i must present to you the idea that kinger calls caine "bug" as an endearing nickname. that or "bumblebee" or something.
Actual image of me when I read a fic that lets Kinger and or Queenie call Caine endearing nicknames.
While i'm at it lemme plug some fics I really effing like that do this
The road to being loved and wanted is paved by these losers by my buddies @humanityinahandbag and @samthefrank
I'll sleep when I'm dead by @one-in-a-maxi-million
I can't remember if these ones have nicknames used but the way they write Kinger and Caines relationship is TOP NOTCH
I was only trying to help you! (its published anonymously but I'd love to edit this with the users socials if anyone knows who it is and if they're happy for me to plug them)
Small Gods by @crimes-wears-goggles (Probs my fav Caine centric fic post episode 8 oh my g o o o d its so good I need to make art of it because it does the resentment between Caine and Kinger so damn well
Honestly if anyone else has fic recs they wanna plug then PLEASE feel free.
thanks for the recommendation! i'll second all the other fics you mentioned, Small Gods in particular is one of my top favs. I don't have any nickname-specific fic recs, but here's most of my favorite works involving Kinger and Caine:
turn the lights off by @purplecatghostposts is a lil angstier, but I thought they wrote Kinger's headspace super well and did a great job depicting the resentment Caine would logically have for his absent creator. One of the first tadc fics I ever read!
Glitched Sick is by the same Anonymous author as "I was only trying to help you!", also really good. It's another instance of "Caine overworks himself and has to be cajoled into taking a break" which is of course a fav of mine.
One, stubborn, pathetic, delirious AI by @misterworms is another Caine sickfic, still in progress, with a panicky half-delirious Caine who can't restart due to a lack of storage space. I really like how computer code type language is used in this one.
The Signal by The_Penny_Tails (couldn't find a tumblr, sorry!): Kinger enters lucidity and realizes his boy needs a hug. Very sweet.
The Digital Prometheus by @jcleeful has Kinger repeatedly visiting Caine in the recycling bin, figuring out how to help Caine regulate his emotions and safely bring him back to the Circus.
less kinger & caine focused but i gotta mention em:
Call It Even by a different Anonymous author is a delight of miscommunication and misery, lol. Still in progress, deviates after episode 8, featuring a Caine who no longer wants to be here and the humans trying to figure out how to handle that. Lots of Caine in spider form, too!
this could all be new to us by @they-bite is a pair of post-episode 8 fics with Caine trying to hide away from the humans and the humans still trying to reach out despite his attempts at isolation. rlly rlly good, i reread it regularly.
Questions and Answers and its sequel series No Easy Answers by @justletmeon12 are truly some of the Caine fics to me. Excellent characterization and a ton of delightfully terrible miscommunication issues. Definitely meant to be read in order and I love all of the entries, but I will say that We're All in This Together is probably my favorite of the bunch. If you haven't read these already definitely check them out!
WE STRUCK GOLD GUYS OH MY FUCKING GOD I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT MY FIC WOULD BE GOOD ENOUH TO BE RECOMMENDED OMG
