CALEB - tapping out
watching every motion in my foolish lover’s game
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
“Caleb,” you smile coyly, hands tucked behind your back as you approach. His gaze is fixed on the distance, face carefully blank.
You know full well he’s resisting every urge to break form before being tapped out and sweep you into a hug. You wave a hand in front of his face, giggling when he doesn’t react. It’s a rare opportunity—Caleb, unable to fight back against your teasing, when usually you’re the victim.
You reach out, about to tap his shoulder—then pause at the sharp breath he draws in, quickly withdrawing your hand.
His eyes twitch. His fist clenches. You can almost see the little cartoonish angry icon pop up above his head, and you bend over laughing at his helplessness.
“Serves you right, Caleb!”
On your tiptoes now, you lean closer to his face, blinking slowly and deliberately, teasing him to his limit. His gaze stays locked ahead, but the corner of his mouth betrays him as it twitches into a whisper:
“Pipsqueak… you’re dead.”
“Shiver me timbers!” you gasp dramatically, clutching your chest and stumbling back in mock terror.
Around you, some of the recruits who had already tapped out begin watching, wide-eyed. They’ve never seen their usually composed comrade undone like this, strung along by a girl’s teasing. In their minds, this must be the girl—the one he always talks about.
Satisfied with his torment, your playful grin softens into something gentler.
“Welcome home, Caleb,” you murmur, before wrapping your arms around him.
His reaction is instant. He pulls you into a crushing hug, burying his face in your neck, inhaling the scent of your perfume as though grounding himself. His arms tighten, clutching you like a lifeline. No words pass between you—just the shared warmth of skin and the rhythm of swaying side to side.
Despite all your earlier teasing, your eyes sting with tears. The familiarity of it overwhelms you.
He’s finally back in your arms.
𐔌 ﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
a/n: this was inspired by that tiktok of this girl waiting to be tapped out but her family kept messing around and she was like imma beat your ass.
