babe and I had something with each other.” I point out to him as we walk to help with the stock take.

“But I actually mean it with you and Bull. I have seen the way you two look at each other.” He pouts, fluttering his eyelashes, pretending to be me. I shake my head, shoving him.

“Ok if it's about how we look at each other, then you and that hershey bar you were eating the other day were totally in love.” I mimic the way he ate the bar, moaning with each bite.

“You’re not wrong, that hershey bar really rocked my world.” He grinned at me.

“You’re gross.” But we crack up laughing.

#I am so sorry if this is trash #maybe I can save it with the next part #bull randleman x reader #bull randleman #George Luz #Shifty Powers #Perco #band of brothers #band of brothers fanfic #hbo war #band of brothers imagine #fanfic

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e-vay · 1 year ago

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Bubbles and Blush

[A/N: I've been drawing a lot of non-Sonamy-related content lately, but I desperately needed my fix so I wrote this spicy fluff whenever I had any free time (灬♥ω♥灬);;;;;;; I hope you enjoy. This story is also on AO3 if you prefer to read there.] [Summary: Happily reunited after a week apart, Amy devises a delicious strategy to help Sonic overcome his fear of water. Rated T]

Sonic zipped through the forest as quickly as possible, darting and weaving through the trees while careful not to drop the bag he was carrying over his shoulder. The familiar spring breeze of his hometown was refreshing on his fur. He had spent the last week away, sprinting from country to country with no real plan but following wherever his feet took him and to see what new adventures were in store for him. The trip left him feeling reenergized. Now his only concern was hoping Amy would be home once he got there.

The two had finally become an item months ago and he was still pleasantly surprised at how natural it all felt. To be fair, the pair had already been acting like they were more than friends for a long time, anyway. For years he loved fighting alongside her and lived to make her laugh. Now he had the added benefit of getting to kiss her anytime he wanted. And Chaos, did he want to kiss her now. The thought sent a rush of butterflies through his stomach and he couldn’t help a smile from forming on his lips.

The blue hero picked up his pace even more. He loved the freedom he still enjoyed to be able to run as carelessly as the wind, but if he was honest, he found himself missing Amy and longing to come back home to her. It seemed everything he came across on this particular trip reminded him of her. Thus, he ended up with this tote bag full of souvenirs and treats he thought she’d like.

Finally, Amy’s house was in sight. He dug his heels into the ground so he could make a screeching halt, stopping just at her bedroom window. He adjusted the tote on his shoulder once more before using both hands to pry open the window and swung one leg over the sill to climb in.

“Yo Aaaames ♪!” Sonic called out in a melodic tune. “You home?”

“Sonic! You’re back!” Amy shouted excitedly from another room. The sound of pure joy coming from her voice made Sonic’s heart flutter. She made him feel like the center of the universe without even trying. He hoped he could make her feel just as appreciated, especially with this surprise he planned for her. He finished jumping in through the window and closed it behind him.

“Is there such a thing as a Best-Boyfriend-in-the-World Award?” he asked, marching comically through Amy’s bedroom towards the direction of her voice. “‘Cuz if there is, I’m about to win it!” He only managed a brief glimpse of Amy’s face before he swiftly spun on his heel with his back towards her. Crap! He was so busy bragging about his romantic gesture that he didn’t even realize he was following the sound of her voice to her en suite. Amy had called out to him while she was enjoying a bubble bath. Luckily – or not so luckily – he caught himself fast enough that he didn’t see anything. Sure he had seen her naked already, but he figured he probably oughtn’t look without her permission…

“Sorry! I didn’t realize…” he muttered, his cheeks growing warm and his fur starting to stand on end.

Amy laughed from behind him, “You can look, Mr. Chivalry.”

Well, if she insisted.

Just as suddenly as he had turned away from her, Sonic spun back around eagerly. He barked out a laugh at the unexpected sight. Enormous mountains of foamy bubbles were towering from the ivory tub, completely overtaking Amy so only her head was visible. She had her pink quills pulled back into a messy bun. Even if it wasn’t what he was hoping to see, she was so damn cute that he didn’t feel disappointed.

From the mass of bubbles, Amy reached out her hand with her fingers splayed. Sonic hurried over and laced his fingers with hers before kneeling down on the tile floor. “I missed you,” she smiled, leaning forward. His lips met hers for a tender, longing kiss. He started to pull away, but Amy abruptly wrapped her other arm around his neck and yanked him back towards her for more, devouring him hungrily. Despite the unpleasant feeling of being splashed with water from her fast movement, Sonic grinned against her lips. Amy was so assertive and unapologetic about what she wanted. Her passion was just one of the many things he loved about her.

The bubblegum-colored goddess only broke her lips free from his so she could pepper more kisses across his muzzle, snout and forehead. Sonic laughed happily at the attack and only when she finally paused to catch her breath did he place a gloved hand on her cheek. “I missed ya, too,” he whispered.

“So,” Amy kissed his palm before folding her arms on the edge of the tub and rested her chin on her forearms. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, “What’s this about a ‘best-boyfriend’ award I owe you?”

Sonic chuckled mischievously, repositioning himself on the floor to sit more comfortably. He removed the tote from his arm and placed it in his lap. He cleared his throat and put on his best ‘game-show host’ voice. “One of the perks of dating the fastest thing alive is you get the finest delicacies the planet has to offer delivered fresh to your door! Behold -” He reached into the bag and pulled out a colorful bouquet of skewered candied fruits, carefully protected in plastic wrap. With his other hand he pulled out a small box covered in ornate packaging. “Mooncakes and tanghulu from Chun-nan.” Amy squealed with delight and grasped for the treats but Sonic pulled them just out of reach, setting them carefully on the ground. “But wait, there’s more!”

Two more packages were drawn from the bag and he opened one ceremoniously, revealing an array of flaky pastries. “Every flavor baklava Shamar had to offer-” he glanced inside the box and grimaced, realizing some of the desserts had been crushed and mangled on his run. He closed the container quickly and set it aside, murmuring in a rushed tone: “SonicTheHedgehogWillNotBeHeldResponsibleForDamagedOrDestroyedGoodsDuringTheShipmentOfYourPackages.”

Amy laughed as he fished out another item from the tote. He held up a plastic container with what was once a beautiful pastry dusted in sugar and covered in layers of cream and fruits. Jostling around in the bag had made it not nearly as elegant as it was when he first bought it, but it was still prettier than anything he usually ate. “Last but not least, all the way from Spagonia! This… thing!”

“Mille-feuille!” Amy exclaimed.

“Gesundheit,” Sonic quipped.

“No,” Amy giggled. “That’s what that’s called: ‘mille-feuille.’ Oh it’s one of my favorites! How’d you know?”

“Hahaha, ohhh Ames,” Sonic closed his eyes and shook his head as if it were foolish of her to ask. “I had absolutely no idea.” Amy burst out into a fit of laughter at his honest response. “But–” he added with a grin, “–it looked super fancy so I figured you’d like it.”

Amy sprang up and leaned forward to kiss Sonic once more. “Are you kidding? I love it, I love all of it! This is an incredible surprise. Thank you!”

“Ahh it’s nothing,” Sonic waved his hand dismissively, hoping to hide his blush. He didn’t consider himself much of a romantic but these kinds of reactions he got out of Amy were the best. “So are ya hungry? I was thinking we could have lunch, maybe even try some of these swanky things,” he gestured at the tower of goodies.

The pink hedgehog pouted and sank into the tub dramatically until she was almost completely hidden in the mass of bubbles. A soft whine came from the mountain of foam.

“What?” Sonic chuckled.

“I really want to, but I just got in here. Can we have lunch after I’m finished?” Amy pleaded.

“Of course!” Sonic assured her, standing up from the floor and collecting the pile of treats to stash in the kitchen. “You relax. I can entertain myself.” He made it just beyond the threshold of the en suite when he heard Amy’s voice call out in song.

“Orrrr~” the mischievous tone in her voice stopped him dead in his tracks. He slowly looked over his shoulder and saw her head poking out from the mass of bubbles once again. She had a deliciously playful look in her eyes that made his breath catch in his throat. “You could join me,” she suggested.

“In there?!” Sonic asked incredulously. He set the boxes on a nearby dresser and came back to the bathroom, leaning on the doorway. “Nuh-uh, I don’t think so.”

Amy rested her forearms on the edge of the tub again, her tone unamused. “You’ve been running all around the world for the last week. When’s the last time you bathed?”

Sonic crossed his arms as he racked his brain. He was a lot better about grooming more frequently now that he had a lady to impress, but come to think of it he had been pretty busy this week. “It… rained?” he suggested, hoping that answer was good enough.

“Ugh!” Amy responded in disgust, scooping up a handful of bubbles and tossing it at him.

“If you were suggesting I shower with ya, I’d be all for it!” he shouted. He gestured gingerly at the tub. “But a bath? All that … water.” He shuddered.

Amy clasped her hands together. “What better way to face your fears? You really should try to get acclimated to water one of these days so why not start by having a bath with me? I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Quite the opposite, actually…” She released her hands and walked her fingers along the edge of the tub. “I’ll scrub every. last. inch.”

Sonic’s fur pricked up again, his cheeks flushed. Damn, this woman knew how to rile him up. He pushed himself off the door frame and began pacing back and forth, chewing his bottom lip as he weighed his options. He truly hated water more than anything in the world. It wasn’t just a silly little dislike for it; it genuinely terrified him. The thought of him sinking helplessly, his lungs filling up… And it would take way less water than was in that tub to do the trick!

But on the other hand…

The cold shiver in his spine was quickly replaced by a warm burning in his belly. He really missed Amy this week. And with how closely they’d be pressed up against each other in the tub, he could show her just how much he missed her… Sonic bit his cheek to try and stop the leering smile that was creeping up his muzzle, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Is there even room in that thing for the both of us?” he groaned, one last attempt to win this battle of logic.

“♪ You’d better hope not ♪” Amy sang. She pressed her tongue to one of her canines, accentuating her impish grin before slinking down into the bubble bath until she was no longer visible.

“Ah hell,” Sonic cursed in defeat. He quickly yanked off his gloves and kicked off his shoes and socks before making his way to the tub. Clutching onto both edges of the basin, he took several rapid, shallow breaths before stepping one paw into the water. He instantly recoiled and clamped his eyes shut, immediately regretting his decision.

He heard the water splashing around and suddenly warm, wet hands tenderly grasped his hips. He jolted in surprise. “I’ve got you,” Amy reassured him. There wasn’t a hint of judgment in her sweet voice, which helped make him feel a little less stupid. She kissed him so softly it made his heart hurt. “And you’ve got this. Just follow me,” she kissed him again and again, each time pulling a little further away so he’d have to lower himself more and more to reach her mouth. Once he was fully submerged in the bath, Amy held him tightly to her and licked his lips as a reward, soliciting a shaky sigh. He was trembling and struggling to breathe, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the terror of the water or the exhilaration of feeling Amy’s bare body against his. He wanted more than anything to just go at her, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t let go of the edge of the tub to keep himself from sinking. Just being in her embrace would have to be enough, he guessed.

Sonic slid his hands along the rim of the bathtub until his forearms were on either side of Amy’s neck. He slowly opened his eyes, sucking in air through his teeth. “So, uh… How were things while I was gone?”

Amy rested her head against the back of his hands behind her. “Oh, you know, the ‘yoozh’,” she replied casually. She started gently massaging her fingers into his back and sides, working the soapy bath water into his navy fur. Sonic’s rigid body relaxed ever so slightly, relishing in the feeling. “Actually,” she continued, “‘He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named’ did not bring his A-Game this week. The battles were so pathetic they’re not even worth mentioning!”

Sonic chuckled in admiration. Here this woman was, describing duels with one of the most formidable villains of their time as if it were as inconvenient and mundane as taking out the trash. “I really did find my perfect match,” he said aloud without realizing.

The admission made Amy’s cheeks turn bright red and for the first time in their encounter, she became bashful. “Oh,” she whispered sheepishly, trying not to call him out on his statement but secretly screaming with joy on the inside. Her claws dragged from his back around to his front and began scrubbing his chest fur. She cleared her throat to keep her voice from wavering, “You mentioned you made it to Shamar. I have good memories there.” A smile formed as she recalled a scene from what seemed like a lifetime ago: a handsome blue hedgehog agreeing to a date with her. “Tell me about all the trouble you got into this week!”

“Oh man, you have no idea!” Sonic beamed, launching into a drawn-out story of all his latest antics. Amy’s plan worked. He got so caught up in relaying all the details of his recent travels that she could feel the tension easing up in his muscles and the fear of the bath water drifting from his mind. She politely nodded while he spoke, making sure to interject a slew of questions throughout to keep him yapping. But Sonic was known for running his mouth, so that was plenty easy to do! There were just a few instances where Amy would scratch and knead particularly sensitive areas and his sentences would trail off into pleasurable murmurs but as soon as her hands worked their way elsewhere his narrative picked up where he left off. She secretly reveled in the delectable wickedness she felt having this power over him.

After some time, Amy reached outside of the tub to grab a bottle of shampoo. She began lathering the soap into Sonic’s quills and the sensation turned him into putty in her hands. He closed his eyes and sank into her, practically purring at her touch. Amy giggled at his incoherent speech and leaned in to whisper in his ear, pinning his face to her bosom. “What’s that?” she teased. “I can’t understand you.”

He nuzzled into her soft chest and absentmindedly slipped his hands from the rim of the basin down Amy’s back. The feel of his fingers firmly raking down her flesh made her gasp but she promptly held her breath to not break his comfortable trance. She focused on grooming his scalp, trying to suppress the fire rising inside her. “This… feels… amazing…” he moaned. The rhythmic pressure Sonic was applying to the sensitive dimples in her lower back was making it difficult to focus. She decided she’d better wrap this bath up fast so they could move on to another form of quality time together.

“You love me, right?” she panted.

“Oh yeah,” Sonic sighed dreamily into her bosom.

“And you know I love you, right?”

Sonic’s brows furrowed, sensing the trepidation in Amy’s voice. He was slower to answer this time. “…Yyyeah…”

“And you trust me?”

His eyes shot open, suddenly very aware of how submerged he was in the bath water.

“Amy.”

She hugged him close to her, hoping to ease his worries with her feminine curves. “You’re not going to like this part but I promise it’ll be over before you know it!”

“WhA-?!” Sonic yelped when, in an impressive display of speed and strength, Amy used a reversal to flip them around, laying Sonic down with his back to the floor of the tub and she straddled on top of him. He clenched his eyes shut and held his breath in the panic of being shoved mostly underwater, though his face and ears were plenty safe from being submerged. His hands immediately left her and braced the edges of the tub again.

She reached under him to release the drain then turned the water spout on to rinse him with fresh water. “You need to breathe,” Amy encouraged empathetically.

“Mm-mmm!” he grunted in objection. He’d be shaking his head aggressively if he wasn’t at risk of waterboarding himself!

She carefully combed her fingers through his quills under the running water. “Baby, you’re gonna pass out if you don’t breathe,” she reminded him. “Just focus on me, okay?”

Hesitantly, Sonic opened his eyes just enough to glare at Amy. She scoffed at his obstinance but quickly corrected her tone to be reassuring once again. “Good...” She honestly was very proud of him for doing all this for her. “Now breathe with me.” Amy used one hand to demonstrate the cadence of her breath, inhaling and exhaling in a deep, slow rhythm. Her other hand continued rinsing and smoothing his fur hurriedly.

Sonic exhaled forcibly in frustration, but his gaze did shift from glaring at her to following the waving of her hand. It took a few stuttering attempts, but eventually, he was able to sync his lungs with hers.

Why the hell did I agree to this? he thought to himself, sulking. Well, he knew why. But he was still annoyed! Sure, parts of it… most of it… was good. Really damn good. And maybe with practice, I coulda gotten the hang of baths… But now this?! She’s pinned me down, just one false move away from drowning me, and she expects me to relax? ‘Focus on me,’ she says, HA! Looking at her never calms me down anyway… It only ever… gets me… riled up…

Amy leaned over him once more, turning off the faucet. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” She was grinning proudly when she leaned back, but her cocky expression was quickly replaced with concern when she noticed how rough and heavy Sonic was panting. Oh no, maybe it was that difficult for him after all.

Just as she was about to apologize, his eyes darted up to meet hers and the intensity of his stare made her entire body quiver. “Ah,” she gasped in realization. Her eyelids fluttered as she felt a noticeable shift happening to him from beneath her. She licked her lips and cleared her throat to try and compose herself.

“Mmmaybe,” Amy muttered, “...we should… finish this conversation in the other room?” Her fingertips trailed down Sonic’s heaving chest and traced the muscles in his abdomen. “Unless of course you’re too hungry?” She winced at the suggestion of putting this on pause, but she remembered they were supposed to be having lunch right now.

In one fell swoop Sonic had lifted them both up out of the now empty bath. His arms were wrapped under her rear for support and pinned her hips so tightly to his. They each moaned as he kissed her ravenously. “I’m starving,” he growled into her lips before sprinting into the bedroom.

#my fanfiction #my fanfics #sonamy #nsfw-ish #did you catch the Sonic Unleashed reference in there?#I love whenever you can agree to romance with Amy in the games hehehe #sonic trash #sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #sth #one shot #fluff #spicy #spicy fluff #steamy

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fountainpenguin · 3 months ago

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Origin of the Pixies

Fairly OddParents ~ (August 2016 - Ongoing)

"Talk of these things should be reserved for fathers and sons. I'm Head Pixie. I'm your aldra mór, but I'm no one's daddy."

Head Pixie backstory longfic

Drama & Angst (I hear there's fluff in here somewhere...)

First-person POV

Dead Dove

Summary

After being infected with Wolbachia pipientis - the real-life bacteria that causes insects to reproduce asexually - Fergus Whimsifinado soon finds himself a single father struggling to provide for 500+ genetically-identical offspring he never really wanted in the first place. Suddenly becoming the first member of a brand new species means complex politics to deal with, a Pixie World to build, a shipping company and a therapy business to manage, and a budding interspecies war to survive... ... All on top of raising children.

Not Rated; Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings

Read on FFN | Read on AO3

Chapter Recaps | Gen 2 Pixies Sheet

Cloudlands AU - Detailed warnings & other AU info

More Fairly OddParents 'fics

This work has a largely T tone. Borderline M for themes like 'queen bee' insect people fighting to the death, getting abducted by Cupid's family for study, being forced into a will o' the wisp's harem to ensure milk for newborn Sanderson, and general themes of non-human reproduction, child loss, and war.

Head Pixie-centric longfic with a focus on:

- Growing up with freckles in insect society, where you're typecast as a violent "queen bee" who'll stop at nothing to defend his hive. Set Daddy's fortune aside for wergild; you're gonna need it. - Accidental selkie wife addition (Please don't send her back to Mom; she needs this job) - Local party boy struggles to prioritize fatherhood above raves - Getting abducted by Cupid's hot grumpy mom, who's absolutely willing to push you to your limits if it means she can unravel your biology and show you off to all her friends - Raising little worker bees... I mean, drone pixies who regularly need their faces licked for pheromone exposure or they'll cry - Cloudlands' most eligible rich bachelor rejects hugs because he fears bee-instinct cuddle death attacks; more at 11 - Building a company up from nothing. Gotta start somewhere- Why not with cupcakes? (Maybe cute kids are good for something after all...) - Raising an heir you're biologically programmed to kill... It's fine- Sis is raising the spare - Why did we think adopting a cù sìth that can steal your soul if you lie was a good idea? - The cool girl who founded the human godparenting division is afraid you'll hurt her with your big, scary muscles and she'd rather "just be friends." oh no. - WHAT midlife crisis? Hahaha... Don't read Chapter 37. - The war over godkids from "Balance of Flour" (Season 7); H.P. and his 4 eldest pixies are drafted on the Fairies' side. Huh... That's gonna cause issues with the whole "BFF with the leader of the Anti-Fairies" thing... - Divorce? Child loss?? Raising some anti-fairy kid with Anti-Cosmo? Uh-oh. - His hat is also a pen

Read on FFN | Read on AO3 | Blog Tag

"I'm impolite and I make fun of everyone! I'm immature but I will stay this way forever <3" (x)

#Fairly OddParents #FOP #Head Pixie #FOP fanfic #I'm wasp dad trash #We're Pixies!#Cloudlands AU #Cloudlands' most eligible bachelor. He can accidentally infect you so you'll die a rapid and extremely painful death :)#FAIRIES!#ridwriting #Origin of the Pixies #apparently art #ridwork guides #ridspoilers #/slams this one down after holding it for a month b/c I was committed to posting in order- “Let's freakin' GO!”#/fingerguns anyone who read this far in tags and is debating whether to read- On hiatus until Anti-Cosmo backstory 'fic catches up #but not abandoned!! Just waiting for A.C. to reach the war chapters so we can alternate POVs :)#My one regret is... I worry his wing only looks like one to those who know that's the color I use for pixie wing costas but :'D #fic announcement #dead dove #FOP Pixies #FOP Sanderson #Sanderson is neat

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heroesriseandfall · 2 years ago

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Kind of funny when fanfic writers have Tim figure out Dick’s identity by seeing Robin do a quadruple flip in person, because DC writers didn’t even think of that back when they were trying to make it a rule that Robin couldn’t be seen on TV so the Batfam could be urban legends. They just still had Tim see Robin do a flip on TV and never tried to explain how Robin could be an urban legend and still have his exploits broadcasted on TV by professional news media.

#dc: hmm tim drakes origin requires him to see robin do a flip on tv…but how can we do that when robin can’t be on tv?#fanfic authors: he could just see robin do it in person. without seeing a video #dc: i guess we’ll never figure out a way to make this work. we’ll just have to hope no one notices #tim drake #dick grayson #to be actually serious tho my headcanon is just that Bruce erases the evidence after Tim already saw it.#and I think Bruce learning how tim figured it out would make him way more paranoid about videos and etc #baby tim is easily gathering all the evidence that Bruce is scrambling to hide #fondly remembering the alternate world without yj universe where tim says he figured out Bruce’s identity by looking through Bruce’s trash #<- even in THAT origin tim also based it off news footage and I still wonder if that part of the au could be main canon as well #9 yr old tim seeing the vid of Robin’s flip and immediately trying to find a bag of wayne manor garbage #also the library. he did also use the library. but that’s less funny and more practical #super interested in what garbage they carelessly threw away that helped him figure it out lmaoo #batfam #heroesriseandfall #dc continuity #zero hour

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boigyu · 8 months ago

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idol au where you have heeseung as your phone wallpaper and accidentally show it on live

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youngyoo-apologist · 2 months ago

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S2 preview- Contemplating company

#tcf #lcf #trash of the count's family #lout of the count’s family #og cale henituse #Choi Han #tcf fanfic #notice how Choi Han’s hands are only holding his neck but not strangling him #notice how Cale is basking in light despite being the one in a disadvantage #notice how he doesn’t try and fight back at all #he knows that in this situation he is in control #Choi Han’s family now loves him #if Choi Han kills him choi Han will really be alone #he can hurt Choi Han as much as he wants and Choi Han can’t hurt him back in a way that matters to him #he’s won #right?#he’s as happy as can be #(spoiler alert Hes also miserable and fucked up and so is Choi Han and yeah the original time line sucked)#sorry to anyone who thought they secretly liked eachother when they were young #that would’ve been cute but no they are like horrible to each other #sorry #[In the Borderline]

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amarylliasky · 5 months ago

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Y’all I am so so sorry it’s so late! I can explain! And I promise I won’t post all of these so late! I just had to stay at work an extra hour tonight and didn’t have as much time to finish this as I thought.

That being said, I’m not sure if I really like how it came out, but my writing skills are a bit rusty. I especially haven’t written much fanfiction over these last couple years. It’s mostly been snippets(that I haven’t posted), which was what I had planned this to be, but things happened. Anyway, I hope you guys like it!

Number 3, here we go!

Five Times Calyan Fell Alseep on His Family and One Time He…

1. Alberu Crossman

He would do anything to get out of this mind numbing meeting.

Crown Prince he may be, but even he is just about five seconds from pulling out Taerang to just lightly threaten some of these imbeciles in the room with him. Seriously, they’re in the middle of a war. Why are these idiots so invested in his relationship with the Dark Elves? Sure, it would be bad if someone makes the connection between them at this point in time, but what are they going to do with that information? He planned to reveal it at his coronation anyway, who’s going to try and get him off the throne when he’s already been announced as the current leader of the Roan Kingdom? As if Robbit or that coward third prince would be able to lead them to victory. Then again, he himself would not be nearly as confident without his headache of a dongseang/commander at his side.

Ah, at least there is one other person with a functioning brain in this meeting. However, his resident headache producer has been awfully quiet these past two hours…

Sneaking a look to his right as some central faction nobles prattle on about the churches and not enough healers, (pfft. As if the sun god has ever contributed to the welfare of this kingdom), he finds himself momentarily perplexed at the expression on Calyan’s face.

Glazed reddish brown eyes squint beneath slightly furrowed eyebrows. A curtain of deep red falls across his eyes as he continues to stare at a certain spot on the ovular table. Usually his dongsaeng would do his absolute best to zone out during these meetings, leaving all the discussions to his overworked Hyung-nim, the brat. But it’s almost as if he is actually trying to pay attention? Or perhaps stay awake would be the better term. Come to think of it, what was Calyan doing before the impromptu meeting?

Alberu had received word that the central faction’s nobles had a very important matter to discuss pertaining to the Kingdom’s current state of affairs. Of course, he doubted whether it was truly so important to interrupt their plans of smacking the White Star from behind, but nonetheless, he agreed to see them, as it wouldn’t do for the Crown Prince to disregard the “state of his Kingdom” in a time of crisis.

What had surprised him though, was their insistence on the inclusion of the former Commander, Calyan Henituse.

He had been rightfully annoyed at the audacity of these nobles that would demand his dongsaeng’s presence at such an insignificant meeting when he was finally able to rest for a few days. However, upon discussing it with the person in question’s older twin, Cale, neither he, nor the redhead could convince their troublesome little brother to stay away. For Calyan apparently has eyes and ears everywhere and Alberu’s Instructor-nim is still incapable of lying to his liege. Darn sensitive swordsman.

So when Calyan walked into the meeting room, Alberu had expected a lot of things. His usually stoic face with a hint of annoyance about being interrupted from his “slacking”; a blank face with barely visible exhaustion from the constant overworking, or perhaps cold eyes, ready to stare down any who even consider offending those he considers his people.

But what he didn’t expect to see was the redhead almost dragging his body through the doors and looking like he’d gone several years without a wink of sleep; his meticulously styled hair and unwrinkled clothing doing little to hide how utterly worn out he looked. Either these disrespectful nobles didn’t notice how exhausted his dongsaeng looked, or they just didn’t care, as they finally started the meeting once the Commander was present.

Which brings them to their current predicament. Alberu is beyond tired, which goes to show how tired the man at his side must be. Evident by the fact that he is actually trying to pay attention to whatever nonsense the other occupants of the meeting hall are spewing. Subtly shifting closer to his sworn brother, Alberu lets his hand just barely brush the against where he knows younger’s to be under the table. Seeing those hazy eyes focus on his faux blue ones, he conveys a silent message.

‘Are you tired?’

The blank look he gets tells everything.

‘Why are you asking such an obvious question?’

He should have seen that coming. He conveys something else.

‘I can bail you out. It’s not like you need to hear this obvious buffoonery.’

That gets a barely noticeable smile from the redhead. But Calyan imperceptibly shakes his head.

‘I’m fine.’

What blatant lies.

He knows there’s no use in trying to reason with his stubborn dongseang, so he instead tunes back into the discussion when he hears his title being called by a no-name Count.

It is a mind numbing fifteen minutes before he feels a weight on his shoulder, and all at once, the hall falls silent. Looking down, he sees a head of long red hair slumped against him. Luckily the chairs were situated in a way that Calyan’s chair was at his side instead of further down; a sort of intimidation move on Alberu’s part, so the Commander had blessedly not fallen to the floor when he evidently succumbed to sleep.

“Is there anything else that requires the Crown’s immediate attention, Count Rodden?” Said man nervously shifts, clearly having more to say, but relents upon witnessing the Crown Prince aiming his blinding smile directly at him.

“Ahem.. I suppose we should finish our discussion at the next meeting then, your highness.“ Count Rodden avoids his eyes as he says that, clearly not wanting to end the meeting there, but unwilling to propose waking the sleeping Commander on the Crown Prince’s shoulder, and most likely earning the ire of the swormaster and highest grade expert he knows are on the other side of the doors.

As the nobles finally filter out of the room, Alberu makes a mental note to thank Cale and Choi Han for being so intimidating. Say what you will about the eldest Young Master of the Henituse County and the scary Swormaster, but they sure know how to get those idiotic high classes to submit.

Sighing in relief that finally, finally, he is out of that horrible meeting, he once again looks down at the young man slumbering away on his shoulder. Hah…really, his dongsaeng is just too adorable.

Steeling himself, he reaches his unoccupied arm to gently rouse his adorable headache.

“Dongsaeng, Calyan. It’s time to wake up.”

His only reply is slow breathing. This won’t do. Any moment now, the chaos incarnate and his vicious instructor-nim will kick open the doors. He’s got to wake Calyan up. For the sake of his ever-growing damage repair bills.

“Donsaeng. Wakey wakey. If you don’t wake up your brother is going to permanently scar some poor nobles..” Still no response but heavy breathing. He swears it’s like this man wants to make his life harder. Oh wait, he does, doesn’t he?

Hearing the chatter outside growing faint, Alberu finally resolves himself to having to carry around this lazy little brother of his. Propping Calyan’s head up with the hand currently attached to his imprisoned limb, the Crown Prince is forced to pause when he feels that something is off here.

Since when has Calyan ever been so still?

Sure, he loves to sleep and will grumble when anyone tries to wake him, but ultimately he still answers whoever it is, even with only a tired groan. Even the few times Alberu is forced to wake up him up after an all-nighter forces them to crash on the couch in his study(while the company is quite appreciated, he’d rather skip the never ending paperwork altogether thank you), he would usually burrow deeper into whatever he’s laying on(Alberu, in this case) in an attempt to not get up. If this was an attempt to get out of the meeting, he would’ve stopped it as soon as the rest of the room’s occupants were on the other side of the doors.

Which makes this situation all the more strange. And worrying.

Well, that and the obvious fever. With Alberu’s hand on Calyan’s head, he can clearly feel the unnaturally high temperature. Why didn’t he feel it before? And the unusually loud breathing; it’s no wonder the redhead is down for the count. When was the last time he slept?

He has precious little time to think about that though. Moving his right arm to Calyan’s back, he reaches down to place the other under his dongsaeng’s knees for a much more comfortable position in which to carry him. He lifts them both off the chairs with ease(which is just a tad bit concerning), and mentally prepares himself for the hour-long lecture he’s sure to receive from the redhead’s equally red-haired, overprotective twin.

In the time it takes him to get them both out of that awkward semi-hugging position they started with, the heavy doors of the meeting hall are pushed open and he can practically feel the satisfaction radiating off the two hooligans. Where he would normally feel an incoming headache, along with a small amount of pride, he only feels growing concern for the young man in his arms……And maybe a bit of trepidation for the hurricane of nagging soon to come.

This is going to be a long, long night…

————

Calyan Henituse, formerly Kim Rok Soo, has experienced a lot of sleepless nights in the last twenty years for someone whose dream is to do nothing but roll around on his bed. For the record, he blames that stupid Radish for his lack of a slacker life. If that White Thing would have just minded his own business and left Roan alone, Calyan wouldn’t have to lose sleep(and brain cells) trying to find a way to get rid of him. So yeah, he is unfortunately familiar with going several days without sleep during his plans to smack the White Star in the back and meeting up with various allies across the two continents. Though his frequent use of record in order to speed things up does nothing to soothe what is most likely one of his many stress headaches. It’s a bit annoying having to deal with them after being a spoiled young master of the rich Henituse family in this life, but he dealt with them for years as Kim Rok Soo, he can deal with them for a few weeks now. Just until he can find a moment to rest.

Or so he thought. Because the very first thing he registers after his impromptu nap at the latest and most probably annoying nobles meeting is a headache at least five times worse than the ones he frequently got as Kim Rok Soo. That’s not even mentioning how his whole body feels as if he just experienced what it’s like to be on the receiving end of one of Choi Han’s brutal training sessions.

He stifles a pained groan as he attempts to slowly open his eyes in order to better adjust to the light in his room.

It appears it was not needed though, as the mana-powered lamps in what is most definitely not his bedroom are set at the lowest setting. The room is just barely bright enough to distinguish the sleeping silhouette of its only other occupant.

Alberu Crossman sits on a chair beside his own bed, in his own bedroom, that is being occupied by Calyan. His head is at an awkward angle(ouch) and he has his arms crossed even in his sleep. All in all, he looks like he fell asleep waiting for Calyan to wake up.

He…doesn’t know how to feel about that. There’s definitely a certain warmth at the actions of his self-proclaimed Hyung-nim, but he would still rather Alberu not waste his time and energy staying with him when the Crown Prince is surely even more exhausted than him. If anyone deserves to rest during such a chaotic time, it’s this quarter Dark Elf.

That said, this is not exactly an ideal position for the future Sun of Roan to sleep in, so Calyan will just have to wake him up and force him into his own(currently occupied) bed to get some real rest.

As if sensing his thoughts, the pseudo-blond shifts slightly before slowly opening his eyes. Blinking the sleep away, his not-blue irises lock onto sharp, and thankfully no longer hazy, reddish brown ones.

“Hah. Took you long enough. Well isn’t that convenient how you woke up only after your brother left the room.” He scoffs at the man who stayed asleep throughout Cale’s entire over-an-hour long lecture about making sure his troublesome brother rested. Who knew that the so-called “Trash” Cale Henituse, who was known for yelling at everyone and throwing around wine bottles, would tell off the Crown Prince of Roan for letting his twin attend a meeting in his condition. And that he would do it all without raising his voice above a whisper.

“My sincerest apologies your highness, the star of our kingdom. You have my most heartfelt gratitude for courageously bearing the full might of-“

“Enough.”

Alberus heaves a deep sigh into his hands before brushing back his disheveled hair. He can now finally allow himself to relax. He is not going to lie, he’s happy to hear his dongsaeng’s voice again. Even if the first thing the person in question says is complete, nonsensical flattery. Alberu was a bit unnerved at how absolutely still Calyan was during the meeting, and that feeling evolved to concern and anxiety when Calyan eventually collapsed in the middle. Suffice to say, Alberu will now be thoroughly observing his dongsaeng for any discomfort at a formal event in the future. Forget about any consequences, Calyan will always come first.

Sigh. He reaches out a hand and places it gently on his troublesome brother’s forehead. Good, his temperature seems to have gone down a bit.

“Hyung-nim?” Calyan says with a small bit of confusion.

Alberu sighs for a third time. “What am I going to do with this troublesome dongsaeng of mine?” He says with exasperated affection.

Calyan attempts to sit up. But is swiftly stopped by hands firmly keeping him from moving. Too tired to protest, he resigns himself and simply mutters one word.

“Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” What are you sorry for? He wants to ask. For getting sick? For going to the meeting without any regard for your own health? For worrying your family?

“I put you in an awkward situation.” Oh. Calyan avoids his eyes, running his hand over a particularly interesting strand of red hair. His face remains stoic, but his voice and actions speak of his sincerity. Truly, Alberu doesn’t understand the thoughts going through that brilliant but dumb head. Is he really thinking about Alberu’s reputation at a time like this?

“Do you really think I care about what those imbeciles with no tact think of me?” Calyan stops fidgeting, but is clearly still troubled. “Dongsaeng, you did me a favor. If I had to be in the same room as them for two more minutes, I might have considered calling your brother.”

The redhead lets out a small huff at the mental image of Cale getting full reign to say whatever he wanted to those insufferable suck ups. He’d send them packing, that’s for sure. Finally lifting his head to face the prince, he is slightly stunned to find a fond sort of amusement reflected in the quarter Dark Elf’s eyes.

He knows Alberu truly doesn’t care about what anyone, let alone those who hold hostility for his family, thinks; and yet he couldn’t help but feel guilty for the position he’d unwillingly put the other in. He may be weak, but he doesn’t like to be a burden on his colleagues. Least of all, someone he considers family. He knows it is okay to need others, he is only able to survive thanks to them, but he also knows when they need him to be strong. If it were anyone else, he might have done considerable harm to their image. It is only thanks to Alberu’s own wit and status that Calyan’s act of falling asleep in an important meeting was set aside so smoothly.

Regardless, he allows himself to let it go just this once. After all, who’s going to fault the Crown Prince for the actions of his sworn brother? Alberu holds all the cards. He’s got loads he can use against those central faction idiots; and if he needs more, Calyan will happily contribute to their humiliation.

“Move over.” He is snapped out of his musings by a short remark from the man to his left. Confused, he makes space for Alberu to join him on the rather large bed. What was all that forcing him to stay still earlier if he was just going to be forced to move?

He complies as the young man situates them so that they are both covered in the plush comforter and Calyan’s head is resting in his lap.

“Your highness…?”

“Hyung-nim.”

“Hyung-nim…what are you doing?”

“You keep wincing as if you have a headache. I wouldn’t be surprised. Just let your Hyung-nim deal with everything.”

His protests get stuck in his throat when he feels gentle hands carding through his hair. Embarrassment aside, the repetitive motion does somewhat comfort him, though it does little for a headache as severe as this one. Of course, he’s not going to tell Alberu to stop. Why waste the opportunity to sleep on the Crown Prince’s lap? And just where does he manufacture his blankets? Calyan will have to mention it to Ron.

Alberu scoffs softly. “You’re probably the first person to make a royal into a bed. “

He continues carding his fingers through the long hair, untangling the silky wine-like strands. “Just sleep, Calyan. You’ll feel better tomorrow. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the children just yet. I’ll tell them it’s a sleepover.”

A sleepover in the Crown Prince’s bedroom? It was almost funny to imagine. But the assurance that the children would remain ignorant of his condition(at least for the time being) allowed him to finally relax and give into the lull and warmth. Even after his unplanned nap, he feels the exhaustion creeping up on him. However, unlike the last few weeks, he welcomes it. The White Star can wait to be smacked just as Calyan can wait a bit longer for his life of doing absolutely nothing. For now, he’ll sleep for a few (maybe a few dozen?) hours and dream of retiring in his late twenties.

Calyan falls asleep to the quiet murmurs of his Hyung-nim’s plans for dealing with lousy citizens and the feeling of complete safety only few can give him even in this life.

Yes, he is close to his long-awaited slacker life. Maybe in a few more months, there can be more nights like this with his family. Preferably without the sickness and embarrassing positions though.

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Also, just wanted to make a note here in case people don’t read the tags. Please do not tag as ship. All relationships in my countdown, unless stated otherwise, are purely platonic.

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