{afraid}

A small gasp, and excited little rock on her heels. 

“Was it big? Little? Oh oh! Was it all grey like Roxy?”

A collection of silly little fish bottle cap pngs

“Y-Yeah! I wanted to make someone that could keep you company while I was at school ,abuelito.”

Cassie adored creatures you’d keep in a tank. Fish, frog, turtles, and her favorite axolotls…..buuuuuuuuuttt a frog seemed more perfect for her grandpa in her opinion. Hard to explain but it just felt right. A little tilt of her head as she looks up at him, eyes hungry for answers and knowledge.

“I w-was trying to make it jump but it wasn’t moving, and when I went to pick it up to check what was wrong that's when I hurt my hand.” 

⨝.                      𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐓𝐇      𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒      𝐇𝐈𝐒      𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓      as      he      fondly      listens      to      this      explanation      .             OK      ,      so      maybe      he      could      stand      to      expand      his      social      life      a      little      bit      .       At      the      end      of      the      day      ,       though      ,       Cassie      really      is      his      best      buddy      . 

⨝.                     ❝      That      was      so      sweet      of      you      ,       cariño .       Thank      you      .       I      love      it      already      .      ❞       Arnold      praises      her      ,       heart      filled      by      the      thoughtfulness      of      her      incomplete      gift      .        

⨝.                     ❝      Ah      ,       so      it      was      overheating      ,       then      ,      ❞       he      concludes      ,      turning      the      frog      over      in      his      hands      .      ❝      Maybe      it's      something      to      do      with      the      motor      ,       or      whatever      you've      got      as      a      power      source      .       It's      very      sophisticated      to      have      been      made      by      someone      so      young      ,       you      know      .      ❞

⨝.                    The      little      thing's      got      the      ghost      of      the      warmth      about      it      ;       the      suggestion      that      it      had      been      hotter      recently      ,       like      the      hood      of      a      car      that's      not      long      since      been      driven      .       In      the      time      it's      taken      Arnold      to      tend      to      Cassie      ,       though      ,       it'd      lost      the      worst      of      its      heat      .

“....I know.” Cassie softly sniffles

There’s a little wince as he finishes wrapping the bandage around her hand. It wasn’t a bad burn, but it still required some ointment and to be wrapped up. The tiny robotic project and “borrowed“ tools still lay on the floor where she had been sat working. She had just been trying to make a frog that could move from all of the scrap….she’s not entirely sure what she did wrong enough for her hand to get a little injury.

⨝.                      ❝      A      surprise      ?       Well      ,       I      mean      ,       it      still      is      a      surprise      .       What      were      you      making      ,       mi      amor      ?       A      frog      ?      ❞             He      looks      toward      the      unfinished      project      ,       setting      aside      the      roll      of      gauze      before      picking      the      little      'bot      up      .       Appraises      it      with      the      kind      of      eye      that      only      years      of      experience      impart      .       

Prompts for stages of a relationship. Feel free to change any pronouns as needed and adjust however necessary. Some may be usfw.

ACQUAINTANCES

❛ I swear I’ve seen you before, probably in a dream, or a mugshot. ❜

❛ Is this the part where we shake hands or just nod awkwardly? ❜

❛ You’re not as scary as people said. Yet. ❜

❛ We’ve met before, right? ❜

❛ I will forget your name in five minutes but I will never forget your aura. ❜

❛ Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name last time. ❜

❛ You seem familiar. Do I know you from somewhere? ❜

❛ Sorry, I’m terrible with names. I’ll probably call you “Hey you” forever. ❜

❛ So are we strangers, or is this the part where we overshare? ❜

❛ If we end up on a group project together, I’m not doing the PowerPoint. ❜

❛ So… what do you do? ❜

❛ I’ve heard about you, but this is our first time talking. ❜

❛ I don’t know much about you, honestly. ❜

❛ Wow, you talk. I thought you were just a background extra. ❜

❛ How do you already look like you’re over this conversation? ❜

❛ Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t tell if we’d get along or kill each other. ❜

❛ It’s weird finally putting a face to the name. ❜

❛ If you had to pick one Pokémon that describes your vibe, which one is it? ❜

❛ Do you come here often? ❜

❛ Oh cool, another NPC come to give me a side quest. ❜

❛ You look like you have main character energy but, like, season one when everything’s still a mess. ❜

❛ Small world, huh? ❜

❛ Sorry if I seem awkward, I’m not great with strangers. ❜

❛ You look like you know what you’re doing. ❜

❛ Wait, is this the start of a rom-com or a crime documentary? ❜

❛ You seem like someone who knows where the snacks are. ❜

❛ I have no idea who you are but I respect your vibe. ❜

❛ Are you new around here? ❜

❛ It’s nice to finally meet in person. ❜

❛ We don’t really know each other yet, but… I think we could get along. ❜

❛ Well, that was an interesting first impression. ❜

❛ Do you mind if I sit here? ❜

❛ I feel like I should know more about you than I do. ❜

❛ So… do we pretend we don’t know each other, or do we pretend we do? ❜

❛ Wait, are you the person I thought was a coat rack last week? ❜

❛ Oh, you’re taller than I imagined in my head. ❜

❛ You don’t look like a serial killer. That’s a good start. ❜

[SPILL] – Sender bumps into receiver and spills their coffee.

[WRONG NAME] – Sender accidentally calls receiver by the wrong name and freezes.

[DROP] – Sender drops something right at receiver’s feet and stumbles trying to pick it up.

[BRUSHED OFF] – Sender flinches when receiver brushes past without noticing.

[HESITANT] – Sender hesitates before offering a hand to help receiver up.

FRIENDS

❛ Congratulations, you’ve officially made my list of “people I tolerate.” ❜

❛ If we get arrested, I’m blaming you. ❜

❛ I like hanging out with you. ❜

❛ You always make the day a little better. ❜

❛ That was fun, we should do it again sometime. ❜

❛ Want to grab something to eat? My treat. ❜

❛ You’re so easy to talk to. ❜

❛ Honestly, I didn’t expect us to get along this well. ❜

❛ Why do we always end up in weird situations together? ❜

❛ If we had a sitcom, it’d be canceled after one episode. ❜

❛ I don’t know if we’re friends or just two people who roast each other a lot. ❜

❛ You make me laugh so much it’s suspicious. ❜

❛ I can’t believe we just spent three hours talking about nothing. ❜

❛ It’s been a while! I missed this. ❜

❛ You always know how to cheer me up. ❜

❛ Why do you always know what I’m thinking? ❜

❛ Let’s do something spontaneous. ❜

❛ Don’t worry, I already told everyone we’re a package deal. ❜

❛ You know I’d never let anyone else see me like this, right? ❜

❛ Okay, but if we’re friends, I get the cool nickname rights. ❜

❛ I trust you, you know? ❜

❛ You’re a good friend. ❜

❛ Thanks for always being there. ❜

❛ I don’t laugh like this with anyone else. ❜

❛ I feel like I can be myself with you. ❜

❛ You’re stuck with me now. ❜

❛ You know I only text you because I’m bored, right? ❜

❛ Okay, let’s go make some bad decisions together. ❜

❛ Wow you're a disaster. You're lucky you’re my favorite disaster. ❜

❛ I’d fight a raccoon for you. Not a bear. But a raccoon. ❜

❛ I volunteer us to be the comedic relief in someone else’s tragic backstory. ❜

❛ You’re my favorite clown, and I mean that with love. ❜

❛ We’re not a duo. We’re a legally recognized natural disaster. ❜

❛ Stop making me laugh in serious situations. People think I’m unstable. ❜

[PHOTO BOMB] – Sender leaps into receiver’s selfie at the last second.

[MESSY HUG] – Sender hugs receiver but picks them up and spins them around

[ANNOYING SONG] – Sender sings obnoxiously loud right in receiver’s ear.

[CARE PACKAGE] – Sender leaves something on receiver’s desk/doorstep without a note.

[LINGERING GOODBYE] – Sender takes a little too long to say goodbye.

[SHUTTER] – Sender snaps a candid photo of receiver and laughs when caught.

"See? This is my 'I'm not going to kill you' face! Because I'm actually SMILING!"

     ♱ ˚ ༘`✦ ˑ  OH.  young  drevis  to  look  towards  the  OTHER  that  lies  in  infirmary  bed  ;  if  only  because  of  his  own  DOING  .  a  vapid  ,  saccharine  kind  of  warmth  tinges  her  features  ,  her  voice  ,  her  movements  :  edging  on  being  too  sweet  to  SWALLOW  but  not  enough  to  cause  alarm  .  inklings  of  her  father  still  LINGER  in  her  ,  with  a  morbid  curiosity  to  want  to  PUSH  him  to  the  edge  just  a  bit  more  ,  just  to  see  how  much  he  could  TAKE  before  breaking  .  to  see  fatigue  and  BLOODSHOT  eyes  droop  further  down  as  it  begs  for  reprieve  :  but  it  seems  he's  more  than  capable  of  doing  it  himself  .  (   he'd  make  a  FINE  doll  .  not  too  tall  ,  not  too  bad  on  the  eyes  ---  you  almost  consider  it  .  )

     ♱ ˚ ༘`✦ ˑ  (   but  it's  the  bleeding  heart  that  still  makes  you  PAINFULLY  human  ,  even  now ,  especially  now  .  conflicting  VOICES  of  the  past  echo  and  reverberate  inside  your  head  ;  teasing  and  BEGGING  you  to  do  more  ,  push  more  ,  just  to  SEE  .  after  all  ,  you're  still  your  father's  daughter  .  you're  still  a  scientist  .  )   aya  sighs  ,  like  that  of  a  disappointed  MOTHER  ,  pushing  the  OTHER  back  with  a  firm  and  GENTLE  touch  to  the  shoulder  ;  with  intention  of  laying  him  to  sleep  .  "  you  must  .  if  you  DON'T  ,  you'll  be  the  thing  falling  apart  . sleep  .  i  won't  let  anything  happen  to  you  . "

     ♱ ˚ ༘`✦ ˑ   yet  .

⨝.                  Logically    he    𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐒    that    this    is    not    what    would    have    in    his    best    interest,    under    normal    conditions,     or    at    least    he's    sure    it    isn't.     Before    winding    up    here,     he'd    been    freshly    off    of    yet    another    72-hour    shift,     &&     things    had    only    gone    further    south    from    there. 

⨝.                  (     He    reflects    on    this    with    all    the    dignity    of    a    field    mouse    in    the    grasp    of    a    hawk.     )

⨝.                  ❝    You,     uh,     you    sure    this    isn't    a    problem    ?    ❞     He    asks,     as    though    he    could    have    hoped    to    move    from    the    bed,     or    even    fought    against    the    𝐄𝐗𝐇𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍    that    had    already    not    only    caught    up    with    him,     but    had    overtaken    him    completely.     As    much    as    he    wanted    to    believe    her,     the    paranoia    reminded    him    that    no    place    could    ever    really    be    safe.     Ironic    as    that    is.     Still,     he    crashed    his    truck     …     he's    not    exactly    in    a    place    to    advocate    for    himself.