Pairing: Gricko Grimgrin x fem!reader
Warnings: None for this chapter except for feels I guess. Uh, we kill a baby and then take part of a trip down memory lane. We are absolutely in love with Gricko, Athena is a bit of a bitch, aside from that nothing.
Word Count: 4k
A/N: If anyone wants to try and make a little time skip/text separator thing for this, I would be eternally grateful because I'm not creative enough to make my own. I will be posting on AO3 and eventually get a masterlist for this up. Maybe.
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I pace around the camp, my plans scattered on the crappy wooden desk in front of me, the building around me was put up in the second year of this war. It wasn’t supposed to last this long, and tonight would be the night that it ends. I look back at my plans and walk outside to monitor the progress of the wooden horse being built, it’s a long shot, but it’ll get us inside long enough to kill the Drow and take back Iris, the woman who was kidnapped. Poor Nicholas, this long without knowing if his wife was safe or healthy. The horse was completed, we were only waiting for nightfall. I review my plan as Alice walks in, she’s a human, a wizard at that. One of the best I know, her beauty almost always hypnotizes the onlooker. With her storm-gray eyes, framed by dark lashes against her pale face, her chocolate hair cascading down her back. She has it pulled back in a braided bun now, and she looks down at me hopefully.
“ Do you really think this will work? That we’ll finally be able to go home?” Her usually solid voice sounded breathy, no doubt ready to go home to her lover.
“ I think tonight will be the last night of the war,” I begin, “We’re going to breach their walls and kill them from the inside.”
“ Did you consult Athena about this?”
“ Of course.”
Upon hearing that, she takes one last look at me before leaving to gather the men. I sigh, Athena was always in my head, watching over me. I understand that she’s my patron goddess, but to reside in my head the way she does, it feels… wrong. I shake this thought and walk over to the mirror I have. Taking in myself, being a halfling amongst so many humans, it was hard. I’ve proven myself though. Standing at 4 ½ feet tall, a decent amount taller than my husband. I trained to be a sage, trained to be a sorcerer and raised a rouge. I paced the room as I thought about what was to happen. We were about to massacre the enemy.
Don’t disappoint me
Athena. I had to do this, if I didn’t everything I’ve trained my whole life for, was for nothing. She made me a general, and she won’t hesitate to take it away. I took one final breath before I put on my armor, it was new, gifted to me by Athena when she first started to train me. It magically adjusts to be my size as I’ve grown. It’s an exact replica of Athena’s, to show that I am her warrior, to strike fear in all who see me in it. I rarely wore it before the war, but now, it might as well be a second skin, I slept with it on for Gods sake! As my mind races thinking about this, I grab my shield and weapons, and leave to be the general I was trained to be.
“Alright my brothers, listen closely, tonight we make the Drow pay. 10 years of war, we’ve killed each other slowly. Your families wonder where you’ve been, tonight will be the night we slay the enemy and go back to our homes. Nicholas, you’ll lead an army to the gates after we’ve gotten in, enlist chaos in their legions. Andreas will let us through the gates to take the city. Adonis, stay back with the archers, the rest, divide amongst us to receive your orders. Do this with whatever you fight for and live for in mind. Go, now,” I stood in front of our army and told them what to do, heart heavy with hope of seeing my family.
“What do you fight for?” Alice stands beside me and asks.
“ Gricko and Athos, what about you?” Was my weary response.
“ The only man who has ever captured my heart, Morning.”
“Of course it’s him, what else could I have expected. We best get going, it’s going to be nightfall soon, we’ll continue this conversation later.”
She nods and heads towards the horse. Ready to fight for our country.
Chaos. I stand on the wall of their city, watching the massacre with the Drow prince’s son in my arms. As I turn to face away from the bloodshed, I hear a voice, not Athena’s or either of the other two Gods whom I regularly talk to. This one booms with more authority.
“A vision, of what is to come, it’s inescapable. It can only be dealt with right here and now.”
“ Tell me how!” I exclaim.
“ I don’t think you’re ready. A mission, to kill someone’s son, a foe who won’t run. He is unlike anyone you have faced before-”
“ Say no more, I know that I’m ready.”
“ I don’t think you’re ready,” The voice is agitated now.
The boy in my arms starts to glow, bit by bit and I realize, he’s my foe.
“ It’s just an infant! It’s just a boy, what sort of threat does he pose that I can’t avoid?”
“ This is the son of none other than Drow’s very own prince Alton, you must know that he will grow from a boy to an avenger, one fueled by rage as you’re consumed by age. If you don’t end him now, you’ll have no one left to save. You can say goodbye to Gricko.”
“ I could raise him as my own! Send him far away from home, make sure his past is never known!”
“ He will burn your house and throne, he’ll find you wherever you go, the gods will make him know.”
“ I’d rather bleed for you! I’m on my knees, I’m begging please!”
“ He’s bringing you down to your knees. This is the will of the gods.”
“ Please don’t make me do this, don’t please!”
“ The blood on your hands is something you won’t lose. All you can do is choose…” The voice trails off, leaving me to my thoughts.
As I look down at the baby in my arms, looking at his blue eyes, I think back to Athos, he was an infant when I left, he couldn’t have been much older than the boy I’m looking at. I start to wonder if everything I man I’ve killed, if this is who I am now. Will I ever be able to go back home and live like I used to? Haunted by the men and the bodies that are lain to sleep below? My thoughts race as I look at him, his chubby face, those beautiful blue eyes that I’ve fallen in love with. He looks just like my son, with the same eyes as my husband. The eyes I dream of seeing again, the eyes that hold my heart, the eyes that show every emotion. I can see the fear and curiosity in the baby’s eyes, I can see his soul, how scared he is, how he seems to know what has happened to his family, how he seems to know my internal battle. Would killing this boy, would it haunt me every time I looked into my husband’s eyes? And what of my son? May I might as well be killing him at this moment in time? Killing off all hope for this boy’s future, but at what cost? My own life? Is this the only option I have? What if I do take him with me and raise him? What then?
All of a sudden, visions of the boy flash through my mind, visions of the boy growing up with my son. The boy seems happy, but then I see one of the gods talking to him, telling him what I did to his father and his mother. I feel the betrayal radiating off this boy as he slaughters my family, my friends, and my people. I see him stand over me as I beg him for forgiveness, my body weak. I feel the pain as he slashes through my body with my own sword, the sword that has the blood of his family on it. The sword with the blood of my family on it.
I see visions of him coming for me after I sent him away, to a new home, I see him burn my city to the ground as he murders my son in front of me. I feel the blood splatter on my face as he drinks it from my son’s slit throat. I see my husband, desperately trying to escape, I see our adoptive daughter, Hootsie. He kills them all, mocking me the entire time before giving me mercy and killing me as well. I feel the dread, the heat from the blaze.
If I drop this boy, would I become the monster? Where would I cross the line? When does a candle become a blaze? When does a comet become a meteor, when does a man become a monster? I realize I’m crying and shaking as I ask myself these questions. Where do we determine the line? When does one cross it? When does a ripple become a tidal wave? When does the reason become the blame? When will I become the monster?
“ Close your eyes, and spare yourself the view. How could I hurt you?” I whisper to the baby as I hiccup.
I’m just a woman, trying to go home despite being away for so long. I’ve spent years, fighting for my life, just to go home and see my son and husband. Just so I can embrace them once more.
“ Forgive me,” I whisper to him as I hold him close to my chest before extending my arms, “ Forgive me.”
I drop the boy off the wall and watch him fall, war rages on behind me as I contemplate what it is I just did. I watch him hit the rocks below, as his red blood seems to almost glow in the night. His once-blue swaddle became red. I stare down at it, imagining that that was my son who I just dropped. I saw him, the terror on his face as I let him go, the person holding him so dearly, so close. The person he thought would save him. Would I do that just so I can go home? I turn and watch as the Drow are slaughtered. It’s all my fault, all because I miss my family. Screams fill the night air as I realize that the line between man and monster is blurring. How does one fix this? I look down at my men, ruthless, just trying to go home. Are these the lengths we are willing to go to just to see our families? What would our families think? Gricko, would he even love me anymore? I’ve killed more than my fair share of innocent people, I’ve slaughtered families and burned homes. When will it all stop? I turn back around and watch as the blood of the baby soaks into the ground. I watch it until I hear cheers from my men, cheers of victory. But I can’t bring myself to be happy with them, my heart is heavy with the death of the boy. The boy who looked so much like my son. Is there a cost I won’t pay to go home?
*Le Time Skip*
“Are you ready to go?” Alice walks up to me, the fleet is waiting on me, and only me.
I nod, still raw from what I had to do the night prior. Still thinking of the son of mine, and the fear in the boy’s eyes. I walk down to the ships and board my own. 600 men under my command, with only one goal in mind. To make it back home. 600 miles of open sea, but the problem’s not the distance it’s what lies in between.
“ Captain,” Alexander said, “ we don’t have the rations or supplies to make it home, what will we do?”
“ Watch where the birds fly, they’ll lead us to land. There we’ll stop for food, my second in command,” I reply, looking to the sky for said creatures.
“ Captain,” Polites shouts out to me, “Look, there in the distance!”
I turn to look at where he’s pointing and see an island, presumably with food. But there’s a fire, without smoke? I don’t have time to consult Athena, so I make the best logical choice I can: Polites and I will go to the island for food and the rest will stay here, and if we don’t return by sundown, Alice will lead them to battle against the natives here. I informed the three here of said plan and left no room for argument. With that, we make way for the island as I get ready to go talk to the people there.
We beach our small raft at the island, and walk into the jungle there, as we venture further, Polites and I start talking. About the island, the lack of people we’ve seen, everything.
“ You can relax my friend,” He starts, “I can tell you’re getting nervous so do yourself a service and try to relax my friend.”
“ I’m fine,” I respond.
“ Think of all that we have been through, we’ll survive what we get into,” He continues, “ I know you’re tired of all the war and bloodshed, tell me, is this how we’re supposed to live? Look at how you grip your sword, enough on that. Why should we take when we could give? You can show a person that you trust them when you let your guard down, here we have a chance for some adjustment. Give it a try, it’s not that hard. I’m telling you this life is amazing when you greet it with open arms. Whatever we face, we’ll be fine if we’re leading from the heart. No matter the place, we can light up the world, here’s how to start: greet the world with open arms.”
Just then, a group of people seem to jump out from the vibrant vegetation. My heart stops as I draw my sword, a sword that is now tinted red with blood. I slash at the barbarians with it as Polites watches, standing back-to-back with me.
“ Get back!” I yell, seemingly growling the last word out.
“ My friend, greet the world with open arms,” Polites whispers as the creatures back away.
“ We’re only here for food, 600 men are waiting. If we don’t return they’ll burn this place to the ground,” I threaten.
They bring us some sort of fruit, one that seems to glow, the seeds being the source of the glowing. As I examine further, Polites goes on about how we can get so much from being nice to the people. I’m only half listening as I attempt to figure out what kind of fruit this is. As the natives start to chatter away with Polites, I realize that they eat lotus, a fruit that controls your mind.
“ My friend, I wish that I could say that I agree, but look at the way this fruit is glowing and filled with glowing seeds. It took me a moment to realize what kind of fruit they eat, it’s a lotus, it controls your mind and never lets you free. That’s what we get with open arms,” I tell him, putting my hand on his shoulder.
“ My friends,” He addresses the lotus eaters, “ Is there a place where we can eat, I want to prove to my friend that kindness is key. Is there other food we could have instead of this?”
“ A cave!” The people exclaim.
“ A cave?” Polites asks before turning back to me, smiling, “ Now we just need to figure out where this food-filled cave is. Can you tell us how to get there?”
“ East, that way!” They tell us, pointing in the direction.
“ Thank you,” we turn to start walking back to the fleet, ready to explore this cave, “ See? This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms. Whatever we face, we’ll be alright if we lead from the heart. Greet the world with open arms.”
Polites smiles as he talks, almost helping me forget the events of the war, but they still lay dormant in my mind, taking up space that shouldn’t be allowed. I will have to consult Athena about this. About whether we’re going farther away for food when we could’ve been home by now. By the time I’m out of my thoughts, we’re back at the beach, and climbing onto our raft. The sea breeze flits through my hair, the air salty but refreshing. My fleet grows closer, and I sigh, knowing that I would be having another argument with Alexander. That’s all he does anymore, is argue with me. The man was my brother, but he didn’t respect me. Sometimes I wonder what my older sister sees in him. At least my younger sister chose a better husband, Polites is much more respectable than Alexander. He doesn’t really argue as much, but he persuades. I can accept that, seeing as I do the same quite frequently. As a captain, hypocrisy is not something I can afford. Especially not when you have hundreds of eyes on you. While stuck in my thoughts even more, I climb onto my ship as Polites informs Alexander where we are going next, Alexander only letting it slide because of my nod in affirmation. I walked to the back of the ship, towards my personal cabin.
Closing the door with a sigh, I call out to Athena. But instead of her coming down here to talk to me, she takes me to her mind.
“ You’re troubled,” She states, “ Yesterday, the baby. Why does it haunt you?”
“ He looked so much like my son,” I say. “Every Time I close my eyes, I see that boy, but instead, he’s my son!”
“ Grow up, I didn’t train you to be emotional, I trained you to be a warrior, not to cry over the death of someone you didn’t even know. I had a challenge, a test of skill, a magic boar only the best could kill. One day you came, your mind rivaled the boar’s own will, I dreamed of having you follow me. I dreamed of making you my warrior!”
She transports us back to when we first met, in the woods of the Feywild. I call out to whoever is following me, telling her that I could see her. A lie. She didn’t know that though. Soon names were exchanged and she began to train me to be a warrior of the mind. She always told me I was special, that I was something more than a mortal. She looked at me the way a mother looks at her daughter, full of pride, warmth, and recognition. Now she looks at me like I’m a piece of dirt that got on her. Like I’m a pest, she’s annoyed. We’re suddenly back in her mind space. I feel her anger, her disappoint ment radiating off of her. We’ve never fought before. Before I can get a word out, she transfers us to the moment I fell in love. When I caught Gricko staring at me from afar as I read a book. I was in the forest behind my palace. I lock eyes with the boy, and soon he’s called away by his friends. The moment he’s gone, I run into the palace and call for Athena.
“ Oh, Athena, you’ve gotta help me! I’ve met the most incredible boy, one who admires me, one who is more handsome than any man I’ve ever seen! He’s amazing!” My younger self starts to ramble, eyes sparkling.
“ Why does this boy hold your heart? There is no rush to wed just yet,” Her normally calm voice tinted with curiosity.
“ Everyone says I must wed, I need to do so before I become queen, it’s law!” I say, my mind is obviously elsewhere as I say this.
“ You can change the law, can’t you?”
“ Not until I’m queen, then I can change it. But I need to find someone to court me, and quickly. The problem is, the boy with my heart is too shy to come and talk to me for more than an hour! What am I to do? He won’t court me! But he’s just so incredible and beautiful! The most beautiful boy in the land, he’s funny, and oh so sweet! How could I not fall in love?”
By now, I was walking the halls of my palace, empty, but filled with my voice, filled with hopeless devotion to Gricko. I was so happy, Athena was even smiling a little bit! That never happens, especially not now. Soon, it cuts to Gricko and I talking outside, the short boy having yet to fully grow into his nose and ears.
“ I know that we’ll be engaged by 17, I can feel it. I need your help to meet him, he’s out of my league and out of this world, but he’s the boy of my dreams! I’ve seen him and I need him to be mine! Believe it, I’m in love and I meant it!” I’m saying to Athena as I drag her to see the boy in question, he was outside with his friends but he was right there.
I can’t help but admire the way his laugh fills the air, his excitement over the topic showing through. Little did I know, he felt the same about me. For weeks, I roamed the palace, daydreaming about him. His blue shirt that matches his eyes, the dirty blonde hair that seemed to glow in the right sunlight. It took so long for me to get the nerve to talk to him. But I knew from that moment on that I would never get over this boy, he was funny, charming, a sweetheart, and he had this cute little owlbear who I fell in love with. All of a sudden the scene changes to our wedding, only a few years later. I’m waiting to walk down the aisle when Athena comes down to talk to me.
“ Well, you have the boy of your dreams, and soon he will be yours, what then? You have the ability to go and win wars, to save people,” Athena begins, “Or will you decide to have a child?”
“ What? No, not yet, at least I don’t think so. You know, you made me oh so smart,” I begin to nervously ramble, “ but yet I don’t know how to talk to people, nor do I know how to answer fiction questions”
“ Yes, but you’ve always been like that,” Athena says, a smile present on her face.
All I can do is smile as I wait for the que to begin walking to my fiancee, to the love of my life. I take a deep breath, and grip my bouquet tighter. As I watch the scene unfold in front of me, a sadness forms in my chest, and I examine the white dress I have on, the crown that adorns my head, and most of all, I admire Gricko as the doors open. Before the ceremony could continue, Athena tool us back to her headspace.
“ You were supposed to teach others our ways, make the world better! Instead, you got married, left it all behind, instead you’re crying!” She exclaims.
“ I need to live my life, I’m not just your warrior, I’m not your puppet. I had dreams,” I say, voice quiet to keep it from trembling.
“You were looking for a mentor-”
“ I was looking for a friend!” I scream, unable to keep my feelings back.
“ We’re supposed to have the answer, we’re the warriors of the mind. I must go now but don’t forget that you’re a warrior of a very special kind. You are a warrior of the mind,” She turns to leave, “ Don’t disappoint me.”
With that, I’m back in my cabin, and the first cracks in my relationship with Athena seem to form. The one stable thing these past years is becoming the most unstable. I stand in a castle built from cards. And one of the lower levels lost support.
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omg guys, this was lowkey so much fun to write and like, it just made me come up with more ideas and stuff. If you would like to be part of a taglist, DM me, I swear I don't bite. xoxoxox-nerdywitchgeek
Leaving Home
I roamed the palace halls, watching the wind move the tapestries and smelling the salt in the air. My husband, Gricko, and his friends had all left in order to pay off the debt of one of them. Leaving myself, and my three friends here. The sapphire skies are speckled with clouds, moving with the wind. Birds chirp, leaves and grass rustle, and the sounds of the ocean fill the hall I walk. I can hear the low chatter of people in town, not too far from these walls. I look for my son, born not long before Gricko had to leave. He’s walking age now, his name is Athos, to honor my patron goddess. Footsteps approach, with no intent on being silent, as the thundering noise gets closer, I realize that it’s two of my friends, Cassandra and Helen, as they run around the corner, shouting my name, I finally address them.
“ What do you two need now?” Annoyance is prominent in my voice.
“ We know you needed time alone, to think but-” Cassandra starts before being interrupted.
“ A letter came in, it’s urgent, it’s meant for both you and Gricko but since he’s gone and it can’t wait-” Helen rambles.
“ We brought it to you now, though you will need someone else to go with you, to take the place of your husband,” Cassandra continues, the two changing narrators like they normally do.
“ Alice volunteered to go with you before she left to gather the men, this is a war that you’re being asked to participate in.”
“ Your old clothes from our adventures are being washed now, they should be dry, everything is ready for you,” Cassandra says matter-of-factly, “They are ready when you are.”
“ Who are we to fight for? And who is our opponent?” I ask as I start to head back to my quarters.
“You’re fighting with the Harpers, their leader’s wife has been kidnapped by the Drow, the entire race came together to bring our Harper friends down,” Cassandra informs, “ I am sure that you will find them when you are ready?”
“ Of course,” I reply, already beginning to get ready for war.
It's based on the Odyssey and Jorge Rivera-Herans' musical Epic. The reader (you) is married to Gricko, and this is while he and his buddies are going to find a way to pay off their debt. You take the place of Penelope, while also playing Odysseus, you take his place in the war, but you just want to get back to your husband and son. Your best friend came with, but will you both come back alive? Will your army make it back? I'm gonna call it "Her Heart's Love"
Y'all, I recently got really into Legends of Avantris and started to write a story for it. Now, I could do one part or I could write an entire 8+ part story. Should I do it? I will also upload it to AO3 obviously.
This is all coming from someone who's only at like episode 5/6 💔 I just really love these little goobers. Also, all of these are written weirdly because I'm literally just writing whatever thought pops into my head, so different characters with have different situations and things like that, so please bare with me!!!
With Kremy, about half of your cuddles end up with Gideon aswell. They're a package deal, and you know it. Now, he won't ask for cuddles, you have to be the one to initiate it. He also isn't a massive fan of PDA, but he won't object if you want to cuddle up to him in the day. After all, he gets to show off his amazing partner and smugly stare back at any jealous onlookers. He won't deny that he very much enjoys the jealous that radiates off of people and monsters alike when they see him with his amazing partners. He definitely comes up behind you and hugs your waist with his head over your shoulder, so he can watch what you're doing. Once he puts his arms around you though, he often decides that he's had enough of other people and that's when you can sneak in a few cuddles.
He would lie on his back and hold you while you rest your head on his chest and he definitely wouldn't be complaining if you ran your fingers over his scales while you both got comfortable. It is a DREAM to cuddle up to him in summer, he might wrap himself around you just so you can be a bit more comfortable in the heat. He also wraps his tail around you. When all three of you cuddle, you two rest on either side of Gideon. He's your guys favourite pillow! (This is totally not an idea that I borrowed from the-unexpected-council, go check them out if you like OUAW x reader content because they are FIRE!!!) But when you are separated by Gideon, and you had your hand up on his chest, Kremy would hold yours. You basically trap Gideon under your arms and all three of you couldn't be happier.
Though, Kremy definitely has a skin(scale?)-care routine. He probably sleeps with some sort of face cream or face mask on. He would be thrilled if you both did your skincare together, it's something special for you both to do... even though it would end up with you both laying like mummies try not to mess up your skin. Gideon would not be impressed if you were all going to bed together, like you usually do.
Gideon is one of the BEST cuddlers in the group (totally not biased or anything...) and he absolutely loves physical affection, PDA, cuddling- he LOVES it. He will show off you and Kremy, he doesn't care that he's openly showing off. When he's ready for bed, he will just pick you up and walk off. He will only pick up Kremy if he is over-working himself and stressed out... or if he just wants to mess with him. He would definitely pick you and Kremy up, sling you both over his shoulders and grin as you both laugh. He might do a couple spins though, just to hear you both cackle.
When you're going to bed, if you want to, he will let you pick out some sleeping clothes. This is mainly in winter, since he wouldn't wear that much to bed in the warmer seasons. He would laugh if you pick out the cupcake chad shirt, he would put it on though... and probably flex for you. He doesn't care too much about what he wears, as long as he's comfortable. But, he's occasionally going to want to pick what YOU wear, be warned.
Once you're in bed, you're in bed and you arent getting up to he is. He has an almost iron grip on you if you cuddle up just in his arms, he has tried to fix this but he just loves you so much- even in his sleep. You could probably wiggle out with Kremys help, but if he's not there you're gonna be stuck. Like I said earlier, when you all go to bed together, he lays in the middle while you and Kremy lay on either side of him. He will get a little huffy if you cuddle up to Kremy, while he's there too but he gets over it once you go back to your place at his side.
Once the cold season comes around, he's more then happy to absolutely smother you two in cuddles. If you were stuck outside, camping in the cold or snow, he would become stressed and protective of both you and Kremy. Not that he isn't already protective, he IS a bodyguard after all but he almost always near you two- just to be sure that the cold won't cause you harm. He definitely keeps you two close, especially when you're going to bed. The idea of waking up and having lost one or both of you to the cold absolutely terrifies him so he ends up over-heating the tent. But, once you're all awake and realise what's going on, you both give him comfort and you're all able to sleep again.
(If someone wrote a little fanfic about this, I totally wouldn't fall inlove with them or anything...)
Frost isn't necessarily a cuddler, not that he doesn't enjoy it! He's just not used to it, you know? You'd have to get him used to it, but once he is used to it... every opportunity to cuddle is taken. If you were in a colder environment, it doesnt matter if you can handle tk the cold or not, he wrap you in his robe, especially if you are alot smaller than him. It has a very earthy smell, maybe a little minty aswell.
I believe his personal favourite form of cuddling would be when he's reading and you're in sit lap, curled up into his fuzzy chest. He won't mind you end up taking a nap or if you decide to pet his fur, he just likes having you with him. If you have explored the OUAW x reader tag, then you have probably seen this headcannon hundreds of times but he absolutely purs. It's not like loud pur, so it's not super noticeable. I think he would do it without thinking, kind of like when you hum when you do something. If you do that, he definitely loves it.
As for sleeping positions, I think Frost would like god ol fashioned spooning. He would be the big spoon, so that he gets to sleepily groom you. He probably also likes to rub his face on your head and neck aswell, the way cats do when they are rubbing up all on you. If you pet him while you guys are cuddling, he is most definitely going to fall asleep. BUT, I think he always tries to fall asleep after you. He would like to see you're sleeping face, at peace and without worry.
If you have trouble sleeping (me too king, me too 💔), he has solutions for you! Now. The obivous choice is just using magic to help you sleep, but there are many other options! He would love to read to you! Not only does he get to read, he gets to help you sleep! Or he could give you back or head scratches, gently running his claws over your skin (not enough to cut you, don't worry).
If you're cuddling with Gricko, you're cuddling with Hootsie too, they're a package deal too! I believe Gricko would either lay on top of you or your right up next to you. I think he would like to listen to your heartbeat, he would find it calming. He would lay on your chest, he doesn't mind if you wrap your arms around him like an oversized teddy-bear or if you sleep like a starfish. Hootsie will either lay right up next to you, on your legs or just on the end of the bed. On rare occasions she will take your spot on the bed and you and Gricko will have to lay around her because you can't wake her up! She's a growing girl, she needs all the enegery she can get!
If he came back to camp or wherever you were all staying and found you asleep, with Hootsie cuddled up in your arms, he would be ready to propose on the spot. You would wake up to both Gricko AND Hootise curled up in arms and wrapped in an oversized blanket. It wouldn't surprise me if you fell asleep alone and ended up with the two of them curled up to you, they just love you so much!!!
At night, when you're all ready for bed- if you have hair/hair long enough to, he would braid it for you so it doesn't get all messed up in your sleep. If you had a skincare routine, he would also help you with that if he could. Though, you might wanna keep Hootsie away from all the nice smelling face creams. Maybe you should try to dry your face off too, you might wake up and find the owl bear licking your face. If you don't, you won't have any face cream left and she will have a tummy ache, and you don't want that!
Torbek is definitely a cuddler. He's so touch starved, he definitely takes advantage of any touch he can get. Though, cuddling with him would probably be a little... strange, due to his height and lanky limbs. He would completely wrap himself around you, and completely envelop you in his fur. To anyone else, it would look like the bugbear was just curled up and hugging himself. But they're wrong! He has his wonderful partner with him!!! If you were laying down together, he'd have to lay on his side because... you know, the canisters on his back. Again, he probably wraps himself around you...
Unless. He likes to feel protected, so no matter his or your height, he's gonna try and curl into you. He wants to be spooned!!! You would both lay on your sides, Torbeks head either in the crook of your neck or jammed into your chest with your arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his torso. He would try to bring his legs up aswell, as much as he can atleast so he can tangle them with yours. His arms would definitely be around you, that's for sure. Kind of like the face-to-face embrace.
Though... if you decide to cuddle with Torbek, you might wanna make sure he takes a bath first. Not only is he a stinky guy, it's probably really hard to keep all the fur clean when you are living with the crew- lord knows they get into chaos every three seconds. You could help him though!!! He would probably ask you to help him anyway, not only is it an excuse to be close to you but he gets to get your hands all over him AND he gets clean!!! Three in one! He would be so soft when dry and clean... and also he might become way too fluffy- like a cat after they're blow dried.
I hope you enjoyed!!! This took me a few days to get out, my motivation has been really off and on and it's been so annoying but I finally managed to get this done so I can move onto something else. Thank fuck😭