SUMMARY: Senku has a rare moment of vulnerability.
WORD COUNT: 922
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Read on Ao3 here! Another old fic from my Google Drive! Or, rather, ficlet? Drabble? Whatever the term is. This takes place very early series, before the grand bout!
From the moment that you chose to go with Senku to find the village instead of with Taiju and Yuzuriha, you knew that you were signing up for long nights of hard labor. You had already gotten used to being worked to the bone from the moment that you were revived - and honestly, you didn’t really mind it. Working endlessly alongside Senku helped distract your mind from fully sinking into the reality of the world now.
It was really only at night now that your mind had time to soak in exactly what had happened. That you’d awoken from a world-ending, cataclysmic event that - by all means - should’ve been the end of humanity. It was a miracle that you were awake and alive right now, sleeping under the same stars that you did thousands of years ago. If it weren’t for Senku…
… you didn’t really want to think about it. There was no use dwelling on that, anyway - that’s what Senku had told you when you brought it up before. Why waste time thinking about what would’ve happened in other realities when there was still so much to be done in this one?
As much as you wanted to follow through with that fully, it was hard to sometimes. Especially when you had excess time to think at night.
That’s when something else caught your attention - the smell of something burning.
You sat up with a jolt from where you’d been sleeping in Chrome’s hut - and when you looked over to check on Senku, your stomach dropped when you realized he wasn’t there.
When did he get up? You thought, running back through your mind to try and remember if you heard him leave. I’ve been awake for the past hour just laying here, and I never noticed. I didn’t think he could be that quiet.
You pushed the blanket you’d been using aside, standing up and heading toward the ladder. As soon as you could see outside, sure enough, Senku was sitting there by a fire. His attention was entirely on the flames, his ruby eyes not straying from them. You descended the ladder, approaching him slowly before taking a seat next to him on the log. “You know, if you keep staring, you’re going to damage your eyes,” you teased.
“Actually, campfires don’t put out a noteworthy amount of UV radiation, and that’s the main factor to consider when it comes to long-term eye damage,” Senku responded immediately, glancing away from the fire momentarily to look at you. “The most dangerous part would really be the smoke and ash, which has a higher chance of really screwing anything up. Lucky for us, there’s almost no wind right now, so we’re not at any risk of getting it blown into our faces. Even if there was a breeze, we’re sitting up-wind.”
“I really should’ve expected an answer like that coming from you,” you sighed playfully. His attention was now almost entirely on you, his jewel toned eyes locked onto your own. “You can’t sleep either, then? Is there something keeping you awake?”
Senku hesitated for a moment, the fire illuminating his features as a brief flash of uncertainty passed his face. “I keep making mistakes,” he admitted softly after a moment. “Things that would be obvious to real scientists, but I miss. Even when they’re insignificant, I can’t help but get this sinking feeling afterward that I’m forgetting something huge.”
You hummed as you listened. Your chest hurt for him as he spoke. It wasn’t often that Senku opened up to anyone, really, so you didn’t want to say the wrong thing or say something that made him never want to open up again, so you chose her words carefully. “Why do you say it like that? ‘Real scientist’, I mean. You are a real scientist.”
He laughed softly, the laughter truly directed at himself. “I wasn’t, really. Just a kid who was soaking up information like a sponge. I hadn’t had a chance to really make a real scientist out of myself yet.”
“Oh, and I suppose all real scientists have never made an oversight or a mistake in their life?” You teased, bumping his shoulder with yours. “You’re a real scientist, Senku. You’ve also been put in a situation that real scientists likely would’ve never thought was possible. You put the world on your shoulders when you expect yourself to remember everything at once and single-handedly bring back scientific civilization. It’s okay to rely on others, you know? When you trust them, they’re able to point out things you missed without making you feel like you just make mistake after mistake… because you don’t.”
You’ve done a lot of things right, you wanted to say. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.
However, you knew Senku. He wasn’t the type to get emotional and really soak in those feelings and words of comfort. He responded much better to emotions and logic dealt out equally.
So, for now, you kept that thought to yourself. You could tell him another day just how grateful you were that he revived you, that he brought you back from the darkness.
It seemed as if you made the right choice too, because after a moment, Senku cracked a smile and bumped you back on the shoulder. “I hope you’re ready for me to rely on you, then. Because if you think the work we’ve already done is hard… we’re just getting started.”
You smiled back at him. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
I decided to just write this instead of learning something for our presentation 😋 Senku and Sai are too goated guys...
────୨ৎ────ִ ࣪𖤐
Senku Ishigami ۫ ꣑ৎ
– He's definitely not the type of person to fall head over heels too soon. The whole "love at first sight" is the most ridiculous statement he's ever heard.
– You could either be a close friend or maybe someone above his level, and he'll take a liking to you as time goes by.
– The moment he realizes his feelings are growing more when he sees signs like how his hands get sweaty, his gaze lingering you a fraction of a second longer, and his mind drifting to you out of the blue is the time he wants to lose his shit.
– He would go on and on in his thoughts that he doesn't have time for that and he'll try to find a rational reason why this isn't a good idea (denial fits him sm).
– He'll often find himself writing your name when he should be writing his notes and formulas and will immediately scribble it out recklessly, contrasting the chaos from his actual decent handwriting (assuming he doesn't write like the independence).
– And every once in a while, he will unconsciously admire your figure from a distance even as he works on his experiments. Later curses himself for letting distractions get the better of him.
– If ever you're in a different class from him, he wouldn't go out of his way to find excuses to see you, but when he does get the chance to walk out, his eyes will scan your classroom door from the sides. He'll complain that he wasted his time when you're nowhere to be seen.
– When you look at him with those bright eyes and your warm smile, yeah that logical scientist will turn into a lover boy on the inside. Suddenly, he wouldn't mind the dopamine that floods his brain like an addicting toxin.
– Since it's canon that he draws well, he would probably doodle your face at the corner of his notes and a few science facts besides it (he will NEVER let anyone steal a glance on it).
– Confessions? Just don't expect anything romantic from that leek-head.
– He would tell you on a random Tuesday something about how his heart rate increases abnormally whenever you're in the vicinity (basically any of his lovey-dovey symptoms in scientific terms).
– It doesn't stop his ears turning bright pink though, being blunt about his feelings is not his forte at all.
Sai Nanami ۫ ꣑ৎ
– It would take a miracle to see this guy without his laptop. And another for him to start liking someone.
– He wouldn't mind liking someone based on their first impression, but he will definitely gravitate more when he knows you well enough like a friend. And he's more of a personality guy, so looks wouldn't matter much to him, just a bonus.
– He realizes his feelings when he finds himself wanting to be with your presence rather than being alone. If an introvert wants someone to be in their little isolated world, then you have to be someone special.
– When it comes to designing characters for his video game making, he would base off the characteristics traits from you, even like little details of the shape of your eyes and anything similar to that.
– He might as well program your favorite genre of games and show it off to you. Fps or rpg, he will make anything you desire. It does show his Nanami nature of giving you what you want.
– Ryusui would tease the HELL out of him when he finds out about his little crush and will shout "Haha! Go get your partner already!" whenever he gets the chance. His face will always go bright red in embarrassment, but he still appreciates the support of his brother.
– You know those mathematical formulas that when you solve it, it spells out "I love you?" Oh he's going to do that for a confession. But he would only do it in private, being in crowds for one of the most nerve-racking moments like admitting feelings is not the best choice.
– Although if you aren't in the same mathematical level of intelligence as he is, he'll help you find the solution to it anyway — don't expect him to act all cool about it though, he's literally confessing to you in the nerdiest way.
So uh yeah, filler post... since Sai is so underrated, I want to continue the request for his one-shot that rotted in my inbox for WEEKS.
And guys you should expect no early updates of my long fic 👀 this school year is getting busier by the day shshshs. I won't abandon it ofc, I just can't write it without going insane abt deadlines. Maybe it would be a weekly upload, who knows.
synopsis; winter is coming, dunk does what he can to keep you and egg warm.
genre; fluff
warnings; none!
a/n; started this sometime ago, needed to desperately finish it. next fic will be a req. enjoy!
From the moment a whisp of chill blended into the night air, Dunk knew you weren’t meant to last in the cold. You huddled against him, his cloak—now yours—dwarfed your body as the wind picked up.
Dunk turned on his back during the night to shield you from the gusts, yet you trembled all the same. Even Egg faired better than you.
“Would you like my cloak, my lady?” Egg had offered that evening you rode out. With Dunk’s own over your shoulders and your front clinging to his back, you knew the boy was teasing you.
He had to be. From the looks of it, he was barely keeping himself upright.
“I’ll manage,” you tried to keep the chatter to a minimum. Yet when he glanced back at you, there was nothing but concern across his features.
“She’s always been allergic to the cold.” Dunk told the boy, which earned him a pinch. He slightly jumped, his head turning to look back at you.
“I’m not lying, love.”
”You don’t have to speak truth, either,” you whispered.
“You’d rather I not speak at all, then?”
“Yes.”
Of course, that wasn’t true.
It’d gone quiet, and a guilt had already risen within you. Your hands remained on Dunk’s sides, and you gave him a light squeeze. With a murmur, you spoke in his ear, “I didn’t mean that.”
A soft sigh escaped him, weary but knowing.
“Aye, I know,” he muttered back. The cold had already flushed his face, but the heat rushed deeper at the touch of your lips. It was a chaste kiss to the cheek, one that could ruin him and his massive body if he hadn’t been so unwavering on finding proper shelter.
It took half a day before Dunk allowed a moments rest. He wanted to push on, find a proper inn and get the horses in sturdy a stable. But alas, you trembled like a leaf and Egg could only tolerate so much.
For better half of the night, you stayed seated by the fire. Egg huddled against you, your cloak—once Dunk’s—now his own.
“How’s the boy fairing?” Dunk came to ask, his thick arms carrying more wood for the small fire.
“Asleep for now.”
“And you?”
“I cannot feel my thumbs.”
Dunk snorted, a quiet, low chuckle slipping past his lips as he tended to the fire. “Your thumbs will manage.”
“Dunk..”
“Aye, I’m coming.”
Pushing himself up, Dunk came around to huddle around the both of you, his hands coming to take your own. Gods, you hadn’t been lying. Your fingers felt frozen over.
“What have you been doing?” He whispered, mouth tugging down as his eyes met yours. “I told you to keep warm—“
“Any closer to the flame and I’ll burn,” you huffed at him, “besides, the boy needs more warmth than the both of us.”
“The boy needs us.” Dunk practically scolded, her arms wrapping around you to haul you back into him. That took Egg with you, and he made a noise of complaint. But he stayed asleep.
“On the morrow we’ll find proper shelter. Get you and Egg better furs,” he promised to you, lips close to your ear as you melted. How could you not, when Dunk had his own stroke of warmth to keep you sane?
“And maybe then I won’t have to haul you into the fire.”
“Dunk,” you shuddered, unable to give as much bite. Not when he kissed behind your ear and his laugh rumbled right into your skin.
“Rest, love.”
You could only obey.
Dunk felt as you eased into him, his arms anchoring you as sleep overtook. One hand held your own, his calloused fingers rubbing to keep your nerves alive. The other came to lightly pull on the hood over Egg’s head, ensuring the cold wouldn’t bite his skin.
It was cold, yes, but he’d take care of the both of you.
synopsis; dunk thinks of what can be despite his struggle to speak to you.
genre; fluff
warnings; none!
a/n; unsure where i was goin with this, but i thought it was cute enough to post. have my humble offering, enjoy!
Ser Duncan wasn’t one for words. He found more often than not, him and his mouth would lead to trouble. Or lead those he spoke to, to think he was an absolute fool.
That feeling grew tenfold when he first met you.
A barmaid you were, attentive and sweet. It felt as if warm water had soaked his skin when you spoke. Your smile a fresh breeze, your heart to serve piercing his very own.
Egg watched him, the oaf he was, sit there and watch you.
“Ser Duncan,” he called, not too loud, but too firm a child his age. Yet the man was too busy imagining what could be, the hedge knight and barmaid. You’d have very little, but it’d be enough.
“Ser.”
“Quiet, Egg,” Duncan grumbled, unable to tear his gaze away from you.
“You’re staring, ser.”
“Aye—no. I’m not,” the accusation was enough to turn his head. “Finish your cider.”
The boy sighed, the man watched. Duncan had been to dozens of inns, spoken to many women alike. None nearly half as riveting to speak to, nor did their eyes shine like yours. It took what logic he had left within him to leave for the night.
“I cannot keep this up, ser,” Egg had told him that same night. The stables they’d taken Thunder and Chestnut were some steps away.
“We’re almost there. No need to complain now, lad.”
“Not the walk, ser. Your…”
Duncan glanced down at the boy, only to be met with the prince staring back him. His brows furrowed, “spit it out.”
“Your inability to speak to women,” Egg said, and after a considerable pause, “ser.”
“My inability—do you want a clout in the ear?” Duncan threatened, yet his words held no weight. As he kept his eye on Egg, he realized the warning wasn’t as effective as he thought—if it ever was.
Duncan shook his head with a small huff, “…I speak well enough. Just caught off guard, is all.”
Well enough. Given that he’d know you were to join him and Egg merely hours later, he would’ve mumbled in practice throughout the night.
Now he was stuck between a woman who often tongue-tied him and a boy who’d stare like a fish. Duncan tried, he swore to the Gods, to be competent enough to carry a simple conversation with you.
“How often is it you sleep under the stars?” You asked one night, keeping your voice hushed. With a new companion, the knight couldn’t offer much at the moment between the three of you. Yet it was domestic, sleeping underneath an elm tree with the boy between you two.
He’d never known such a thing.
Duncan let the silence linger far too long as if he hadn’t heard you at all. But he glanced your way, and all he could say was, “me?”
“Yes, you.”
Seven above, your smile was like a burning brand searing into his thick skull, hindering him to think for himself. Why would he, when he’d prefer to admire you all night?
Supposing he would until sleep took him. Even then he’d dream of you, unable to escape the thought that was you.
“Ser?”
Duncan blinked, realizing far too late he’d left her in silence.
“Uh, yeah. Yes,” he muttered, his head turning once, twice, as if he looked at you for too long he’d melt. “What…what did you ask, m’lady?”
And so you found yourself repeating, “how often do you sleep under the stars?”
The wind blew.
“Often.” Is all that Duncan provided. Then, “I wouldn’t worry, m’lady. We’ll find ourselves a stable or if the Gods will it, an inn.”
“It’s hard on the back,” you murmured, gazing up at the stars pasting the leaves. “But I’m not one to complain.”
“..You don’t mind?”
“Not truly.”
Duncan kept his hands over his abdomen, his eyes following yours up towards the night sky. For a moment he wondered, would you spend the rest of your life this way? On the road, going from kingdom to kingdom, sleeping under trees and eating tough meat. Spending the rest of your life with him. Gods, he was a fool to think of it.
“I could imagine falling asleep like this, until it’s my time.” You added like you’d heard his mind at work.
“You could—?” Duncan stammered, his voice now above a whisper. An apology came immediately after, not wanting to disturb Egg.
You hummed, his heart pounded.
“You might think me mad, but I feel safer out here than I ever felt in that inn.”
“How…how does that make any sense, m’lady?”
“I have a knight at my side.”
Duncan found your gaze in the dark, his expression nothing but longing. Pathetic, sopping yearning that made the blood rush to his ears.
“Goodnight, ser.”
Long after you turned to your side Duncan kept his eyes on you. He knew he had his duty, an oath to keep until his last breath. That night, under the stars and crackle of fire, he swore both to you.
Summary: At the age of 10 the first thing your soulmate will say to you is written on your wrist. For some it's only a few words, others it's a full sentence. Sometimes people can be unlucky getting common pleasantries that could realistically be said by anyone. However the words that were written on your wrist couldn't have been more direct even if you tried. When your 10th birthday came around the words “I'm Akabane Karma, please call me by my first name.” appeared.
Notes: Dumb soulmate au I had in the wips for several years. This was supposed to be a oneshot and then it became 7k words by accident so I split it up into chapters
💌 Word count: 1,461 💌 <= Previous Chapter | Next Chapter =>
Things you were supposed to be doing right now, studying. Things you were most certainly not doing right now, studying. It was the end of summer break and you didn’t want to be doing anything. Instead you raise up a Nintendo DS that wasn’t yours, playing a game that you didn’t own, on a bed that also wasn’t yours. What can you say? You were living the life. Currently you were lounging on Karma’s bed while the aforementioned redhead had his back turned to you. While he cracked open a new workbook you were supposed to be reviewing his old one. However he’s been so focused on the texts in front of him, he hasn’t noticed your departure from your so called “study date.” Ironic considering you were not studying nor were the two of you dating.
Neither of you talked about it since your less than confident confessions, if you could even call them that. At most it was more like an omittance to being soulmates. The moment you stepped out of that cave to find that Korosensei was trying to push you and the rest of your classmates into falling in love, you and Karma shared a look. How or why Korosensei overlooked the two of you was a mystery especially since he knew what your wrist said. Don’t get it twisted, you thank your lucky stars he didn’t try pulling anything but you wonder if you guys were just too easy of a target for the romance to be juicy enough for him. Whatever the case, the class then got involved with pushing your other instructors together and you couldn’t just not help. It would have been extremely suspicious if you and Karma didn’t want to take any part in setting up Miss Bitch and Mr. Karasuma. So naturally you fell back into the flow of your erratic class and put your personal agenda on hold.
The problem is you didn’t have the right timing to bring it up after that. You’re especially surprised that Karma even reached out and asked if you wanted to come over, albeit to study but it was something. You were in his room, on his bed, seeing a side of him that your classmates didn’t even know existed. Granted you were his soulmate but to you it felt special. He’s always had this "too cool to care” kind of attitude but it felt like he was trying to put in some effort in his own Karma kind of a way. You shifted your head to look at him. This view that no one else gets to see, this is someone that you could see yourself falling in love with.
Karma stretched as he got to the end of the page he was working on. When you first started working on solving problems you were making frustrated noises occasionally but you’ve grown rather quiet. Suspiciously quiet. He turned to catch you already staring at him with a look of awe. That caught him off guard. How long have you been staring at him? You looked so comfy on his bed and was that his DS? Wait a second you were both supposed to be studying. He slowly rolled up one of the thinner workbooks on the side of his desk and grinned as he approached.
There was nowhere for you to run. Karma was standing over you with a weapon and that devilish grin. “How long have you been playing around for?” Depending on your answer he was prepared to match that number with attacks.
You swallowed hard trying your best to keep eye contact while also saving your spot in the game. “Don’t even think about it,” you close the hand held device and hold it at the ready. “I will throw this.” You shake it around for emphasis.
Karma didn't even flinch. “I’d catch it or better yet, I'd incapacitate you before you have the chance-” You attempted to kick him but he caught your leg and dragged you closer to him. Karma tried to bonk you on the head but you parried it with the DS about to toss it aside when he grabbed your arm. He twisted it just enough to cause you to drop the DS so you tried to do the same with his makeshift weapon.
It didn't work.
The most that it accomplished was pulling Karma more on top of you. It seemed to have surprised both of you, stopping the assault entirely. For a moment, that felt way too long for either of your comforts, you just stare at each other. If you didn’t know any better you would say Karma’s cheeks were dusted with a warmer tint than usual but the only thing you could think about was how his eyes seemed to peer down at your lips.
___
A few blocks away Korosensei was speeding along to invite his students out to a summer festival. Karma’s house was the next on his list after meeting up with Nagisa. Korosensei tapped on the redhead’s window before opening it to pitch his speech but as soon as he took a breath he choked on his own spit, absolutely startled by the picture in front of him. Karma had you pinned to the bed.
Korosensei’s appearance stunned the both of you as your heads whip around to face your teacher. What do you even say in this situation? Realistically you were in the privacy of Karma’s home, his parents were out of town and his room was on the second floor. Moreover this is not what it looked like in the slightest but knowing Korosensei his dirty mind was probably filling in a lot of blanks.
The silence, that felt like an eternity, was finally broken by Korosensei’s sheepish “Sorry for the intrusion.”
Which caused both you and Karma to yell at him and move to opposite edges of the bed as if you both had been burned. Neither of you looked at each other but you also didn’t want to look at Korosensei.
“So I take it you uh finally told him you were soulmates?” Korosensei said it so matter of factly it was embarrassing. Your voice came out strangled as you responded “Yeah, Nagisa figured out what happened and we cleared the air so to speak .”
Korosensei’s expression finally went back to normal. “Oh good, good! Glad to hear it but uh,” He paused looking at Karma who still hasn’t said much. “Consent is very important and make sure to practice safe-”
Karma lunged at him with the rubber knife he pulled out of his bag. “THAT’S NOT WHAT-IS THERE A REASON WHY YOU'RE HERE?!” Only Korosensei could get Karma this irritated you swear. Karma kept taking stabs at him and he dodged while laughing.
“Right! I wanted to go to a summer festival with your classmates but it seems like everyone else has other plans. Can you both come tonight?” Korosensei put his tentacles together literally begging you both to come.
Karma finally looked back at you, there were still traces of flush on his cheeks from being flustered. You smiled back at him and nodded. Karma only frowned and sighed. “Fine, it's not like we had anything better to do.”
Korosensei squealed with joy “Fantastic! See you lovebirds tonight and don't do anything I wouldn’t do!”
Karma closed the window violently “It's not like that you creep!”
You couldn’t contain your laughter. Only Korosensei knows how to push Karma’s buttons like this. You haven't seen him lose his cool like this since the beginning of the school year. You flop back on his bed holding your sides. That actually just happened. Oh god you got walked in on by your teacher. What a mess.
You felt the bed dip as Karma sat next to you “What’s got you all giggly?”
“It's just that Korosensei’s always teasing people about that kind of stuff but even he got unsettled by it when he thought…ya know.” You stopped laughing realizing you still haven't talked about it. Sure you were both soulmates but that doesn't automatically make you a couple. “Lovebirds” wasn't accurate either. You’ve never been “in love” so you’re not actually sure how that’s supposed to feel. You know you admire him and you like being around him. You Sit up. You're not sure how Karma feels. Well at least not how he feels thematically. You can very distinctly feel his emotions on occasion if they're strong enough but that's beside the point.
Karma must be feeling your emotions because he reaches out to pat your head and you understand what he wants to say. So neither of you say a god damn thing about the matter and move on as if nothing happened.
I'd really like more fluff in this tag. Maybe reader has an old or worn dress, and dunk wants to get her a nicer one, even though they're on the road and money is tight. Love your work diva :3
dunk had been nervous all evening.
it hadn’t been the everyday jitters he got now that he had you and egg to protect. coin was tight, and most nights you scraped by with a fresh hunt and stale bread. he did his best to take care of you both, to keep you well-fed and fight the cold that howled among the trees.
still, in his best efforts, he knew he lacked. you three weren’t the best of wear—dunk was always sweating through his tunics and looking as if he rolled in mud every now and then. egg managed to puncture a hole or two through his own every once in a while. your dress was tattered and worn at the bottom, and the sleeves were permanently stained by grass and dirt.
dunk still thought you to be beautiful, old dress or not. he still found his mind reeling in your presence and falling quiet all at once. that’s simply what you did to him, and he loved it.
but he saw how your appearance affected you. and it was time for a change.
“m’love?” he whispered, finding you tucking the boy in with your cloak. the sun had fallen, leaving you to the full moon and stars. “he asleep, now?”
“he was gone as soon as he closed his eyes.” you looked past your shoulder, a small smile playing at your lips.
“what did you do to the poor boy? he’s been exhausted even before supper.”
dunk huffed, his lips tugging up in amusement. “just had him walking most of the way. gave rain and maester a break, is all.”
“i don’t know if he’ll wake before sunrise…”
“that’s alright. don’t know if i want to be up to early, either.”
you pushed yourself up, taking dunk’s hand as soon as he offered. he led you back to the fire, sitting where he could hold you close and have a moment alone. thunder, rain, and maester were tended to, leaving you to dote on your hedge knight. it was easier to do so without a bald pup saying, “yuck!” every twelve seconds behind your backs.
you laid your head on his arm, tucking yourself into him as he took your hand. he played with your fingers, taking into account the size difference between you. he could pluck each one off if he wanted to.
the thought might’ve been somewhat thrilling, although you’d never tell.
after a while, he let out a sigh. you hadn’t known then, but he’d been building the courage to speak. “i have something for you.”
“mmm?”
“when egg and i went to the markets, we found this kind old woman…” he kept hold of your hand as he glanced down at his empty side. his leather bag lay there, and he hesitated. what if you grew upset with him for spending the coin? what if you thought him stupid for a purchase that wasn’t a necessity?
dunk thought it was. you deserved the finer things in life. you deserved a man to provide such things, and here he was, hoping to be that man.
“she was selling her daughter’s dresses. told us she had passed sometime ago after the birth of her only son. she…she needed the coin to raise him and such. and—and i figured—“
he pulled the folded garment out to present to you. it was a simple blue cotton, bright and clean, with a simple chemise underneath. there were no rips or tears, no smudges of dirt and streaks of grass. it was lovely, and you were almost scared to touch it.
“duncan…you,” the thought, the sight, was almost too much to bear. “you—?”
“i couldn’t leave without helping her,” he scrambled to continue. “i kept thinking of you spending so much time at the river, scrubbing away the dirt and dust. you’d think you scrubbed your skin off, trying to…dove?”
dunk braced for your palm to clout his ear when your hands shot out. instead, you yanked him down, shamelessly planting a kiss on his lips. he held back a groan as his hand came to the back of your head, and he had to control himself from leaning into you further once you pulled back.
“i’m going to go try it on,” you told him, and took the dress before he could attempt to keep you there. "you best wait right here until i call for you."
he watched you find your privacy behind an elm tree, and all he could do was sit at the fire, proud and smiling like a fool.
i wrote this in under an hour this shit had me VIBRATING. thank you anon. i think you’re right, tag needs more fluff. tag needs more dopey love. you get me.
Weaving in Ends - GenderNeutral Reader x Party SFW Fluff
How your sewing skills bring the party closer together. All of these are connected but you can read them separately for one-on-one with your fave <3 just scroll to find them. Izutsumi's is not intended to be romantic!
Gender Neutral reader, slice-of-life dungeon fluff, some of these can be read as romantic or platonic it’s up to you. 2.1k words spread across 5 characters.
Senshi - He usually left repairs to Chilchuck after joining the party. He was plenty capable himself, but he liked giving the young one something to do. “The youth deserve to feel useful.”, he had mused one night, earning a glare from the party’s resident half-foot.
“Oh, because me saving all your asses from traps isn’t useful?” Chilchuck threw whatever he was working on at Senshi before storming off, ranting to the air in frustration of how thankless this job was.
“So hot-blooded.” The dwarf stared off after him before turning to the discarded project. You had already picked it up and were looking it over, it was Senshi’s empty pack. It was well-cared for, but had obviously seen many many years of use and repair. Uneven patches of cloth and thread scrawled over the whole of it. “I’ll fix it myself, give ‘er here.” But you were still holding it.
“I sew some myself, mind if I give it a go?” Senshi simply nodded, saying that it gave him more time to work on the party’s dinner tonight before turning away. You sat in a corner of the camp, evaluating the pack. It had one major hole that had worn through the bottom corner, and you noticed several old repairs that looked like they were barely hanging on. The hole itself was easy to patch, but it was the previous fixes that had you befuddled. After a closer look you wondered if any of the original fabric was even still there, or if it was all repairs. You didn’t have enough time or spare cloth to replace all of them so you settled for reinforcing what you could. It took awhile, and it had used up a lot of your sturdier thread, but it was done. Just in time for dinner.
Wordlessly, you set the repaired pack by the dwarf and took your seat by the fire. The food was delicious, as always, and the party was cleaning up for the night when Senshi approached. “You did a good job, thank you.” He clapped your shoulder with his calloused hand, the gesture had more force behind it than you were expecting, but his hand was warm and the touch was kind.
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Marcille - She wasn’t aware of your craft until a fight with an unlikely horde of Huge Scorpions broke out. “Why are there so many!?!” She shrieked, hitting them as hard as she could with her staff. Laios and Senshi were making quick work of the ones closest to them while yourself and the others tried to avoid getting stung or clipped. By the end of it, your party had quite the feast ahead of themselves. Laios was already talking about potential dishes to make out of their meat when Marcille sat down next to you dejectedly. Blonde hair dangling in her face and her long ears flattening down.
Her coat had been torn in the scuffle, her dress as well. She was muttering to herself, “I really didn’t think I’d have to eat these again.”, looking on as Senshi tried to teach Izutsumi the importance of proper food preparation. Hoping to cheer her up, you offered to fix the damaged clothes. The slashes and holes were small, but abundant. You set to work. Finding a series of similarly colored threads in your small stash you began to embroider small flowers and leaves over the tears. The half-elf watched in awe at how quickly you worked.
“It would have been easier to hide the damage if you just hemmed the damn thing.” Chilchuck said, watching your hands. “It wouldn’t be as fun,” was all you offered as you finished up. Marcille was very thankful, telling you that she’d heal you first the next time a fight broke out as she dragged her fingers over the repaired cloth of her coat. The details were small, and if you weren’t looking for it, one could have assumed that it was just a design choice.
Over dinner you told her you could fix her dress during your turn on watch that night. The night came and went. In the morning you handed her the dress, having forgotten to leave it by her pack before sleeping. “Thank you so much! It’s as good as new!” She said excitedly, turning it over in her hands. You were caught in a tight hug before you could register her words, warmth pooling in your cheeks.
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Izutsumi - It’s a hobby she wouldn’t have much interest in doing herself. You tried once to teach her, trying desperately to redirect her energy from swatting at the strings. Her clawed nails catch on the fabric and it’s a slew of complaints the entire time.
“Takes too long. The needle is hard to hold.” When she huffs in frustration you’re there over her shoulder gently prying her hands away from the cloth. Patiently, you sit with her and show her a better way to hold the hoop. She’s able to get through a single line of running stitch. It’s uneven and definitely isn’t straight, but she’s very proud of it. And you’re proud of her. Her task considered complete, by herself and herself alone, Izutsumi leaves as quickly as she came.
You watch her settle in a corner of the camp and you’re left with the scrap of fabric. The rest of your party gets ready for bed and you sit on your cot with a project in mind for night watch. It passes the time and your shift is over as quickly as it began. You set a small sewn and stuffed fish by Izutsumi’s sleeping hand before waking Chilchuck for his turn. Settling in your cot once more, you wonder if she’ll lose it by the time this adventure ends.
The next morning, you try not to be too proud of yourself. She’s been staring at it groggily for a while as the others pack up. It was made with a bit of blue cloth that had been pulled from Marcille’s coat a few fights ago. There were two yellow buttons for eyes stitched on either side that you had scrounged from a chest that had long been pillaged of its true treasure. And on the flat of its tummy you had sewn in her work from the night prior, a red thread that ran in short and long bursts up the white fabric. You had stuffed it with some odd remaining threads that were too short to use for anything else. She wasn’t the type to say thank you, but watching her place it gingerly in her pack made your heart swell.
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Laios - The tall-man had picked up basic repair skills very early on in his life, helping Falin in their old village with clothes and table cloths. It was a skill that helped in the dungeon, especially when one was too low on funds to buy new clothes every adventure. It was easier, and cheaper, to pack lightly and be prepared to fix something. But his craftsmanship wasn’t the best and he knew that. When Falin was here, she’d fix things with a spell. Or Chilchuck would make quick work of it with a needle and thread.
Either way, he was covered. What had him interested in it lately though, was your addition to the party. Well, it was seeing the little blue fish that Izutsumi had. The button eyes reminded him of Falin, the yellow so similar to his and his sister’s golden eyes. And it gave him an idea. He had run into you on the way back from a bathroom trip when he asked you, “Can I ask for a favor?”
It caught you off-guard, you hadn’t been asked to make things for people in so long. The pestering of your family for little toys and gifts having been almost forgotten in the journey of the dungeon. He wanted you to make a red dragon for Falin when they got her back. Nothing too large, and he promised to pay you for it once they were out and he could give the bank his promissory note. You mulled it over, it would be fun to have something consistent to work on during night watches, and the promise of extra coin from someone as loyal as Laios was nice too. The only problem was…
“Help me find the materials, and you’ve got yourself a deal, Touden.” And so began an unlikely routine. Any scraps of cloth and thread he came across, especially if they were red, were given to you. From tables, rugs, tapestries, chests; you name it, and he had found some way to bring it to you. A few days of this you had quite the collection. It would take awhile to finish, but you set to work. Night after night working on a wing here, a spike there. Laios often would check on your progress, not in a nagging way, but in a curious one. Sitting with you during shift change as you explained what stitch you were using or how to cut a fabric with its weave. After one talk where you had explained how difficult it was to have this hobby in a place as sparse as a dungeon he had started to bring you other scraps too. All different sizes and textures, it got to a point where you had to politely ask him to stop as you didn’t have room in your pack.
It would take many more nights before you were done, but it was a good time, getting to talk with your party’s leader as you worked. And the fact that he was starting to have a stash of supplies for you in his own pack was an added bonus too.
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Chilchuck - Any other race would be overwhelmed with the amount of sensory overload that half-foots were built for. The sound of your pack was different, it had to be filled with mostly soft things but some hard too. Most likely glass if the muffled clinking meant anything. He found his suspicions to be true when you had woken him one night. Jars and pouches spread across your cot that you were trying to quietly collect and put away. He stretched as he stood to take his turn on night watch, eyes still bleary with sleep taking in your slow movements.
“Hey,” you looked towards him, “why bring all this to a dungeon? Isn’t it a bit much?” His tone wasn’t unkind, merely curious. You paused, taking in the question. “Something to do, I guess.” Your voice was low and tired. He hummed an uncommitted response. He was prepared to let that be it, but something caught his eye. You were wrapping up something in a brown cloth, the contents seemingly plush and red. Was that- it was, no way.
“Are you making a dragon??” His words were laced with an incredulousness and louder than he had intended them to be. You dropped it in shock. A soft thwump as it hit the stone floor. You hurriedly picked it back up, checking to see if anything was out of place.
“Laios asked me to make one for Falin.” You walked over to him and held it out in your palms. It was unfinished but the design was clear. A four-legged creature with a derpy toothed mouth, tiny and shiny black beads for eyes, and a one single wing. It seemed like the second one was still on your cot, unfinished, and the beginnings of the tail too.
“Why the hell would Falin want a reminder of what ate her?” Chilchuck looked it over, “Honestly, his obsession with monsters-”
“I thought it was sweet,” you interrupted, “I don’t know her like you guys do but,” you let him take it from your hands, “from what I’ve heard, her and Laios are very similar.” Chilchuck held the stuffed toy, glancing back at you as you looked over to the sleeping tall-man. “I think that the gesture will mean more to her than anything, a gift from her big brother.” You had a tired smile on your face. It sweetened and softened your face in a way the half-foot hadn’t seen before. You looked almost proud of Laios, like a parent excited their child wanted to do something kind for their sibling. It reminded him of when his daughters gave each other gifts.
He blushed, looking back at the dragon in his hand. It was well made, despite the different scraps it consisted of. It had the same even stitching that he had noted on Senshi’s pack when he had come back to fix it after calming down. The same level of embellishment and detail he had seen on Marcille’s coat and dress. It was cute, even if it was odd to him, he couldn’t deny that. When he looked back at you he saw you looking at him. Sleepiness weighed down your shoulders but you kept that same soft smile. He handed it back to you, acutely aware of the tips of your fingers grazing his gloves.
“Maybe so.” Is all he said as you returned to your cot to sleep for the night.
Thank you so much for reading! Chucklefuck Tims is my fave but I did want to explore writing for all the characters in the main party <3 Let me know who your fave is
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