#arloxbuilder

I commissioned pickles @preservedcucumbers to do the art for my Birthday, then had it printed up. ^_^ I adore her MTAP artwork!!!

“Surely there’s a better time investigate this, Arlo. Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad you asked me along, I can always use the extra income. I’m just curious why...now?”

It was a valid question. Midnight was usually a time when normal people would settle down for the night. Neither Arlo or Portia’s newest builder would really qualify as ‘normal’.

They had run into each other earlier (but not that much earlier) at The Round Table. Greetings were exchanged and Arlo had asked the Builder if she wanted to accompany him on a late night investigation.

It was an odd request, though the Builder suspected Arlo wanted to see her fabled combat skills for himself. Though she was wondering why he had asked for her help immediately. The sun had set hours ago and they were using flashlights to investigate the outskirts. They had found several clues that lead them to the waterfall, which was where they were currently headed.

Arlo slows his pace and gives the Builder a tired smile. “Ever since the water went bad, we’ve hadn’t had time to do anything other than investigate the cause. I’ve been working on unrelated cases on my off-hours and so have Remy and Sam. We’ve been splitting the extra workload. It’s been...difficult, but it has to be done.”

“How much sleep are you running on?”

“I managed about an hour and a half last night. I’ve had to plow through on less, so I’m not complaining.”

They continue towards the waterfall in an awkward silence. The Builder wasn’t certain if she was close enough to Arlo to berate him for his reckless behavior; therefore she kept her mouth shut. She had only been living in Portia for a few weeks and while everyone had been immensely friendly she still felt a little out of place.

As they approach the waterfall, the pair slow their pace and unsheathe their swords in preparation for trouble.

———————————————————

Jump Dancers. She hates Jump dancers. Stupid fish with their stupid teeth and their stupid poison. The Builder slices through the last one and sheaths her sword, breathing heavily. She and Arlo had gotten bitten quite a few times by the creatures, though their wounds weren’t terrible.

It hits the Builder as they’re walking back into town. Her entire body felt...hot and it was making it hard to concentrate on walking. She bumps into Arlo by accident and he catches her as if it were a reflex. She feels the heat of his skin through his clothes and it feels...nice, even though she can also feel his hands shaking.

“You alright?” he asks with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“I’m...I’m actually not sure. I feel kinda...hot.”

“Probably a side effect of the antidote we took. Just to be safe I’ll walk you home, yeah?”

“Mmkay.”

——————————————

They walk to the Builder’s house in an uncomfortable silence. There was a weird tension brewing between them. Arlo had taken the Builder’s hand into his own, steadying her and suppressing the urge to drag her into an alley and take her against a wall. It was clear to him that the poison from the Jump Dancers had an added aphrodisiac effect that the antidote didn’t cure and it had affected both of them.

The plan was to take the Builder home...explain the situation and offer assistance in alleviating the effects.

If the Builder agrees to it, then Arlo would sweep her off her feet, take her to bed and they’ll spend the next few hours fucking each other’s brains out until they’re satisfied. If she declines then...well he will just have to go home, lock himself in his room and wank until the symptoms disappear.

Arlo takes a deep breath and aimlessly traces the Builder’s palm with his thumb, earning a soft sound from her lips.

“A-Arlo…”

“Shhh. We’re almost there.”

“B-but—“

“I know. It’s getting worse isn’t it?”

She nods.

“Don’t worry. I have a plan, but I’ll explain it when we’re inside.”

———————————-

Arlo lets himself inside the Builder’s house, pacing nervously in her one room shack.

“Y-you can sit down.” offers the Builder gesturing to a stone stool.

He chuckles nervously. “No thanks.”

There’s a few moments of awkward silence before he speaks again.

“Those Jump Dancers had some sort of mutation in their poison that triggers an...aphrodisiac effect in humans. The effects are pretty mild right now, but they’ll probably get worse if we don’t do anything about it. Best we...fix it now while we still have our wits.”

Suddenly the way she was feeling made perfect sense and the Builder avoids looking at Arlo out of embarrassment.

“So...I just have to...and I’ll be alright?”

“In theory...but...I wanted to offer my assistance.”

“Y-your assistance? You mean…” the Builder’s voice lowers to a hiss “sex?”

“...There are ways I could help that wouldn’t require penetration but...yes, sex would probably be the easiest way to fix this.”

The Builder flushes harder and nods. “Okay. I trust you, Arlo.”

Arlo sighs in relief and walks towards the Builder, lifting her chin and pressing his lips against hers.

—————————-

Gaaaaah its been a while since I posted anything myself ^^;;; well here I am with another collection of incredible art of the Arlo & Jess ship (and Solo Jess pics)! Commissioned by me art fight attacks on me!

Artists In order (please go check them out!):

https://www.deviantart.com/fluffypepole

https://www.deviantart.com/kuinmelen

https://www.deviantart.com/rain-shade

@dappio​

https://www.deviantart.com/dianapocalypse

@alienducky said that in their headcanon/fics that Portians would make their own Heart Knots for eachother instead of just buy them from Alice. 

So I decided to age up Arlo and Jess’ kids and this happened! 

So Lyra I may be playing in the next game. She stayed in Portia (until theorised events of the next game) and helped her parents with the workshop. She paints murals around town (with permission), and started painting/art classes with Gust for the school. 

Coming back on an old idea, Neo Tokyo Vega 5. No greenery, just dim neon lit streets, food and merch stands, crazy fashions. Clubs with recovered 80s music and new tunes in the style. A&G, who Jess is a partner with, inviting Arlo too, all on a business trip via Mint's contacts, a crazy weekend in Vega 5

“The group are checking out the bustle of Vega 5's lively club and fashion district when a brightly dressed couple stop Arlo suddenly. Jess, Gust, Albert and Mint turn around to look. The two people are infatuated by Arlo's face and hair, smiling and exclaiming excitedly they pull him by his arms into a swish store front. The gang follows after them. The strangers place a worried Arlo in a chair surrounded by styling product, and "attack" him with brushes, scissors and many other implements. The group can only watch in horror and curiosity as they are held at bay by the couples assistants.[12:36 PM]Arlo vanishes behind a mirror screen with the strangers. After a few minutes of sprays and rustled sounds, plus noises of protest from Arlo, the room falls silent as the two people step back out of the screen with large long grins on each of their faces.[12:42 PM]"We present to you! .... A God among Men!" They cry out, and the screen is removed revealing a very well groomed Arlo in a smart shirt getup, his hair styled perfectly, he stood nervously  holding a hand behind his head. The gang dropped their jaws in bewilderment. Gust tried to muffle a laugh. "It's on us darlings, you gave us the perfect model, we created art! We've  never seen such godly features, and we thank you for bringing him to us