#doobie-writes

Bloodhound - ástvinur (love friend)

A sweet, unassuming little petname - one they don't announce as anything romantic, but it's easy to tell they get flustered when someone asks what is means. they live for and thrive off of this sort of tenderness in private, but in public they are ridiculously easy to fluster; go easy on them, please.

"Hap kill. Your aim is better by the day, ástvinur; you need only trust yourself."

Wattson - mon chou (my cabbage)

A cute, silly nickname from a cute, silly lady! While she likes all the normal french petnames, mon chou is definitely her go-to. She thinks it's equal parts funny and sweet (she is correct, as always), and has a good little giggle every time she gets to call you her little cabbage. Yes, I do mean every time. Good thing her laugh is so contagious.

"Ah, good morning! Did you sleep well, mon chou? (giggle)"

Revenant - doll

Said in an extremely condescending tone at all times, and only used for the sole purpose of getting on your nerves. Don't worry; if you get used to it, he's very open to trying out some more to find one you hate the most. But hey, it's better than being a 'skinsuit' at least - probably.

"Aw, what's wrong, doll? Cat got your tongue? (chuckle)"

Horizon - petal

A lovely little name that floats off her tongue as she dotes on you endlessly. She loves nicknames and petnames, and she will call everyone 'petal' occasionally, but you can't help but notice the uniquely tender tone her voice takes on whenever it's directed at you. Swaps over to 'flower' sometimes just to mix it up - anything floral, she seems to be a fan of.

"Och, y'er nae a bother, petal. Come over here, tell me what's got y'er knickers in a twist."

Seer - orekelawa (beauty that surpasses all other beauties)

A gorgeous name for a gorgeous partner, perfectly summing up how he feels about you in one fell swoop. He'll tell you as such as soon as you ask; why should he hide how wonderful he thinks you are? If it makes you flustered, even better - red is a lovely colour on you, after all.

Mirage - babe

Nobody said the guy was original, okay? He just loves being able to swing an arm around your shoulder, call you 'babe,' and feel like the most suave man in the world. Plus, he might just be a little nervous about stuttering if he tries to call you anything more - he's scared he'll look totally pathetic! (Don't worry Mirage, you already do. That's why we love you.)

"Next round's on me, babe. W-w-well, yeah, I know every round is on me, it's my bar, duh, but- I sounded, like, cool though, right?"

Crypto - jagi (honey)

Short and sweet, maybe a little basic. He'll pretend that it's only because he doesn't care for cutesy nicknames, but really he just loves how domestic and relaxed it is. It might take a while for him to use it without getting embarrassed - he'll make sure to hide his red face at all times, though. He has a cool guy persona to keep up.

"Jagi, have you seen- aish, how many times have I told you to stop dressing up hack?!"

Loba - baby

Alright, this lady uses petnames on everybody. Darling, sweetie, honey... she uses them whenever she can, seemingly without a care. But baby? That's reserved for you, baby, and she makes sure you know it. She absolutely adores calling you her baby in front of as many people as possible, showing you off; especially if it flusters you.

"Ahh, perfect timing, baby; I was just thinking about you. Come over here, won't you?"

Fuse - sweetheart

A major petname enjoyer, he especially loves calling you the weirdest names he can just to get a reaction - though sweetheart will always be his favourite. Hey, he's an old man, he has a thing for the old-fashioned. It's a versatile little name, one that's charming, cute and a little bit cheeky; just like him!

"Bloody hell, killer game today. Good thing I got you to come home too, ay sweetheart?"

Mad Maggie - taku whaiāipo (my sweetheart)

You might think petnames to be unlike her, especially one so tender, but she's shockingly soft for you. She says what she wants when she wants to, so she's never embarrassed about calling out to you with sweet names in public - and if anyone dare think she's lost her edge because of it, they'll damn well regret it.

Lifeline - boo

This girl is immediately calling you sweet things, as soon as she can - probably before you even get together, the moment she realises she likes you. Always loving, she'll call you all sorts of cute names, but always goes back to 'boo' - it's just short and sweet; nothing fancy, but full of love nonetheless.

"Gotcha somethin' special, boo - (laugh) calm yourself! Ain't no big thing."

Pathfinder - romantic partner

... Okay, he may not be the best at romantic endeavors, but I promise he's trying his hardest for you. Honestly, he'll call you anything you like, just ask him to! But if you leave him to figure it out on his own, you might end up with something... interesting. Hey, maybe you find it endearing?

"I love being your romantic partner, romantic partner!"

Caustic - love

Good luck with getting this guy to call you by your first name, let alone anything sweet. You're going to be mx. [last name] for a long while, sorry about that. But maybe, if you stick by his side long enough to see the softer sides slip through, he'll let a petname slip in a tender moment. The rarity makes it all the sweeter.

"A meal? I see. I suppose I have not been supplying myself with adequate nourishment. Thank you.. love."

Octane - mi vida (my life)

It takes a special someone to steal Octane's heart, considering his... well, everything. How you keep up with this man I do not know and I'm too scared to ask, but he appreciates it more than you know. He lives for the feeling of his blood pumping, heart racing and adrenaline highs - and you certainly make him feel all of it; it's only fitting.

"(laugh) Mi vida, there you are! I've been thinking about you all day!"

Rampart - priya (darling)

Honestly, she doesn't put that much thought into or emphasis on it - she thinks petnames are just a bit of fun, which is fair enough; she prefers showing her love for you in other ways than just a little word. Probably only uses the one, though she doesn't mind being called anything you'd like to call her in return - and I do mean anything. She'll find the humour in it.

“Just one minute. I promise I’ll be in soon, jagi.” 

Tae Joon didn’t turn to face you, hyper-focused on whatever information he could absorb from the neon screen before him. From behind him, all you could see was the green light outlining his frame – so instead your eyes flickered across the lines of code, littered with words and symbols beyond your understanding. 

You simply hummed in response, hesitant to disturb him further. It was the third time you’d come in to remind him, after all; so instead you idled silently from within the doorframe, feeling like some petulant child longing for attention. His work was important to him, everything getting him a step closer to Mila, and the sooner he could achieve that the better. You understood that. You always did. 

Lately, though, he’d been drawing further away. Later nights, fewer conversations, simply huddled in front of his screen for hours on end. He was close to some sort of breakthrough, you supposed – a key piece of information. As much as you wanted to feel happy for him, you couldn’t help the hurt in your heart at spending another night alone. Was that selfish? Maybe. 

You stopped yourself short, knowing that if you kept on thinking you would surely spiral downwards; a pit in your stomach had already formed. Instead, you returned your focus to Tae Joon, huffing a laugh as he hunched over to get even closer to the screen. It was difficult to bite back a remark about what that would do to his eyes, already imagining the way he would roll his eyes and tell you to stop nagging. 

Instead, you peeled yourself away from the scene, footsteps creaking down the hallway as you moved back to the living room. The TV screen sat paused, waiting. You felt for the poor thing. With an undignified ‘oof,’ you flopped onto the sofa, budging around until you lay comfortably. Already, you could feel yourself surrendering to sleep’s temptations. It wouldn’t hurt to just rest your eyes a bit, right? 

It had felt like a blink, but when they next opened you were greeted with the light of day and the comforting warmth of a soft blanket draped over you. Groggily, you lifted your head, catching the scent of something delicious wafting from the kitchen. That, and the distant sound of clinking cutlery, clued you in to the situation. Tae Joon appeared in your vision shortly after, two plates of breakfast balanced in his hands – your favourite, you noticed. 

“Good morning.” He mumbled simply, placing one of the plates on the coffee table in front of you. You sat up fully, budging over to make room for him as he sat beside you. 

“Morning, Joonie.”  

He looked over to you as you spoke, though he averted his eyes just as quickly – apparently finding an interest in studying the floor. His shoulders were tensed, as though he was curling in on himself slightly, and his fingers drummed restlessly against the sofa cushion. 

“It’s alright.” Your voice was soft, knowing. It didn’t take a lot to guess what he was thinking about. 

“... It really isn’t.” Tae Joon furrowed his brows, speaking through a clenched jaw; his frustration wasn’t directed at you, you could tell. 

“It was important, wasn’t it?” 

“Not more important than you.” 

Both of you were quiet after that. It was difficult for him to be so tender, so vulnerable. He could never know just how much you cherished the moments that he was. You reached out, taking his hand into your own. As he raised his gaze to match your own, you both spoke through your eyes, finding words unnecessary.  

‘I love you. Thank you.’ You could both understand. 

The silence you settled into after that was comfortable, filled with only the occasional scrape of silverware as you enjoyed your meal. He was a damn good cook, though you hadn’t the faintest idea where he’d learned it from – the man had been living on cup noodles for half his life, for god’s sake. The thought made you laugh a little to yourself, inching closer until your head came to rest on his shoulder. 

The light pressure of him leaning back onto you made your heart feel full. Wordlessly, he picked up the remote, turning on the TV to find it right where you’d left it. 

You looked up at him, meeting eyes once more. 

“Movie.. morning?" You were sure your grin was so wide it was silly, but seeing the smile grow on his own face made you stop caring altogether.