That absolutely does make sense! I loooove this idea, nonny, thank you! 10/10 Love me some cuddly Malcolm, because omfg mans needs a hug. I tried a new style with this, so I hope that I’ve done your request justice! Cross-posted to my AO3 here.

If anyone wants to be added to my taglist or wants to submit a fic request, my ask box is always open! If you want to know whether I write for a certain character, have a look here. If the character you want isn't on the list, I probably just forgot to add them, so please feel free to ask.

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Reserved

Malcolm Reed (ST:ENT) x Reader

Warnings: This is fluff, so...awkwardness? Awkward cuddles that become natural? Idk how to class this, but Malcolm keeps himself to himself, so...yeah. Take that for what you will.

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It started as a need that Malcolm had seldom felt before. He had always been a rather solitary man - reserved in almost every way - so this urge felt almost entirely foreign to him. Somewhere between adjusting his forcefield experiment and recalibrating the phasers, the Lieutenant felt something unfurl in his chest. Amidst all the cold metal of his surroundings, what Malcolm wanted more than anything was a hug, of all things.

“You still up…?” You jolted at the sudden sound that broke the silence, heart skipping a beat before you clamped your hand over your chest. God! You didn’t realize just how badly you had zoned out into the window until the prince’s voice came into earshot. But perhaps it because it was so late. You didn’t expect to hear another voice at this time. The prince raised an eyebrow at you and your startled behavior, letting out a yawn as he came over to sit down on the couch next to you. “It’s three in the morning, you know.”

“Really? Three? I thought it was earlier than that.” You adjusted yourself to sit upright on the opposite end of the couch, legs pulled up to your chest as you glanced towards the prince with an awkward smile. “I couldn’t sleep tonight, and there isn’t anything good to watch on TV either, so…”

“Still bummed out that Specs won’t let you use the internet?”

“I mean, he won’t even give me fifteen minutes to check!”

Noctis chuckled in response, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his messy bed-hair. Ignis was really strict about making sure Noctis was safe, even if that meant no internet or data on their phones. Guess that meant the same for you, unfortunately. Especially if you were to travel with them for the time being. But with the way you looked so sad and bored without access to the internet, it was almost sad to see. And yet, you couldn’t sleep either, stressed maybe? Noctis couldn’t place his finger on it, but he knew you definitely looked like you needed the sleep.

Silence settled in against the two of you as you lost yourself in a daze and Noctis… Well, he was already sleepy to begin with. And yet, despite the silence, it didn’t settle in for long before you looked over to the shifting prince as he rose up from his place and left the room. “Good night, Noct.”

“I’m not sleeping just yet.” You looked at him with a strange expression as you watched him walk away to the other room. Really? What was he planning on doing…? You didn’t really want to know, because who knows what a young man does when he’s left alone in privacy. You merely shrugged to yourself before turning back to look out the window again. Though your attention was broken once again when you heard someone flop onto the couch once again, getting you to jolt and look over to Noctis. The prince stared back at you, a giant comforter bundled in his arms as he raised an eyebrow at you. “Well?”

“Well what?” You arched an eyebrow back at him.

Noctis began to shift around, sprawling himself onto the couch and forcing you to get up off the couch as his feet reached the end of it. You frowned at him for taking your spot on the couch. This punk-ass little prince… But just before you could object, Noctis pulled the comforter from himself, scooting as far as he could into the couch before he pat the place next to him. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep.”

You couldn’t help but feel your cheeks redden at the prince. He really wanted to just fall asleep on the couch with you? He had a bed he was sharing with Prompto, so why cram himself onto a couch with you? But with how Noctis seemed to stare you down, gesturing with his head for you to lay down, you couldn’t really say no either. Especially to the prince. You let out a sigh, shaking your head as a smile crossed your face. You went over, turning off the lights in the living room before you returned back to Noctis. Kind of small for the both of you, but you made it work. Somehow. Well, kind of. You ultimately ended up flopping on top of Noctis with your head on top of his chest and your foot hanging off the couch until Noctis had to pull it up and tangle it with his own to keep it from falling. Cramped, but oddly comforting as you heard his heart beat, the air in his lungs fill and escape in a steady pace. You gave a faint smile before tugging the comforting up over the two of you a bit more.

“Is this alright for you…?” Noctis seemed hesitant in his words, almost nervous as he questioned you. Even his actions were slow and cautious as he gently rubbed your back, fingers brushing your hair back in a comforting gesture. “If you can’t sleep, or you get too hot, or you know, anything, I can always go back and-”

“It’s fine.” You tilted your head up to glance into the prince’s blue eyes. Just an exchange of stares was enough to get the both of you to blush. “I mean. This is fine. I kinda like being like this.”

“Y-Yeah… Me too.” Noctis relaxed once again, head resting back against the couch’s pillows as he continued to stroke your hair, eyes finally closing as he got into the routine movement of playing with your hair. “Sleep well, alright?”