#cresswell drabble prompts

[littleshopofchaos]

Caught - From 2021 with our girl Samantha Preston

I LOVE THIS WOMAN.

I honestly dont know what i was on when I wrote this in 2021

The Short Drabble Collection: Caught.

Prompt: Judgement – 14 of the 100 Theme Challenge

Samantha

They’d finally caught me. The government willing to pass judgement on me, had finally caught me in a trap they laid.

The trap was my family.

They said my family were in trouble, when they weren't. I don’t know why I believed them.

Finally been caught.

They played a voice clip that showed my mum upset, but that had been messed with.

They don’t understand.

They have to pass judgment on me.

I’m going to be sentenced to death.

They don’t understand why I do what I do.

I’m The Runaway.

Its what I do.

They look at me like I’m worthless. Like I’m the scum of the Earth.

I see them judging me based on my actions alone.

I wait.

That is all I can do.

There is no escape.

I’m waiting for them to pass judgment,

Time seems to be going on forever.

A man belonging to the secret service enters my room. He’s older, maybe around forty years old and is wearing a blue suit.

His name is Phoenix. Phoenix Cresswell. I know him. He obviously serves the President.

“How about you work for us again?” He says with a smile.

I don’t understand what he means at first.

Then he explains.

“We could use your skills to rid the world of a few pests. How about it?”

They’ve passed judgement. They want me to become their little murder machine.

And I accept. Because how else am I going to get out of here?

I live. I learn. I can still do what I want, with the government’s protection.

Samantha Preston, government assassin….

I didn’t even know they had jobs like that.

[moon-mirage]

Cresswell + domesticity 💗

I LOOOVE Cresswell being domestic. I think that’s at least half the reason I wrote “Masks” and had be them newlyweds in that story. 😍 So I really love this prompt especially because it’s, I assume, about canon-Cresswell?

---

A mug was waiting for her as she made her way towards the counter where the coffee machine was. Cress remembered how she, upon her first few days on the ship, had tip-toed through the Rampion, almost afraid to make a sound and disturb the rest of the crew.

Now, the Rampion was her home, the first real one she ever had.

And the mug was proof for that. It was her favourite one. It didn't look much different from the other military-issued ones in the cupboard but it fit into her hand perfectly when she held it. Next to it were a package of milk and a sugar cube.

Just the way she liked her coffee. Or learned to like. She hadn't been impressed by the first bitter taste she had but the subsequent energy boost it had given her had been too good to pass up to - cream and milk definitely helped with the taste as well.

Her heart warmed at the kind gesture. For the girl who, for so many years, didn't exist in databases or records, there was nothing more wonderful than to know that someone thought of her even when she wasn't there. That she mattered to someone who cared about trivial things like her favourite cup and coffee preferences.

There was no sign of Thorne but she could hear a faint humming from the direction of the bathroom.

She poured herself a cup of coffee, added the sugar and milk and tried a first sip. Perfect. Balancing the mug to the couch, careful not to spill anything, she sat down comfortably.

Pulling out her portscreen, Cress went over her new notifications, enjoying the silence as she waited for Thorne.

---

Thorne hummed a little melody, only faintly aware it was a song Cress often sang when she worked. He had always sung or hummed but the opera tunes were new, thanks to Cress.

Spreading a copious amount of product between his hands, he worked it onto his slightly wet hair with the ease of someone who had this routine down pat. They had no plans to leave the Rampion until late afternoon but that's how Thorne liked to start his day - with a hot shower, expensive soap and just enough time to make himself look good that made it seem like he didn't invest any time at all.

Remembering the small bottle of cologne he bought on his last shopping trip with Cress, he scanned the cabinet for the bottle. Not too long ago, only his belongings were stored here.

But that was before Cress.

Now, there was second toothbrush, a porcelain jar with little birds painted on it that contained hairbands and bobby pins, a cream for sensitive skin with some UV protection, mascara. Anti-frizz lotion for wavy hair on the second shelf to the right. A wayward bracelet that lay forgotten next to the shower. A small bottle of perfume, the design distinctly feminine in contrast to his rather plain cosmetics.

Small things overall but a clear reminder that there was someone on this ship that shared his space, his life.

When he looked back at the mirror, he saw his reflection smiling back at him.

---

A new netdrama had popped up on her netscreen and the trailer looked promising enough. After being out in the real world, netdramas didn't hold her attention the same way they used to but they were still enjoyable for a rainy night, engulfed in her boyfriend's arms ... before they got more interested in each other than whatever it was that played on the screen.

The fresh scent of pine and bergamot filled the room before she felt a kiss pressed to the top of her head.

"Good morning, love."

Cress glanced up with warm cheeks. "Good morning, captain." She knew he liked her saying that though lately, in moments just between the two of them, there were hushed whispers of "Crescent" and "Carswell" in-between languid kisses and heated touches. "You're up early."

He shrugged before plopping on the couch next to her. "Not really. You just slept later than usual and I didn't want to wake you. We're still waiting for landing permission from the army base. Any news?"

Cress checked her portscreen when Thorne took her mug to take a sip of her coffee. "There's still coffee left, should I bring you a cup?"

"I'm good. Already had one and I don't need my heart racing like a podship." He grinned at her. "At least, not because of an overdose of caffeine. But if you want to speed up my heart by any other means ...," he trailed off, his eyebrows waggling.

Leaning over, hands on his chest to steady her, she pressed her lips to his. As always, he was warm and his lips soft against hers. She allowed herself a few playful pecks at the corner of his mouth and the bottom lip before pressing herself closer to him.

Thorne, eager to reciprocate, quickly put her mug on the table next to him, leaving his hands free to roam her back. Their kiss deepened and she could taste hints of coffee and toothpaste and she curled her fingers into his shirt when he moved his mouth just so.

She broke the kiss with a hushed gasp, his hands gripping her hips tightly as if to pull her closer again.

"How is that for a racing heart, captain?" Cress asked, her lips still tingling. She had become more confident in the last few months together, allowed herself more often to take the lead in their relationship and she was rewarded by the dazed look on Thorne's face.

"Aces, Cress." He took a deep breath. "A podship race has nothing on you."

Laughing, Cress gave him another quick kiss, before pulling herself up. "Good to know. I'll get ready then. You're done with the bathroom, right? Did you leave any hot water for me?"

Thorne seemed suddenly very interested in the trailer that was still playing on mute on her portscreen. "Oh, look at that! We should definitely check this netdrama out-"

"Thorne!"

---

I hope it’s the domesticity fluff you wanted? ^-^ Thank you so much for the prompt, I really loved writing a cute canon-Cresswell drabble again.

[tickly-trashcan]

Tickletober 2022 Masterlist!

Here’s the collection of the 2022 Tickletober drabbles I wrote!! Enjoy!

Day 1: Anticipation - EiMiko

Day 2: Drawn On - Yusuke and Akira

Day 3: Shriek - Cresswell

Day 4: Reward - LilacCream

Day 5: Punishment - Tanjiro and Rengoku

Day 6: Cuddles - XiaoVen

Day 7: Massage - ChiLi

Day 8: Death Spot - Akihito and Mirai

Day 9: Trapped - Zelda and Link

Day 10: Ticklish Kiss - Beigguang

Day 11: Competition - Achilles and Patroclus

Day 12: Surprise - Poison Mushroom and Licorice

Day 13: Blush - Kyohru

Day 14: Tracing - Kaider

Day 15: Games - Nick and Charlie

Day 16: New Discovery - Wizard and Gingerbrave

Day 17: Trick-or-Treat

Day 18: Chase - Bennett, Fischl, Klee

Day 19: Revenge - ShinoGiyuu

Day 20: Counting - Soul and Maka

Day 21: Wake Up - Thoma and Ayato

Day 22: Monster - The Forgers

Day 23: Spidering - Sebastian, Sam, and Abigail

Day 24: Don’t Move - Catradora

Day 25: Teasing - ZeLink

Day 26: Favorite Spot - XiaoVen

Day 27: Hiding - Obanai, Mitsuri, and Kaburamaru

Day 28: Distraction - OCs

Day 29: Ghost Tickles - OCs

Day 30: Flinch - Viktor and Heimerdinger

Day 31: Aftercare - Shin Soukoku

(I used @/august-anon’s Tickletober prompt list for this year!!! You can check it out here!)

[midnightsnapdragon]

Oops I’m bad at tumblr. I think I’m supposed to use this thing lol: Yayyyy! I’m a huge fan of all your stuff on Ao3 and have been dying for more good Cresswell fic lately :) How about: “It still surprises him, sometimes.”

...

“Carswell?”

Thorne bites back a swear word and swivels around in his girlfriend’s office chair, grinning widely. “Cress! You’re back early!” With one hand behind his back, he tries to close the program he’d been snooping in.

Cress leans against the doorway of her office and gives him a shy look through her hair. “You know we have security cameras in here, right?”

Uh-oh. Thorne forces himself to keep grinning. “Yeah?”

“And I keep an eye on my office 24/7.” She waves her phone at him, where a little app shows him a bird’s-eye view of himself, seated at her computer.

A drop of sweat creeps down the back of his neck. Shell Tech is a top information security company, and Cress is known to be its secret weapon. That’s why he was sent here in the first place. Carswell Thorne is six months deep undercover trying to get Shell’s secrets out of this five-foot-tall, twenty-four-year-old nerd, and if he just blew his cover because he forgot to disable one camera, he is never going to hear the end of it from his bosses. “Right,” he says, tilting his head with a quizzical smile.

Cress laughs. “So if you were planning to surprise me, this kind of isn’t the best place to do it!”

Thorne relaxes. “Oh. Yeah, you got me. Kind of dumb, huh?”

Her eyes widen. “No!” She steps closer, her fingers knitted together in front of her stomach: a bashful gesture that he’s starting to see less and less as their relationship progresses. “No,” she says again. “It’s really sweet of you. I was actually thinking we could go out for drinks after work, if you’re not too ...” Then she sees the computer screen Thorne is trying to shield with his body. “... busy,” she finishes, frowning. “Is that ... the beta?”

He glances over his shoulder, as if in surprise. “Oh. I guess. Is that what you were working on?”

“It’s kind of an important project.” She lets her hands fall. Crap. She’s not in bashful mode anymore. “What were you doing here?”

If he doesn’t come up with a really, really good cover story in the next five seconds, he can say good-bye to both his mission and his career.

“Okay, full disclosure? I was trying to see your calendar,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish way. “I know your birthday is coming up, and I’ve always wanted to throw someone a surprise party. But you can’t exactly do that if the person is already busy, right?”

Cress’s face lights up. Without preamble, she throws her arms around him, and he catches her and hugs her close. With him in a seated position and her standing, there’s not even much of a height difference to deal with. In fact, he wouldn’t mind staying like this for a few minutes. But only because she’s warm and soft and smells nice. No one ever said you couldn’t find pleasure in your work.

“You were going to throw me a party?” The words are muffled against his neck.

Thorne smiles into her hair. “Yup. And invite all your coworkers who hate me.”

“They don’t hate you,” she says unconvincingly. “I’m sure if they just gave you a chance ...”

“Well, then this is the perfect opportunity.”

Looks like his cover is still intact. Carswell Thorne, devoted romantic partner and thrower of parties. It still surprises him, sometimes, how utterly naïve this girl is, how trusting, and so tragically gullible. This isn’t even the first time she’s caught him trying to snoop on her tech conglomerate’s projects. Next time, he promises himself. Next time, I’ll get her secrets. I just need a little more time.

“Carswell?”

“Hm?”

“I really, really like you.”

Thorne becomes aware of a warm, expanding feeling behind his ribcage. He shuts his eyes and lets out a breath into Cress’s hair. “I really like you, too. But you already knew that.”

She pulls away. For a moment he’s afraid that she’s detected something in his voice, that he’s somehow given himself away, but her eyes are sparkling and her cheeks turning pinker every second.

“Yeah,” she says, smiling down at him. “I already knew.”

...

“Jeez, Cress. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Cress says, and pulls something out of her pocket. It’s a cell phone, smudged with fingerprints and locked with a measly 8-character code. “Here. I got something for you.”

Linh Garan, founder and CEO of Shell Tech, frowns at her across his desk, but he takes the phone and turns it over in his hands. “Is it his? The agent’s?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“How did you even get it?”

“I ... picked his pocket.” She feels unsure of herself just saying it, like she might be boasting or lying. But she’s not. She went through hours and hours of YouTube tutorials and even got Cinder, Garan’s adopted daughter, to practice with her. Which wasn’t hard, seeing as Cinder would have signed up for anything that made “that idiot American” look like a chump. In the end, Thorne hadn’t felt a thing when she slipped the phone from his jacket. Of course, she was hugging him at the time, and he was already flustered knowing he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Guilty people never consider the possibility that someone else might be deceiving them.

It still surprises her, sometimes. How easy it is to play someone who thinks they’ve got you wrapped around their finger.

Garan raises his eyebrows at the phone, clearly impressed. “Well, this is obviously Rikan-issue. We’ll do a full scan and decryption and have it back to you before you leave for drinks. If it’s his work phone, odds are we can get a lot of intel out of it. Good work, Cress.”

“Thanks.”

"And you know you don’t have to do this, right? Rikan’s the one that planted him here. We’d be well within our rights to fire him. Don’t feel pressured to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

Cress bites her lip. “I know. I won’t.”

“Good.”

When she leaves the office, she finds Thorne chatting up Michelle Benoit, co-founder of Shell Tech, who’s holding a coffee cup and nodding along politely to everything he says. Michelle has been twisting the necks off of farm chickens since she was a little girl, and she’s currently looking at Thorne like he’s a very noisy, very juicy chicken. Cress wants to be a grandma like her when she grows up.

“The work day’s not over yet,” she tells Thorne, sidling up to him in an apologetic sort of way. “You should probably let Michelle get back to work.”

Thorne makes Michelle an elaborate little bow. “Au revoir, Madame. Until le next time.”

Michelle smiles indulgently. “Ton français est franchement abominable. Je me demande quel bête t’a enseigné.”

Cress walks him to the exit, and as they walk he whispers, “What did she say? I didn’t get the last part.”

“She said your French is pretty good and you should come by again soon.”

“Ah,” he says, relieved. “Well, I’ll have to brush up on my Italian next. I hear it makes a very good impression with the ladies.” And as he opens the door, he leans back down to murmur lowly in her ear. “Non vedo l'ora di vederti stasera.”

Cress has no idea what that means, but her face goes tomato red anyway, and Thorne twinkles his eyes at her before disappearing into the street.

She’s going to have to wear something really distracting when he realizes who has his missing phone.

...

send me a prompt and I’ll write a quick(ish) drabble!

[adamantiumdragonfly]

Snowmen: A Cresswell Drabble

Promptmas Day 2. Prompt: Snowmen. 

Ship: Cresswell. Word Count: 353.

Cress’s first snowfall was in Norway, a veritable blizzard. The wind died down by nightfall and Carswell declared a snowball fight, opening the bay doors of the Rampion to the wonderous land beyond. 

Carswell had bundled her up in all the warm things they had found squirreled away in the depths of the ship: two sweaters, a pair of fleece leggings, knee-high boots, a thick parka and for good measure, a blanket wrapped up like a cacoon. She waddled down the ramp and almost fell over. She wasn’t sure if she lost her balance because she could barely move or if she was so enraptured by the landscape she saw. 

Tall shadow pine trees and the smudge of mountains in the distance, and in between the sky and the Rampion stretched a blanket of silver moon-light fluff. Her breath gasped from her chest, the cold burning down her throat and puffing out like smoke. 

Carswell grinned, pulling her down the ramp into the beautiful snow. She was almost hesitant to disturb it, the beauty and the serenity were too much to be touched. It crunched beneath her booted feet and she squealed in excitement.  

Carswell laughed, his breath clouding like a summer sky. He pulled her a little farther out, the wonder never leaving her eyes and she knelt in the flurry. 

“Here,” He motioned, starting to roll the snow into a ball. Mimicking his movement, she made a small pile, no larger than her head. Carswell’s creation was the base, followed by a piece they crafted together, and with pride, Cress placed her small offering on top. She giggled. 

“Did we just make a snowman?” She asked, almost in disbelief. This seemed like a dream. 

Taking off his scarf, he wrapped it around the snowman’s neck. “Yes, we did.” 

Falling backward, Cress let the snow embrace her like an old friend. Looking up at the dark sky, she reflected on how only a few months before, she had been up in that sky. Now she was here, on the ground, in the snow. It was all a dream. 

A dream of snowman and dark trees and spaceships. 

[moon-mirage]

Cresswell + road trip AU

It was the most daring thing she had ever done. Even if she had to sneak out in the middle of the night so Sybil wouldn't hear, with only her bare necessities in her little backpack, she had felt brave and courageous.

It was the beginning of an adventure, just like she had always dreamed of. She knew she wouldn't have dared to go on her own but he had come back, just like he promised he would, with a few magical words whispered between breathless kisses into her ear. She looked to her side where Thorne was sitting in the driver's seat, the sunglasses hiding his eyes but his whole face relaxed around a carefree grin, humming softly to a song only he could hear.

He came back ... for her.

As if Thorne felt her gaze on him, he turned to her. One of his hands left the steering wheel and reached for her own. Her heart beat fast in her chest but his smile steadied her and calmness washed over her for the first time since she went to bed, pretending to be asleep until she could make her escape. She was free. 

She was not alone.

The world awaited her, Thorne's battered car would take her wherever they wanted.

Just like he promised. With a few words and a kiss.

"Let's see the world, Cress."

---

I loved how it turned out, I hope you did too? :D

[moon-mirage]

uhhh I don't know how many prompts I get for your cresswell drabble thing, but it's exam season so how about an "I know we've literally never spoken but my roommate has their partner over and I have an exam tomorrow and i CAN'T focus when they're around so please can I hang out with you until then?" AU 👀

You can enter as many prompts as you like. :) It would be good to have just one word because then I can maybe manage to write a drabble only. But only maybe. 

But since you gave me more than a word, you’ll also get more words back ... 2,7k actually. :P I hope you have some time to spare. ;)

---

It was one thing to see her crush from far away, maybe even in a group of shared friends.

It was a whole different matter if he actually walked around her little apartment as if he owned the place even though he had never been here before.

"You like Vietnamese food, right?" He asked over his shoulder as he looked though the little kitchenette for some cutlery. Scarlet had organised the place well, so he easily found it. "You know Wolf, so there shouldn't be any cilantro in any of the dishes. Not sure what his deal with cilantro is since he usually eats everything that can be chewed. Weird if you ask me," he told her with a shrug.

"I do," Cress piped up. "Like Vietnamese food, I mean," she added lamely. After he said it was weird, she didn't want to reveal that she didn't like cilantro either.

Why oh why, couldn't have Scarlet warned her?

Although what could have prepared her for the sight of Carswell Thorne in her open door with two big bags of takeout, asking her if he could come in?

A devilish smile, a wink and Cress lost her ability to speak. Or behave like a normal human being.

She wanted to hide in her bedroom, change into something pretty and practice a conversation. She would like to be smart and witty and maybe a little bit sexy so he wouldn't know what hit him. He should be impressed by her, fall in love with her but instead she hardly could say a word.

He gave her his best smile. "Great." He hummed a few notes as he arranged the dishes on her counter, and she saw him glance at the pictures at the wall.

Oh stars!

It's not that she was particularly embarrassed by the fun pictures with her friends, when they had dressed up for a Disney-themed party (although with quite some booze which was hardly Disney-approved). But she certainly was now that her crush saw her in a full-blown Rapunzel costume, including the braided wig!

She cleared her throat, relieved when he turned his attention on her instead.

Well, that relief was short-lived now that he looked at her.

With those dreamy eyes that haunted her since her first college party.

Since then, Carswell Thorne had crossed her path more than once though she had to to speak with him more than ten words.

"What are you doing here?" She blurted out.

"Um." For the first time since he entered her apartment, Thorne looked sheepish. "Right. So, Scarlet is at our place."

Cress nodded. That wasn't anything new. Since Scarlet and Wolf got together, they had been almost inseparable. Wolf had come by their apartment a few times but tall as he was, he always looked caged in their small apartment, almost afraid to move and accidentally break something. Even sitting on their couch had been a sight. Cress and Scarlet fit snuggly into it but when Wolf sat on it, he used the whole space for himself. He had tried to make himself look smaller - an unsuccessful endeavour.

So, Scarlet was usually at his place that he shared with Thorne.

Which still didn't answer why Thorne was here.

In her apartment! With takeout!

Rubbing his neck, he seemed surprised that his reply hadn't answered her question. "So, Scarlet and Wolf are at our place ... together." When she didn't say anything, he gave an exasperated sigh. "I mean, together-together." He gave her a pointed look before folding a few napkins. "And I could hear everything. I mean, my bedroom is next to Wolf's so they know that I can hear them. They just didn't care."

Cress blushed furiously. Scarlet had been considerate enough not to bring Wolf to her place to be, as Thorne had put it, together-together but it had never occurred to Cress that they would go to Wolf's place instead since he also didn't live alone.

"But um, don't you also bring... girlfriends over?" The words were difficult to say with ease and she hoped he didn't notice. Thorne was many things - a charmer, very smart, good-looking and fun - but also, to her detriment, quite popular among the female students for all the reasons she just listed. She knew he went out with Shan from one of her classes for a while, Scarlet's friend Émilie had also talked about dating Thorne during their first semester and she had  seen him with Elia from Cress's dancing class as well. And those were just the ones she knew about.

Maybe if he flirted with her, if she at least got the chance for a date ... She never wanted to be another girl for Thorne, she wanted to be the girl for Thorne but he never extended his excessive flirting to her. More often than not, she had wondered if he even knew who she was despite sometimes hanging out together with Scarlet, Wolf, Cinder and Kai and Iko.

He gave a short laugh. "We usually have a kind of understanding ... or a schedule." A wink. "And I'm more discreet. I tell you, Scarlet brings out the wolf in Wolf," he said with a snicker. "Dinner is served!"

With flourish, he revealed the counter where he had strategically placed all the dishes, the rice, the sauces and even some candles she recognised as the ones they usually placed on the little shelf next to the door.

When she didn't say anything, he faltered for a second, his proud smile turning into a frown. "Oh wait." He looked through one of his pockets until he found a lighter and proceeded to lit the candles. "What do you say?"

Cress's heart was beating hard in her chest. "It's beautiful," the told him truthfully.

He preened at her compliment. "Well, the stuff you have is quite nice. The table pretty much set itself." Reaching for her, Cress felt his warm hands on her shoulder as he led her to the counter and helped her sit on one of the barstools.

This wasn't happening. Was she really eating dinner with Thorne?

When he looked expectantly at her, she reached for a summer roll, dipped in one of the sauces and hoped she wouldn't spill the whole content on her shirt as she bit into it. It was delicious and she hummed in pleasure.

"I take it tastes good?"

She opened her eyes, trying her best not to blush. "Amazing. Where is it from?"

"It's a few blocks from our place. Next time you come over, we can order from there again. Although there is also this great Indian restaurant you've got to try."

Cress munched on her roll, trying to figure out if he had indeed invited her to his apartment. Probably along with their other friends but still. She had only seen his place once not too long ago when he and Wolf had a little housewarming party.

A thought occurred to her. "Wait. If you, Scarlet and Wolf ordered it ... and you brought it here ... did you steal their food?"

He gave her an innocent look that could fool nobody. "I wouldn't say steal. I told you, they were otherwise occupied. Food is the last thing on their minds right now. And why let it go to waste?" He dug into one of the rice dishes, chewing thoughtfully.

They ate in silence but somehow, it wasn't awkward. At least, Cress didn't feel it was. But she was usually silent, so maybe it was awkward for Thorne?

Gathering all her courage, she asked him about his classes. An easy and safe topic for her and though he answered, he was more monosyllabic than she was used from him. He must have noticed himself because he gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Cress, it's just ... I'm doing okay but I'm no match for the golden child from campus. I doubt I could tell you anything you don't know already."

"That's not true." They shared a literature class together and he had eloquently interpreted a piece of fiction with ease. His view on the book had impressed her, despite having read on it and knowing the many ways to interpret the book. But he had made it his own and expressed his opinion, while Cress was usually too shy to raise her hand and join the discussion.

When she told him, he laughed warmly. "Ah, that pulp fiction story, I remember. Honestly, Cress, I was just bullshitting. I haven't even read the book."

"But then it's even more impressive."

There was a short silence during which she carefully evaded his gaze and focused on some fried vegetable. "That's sweet of you to say. But still, you're the genius who is acing pretty much every test without trying from what I've heard. I'm jealous," he said with a conspiratorial wink.

She blushed but didn't deny it. She wanted to let him know that it wasn't anything special, that learning was easy for her and that studying had been the only thing she had ever been good at - but no, it would come off as haughty or patronising. "I would like to be more like you," she confessed before she could stop herself.

"Sure you do. Who wouldn't?" He meant it as a joke but Cress didn't miss that there was a sombre tone to it.

She shrugged, trying to find the right words. "I'm good at tests, so I do well at college that's true but I'm not ... one day, we'll have our degree and then those grades won't matter much. I suck at personal interviews and my soft skills are really bad. I freeze up when I'm asked questions even though I know the answer. I'm not someone you remember among all those other college students aside from my grades."

"I remember you," he said without missing a beat. Cress blushed furiously at that and had no answer. Before the silence stretched on for too long, Thorne spoke again. "I'm actually relieved. I always saw you and heard the way people talked about you and thought, wow, there's someone who doesn't have to worry about life after college."

"I wish."

He nodded. "I actually excel at interviews. I can bullshit my way through them. Hey, I could teach you!" His eyes glinted with honest pride. "It's all about confidence."

"I don't have much of that," she murmured.

He waved her concerns away. "Just pretend you do then. Believe me, if you go into an interview, thinking you deserve the job and they have to convince you to take it, you'll automatically act all confident. It's easy, I'll show you how." He tipped at his temple, as if an idea had just occurred to him. "And in return you help me studying for my tests, deal?"

Thorne was all smiles and Cress couldn't help but grin back at him. He was so genuine and kind, in ways she was never able to discern from away. It just made her heart ache more. "Deal."

From that moment on, their conversation flowed more easily and Cress learned more about Thorne, his dreams and ambitions she had ever thought possible. Shy at first, she was nevertheless gaining some confidence as she talked to him and wasn't embarrassed when he pointed to the picture of her, Scarlet and Cinder in their Disney dresses.

"Please, let me borrow it. I need to make fun of Cinder, please, Cress? You can't deny me that one chance to one-up Cinder."

"She would so kill me."

"But Cress, she's wearing a dress. A poufy one, with glitter! And a tiara! An ugly one but still. Maybe I should take her shopping for a new one. See, I need that picture to help Cinder. That's me being a great friend."

"How selfless of you."

He nodded earnestly. "Selfless is my middle name. Right after suave and daring."

Cress giggled as she finished the last bit of her rice pudding dessert. With some sadness, she realised their nice evening together would be soon over. She didn't want it to be but takeout was what he came here for and now nothing was left.

Even Thorne was quiet, as he looked at all the empty boxes, cleaning a few specks on the counter with a napkin.

Cress wondered where he would go now. It was unlikely that Scarlet would return tonight or that she and Wolf would not take advantage of the empty apartment.

As if he read her mind, Thorne asked. "Would you mind if I crashed here for tonight?"

Cress stuttered. He wanted to stay the night? Here? At her place? Where she was?

"Or not!" He laughed. "Sorry, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I just assumed Scarlet's room is empty and since it's already late... I'm sorry, Cress." Reaching for her hand, he squeezed it lightly. His usually mischievous grin was replaced by something more soft and sweet and she knew he would leave if she asked him to.

Cress had never invited a guy into her apartment. She wasn't prepared. The bathroom was a cluttered mess and she desperately tried to remember if she left her underwear somewhere he could see. Or the braces she wore during the night. Aces, he would see her in her spaceship pyjamas! Her cute flowery ones were in the laundry. She was just not prepared for Carswell Thorne staying the night.

And still... "I-it's fine. I'm sure Scarlet won't mind." From the stories she heard, they had already shared a tent when they went hiking with Cinder and Iko. Cinder had absolutely refused to share the tent with Thorne but Scarlet and Iko didn't have the same issues (though for different reasons, she remembered).

His smile was soft but there was a touch of nervousness that was so unlike the Thorne she knew that she felt flustered and busied herself with cleaning up the dishes. "Thank you, Cress. I promise to-"

She didn't let him finish. "Is that why you came here?" She had actually wondered about that. Thorne could have went anywhere after leaving his apartment. Iko and Cinder's apartment was much closer to his place than hers, and Kai's place was really fancy. It was the apartment they would hang out the most since it was the most spacious one and had lots of anemities. For a group of ever-poor students, it was a dream come true.

The silence went on a heartbeat too long. "Yes. Right. Scarlet's empty room. I mean it makes sense right?" His laugh was a touch too loud before he helped her cleaning up the counter. "I promise you won't even notice I'm here."

Somehow she doubted that.

---

"I can't believe you actually thought I randomly came by with dinner."

"How could I think you were not? You were at my door with takeout, I didn't think ..."

Thorne tugged playfully at one of her locks. "- I wouldn't come by under pretense just to spend a bit of time with the girl I had a crush on?" He finished for her. "Come on, Cress. You are supposed to be the smart one in this relationship."

"But you were so convincing!"

His finger tips ghosted over her cheek and she leaned into her touch. "Just as I told you then ... I pretended to be confident. And apparently, it worked."

The kiss that followed still made her heart race. She laced her hands behind his neck, drawing him closer, his taste now so familiar to her.

It stopped way too soon. She looked up him questioningly, her eyebrows furrowed when she saw his mischivious grin. "What?"

Leaning closer, he whispered into her ear. "You want to know another secret?" She knew he would feel her nod. "Scarlet and Wolf had left for the weekend to visit Scarlet's grandma. I didn't see - or hear - them for two whole days."

She gasped and he bit his lips playfully. "You planned this?"

"Yes." He drew her in for another kiss. "And I'm glad I did."

Her heart warmed at his confession. "Me too."

---

Don’t ask me why but I feel this oneshot pretty much wrote itself (during working hours but no one needs to know that). It’s actually my first AU oneshot and it was a fun challenge. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Thank you again for the prompt. :)

[moon-mirage]

Ooh, for your recent cresswell prompt thing: elderly meet cute? :P

Carswell Thorne always had a very distinct notion of beauty.

He had breezed through life with the quick pace of a man who knew where he wanted to go and never allowed anyone to root him to a place. The women that shared sometimes more, but usually less time with him fit into very neat categories of what accounts as attractiveness and why shouldn't they? Even when grey started peppering his brown hair and his cane became his constant companion, he kept his charme, easy smile and flirty attitude. 

Smooth skin, stunning hair and a pair of great legs - yes, Thorne had an eye for beauty.

So why was it that when he saw bright eyes surrounded by lines that came from years of smiling softly, silver strands glinting among a mop of golden curls, that he felt he saw true beauty for the first time?

(She did have fantastic legs though.)

***

Thank you for participating! That was a great prompt. :D

[moon-mirage]

Cresswell + smooches

I looove smooches. Cresswell has the best ones and I hope I did it justice with my little drabble.

***

Thorne always knew what he liked. Being the captain of his very own ship, the feeling of absolute freedom under a starry night, beautiful eyes and a pair of very nice legs on a pretty girl. 

Also, kisses. Epic ones that felt like everything he liked at once and made you believe in things like fate.

All of these things came together wonderfully right now, as he felt knees shifting over his lap to better accommodate the small space of the captain's chair. Soft lips that tasted of berries and cinnamon claimed his mouth once again while small fingers gripped at his hair to move his head for better access.

Thorne was nothing but obliging when faced with such a valid request and was rewarded with a soft sigh that tickled his skin.

His own hands trailed up slim legs, grapping at hips that moved just a bit too close to comfort before focusing on everything that was pure Cress once again, tasting her as she opened her mouth against his, her breath erratic.

It wasn't the first kiss they shared like this in cockpit of the Rampion and aces, it better not be the last one but right now, it was just what he needed.

And he hoped that he was everything she needed right now as well.

***

To the smooches and also to great people coming up with wonderful prompts! 💋 

[moon-mirage]

Cresswell drabble prompts

To get me back into a writing mode (without overwhelming me) I thought it would be fun to do some prompts.

The idea: Send me one word plus a Cresswell scenario in which you want me to use it and I'll write a paragraph drabble. It could be canon, AU or for one if my fics.

Examples:

love + Canon

shooting star + AU

dancing + PEA/Masks/TWMA

I'm looking forward to your writing prompts! 😊

[moon-mirage]

I didn’t know it was TLC shipweeks and Cresswell week has already started. 😞

And I started working on two things already that would have lined up perfectly with two of the prompts.

AU - I recently got back into drawing (because my old laptop broke, I was too lazy to export/import all my brushes etc, to the new one, so I procrastinated) but now that everything is set up again, I really enjoy drawing again. So, I have Satellite and Captain for everyone who wants to see them in their costume - though I have to admit, it’s not very exciting since I’m not someone who enjoys drawing clothing with lots of details a lot. :P Expect blue jumpsuits/catsuits. 😅

But there’s also an AU I always wanted to draw which was a Swan Lake Cresswell AU with Cress being Odette, Thorne the prince and -wait for it- Luisa as Odile who glamours herself as Cress to trick the prince. 🤩 I like the concept so I hope I can pull off drawing it.

And then “Show me.” LLC send me a prompt for a drabble which was “Masks + sexy”. I... haven’t written anything sexy so far I think but I had an idea and ran with it.

I’ll just quickly post the stuff that had the prompt in there:

He bit his lips, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Show me," he practically purred.

Seriously? "Thorne ... there's nothing sexy about it. [...]”

He waved her arguments away. "Yes, yes. Don't care. Now, show me."

[...]

Thorne made a face. "I didn't hear that." Crossing his arms as if he had every time in the world, Thorne made it seem like he was waiting for the bus and not like he just asked her to strip. His voice dropped a few octaves though. "Show me," he told her again, more softly this time, biting his lower lip in anticipation.

So, it’s too bad I didn’t know beforehand but I’ll post everything at some point anyway.