How about “blurry vision” and/or “oxygen” for a PHM whump prompt?
I actually managed to do both!!
Oxygen:
“Rocky,” I say gently. “Hey.”
Rocky remains pressed against the dorm wall, curled up into a tight loaf shape. I sit as close as I can get next to the xenonite barrier.
“Talk to me, buddy. What's wrong?”
Rocky makes a low, non-verbal vibration, deep enough I feel the hum through the xenonite. In very low notes he says, Rocky suddenly afraid of oxygen in you space again. Don't know why fear so bad when previously fine. Now so bad Rocky can't move. Has nowhere to go to be away from it.
Oh, crap. Was Rocky having a panic attack?
Blurry Vision:
“Fudging fudge,” I curse and drop the screwdriver to the table.
Rocky perks up from where he’s tinkering with something. Grace use rare strong swear – what wrong, question?
I sigh and run a hand through my hair, gesturing with the other at the broken pair of glasses sitting in front of me.
My only pair of glasses.
“I finally managed to break my glasses and now I can't fix them.”
Why can't fix, question? Rocky asks.
“Because I need them to see what I'm doing!”
Grace being stupid.
I huff, offended.
Give me glasses, I fix!
I blinked. Oh. Right.
Send me a prompt from the list and I'll write a PHM drabble!
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Because I'm a fucking coward I decided to not post my truthlesssage oneshit on ao3 and instead copy paste the entire thing on here
@kuipermoth come get ur food
Recluse had never felt this scared in his entire life.
This should have been easy! It was one simple question, but the weight behind it always kept his mouth shut around the Sage of Truth.
Will you go out with me?
It was something he'd said in his head thousands of times, the words on the tip of his tongue. But his anxiety over being rejected for such a simple request kept him under, and he mentally groaned at himself for his cowardice.
Here he was, watching another one of Sage's lectures, but instead of intending to debate with him about Truth and Deceit like usual, he wanted to ask the scholar out on one singular date. He had been trying for a while, always falling short and instead angrily shouting at him instead. Curse his emotional constipation.
“Hellooo? Earthbread to Recluse?” He hadn't even realized that Sage had floated in front of him, as his lecture had ended already. “Are you going to start arguing, or…?”
Recluse cleared his throat, wrestling down the flush that attempted to penetrate his cheeks. “I didn't come here to debate, Sage…”
The scholar looked genuinely surprised, sporting a delighted cheshire grin. “Oh? Then what is it you wish to say, my recluse?”
This was it. Moment of truth. He tried to remain apathetic, and…
“A-Are you doing anything tomorrow night?” He hated how his voice cracked from nervousness.
Sage paused for a moment, his eyes slowly lighting up at the realization that his beloved Recluse was asking him out on a date. On a date!
“Oh, you know I'm not~” He teased, not even trying to hide the furious blush that crawled on his face. He kept himself relatively composed, but he was mentally bouncing off the walls of the academy at the mere thought of the two of them doing something together.
Recluse relaxed slightly, relieved that his proposition hadn't been rejected. “Oh. Good. We can meet at uh…7? At the plaza? I uh…have a couple places we can visit in mind.”
“Of course!” He excitedly cupped Recluse's cheek, sending sparks through the contact. “I look forward to it, my recluse~”
Recluse's heart hammered as the Sage bid him farewell without a word, opting to manually travel to his home instead of using the other realm like he usually did. As soon as he was out of sight, the cloaked cookie took his hat off and screamed into it, his face a bright shade of red that burned his dough.
This was going to be a mistake, and he knew it.
—
The night was perfect, unfortunately.
Recluse had half hoped there would be a sudden rainstorm to cancel their plans, so he could retreat back to the Peak of Truth to rethink his entire life up until this point, but the sky offered no such reprieve. Another part of him couldn't help but feel the excitement buzz in his jam, as he paced back and forth near the fountain located at the plaza. He decided to keep his attire simple, wearing a looser version of his robes along with tidying himself up a bit to look more presentable. Normally he wouldn't care about his appearance, but Sage always made him do things that seemed unlike him.
Just what was taking that damned Sage so long? He had half a mind to walk home and forget this nonsense-
“Sorry I'm late!”
Recluse spun around, his retort dying on his tongue when he saw Sage hover just beside the fountain. Witches, he was stunning. His hair that reflected the stars and usually flowed freely was tied into a ponytail, and he wore a white and blue suit with hints of his signature gold. A milkcrown was nestled on the pocket of his shirt. The water from the fountain reflected the moonlight, bathing the Sage in a quiet white glow. “Ah, too much? I can change if you-”
“You're beautiful.”
Sage was caught off guard, and it took a few moments of Recluse being positively star struck before he realized he'd spoken aloud. He awkwardly cleared his throat. “We should get going.”
“Lead the way, then!” Sage intertwined his fingers with Recluse's and the cloaked cookie tried his best to look at anywhere but their hands. The scholar had the audacity to giggle, but punching him in the face would mean having to let go of his hand, which he was surprisingly not keen on doing.
Here goes nothing.
—
The next hours passed wonderfully, he told himself. Or perhaps it was a disaster.
Cookies around them whispered, seeing the highly respected Sage of Truth alongside the Truthless Recluse, a frankly terrifying looking hermit. There were many such terrible rumors about him, ones that were talked about behind his back as if he weren't even there. He was used to it, opting to ignore them instead of saying anything, but the Sage surprised him by giving a harsh glare to anyone who tried to backhandedly insult him. He rarely saw him so heated, and the sight of which made his already racing heart beat faster.
Witches, he was pathetic.
The two of them stopped by a Cafe for a quick bite to eat, thankfully small enough so the Sage wouldn't be swarmed because of his notoriety. The two drifted from place to place for a while after that, before finally arriving at the quaint garden just outside of town. It was the hermit's favorite place to be outside of his home, simply because he adored the flowers that bloomed here.
While Sage prattled endlessly about the flora, Recluse silently watched him with a gentle reverence. He didn't deserve the scholar at all. After his past mistakes, he didn't deserve to be happy again. Being alone took its toll on him, it seemed.
“Clusey?” He jolted at the sudden nickname. “What's wrong? You look…pensive.”
“It's nothing.” He spoke casually, a lie he was used to giving. But Sage always saw right through it.
He frowned, floating right in front of his face. “I know that's not the truth. You can be honest with me, my hermit. What's on your mind?”
Recluse stilled for a moment, before gathering the remaining shreds of his courage. “I…do not deserve this, Sage.”
Upon hearing nothing from the other, he continued. “You are an epitome of truth, and you treat me so well despite how much I hated you. And I should have continued to hate you. But that changed. Someone like me…shouldn't change.”
Sage gently held the hermit's face, mismatched eyes looking into his own. He smiled, his breath warming Recluse's very soul. “My raven, you couldn't be more wrong. I know how much you care, even if you put up a cold and harsh front. I know how much you care, to have come out with me tonight at all. You didn't have to, but you found the courage to ask me out anyway.”
Recluse sniffled. Since when had he begun crying? Sage wiped away his tears with his thumb, pressing their foreheads together. “I love you, my recluse.”
The sentiment wasn't repeated by the hermit, as he was too busy sobbing to articulate a sentence. Sage continued to hold him close until his cries subsided, moving ever so slightly closer to Recluse's face. “Is this alright?”
He suddenly realized the implications, and he would have normally said no and walked off without another word. But instead, he just so barely nodded.
Their lips touched.
Recluse's air was punched out of him, even as gentle as the kiss was for them. It only lasted a second, just the tiniest graze before they broke apart again. He couldn't have that. He instead pushed down his anxiety and practically mashed his face back into Sage.
The scholar was smiling so wide that it made it quite difficult for them to properly kiss, getting met with a bunch of sharp teeth that made Recluse wince. He hissed and squished his face in frustration. “Stop smiling so wide. I'm trying to kiss you.”
“Ehe, sorry, sorry!” Sage forced himself to relax more into the kisses, melting into the sensation of love and warmth coming from his other half. He ever so slightly tilted his head to deepen the kiss, wrapping his arms around Recluse's head and drawing him in more. When the two finally broke apart for air, they were both a flustered and panting mess, holding each other so tightly as if they may crumble if they let go.
“S-So…” Sage couldn't help but stumble over his words. “Your place…or mine?”
“Don't say it like that…” Sage heartily laughed, earning a flustered look of anger from the hermit. “Your spire…would be preferable.”
written for @steddiebingo 12 days of christmas prompt: fire
rating: t
words: 501
tags: firefighter au, hurt/comfort, angst
Despite having scrubbed his skin near raw, Steve can still smell the smoke, can still feel the fire, can still taste the ash every time he closes his eyes. After so many years, he should be used to the way he feels after a particularly bad call, but something about them still shakes him to his core every time. His heart, body, mind, and soul all sync up with a deep-rooted desire to be back at home, to be in a place he knows is safe. It’s so strong this time, Steve doesn’t even bother drying his hair before he’s out the station’s door and in his car.
The drive home feels like a dream and he doesn’t wake up until he’s walking through the front door and falling into his husband’s embrace. For the first time in hours, Steve feels like he’s returning to his own body, feeling the strain in every muscle, the ache in every bone, as Eddie’s arms wrap around him, squeezing all of his broken bits back in place.
“Your hair is still damp,” Eddie greets him with a kiss on the top of his head as he pulls the two of them onto the bed, holding Steve closer still. It feels like he’s trying to mold the two of them into one person, and Steve can’t find a reason to complain.
“Needed you more than my hair needed me,” Steve mumbles into Eddie’s shoulder. To anyone else, the words might be at least a little silly, but Steve doesn’t miss the way Eddie’s muscles tense slightly before relaxing again.
“Do you need to talk about it?”
Steve is quiet for a moment, mulling over his answer. His therapist would definitely encourage talking about the things that plague him, but he’s not sure if he’s willing to drag Eddie into that. Not yet. Maybe not ever. He doesn’t want to risk blurring the line between work and home more than he already does. He needs the space to keep them separate. He needs Eddie to be something he has beyond the ghosts that haunt him at night.
“Not right now,” he decides eventually. “Maybe in the morning, once the world feels a little less dark.”
They both know he won’t, but the words are part of their routine for bad days anyway. They give Steve the space to open up if he ever finds the strength to, and they give Eddie the chance to feel included in something he’s only on the fringes of. They’re comforting, even if they never amount to anything.
Another kiss finds its home in Steve’s hair and Steve sighs. Now that he’s settled back in his own body, surrounded by the safety that is Eddie, the exhaustion is creeping up on him. Lazily looking up at Eddie, Steve moves just enough to give him a peck on the lips before settling down again and finally, finally, finally letting himself rest.
He can only hope that things will feel better come morning.
Pre-relationship: Xicheng and Wangxian. This never would have been written withouth @bifca and @ruensroad
The yearly classes are an adventure every time they gain a new batch of students. Lan Xichen stood placidly at the gate, watching as the nervous new students trickled in in small groups, all colour coded. Some of their daemons flitted about, a rare few even shifting between shapes as they took everything in. Lan Xichen turned from his admiration of the paintings Nie Huaisang had done across his elephants hide when his daemon Lan Ting made a noise of interest. Lan Ting was graceful and beautiful and mysterious, and utterly wrong for the next Lan Sect Leader.
She was twenty-five inches tall at the shoulder and one hundred pounds, three inches taller and fifty pounds heavier than his uncles Clouded Leopard, the proper daemon for a Lan. She blinked her large silver eyes at him and he loved her anyway, this last reminder of his mother.
“The Yunmeng group is here,” she said, in that particular volume that meant he heard her and few others did. He turned and was greeted by a picture of feline and human beauty, a Xiamen tigress strode through their gate at the side of the youngest of the Jiang siblings. They were currently distracted berating the laughing boy and his fox demon beside them.
“-lucky Daiyu saw you drop it!” Jiang Cheng was saying before the group stopped in front of Lan Xichen. The young master’s face went from scolding to diplomatically blank as he turned from the boy, he assumed to be Wei Wuxian, to Lan Xichen.
“Greetings, Young Master Lan. Apologies for our late arrival, we got a late start from Caiyi village.” Jiang Cheng said, sketching a bow in Lan Xichen’s direction while their daemons stepped forward to greet each other. Lan Xichen watched out of the corner of his eye as his A-Ting greeted the beautiful tigress.They bade their farewells to the Yunmeng group, though Lan Xichen took the opportunity to watch them as they were led away to their dorms.
The Jiang tigress placed each massive paw with a dainty grace that was deceptive, one crushing blow from those beautiful feet could tear a lesser daemon’s head from it’s shoulders. Lan Xichen had seen the power in a tiger’s limbs while Jiang Yanli was studying in Gusu, watching her gigantic tiger playing with some of the other daemons. Yanli’s Renshu was as gentle as she was, and a danger even then because of his sheer size, second only to the Nie elephants. Lan Ting butted her head against Lan Xichen’s thigh, pulling him back to the present.
The little black fox, the only fox, of the group danced under and around her sister tigress, who snapped and snarled at her sister’s bushy tail with no actual intent to wound. Lan Ting let out a faintly longing sigh beside him as they watched the tigress vanish around a corner. Small for her kind at only two hundred pounds she was still beautiful, powerful and utterly befitting her fierce, noble partner.
“Her name is Jiang Lie Na,” Lan Ting said with a smitten tone that made Lan Xichen blush and hurry to hide himself away in the Hanshi.
------------------
“Did you see how beautiful her eyes were,” Lie Na sighed, batting at Jiang Cheng’s ankle, distracting him from his study. They had been in Gusu for a few months now, and all Jiang Cheng had really learned about the future sect leader of Gusu was that his daemon was very cuddly.
Or at least. She was very cuddly with Lie Na.
“Let’s go find them.” Lie Na exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and threw her giant paws around Jiang Cheng’s neck, sending them tumbling onto his bed with a laugh. He pressed a hand against her face and she let him push her away from him with a smile.
“We won’t! Those two are already bringing shame to our sect, always running after Lan Wangji. We won’t do the same!” He scolded as he mussed up the deep sets of fluff at her jowls. Those two were of course Wei Wuxian and Daiyu, who seemed determined to drive Lan Wangji and his Jiali to murder.
Jiang Cheng flopped onto his tigresses side, she huffed as if his weight did anything to her, and laid there for a moment thinking about the mysterious and beautiful Lan Xichen.
Truly the most deserving of the number one spot on the desirable young masters list, and absolutely, without doubt, one hundred percent out of Jiang Cheng’s league. Even if they weren’t the heirs of two of the Big Five sects, even if…
Jiang Cheng huffed and thumped his head against Lie Na’s shoulder, maybe beating his head against his daemon would drive out his dreaming about Lan Xichen if training and studying would not. He let out a splutter of disgust and shock when Lie Na leaned down and used her scratchy tongue to stick his hair up into a weird angle.
“I’ll drown you in the Cold Springs!” he hollered, catching his beloved tiger in a headlock that devolved into playful wrestling. Jiang Cheng gloried in being so close with his daemon, his first and best friend and eternal supporter.
woag hey its artificial soul angst time yet again. its only 800 words but eh thats all i can mustah rn
warning for implied mpreg, loss of child (nightmare), and panic attack
-----
Dark. And so very cold.
Recluse shakily opened his eyes as he sat up from the floor, shivering in the endless void he seemed to be trapped in. His limbs felt weak and sluggish, as if the air was made of thick sludge that seeped into his very dough.
It was then, nestled in his arms, that he felt it. The small breathing of life, so similar to his own.
His child. Right, the flower. Their features seemed so blurry and yet…he knew. He felt it.
There were whispers nearby. Cookies nearby. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but it sounded cruel. Heartless. A pair of hands grabbed onto the warmth in his arms, and he screamed in terror. In anger. But no matter how much he fought, he was too weak.
They took them from him. He shakily got to his feet and ran after them, but they seemed to disappear into the darkness. But then, a sound came from behind him.
A baby crying. His baby crying.
He turned around to see his child, wrapped in wires and held in stasis, with electricity surging around them. His heart broke when he heard them calling for him, reaching out weakly with what little strength they had. A reflection of him.
When he charged forward, he was met with a glass wall that stretched for miles, keeping him away from them. He banged on the wall, tears streaming from his eyes as he saw the life drain from their eyes.
“Please! Let them go! They're too young for this!”
His pleas went unanswered, uncared for. He clawed and he banged and he scratched at the glass, to no avail. The other realm wouldn't open. His magic wouldn't activate. He was powerless. Weak and helpless.
He crumpled to the ground in defeat, his voice growing quieter and quieter in grief. He couldn't stop them. Not even Sage was here to save him. To save their child. He was alone again, in complete darkness and cold like he was before.
He stayed silent, even as his child continued to wail.
—
Sage woke up to a quiet shriek from Recluse, slumbering right next to him. It wasn't uncommon for him to have nightmares, unfortunately, but even still he'd been getting better sleep as long as Sage was by his side. He continued to shake uncontrollably, quietly sobbing into the open air from whatever he was dreaming of.
Recluse was clutching his abdomen. They couldn't mean anything good. “Recluse? Please, wake up…”
The gentlest touch of his shoulder caused Recluse to flinch so violently he nearly fell off the bed. His breathing was shallow, and tears were streaming from his eyes and staining the pillow below him.
“Focus on me, Recluse. Breathe with me.”
He tried to think about how Sage was touching him. Gently holding his face and wiping away the tears, even as unsuccessful as that was. He could barely hear the scholar's voice over his own heartbeat, but slowly, he felt like he could see again. Still always blurry, but he could make out Sage. That was what's important to him.
“Are you feeling better now?” Recluse only nodded in response, unable to come up with any words at all. He'd been scared into silence again, it seemed. “It's okay. You don't have to say anything.” He knew that with Sage, but somehow, the extra reassurance felt better for his rapidly beating heart.
“Was it…about the baby?” It took a few moments, but he meekly nodded his head. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He stayed silent, unsure if he really wanted to or not. Sage held him close to his chest, gingerly kissing the top of his head. “That's okay. You can tell me about it later, if you want.”
Somehow, that felt appreciated too. Even though he wouldn't tell him the details, one worry still lingered on his mind.
“I'm scared. They can't protect themself. What if…someone…hurt them…?”
Sage stiffened, and Recluse was almost worried he'd said something wrong, but instead he was pulled back and held so tightly it almost hurt.
“I promise you, no harm will ever befall our child. Ever. I'll make sure of it. If it does, I'll…” He thought for a moment. Maybe something to diffuse the tension a little. “...blow them to smithereens?”
There was a beat, where Recluse stared at him blankly. Fearing he'd made it worse, Sage opened his mouth to apologize, only to be interrupted by the most melodic sounding snort laugh he'd ever heard.
It was sweet music to his worrying soul.
“Heh, you…you probably can't do that…”
“Well, not if you have that attitude.” Sage pridefully smiled, earning another startled laugh from Recluse. “I'm capable of most anything, you know. Explosions, dynamite, TNT; you name it, I've got the means to do it.”
“Shut up, hehe…” Much to Sage's surprise, Recluse pulled him in for a sweet kiss, filled with warmth and love for his beloved partner. The scholar was delighted that he was feeling better now, pulling away and dotting many more kisses over the hermit's face, eliciting tired fits of giggles.
“There's that precious smile again.” Sage spoke quietly, nuzzling into the warmth that Recluse naturally radiated. Both mentally and physically.
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obligatory @kuipermoth and @wolfieworks pings for my gang
---
He should have been concerned.
He should have been concerned when the rain started pouring down. He should have been concerned when the blue star painted onto his forehead started to wash away. He should have been concerned when the water started to hit Sage as well.
He should have been concerned. Instead, he shouted, “This way! We can take shelter there!”
As the two darted under the roof of the outside train station, Everett took a break to wipe off some of the water that still clung to him, unconsciously drying off his face and smearing the light blue makeup even more.
It was only a couple seconds later when a quiet voice, uncharacteristically quiet, spoke.
“What happened to your star…?”
Everett froze, staring at Sage with wide eyes, who stared right back. “Uhm, I…U-Uh…”
He didn't have an excuse this time. There was no sorcery at work. No villain to blame. Just a crack in the reality that he'd worked so hard to maintain for Sage.
“Surely this…is one of your illusions again, right? You have a tendency to use those a lot, like you've told me.”
“Uh, well-”
“I thought you would stop lying to me about yourself!” Sage sounded somewhat betrayed, his voice warbling a little at the thought. “That we moved past lies and trickery! Or have you not changed as much as I thought?”
“Sage, i-it's not what it looks like-”
“I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you leave me no choice, Truthless Recluse.”
Sage raised his hand, his fingers in the position of a snap. “I've played along with your schemes for a while now, but it's about time I dispel them to see the truth!”
“Sage, wait-!”
Sage snapped his fingers. The rain still poured around them. People continued to walk past them, giving them strange looks. He looked the exact same, staring at him with guilty eyes.
He stayed still for a moment, snapping his fingers a couple more times before grumbling in defeat. “Clearly, you must have done something to my powers when we arrived in this strange world. I won't fight you, but I still want you to be honest with me, and tell me the truth about-”
“YOU'RE NOT REAL!”
Everything went silent, the only sound being the constant rainfall around them.
“Sage, you're…you're an actor. Like me. But…you didn't know that until now. I-I didn't have the heart to tell you because I…I didn't think you'd take it well…”
“No you're…lying! You have to be!” Sage pointed at him accusingly, but his hands shook. And yet, as much as he wanted to think being unsure was rare for him, it had happened more and more during this journey of theirs.
“Think about it, Sage. For the first time, you're hungry, you're bleeding, and the blue from your “dough” is starting to wash off.” Everett took one of Sage's hands and held it up to his face. What should have been a brilliant blueberry blue sheen was instead tan skin that looked like everyone else they'd met.
“Recluse, you're-”
“And my name isn't Recluse either.” He corrected as gently as he could. “It's Everett, actually.”
Sage looked devastated. Everett felt terrible. He knew this would happen, and yet he still hid it from him! He knew it would hurt worse the longer he kept it from him, but…
“Sage, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” He cursed how emotional he always was, tears beginning to blur the corners of his vision. He held Sage's arm tightly, fearful that he would wither away at any moment. “I never meant for it to happen this way, I-”
Sage tore his arm away, an uncharacteristic amount of fear in his eyes. He bolted away before Everett could say anything, running down the stairs and disappearing into the crowd.
“SAGE, WAIT!”
His voice was barely heard over the chatter of the train station. Usually it wasn't that difficult to spot a bright blue human in the crowd.
It was much harder to spot someone who looked more normal now.
It was only ten minutes later that he had the thought to check the bathrooms. He sighed in relief when he found Sage, but chose to remain quiet. He was staring at himself in the mirror with so much intensity it could burn right through.
He didn't recognize who stared back on the other side.
“I didn't realize that both of my eyes were blue.”
“...Y-Your contact fell out at some point, and I couldn't find it. Sorry.”
Recluse shifted uncomfortably, even though no eyes were on him. He still felt like he was stared at by Sage, and the air felt tense.
“How long have others pretended to be my friend?” Sage's hands gripped the edge of the sink tightly, his knuckles now turning white and staining the edges of it blue.
“W-We started production sometime in June of-”
“Don't answer that.” Everett didn't dare say another word. “I already know.”
The two fell into silence again, so often now it was becoming a habit. After a few moments, Everett stepped forward into the reflection of the mirror. Sage's eyes only darted to him for a second before going back to himself.
“For…For what it's worth, even though I was pretending to be your friend at first…I enjoyed spending time with you.” He didn't make eye contact at all. Not like the role of the Truthless Recluse he usually played. “When we started heading back to the studio, and I saw how much happier you were here than back at the network, I wanted to find a way to set you free.”
Sage's head snapped to Everett so fast that he flinched in surprise. “You…weren't pretending?”
“I haven't been the Truthless Recluse in a while. I'm just…Everett. S-Sorry if that's weird sounding, but-”
He was cut off when two arms hugged him tightly, Sage's face buried in his shoulder. “You promise…? You promise you aren't acting right now…?”
And just like that, Everett broke.
“I-I promise…I promise…” He began to sob, repeating himself relentlessly in the hopes that Sage would believe him.
And thankfully, Sage already had. “C-Can we ride on the train to the next town? I just wanna look out the window again…”
Everett smiled, as bright as the sun, even though tears stained his cheeks. Even though the blue dye was seeping into the black cloak of his Truthless Recluse persona, ruining the illusion of perfection once and for all. Even though he and Sage probably looked so odd hugging inside the men's bathroom all alone.
OKAY SO I HAVE SO MANY FUCKING BRAINWORMS and i was originally gonna post it to ao3 but making all the fucking tags and shit would be too much so im posting it here instead. Take my delta x a//e brainrot
Allies // Enemies by @kuipermoth
Delta AU by meeee
I didn't sign up for this.
Me and Charred Vanilla had been split up for training, as he went with Bright Milk and I went with Umbra Vanilla. It still felt so…weird that we had alternate versions of ourselves still roaming around, but everyone got surprisingly used to it pretty quickly. Even me.
So imagine my surprise that, instead of training, Umbra Vanilla took me to a damn grocery store! A grocery store!
“I need some extra hands to carry all the food back.” Umbra Vanilla stated calmly, taking a look at the grocery list.
“But-” I stared at him in utter disbelief. “I thought we were training?”
“I never said that. I said you would be coming with me.”
Charred Vanilla was probably actually training with Bright Milk, while I was stuck waiting around for an old man to finish doing his chores! I could already feel how insufferable this was going to be.
I felt something small strike against my forehead. It didn't really hurt, but it caused me to blink in surprise and look down at whatever the hell just hit me. It was the wadded up list Umbra Vanilla was holding earlier.
“What the hell was that for?”
“Just testing something. We should hurry up before it gets dark.”
“But wouldn't you need the list-”
Before I could finish speaking, Umbra Vanilla had already started walking towards the aisles without me, cart already in hand. Rude! But I resigned myself to my fate and trudged my feet behind him.
After what felt like forever, the two of us arrived at the first aisle we would visit. Umbra Vanilla picked up a piece of bread, before squinting his eyes. “Hm. I just now realized I forgot to bring my staff. Can't see very well without it.”
You could hear me audibly facepalm from across the store.
“I can still see the labels, but I might drop something occasionally. You'll catch it if that happens, right?”
I so badly wanted to scream no! “Fine, I guess I'll watch out.” I didn't expect much. Just me twiddling my thumbs waiting for this slowpoke to finish up.
What I didn't expect was for the loaf of bread to be launched at my head. It smacked against my face and I only barely managed to catch it before it hit the ground.
“I thought you said you'd watch out.” Umbra Milk smiled that tiny smug grin he'd teased me before with.
“You launched it at my face! How was I supposed to-”
As soon as I blinked, he was gone. Instead I heard his voice far away beside me. “Hmm, prices for food these days are absurd. Oh well.”
Somehow, when I wasn't looking, Umbra Vanilla had reappeared at the other end of the aisle, looking over a box of jellyberries. How?! Had he teleported?! I didn't feel any magic in the air, meaning that he had simply moved very quickly somewhere else.
I gasped as the box dropped from his hands. It felt like time slowed as I dashed over and just barely caught it before it exploded into a red mess on the floor. But I wasn't even allowed to catch my breath before he moved again, this time even farther away. A jar of bear jellies fumbled from his hands, and I knew I couldn't get over there in time by just running. Instead I leaped, crashing against the ground but being able to grab it. My whole body hurt from falling, but before I could even get up, Umbra Vanilla was somewhere else yet again!
Just what the hell was wrong with this cookie?! I hastily threw the items in the cart before running after him.
This continued for hours. At least, that's what it felt like! But I had a routine now. Grab a couple items that Umbra Vanilla had dropped (although I was starting to think that he wasn't actually fumbling them), put them in the cart, and then run back before he dropped something else by “accident.”
Witches, I was more out of shape than I thought… And yet Umbra Vanilla didn't even seem to be tired with all that running around! I really thought he was using some sort of teleportation spell, but I actually managed to take a good look at him while he was moving. Turns out, no, he's just freakishly fast for a 56 year old cookie.
“Hmm, I'm pretty sure Milky likes this brand better…” I'm pretty sure I would electrocute Charred Vanilla until he became fried chicken if he ever dared to call me by that corny of a nickname.
Wait, why was I thinking about him now?! I couldn't snap myself out of my thoughts in time before the glass jar was dropped to the ground. I tried to leap, but didn't jump far enough, colliding face first with the ground and sliding forward a good two or three feet.
I expected to hear glass shattering, and a harsh scolding from Umbra Vanilla, but it never happened. In confusion, I turned my head up to see him standing over me, jar in hand.
“You look tired.” His deadpan voice absolutely infuriated me.
“Oh, you think?!” I yelled, uncaring of my volume at the moment. Anger rose within me, and I had half a mind not to shoot out lightning in a fit of rage! But he didn't even seem phased by my outburst at all!
“We got everything we came for. Thank you for helping me with this.” He offered me a hand to help me off the floor, but I ignored it and shakily got up on my own instead.
My everything hurt like hell, and it was all this old fart's fault!
—
After so long, me and Umbra Vanilla finally got back to the library, only for us to be greeted by no one at all. “The two of them must be heading back now. You can set the groceries down on the table there. I can put them away while you rest.”
He had made me carry literally almost everything while he only held the jar from earlier the whole way! He said something about his arms being weaker nowadays, which I knew was a big fat lie! He's lifted far heavier objects, I've seen it! But he had the nerve to ignore me whenever I pointed that out!
With a sigh, I finally dropped all of the food. My arms felt instantly better, even if extremely sore. And my head was killing me now-
The glass jar from earlier was hurled at my head. I don't know what happened, if my hands moved faster than my brain, or something along those lines…
But I fucking caught it.
Even I was in disbelief. Just earlier I hadn't even been able to catch a small paper ball! I looked at the jar like it was the one that launched itself at me.
“Good. All that training paid off.” I looked up and Umbra Vanilla was already hauling some of the food towards the kitchen.
“So we were training!”
“Yes. I thought I told you that.” He was absolutely trying to get a rise out of me now, I just knew it! But I was way too tired to fight back right now, and I collapsed into a boneless heap on the couch. Finally, some peace and quiet-
“We're back!” Bright Vanilla swung the door open, his grin ever present despite the fact he was soaking wet.
“Milky? What happened to you?”
“Well, me and Charv went out while it was rainin’! You know how it is!” It was only then that Charred Vanilla stepped through the door.
I burst out laughing almost immediately.
I couldn't help it! His hair was flattened down so far it covered his eyes, and his wings were all droopy too. I couldn't see his probably angry scowl, so his frown actually looked quite sad. “You- Pffft! You look like a sopping wet cream cat! Hahahaha!”
“Quit laughing, asshole!” Charred Vanilla yelled, hastily getting his hair out of his eyes. “Like you look any better!”
Well, he was right about that. My hair was sticking out in all sorts of directions, and my clothes were tousled and maybe even slightly torn.
“Easy, both of you. No shouting.” Umbra Vanilla reprimanded, who just finished putting away the food. Somehow, he'd grabbed two towels, handing them to Charred Vanilla and Bright Milk. “Now, dry off. Both of you.”
“Thank you, dear!” Bright Milk managed to steal a kiss from his partner, all while Umbra Vanilla laughed affectionately. It made me want to gag, and judging by Charred Vanilla's expression, he felt the same way.
“Well, I'm turnin’ in for the night! Been hard at work trainin’ Charv!”
“And I as well. You two should head off to sleep soon as well. Good night.”
I buried myself in the couch pillow as I heard the two of them leave, along with the sound of Charred Vanilla moving closer. It wasn't long until it felt like it was raining onto my back.
“Hey! Stop that!” I raised my head up to see him shaking himself dry like a dog, getting all the loose water everywhere. Especially on me!
“Tch, or what?” Charred Vanilla was clearly asking for a fight, but I could only weakly claw at him from my place among the couch cushions. My head pounded against my skull as I did so, and I visibly winced before giving up entirely.
“What's up with you?” Maybe I was imagining it, but it felt like there was a hint of genuine concern in his voice.
“Ughhh, Umbra Vanilla had me running all over the grocery store trying to catch the food that he totally dropped on purpose! My head hurts from all of that…”
Charred Vanilla didn't say anything for a while, and I almost thought he up and left without me noticing. But suddenly, I felt something touch my head. “Get your wet hands out of my hair-!”
My headache was gone. My soreness was gone. The scratches and bruises on my arms from falling were gone. I felt…amazing, actually!
“Uhh, how's that?” Charred Vanilla sounded awkward, retreating his hand slowly.
“It…helped a lot, actually.” I could finally sit up properly without excruciating pain, allowing myself to stretch out a little.
“Woow, and not even a thank you.” He sat down on the couch next to me after I moved my legs out of the way, probably getting it all wet as he dried off his hair. “Ungrateful.”
“You're lucky I'm still too tired to punch you in the face right now! It's probably close to midnight now.”
“Uh huh, suuure.” He snorted that annoying laugh again, but I didn't actually mind it at all right now.
“So, what exactly did you do that made you like…” I gestured to his entire soaking wet body.
“Bright Milk dragged out in the middle of the fucking rain, that's what! All he told me was to try and get a hit on him, but he kept dodging all the damn time so I couldn't! And I was just expected to stand there while he kept hitting me with that big ass staff! And it's not like I could've used my fire, obviously! So I just had to keep healing myself over and over again!”
He sounded genuinely annoyed, frantically drying off his hair and wings in rage. It made me laugh a little, to be honest, seeing him so worked up (even if it should have been me making him angry).
“They're both pretty shitty, huh? Umbra Vanilla made me carry all of the groceries even though my arms felt like they were gonna fall off! He said he “couldn't hold things like he used to” and I know that's a lie because I've seen him carry entire stacks of books before!”
“The two of them lie all the time, actually! And they're so full of themselves too!”
Charred Vanilla and I began to complain about our two doppelgangers well into the night, even though exhaustion was starting to seep into our dough. I was only half lucid when I realized that the two of us were having an actual conversation. No name calling, no insults, just quiet.
It helped too that he was nice to look at. But you didn't hear that from me.
I could barely keep my eyes open anymore. Charred Vanilla was talking about…something, and I couldn't tell if it was about our other selves or something else entirely.
I yawned once, and then promptly fell asleep.
—
Was Typhoon Milk even listening anymore?
I already noticed that his responses were getting shorter and shorter, eventually being reduced to hums of acknowledgement, but I didn't expect the bozo to actually fall asleep on me! He was sprawled flat on the couch, his head resting against the end and barely giving me any room. It was rude, but whatever. I didn't care that much.
All I did was stare at him for a couple seconds. And then a couple seconds more. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping, the electricity that usually sparked in his hair reduced to a quiet buzz. He glowed in the darkness of the library, not too bright to be obnoxious, but not too dim to be unnoticeable.
…I was thinking too much into this. I moved to try and get up before my thoughts became unbearable, but his legs were on top of my lap right now. Not only that, but his tail had curled comfortably around my waist. I wasn't getting up without waking him up.
I should have just shoved him off. I don't know why I didn't.
Instead, I stared up at the ceiling, trying to pay attention to anything other than Typhoon Milk. It wasn't really working, because my eyes were drifting back to him every few seconds. Why the hell did he have to look like that…?
Unconsciously, my hand drifted to my waist and brushed against Typhoon Milk's tail. I froze, thinking he'd wake up, but he only barely twitched.
Come to think of it, I've never really touched his tail. Sure, I've yanked on it plenty of times to piss him off while we were fighting, but I hadn't really touched the fluffy end of it. I was curious, sue me! I only faintly traced my hands against the fur, careful not to actually wake him.
When I glanced up just to check he was still asleep, I saw that he was smiling. In his sleep. Just from me touching his tail.
And maybe I smiled too. Just a little.
Exhaustion was creeping up on me too, now that my thoughts weren't a scattered mess. The only thing that mattered to me right now was keeping Typhoon Milk asleep so I could keep petting his tail. It felt so soft, softer than his actual hair. It was all curled up, which made me also realize I've never seen his tail fully straight either.
Oh well. That could wait for another day.
My eyes drifted shut, my hand simply resting on his fur now. It was probably way past midnight now.
written for @steddiebingo prompt: forced proxmity
rating: t
words: 537
tags: fantasy au
“Unhand me now!”
The shout bounces off the walls and reverberates through Eddie’s brain, quickly followed by the scrape of metal on stone as the door to the cell that’s been his home for he doesn’t even know how many days now gets yanked open and a young man gets shoved inside. He stumbles slightly, whirling to glare over his shoulder at the guard that pushed him before he’s even fully righted himself. It doesn’t do anything besides earn him a chuckle as the guard leaves, and the man’s shoulders slump in defeat as he turns again to take in his surroundings.
It doesn’t take long for his eyes to land on Eddie, given the size of the space, and once they do, the slump in his shoulders straightens again. Eddie is no fool. He knows a show of bravado when he sees one, but given the circumstances, he thinks he can let a little posturing slide. He knows he would do the same if their roles were reversed. That doesn’t stop him from giving the man a cheeky grin and asking, “Are you staring because I’m too handsome to look away from or is there something on my shirt?”
There are plenty of somethings on his shirt, considering it’s covered in dirt and grime, but that detail feels unimportant. His newfound roommate bristles slightly, face sinking into a scowl that would make a lesser man cower. Eddie doesn’t cower.
“I wasn’t staring. I just wasn’t…” The man deflates slightly, settling somewhere in the realm of annoyance, narrowing his eyes into a mockery of a glare as he looks in the direction of the nearest wall. “I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be in here.”
“Well here I am.” Eddie’s arms sweep out in a showy gesture. “And seeing how that door is locked up tight, I fear you may be stuck with me.”
“Hopefully not for very long.”
Eddie’s still outstretched arms swoop inward again, finding a home over his heart. “Well consider me wounded!” he exclaims, slumping back into the wall dramatically. “And here I thought we could be friends.”
“I don’t even know your name. How could we possibly be friends?” the man remarks dryly.
Grinning and extending one hand, Eddie says, “Name’s Eddie, so now you do know.”
His words earn him a heavy sigh, but the man finally steps away from the cell door. Once he’s left the shadows, Eddie finds himself stuck as the one that’s staring because the man the shadows reveal is actually probably the most handsome man he’s ever seen. He’s so busy staring that he jumps when a hand wraps itself around his own.
“Steve. It’s nice to meet you, Eddie.”
Steve.
Not quite the name he’s expecting. Doesn’t quite fit the face he’s staring at, eyes darting quickly between freckles and hazel eyes and the most perfect lips Eddie’s ever seen and chestnut hair curling gently around delicately pointed ears—
Wait. Stop.
“Holy shit, you’re an elf!” Eddie can’t stop the exclamation, brain catching up to his mouth two seconds too late.
Steve’s hand rips out of his own, going up to trace over the curve of the point, and his eyes go impossibly wide. “Fuck.”
