#desertaurashipping

Of course that's okay! Thanks so much for the ask ^^

💋 Who says “I love you” first & how? [ColosseumShipping/DesertAuraShipping]

In a way, Wes has said "I love you" many times and in many different ways, long before either of them said any words. He said it through many gestures big and small, things he wouldn't otherwise do if not for Rui (the main one being, of course, agreeing to just casually go fight Cipher by themselves).

When it comes to actually saying it, speaking the words, I imagine that Rui was the one, since she's more communicative and in tune with emotions, both her own and other people's. I picture her telling him this during a quiet, private moment along their journey, probably in the latter half or third. Maybe before a big, dangerous event like infiltrating Realgam Tower on opening day, just to be sure she said it in case anything happens to them. At this point, Wes and Rui are obviously very close and got used to one another, but she suddenly gets somewhat shy and awkward as she says it. Being psychic and all, she is relatively sure that Wes at least likes her too in some way, but she doesn't just, like, decide he loves her too without him having the chance to say so himself.

Once she's said what she wanted to say, there's a bit of awkward silence. Rui doesn't backpedal but says that Wes doesn't have to answer her right now if he's not ready. And then Wes, even more shyly and awkwardly, says something along the lines of, "Hey, I'm bad with words, but you know... that I do all of these things because I love you too, right."

And this is how they tell each other❤️

🩹 How do they comfort each other after nightmares? [ColosseumShipping/DesertAuraShipping]

When Rui has nightmares, she craves physical proximity. Feeling another body near hers, hearing someone else's breath, sensing a friendly presence, it grounds and calms her, and Wes knows this. He's a light sleeper, so he tends to be awake before Rui when she's having nightmares and proceeds to simply hug and hold her. Sometimes this calms her down without having to wake up, so that she can continue sleeping.

Wes is the opposite when he has nightmares. In the post-nightmare state of confusion, touch often scares him, and hugs especially get interpreted as being restrained by an attacker in his panicked brain (reacting to past trauma, like fights he was in and the like). What happens is that he will wake up suddenly, often literally jump to his feet and either go sit somewhere and curl up or pace around. Rui naturally wakes up from this as well, and the way she's learned to handle these situations is by simply talking to Wes. Sometimes he's ready and willing to share his nightmare so that she can talk him through it and assure him he's alright and safe, sometimes he can't and doesn't want to, in which case Rui will just keep talking about other things. Telling him how everyone is safe, telling him what they will do next. Listening to her voice is what helps him.

My birthday gift to myself is three lesbians and a sword.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝟏𝟔: 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥

I said Wes counts, so here he is~

They were sitting together at the kitchen table, laughter filling the room. And Wes, in the middle of it all, felt like a complete stranger and right at home at the same time. 

All of this — being with Rui and her grandparents, eating food, chatting — was so normal. It was what Wes had only known from stories and TV screens, the way things were supposed to be, the life an orphaned son of criminals was excluded from. 

Yet here he was, thanks to Rui. Enjoying himself, talking, laughing. 

Number 11 (picking a leaf/flower petal out of their hair, or brushing dirt off of their face) & Coloshipping, pretty please💙🧡

(I admit I was also giggling at number 15 because - imagine if one or both of them had decided to fight Cipher just so they can be alone with the other😆)

Laughing at that end note because that’s so cute and also so very rom-com coded 😂 “yes we are about to single-handedly face off against a terrifyingly powerful criminal organization that practically controls the entire region, yes it will be dangerous and we could die, but I want to spend more time with you and obviously this is the best way to do that” IDIOTS your honor, I love them

All right here we go! I originally planned to write one from each of their POVs, but the first one ended up WAY longer than planned, so this prompt from Wes’s POV will have to be in another post. 😂

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Rui gulped and gasped for air, certain her lungs would burst at any moment, but still she kept running, her boots pounding on the sun-baked earth as she struggled to keep pace with Wes.

Honestly, it was straight up unfair. Not only was he in better shape, but his legs were so much longer than hers. She wasn’t exactly built for this whole steal-abused-Pokémon-and-run-for-your-godsforsaken-life-from-enraged-thugs kind of thing. Meanwhile, Wes had made something of a career out of it.

She didn’t even bother to look behind her to see how close their pursuers were; it took all her concentration just to focus on the teal blur of Wes’s coat and keep level with it. So when he abruptly skidded to a stop, she only narrowly avoided ramming right into him, then slumped against the alleyway wall, clutching at her chest.

Wes glanced at her, and for one embarrassing second, she thought maybe he had stopped for her sake. “Sor-sorr-sorry,” she choked out in a wheeze. Gods. So much for maybe (hopefully) looking impressive to him.

If Wes had any thoughts on her pathetic state, he at least had the decency not to voice them out loud. “We need to change course. I think they might be trying to drive us to a dead end.”

Rui wanted to ask him how he could have known that, but she didn’t have the breath for it. So she simply nodded, then inwardly screamed as Wes turned down the alleyway to their left and launched into another sprint.

Dear gods above and below, I’m going to die.

She somehow managed to force her body to move, scrambling unsteadily to catch up. She would not be the reason they got caught, so help her—

Wes slammed to another sudden stop and spun around, face rigid with panic. Rui looked over his shoulder and, with a jolt of horror, saw a blur of figures rushing toward them—

“In here!” Wes hissed and grabbed her by the arm, hauling her down yet another alleyway. Rui yelped and stumbled as he nearly yanked her off her feet in his urgency. Before she could right herself, she felt him loop one strong arm around her waist and pull her inside a…cave?

No, “cave” was far too generous. The tight, craggy nook in the rock face was so small, she was shocked they both fit. Rui hadn’t realized they were anywhere near the desert cliffs on Pyrite’s western edge, but Wes seemed to have known exactly where they were. Now with both arms around her, he pulled them further in, then turned them around so his back faced the narrow opening.

Neither of them spoke a word, breathing heavily as several sets of racing footsteps drew nearer. Rui closed her eyes, cold fear crawling up her spine, and leaned into Wes’s chest. She felt his arms tighten around her in response.

“This way!” One man’s voice was so loud, she could have sworn he was right there in the cramped nook with them. Rui jumped, but didn’t make a sound.

But the footsteps didn’t stop or slow. When mere minutes ago Rui hadn’t been able to pull in enough air, she now scarcely dared to breathe at all as their pursuers thundered past their crevice. The footsteps quickly faded away into silence, but for several more minutes neither of them moved, remaining rigid and vigilant.

Rui became keenly aware of Wes’s shaky breath in her ear and the pounding of his heartbeat. She wondered if he could feel hers, too, pressed against each other like this. If she wasn’t so terrified, she might have had the presence of mind to feel embarrassed by their closeness.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Wes relaxed, and only then did she allow herself to do the same. He still didn’t move or speak, though, and after a moment, Rui broke the tense silence with a whisper. “Are…are they gone?”

“I think so,” Wes murmured. Then, more softly: “You okay?”

Rui nodded. With her head pressed against his chest, she both heard and felt the rumble of his voice, and suddenly the cool, shaded crevice felt stiflingly warm.

“Follow my lead,” Wes said. He readjusted his hold on her, and Rui let him guide them out, her face hot. She broke away from him as soon as they were free, turning away to breathe in the open air.

“You sure know this place well,” she announced to the opposite wall, keeping her voice deliberately light and unruffled.

“Spent a lot of time here. When I was younger.” Wes’s answer was vague as usual, delivered in what Rui had always felt was an evasively dismissive tone. She made a mental note to ask him more about that later.

Her composure regained, Rui spun back around to face him with what she hoped was a convincing grin. “Well, Mr. Lycas, I daresay we’ve had our share of excitement for today. What do you say to calling it a day?”

Wes rolled his eyes, but she caught the tiniest hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. “Sure.” He gave her a sideways glance, looking her up and down. “You sure you’re okay? We ran pretty far in a short amount of time.”

She wasn’t sure whether to be touched by his concern or annoyed at the implication that he’d noticed her struggling to keep up. She straightened with a huff and brushed past him. “I’m fine! I’ll have you know, I’m tougher than I loo—”

His hand on her arm stopped her short. Surprised, she glanced back at him, and felt her heart stammer at how unexpectedly close his face was. Sands and stars, could he at least warn her first?

“C-can I help you, Lycas?” she tried—and failed—to keep her tone even.

Wes raised a hand to her face, his fingers brushing against her temple. Rui’s eyes widened, and the frantic thoughts in her head flatlined altogether. She wanted to both flinch away and lean into his calloused yet gentle palm all at once.

He rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “You got some dirt on your—”

He stopped, a sudden look of realization dawning on his face, and he jerked his hand away. “Shit. Sorry. You just, uh. Dirt. On your face.” He took a sharp step back and turned from her, running a hand through his hair. “Sorry. From the cave, probably. My fault. Sorry.”

Rui hastily rubbed at her cheek, which was now positively burning. “Nope! Yeah! No problem!” Realizing that response made no sense, she added, “You’re fine, um, thanks! Which way is home?”

“Right, yeah.” Wes cleared his throat and jerked his head in the direction they came from, not looking at her. “This way.”