#how'd we go from cooking to combat maps

[crystallizsch]

oh yeah happy end of culinary crucible 🧑‍🍳💜

[fawnbong]

"Bonding" (kind of) - Ramshackle

Stone + Reader

Mostly platonic but interpret it however you'd like

Oneshot

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You lean back against the old brick wall of some ancient, likely abandoned building that sandwiches you between another, creating a narrow yet snug alleyway you currently reside in. In the center, a large metal barrel holds a blazing fire, which Vinnie tosses a newspaper in to keep it going. She crouches down and grabs a large stick, one that was reserved for cooking the food you'd (thankfully) scrounged up earlier today, and begins lightly whacking Skipp with it. He's taken aback at first, yet laughs and dodges her lighthearted attacks, stealthily hopping over crates and debris to avoid them before grabbing a weapon of his own— a rusty metal pipe he found off the ground— and combatting her attacks. Their laughter bounces off the walls as they play-fight and you can't help but let out a snicker under your breath as you watch. Stone observes quietly from the side opposite you with a raised brow, clearly unimpressed with their antics, though not necessarily bothered. 

Eventually, he sighs and stands up, taking a swig from his green bottle of what you believe to be a  (by now) expired, practically radioactive energy drink, and mumbles something about going for a walk. Vinnie and Skipp collapse into a fit of giggles and wave him off as he departs, abandoning their "weapons" on the ground. You crack a small smile at the sight and watch as Stone walks off, only for him to beckon you to follow. You sit in stunned silence for a moment, for it's insanely rare that he ever wants anyone around, especially you of all people. Not that you aren't close, but he likes his space and you're aware of that. Nonetheless, you jump to your feet and follow him outside of the alley, jogging a little to catch up. 

The slums are, unsurprisingly, rather filthy. Nothing you're not used to by now, of course, but stepping over debris and trash in the dark of the night gets old fast. You glance at Stone as you walk, just barely mapping out his features in the dim lighting before speaking up.

"Where are we going?" you mumble, shuddering as the cold bites at any exposed skin. He only shrugs in response. You wait, expecting some kind of verbal response, but receive none. It's quiet again, and you continue walking without question.

After a painfully long, pitifully silent walk, you stop in front of a lovely, and rather lavish, park. One typically reserved for any gatherings or ceremonies held by the more wealthy. It seems Stone's random twists and turns down unknown streets were surprisingly calculated. You hum as you eye the towering gate guarding the park, and reach out to give one of the bars a little shake. It's locked up tight, of course. 

"Locked," you mutter the obvious, to which Stone grunts quietly in response. He fishes through one of the pockets of his coat, and pulls out various metal picks of different lengths, each one bent at odd angles. You furrow your brows and watch as he moves towards the gate, gently nudging you aside, and bangs one of the picks around inside of the lock with little technique— more hope and prayer, really.

"I didn't know you had those," you remark, watching over his shoulder as he picks the lock— a very illegal activity, all for some fancy park you could find a downgraded version of right down the street— and rock back and forth on your heels as you watch. "How'd you learn?"

Stone hums quietly as, miraculously, the lock is tossed to the ground. "Skipp taught me. Before you," he explains. By before you, you can imagine he means before you came along. "Wouldn't stop pestering me, so I gave in and let him teach me."

You snort at the imagery of an enthusiastic Skipp and an apathetic Stone, going around town and picking all the locks they could find.

"That's sweet," you muse as he pushes open the gate and gestures for you to head inside. He rolls his eyes and huffs at your remark, though a fond smile threatens to tug at the corner of his mouth. He follows you and falls in by your side, walking slowly and admiring the barely visible flora surrounding the cobblestone walkway.

You whistle quietly, visibly impressed by what you see. "Wow, nice place you picked out. Have you come here before?"

"Of course." he shrugs. "Wouldn't take you somewhere I wasn't familiar with."

You nod in response, registering his words. He's simply stating the obvious, that going somewhere new would put you both at risk, but the implication of consideration for you is a rather pleasant thought.

Finally, you settle down at a small picnic table a good ways away from the main entrance, just slightly obscured by a large oak. You hop up onto the table, your legs dangling off the edge, whereas Stone chooses to sit at the edge of the actual seat. He digs through one of his coat pockets with one hand and pulls out a cigarette and his zippo lighter with the other. He rests the cigarette between his lips and lifts the lighter to the end, giving it a couple flicks, only for no flame to spark. He tries again. And again. And eventually you get so tired of watching you fish your own out of your pocket and place it before his cigarette, nudging his hand out of the way and looking at him expectantly. He nods, and you light his cigarette for him.

You steady your hand as the flame catches the end of his cigarette, briefly glancing off to the side when you hear a couple bushes rustling nearby. Unknowingly, your hand strays a bit, bringing the flame alarmingly close to Stone's face. He grips your wrist with such little force you'd hardly realized it was there. You look down to find his hand gently holding your wrist and his cigarette lit. He lets go, and your face flushes just slightly in embarrassment. 

"Oh. My bad," you cough quietly and retract your lighter, shoving it back in your pocket.

"Thanks," he mumbles, taking a long drag of the cigarette and exhaling slowly before extending it to you in silent offering. You hesitate before taking it and bringing it to your own lips for a brief puff, then hand it back to him. It goes on like that for a while- the two of you exchanging the cigarette while occasionally making idle conversation. It was surprisingly pleasant, all things considered. You both get some quiet time and a decent smoke break out of it, and Stone certainly seems content, although he doesn't make it very obvious. You smile, mostly to yourself, leaning back with your hands supporting your weight as a chill breeze blows by and rustles the leaves and branches of nearby trees.

"I used to come here," he eventually mumbles out, and you shift to face him better. You lean in closer, visibly interested in his statement, and urge him to continue. He scoffs faintly, but continues. "I was good at playing the violin, y'know. Sometimes they had me come down here to perform with others for graduations or social events."

Wow. Rare Stone lore drop. You hum quietly and lean back again, trying to not seem too interested in the past he seems to like keeping so secret. "Do you still play?" you ask, giving him a friendly smile, despite the fact he refuses to face you.

"Mhm," he hums bluntly, before taking a drag of his cigarette. 

"Can I see sometime?"

He pauses, drawing in a long, tired breath. He shifts a little to face you properly, and he looks almost as if he's actually considering it. You beam in hopes it'll convince him.

Unfortunately, your hangout is cut short, for a stout man begins shouting at the two of you, his voice cutting through the pleasant atmosphere and making you both jump in surprise. He begins to hurriedly make his way towards you two, and despite his short stature he is fast.

Stone groans, putting the cigarette out on the surface of the picnic table. You stand and, with little thought, grab his arm and tug him along as you scurry off. You notice soon after he's lagging behind slightly, possibly taken aback or simply just not very athletic. Regardless, you opt to hold onto his hand instead. It just makes more sense. 

Despite the unfortunate turn of events, you can't help laugh to yourself as you bound out of the park, your hand still squeezing his. You run and run, even after you'd surely lost the peeved guard, only stop once you're both out of breath and farther into the slums.

You pant quietly, your heart racing as you slow to a stop and let out a nervous chuckle. "That was kind of fun, don't you think?" you huff, glancing over at Stone. He looks disheveled and visibly worn out, and his grip on your hand has only tightened, but his eyes held a faint look of relief.

"Sure," he groans out tiredly, his hand slowly slipping from yours as he starts down the street towards the alleyway you reside in. You swiftly catch up and nudge his side, which he flinches at and shoots you a look. You respond with an apologetic smile and another question.

"So, you'll let me watch you play sometime?"

He rolls his eyes at the ridiculous request, but nods begrudgingly anyway. "Fine," he mumbles gruffly. "Not- in front of everyone, though. Just you."

You can't tell if he's insisting it's "just you" that sees him perform because he's shy or if he really just wants only you to see for his own odd reason, but you'll take it. You nod and continue on.

Just you.

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A/N: I've never posted an entirely written work to Tumblr before, so this may be formatted weird. I mostly wrote this bc a moot on tiktok said there's not very much for Stone x readers on Tumblr and it motivated me a tiny bit to actually post something, though it turned out to be more of a silly platonic thing oops

It also took me like five minutes to figure out how to italicize text

5/17 editt- I reread this and oh my goodness gracious there were so many grammatical errors and somehow an entire paragraph got deleted?? What the heck dude that's so embarrassing 😭😭