i saw that you accept regretevator requests, so could we have a reader having fun at the campfire with ‚Spud!‘ ? poor guy went through so much brain trauma and still makes good marshmallows, so maybe some platonic quality time. (and if you wish some angst at the start where poor spud has to think of what he went through (argh gnarpy when i catch you)) [also which characters do you prefer writing or is it just them all?]
Blinding white lights blinding his vision.
Red hot searing laser frying his flesh.
Green feline creatures standing over him, speaking in tongues he couldn't understand.
Metal tools and sharp needles poking, prodding, tearing, slicing, and stitching every inch of his body.
They hurt.
Everything hurts.
Why won't they stop-
"Spud? Hey."
"H-Huh?"
"We're here."
"Ah. Sorry. Must've fallen asleep.." Spud awkwardly mumbled, reaching up to touch his bucket hat. He then looked out the window of your car, noticing you were parked somewhere in the woods. "Is this Two Studs Camp?"
"Nope." You turned off the engine and glanced at him. "It's a different place. Far away from that one. C'mon."
Although still in a bit of a haze from his nightmare, he managed to climb out of the passenger seat, seeing that you already had the trunk popped open. You grabbed a dufflebag and slung it over your shoulder, watching as he grabbed the smaller one, trying to keep his balance with just one arm.
"It's close. There's a fire pit ready to go."
He stared at you. "Firepit?"
"Campfire."
"Oh...cool."
The rest of the walk was in silence, aside from the occasional hoot of a distant owl and the crickets chirping their little tunes. The air was quite clear tonight, so you and Spud could see dozens of stars in between the tall trees. You took a few pictures with your phone along the way, taking in the sights and sounds.
Eventually you arrived to the campsite, where he noticed a tent was already set up, in addition to chairs and logs being by the firepit.
"Wow. Is all of this..for me?"
"Just for you, my friend." You grinned, setting your bag down and searching through it, finding a smaller bag full of familiar treats. "I heard you've made some killer marshmallows, and I can make pretty good smores. I got everything else but the sticks-"
"Already done, spud."
"That was fast." Looking up, you noticed the bundle of twigs in his grey hands. Not to mention he was already sitting in the chair. "Okay. I'll get this fire going. You relax."
Spud simply nodded, watching you put the logs into the pit, before lighting a match and dropping it in. Within seconds, a warm fire began to grow.
The sudden heat took him by surprise, making him tense up.
"Spud?"
He saw your concerned gaze as you sat on the other chair. "You look afraid.."
"...I do?" He asked, not out of sarcasm, but rather confusion.
You already told him you two were far away from Two Studs Camp. Far from any impending invasion and a certain green Gnarpian who he oh-so bitterly despised.
So what was he afraid of?
"You're safe here."
Feeling your hand patting the top of his, Spud was snapped out of his thoughts again. His shoulders relaxed a bit as he acknowledged your comforting gesture, doing his best to smile. "Thanks."
"Any time. Now...mind doing the honors, counselor?" Handing him the bag of puffy marshmallows, you let him take two out and stick them on the twigs, handing one to you. Then he turned back to the fire, holding his over it, for once looking content.
Your gaze lingered on him for a few moments longer, as you felt a bit sad knowing those damn aliens have broken him in such a way that even smiling often proved difficult.
He could never truly have a normal human life again, but despite all of their efforts--the one thing they couldn't take away was his love for marshmallows.
And the joy of having a friend who adores camping as much as he does.
