#cuz the outside kinda looks like fish scales and it just stuck

[failedintsave]

🌧️ skwistok?

[Send an emoji and I'll write a drabble]

I listened to rain sounds to get the *mood* for this, but I ended up taking a long nap and I kinda lost the thread for a second OOP this ended up silly!

🌧️ Rainy Day Activities

A fleeting white flash preceded the low, rolling peal of thunder, like the purr of a massive, unseen feline roaming the grounds of Mordland. No cat would be caught outside in this downpour, Toki thought, glancing up at the sheets of water cascading gently down the windowpane. The landscape beyond was a wash of desaturated tones, the mountains in the distance outlined briefly by another burst of lightning before they faded into the gray backdrop once more. Watching for too long made him dozy, so he turned his attention back to his project.

It had taken him the better part of the entire day to assemble, but as the image coalesced into its completed state, Toki regretted not a single minute spent crawling around on hands and knees on the cold stone floor of Skwisgaar's room. There simply hadn't been enough space in his own quarters for the expansive puzzle (he'd selected the largest available from the aquarium gift shop after their trip for Nathan's birthday) and he'd hoped to entreat Skwisgaar into helping him put it together—the thing was nearly as wide as the Swede was tall!—but after less than an hour, Skwisgaar had grown restless and returned to his scales. He watched and sometimes pointed out a piece Toki was searching for, but otherwise didn't seem interested in assisting further.

The door opening and clicking shut behind him drew Toki's eyes away from the colorful still life spread out before him. "Look, ams almost done!" He smiled up at Skwisgaar as the blonde crossed to join him, carrying a plate.

"Pff. Abouts time. You missed dinners completesly." He held out the dish, potato chips piled high around a halved sub sandwich. The rich smell of marinara wafted down as Toki accepted it, his stomach growling in time with another rumble of thunder. "Moidaface ams starving himselfs again I guess. Dis time he not mad abouts de shape of de food, but de fact day it ams meatballs."

Laughing, Toki took a hearty bite before setting the dish aside. He plucked away a string of mozzarella that stuck to his lips and wiped his hands on his pants. "His loss, dis ams delicious. But look!" 

Gesturing to the puzzle, Toki waved a hand over the picture of the vibrant coral reef. The sparse monochromatic decor of Skwisgaar's room made the kaleidoscopic rainbow of fish and anemones seem even brighter. Skwisgaar nodded, heading back to perch on his bed with his guitar.

"Very pretties. Now what? You all done?"

"Now I just puts de last piece of underwater friends here," Toki pointed to a clownfish's missing face, "and den—" 

His fingertips touched bare stone where the dwindling work-pile of pieces had been. Toki looked around, lifting both knees and checking beneath his plate before letting out a dismayed cry.

"Where'd it goes?!"

"What?"

"De last piece!"

"You don't has it?"

"I did!" Toki crawled in a circle, carefully flattening the edges of the puzzle to make sure it hadn't slipped underneath somehow. "I knows I had it, I countsed dem all before I starts!"

Skwisgaar's plucking stopped. "You counted all ofs dem?"

"Ja, I always does wif all my models."

"Ten t'ousand pieces?"

"Ja."

"Huh." He sounded impressed, if a bit bewildered. The muted plunking of strings started up again. 

Still searching the floor, Toki flipped up the corner of the polar bear rug to no avail. "You don't starts to pracstice de guitar wifout all's your strings, right? Cuz what's would be de point?"

"Well ja, but Toki dere ams like…six." He picked an open note on each before resuming his arpeggios. "Maybes you miscount?"

"I didn't! Wills you just helps me look for it? Ams orange, should be easy to spots."

Skwisgaar gave a cursory glance around the room and shrugged. "I don't sees nothin', dids you look under de bed?"

With a huff, Toki scooted to that side of the room and pressed his ear to the floor. Nothing, not even a dust bunny hid under the vast platform. A booted heel bumped against his backside and Toki lifted his head to frown at the snickering Swede. As their eyes met, Toki's narrowed in suspicion, and Skwisgaar pressed his lips together in a flat line to smother another giggle.

"Where ams it?"

"Dunno." His voice quavered with suppressed amusement.

"Where ams it?" Toki repeated, his hands landing on the mattress, boxing in Skwisgaar's hips.

Bony shoulders rose and fell in an unconvincing shrug. "Search me."

"Fine. I thinks I will." 

Toki wrestled the guitar from Skwisgaar's grasp, setting it on the floor and bodily rolling the taller man from side to side, checking under and behind for the missing piece. No flash of orange anywhere on the fur duvet.

"Turns out you pockets."

Skwisgaar started to oblige, but Toki was faster. He turned the linings inside out, rewarded with a few spare guitar picks, a tube of chapstick, and a poorly restrained squeal from the blonde as investigating fingers poked the join of his leg and pelvis. Momentarily sidetracked by the sound, a grin spread over Toki's face, barely masking wicked intent.

"Don't you does it." Skwisgaar warned, catching the change in demeanor. Too late.

"What? You means dis?!"

"Toki, noo-hoohohohueaghaah!" 

Skwisgaar dissolved into a floundering, chortling puddle as Toki pounced, fingers now seeking soft, vulnerable flesh. His hands roamed over the Swede's ribs and belly, poking under his arms and squeezing his knees until his victim gasped for air.

"Gives it up, Skwigelf, I knows you took it!"

"You gots no proof!" Skwisgaar panted, kicking and swatting ineffectually at the strong hands pinning him down.

"I don't needs proof, I gots inskinkts, and dey's telling me—" Toki stopped, his thumbs pressed into bared skin where Skwisgaar's shirt had come untucked. He looked from the pale, exposed strip to the studded belt underscoring it. "You gots to be kidding me."

Skwisgaar's flailing lessened, his cheeks flushed from exertion. An innocent smile played across his lips. "What?"

"You know whats." Toki was already unbuckling, unbuttoning, unzipping. "Why? Ams dis? In your pants?!"

The bashful face of a clownfish stared back as Toki peeled open the gray denim. He plucked the orange shape off Skwisgaar's white briefs and held it up.

"Now how did dat gets dere?" Skwisgaar tapped his mouth with a long, elegant finger, squinting one eye as if recalling some morsel of information. "Hmm. Didn'ts we loirns at de aquarsiums dat dese guys likes to hide?"

Toki slapped Skwisgaar's thigh with the back of his hand, eliciting another stifled chuckle."How long has dis been in dere? It's all bent!"

"I t'oughts you'd be happy to sees him, hueghuehhuegh." 

A long leg hooked behind Toki where he kneeled, pulling him closer. He got the distinct impression that Skwisgaar wasn't referring only to the missing puzzle piece. Lightning streaking across the sky once more reflected in the burning blue gaze that watched him from the bed. Looking from the puzzle piece in his palm to the man sprawled beneath him, already halfway undressed, Toki smirked and threw the silver of cardboard over his shoulder.

"I cans finish it later."