#ento writes

[entomologistt]

What do they give you for Christmas?

Featuring: Emma Woods, Orpheus DeRoss, Victor Grantz, Vera Nair, Anne Lester, Frederick Kreiburg (Identity V)

Contains: Holiday gift giving, fluff, seperate romantic headcanons, gender neutral reader

Ento note: Happy Holidays! And good day to you if you don’t celebrate 🙂‍↕️ I don’t even remember what I spent all my spyglasses on, but now I can’t afford Melly’s christmas B tier… sighs. Next year she will be be mine, trust 🙏

Emma Woods “Gardener”

Emma has to think outside the box this time. She always gives you the prettiest flowers and all of the best, most succulent fruits and vegetables from her garden… Plus, it’s wintertime.

So she reverts back to her old roots of handiwork… Knitting! She spends a while working on a huuuuge knitted sweater of your favourite color(s), each woollen row a sign of her unwavering commitment to making the coziest sweater. 

When she finally gifts it to you, it’s really warm and comfy, perfect for the holiday season. She even made herself a matching green one!

Orpheus DeEss “Novelist”

If you share a similar interest, such as reading, he’d give you books of your favourite genres and authors.

Actually—he’d probably write something just for you, a story he knows you’d enjoy, one that gets you more intrigued with each turn of the page. Maybe even some poems for just you.

He’d also get you a locket necklace or a watch, a piece of pretty jewellery for you to wear. You can put whatever you want in it. Will you keep him close to you?

Victor Grantz “Postman”

He’s a sweetheart, that’s for sure. He shows up at your door with a smile on his face, a bouquet full of poinsettias and red roses held out for you to take. Of course, Wick is with him too, her tail wagging as she barked excitedly behind him. 

Victor is a good listener, so he always takes mental notes on things you like or things you might need. He gifts you various things, including supplies for any hobbies you partake in. 

He also gifts you a new notebook that you can keep, so you can keep his written words and conversations with you! 

Vera Nair “Perfumer”

Vera makes you two special perfumes. One is a pretty bottle full of scents that remind her of you, and she’s an expert at assigning people their recommended fragrances, scents that fit them. In this case, it’s a scent that’s so… you! 

The other is a bottle of euphoria, but she only recommends it for when you need to ease your mind. 

She also gifts you things you’d find in a gift set, full of luxurious bath and skin products. You’re dear to her, you deserve the best, after all. 

Anne Lester “Toy Merchant”

Although her specialty is wooden toys, she has another thing in mind for you. When December comes, she spends a lot of time in her workshop, crafting the perfect gift for you. 

Matching dolls! That’s right; she makes two little dolls, one that’s you and one that’s her. With the paid help of a certain prospector, the little hands are magnetized, so whenever they’re close, they connect! 

Now with these “mini-yous” in the picture, sometimes you both switch dolls. You take mini-Anne wherever you go, and mini-you sits happily on Anne’s shelf with other stuffed animals and toys. 

Frederick Kreiburg “Composer”

Of course, only something special and meaningful would suffice for his muse. At first, he thought of composing another beautiful piece for you on the piano… But let’s just say he’d never be done in time with how many times he’d restart, throwing crumpled papers to the floor. 

But a bright idea flickers in his mind, and he believes it to be possible. So when Christmas Day comes, he charmingly hands you your nicely wrapped gift. 

It’s a music box. When you twist the hand crank, a familiar tune comes in little bell-like notes. It’s one of the first composed pieces he’d ever written for you! Not only can you listen to the nostalgic melody whenever you want, you can also store your pretty jewellery and accessories in the velvet music box. 

[rykno-j]

Phonecall (j/jk)

Summary: Like the title suggests, G/ojo makes a call for help. From who? N/anami. OR G/ojo calling N/anami to bring shit over for his cold

Ship: n/anag/o? it's up to interpretation

Notes: Tried to write a snz > plot fic for once. N/anami calls G/ojo "G/ojo-s/an" in the anime/manga so I'll probably retain that. I'm kinda proud of this one, ahh- (like the angst parts only) Oh right there's some angsty parts but it's pretty mild.. I think.. like there's more fluffy & snz parts..

Actually wrote this whole thing in 1 sitting. Imagine that.

2.7k words.

-----------------

"..Hh-hH'!! hAH'ZZDcHh!! hA'DzcHH!!"

Fuck. Those were the roughest he's had for today.

Gojo stares burry at his ceiling. The fan in the middle has 3 blades. If Gojo didn't know better, he'd say there were 5 instead.

His head hurt, everything hurt. He was sure he was sweating, but everything felt so cold.

..Must be a side effect from the fever, then.

Gojo sighed. It's been awhile since.. since-

"..hiH'tcHH!! haH'zZdchH!!"

-Since he had fallen sick. The last time.. the last time he had fallen sick..

It was only bearable because someone had been there.

Of course.

Gojo turns over to his table, the action taking up most of his energy. With what little he had left, Gojo reaches clumsily for his phone. It almost slips out of his trembling fingers as he flips it open.

The brightness from the screen stung his eyes, causing him to turn to the side to muffle a fit of photic sneezes into the back of his palm.

At least.. at least those didn't ruin this throat as much as-

"..heH'EshH'iww!! ..snff-!"

-As those did.

All the sweating he was doing now was probably due to his fever breaking, but Gojo wasn't so sure.

His brain loved to overheat, and while he would gladly heal any damage done to it with his reversed cursed technique, he was pretty sure this damned cold did not count as an injury.

How unfortunate.

He ate the last of his fever medicine 5 hours ago.

How unfortunate.

Although he was never one to back down from a challenge, even Gojo knew he would never make it further than the front door, if he could even manage to stumble out of his room.

"..hih'tchh!! hAH'DzcHh!! ..hH'!! ..haah.. ..snff-!! hh.."

Great. It's stuck. His body must straight up hate him.

In all honesty, Gojo figures that he deserves it. Who was it again? That said his body would give in if he didn't get enough sleep?

Right.. it was Nanami..

Nanami..

Nanamin!

Squinting at his phone screen, Gojo selects the 'contacts' option on his phone. He slowly scrolls down to the 'N' section, eyes gazing over a few painful contact names that he had yet to delete.

Even after all this time, he still couldn't just let go.

His finger hovers over the call button of Nanami's contact. Would he pick up? It's his off day after all. He knows how much Nanami treasures those.

Small breathers from the hectic world of Jujutsu. In fact, 'hectic' was putting it lightly.

Well, it's not like he was ringing Nanami up for anything stupid, like he normally does. Though, with that being said, this would count as something utterly stupid.

Nevermind that.

-----

Stepping out of the bakery, Nanami feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. Stopping in his tracks, he pulls it out, scowling at the name that appeared.

What did that annoyance (affectionate) want this time?

He lets a few more rings pass before picking it up, expecting to hear Gojo's obnoxious voice seep through the phone, no doubt to ask him out on another infuriating shopping trip.

Instead, he was met with silence.

Sensing that something was wrong, Nanami made his way to a more secluded area. Was there trouble?

"Gojo-san? Are you there?"

Nanami listens to the other side of the line carefully. But all he hears is soft, even breathing.

"..Gojo-san."

The breathing slowly turns into the sound of ruffling cloth, before a small string of inaudible mumbles could be heard.

"Nanamiin..?"

Nanami felt a pulse in his head. Seriously. Did he just wake up or something?

"..You called me?"

"I did..? Oh.. right I.. I dihH-..G'xxt!! ..did, didn't I? ..ahh, wait.. let me remembHh'!! ..h'NgxXt!! hh-G'nt!! ..aggnh, Nanamin I'm s' srry, haah-"

Instead of replying, Nanami's eyebrows furrowed. That voice was definitely Gojo's, but just what was he blabbing on about?

And those sudden, breathy sounds, punctuated by.. a weird, heavy noise. What were those?

"Are you okay?"

"Mm, no. Not really. Actually.. Nanaminn, can you come over?"

"No."

"..P-G'nXt!! ..Please?"

"I'm not falling for your tricks again."

"N-No tricks.. Nanamiin, pleease.."

Nanami sighs, wondering why he even decided to go back as a teacher in the first place. Why didn't he just delete Gojo's contact all those years ago?

"Fine."

"Yaay, Nanamin!!"

Nanami sighs again (he does this a lot when he's dealing with Gojo), finger reaching over to end the call when-

"Naanaminn, can you also bring some fever medicine overr? I.. ran out."

Fever medicine?

He opens his mouth to ask about that, but was only met with the monotonous beep of an ended line.

-----

The phone slips out of his fingers, dropping onto the floor with a thud that thankfully sounded like the item didn't crack into pieces.

All he had to do now was wait.. huh.

Gojo felt his eyelids slide shut. He tried to force them open to no avail. Seriously.. when was the last time he felt this bad?

..It was probably way back then, when he had gotten stabbed through his neck down to his knees, left bleeding out on the ground.

His eyes slowly slid shut, plunging him into darkness.

Darkness..

...

..Satoru-

..Satoru-!

Gojo suddenly jolts awake, the sudden movement sending him curled into himself with a fit of coughing, the scene that woke him up from his nightmare still dancing behind his eyelids.

..10 years.. or was it 11? 12? How long has it been since that day? How long has it been since he was last shook awake from a similar nightmare, tears streaming down his eyes, unstoppable?

Seriously.. this fever might just prove to be more of a nuisance than he originally gave credit to.

Lost in his thoughts, Gojo barely managed to register the sound of his front door opening. Even in his tired state, his body unconsciously prepared to fight, a thin layer of Infinity forming around himself.

"Gojo-san?"

With a weary smile, Gojo dropped his defenses. He recognised that voice anywhere.

"You left your front door unlocked." Nanami sounded pissed off. No matter, the most important part was that he came. He came..

"Ahh.. did I?"

"I'm serious. What if someone had broken in?"

Gojo felt himself relax as the shadow of Nanami's form stretched pass his doorway. "Nobody would do such a thing.. I'm sure. To non.. s-sorcerers, I'm a nobody. And n-nobody else knows I live hhH'!! ..here. Except you."

"That's not an excuse."

"Lighten upp, Nanamiin, I'm fiiine. Anywayy, I'm so glad you camee- I was convinced you would've ignored me for goood."

"..."

Based on the scene in front of his eyes, Nanami could easily conclude that Gojo was, indeed, not fine. Not in the slightest.

But even he knew it was futile to argue with the other, even in the.. state he was currently in.

"..Hh-G'nX'cthh!! ..hiH'gnXshh'!!"

"Bless you." Nanami sighed. So those sounds over the phone were sneezes, then.

Gojo removed the fingers pinching his nose, waving them dismissively.

"I'm fhH'!! ..fine, don't worhH'!! ..worr'hH-!! ..hiH'gx-ShHe'w!!"

Nanami found himself wincing at the effort it seemed to take Gojo to keep those quiet.

Seriously, of all the people he knew, including those he used to know, Gojo was never one to stifle.. unlike-

"Na-na-min! Did you bring what I asked for?"

"..Mm. Fever medicine, right?"

"Ahh- thank youu!! How much do I owe y-you?"

"Consider this a gift."

"How kind!"

Nanami stares, unbelieving, frozen by the doorway. Despite his distance away from the bed, he could clearly see how badly Gojo was faring. The disheveled hair, reddish hue surrounding his cheeks and nose, the fact he was lying down instead of bouncing around the room.

Why? Why was he always trying so hard to seem fine? Even after all this time, why?

Finally making his way inside, Nanami drops the plastic bag into Gojo's open palm.

"..Oh..You bought the solid kind."

"Huh?"

Gojo slowly removes the box, shaking it in the air. "..Solid.. pills."

"Yes." Was the fever messing with Gojo's brain? What was he asking?

Nanami watches as a pout forms on the other's face. It would have been quite comical, if not given the current circumstances.

"Nanamiin, I can't swallow pills that are this big, remember? Liquid.. do you have liquid ones?"

Ah.. right. Nanami remembers having this conversation with someone before, about how Gojo couldn't take solid medicine to save his life. He remembers the conversation, from ages ago. The conversation with.. with-

"I'll get water for you." Nanami turns to leave, shaking the image of that Someone out of his mind.

"Ah- Nanamin! Wait!"

Nanami found himself freezing at the sudden desperation in Gojo's voice. The tone of a scared child. When was the last time he heard that sound come from the other..?

"What is it?" His own tone softened, a subconscious reaction.

"..Don't go, please."

Once again, Nanami finds himself speechless. A few seconds pass, before Gojo cleared his throat, eyes looking everywhere except where the other was standing. Embarrassment?

"..Sorry.. I- that- that came out by itself, haha-"

Nanami sighs. Through all the years they had known each other, Gojo had always been an easy read due to his expressiveness. Although.. there were some people could read him better than others.

Nanami was one of these people. Possibly one of the few that were left, at that. It was to be expected, especially since the two of them were all each other had years ago.

Turning back to face the bed, Nanami shrugs off his coat, gently pressing it into the mattress next to Gojo's head.

"Mm.?" Gojo looked up at him, confused.

"..Look after this for me, I'll be right back."

"Ah, of course."

Turning to leave the room once again, Nanami was met with no sounds of displeasure this time.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Gojo's fingers wrap tightly around his coat, watched as Gojo brought the article into his chest, face buried into its collar.

Nanami felt his eyes soften at the sight. Even after all these years, Gojo never really grew up.

He was still the senior that greeted Nanami with that stupid smile on the first day of school, the friend who had comforted him when he was crying his eyes out, the friend who needed the comfort when it was his turn to cry his eyes out, and now the colleague who loved his students more than words could describe.

All of that put into the shivering body on the lonely bed.

"..heh'shHEiw!! hiH'gSsH'iww!! hH'!! ..snff- hH'dZzchH!!"

The corridor was quiet, Nanami could hear every little sound coming from the bedroom. Gojo must've thought he was in the kitchen by now, judging by how he was no longer stifling.

..How considerate.

"hiH'dzZch'iww!! ..H'tchh! aH'ngsHE'iw!!"

Nanami decides that he would grab a box of tissues from the living room. He doubts that Gojo even had any in his room.

Honestly.. his level of self care was off the charts at times. There was only so much his technique could heal. Cuts, bruises, fractures. Not colds, not fevers, not broken hearts.

That's what Nanami was there for.

It was decided then. He would stay over until Gojo was back on his feet. Nodding to himself, Nanami reaches for a cup, filling it with water.

He should probably leave for a grocery run after Gojo goes to sleep. He wonders if the other had even eaten a bite after this had started.

Probably not.

"..h'gShHE'iww!! hAH'dZzcHH!! snff- g'tchh! 'tchh! 'zztch! h'gtch!!"

As Nanami approached the room, the fits of sneezes progressively got clearer and clearer. The last couple sounded itchy, he noted.

Like Gojo's photic fits.

He remembers the first time he witnessed one, remembers the tears that gathered at the edge of Gojo's eyes under the sun.

He remembers that period of time years ago where Gojo would always misplace his sunglasses.

Before that, it never used to be a problem, since a Someone would always be there to make sure he didn't lose them, to make sure they were always covering his sensitive eyes.

After that Someone was erased from their lives, Nanami took over. He was the one that gave Gojo the idea of wearing a blindfold instead.

..Perhaps 'erased' was a little too strong of an expression. 'Slipped' would have been a better word.

He slipped from both their lives, both of them did.

"Gojo-san.?"

Nanami peeks into the room, the sight in front of him tugging at his heart.

Gojo had curled even his legs up to his chest, the long coat tangled between his limbs. There was a small, damp patch on the collar of the clothing right below where Gojo's nose was.

Nanami found himself not caring too much about that fact. He was just glad. Glad that he was able to provide the other with some comfort.

People often forgot that Gojo was human too. Despite how he was extremely immature and smiling all the time, Nanami didn't know of another who went through as much pain as he did.

Sometimes, it was almost like Gojo himself too, forgot that he had limits.

"Ahh- Nanamin.. welcome back!"

You don't have to force yourself to sound so cheery all the time.

"I'm sorry I made such a fuss just now, you did nothing wrong."

You don't have to apologise for anything.

"I owe you one."

No. Nanami presses the cup gently to Gojo's lips. You don't owe me anything. It was my pleasure.

When Gojo struggled to get the pills down, Nanami stayed by his side, rubbing comforting circles into his back.

He didn't know what else to do, what else to say.

Nanami stares into Gojo's dull blue eyes, the colour muted due to his fever. He remembers the last time Gojo's eyes wore a similar shade. He remembers not knowing what to do then as well, except to stay by Gojo's side.

"I'm really glad you came, Nanamin."

Maybe this was all Gojo needed after all, someone to support him. Maybe this was enough.

"Thank youu-"

Nanami hummed in reply, setting the cup down as Gojo dissolved into another small coughing fit.

"You're welcome."

"Juice would have been better t-thouhH'!! ..hih'G'Nxt!! 'NgxXt!! ..snff-"

Instead of biting back with a quick "the only thing you have in your kitchen is coffee and sugar cubes", Nanami pulled a tissue out of the box, pressing it to Gojo's nose softly.

"N-anamin?! I.. I can..hH'!! ..do that myself-"

"I'll let go if you promise to stop stifling."

"Hah? What do you mhH'!! hIH'KsShh'iw!! ..snff- heH'DzZtchH!! ..fuck. I'm so sorry-"

Nanami gently wiped the edge of Gojo's nose before pulling the tissue away, replacing it with a fresh one.

"W-Wait.. NahH'!! ..Nanamin-! Be carfhH-!"

Turning as far away from Nanami as he could in their current position, Gojo clasps a shaky hand over the one on his nose, his breath hitching desperately.

"..N'GsHH'iww!! hIH'tCHH-w!! hH'!! ..haaH.. nngh-..heK'sHh!! t'chh!! dzZtchH!!"

Pulling away once more, Nanami pulled a few more tissues from the box, this time handing them straight to Gojo.

"..Always thinking ahead, hm? How'd you know to get these from outside?"

"Your sneezes always get rather messy." Nanami wants to say, but he remains silent.

"..I'm sorry you had to see that, anyway."

"Don't worry about it."

"Mmh.. I'm a little tired."

"You should get some rest then."

"Yeah.. join me?"

Not expecting that response, Nanami stares blankly at Gojo for several seconds, before his eyes travel down to his wrists, where Gojo had already latched his fingers around.

Not like he had the option to deny the request..

..That's not it, Nanami thinks as he shifts to lift the covers. Even if he had the option to say No, he still would have picked Yes.

Finally setting down next to the other, Gojo shifts his grip from Nanami's wrists to around his waist, pressing his damp nose into the crook of Nanami's neck, lips on his collarbone.

"Na-na-min."

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For coming, and for staying."

"..."

"Will you still be here when I wake up?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"..Promise?"

"Yes."

The grocery shopping could wait.

--end--

----------------

finishing notes: idk if the whole "gojo used to be with geto, and he still misses him" implication spoiled the nanago vibe of this fic

if it did, ahjhaesd IM SO SORRY

but i really, really REALLY, couldn't stop thinking about gojo and nanami using each other to heal from whatever tragedy befell upon them in the hidden inventory/premature death arc, and how they healed each other until eventually getting together.

that's all i have for now, thanks for reading!

Now I get to back to my week of examinations! Totally didn't spend hours writing this instead of studying for Economics! <3 <3

--5 days to Shibuya--

[str0yberries]

"So that makes me the ausTerualia to your canadAoi" -Entowento 2024

[terra-tortoise]

light flight has a faction of librarians called lore keepers. theyre divided into three subfactions. one is tome keepers, the actual librarians and custodians of history and documents. another are relic keepers, who care for, organize, and study artifacts recovered from the many ruins in light territory. the final are record keepers, a more professional-sounding term for what are commonly called priests. these priests recieve and interpret prophecies, the most vivid and reliable visions recieved by the priest of the sun and stars, a position currently held by a veilspun called entos.

[fuxuannie]

Finally Blade content... Ily... nnn .m......

The day his canon personality is revealed i promise ill write of him more, cause I SWEAR my interpretation of him constantly changes every time I write about himm,, RAHHHHHHHHH

[clumsiestgiantess]

Omg you can’t just tell us there’s a puppy WITHOUT showing us the puppy!!!

Will there be a part 5 for the shadow we cast or did it end?

OH there will be ALOT more than a part 5! I'm currently ridiculously busy with a puppy, wedding, commissions and a whole Lotta life, so I've been struggling to find time to write.

I have A LOT planned for Mark and Sal and will hopefully get another chapter up soon!

[rafesslxt]

What do you wanna read first?

I mainly am writing these 3 right now and don‘t know to concentrate on which one exactly

[clumsiestgiantess]

Day 1 for Ento’s writer appreciation challenge!!!

My favorite comfort fic is actually a webtoon called My Miniature Life Manual! The characters are all very cute in their own ways and the shenanigans they get up to are always fun to read about! And of course there’s a tiny bit of angst sprinkled in every so often too

My own comfort fic is The Walls Won’t Be There Forever! It’s a nice mixture of comfort and angst that I always wonder how I managed to write so well (It does deal with the pet trope, but it’s rather condemning of it)

[csmingy]

(symps and aras) Genuinely I think you guys are just hateful as fuck and bitter because you think Oko is riding Fenos coattails... they're friends guys. Its weird.

also think you're confusing Subspecies and Lineages because you can't read?

Aramelle Species and Subspecies: Standard (ocean), Ento (bug), Chou (bird)

Lineage: Jousei ("brewery" type), Miltea (distant "noble" type), Oracle ("guidance" type)

Heritage: Guard (adds additional required traits such as the claws and fire breath)

While I think *maybe* Guard Aras should be a Lineage due to the fact they need to be taller, I dont really have an issue with this making sense at all? I dont have a desire to make a Guard and I think they needed more time before release, idk. But it doesn't bother me.

Some of us actually prefer Aras....

At least Oko seems to be doing something with the lore of her species. When did we get any writing or lore drops for Symprites except for the events that are just rehashed info every year?

🍈

Related post

[bloomshift]

Infra

[he/they]

(loyalist) "Infra is a ruby commander who quietly wishes he could rise higher in the ranks but chooses to believe he is content as is. They would die for the elites they protect and are fully invested in the group they are a part of. Struggles to empathize with struggles of other militia or attendants. Believes they are whining because he personally has few issues." (rebel) "A bold, confident and loyal ruby commander who will fight to the end of the universe to protect who and what they believe in. Most focused on liberating militia gems. "

"Infra usually speaks with action instead of words, unless he is giving someone else an action to take. "

Infra ends up leaving the empire after being assigned to Lucky who is struggling under the empire as a defect. The love that Infra felt for her and the pain that they felt seeing how she had to survive made them realize that the system needed to change. Thus leading to him working with Lucky in order to escape.

Towards the end of my time in the Gem Galaxies discord I started writing all of my rebel characters with their pre and post rebellion selves in mind. So each of them have two artworks and two bios. Infra and Lucky are in love and the two of them fuse into Ento.

[alien-chicken-baby]

I want to apologize to every dubbed movie/series ive watched, translation IS hard

Like, i bought the demon slayer manga box cuz i thought itd be cool and my greatgrandma shows up and asks me “why don’t you buy me story books as well?” and like all the telugu books on amazon are biography type shit, not actual novels. She doesnt want those. So she asks me “why don’t you translate your comic books to telugu for me?” and I was like HELL YEAH CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

bruh its so hard?? 

like tanjiro’s mom thanks him for working hard right?? but how tf do i translate that to telugu. Like dhanyavadamulu is too formal. It isnt something a mother would say to her son on a daily basis

TELUGUS PLEASE HELP ME WHAT DO I WRITE IT AS?????

like dude, “nuvvu roju ento kashtapadutunnavu, dhanyavadamulu.” DOES THAT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING A MOM WOULD SAY TO HER SON??? TOO FORMAL I TELL YOU!!!

[entomologistt]

Where do they keep a picture of you?

Featuring: Alice DeRoss, Frederick Kreiburg, Melly Plinius, Orpheus DeRoss, and Norton Campbell (separate headcanons)

Ento note: Basically ashes of memory gang, yeah. I love them. I wrote this on the verge of passing out... First written post too!! ^^ Gender neutral reader!!!

Alice DeRoss

Goodness, she has so many pictures of you! All taken with the camera she always has with her. Where does she keep them? She definitely has a whole scrapbook dedicated to pictures of you and the two of you together! With dates and notes.

But on her person, she keeps a special picture of you in her purse to carry wherever she goes. When she has the time to herself, she often takes it out to admire you, a fond smile on her face.

It’s one where she caught you off guard during one of your dates. She thinks it really captured your natural radiance, your most natural, most prettiest smile without being encouraged by the camera… Which is why it’s her favourite!

She can’t wait to capture more of you!

Frederick Kreiburg

Frederick is considered a paranoid person, and although you may not be a secret, he doesn’t want you dragged into his problems. But he definitely has a picture of you on his person. It’s kept safely in a secret compartment of his coat; it can only be accessed by him.

So when he gets into that spiralling state, when none of his musical compositions sound or look right, a sea of crumbled papers surrounding his space— yeah, he needs something to get him out of there. So that’s with his tuning fork, the echoing soundwaves clearing his thoughts, silencing those “ghosts” …

And looking at the picture of you, the one he keeps so dear. It inspires him, the captured feelings he has for you eventually turned into beautiful piano symphonies.

You are his muse, after all.

Melly Plinius

Melly keeps you in her hat. She likes you, and she likes hats, so it’s the perfect combination. Her two favourite things in one, how lovely. In that little space inside with the stitches, so it's basically kept as snug as a bug.

It’s a picture of you on a picnic you’d set up for the two of you, a surprise from you when you tagged along on one of her entomological studies. Out of all the insect and flower pictures taken on that camera, the picture of you had to be the best, her lovebug.

However, she doesn’t always carry it—only when she travels. When she’s not, she puts it in a frame or somewhere it can be protected. She doesn’t want to lose it, it’s her favourite.

She deeply appreciates you and your sweetness.

Orpheus DeRoss

Orpheus wouldn’t keep you on his person. No, he has to keep you a secret; he has to be careful. But you are his darling lover; he has to have at least one, so he keeps your picture hidden away in a journal. Like a bookmark.

In fact, this journal is filled with a bunch of writings or poems about you. It’s all dedicated to you, all the thoughts of you he has written down while away from you. He misses you.

Maybe, just maybe, one day he’ll give and show it to you… When the time is right.

He’s running out of pages to spill his heart on.

Norton Campbell

There are two places Norton might keep your picture. Like Melly, somewhere on his mining hat, or simply in his pocket. He doesn’t have the luxury of being fancy with it. Wherever it is, he treats it like it’s the last thing he has of you, so it's definitely treasured.

So when it slips out onto the ground, he’s quick to chase and grab it before they can. He can handle the teasing and remarks of his cruel co-workers, he doesn’t care, as long as he still has that picture of you in his possession.

It’s you that keeps him going, along with… other things. He has his own goals, yes, but is it so bad to want light in the darkness of this hellhole?

You make him believe that kindness still exists.

[entomolog-t]

This is an awesome idea💕

I'm Ento! I started writing late 2023 on a whim and am so happy I did! I have a few ongoing stories at the moment with my most updated being Bite Me- a story where vampires are a sort of parasite around 5 inches tall. It follows Aedes, a vampire who's been caught in the act by the human he attempted feeding on.

My other works can be found on my master post, and include an aracnaphobic human and a spider loving dirty little man, a mute tiny monster man, and a borrower who gets stuck in a gym bag.

Typical content warnings for me would be pg13 subject material, fearplay, and angst, though each chapter has more specific content warnings.

HEY YOU, G/T WRITER!!!

Yeah, you! C'mere!

I've seen some talk in the community recently about writers not really getting the attention they deserve/not getting as many notes as artists (and no prob with artists! We love you artists ❤️). So I thought, why not call all the g/t writers together so we can support each other? Y'know, kinda get a little g/t writing sub-community going here on Tumblr if that makes sense!! The idea being that if we band together, it's harder to get lost in the heaps of short-form content that's out there. Plus, we can read each other's work and support each other! :D

Here's an idea:

Reblog with a little bit about you and your writing! (If you write anything that might make anyone uncomfortable please leave a warning as well.)

Link your awesome g/t stories!!!

Check out other awesome stories by other g/t authors and show them some love~

I'll start!

Hi! I'm Eliza and I've been writing since around 2016, although I was a bit too scared to post anything until I started working on my current story!

Right now I'm working on a book called Too Small To Be Afraid, about a human girl living on a distant planet who has a fear of the giant race, pertheans. Only, she has to learn how to share a desk with one at school!

But enough about me! I want to hear about you! I'm excited to hear about you all and see what you're writing!!! :D

[sio-writes]

A Botanist’s Guide - Chapter 7

<< Chapter 6

<<< Chapter 1

Author’s Note: Thank you all so much for your patience! Here’s a little early/bonus posting since you were all such good sports while I was in the hospital. After this, it’s back to our normal every other week schedule, aaaand yeah! My askbox remains open, feel free to come in and say hello. There’s a few tags for this chapter, nothing major, but please take care of yourselves first! I hope you all enjoy :>

Tags (spoiler-free): A character strongarms and minimizes the issues of another; mentions of past abuse; violence through mild self-injury

If you’d like context/spoilers for the tags feel free to message me and I’ll give you the full run-down <3

Cassie

I'm not ready to face the day. I'm ready to crawl back in bed and hide. I can be patient, I can wait it out. It's a coward's move, sure, but it's the safest option. Anything is better than confrontation.

Sleeping last night proved impossible. I was tossing and turning, throwing my sheets aside in favor of staring up at the ceiling, frowning so hard I should probably be worried about wrinkles. My mind wouldn't stop churning out ideas, feelings, it was like an engine with too much fuel. I couldn't turn it off. All night, I worried over today, what would happen, how it would go. Would Kri report me? Would I lose my lab? Or would it be a return to normal?

The brain worm was more optimistic. I tried to ignore it, but closing my eyes and seeing a reunion, a happy ending, dare I think it--a confession? That'd be beyond impossible, but I'd latched onto it and ran. 

Kri would say the exact right thing, something like, "You're all I've ever wanted, you're all I think about," and he'd say it so matter-of-factly, like it was obvious from the start, and I'd go, "Why didn't we do this sooner?" And then we'd kiss in the greenhouse and wrap his strong arms around me, keeping me safe and secure before sweeping me off my feet.

My stupid imagination is going to be the death of me. 

I'm frowning at my cafeteria coffee as Jillie slides into the bench next to me.

"Okay girl, spill."

I'm too distracted to give her a response, but I'm sure my expression is absolute misery. I pick up my coffee, swirl it in my hand, and sigh through my nose.

"You two fucked, didn't you?"

That snaps me out of it. "Jillie!"

She holds up a placating hand, the other is currently wrapped around a breakfast burrito. "Just tell me where so I can avoid those spots!"

I sputter, "That's not--! We didn't--!"

She gives me a scrutinizing look. I fumble for another moment, then let my cheek fall into my hand. I try not to sound disappointed when I say, "No, we didn't fuck."

"But you wish you did?"

"What--?! No, I--" I wither under her gaze. "I don't know."

Jillie's eyebrows shoot up. "You don't know."

Instead of answering, I look away, chewing on my bottom lip. The thought had crossed my mind, more than once. Part of me was ashamed--but a bigger part of me was intrigued. Four arms can do a lot. 

It certainly would've made things easier, more straight-forward. One and done, get it out of my system. It worked back in undergrad when I was crushing on a TA. Then again, we wound up dating for six months afterwards.

I need some clarity. Raising my hand, I hold out my pinky. "No judgment?"

Jillie holds out her hand, pinky extended. "Promise."

It's a back and forth we started at NASA, friendship strengthened by a girly ritual. We ask for total honesty from one another, and in exchange we offer complete acceptance, the benefit of the doubt.

I smile at Jillie's hand, and interlace my pinky with hers. With a sigh, I start.

***

Jillie sits back, letting our hands fall apart. She interlaces her fingers and looks at me over their tented form like a doctor would a patient. "Can I be completely honest?"

I grimace, "Oh god."

"Nut up or shut up."

I open my mouth to respond, excuses rising easily to the surface. But seeing Jillie's hard expression has me thinking better of it, and I close my jaw with a click.

She's got a point, I can't argue that. Even just rehashing what happened, speaking it out loud to a one-woman jury, put things in perspective. I definitely have a big fat crush, but I'm also over-thinking things. What happened yesterday wasn't a huge deal, even if it feels like one. Something definitely shifted between Kri and me, but I don't know in what direction, and not knowing is killing me. 

Something must show on my face, because Jillie's expression softens. "I can't tell you what to do hon, god knows I've tried, but this is tearing you up. You should talk to him, at least clear the air."

I chew on my lip again. "But I'm scared."

And that's just it. I'm being a big baby over nothing. Putting on my Capable Scientist Pants should be the name of the game, but I'm hesitant. I hate conflict, as small as this one is. I'd rather call out of work for a day or so and come back to everyone when this all blows over. But that's not an option, not with the Milestone so close.

"How about this," Jillie says. "You see how today goes, try and get a moment to talk to him, and go from there."

That's a solid plan. Open ended. Easy to avoid. I nod, and that seems to settle Jillie.

We finish eating and walk to the greenhouse, Jillie filling the silence with observations, keeping me up to date on everyone in the lab. Diana had a date that's apparently the talk of the office; some beefcake named Harrison from Humanities that asked her out. We both agree he's not up to par.

I haven't been on a date in over two years. I miss it; getting dressed up, going somewhere I've never been before, hell, even the nerves of getting to know someone was fun. Unless the date themself was crappy, and I've had my fair share of those. 

The conversation does its job of relaxing me as we switch from subject to subject. I can focus on something else, at least for a little bit. Jillie's always been good at distracting me when I need it, taking my focus away to something else. During training whenever I'd have panic attacks over evaluations, she'd always say something stupid to make me laugh.

But then we turn the corner and my back goes rigid. Kri's waiting for us like always, and I don't know what I expected, but I wasn't prepared. My mind goes into overdrive. I'm not ready for this, I'll never be ready for this. Confrontation is taking me out at the kneecaps one horrible interaction at the time.

"Good morning," I say too loudly, raising a hand in greeting.

Kri responds with a short wave, and I feel heat creeping into my face. I hear Jillie snort next to me and I elbow her in the ribs.

I avoid both their gazes as I scan my hand to open the door. Summanus is in desperate need of a severe, localized earthquake right here in front of the building to swallow me up and keep me in the mantle until I turn into a diamond.

Jillie pats my shoulder and pipes up, "So Ant-Man, Cassie told me you were a little helper while I was gone."

I'm going to kill her. Murder on the Outpost Express. I'd be totally justified. Maybe Kri would help me hide her body. That's what friends do.

In my peripherie, I see Kri straighten, whether from the commentary or her nickname, I'm not sure. "I apologize if I overstepped."

"No! Not at all!" There's so much sugar in her voice it has me rolling my eyes. "Any chance it'll happen again?"

I push past the two of them, through the open door and towards the back table. I have a job to do, damn it, I can't afford to waste any more time.

"Unlikely. You've returned, so my help is…unnecessary."

I try not to feel disappointed. I wasn't expecting any help--he's not wrong, it's not really necessary--but part of me wanted to see what the three of us would be like together. If it would be as smooth as just Kri and me alone.

Jillie blows a raspberry. "Nonsense! We'd love the help, right Cass?"

"Uh-huh," I grunt, still waiting for the ground to swallow me whole.

Everything feels distant, like I'm hearing the conversation from a mile away. I'm too big for my clothes, my steps are too far apart. My fingers tap against the table as I look over the samples, until my gaze lands in the corner and I freeze.

It has to be a trick, my eyes have to be playing tricks on me. I squint at the planter, and my face working through a range of emotions, from suspicion, to disbelief, to shock. 

I find my voice and shout, "Holy shit!"

"What?" Jillie says, alarmed. I hear her rush up behind me, peering over my shoulder, but my eyes are glued. Glued to the tiny little sprout of green pushing it's way out of the dark dirt. It's small, so small, with two perfect little leaves reaching towards the sun.

It's not a trick. We have plants.

"Holy shit," Jillie gasps beside me.

A smile stretches across my face and I grab Jillie's hands in mine. "Plants, Jillie! Plants!"

I start bouncing on the balls of my feet, energy thrumming through my veins like electricity. This is huge, this is monumental. We broke the ground! Something actually grew! I throw my arms around Jillie and we both break out into equally girly screams.

I'm so happy I feel like I could fly. I need to do something with my hands, so I untangle myself from Jillie and wrap my arms around the nearest body--it's definitely Kri but I don't care. I'm too elated to think of anything else. I ignore how he tenses under my touch, too high on endorphins to acknowledge it.

"Congratulations," Kri says as I let him go. He's pointing at another planter, and I follow the line of his hand to see that--yep, there's another little sprout in Planter #13-B.

I scream a little, leaning over the table to shove my face towards the dirt. I'm definitely leaning over more of the samples, though, so I quickly slide off the table and back to the floor.

I can grow things! I can grow things and they survive! Not just any old shrub or succulent, but actual, useful plants! 

This is big. I'm three feet off the ground with how happy I am. Who cares about interpersonal relationships when there's science to do? Not me!

It takes us a while to calm down but when we do, Jillie and I count thirteen little babies in the dirt. With a sample size of over two-hundred, it's not great, but it's only the first growth. There's more coming, I can feel it. I give them all names, writing them down on sticky notes and pasting them on the side. It's dumb, sure, but I'm a little dumb. Gotta have my fun somehow.

"Hopefully tomorrow there'll be more," I say, marking the planter numbers down on a notepad, next to a new list of tasks now that we've broke ground. I add measuring, new watering and soil parameters, and try not to dread the extra pictures I'll have to take. Well, that Jillie will have to take.

Kri's delicately holding a planter up to his face, eyes narrowed. "Why is this one named after me? Are you going to kill it?" Jillie snorts behind me.

"I named one after all of us!" I point to planter #69-M. "That one's Jillie, and this little bastard is me." I pick up the planter labeled 'Cassie,' #34-F, and hold it to my cheek. "You gotta name 'em, it's good luck."

A voice chimes in from the open door. "Aw, did you name one after me?"

My stomach lurches, and I nearly drop Cassie Jr. on the floor. 

Stephen's leaning in the doorway, arms folded, backlit by the sun like an angel. The kind that brings death.

"What do you want?" Jillie snaps.

Stephen tuts, shaking his head. "You're always so testy. Can't I visit my favorite girls?"

"No," Jillie says flatly.

He flips his stupid hair and waltzes in like he owns the place. He's wearing obnoxious blue running shorts and a dry-fit t-shirt. His dark hair is plastered to his forehead and his normally pale skin is flushed. "I was on my morning run and I heard screaming."

Jillie scoffs. "That was half an hour ago."

He shrugs. "I got here as fast as I could."

Jillie replies, voice heavy with sarcasm, "Well, thank god you made it."

I can't move, I can't speak, I can't even process what's happening. Why is he here? Why now?

Stephen turns his attention to me and my blood turns to ice. "How goes your little experiment?"

"Fine," I manage. "It's--"

"God, have you been keeping your hair like that?" He walks up to me and I'm stepping backwards without thinking. My back hits the countertop and he's suddenly a few steps away. It's already too close and yet he continues forward, arm outstretched.

"What's wrong with it?" I say, voice clipped. 

"How do you even wash it?" he says, pulling a strand of baby hair between his fingers. I jerk my head away, but his hand follows my movement. "It's gotten nappy. It was so much better when you ironed it." His fingertips are like ice against my temple. For years I'd straightened my hair because he said he liked it that way, regular keratin treatments that fried my follicles but kept it pin straight. Letting it curl back up had been one of the first steps in getting rid of him.

My eyes flick over to Kri, and he's staring at me, expression unreadable. Stephen follows my gaze, blinking like it's the first time he noticed Kri.

"Ah, there he is! The auditor. Stephen Langdon, it's a pleasure." Stephen sticks out his hand. "You're the one keeping an eye on my Cassie, yeah?"

Kri looks down at Stephen's hand, and I wince. We were all told to accommodate the initial Ento greeting of a bow, that it was held in high regard and anything else was seen as a huge insult. Stephen holding out a handshake could prompt Kri to kill him. Which, I have to remind myself, would be bad.

After a long, uncomfortable moment, Kri extends one lower hand and clasps it with Stephen's.

"Khri'asxu. I am the auditor."

Stephen fumbles through Kri's name, laughing nervously. "I'm so bad with your guys' names. Can I call you Kri? Or Axu?"

Kri narrows his eyes. "Pronounce my name or do not address me."

Shrinking away, Stephen mumbles, "Jesus, you're intense," and I see his arm move like he's trying to take it out of Kri's grip, but Kri won't let go. Stephen manages to yank his hand away, expression tight with pain as he subtly flexes his fingers. "So, you're a botanist like my Cass, huh?"

Anger flares, hot and electric underneath the roiling waves of anxiety. Stop calling me that.

"I worked on several seed dispersion and allocation experiments," Kri says plainly.

"What got you into auditing?"

Kri blinks slowly, and I see he's holding his lower hands behind his back, one hand tightly clasped in the other. "Promotion."

Stephen turns back to me, and his gaze feels like slime as it rakes over my body. "You got a real hardass here, Cass."

The tension in the room is so thick I can pour it like gravy. My anxiety is spiking with each frantic beat of my heart, and I want to run out of the greenhouse screaming. 

My people-pleasing instincts kick in. Stephen's not responding to our hostility, maybe if we're nice, he'll leave. I offer a nervous smile. "You're telling me."

Stephen smiles back, easy, and it feels like acid down my spine. "He's been like this all month?"

"Yep," I laugh anxiously. "Since day one."

"No kidding," Stephen says, stepping back towards me. No, go away. "I told you about my buddy who had an audit from an ento, right? Worst experience of his life, but it was the kick in the ass he needed."

I laugh, high pitched and tense. My eyes are locked on Stephen, like prey being cornered, and he's all teeth right now.

"Why don't I stick around and help out? You girls have a lot on your plate here."

Jillie pipes up, "No, no, I think we're good."

"Why don't you let the leading woman speak. What do you say, Cass?"

"Oh, I don't know. The greenhouse isn't really built for four--"

"Oh come on! I promise I'll be more helpful than him." He hooks a thumb over to Kri, who narrows his eyes.

"I really don't think--" I glance to the door as he takes another step. My back hits the countertop. My heart is pounding a mile a minute.

"What, you want me to go? I can help!"

"N-no," I say, voice small.

"No?" He says, incredulous. "What do you mean, no? What, you're gonna kick me out?"

Tears well up in my eyes. "No, it's --I--"

Suddenly, Kri is blocking him, his back to me. "I believe Cassie has work to do."

"Stay out of this." Stephen tries to go around, but Kri extends a hand and grabs Stephen's shoulder, and Stephen stops dead. He tries to wrench himself free once, twice, then meets Kri's gaze. There's something in it that gives Stephen pause. In a final movement, Stephen rips his shoulder free, and peers around Kri to look at me. "He calls you Cassie?"

It's like I've been caught; shame wells up inside me, but I'm frozen to the spot. I stare resolutely at the ground.

"If you insist on remaining here, you will need to stay out of their way," Kri says.

I feel like a kid standing between two grown-ups. Unable to speak, unable to move, unable to help. 

A heavy moment passes with my heart in my throat. Stephen looks ready to fight, Kri's standing like he's about to throw Stephen through the window.

Stephen finally spits out, "If that'll make you feel better." When he steps to the side, I feel the tension in my shoulders melt.

***

It's quiet the rest of the day, tense enough that every step I take feels like avoiding a landmine. Stephen wanders between posts every handful of minutes, and each time he moves, my heart lurches. He examines Dr. Markesh's hybrids, the seedlings in the opposite corner, and every time he passes my sprouts I want to block him like a linebacker. He tries to strike up conversation with Jillie, who gives him one word replies. He doesn't try to talk to Kri again, and whenever he walks up to me I pretend to look busy and ignore him, but that doesn't stop him from talking. Commentary, snide remarks, pointed witticisms only he thinks are funny. And they're all directed at me. 

I want to tear my hair out. I'm reminded of the early days with Kri, the needling, the criticism, and the stress that came with it all. Except I can't bark back. Something deeply ingrained within me is acting as a roadblock, and I clam up whenever I open my mouth. Stephen makes a remark and I shrink down. He comments and I turn away. I don't want him to start yelling, making a scene like he always used to. I don't like to think about the later days of our relationship, where we fought every day, where he tried to keep me from my friends, where he needled at my appearance. But this is bringing it back. It was hell, and leaving felt like cutting off an arm. An infected arm, but still an arm.

I realize part-way through the day that the yelling was never an issue with Kri. Even in our most tense days, he never raised his voice, never once indicated he could overpower me, which he very much can. He's only ever talked to me in that even, accented tone or something gentler and soothing. It gives me a new appreciation for his temperament, and a new annoyance at Stephen's posturing. Kri hasn't said anything since this morning, buried in his clipboard not looking up once. 

So the day continues on. 

I'm piping water into a test tube when Stephen's condescending voice catches my attention.

"You named them? That's so cute, so you." I turn around to see he's by the samples, and it's like he's picking up my baby. Loosely, between pinched fingers. 

"Put that down!" I rush over to the samples, reaching for the single one in Stephen's hand.

"I got it," he laughs, holding it up and out of reach. He'd better put my plant down or so help me--

"Stephen, please." I reach for it again, balancing on my toes. 

"I said I got it!" 

He takes a step back, his foot catching on the concrete, and I watch in slow-motion as his grip on the planter falls. Laser focused, I reach for it, missing by an inch, helpless to watch as the planter hits the ground upside down, soil flying everywhere.

Anger, white hot, presses against my skin. My hands ball into fists; I want to throw something, but I'm frozen. Frozen and staring at the label on the side of the planter. Her name was Nellie. 

There's no way that little sprout made it. It landed directly on top. She was too little, too small.

Above me, Stephen scoffs. "See what happens, Cass?" He raps my head with his knuckles and my anger flares. "You gotta think, silly." 

My voice is barely a whisper, "Out."

Stephen leans into my view, and his easy smile has me seeing red. "What was that, Cass?" 

"OUT!" I scream, snapping my head to look at him and thrusting my pointed hand in the direction of the door. "Get out!" 

His face drops, angry. "What?!" 

Jillie speaks up, "You heard her, Ass-Hat. Leave!"

He stomps, like a child. "I have every right to be here!" 

As if out of thin air Kri appears behind him, resting a heavy hand on his shoulder. "I believe they spoke very clearly." 

Stephen tries to wrench himself free and fails. "You can't make me leave!"

"Yes," Kri says, tone threatening. "I can."

Stephen waffles, looking between Jillie and me like we're going to offer support. "We were getting along so well. All this over one stupid plant?" 

I see Kri's hand tighten on his shoulder. "My main objective is assuring this project runs without delay, efficiently and to completion. Your presence here effects this end. Now, before this becomes violent, please exit the facility."

Stephen looks to me, eyes pleading. Some stupid part of me wants to help, diffuse the situation, but it's overpowered by the anger coursing through my veins. If he doesn't get out right now, I'm going to punch him in the face, and probably get fired for it.

Kri lets Stephen go, and we all watch him angrily huff his way to the door. In his haste, he hip-checks the center table and a glass falls off the end, shattering on the floor. 

"Oops," Stephen says sarcastically before turning the corner out of the lab. I grit my teeth.

After a moment, I stomp to the door, heading outside. I see Stephen's retreating form, looking every inch a toddler throwing a tantrum, but somehow it doesn't make me feel any better. I'm just…angry. Pissed.

Excess energy is making my hands shake. I need to run, I need to rage, I need to do anything to get rid of this stupid, stupid sitiuation. 

I need to punch something.

My eyes land on a tree between greenhouses, and I'm rushing towards it and before I can think my fist makes contact. The impact reverberates up my arm, pain exploding from my knuckles up to my shoulder, but I don't care. Hell, it makes me feel better.

So I do it again.

And again.

Each swing I make only draws more anger out from me. Each hit goes harder, and I can feel my skin splitting on the rough bark but again, I just don't care. The pain is grounding, something to focus on. It’s so much easier than dealing with emotions too big for my stupid head.

Why wasn't I more aggressive? Why didn't I tell him to leave earlier? I shouldn't have folded like a fucking paper napkin. We'd still hve thirteen plants if I had manned up and told him to leave.

I hear a voice behind me, "Cassie?" but I ignore it, fists hitting this defenseless tree, my vision still red. 

"Cassie!" 

Hands grab both my biceps, pinning them against my torso. At the same time one covers my eyes and another wraps around my waist. I struggle against a tall, solid body, anger making me impatient. 

"Let me go!" 

Kri's voice is right next to my ear. "Breathe, Cassie," he says, voice pitched down. 

I struggle for another second before the fight leaves me and I go quiet. The anger leaves as suddenly as it came, the remnants of it fizzling through my nerves like firecrackers. In it's place comes nothing, a big empty void of feeling that sounds like static in my brain.

"Breathe," Kri repeats, and I take an unsteady inhale. It's not quite as deep as his, and my exhale is even more shaky. Kri makes a subtle clicking noise that I can feel through his chest. "Very good." 

Warmth spreads from my chest, and his breathing is easier to match. Breathe in. Then out.

"You're doing well." His voice is like the tide, pulling me in, drawing my mind away from what it wants to do, which is freak out.

After another breath, I'm aware of the blood dripping down my fingers, the excess pain coming from my knuckles. God, what a stupid move.

The hands on me gently lift, as if afraid I'm going to start again. "I'm going to grab the First-Aid. Wait here, please."

In a brain fog, I turn my back to the tree and sit down, exhaustion pulling at my limbs. Kri comes back with a small beaker of water and the First-Aid kit, and I watch from a distance as he washes off my hands. The disinfectant stings, but it's gone in a minute.

I cast around for something to say, the silence eating at me.

"I thought you were going to kill him after that handshake."

Kri shakes his head, hands working to wrap my knuckles in a long bandage, all four moving independently. His fingers are gentle as they move my hand back and forth. "We do not hold humans to our standards. We were briefed on your major greetings after initial contact. They are confusing, but adaptable."

Jillie appears behind him. "Not gonna lie Kri, that was pretty hot--Cass!" She rushes to my side. "What happened?!"

I mutter, barely audible, "Punched a tree."

It takes a second for Jillie to process what I said, looking from Kri wrapping my hand to my miserable face, and then she bursts into giggles. "I thought you punched Ass-Face! Are you alright?"

I nod, and she audibly sighs, clapping me on the shoulder. "You wasted a good punch, girlie."

"Several good punches," Kri adds.

"Next time aim for his huge forehead."

"I agree with Dr. Masters," Kri mumbles, delicately moving my finger to wrap around it. "However, your human noses are much more fragile."

"Call me Jillie, hon," she says with a grin. 

"Jillie." The pronunciation sounds closer to 'shilly', but she doesn't say anything, only smiles at him and stands again. "I'm gonna go clean up poor Nellie in there, holler if you need anything."

"You can head on home, Jill," I say.

She turns concerned eyes to me. "You sure?"

"Yeah," I offer a smile. "I got it."

Looking to me, then to Kri, then back to me, Jillie's face dawns in realization the same time it hits me what I've just done. I've isolated the two of us. I've run out of reasons to not have that horrible conversation.

Behind Kri's back, Jillie mouths, Talk to him! And points exaggeratedly before turning around and walking off.

***

I pick up the plant that was Nellie and hold it between my fingers. She was a cherry tomato plant, in a few weeks she'd have been delicious and juicy, and now she's fertilizer. So much potential, wasted. Now there's only twelve sprouts.

I try not to cry over spilled milk, but sometimes that milk meant I got to keep my lab. Now it's all over the floor, or more appropriately, in my hand. And it was knocked over by a stupid, stupid man who screwed me over, acts like nothing happened, then comes by just to cause problems because he thinks he has some moronic claim over me.

Rotating the plant in my fingers, I think that maybe he still does. I froze up like a deer in the road, unable to do anything for myself as he spoke over me, touched my hair, and knocked over my plant. And I did nothing. Jillie and Kri had to do everything. They're the ones that ushered him out, I just tried to play nice. Because I'm a coward. The bandages around my knuckles pull when I rotate my hand. All Stephen's caused me is pain.

I sniff, the sound loud in the small space of the greenhouse.

"Cassie," Kri's hand lands on my shoulder as a tear rolls down my cheek. I turn, because what else is there to do, and Kri makes a distressed noise in the back of his throat when he sees my face.

"Come," he says, pulling me close. I sniff loudly, feeling the tears fall down my cheeks. I rest my forehead on his chest, warm and comforting. 

"You hate me," I sob. 

Arms come around me and I'm trapped, but that's okay. "Why would I hate you?"

"I said mean things about you today," and now I feel like I'm the toddler. "And now you hate me again."

"I have never hated you," Kri's voice rumbles in his chest. 

I sniff loudly. "Liar."

"I have also never lied to you." 

"Even before? When you first got here?" 

He pauses, thoughtful. "Your work ethic annoyed me at times, but only because I expected you to do things in a manner that was not conducive to your workflow. Although, I will admit," he huffs a laugh, a big hand resting between my shoulder blades. "I do question your taste in music." 

My smile is small, but feels huge. "Hey. I have great taste in music." 

"Jillie has called it archaic. You've mentioned your grandparents listening to it as adolescents."

I bring up my fist and thump the side of his chest. "No one here appreciates me." 

The hand between my shoulder blades rubs up and down in a slow, soothing motion, and Kri chuckles. "I could not hate you even if I tried." He rests his head on top of mine, and I tentatively bring my arms around his middle. They wind up underneath his lower arms, closer to his waist, but that's alright, I just want to feel the warmth. And I do, like a hum underneath my skin.

"So…we're okay?"

"That was never in question."

I swallow hard, and make zero effort to move away, even though this has gone on much longer than necessary. This is so much more soothing than anything I could've done on my own. My heart isn't racing, the tears are drying, I could sink into his embrace that smells of rain and fresh dirt. I feel warm all over, radiating out from his hands on me. I need to bottle up this feeling and sell it to myself.

Kri clears his throat. "You have been stressed, lately."

I scoff. "That's an understatement."

"I've noticed you seem to get--what is the word--in my tongue it means one who does not dislike their current position, but wishes for variety."

My brows draw down. "That sounds like being stir crazy." 

"I'm not familiar with that term." 

"Same thing. And yes," I exhale a laugh. "I think I'm going a little crazy."

But there's nothing to do that I haven't already done around the Outpost. They have two of what I call Capitalism Districts, full of places to shop, eat, experience things. Last time Jillie and I went, we did the new escape room. But they haven't installed anything new in a year. Obviously that's not the Outpost's fault, it's gotta be expensive as hell getting anything done out here, but I've been through every shop, eaten every menu item imaginable, and experienced everything the districts have to offer.

Leaving on my own isn't an option either. With only two arms, humans can't drive any Summanian vehicles, and the stuff we can drive only goes as far as the magnetic field of the Outpost. The local terrain is rocky and uneven too. We're situated in a valley, surrounded by massive trees taller than the buildings, with a handful of roads in and out that lead into the desert. 

So it's a bit of a hassle to leave without help of some sort. 

Kri pulls me back to reality by stepping away. I miss the warmth, but he levels me with that intense stare of his. "Would you like a break?" 

I grimace. "I mean yeah, but where would I go?"

Kri's wings flutter, and he looks away, his hands coming behind his back. "I have business in Igrien this week-break. Would you like to join me?" 

My eyes widen of their own accord. A trip outside? Out of the Outpost? I've never been before. It's easy to leave, just fill out a few forms, but not very many have gotten to do it. 

There's new animals to see, I've heard ento cities are gorgeous, and there's so many plants! So many new and alien things to experience, and Kri's offering me a chance!

I narrow my eyes, wary. "You're not inviting me out of pity, are you?" 

He tilts his head, making that clicking noise. "I don't know that term, so no." 

"Doing it because you feel bad for me."

His brow draws down. "I wouldn't insult you in such a manner."

"I feel bad piggybacking."

"But I've invited you."

"Yeah, but you were gonna go alone." 

Kri shifts his weight, and looks away. "If you don't want to go you may say so." 

 "No--no, I do!" 

His gaze snaps back to me, eyes bright. "Then it's settled. We will meet here at ten-hundred."

Chapter 8>>

[terra-tortoise]

🍏🍇🍌?

🍏Show off a dragon family and talk about them! Do you have siblings, parents & kids, etc?

man im really bad at adding familial ties to my dragons 😔 i dont have any in the new lore yet (hoping to have a pair of fire siblings this month) and the closest i have is velya and presage rn. but in the old lore i had avala and byrophyta!

avala was a homebody and the peace keeper of gem's rest, and his daughter byrophyta was much more restless. she traveled with longneck trade caravans and would bring home stories and souvenirs for her father.

🍇Share the "villain" or main antagonist of your clan and talk about them!

the skeletal wyrm, largest and oldest of the shambling fossils that now haunt the cairnstone rest and the intricate tunnels beneath dragonhome. the wyrm was partially opalized in its first encounter with presage, in the moment when the earthshaker's blessing upon her activated. the name of this dragon has long since been forgotten.

🍌Show off your favorite couple/throuple/etc and share some information on how they first met, fell in love, etc!

of course, alecto and presage! to summarize their romance in a silly way, alecto kept stealing artifacts from presage's job sites and she thought he was hot so she let him do it. more accurately alecto saw the potential in presage that velya appeared to be wasting and convinced presage that there was more to life than paperwork and fear. i really want to write down the intricacies of their dynamic bc its very fun to me.

bonus couple from the old lore

bast and entos, my everything (: butch knight/femme princess

[fuxuannie]

i've read a lot of your hsr fics and i absolutely adore your writing style, looking forward to your valorant content!!!!1!

i surprisingly have one in the works right now! i just wanted to clear up some hsr requests, but i cannot wait to show my valorant stuff! (♡˙︶˙♡)