#cuddling snuggling

○ When he glitches out and becomes giant:

Sometimes, after all the humans have gone to bed, Caine experiences glitches that make him giant, as in giant enough that you would be the size of his pinkie finger. The first time it happened, he freaked out, rapidly snapping his fingers and trying to will himself back to normal size, all to no avail. The glitches are painful, but fortunately, they only last a couple of seconds.

A few times, while he's giant, a circus member had tried to leave the hallway of the bedrooms to enter the main part of the tent for whatever reason, to which he panicked and blocked the doorway with his hand before they could reach it. After all, he wouldn't want to frighten one of his little humans! With everything in the circus being so wacky, it's likely nobody ever questioned the sudden white barrier blocking their way and gave up on whatever they were doing not noticing that it was actually the now giant Ringmaster's hand.

He doesn't want to scare any of the humans, but most of all, he doesn't want to scare you. He doesn't want his only friend to fear him.

He'd hide in the main area of the tent or the grounds, since those spaces are big enough to fit his giant size. He'd spend his time nattering nervously with Bubble about his predicament, grabbing onto his teeth like he did in the stargazing scene in ep 5.

○ When you find him:

You have a teddy bear, a book, or another item that you forgot in the main tent area, so at night you go to retrieve it, only for a mysterious white wall to completely block your path. He'd just be floating there full of nerves and covering the doorway, gripping his teeth with a hand.

Let's say he thinks you've retreated, and slowly begins to move his hand away. (You haven't, you really want the item back). As soon as there's enough room to slip past, you quickly do before he can stop you, oblivious to the situation. You freeze in place when you see him, eyes wide.

How would he react? He'd, (as quietly as he can), FREAK out. He'd float backwards and hold his hands up in a "surrender" pose, eyes full of fear, fear you'll be afraid of him.

And if you attempt to scramble away, if you fall backwards and try to scoot away out of sudden instinctual fear? It would only fuel his panic further.

You wouldn't get very far, he'd (gently) and quickly lift you up into his hands before you could flee to your room.

Though not quite sure how, he'd try and reassure you the best he could.

However, he'd be oblivious to how his way of rapidly reassuring you is making it worse, getting all in your face and gripping you tightly. "W-wait! Don't run, please, my dear! There's no need to panic!"

But seeing your tiny, panicked face and your fragile body struggling in his fingers, realisation would set in, and he'd quickly put you back down.

He'd curl himself up into a ball, sitting a small distance away from you. He doesn't understand everything about fear, but he does know that smaller = less threatening, and applies it to himself.

You'd have to approach him, he'd be so afraid of scaring you again that he wouldn't move until you did.

Upon approaching him and tapping his leg to try and get him to look at you, he would stare at you intently, pupils blown wide and shiny.

He'd have to be very thoroughly assured that you trust him and won't be afraid of him before he uncurls.

Surprisingly, he wouldn't float around as usual, he'd sit on the floor. Admittedly, it looks odd since he's usually always airborne in some way, but you appreciate it as his attempt to seem non-threatening.

He'd want to hold you right away, so when you request it, you don't have to ask twice, you're immediately and very gently scooped up.

He would be uncharacteristically gentle with you, letting you sit in his palm instead of gripping you and using a soft tone.

Would not ever shut up about his intentions: "Please don't be afraid of me...I-I promise I won't hurt you!" He'd needs to be reassured exactly nine times before he'd accept that you're not afraid, finally relaxing. So nine rounds of patting his thumb and telling him you trust him.

○ Nightly hangout session while he's giant:

He'd be overjoyed when you express wanting to stay and hang out with him, relieved not to be alone, and excited to spend time with his close friend.

He'd let you sit in his hand, on his shoulder, on his knee, in his hat, he doesn't mind!

Would still be cautious about frightening you, his touch would be feather-light and he'd be constantly watching for any signs of distress or fear.

It wouldn't take too long for him to start rambling endlessly about his adventures, he would pitch to you his ideas, pupils massive as he listens intently to your responses. Except now he'd carefully use you as a fidget toy while he thinks, prepare to be squeezed and played with.

He would eventually stop talking about his adventures and listen to you ramble instead. He'd lean in with keen interest

You'd become a little comfort object for him, he'd secretly hope you'll come and find him every time he unwillingly grows.

He'd get so excited about being able to hang out with you for so long he'd almost bluescreen. After all, all he wants is to be friends with the humans, and usually they show no interest in hanging out with him whatsoever.

If you were to hug his thumb or show any other kind of affection, he'd immediately blue-screen.

I think he'd be one to experience cuteness aggression. You'd be squished in his fingers (gently), have your head petted vigorously by the pad of his finger and be excessively cooed over. He'd say things like, "You're so cute!" while squeezing your head in his fingers.

If you get sleepy, he'd reluctantly tone himself down. But if you were to lay down in his palm? He certainly wouldn't mind shutting up. He'd also become a massive cuddle bug (literally), hugging you to his chest and nuzzling you with his head-jaw thing.

When he finally turns back to his normal size in the morning, he'd be overjoyed, but also secretly a little disappointed he can't spend any more time with you for now.

I hope you enjoyed these! I'm starting to realise that all my headcannons end in cuddles... 🥲

Word count: 3.4k

Warnings: No warnings

🎵- Vanilla Baby

“I don’t know, I’m just…not that into movies.” You shrugged, looking at Mel, who was in utter disbelief.

“How can you not be into movies?! It’s the best pastime!”

Honestly, it’s not like you were totally against movies altogether. You enjoyed your fill here and there; you watched your favorite movies whenever you had time, but you were never one to venture outside your comfort zone, that’s for sure.

“Don’t know,” you sigh. “Sci-fi just isn’t my thing. I’ve never found science particularly intriguing.”

Mel is looking at you as though you’ve just shot her. “But…we’re doctors. Medicine and science go together. What about the movie Back to the Future? I mean you like that one, right? Everyone likes it!”

Your lips pull into a flat line. “I hate to break it to you, Mel, but I’ve never seen it.”

Mel stared at you as you had just confessed to never learning how to wash your hands. “You’ve never watched Back to the Future? Why?!”

You shrugged again, a smile on your lips. “Never had the time.”

She gave you a skeptical look. “That can’t be true; we get off at the same time! Oh, hey! Why don’t you come over and we can watch it together!” She seems so giddy, and you would never want to turn her down. It was truly the cutest sight to watch her be so excited about the prospect of having a movie night with you.

You really didn’t have anything else going on that night, like most nights. It would get you out of the house, and you’d be able to spend time with one of your favorite coworkers outside of the medical center. So, you found yourself agreeing to the hang out.

“Yeah, why not?” You asked, smiling. And if you thought her smile couldn’t get any wider, you were horribly mistaken, as now it takes up half her face.

“Really?” She asks, her hands wanting to flap, but she’s holding back until the end of the conversation, it seems.

“Yes, really, Mel. I would love to come over tonight.” You say to her in all honesty, and she’s practically jumping up and down now.

“Yay! Okay, um…come by at around 8? Please don’t be late; I really don’t like when people are late.”

“Got it, I won’t be late.” You give her an affirming nod and leave her gleaming at Dana’s desk.

————

You wouldn’t say you were particularly scared, walking up the steps to her apartment door. But you were most certainly nervous. You gripped the neck of the wine bottle in your hand. Truthfully, you didn’t know if Mel liked wine, but you always knew it was in good faith to bring a housewarming gift.

You didn’t know what she really liked, to be entirely honest. You knew the basic stuff, but the two of you had never had deep enough conversations to really ‘get to know’ one another. Which is a fumble in your eyes because you like her a lot. You’ve always thought she was cute, especially when it’s hot out, and the emergency room is colder, and she walks in from outside, and her glasses fog up.

Or when she’s really excited about something and can’t contain it, she’ll jump and flap her hands. It’s like she’s expressing everything other people can’t or won’t. And she’s so compassionate it’s crazy. And you can’t even get started on how she is with kids. If you didn’t know she was a doctor, you swear she would be a teacher.

Looking down at the bottle now, you felt stupid. There was a cinnamon stick and a slice of dried orange wrapped with it. “You don’t even know if she’ll like it; this was so stupid.” You murmured under your breath before gathering all the courage you had in you and knocking on the door. If worse comes to worst and she doesn’t like wine, she can keep it somewhere and throw it out later. You wouldn’t care that much.

You raised your fist to knock a second time, but the door is flung open, and Mel is standing there in her pj’s; her hair is down, past her shoulders, and fanned out around her. Her glasses are pushed up on her nose, and she’s wearing the same smile you left her with earlier today.

“Hi! Come in! I have everything set up: pillows, snacks, blankets. The movie is already loaded, so all I have to do is hit play. Come on!” She waves you inside, and you’re quick to follow.

You’re gripping the bottle of wine so hard you believe it might break. “Sounds good. You really know how to throw a movie watch-party.” You joke, looking around the apartment.

It’s cute inside. The only lighting is warm lamps or string lights; no overbearing white ceiling lights are flipped on. There are nice big, heavy blankets on the couch and chairs that sit around the living room area. The kitchen is nice and clean; everything has a label and has its own place.

“This is really nice.” You remark, glancing around each space.

“Thank you! It took a lot to put together, but Becca helped. She picked out the lights and lamps.” Mel pointed them out, and you looked at each one. “Is that for me?” She then asked, and you remembered you were still holding the bottle of wine.

“Oh, yes! Sorry, I didn’t know if you like wine or not, but…I was always taught to never show up at a house empty-handed.” You extended the bottle out to her.

She accepts it without saying anything. “I won’t drink any tonight, but you can feel free to.” She grants you before grabbing bowls off the kitchen counter.

“Do you want some help?” You ask.

“Oh, that would be great, thank you! You can take… this one,” she hands you a green bowl filled with Starbursts, “and this one.” She hands you a red bowl filled with Hershey Milk Chocolate, all individually wrapped.

“Anything else?”

“I don’t think so, except you can put those on the side table right there.” She brings each bowl over to the coffee table, and you, of course, follow her. You put the two of yours down on the wooden end table. “I didn’t know what you liked for candy, so I guessed. I’m sorry if you don’t like the options.”

“Mel, they’re fine; you’re underselling yourself here!” You say, standing in the living room quite awkwardly, unsure of where to sit or go.

“Oh right! You can set your things here, and um…you can take any spot, really. It doesn’t matter to me.” She gives you such a genuine smile that you almost melt. It makes you smile back as you decide to take one of the corner spots on the couch. She takes the other side, handing you a blanket. “If you need any water or something like that, just let me know.”

“Yeah, of course. I’m gonna be honest, though, I have no idea what this movie is about. I know they go back in time or something, but other than that, that’s all I know.”

“I still can’t believe you’ve never watched this movie. It’s literally the best movie ever.” She’s so giddy it lightens your exhausted mood a little.

“Yeah, but now I get to hang out with you, so it all worked out.” You smile at her before settling deeper into the couch as the movie begins.

———

Mel was beside you now, still somehow wide awake as the movie reached the end. It was pitch black outside, and your eyes were struggling to stay open.

“Hey, this is a lot to ask,” you started, and she swung her head to look at you. “But could I stay the night?”

“Oh, of course! Is it too dark out for you, or is it because of the train?” She stands from the couch, turning off the TV and starting to clean up. By instinct, you do the same.

“Um, I’m a little skeptical about catching a train this late. I’d feel better if I slept here.”

“Of course you can stay here. I have breakfast bars for the morning! Y-you don’t need any medications, right? Or?”

“No, I took some with me tonight just in case.” You shrug, rubbing at your eyes to try and give them some energy to stay open for more than five seconds.

“Okay, okay, that’s good to hear. Do…do you need pajamas or anything like that? I can loan you some of mine, or maybe a t-shirt?”

“I have some.” You tell her, pointing to your back that’s still sitting near the hallway.

“Oh good! Y’know, I don’t think you would’ve liked my pj’s anyway. All I wear are matching sets.”

You give a little smile. “That’s cute.”

“Th-thank you.” She says before looking towards the living room couch again. “Oh, so…I only have the couch to sleep on and then my bed. And I wouldn’t recommend the couch; it’s really uncomfortable.”

“Oh, right. I didn’t think about the sleeping situation.”

“Don’t apologize! We can figure something out for sure.” She shakes her head, but she looks so concerned. “Do…would you want to sleep in my bed, or is that something that would be uncomfortable for you…? I do have an air mattress; we can blow that up or something.”

“Sharing your bed is fine. I’ll just put a few pillows between us.” You joke, but you forgot that sometimes Mel doesn’t pick up on sarcasm or joking tones. “That was a joke; I don’t mean that, really.”

“Good, because I don’t think I have enough pillows to make a wall.” She jerks her head in the direction of her bedroom, and you pick up your bag. “So, I like to have a few candles going sometimes; it helps me relax. And then I have a Scentsy thing on top of my dresser. Just thought I’d let you know encase your sensitive to smells.”

“Not sensitive.” You affirm, shaking your head. She opens the door, and it creaks slightly. But you’re eager to see what Mel’s most intimate space looks like.

It’s a very welcoming space when you do see it. The bed is up against the center wall, with a window above it that’s shining orange light from the lamps outside down onto the covers. The bed itself has a bed frame with small shelves built inside it. Little trinkets are sported on each shelf, and a small cat is lying on the mattress, audibly purring but lifts its head once the two of you step inside.

“That’s Captain Scurvy.” She points it out, and you laugh at the name.

“He’s very cute.” You remark. Your head twists to the shelves that are present in other areas of the bedroom. They’re tall, almost reaching the ceiling in height. And there are books of every color on every possible shelf. There are some crocheting items in a basket near the end of her bed, and the sheets are seemingly older in style, at least 80s/90s, with cherries and strawberries decorating the white background.

Pictures decorate her side table and walls, mostly of her, Dennis, Trinity, and Victoria. The Pittlings, as they’re called at work. You were sometimes included in their antics, but you mostly hung around the night shift group.

She has a few stuffies and pillows that sit on her bed. The ones that stand out are a Squishmallow of a Whale Shark, and then a Jellycat whale shark. You recognize both of them because they’re the same ones you have back home. She has an older-looking Gund Winnie the Pooh bear, and a Build-A-Bear you recognize from Victoria’s 22nd birthday when she made all of you- yes, all of you, Trinity, Dennis, you, and Mel- go to the local mall and each pick out a Build-A-Bear to make.

You chose a Green Frog with Animal Crossing pajamas; Mel chose a Bunny with cute little overalls; Dennis chose a Highland Cow with the horns, also with overalls; Trinity chose Chococat (she didn’t feel the need or the want to put clothes on her); and Victoria chose a cute little bumblebee with a small dress.

Now, Mel’s bunny sits looking at you, along with her other stuffed animals.

“Oh, that’s just, uh…” She’s obviously embarrassed that you caught her with stuffies on her bed as a 27-year-old, but you couldn’t care less. As you mentioned earlier, you had the same thing.

“Don’t worry, I have more stuffies than you do at home.” You grin, looking towards her so she won’t feel so self-conscious.

“Really?” She asks, almost stunned.

“Of course. Just because I’m a 27-year-old adult doesn’t mean I’m going to give up my love of stuffed animals. They’re supposed to be enjoyed by all; that’s what I think anyway.”

“Thank God, because at first I thought you were going to judge me for being weird.”

“Mel, I don’t think I would ever think you’re weird.” You swear you see her blush, or the start of her blushing, but she looks away before you can really catch it.

“So, the bathroom is across the hall, and I have extra toothbrushes if you need one; those are under the sink. I would prefer for you to grab one of the caps you can put on the toothbrush as well. You should know how much bacteria can latch onto toothbrushes in the bathroom.” She tells you, and you’re all for following along with her directions.

“No problem.” You respond.

“Alright, while you change, I’ll turn down the bed and get everything ready, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I’ll leave you to it. You said it was across the hall, right?” You asked, pointing, and she nodded. You grabbed your bag and walked into the bathroom. Even the bathroom was cozy, which you didn’t even know could be possible.

You put on some simple clothes you brought that could pass for pj’s and grabbed a toothbrush from under the sink along with a matching toothbrush cover. You tried to make your breath as fresh as possible. It’s not like you didn’t brush your teeth on a daily basis, but if you were about to share a bed with your work crush, you wanted your breath to smell as good as possible.

You finish up and make sure everything is just as you left it, besides the toothbrush, obviously, before making your way back to the bedroom. You were incredibly nervous. Your hands were shaking, and even though you tried your hardest to make sure it wasn’t noticeable to Mel.

Your stomach felt as though it was in knots, and butterflies were growing, beating their wings against your belly. You needed to calm down. It was just a sleepover. You slipped inside the room, expecting Mel to already be asleep as it was now past 11 pm., but nope. There she was, eyes as wide as a baby’s.

“Aren’t you tired at all?” You decided to ask her questions so maybe the nerves would die down a little.

“A little. But I don’t need much sleep typically. This is just another day for me.”

“Oh.” You say, nodding like you completely understand, which you don’t. You need more than 8 hours to be able to function. So how she can do less than that, you’ll never know. But anyway, she’s lying there in her bed, top half propped up by an extra pillow. She’s made enough room for you, abandoning the stuffed animals to a nearby chair.

There is a small candle lit on her side of the table, and a book is propped up on her legs, with a reading light emanating.

“Do you seriously not need that much sleep? Tomorrow morning I just know I’m going to be horrendously tired.” You say to her, slipping under the covers. They’re so soft on your skin you want to ask her where she got these, but you second-guess it, feeling like it would be creepy.

“Seriously.” She nods, looking down at you for a moment to ask if you’re comfortable enough. Truthfully, you could die happily if this was the last bed you would ever sleep in. It was almost too comfortable, like a cloud. “I’m more than comfortable.” You replied, feeling your eyelids grow heavy with every inhale and exhale of air.

“You can go to sleep. I won’t be offended.” She dims the light of her book lamp.

“Are you sure? It’s not fun if I’m the one who falls asleep first. You’re never supposed to fall asleep at a sleepover.”

“I got drawn on at a sleepover once.” Mel remarks, and you open an eye.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Her mouth folds into a straight line. “But I drew accurate penis’s on them back, so it all worked out.”

You laugh, looking at her. “Are you joking?”

“No, I’m being serious.”

“That’s awesome.” You smile, snuggling further into the mattress. “You’re so awesome,” and it’s after that that you finally fall asleep. Mel soon puts her book down, growing tired as the night goes on. She blows out the candle and sets her glasses down gently beside it. She had gotten up earlier to brush her teeth, using the kitchen sink instead.

So she was all situated. As were you. She listened to your breathing, calm and steady, before moving down the bed under the covers. She fixed her pillow, making sure not to disturb you in the process.

Except, you did begin to move. You began to snuggle up close to her, and Mel froze, not knowing what to do. “Oh, um,” she said quietly, thinking you were awake, but a soft snore quickly put that notion to bed. “No, that’s fine. That- yeah, that’s completely fine.” She says more to herself than to you.

She’s tired though, and it’s honestly nice to have some physical touch. She’s rarely had physical touch. Except Langdon. You’re really the only other person she would ever allow to touch her. However, she still doesn’t know what to do right now, so she falls asleep with her hands behind her head.

But a few moments later, you’re moving against her, and she’s waking up, making sure you’re okay. She watches as your right arm moves to wrap around her middle, and you deeply sigh against her chest. It makes a small smile appear on her lips, her eyes drifting shut again.

Then, a few moments later, she wakes, the two of you now facing one another. You’re in a deep sleep, your features relaxed. One of your arms holds you close to Mel, the other is right up against your chest, hand under your cheek. She glances down at your mouth, which is slightly parted, allowing for soft snores to flow freely.

Mel gently fixes her arm, hanging it around your side and up your back, making slow, soft lines with her fingernails, soothing you into deeper sleep. She tries to keep a small distance between the two of you, very small, but it’s hard when you look that relaxed sleeping. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen you look any more peaceful than how you do right now.

You’re always worried about something, as many doctors are. But while Mel has seen how carefree Trinity or Dennis or Victoria are after they get off shift- hell, how carefree anyone at the Pitt looks when getting off their shift for the day- you always look concerned about one thing or another. And she just wishes she could help whenever she spots that familiar look creeping over your face.

She’ll be stuck to you like glue for the rest of time, she believes. You could wake her up one thousand times more after this, and she still wouldn’t pull away from you. She doesn’t know if it’s because you’re particularly tired or what. Are you always like this? Clingy and touchy? Not that she’ll say anything. She likes it a little too much, to be utterly truthful.

Maybe the two of you could become an item. She’s always liked you; it had developed into something much more recently. She would probably never know if you feel the same, but she can sure dream. It’s in that moment that the two of you are facing each other, legs entangled under the sheets; she closes her eyes for the third time that night, finally falling asleep with you beside her, holding her to you like you don’t want anyone to take her away.