Tech Turn = "sharp [turn] With Zero Thruster Pull"

Hunter: Well, how was that??

Crosshair: How was what?

Hunter: I did the eye contact thing so he knew I was listening to him

Tech: Oh, that’s-

Echo: Did you actually hear anything he said?

Hunter: …

Hunter: I did not.

Everyone: …

Hunter: But I now know how uncomfortable his eyes feel on my eyes!

Wrecker: *patting him on the back* Nice job, Sarge!

Echo: No…

Crosshair: No.

The final girl

Congrats,you're the one who makes it to the end. Your instincts, paranoia and/or pure fucking stubbornness guide you every bloody step of the way. When the dawn finally breaks, you're the last one left standing

Sure, it cost you friends and loved ones and you're going to have one hell of a therapy bill, but at least you're alive.

Hey I was wondering if you could write a crosshair x reader where they have a lazy morning maybe with batcher too.

Lazy Morning

Summary: You decide to sleep in on your day off. It leads to a very relaxing day with the love of your life.

Pairing: TBB Crosshair x F!Reader

Word Count: 1087

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: I started writing this ages ago and then put it on pause, before continuing it today and I have no idea where I was originally going with the story, so I'm sorry if the vibes changes midstory. The only problem now is that I want to lounge by the pool. Alas, there is no pool.

It’s early, though not so early that the sun isn’t high in the sky, and you groan in annoyance when the bright morning sun hits your face, waking you from your very nice sleep.

Wait.

You’re fairly certain that you shut the curtain before you fell asleep last night.

You crack open a singular eye just as something large and heavy lands on the bed, and then you yelp as the solid mass of muscle flops next to you. “Batcher-?”

The lurca hound releases a happy little noise and buries her head under your pillows and blankets. 

You groan and roll onto your back, flinging your arm over your eyes, “Crosshair? Why is your dog in my bed?”

“I’m fairly certain it’s our bed, angel.” Crosshair replies from somewhere on the other side of the room, near the door. He’s probably the one who opened the curtain too.

“You don’t live here, leech.” You counter without any heat in your voice.

“Rude, and I went through all of the trouble of making caf and breakfast for you. But, since you aren’t interested-”

“I hate you. What did you make?” You ask as you slowly sit up and squint at the man leaning against the door frame, “And how’d you get in anyway?”

“I made a quiche-” You shoot him a look, and he rolls his eyes, “Believe it or not, I am capable of following instructions from a recipe.”

“Yeah, but normally people start with, like, pancakes. They don’t tend to jump to quiches.” You reply as you swing your legs off the bed and stretch your arms over your head, “And you didn’t answer how you got in the house.”

“I picked the lock.”

“Cross!”

“Hey, you don’t want me to pick the lock, then give me a key.”

“Ugh, I haven’t had a copy made yet. I’m working on it.” You pad over to him, yawning widely, and then you thump your head against his chest, “Why’re you and Batcher over here anyway.”

“My brothers are annoying.” Crosshair replies as he sets his hand between your shoulder blades, “I needed some quiet.”

“Mm,” You slide your arms around his waist, “And you decided to make breakfast for me while enjoying the quiet?”

You feel him shrug, “You deserve to be spoiled. Maybe.” He says, his hand sliding up to rest lightly at the back of your neck. 

“Maybe?” You ask with a laugh.

“I do have a reputation, kitten.”

“Yeah, yeah. I remember.” You rub your nose against his chest, allowing the sharp scent of Crosshair to fill your lungs, and then you pull back slightly, “Thank you for making breakfast, I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” He lightly rubs the back of your neck with his thumb, a small, slightly crooked, smile on his lips. “It still needs to cook for a bit, so you have time enough to shower and wake up.”

You hum thoughtfully, “Yeah, I might do that.” You lean in to brush your lips against his jaw, only to giggle as he ducks his head to kiss you properly. You lightly trail your fingers against his jawline, “Good morning, Crosshair.”

“Mm, it is a good morning now,” He murmurs, before he drops one more kiss against your lips, “Go take your shower, I’m going back to the kitchen. Batcher, off!” The dog whines but jumps off your bed, dragging your comforter with her.

You sigh, and Crosshair chuckles, “I’ll handle it, kitten. I’m planning on spending the day lounging by your pool, so maybe grab a swimsuit.”

“You just want to watch me parade around for you in a bikini.”

“Yeah, of course.”

You huff, though there’s no heat, and you lightly kiss him one more time before you meander over to your dresser to dig out your swimsuit, “Why do you want to use the pool when we live on an island?”

“Uh, there are people at the beach, and there aren’t people here. Besides, you’re the one who owns a pool in spite of living on a tropical island.”

You scowl at him as you pull out your bathing suit, “I didn’t build the pool, the house came with it.”

“You still bought it.”

“Inherited it.”

“Same difference.” He walks over to you and tugs your bikini out of your hands, before pulling a different one out of your dresser, “Wear this one.”

“...this is white.”

“I know what I’m about, kitten.”

“You’re such a man sometimes,” You take the bikini though and turn towards the bathroom, “I’ll be down shortly.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Fifteen minutes later, you step into the kitchen, clad in the white bikini and a sarong hung low around your hips. Crosshair offers you an appreciative whistle, before he tosses a ball out the back door for Batcher to chase.

“Prettier than a sunset,” He praises, a small smirk on his lips.

“Only because I’m wearing this thing,” You counter as you walk over to him and lightly pluck his toothpick out of his mouth.

“You could take it off, I won’t complain.” He drawls with an appreciative drag of his eyes down your body.

You point at him with his toothpick, “Pervert.”

“Guilty as charged.” He pushes your hand away and stands so he’s able to catch your lips in a kiss, “I opened the umbrella and put your breakfast on the table outside already. I also put out towels for us, as well as the sunblock.”

“Well, you have everything in hand, don’t you?”

“All that’s left to finish the perfect morning, is you sprawled out in the sun.” Crosshair replies.

You laugh softly, “Well then, who am I to deny you?” His arms snake around your waist and he tugs at the knot holding the sarong in place.

“You’re not going to need this, kitten. It’ll just get dirty.”

“And I’m sure it has nothing to do with wanting to see my legs.”

“Of course not.”

“Uh-huh.” You slide your hands up his chest and then wrap your arms around his neck, “It’s a good thing that I actually like your attention.”

“Oh, how much do you like my attention?” Crosshair asks as he bumps his forehead against yours.

“Enough that I’m considering inviting you to spend the night.”

He chuckles, “Well then, I’d better behave so you don’t change your mind.”

And you laugh one more time, before you pull him down into a kiss, leaning your weight against him. He’s right about one thing, this is definitely the perfect morning.

I love this hang-dog expression Silco has while looking down the table at all these Chem-Barons he has to call peers.

“Now I’m forced to share the air with parasites like you who leach off their (Brothers and Sisters) legacy…”

It makes me think that this is not what Silco as a young revolutionary initially dreamed of for Zaun (This, plus the way his sneers “enterprise” in s1ep9).

He seems thoroughly put-out and frustrated that this is what his dream has become.

Oh thank you :] I didn't realise they changed it sorry.

Hunter: I hate you with every inch of my body

Crosshair: …not many inches…

Can I get a kiss?

Summary: You and Hunter frequently kiss in secret. But, one day Omega walks in on you two. You and Hunter have to explain and it leads to an explanation of your love for Hunter and, how you love Omega.

Genre: Tooth rotting fluff, some angst

Warnings: Kissing, it’s a tear-jerker, Omega being literally the cutest 🥹

After long missions, it became a routine for you and Hunter to give each other a knowing look. That look only meant one thing. One question.

Kisses? 

That’s all it took. You and Hunter would find each other, go to a secluded space in the ship and kiss.

Just feeling his lips on yours calmed your whole body. And for Hunter, just having you close and your scent enveloping his senses soothed his form.

The two of you looked forward to the end of missions, just so you could have an excuse to be close to one another. 

Usually, you weren’t interrupted. I mean, there were one or two times when one of the batcher’s would walk in on you two, well making out, and then having to awkwardly exit.

Those were embarrassing and uncomfortable situations. But luckily it didn’t happen too often.

However, what you both were not ready for, was Omega to walk in on you two.

It was just like any regular, “secret one-on-one” in the cockpit of the Marauder. 

Hunter whispered your name as he held you close. You breathed heavily as Hunter pushed you against the wall.

He grabbed your waist and trailed kisses down your neck. You moaned and grabbed Hunter’s hair roughly. Hunter leaned back and placed a soft kiss on your lips. He smiled, you grinned and giggled. 

“You sure know how to drive a girl crazy,” you said as you wrapped her arms around Hunter’s neck. He chuckled. 

“It’s kind of my speciality,” he winked. “But, only for you mesh’la, only for you.”

“Glad to hear that,” you smirked then leaned in. 

Unbeknownst to the two of you, someone was curious as to where you were. And that someone decided to find out. 

“Hey, Echo? Do you know where Hunter is? I haven’t seen him since we finished our mission,” Omega asked. Echo choked on his caf. He cleared his throat.

“Well, you, uh see,” Echo bit his lip. “He’s probably just, uh, you know discussing the next mission. Yeah, that's all.” He finished with a nervous smile. Omega arched a brow. 

“Okay?” Omega was skeptical, but decided to let it go and figure out for herself where Hunter was, because she knew you’d probably be with him.

If you two were discussing a new mission, she’d want to know what it was and how she could help! 

The first place she thought to look was the cockpit. She waltzed on up to it and the door slid open. She gasped. You and Hunter froze. Hunter cringed and turned around, you peered over him and both of your eyes widened.

Well, this was bound to happen. Omega tilted her head confused.

“What were you guys doing?” You both smiled nervously. 

Both of you simultaneously stuttered a couple “oh, nothing” and “we weren’t doing anything” as Hunter backed away from you. You looked anywhere but at Omega and Hunter awkwardly rubbed a hand behind his neck. Omega was even more confused.

“Huh? But you were clearly doing something. That didn’t look like you ‘discussing’ our next mission,” Omega said with hand quotations. She crossed her arms in front of her. You facepalmed.

We’re screwed. Hunter looked at you, silently asking you, “What do we do?” You huffed and nodded your head. 

“Well, you see, Omega,” you paused and motioned Omega to come forward. Omega obliged and sat in the pilot’s chair.

“Me and Hunter. We-we, love each other.” You smiled at Hunter and held his arm. Hunter grinned back and held your hand. Omega’s eyes widened a little, but she smiled after. You continued. 

“And well, when people love each other,” you bit your lip. “I don’t know how to put this,” you chuckled. Hunter rubbed your back to comfort you.

“They kiss. There I said it.” Omega’s face was confused but she nodded along, starting to understand. 

“Okay,” she pondered. “But, you say you love all of us, how come you don’t kiss the other guys.” Your eyes widened and you breathed a laugh. Hunter chuckled. 

“Well, Omega. That’s a different type of love.” Omega gasped.

“Really? There’s different kinds of love?” You and Hunter nodded your heads. 

“Yeah, we have a romantic type of love.” Hunter wrapped an arm around your waist. You looked at him then nodded at Omega.

“That’s right. The love I have for the other guy’s is different.” Omega was still confused.

“Different, how?” 

“Well, I love the other guys; Wrecker, Tech, Echo and Crosshair, in more of a brotherly type of way. I see them more as family.” Omega nodded along, then her face lit up in understanding.

“Oooh, that makes sense!” You and Hunter smiled at her. Omega giggled. Then, her eyes furrowed. 

“Well, then. What about me? You say you love me all the time. Is it in a sisterly way?” Omega asked, pointing to herself.

You gave her a warm smile then kneeled down by the chair she was sitting at. You placed your hands on Omega’s arms gently. Omega looked down at you curiously. 

“Omega, even the way I love you is different too.” You smiled. 

“Really?” Omega asked, eager to know. You nodded your head. 

“Yes,” You glanced at Hunter. He nodded his head. You looked back at Omega.

“The way I love you,” You paused and smiled. “…is more like a daughter.”

Omega gasped and beamed. She jumped off of the chair and into your arms. You were shocked but quickly wrapped your arms around Omega. Omega leaned back and looked at you, tears brimming her eyes. 

“And the way I love you, is like a Mom.” You gasped and smiled as tears fell down your face. Hunter smiled warmly and kneeled beside the two of you. Omega grinned and pulled Hunter in for a group hug. 

“And I love you like a Dad, Hunter.” Omega beamed. Hunter chuckled and ruffled her hair. Omega giggled and you laughed as she sniffed.

Omega stood up and held her hands out for Hunter and Y/N. You both looked at each other and smiled. You both took her hands and stood up. 

“I just have one question,” Omega asked cheekily. Hunter raised a brow.

“Can I get a kiss?” You laughed out loud.

“What?” Hunter chuckled. Omega only shrugged.

“If you love me, you give me kisses right?” You giggled and shook your head. Omega slumped.

“Wha-what? I thought you said that’s how it works!” You stopped laughing and frowned. 

“Omega, it’s different,” You gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Me and Hunter, we love each other romantically. Only people who love each other like that kiss.” Omega nodded her head.

“Okay,” her eyebrows furrowed. “But, I saw you kiss the other guys.” Hunter’s eyes widened. You immediately shook your head.

“Again, that’s different. I didn’t kiss them on the lips.” Hunter’s face changed to understanding. 

“Huh?” Omega was still confused. 

“Okay, I kiss Hunter on the lips, because that’s what you do when you love someone romantically. I’ll kiss the other guys’ foreheads or cheeks, as more of a familial type of way. You understand?” Omega grinned and nodded her head. 

“Yeah! It all makes sense!” You and Hunter smiled. 

“So, you know why we kiss now, right?” Hunter asked with a raised brow. Omega nodded her head vigorously.

“Yep, it’s because you love each other, romantically,” Omega wriggled her eyebrows playfully. You and Hunter laughed. Omega smiled sadly.

“Does that still mean I don’t get a kiss?” Omega pouted. You smiled. 

“Well, I don’t see why not.” Omega’s face lightened up. You and Hunter laughed again. You leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Omega’s forehead. Omega beamed. She turned to Hunter and smiled cheekily. He chuckled. 

“Oh, alright.” Hunter leaned forward and placed a kiss on Omega’s forehead as well. Omega was practically grinning from ear to ear. 

“Thanks you guys!” Omega skipped out of the cockpit giddily. Hunter chuckled and turned to you.

“Well, that was eventful, wasn’t it?” You sighed. 

“Yep, who knew parenting would be so hard.” Hunter breathed a laugh then pulled you close. He enveloped you in a warm hug. You stayed like that for a few seconds. Relishing in each other's warmth. 

“You know, seeing Omega so happy,” You leaned back. “It just makes my whole world. She’s a really good kid.” You smiled, thinking about her.

Hunter held your cheek. He hummed. 

“Seeing you and her together,” he paused. “That makes my whole world.” You beamed. Hunter leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on your lips. One filled with passion, love and happiness. 

You smiled but heard giggling. You pulled away and raised a brow. Hunter’s face turned confused, then his nose scrunched up. 

“Omega!” He shouted, then Omega screamed and ran away. Hunter playfully growled and chased her. You watched fondly, chuckling to yourself.

sev def lays on top of u whenever she makes u mad until you stop being mad

ASDJFPWEWFPJD:LDF this is so fucking funny and cute

men and minors dni

the first time it happens, you and sevika are in your first real fight of your relationship.

sevika had stood you up on a date, only to show up on your doorstep five hours later bloodied and beaten.

the simultaneous sting of rejection mixed with the heartbreak of seeing your love in such rough shape resulted in you angrily patching sevika up in the bathroom, ranting at her as you tended to her wounds.

"b-baby, you know i've got a crazy job. sometimes i come home bloody. some nights i won't be able to come home at all. and you should know by now that i wouldn't fuckin' stand you up without a good reason."

"i know that sevika, which is why i'd fucking appreciate it if you could send a fucking messenger to me next time you gotta bail on our plans! i thought you were dead in a fucking ditch somewhere!" you cry.

sevika blinks, seemingly not having considered this point yet. "oh." she says, her heart breaking a bit as she realizes how worried you must've been. you're always worried about her; pouting when you find new bruises on her body and giving silco dirty looks when he's been treating her poorly, and sevika knows how hard you work to accept her lifestyle and job-- but she can only fucking imagine how scared you must've been for the few hours where she was missing. she'd die if she thought something happened to you.

"did you hit your head at all?" you ask, glaring down at your girlfriend while your hands gently move her head back and forth, studying her pupils.

"no."

"good." you grunt, dropping your hands quickly and angrily packing up the first aid kit. "i'm going to bed. you need to take a bath-- you stink." you spit, storming out of the bathroom.

sevika blinks, the full gravity of her fuck up hitting her-- and then she rushes after you.

you're cursing her out under your breath and slamming drawers as you change into your pajamas.

sevika cringes, desperately trying to think of a way to get herself out of the doghouse. "baby--"

"i don't wanna hear it, sevika. not tonight."

she gulps, and then does the only thing she can think to do.

in three big strides, sevika's pushing you onto the bed and collapsing on top of you. you squeak, then start to squirm underneath her.

"what the fuck are you doing!?" you ask.

sevika shrugs on top of you. "you're angry at me."

"...so!?" you squeal.

"so i'm squishing you until you love me again." sevika says.

you can't help but giggle, smacking her shoulder. "i still love you, jackass, i'm just mad at you."

"so i'm squishing the mad out of you." she says simply. you laugh, your anger slowly melting away at sevika's sweetness. "i'm sorry. really. i didn't-- i didn't even think of how scary that could be for you. i-i'll send someone next time i gotta stay late. i promise."

with the easy way you melt underneath her after that, sevika starts laying on top of you anytime you argue after that, too.

you bitch at her about how she's always letting food crust on her plates in the sink-- she lays on you.

she skips her dentist appointment and gets a cavity and you're pissed when you find out-- she lays on you.

she spoils the end of the book you're reading on accident, and, you guessed it-- she's laying on you until you finally sigh and forgive her.

it's nice. sevika always uses the time on top of you to figure out her words-- figure out a proper apology and something to make it up to you. you like the pressure of her body on top of you-- it helps the firey anger inside you disperse and it's reassuring to know that even when you're pissed at her, sevika's gonna stay with you.

plus, most of the time your arguments end when you start running away from sevika, insisting she don't lay on you this time, and she chases after you, both of you forgetting your grievances to giggle and chase each other around the house.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@shimtarofstupidity @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@sevikaspillowprincess @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai

@glass-apothecary @macaroni676 @artinvain @k3n-dyll @sevsdollette

@ellieslob @xayn-xd @keikuahh @maneskinwh0re @raphaellearp

@iamastar @sevikitty @mascdom @nhaaauyen

@mirconreadzztuff22 @veoomvroom @lushh-s3vik4s @katyawooga @lesbodietcoke

going soft on me? [crosshair x reader]

content: penetrative sex, crosshair needs a hug (a lot more in reality but we don't have time for all of that folks)

yeah idrk. this might be shit. i just have a weakness for rough exterior soft interior characters. you guys know.

THIS FIC CONTAINS NSFW CONTENT. IF YOU ARE NOT 18+ DNI

find here on ao3 ~ taglist form

read under cut

You’re under him getting your insides rearranged when you feel his hand slither up your body. His rough skin caresses yours with the touch of almost an entirely different person, slowly trailing up your body until he interlocks your fingers together and stills there, a grunt leaving his parted lips.

The way your eyes open in shock isn't intentional. No, really, you swear it isn't. You're just taken by surprise, is all. You know he's not having a good day, and judging by the pent-up way he takes you after a week of separation, probably not having a good week either.

Crosshair slowly starts moving again, dark and louder grunts escaping his closed mouth with each jerk that sends your chin dipping up and eyes rolling back again. It's dizzying how he anchors both of you with where your hands meet and hold each other; you want to gaze toward them, look at him and see if he's looking at the connection but his thrusts are making it too damn hard.

Instead, you just squeeze his hand softly with a small whine. And he stops completely. For a moment you're scared he's not breathing. But then he exhales a heavy sigh, letting his body fall onto yours completely. You gasp slightly, almost feeling suffocated, but as he adjusts to rest the side of his face beside you, kissing your temple softly and rocking his hips again, you're pleasantly surprised at how smothered you feel, in the best way possible.

Then, he squeezes your hand, tight, and continues working at his pleasure without any regard for you (Not that you really mind, you already came from his fingers alone). But he's so oddly gentle, sort of intimate, fucking you almost like a lover instead of a release he always seems to take from you greedily.

You decide to tease him a little. With a small smile playing across your lips, you turn and whisper to him,

"Going soft on me?"

The loudest noise comes out of him today; a surprised, yet delighted chuckle as he chuckles his head and squeezes your hand again, using the other to grip your waist and readjust you softly. He looks into your eyes, and you swear if you could turn his irises into something touchable you would sink right in `cause you have never seen him looking so delicately ready to break.

"Don't even dare suggest it," He barks with no bite. You just roll your eyes and take your free hand, wrapping it around his neck and bringing him down for a kiss. You won't, because if you call it out too much he'll stop immediately and you'll never get it back again. And you think you like this part of Crosshair.

dividers by @saradika ~ tags: @pb-jellybeans @corrieguards @badbatchbabe @ladytano420 @jediknightjana @sleepycreativewriter @shinyshayminflower @thebahdbitch @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @anotherschuylersister @starrylothcat

You (And I):

Silco x f!reader - 2.6k words - SFW

cw: best friend!silco, fluff, banter, mutual pining, idiots in love, mentions of cat-calling and harassment (not silco), mentions of poverty, soft silco my beloved, a little bit of angst in the form of reader being anxious about not knowing who is climbing through the window, but it's just the boy

summary: Your best friend misses you, so the only logical solution is for him to climb through your bedroom window at three in the morning, without telling you beforehand… It’s a good thing that you love him (and it’s an even better thing that he loves you too).

It’s taking you a little bit longer than usual to drop off to sleep as you lie in bed, curled up under the covers, trying to keep as much warmth in as possible. Your room is right at the very top of your parents’ bar, The Last Drop, which is also where you’ve just started to work full-time instead of just the odd job you’d helped out with growing up.

But now, with money for food tight and the threat of closure even tighter, you’ve found yourself doing pretty much anything to help keep the bar afloat, from running errands and setting up during the day to serving customers all evening and cleaning up after a long night. 

Your first proper job; you’d think with how exhausted you were you’d drop to sleep the very second your head hit the pillow. 

Not tonight, it would seem. Tonight your mind appears to be far too preoccupied to let your body relax. 

Your train of thought easily wanders to what you’d usually be doing on a Friday evening. More often than not you’d be holed up in the corner of a tiny café, trying to read your book while Silco asked your opinion on every little detail of whatever scheme he was working on at the time. 

Or you’d be forcing Silco to give you a piggyback through the streets after raiding the market for the cheapest items you can find, Vander in tow carrying all the loot. 

You can’t help but smile at the memories, a fuzzy, warm feeling spreading through you at the recollection of your best friend. Just the thought of him calms you; your lighthouse even in absentia. 

And it seems to do the trick, eyelids just starting to feel too heavy to keep open, a sure indicator of incoming sleep, when a scrabbling noise outside your window causes you to frown.

…you really hope you don’t have rats again.

Of course, the sensible thing to do would be to get up and investigate. But you’ve only just gotten warm and sleepy, and not only is the window on the other side of the room, but you’re laying on your side with your back to the glass, and honestly who in their right mind would want to get up in the freezing cold just to have a staring contest with some rats?

Scrunching your eyelids even tighter closed, as if it would block out the sound, you attempt to lull yourself back into that bliss you were so close to achieving, vowing to deal with the little rodents in the morning.

Almost like magic, the scrabbling stops and you sigh in relief.

Until you hear the unmistakable sound of the window creaking open.

Your eyes shoot open and your blood begins to pump urgently around your body. 

Fuck, why didn’t you lock the window before getting into bed? You must’ve forgotten in your sleep deprived state. 

One hand slowly inches towards the knife you keep under your pillow as two, almost-silent thuds resonate across the floorboards. 

Your heart practically leaps in your chest when you hear a series of soft footsteps approaching your bed, but you manage to keep yourself as still as possible, your only movement hidden beneath your pillow as you grip the knife handle tight.

A beat. Then another, as you wait for the exact right moment with bated breath. 

The intruder pauses by your bed and you inhale sharply, preparing yourself to strike.

Without warning, you abruptly swing your body around, throwing off the covers as you blindly leap towards them.

But they’re faster, shoving you back down against the bed with their lithe body and clapping a hand over your mouth before you can even think to scream out.

The knife slips from your hand, leaving it to clatter to the floor while you thrash about in your assailant’s grasp. 

“Stop it, it’s just me!” a familiar voice hisses down at you, halting your movements instantly.

You gaze up at the figure in bewilderment, slowly but surely recognising those jet black waves and hooked nose with every rapid heartbeat. 

It’s just Silco. 

He must spot the very moment that recognition sparks in your eyes because he’s soon grinning down at you, boyish, slightly crooked, and entirely too cheeky for his own good.

“Hey,” he says smoothly.

You push him off you with an unamused scoff, aiming to send him tumbling off the bed as you sit up and try to calm your erratic breathing. 

No such luck though, he just stumbles to his feet and quickly drops down next to you on the bed while you plant your feet on the cold wooden boards, running your hands through your bedraggled hair. 

Silco’s hand rests gently against your lower back and you glance up at him from your hunched up position of elbows on knees, palms against your forehead. 

You’re filled with the sudden urge to yell at him. Loudly. 

But your parents are asleep and they’ll be positively furious if they discover Silco in your bedroom in the middle of the night, so you settle for hissing at the ridiculous boy like an angry cat. 

“What the fuck are you doing climbing through my bedroom window at half three in the morning?”

Silco appears completely unfazed. 

“I left my lockpick at home, so I couldn't get in through the front door,” he replies, swiftly dodging the smack you try to deliver to his arm and instead catching your hand to press a chaste kiss to your knuckles. “And I missed you.”

You roll your eyes and snatch your hand back, but you’re unable to prevent your heart from swelling in your chest at his sweet words. Damn that natural charm of his. 

Luckily, a glance down at the knife by your feet distracts your wandering heart. 

“Why didn’t you say anything? I could’ve stabbed you.”

“Nah, you couldn’t,” he says dismissively until you shoot him a murderous glare. He returns it with a nonchalant shrug. “Thought you were asleep.”

“So why even bother climbing in?” you ask with a frown. 

And then, from the corner of your eye, he begins to look the tiniest bit bashful, gaze dropping to the floor as he starts to draw random shapes on the material of his trousers with his nails. 

“I, uh… I was gonna wake you up and ask if you wanted to go skip stones in the river.”

Your expression drops as you slowly turn to stare at him, which he meets with a dorky little grin. You groan and flop back down onto your bed, swinging your feet up so you can lay your head against the pillow, completely and utterly exasperated. 

Your best friend has been possessed by a five-year-old boy, you’re sure of it. 

Silco watches your dramatic display with clear amusement. 

“I’m gonna take that as a no, then?” he asks. 

“How do you have so much energy?” you whine, throwing your arm up to hide your face in the crook of your elbow. “Didn’t you have work today?”

“I had some work today,” he says, eyes quickly darting away from you. “Just not at the mines.”

Now this causes you to frown, peering over your arm at his trying-too-hard-to-look-relaxed body language. 

“What kind of work?” you question, which he promptly ignores, so nudge him with your foot, concern growing by the second. “Sil… what kind of work?”

He lays down next to you, propped up on his side with one elbow, and starts absentmindedly playing with your hair. 

“So, how was your day? You didn’t get any creeps trying to feel you up again, did you?”

You sigh heavily, knowing you’re not going to get an answer to your question. To be honest, you wish you didn’t have to give one to his. 

It had only happened once or twice since you’d started working late shifts in the bar, and it hadn’t been as bad since your parents had begun to shut it down everytime a patron got a bit too touchy. 

But it still didn’t make it right. 

“No, just the odd comment,” you reply, suddenly overly-interested in your nails. 

Silco wraps his arm around you and pulls you onto your side so he can hold you against his chest, chin resting on the crown of your head. 

“I’ll hang around during your next shift and kill anyone who even looks your way,” he declares, with a ridiculous amount of conviction. 

You roll your eyes even though he can’t see. Dramatic boy. 

“Don’t be stupid,” you say, lightly tapping your palm once against his back as a half-hearted scold. 

“You’re right,” he agrees with a resolute nod. “I’ll let you kill them yourself, you deserve it.”

Your sigh is laced with exasperation but you still shift to cuddle him properly, arms wrapped around his midsection. You just want to enjoy his presence while you have it, even if he is a pain in your ass. 

“I missed you too,” you say quietly after a peaceful silence, recalling his words from earlier. “It sucks working so much, I feel like I never see you anymore.”

“I know,” he hums soothingly, hand now rubbing tiny circles into the small of your back. “Just means we gotta make the most of the times we do.”

Snuggling him even tighter feels like the only appropriate response, so that’s what you do. 

You could honestly stay here forever. No responsibilities, no stress, just Silco. 

“You free tomorrow lunch? We could grab something to eat and then climb up to the roof of that factory by the river, if you want?” Silco asks. 

A warm smile tugs at your lips.

“Yeah, I’m free.” 

Your parents had been kind enough to give you the afternoon off tomorrow, but you were still expected to help out in the morning and evening as usual.

“Is Vander coming too?” you ask.

Silco shakes his head above you. 

“Nah.”

“Oh,” you respond, surprised the third member of your ragtag trio won’t be joining you. “Why not?”

“I thought it could just be a you and me thing, you know?” Silco reasons confidently, although you do spot just a hint of insecurity in his voice, like he’s nervous you’ll interrogate him further. 

Butterflies twirl through your stomach at the phrasing. You and him. You and Silco. A duet in this city of lonely hearts. 

“Okay. That sounds nice,” you say, trying to keep the smile out of your voice. 

He squeezes you once before he sits up a little, twisting around to pick the duvet up from off the floor. The covers are soon pulled over you both, where he tries to wrap his arms around you once more only to be met with you aiming little kicks at his legs. 

“Oi, shoes off, you heathen,” you demand, ripping the duvet away from him. “I just washed these.”

Seriously, you didn’t spend all morning washing, drying, and ironing all your clothes and bedding just for him to muddy them with his filthy shoes. Janna knows where he’s been in them or what he might’ve stepped in (especially considering you’ve never seen him clean them in all the years you’ve known him).

“Alright, alright,” he grumbles, muttering a sardonic little,“Bossy boots,” under his breath. 

Surprisingly, he does actually take the time to unlace them and even places them carefully under the bed, instead of just lobbing them across the room like you expect him to. 

Only then do you allow him back under the covers, shifting about until you’re both comfortable in each other’s arms, legs tangled together to ensure you’re as close as possible. 

“You know, you should really lock your bedroom window,” Silco comments after a few moments. “You never know who could be lurking about this time of night.”

You huff an amused breath through your nose.

“What, like you?”

“No, like some weirdo with nefarious ideas,” he insists, annoyed that you’re not taking him seriously.

You pull back in his arms to look him square in the face.

“...so, you?”

Silco pouts so adorably, you have to hold yourself back from just kissing him right there and then. 

“You’re mean,” he says, looking like a little boy who has just had one of his toys stolen in the playground.

In lieu of kissing him, you boop him on the nose with your finger and give him a cheeky, affectionate grin.

“You love it.”

But your heart sinks in your chest when Silco’s face drops, gazing at you intently as if he’s searching for something. Then his gaze darts away, the tips of his ears turning red, and you start to panic that you’ve said or done the wrong thing.

Instinctively, your hands hold him a little bit tighter, scared that he’ll just get up and go. 

“You know, my parents are going to kill me if they see us in bed like this,” you whisper over his shoulder, desperately trying to lighten the mood before he scarpers. 

“Well, as long as they don’t kill me, then that’s fine,” he whispers back, and you can tell by his timbre that he’s smiling through the words. 

You smack his shoulder, relief flooding through you in abundance. 

“Idiot.”

There’s a pause. 

Then, he says tenderly, (almost too tenderly for your poor heart).

“...Yes, but I’m your idiot.”

Patterns are happily traced against his back until you finally notice just how tired you are, leaning back to twist your head away from him so you can yawn into your hand. 

Silco watches you quietly, stroking your cheek with his thumb like a slow, soothing metronome. 

“You should get some sleep,” he says softly, his expression etched in quiet adoration. 

Your eyebrows lift at the sheer audacity. 

“Bitch, you’re the one who woke me up,” you protest sleepily.

He makes a show of turning to look over his shoulder and then back at you, pointing at his sternum with a quizzical frown. 

“Who? Me?”

So, you sneak your cold hands up against the back of his warm neck until he yelps. Silco wrestles your hands off his neck, clasping them in between his palms until he lets you tiredly wrestle them back and smoosh your face into his chest, giggling into the front of his shirt. 

He gently runs his hands through your hair as you both settle down once more, his own quiet laughter feeling like a blessing.

You almost don’t want to sleep now. You don’t want to miss any more time with him. 

“Sil?” you murmur. 

“Yeah, Squidge?” he replies.

Your nickname, from the time he threw a leftover tentacle at you from Jericho’s, named after the absolutely ridiculous noise it made when it slapped against your face. You love to hate it, which of course only makes Silco love it more. 

“We’re always gonna be best friends, right? No matter what?” you say, deep down hoping you don’t sound too clingy. 

You just can’t bear the thought of drifting apart from him. You honestly don’t know what you’d do without him. 

Luckily, he soothes your worries without even a hint of the usual teasing.

“Absolutely,” he affirms, carefully running his nails along your scalp in a calming, repetitive motion. “You’re stuck with me now, come rain or smog.”

“Good,” you nod happily. “Just checking.”

Basked in Silco’s warmth, you’re far too exhausted and cosy to fight against closing your eyes, drifting off to sleep while the boy presses a delicate kiss to your head. 

And right before you fall, he mumbles, oh so gently, into your hair.

“As if I’d want to be anywhere in this world except right here next to you, my perfect girl.” What a coincidence. There’s nowhere you’d rather be than right here, next to him.

*laughs in just found out that the girl I like, the first person I've properly liked, only flirted with me as a playful joke because I'm her friend and that she's got a crush on another girl.. Also apparently she didn't realise she was flirting after sending texts like "👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 could be us".*