#arlo x builder!self

[i-like-words]

Checking In (MTaP)

Dusting off this ancient account to post a bit of the My Time At Portia Arlo/Builder!self ficlets that have been absolutely dumping out of me lately. seriously it's just been like. non stop writing for two weeks straight, this video game man has done unspeakable things to my brain and I love it

some lore and context: Adri was discovered frozen within a massive ruin, thawed out, reawoken after a stupid amount of years and whoops - turns out they have Trauma™ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ luckily our favorite good guy redheaded captain takes it upon himself to keep them out of trouble :)

this particular bit takes place like a week after Adri is introduced as the new Builder - they go MIA, leading Arlo and Merlin to swing by the old workshop

(As an aside, my Builder!self is non-binary. By this point no one within the canon knows this, so characters will refer to them with she/her while the narrative uses they/them, just to assuage any confusion or cw people beforehand of misgendering - it's intentional but temporary)

ANYWAY

cw for swearing and aforementioned misgendering

Arlo stepped through the gate and looked around. The yard had become quite overgrown and the workbench was strewn with stray leaves. It looked as though none of the equipment there had even been touched. There was no sign of Adri. Merlin peered over the scene and began jotting down notes.

Approaching the door to the little shack, Arlo noticed the lights were off.

"Do you suppose Adri is out for the day?" he asked.

"Mm, unlikely," Merlin replied, not looking up from her notebook. "Considering no one has really seen nor heard from her since the fireside chat. Not even the farm girl or her grandmother across the way."

Slowly, Arlo reached out and rapped on the wooden door with his knuckles. "Hello?" he called out.

Silence.

He knocked again.

"Anyone home? It's Arlo, from the Civil Corp. I'm here with Director Merlin from the Research Center. I'm sure you remember us from... before."

More silence.

"Uhh, listen. Mayor Gale asked us to check in on you, since no one has really, er, seen or heard from you in a handful of days. You... um, don't have to open the door, but give us a sign that you're alive...?"

"Though opening the door would be the preferable option," Merlin interjected.

Still no answer. Arlo chewed his lip. He wondered if maybe Adri was simply sleeping... understandable that someone who'd been reawakened after being frozen for a few hundred years would probably want to nap off that whole ordeal. But, still, as the one put in charge--self-appointed, yes, but in charge--of making sure Adri was safely acclimating to life in Portia, Arlo hoped that his first check-in with the new Builder wouldn't end with him breaking down the door.

Before he could contemplate that scenario further, said door suddenly parted, ever so slightly, from the door frame; Adri's pale face was barely visible through the open crack. Dark eyes glowered at Arlo, then at Merlin.

"There. I'm alive. Now go away," they said flatly, and with that, the door was shut once more.

Arlo stood there awkwardly, startled, but relieved he wouldn't, in fact, have to resort to property damage. At least not today. "Oh. Ah, that's... good. Um. I... we were hoping to maybe speak with you, see if there was perhaps anything you might need...?"

"What I need is for you to leave me alone," came the muffled, yet terse reply from behind the closed door. Merlin scribbled into her notebook.

"Hmm. Specimen... displaying... antisocial tendencies..."

"You're not helping," Arlo sighed to Merlin, before addressing the door again. "Uh, can we at least ask you a few questions?"

Silence.

"I promise once we're done we'll both leave you be. You have my word."

Silence.

"Do these so-called 'wellness visits' of yours always go this poorly?" Merlin asked, shouldering Arlo aside. She then knocked on the door. And hard. "Ms. Adri, while I understand you're going through a rather difficult period of adjustment, this an important matter, and neither myself nor Mr. Arnold will be vacating the premises until we can speak with you face-to-face."

Silence.

"You were saying?" asked Arlo pointedly, moving himself back in front of the door.

Merlin folded her arms indignantly. "Hmph..."

"Um... sorry about that, Adri," Arlo continued. "Just ignore what she said. Anyway, we're glad to see that you're, in fact, not dead, and it's, uh... pretty clear that you're not exactly in the mood to be social right now, which is totally fine, so we'll... just come back later."

He was about to turn to leave, when the door reopened and swung out slowly with a long creak. Adri stood there in the turnstile, squinting against the sunlight. Their clothes were disheveled, their shoulder-length hair was a tangled mess, and they had dark bags under their eyes. They looked like they hadn't gotten any sleep in days.

The Builder looked between the researcher and the Captain with intense disdain, then turned away and trudged into the dark, unlit void of the house. Merlin followed, notebook in hand. Tentatively, Arlo stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind him.

There wasn't much to the little ramshackle house--four walls, a roof, and a modest wooden bed topped with moth-eaten sheets sat in the corner, nestled beneath a cracked window. The floor groaned under Arlo's boots, and he noticed some floorboards were missing. What little belongings Adri had had been unceremoniously dumped around; even the Builder's clothes that were given to them as a welcoming gift were laying in a crumpled heap at the foot of the bed.

Adri slumped onto the edge of the mattress, crossing their arms over their chest, shoulders hunched as if they were trying to fold into themselves.

"Make this quick," they muttered. Their gaze fell into middle distance, and their expression was blank, unfeeling.

Merlin looked up from her notes. "Yes, well," she began, leafing through some pages. "I'll be asking you a series of questions, you answer as honestly and as thoroughly as you can. Don't spare any details, even if you think they aren't important."

"Okay."

"All right... How are you feeling?"

"Terrible." The answer came out before the question had bothered to finish being asked.

Merlin blinked in mild surprise. "Erm, can you... perhaps be a little more specific? Try to refrain from single-word answers."

At this, Adri's head--and eyes--lolled back, and they heaved an irritated sigh. "Oh, my god, fine--I'm 'fucking terrible'. Is that better?"

Merlin did not look amused. She clicked her tongue. "Right. Moving on, then... Have you been experiencing any unusual physical or mental phenomena? Any short-term memory loss, disassociation, or particularly strange dreams or visions?"

"Oh, yeah... I've definitely been having strange visions lately."

Merlin perked up at this. "Have you? Can you describe these visions?"

"Let's see: some blue-haired bozo in dumb glasses shows up and asks me a bunch of stupid ass questions," Adri replied in a flat monotone, their expression unchanging. "I'm having one right now, in fact."

It took a great deal of effort from Arlo to stifle a chuckle. He was always so used to Merlin being the dry and sarcastic one; it was kind of a nice change of pace watching her get a taste of her own medicine. He could see the researcher's jaw jut forward angrily as she wrote something into her notebook before snapping it shut.

"Ms. Adri," she said, the patience dropping from her voice. She removed her goggles and eyed her interviewee as a parent does when lecturing an unruly child. "I am trying to help you. The very least you could do is take this seriously."

"'Help'...?"

In an instant, Adri's cold, indifferent expression changed. Their eyebrows shot up, disappearing into a thick curtain of dark hair. Merlin and Arlo both were taken aback as they suddenly began laughing--a short, bitter bark of a laugh.

"You're trying to 'help' me?" they sneered, rising from the bed and slowly walking forward. Their fists were clenched so hard they were trembling. "Just like you fucking 'helped' me by dragging my half-dead body back into consciousness, in a completely foreign world, separating me from everything I've ever known and loved by HUNDREDS OF YEARS!? THAT kind of 'help'...?!"

Adri was stopped short by a long arm extending in front of them, shielding Merlin, and they glared daggers up at its owner.

"That's enough," Arlo said, his thick brows furrowed. "I don't want to use force on you, but I will if I have to." Beyond his outstretched arm, Merlin was bracing herself behind her notebook and was staring at Adri with fear and anger in her eyes. Adri scowled.

"Tch. Unbelievable... Treated like a damned experiment and I'm expected to be grateful," they mumbled, looking away. Arlo caught a glimpse of a tear sliding down their face, glinting in the dim light of the window. They crawled back onto the bed and curled up into a ball, facing away from their visitors. "Just leave me alone already."

Arlo sighed, running a hand through his tousled red hair. He looked to Merlin. "We should probably go," he said, quietly. Merlin opened her mouth to interject, but, to Arlo's great relief, decided against it.

"...Very well."

They both turned to leave and Arlo opened the door to allow Merlin through. She strode outside, making a beeline for the front gate without another word, no doubt mentally cursing to herself for having to go back to the Research Center strapped for new data. Once she was far enough away, Arlo looked over his shoulder at the small, vulnerable figure laying there, alone, in the dark. Guilt tugged at the inside of his chest.

Adri heard the front door close with a soft click. A brief pause, and then:

"I know she isn't the best at dealing with people, but you mustn't blame Merlin," Arlo said quietly, his gaze fixed on the wood grain of the door. "It wasn't her idea to bring you back. It was mine."

Silence.

"I was the one who found you in the ice," he explained. "And I was the one who insisted that we help you. If you resent me for that, then that's okay. I accept that. You're well within your right to be angry, and... if you're going to be angry at anyone, you can be angry at me."

More silence. Arlo placed his hand on the door's handle. Just as he opened his mouth to apologize for the trouble and make his leave, he was cut off by the nearly inaudible--but unmistakable--sound of sniffling.

"Why did you have to bring me back...?" Adri whimpered, their voice thick and cracking. "Why didn't you just leave me there...?"

Arlo froze. The statement hung heavily like a yoke on his shoulders, pinning him to the spot. He turned and looked over at Adri helplessly as their body shuddered with silent sobs, unsure of what to do. He wanted so badly to comfort them, but he didn't know if he could... or if he even should. Shit. He knew today's visit probably wouldn't go smoothly, but... he had not been prepared for this.

"I... I felt like I had to," he said, crestfallen. Hesitantly, he walked over and sat at the foot of the bed, allowing as much space between himself and Adri as he could manage. "But... I am sorry. Hate me all you want, but please know that I only ever wanted to give you a chance."

"I never asked for your help," Adri mumbled into their pillow. "I never asked for any of this."

"I know." Arlo rubbed at the back of his neck as his gaze fell to the dusty wooden floor.

Another sniffle. "But... I don't hate you."

Arlo looked up again.

"You don't...?" he asked gently, mild surprise in his voice.

"No," Adri responded, heaving a shaky sigh. "I don't even hate that blue-haired bozo, or really, anybody here. I understand why you went out of your way to help me, but I was probably better off being frozen..."

"What makes you say that?"

"Under any other circumstances I'd be happy to have a second chance," Adri said, wiping tears away from their eyes. "I can't even say that my old life was super fucking great anyway, but... it was mine. Knowing that everything that made my life what it was is just... gone, it--" They trailed off, their voice wavering before letting out another sob.

Arlo said nothing, and he sat there, solemnly, as Adri grieved. After a few minutes, they went quiet again.

"Sorry..." they said, sniffling.

"What for...?"

"For making everyone worry, I guess..." Adri rolled over and sat upright. Their eyes were puffy and red, and their cheeks and nose were shiny with tears and mucus. "After Gale introduced me during the meeting thing, everyone was just so... nice. It was a lot. I didn't know how to deal with that, so I've just been holing up in here all week and feeling sorry for myself... I'm sure they all must think I'm an asshole."

"You're not an arsehole; you're going through a lot," said Arlo. "More than anyone in town could possibly know or even imagine. Yes, Gale is a bit of a worrywort, that's just how he is, but I doubt he's expecting you to seamlessly integrate into society overnight."

"Maybe... but he sure seems to believe that I can just pick up a hammer and magically become a Builder..."

Ah, yes. That. Gale had suggested, in the interest of keeping their origins a secret, that Adri be introduced to the townsfolk as a new Builder to avoid any unnecessary panic or conflict. If word of the truth got out, it could spell all sorts of trouble, not just for Adri, but for Portia, perhaps even for all of the Free Cities. 

"I understand that it's probably a lot to ask of you, especially when you're already dealing with so much," Arlo said. "But, unfortunately, it's a necessary evil, to keep you safe. At least for now."

Adri sighed, running a hand through their long curls. "I know, I know... I'm just having a hard time understanding why you're going through the trouble of doing all of... this in the first place." They gestured vaguely around at the house. "What do you get out of protecting me?"

Arlo blinked, looking visibly confused. "What... do you mean...?"

Adri gave him an incredulous look. "Seriously...? C'mon, man. There are obviously people out there who'd stand to benefit a great deal by me being here, whether, like, academically or monetarily or whatever. ...So what's stopping you from just handing me over to some science lab? Or the government? Why even concern yourselves at all with what happens to me? What am I to you?"

They folded their arms over their knees and looked sullenly out the cracked pane of the window. The cynicism in their voice had left Arlo stunned. He stared, his expression wavering between shock and disbelief before it finally settled on pity.

"You're someone who deserves to live," he said, his voice saddened. "Even if you... believe otherwise." 

Adri sighed again, heavily, their gaze still fixed out the window. Silhouetted by the light outside, their face appeared even more tired and weary than before.

"I'm just some random idiot you found in the ice," they mumbled into their knees, hugging them tighter. "You can tell Gale I'll play along with the Builder shit eventually. Right now, I... just want to be left alone."

Arlo nodded; he knew a hint when he heard one. "Okay," he said, patiently, standing up from the bed, and he turned to leave. Boots thudded across the creaky floor, stopping just before Arlo reached the doorway. He looked over his shoulder.

"Would you... be all right with me coming back tomorrow? To check in on you?" he asked cautiously. "If you'd rather I not, then I understand."

Adri quietly considered this for a moment.

"Yeah... okay."

The Captain gave a confirmatory nod. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," he said, gripping the door's handle. After a beat, he added, "and, uh, I'll make sure not to let the blue-haired bozo tag along this time."

At this, the faintest of smirks flashed across Adri's face as they let out an amused chuff, the closest thing to a genuine laugh Arlo had yet heard from them--and he was more than happy with that. He smiled, said goodbye, and left.

He went to sleep that night feeling... strangely optimistic.

[adrimakesart]

I've recently have been playing My Time At Portia and regret to inform everyone that I've contracted and succumbed to Arlo Brainrot because of course I have why wouldn't I

anyway here's a silly doodle of my self-insert Builder and their video game husband being dorks

★ adrimakes.art ★ ☆ Ko-Fi | Discord ☆

[melissamasakari]

Confessions you didn't notice.

Well. I`ve been playing My time at Portia for a long time now. And one specific character has blown my mind. I also caught SO much bugs in his quests and dates that i decided to write a story about him and my completelly self-incerted builder. Here's the first chapter.

Fandom: My time at Portia. Pairing: Arlo x female Builder.

Summary: Name’s Melissa. Almost half a year have passed since I moved to Portia. I really like it here, though I used to doubt my decision earlier. But now I love my job and I have a lot of cool friends. But to be honest there is someone, someone special. And today I’m gonna finally confess my feelings to him! Word count: 33994 in total.

I concider this story as romantic comedy and hope someone will enjoy it. Mature tag for some obscene words and also minor sexual harassment was mentioned once. Some non-graphic injuries, blood and little violence against monsters. Completelly builder's POV. Chapter one. First confession.

Name’s Melissa. Almost half a year have passed since I moved to Portia. I really like it here, though I used to doubt my decision earlier. But now I love my job and I have a lot of cool friends. But to be honest there is someone, someone special. And today I’m gonna finally confess my feelings to him!

Collecting my thoughts I preened in front of the mirror, encouraging myself. Today I wanted to look chic, so I chose a little black dress. I'm not used to wear such things, so I just fidgeted this way and that, straightening my short red hair and deciding whether to take with me a jacket or not. Finally satisfied with my look I blew a kiss to the mirror and ran out of the house. Searching for that one person I had to wander around the city quite a bit, go around the Central Plaza several times, and walk along a couple of well-known patrol routes. I met Remington and we exchanged news. After that I walked around the park again. No progress. Having almost believed that I'm out of luck today, I was about to give up and go home. But then I heard a familiar voice.

“Melissa! I'm looking for you everywhere, please wait!” Arlo waved from the top of the steep stairs and quickened his pace. Almost in a couple of leaps, having passed two flights of steps, he caught up with me near Sam’s house, grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me down somewhere.

“What's the matter?” I squeaked trying not to trip. And here I thought that it was me who looked for him!

“This is very personal,” he said, and smiled dazzlingly looking at me. Really? Is it time for me to rejoice that I spent so much time with my makeup and dressing up not in vain? “Don’t rush around like that, please!”

“Sorry. Let's go for a walk to the Central Square if you promise not to tell anyone.”

Why go for a walk there, if you already dragged me all the way down here...?

He sat me down on a bench near the research center. Well, as far as I can tell it's not a proper place for secret meetings.

“Those lips are sealed,” I pretended to close my mouth with a zipper, trying to somehow catch my breath and focus on his words.

“You see,” he drawled hesitantly and moved closer, “one girl,” at that moment my heart seemed to skip a couple of beats, “confessed her feelings to me, and I still haven’t given her a response.”

My world instantly collapsed in front of me. In order not to reveal my emotions, I nodded and stared at my lap. And why is he SO close?

“What kind of girl?” Still trying to buy myself a little time to think, I muttered in a colorless voice.

“Nora. That pretty missionary from the church. I'm completely confused and don't know what to do. Well, I don’t want to say that she doesn’t attract me at all. But I got used to treating her like a little sister. That’s like, you know, cool older brother who comes home from work and tells interesting stories. And she confessed her love to me,” Wow, such a speech! It turns out he also knows how to be nervous.

“Little sister, you say? What would you like? And why did you decide to ask me?”

“I thought that you are also a girl, so it will be easier for you to understand such things. And you will probably have more experience in relationships than I do.”

So, okay, at least I’m ‘also a girl’, but what can I do... Think, Melissa, just DO THINK. I slapped my hand on my knee, trying to calm down.

“How should I put this? It's very difficult for me to give you proper advice. I rarely cross paths with Nora and I didn’t have enough time to get to know her,” that sounded almost confident.“And you greatly overestimate my experience in relationships,” and now I was nearly muttering under my breath.

“What did you said?”

“Forget it. Explain me why this bothers you so much?”

“Well... right now my whole life is about my job. I never even thought about this kind of relationship.”

“I agree, serving in the Civil Corps is quite dangerous. Being its leader doubles the dangerous part as well. I think you’re swamped with duties. But you don’t seem to be running away from responsibility. You’re the most reliable person I ever knew.”

”You’re right. But if I accept her feelings, it will change a lot. I will have to greatly reconsider my priorities.”

“Looks so.”

While I was thinking about what to do next, he stood up abruptly, patted me on the top of my head with his palm (and I’m also a little sister now, right?), then squatted down before me and said looking into my eyes.

“I understand, thank you for the conversation, I just wanted to get a friendly opinion from the outside,” he straightened up. “Now I know exactly what I should do!” He hit himself with his fist in his open palm and prepared to leave.

Holding back my tears I almost turned away, but then he harshly approached me again and took a closer look at me.

“You look somewhat different today! Is it new hairstyle? It suits you very well!”

“Thank you,” I breathed and watched him disappear into the city buzz.

What a blockhead! Because of you I didn’t go to the second round of the Land Run today!

Drowning the approaching hysteria with the cheer force of will I sadly rambled home. I miraculously avoided Sonya. With great difficulty I got rid of Antoine and his endless stream of compliments to everything and everyone but especially to me and his demands for me to always look like I do now, and after that I somehow finally crawled through the gate. There Emily called out to me.

“Melissa, hello, I brought you some fresh eggs!” She began cheerfully. “What happened to you? You have a face like a wet weekend! Did someone miff you?

“It’s okay, its just a commission that went wrong, don’t you worry.”

Emily clearly didn't believe it, but she handed over the basket shrugging her shoulders and finally left. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening assembling and setting up several training dummies and punching sacks. That was very productive: helped to clear the thoughts out of the head and also was good as a workout. And as such no one will guess that this is how I take out my grievances without breaking dishes and causing insipid drama. So that’s convenient. It’s good that I’m supposed to be sturdy and athletic.

But what should I do with Arlo now? He said he hadn’t yet thought about relationships at all, and that’s very strange. Here in Portia every other girl tells how cool, reliable and wonderful he is. Boys on the streets are running around with sticks and even wooden swords imitating him. It turns out he's a popular guy. So it's a shame, maybe he doesn't even like me. I’m Just a companion on adventures and nothing more.

Long after midnight I fell asleep feeling completely out of sorts.

About a week went by as usual. Orders, ruins, hoarding, looming Autumn Festival. Maybe I shouldn't go? All this time I was tormented by a nagging uncertainty. What did he decide for himself that time? He was nowhere to find since then, so I didn't have a chance to talk this out. However he continued to send the materials I ordered regularly probably meaning that he’s just busy. Well, nothing new here.

To my great surprise it was Django who dragged me to the Autumn Festival. My mood was sour, but his arguments in favor of participating in the Cook off were very convincing. It was indeed very interesting for me to compete with him. I still have to place to brag about the harvest, but I became very good at cooking. Of course, I didn’t take the first prize, but I received a lot of cheer and applause and compliments on my skills. That’s nice. Only that redhead was still not in sight. And here I thought I was distracted enough not to think of him. In the evening, when the townspeople had already had a fair amount of fun, I decided to go home and finish the next huge project for the development of the city. Completely lost in thoughts, I didn’t notice how I ended up alone at the fork in the road above the school. Someone slapped me sharply and painfully on the shoulder. I nearly screamed and stroke back but managed to restrain myself.

“Where are you! I thought you wouldn't come. Shall we go, kid?”

“Phew, Sam, you be careful! I'll jump off the stairs like that. No doctor will be able to put me back together! And in general, what kind of kid am I to you, we seem to be of the same age.”

“What a kid,” she became dignified. “I’m two whole days older than you! Why do you look so sour, it’s a holiday?!” She pulled me upstairs.

“Thank you for reminding me! I just have a cool gift in store for you for your birthday. I won't say anything more! I hope I can do it as planned.”

“If you don’t have time, I won’t get upset, we’ll just go to the Round Table in the evening and hang out as usual. We'll play darts and collect an armful of souvenirs at the shooting range.”

“Sounds great. Let's meet at your place in the evening, then?"

“Sure thing. And what do you want as a gift from me?” Her question completely unsettled me, especially since we got to the Flying pigs statue and were no longer alone.

The guys made funny faces at the camera, pretending to be cool, and while I was wondering what to answer Sam and how much of our conversation could be overheard I was drawn into another rollick. Arlo looked at me carefully, made a strange face and looked himself from top to bottom. Then he beamed and dragged me to take pictures and make faces with them. Only later while looking at the photos I realized why he was so suddenly self-conscious. It turned out that I was on a roll today: the captain decided to dress up and his outfit looked just the same as mine, the one that I preferred to wear on public events. (There could have been a description of the “Leisure Breeze” outfit, but the advertisement for the studio was not paid for by the owner). And why not? It's quite practical. Nothing gets in the way anywhere, it’s warm and there are no surprises with skirts in this wild wind. Later, Sam brought her best friend Phyllis to join us in the same way. With a syringe in her hands and a stethoscope around her neck she looked in the pictures more threatening than the rest of us despite us being so combat-ready. Later we said our emotional goodbyes and I ran home to check how things were going with my “surprise.” That day I went to bed very happy.

[mtap-comics]

Well, look at that! I'm back already!

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya really hated this time of the month. Luckily, this time she had an Arlo who made everything a little better.

Word count: 5033

Prompt: Bundled Up in Blankets

Author’s note: I was sitting at work last week freezing with terrible cramps and thought why don't I get myself some comfort through Arlo. Because as GrumpkinVicky so aptly put it: Everyone needs an Arlo! So I abandoned my original plan for this field and wrote this instead. It was supposed to be just a cute little story, but my brain once again ran away from me and sneaked in more background info than I really wanted.

So now here you have 5000 words of self-indulgent sweet fluff with a splatter of whump. You'll probably get cavities again reading it. Proceed at your own risk!

Oh, and if anyone has a better title for this, please let me know!

Warnings: Period Cramps, lots off Fluff, Sweetheart and maybe OOC Arlo, Purely Self-Indulget

Read on AO3: Link

Code Red

Elenya hated this time of the month. But what woman didn't?

Only this time, her body definitely had it in for her. Her mood swings the last few days were so extreme that she preferred to stay away from people altogether and turn to her machines instead. She had more than enough to do with the construction of South Block anyway.

And now she had the worst cramps she had ever experienced. Her lower back ached and she was freezing as badly as if she were standing outside in the cold snow without a jacket.

It was close to noon and so far she had only gotten up once to go to the toilet, otherwise she lay in her bed in a foetal position, three blankets stacked over her.

Another terrible cramp made her whimper and she curled a little more around her middle. To make matters worse, her stomach was now making itself heard, growling impatiently. She hadn't eaten breakfast yet because she couldn't stand up long enough to make something to eat, and it was almost time for lunch.

God, why couldn't her womb just calm down?

Inwardly, she was preparing to struggle out of her warm bed to find something edible in her kitchen when suddenly there was a loud knock at her door.

With a groan, she freed herself from her blanket cocoon, only to be immediately seized by a shiver. She quickly grabbed the top blanket, warm and fluffy, and wrapped it around her shoulders, not caring how stupid it made her look.

There was another knock.

"Coming!" she called to her door, moving slowly towards it. At the level of her couch, she had to pause briefly as another cramp overcame her and she became slightly lightheaded for a moment, but then managed to open the door, letting in the cold winter air.

The sight that greeted her on the other side of the door instantly alleviated a small part of her discomfort. Arlo was standing there, his red hair and smile a warm contrast to the cold white snow in her garden.

"Hey sweetie, ready for our lunch?" The beautiful smile on his face quickly faded as he took in the way she stood before him. Hair tousled, blanket wrapped around her shoulders and shivering.

Damn, she had forgotten they had planned to have lunch together today. And she had been looking forward to their date so much....

"Hey Arlo. Sorry, I..." She didn't get any further, because an even worse cramp than before went through her stomach and with a whimper she doubled over.

In an instant, a leather-clad hand wrapped around her upper arm and, worried, Arlo crouched down in front of her so he could look her in the eyes.

"Elenya! What's wrong? Are you hurt? Or sick?" Concern flooded his blue eyes and she quickly tried to reassure him.

"No, I'm fine. It's just... God..." Desperately she wrapped both arms around her lower abdomen, wishing the pain away. If it wasn't for Arlo's hand holding her up, she would have collapsed to the floor.

A frown settled on his face.

"You don't look fine. But if you're not sick then..." His gaze dropped to her arms on her stomach. "Oh... That bad?"

"Yeah..." She whimpered again.

"Oh, my poor sweetheart." There was nothing mocking in his voice, only pure sympathy, and he tried to pull her into his arms.

But as soon as the leather of his jacket touched her skin, she backed away from him. It was freezing cold!

That only seemed to remind her body how cold it was and she immediately started to shiver again.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Wait a minute." Quickly, Arlo entered her house properly, closing the door behind him and quickly stripping off his jacket. Under the jacket he wore a simple but warm looking grey jumper and she was won over by its softness as Arlo now pulled her tightly against his chest.

He was wonderfully warm under his jacket and with a happy sigh she buried her face in his chest. Her stomach and back still hurt terribly, but for a moment she felt better.

Then, when Arlo also began to gently rub her back and lightly massage her exhausted muscles, she would have liked to melt into him.

"Mmm, that's nice..." Elenya moved even closer until there was no space between them, burying her face in his neck and breathing in his soothing scent.

A soft chuckle vibrated through his chest.

"Glad I can be of some help."

"Mmm."

But unfortunately the relaxation didn't last long and her body turned against her again. With a pained whimper, her legs buckled beneath her at the next cramp and Arlo quickly led her to the couch. There she dropped onto the soft surface and curled up into a ball, her hands pressed tightly against her lower abdomen.

To her horror, tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... It just hurts so much..." Unable to do anything about it, the tears overflowed and ashamed, she hid her face in the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders.

Those damn hormones!

"Hey, it's all right. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm here to help you." Gently, Arlo ran his hand through her hair, and with red cheeks, she lifted her gaze from the blanket.

Arlo knelt at the level of her head and looked at her affectionately, but worriedly. Gently, he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Don't you have anything to help with the pain when it's this bad? I'm sure Dr. Xu has something you can take. I can't bear to see you in such pain." His warm, large hand cupped her cheek and seeking comfort, she nestled into his palm.

"Usually the cramps aren't this bad. But this time, my body seems to really hate me." Another shiver ran through her body, the one blanket not enough to keep her warm. Then her stomach also growled so loudly that even Arlo heard it, and exhausted, Elenya closed her eyes.

Couldn't the day just be over finally?

"Are you freezing that much? And was that your stomach I heard just now? Haven't you eaten anything yet today? Wait, I'll just get you another blanket." Before she could answer even one of his questions, Arlo jumped up and came back with the two blankets from her bed shortly after. Tightly he wrapped her in them until she resembled a burrito more than a human being, and pouting, she looked up at him.

She couldn't move another millimetre!

"Oh, my sweet little builder." A deep, warm laugh escaped Arlo at the sight of her and gently he brushed an annoying strand of hair from her face. Then he gently cupped her face with his hands and with the words, "Oh, I almost forgot.", he pressed a long, soft kiss to her lips.

With a happy sigh, Elenya returned the loving kiss, even though it was a bit difficult since she couldn't wrap her arms around his neck. For a moment, all her discomfort was forgotten.

"Hey darling. I'm glad to see you." With those words, he gently broke away from her lips again, but didn't pull far back, instead looking deep into her eyes, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"Hey." In love, she smiled back. She still couldn't believe how physical Arlo was. Ever since Arlo had accepted her Heart Knot two months ago, she had first thought she would have to back off a bit when it came to physical contact, as she showed her affection mostly through touch. But he surprised her. Since they kissed for the first time, he greeted her with a long, wonderful kiss every time, and he didn't hold back touching her otherwise. As long as they were with each other, he would either hold her hand, put his arm around her shoulder, or gently press his hand into her lower back. No matter who could see them, he always had some form of physical contact with her.

Only when he was working did he hold back. His position as captain and protector of Portia was very important to him and he didn't let that distract him. When it came to safety, he was not to be trifled with.

Her stomach spoke up again and concern settled back on Arlo's face.

"When was the last time you ate something?"

"Dinner yesterday. I haven't been able to stand long enough to make myself something to eat. I also get lightheaded sometimes, so I decided to just stay in bed." Her womb also immediately made itself known again and with a whimper she curled back around her belly.

"I'm so sorry about that sweetheart. How about I go get us some lunch at Django's and we have our date here? Then you won't have to do anything but lie here." Soothingly, he stroked her back, helping her relax a bit.

"Oh, that would be wonderful. Can you bring me Pumpkin Steamed Rice, please?" Wide-eyed, she looked up at him.

"Of course, anything you want. Would you like anything else?" Questioningly, Arlo looked at her, but she just shook her head. Normally her body always demanded something sweet at this time, but right now she was just nauseous with hunger.

"Okay. Then I'll be back here in half an hour at the latest, okay? Are you warm enough, or can I get you something else?" Elenya felt her cheeks flush at the caring look Arlo gave her.

Never had anyone been so eager and willing to help her at this time of the month.

"Can you maybe make a fire in the fireplace, please?" Despite the blanket burrito, she still wasn't really warm, and she hoped the warmth of the fire might finally thaw her out.

"Of course." After a few practised moves, a warm fire crackled in the fireplace across from the couch, and with a relieved sigh, Elenya closed her eyes. The fire gently warmed her face, and it didn't take long for the warmth to seep through her three blankets, helping her stomach to relax a little.

"Thank you." With a gentle gaze, she regarded Arlo, who was now crouching in front of her face again.

"My pleasure. Now I'm going to get you something to eat, okay?" With another gentle kiss, he said goodbye to her, put his jacket and gloves back on, and left her house.

~~~~~~

Elenya dozed lightly for the next half hour. Trying to forget the pain in her stomach and back, she concentrated on the gentle warmth on her face until the door to her house opened quietly.

"Hey sweetie, I'm back." Arlo's warm voice echoed over to her and she sat up awkwardly to watch him place a basket beside him and take off his jacket, gloves and shoes.

Then he came over to her with the basket and sat down close to her on the couch.

"Hey, how's your stomach? Any better?" Concerned, he looked at her.

"Unfortunately not, and it will probably be a while before it eases up a bit. But maybe I'll feel a little better when I get something in my stomach. The fact that my stomach is cramping now too is not very helpful." She struggled to free her hands from the blanket burrito, but Arlo had done a good job. The blankets didn't move at all.

"Oh, sorry about that. I'll help you." Chuckling, Arlo freed her from the blankets and they pooled in her lap.

Taking advantage of her newfound freedom, she wrapped her arms around Arlo and buried her face in his shoulder. Deeply breathing in his scent again, she let him hold her.

"Thank you, Arlo.", she murmured softly into his shoulder and his grip tightened slightly.

"You don't have to thank me. I enjoy taking care of you." Gently, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

How had she ever deserved to be loved by such a caring man?

She enjoyed his closeness for a moment longer, until her stomach growled again and Arlo finally fetched her food from the basket. They ate their lunch in silent unison on her couch and the warm, hearty food also finally settled her stomach and she felt better.

Arlo quickly put the used dishes away in the kitchen as soon as they were done eating, then sat down right next to her again and Elenya happily let her head fall on his shoulder.

"I have something for you, by the way. Two things even, if you like." With those words, Arlo reached into the basket once more and pulled out a large piece of Black Forest Cake. "I met Sam at the Round Table and she said you'd probably enjoy one of these."

With wide eyes she looked at the chocolatey pastry. Now that her stomach was satisfied, her hormones kicked in and demanded chocolate. Chocolate that was within reach, thanks to Arlo.

"I see Sam was right. Here, indulge yourself." With a soft chuckle and a satisfied smile, he handed her the piece of cake.

Elenya accepted it eagerly, pressed a grateful kiss to his cheek and then happily munched on the dessert.

She definitely had to thank Sam.

The cake didn't last long and, full and satisfied, Elenya snuggled back against Arlo.

He immediately took the opportunity to pull her into his arms and lay down on the couch. With some fiddling and probably some magic, they were snuggled together a minute later, Elenya lying on Arlo's chest, her ear directly over his heart and two of the three blankets thrown over her.

The soft sweater beneath her felt wonderful and she couldn't help but nuzzle her cheek against it. It was only the vibration of Arlo's deep, rumbling chuckle that made her realise what she was doing.

A blush rose to her face.

"What are you doing there, sweetie?" Humour was in his voice.

"Oh... I'm... Your sweater... it's so nice and soft." Shyly, she lifted her gaze and met deep blue eyes that looked at her fondly. Her blush deepened.

"It's very old, but reliably keeps me warm in the winter. Glad you like it as well." His smile and look were so gentle and affectionate that she had to avert her gaze again, hiding her red face in his strong chest.

God, this man was going to make her heart stop someday.

To distract from her embarrassing behaviour, she asked him instead, "So what was that second surprise you mentioned before?"

"Oh yes, Sam had offered to switch patrols. She would take mine from this afternoon and I would take tonight's in exchange. Then I could stay with you for the next...", a quick glance at the clock, "5 hours and make sure you're feeling better. Only if that's what you want, of course. If you'd rather be alone, then I can leave too." His arms that were wrapped around her back tightened a bit at his last words and delighted, she looked back up at him.

He could stay with her?

"You can stay here?" Wide, her green eyes gazed into his and he nodded in affirmation, pressing a gentle kiss to her nose.

"Yes, darling. Until 6:00 p.m."

Happy with this new twist to her awful day, Elenya snuggled back against his chest, her ear again resting directly over his heart. Her stomach and back still ached, but for the moment it was a steady ache and no more cramps, and she was able to block that out well by concentrating on Arlo's steady heartbeat. Add to that the warmth and sense of security he gave her, and his big hands stroking her back, and she melted into him completely.

Unfortunately, the calm didn't last long. Not half an hour had passed when the violent cramps returned. With a whimper she tensed in Arlo's arms, but her position prevented her from curling up.

Arlo was immediately on alert.

"What's wrong? Are you having cramps again?" Concerned, he began to pull himself out from under her.

She could only nod. As soon as she was alone on the couch again, she immediately curled around her stomach and pressed her hands to her lower abdomen. The pressure eased some of the cramping, but still she felt like her womb was tearing.

New tears welled up in her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here. What can I do? How can I help?" Arlo knelt in front of her and looked at her anxiously.

"Can you... Put your hand on my stomach? And apply some pressure?"

Maybe his wonderfully warm hands could do something about the cramps?

"Of course." Gently, he pushed her own hands aside and carefully pressed his hand on the same spot. His hand was so large that it encompassed almost her entire lower abdomen, and so warm that the heat seeped through her sweater into her stomach, relaxing the cramped muscles within.

A relieved sigh escaped her. That was much better right away.

"Does it help?" Hope resonated in Arlo's voice and she nodded. It wasn't completely gone, of course, but it was much more bearable.

"That's good. But I'm afraid it's going to be uncomfortable in the long run, but I have an idea. Would it be okay if I carried you? Then you won't have to walk."

She looked up at him in bewilderment. He wanted to carry her? Wasn't she much too heavy for something like that?

"Um... okay?"

At her agreement, he took his hand off her stomach, but before she could notice the next cramp, she found herself in Arlo's arms, bridal-style.

Astonished, she stared at him. She could feel his muscles working under her knees and back, but her weight didn't seem to bother him at all.

What else could he possibly do with her with those muscles?

Images involving a wall and hot kisses popped into her head and embarrassed, she hid her red face in his neck.

He was lovingly taking care of her and all she could think about was this! Couldn't her hormones for once decide how she should feel?

Luckily, Arlo couldn't read minds, so he just carefully carried her to her bedroom, where he gently set her down on her bed.

"Go ahead and lie down, sweetie, I'll be right back." Gently, he stroked her cheek with his knuckles and then disappeared back into the living room.

Elenya was only too happy to comply with his request. Thoughts of Arlo and his muscles couldn't distract her from her stomach long enough, so she found herself back in the foetal position.

She didn't have to wait long, though. Arlo came back with the three blankets he had left behind, first placing them on the bed in front of her and then lying down behind her. Gently, he wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her against his chest. He slid his left arm under her head so she could use it as a pillow and his right hand lay back on her stomach.

Immediately she was surrounded by his warmth and scent again and she snuggled even further back against him. His chest warmed her whole back and his hand her belly and she had never felt so comfortable in her life.

Which, of course, immediately brought her to tears in her unstable state.

Horrified, she buried her face in his upper arm, but couldn't hide her tears from Arlo fast enough.

"Oh no, what's wrong? Isn't it helping anymore? Do you need something else?" Concerned, he leaned over her slightly to get a better look at her face, but didn't dare take his hand off her stomach to wipe away her tears.

"No...this is wonderful... it's just... I... thank you. Thank you so much, Arlo." With teary eyes, she returned his gaze, which immediately softened.

"Like I said, you don't have to thank me. If I can help you, I will. And if I can help you by holding you in my arms, then I couldn't be happier. You're the most precious thing I could ever hold."

Great, leave it to the Civil Crops captain to move her to more tears with his words.

Uncertainty crept into his gaze. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No Arlo, you're wonderful. I love you."

Immediately, he began to beam. It was the first time she had ever said those words out loud and he seemed to have just been waiting for it.

He now released his hand from her stomach after all, so that he could gently guide her face in his direction, and engaged her in a deep kiss.

"I love you too, my sweet little builder."

Overjoyed, she snuggled back into his arms and his hand found its way back to her belly. Carefully, Elenya placed her much smaller one on top of his, gently running her fingers over the faded scars and calluses that testified to the years of hard work Arlo did for Portia every day.

"Can you tell me about one of your adventures?" She loved his stories. He had a talent for telling his adventures as if you had been there yourself, and his deep, quiet voice was something she could listen to forever.

"Of course. How about my last trip to Lucien? I'd barely set foot outside Portia before the trouble started."

He quickly threw one of the blankets over her before he really began his story, and wrapped in the warmth and gentle hum of his voice, she fell into a sheltered sleep.

~~~~~~

Elenya awoke again hours later to a soft voice whispering her name and a warm hand against her cheek.

"Elenya, sweetie, can you wake up for me?"

She groaned. She didn't want to wake up. In her dreams nothing hurt and she had the best adventures together with Arlo.

However, the voice wouldn’t leave her alone.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I'm afraid I have to go. I wanted to know if there was anything else I could get for you."

Oh, that was Arlo.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and was immediately greeted by a gently smiling face.

"Hey there. Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm..." She had never slept so well as she did in Arlo's arms.

Her eyes snapped open in shock. "Oh no, I didn't mean to fall asleep." Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

Arlo, sitting on the edge of the bed, quickly grabbed her upper arm as she swayed slightly and gently pulled her to his chest.

Oh, there was that lightheadedness again.

"Don't worry about that. I'm glad you were able to get some rest. In fact, I actually fell asleep for a moment too. Probably for the best, since I still have a few hours of patrol ahead of me."

Gently, he ran his hand through her tousled hair and then pulled her into a gentle kiss.

"Still... I did want to hear about your adventures." She pouted.

"I'll tell you about them again some other time. I won't forget them that quickly." A slight laugh resonated in his voice, but then he became serious again.

"How are you feeling? Are you still in that kind of pain?" Attentively he studied her and Elenya had to think about the question for a moment.

Her womb seemed to have calmed down for the moment, but her lower back still hurt as if she had spent a day in a stooped position.

"A little better. My back is just still killing me." A shiver ran through her body. "Oh, and I'm cold again..."

"Hmm... How about you snuggle back under the covers and I'll run you a bath before I have to leave? How does that sound?" Lovingly and anxiously, he wrapped her back up in one of the blankets and gratefully she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Why hadn't she come up with the idea herself this morning?

"That would be wonderful. It's just too bad you can't join me..." Startled, Elenya slapped her hands over her mouth, her cheeks deep red.

Oh God, she hadn't meant to say that out loud!

Arlo's eyes darkened at her words and suddenly she was drawn into a hot kiss, which she was only too happy to return. The shiver that rushed through her body this time was of a completely different nature.

However, the kiss became softer and softer and when Arlo broke away from her, his gaze was again as gentle and loving as it had been all day.

"You don't know how much I'd like to do just that, darling. But duty calls." A soft peck to her lips. "Come on, lie down. I'll do the rest."

A little reluctantly, she lay back down and let Arlo bundle her up in all three blankets.

While Arlo prepared her bath, Elenya let her mind wander. Twice now her thoughts have wandered into dirtier realms today and she wondered if she should finally dare to take the next step in their relationship.

They had been together for two months now and Arlo let her set the pace, as she was 8 years younger and a lot less experienced than him. He waited patiently for her, but his reaction just now also showed her how much he desired her, which made her heart race and only intensified her feelings.

She had never felt so safe and loved as she did with Arlo. Today's afternoon proved that to her anew and at the thought that he had to leave now, tears came to her eyes for the fourth time today, which she wiped away in frustration.

These mood swings were maddening!

Luckily, she was able to calm down before Arlo came out of the bathroom, and managed to free herself from the blankets to walk towards him.

She quickly found herself in a tight hug.

"Okay sweetie, your bath is done and I'm afraid I have to go now. Be careful when you get out of the tub later, okay? Lest you get lightheaded again and fall." Seriously he looked into her eyes and she reassured him with a kiss.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. And thank you, Arlo. For staying with me."

"It was my pleasure. I'll come back tomorrow to check on you, okay?"

Warmth spread through her heart at the caring words and she pressed tightly against his chest.

"Okay. Please be safe out there, Arlo."

"Don't worry, I'm always careful. I love you."

"I love you too."

With another long kiss, Arlo bid her goodbye and Elenya made her way to the bathroom to finally get some relief from her back pain. As soon as she stepped through the door into the bathroom, she was greeted by the wonderful scent of vanilla and lavender, immediately calming her.

She quickly undressed, pinned her hair up so it wouldn't get wet, and slid into the perfectly tempered water. Warmth enveloped her and with a relieved sigh she sank into the water up to her chin.

Thoughts of Arlo and how incredibly caring he was warmed her from the inside and for the next 40 minutes she let herself drift.

Unfortunately, the water then became cold and reluctantly she left carefully, as promised to Arlo, the tub. Indeed, her circulation was not quite up to par and she had to hold onto the towel rack to keep from falling.

The fact that she was getting hungry again in the meantime didn't help the whole thing either.

With an irritated sigh, she put on something comfortable and headed for the kitchen to make herself something to eat. She felt better, but she was afraid that if she moved too much now, the cramps would come again and she didn't feel like that at all.

But to her surprise, there were several things on her kitchen counter that definitely weren't there earlier.

The first thing that caught her eye was the covered plate, under which, after a probing look, several, still warm, Mushroom Crepes with Fruit Sauce showed up. Her stomach growled loudly at the sight.

Next to it was a small vial of clear liquid with a note underneath. Curious, she picked it up. In Arlo's neat, straight handwriting it read:

Hey Sweetie,

I hope you feel a little better after your bath. I brought you something for dinner so you don't have to worry about it, and I asked Dr. Xu if he had anything that could help you. He gave me this little bottle and told me you can take one to two teaspoons of it if you get cramps like that again, then you should feel better quickly.

And since you liked it as much as I did, I thought I'd leave you my sweater too. It will keep you warm tonight.

With love, your Arlo

And there they were again, the tears.

She quickly put the note aside and reached for the third item lying on the kitchen counter. She pressed the soft material firmly against her face and inhaled deeply Arlo's soothing scent.

Oh God, oh God, oh God. How could he possibly...? Oh, God…

That man was definitely going to kill her one day.

She quickly put on the grey sweater and could experience for herself how warm it was. Together with Arlo's scent, it almost felt like a hug from him. Of course, the sweater was way too big for her, almost reaching her knees, not to mention her hands, which were completely hidden in the sleeves, but it instantly calmed her troubled feelings.

Her hormones were definitely way too unbalanced for such deep emotions right now.

How on earth had he managed that in the 45 minutes she was in the bathroom? This man was simply incredible.

After calming down a bit, she happily ate the crepes and then went back to bed, where she quickly fell asleep despite the afternoon nap, and was visited by sweet dreams with Arlo.

She would definitely take the next step in their relationship, as soon as her Code Red was over. Arlo definitely deserved a generous thank you.

[chenria]

I posted 262 times in 2022

That's 12 more posts than 2021!

183 posts created (70%)

79 posts reblogged (30%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@chenria

@mimikoflamemaker

@sofia-d-asb

@tippystreasurebox

@miasmat

I tagged 205 of my posts in 2022

Only 22% of my posts had no tags

#original character - 24 posts

#litg carl - 22 posts

#litg s2 - 21 posts

#litg season 2 - 20 posts

#litg mc - 18 posts

#thunderbirds are go - 17 posts

#litg carl x mc - 13 posts

#litg fanfic - 13 posts

#shameless self promotion - 11 posts

#digital art - 10 posts

Longest Tag: 81 characters

#i am really looking forward to play more with my new character of princess elodie

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Okay... I threw m plans for a Mermay picture out of the window. I've been binging "My Time at Portia" for days now. This is just such a relaxing and unagitated game that brings me so much joy with building and fulfilling the commissions for the townspeople.

My builder Cassidy nearly instantly fell in love with the head of Civil Corps (the "police" of the town) and Arlo is just so cute.

So I had to feed my current hyperfixiation with a quick fanart of Cassidy with her husband Arlo (yes, she managed to marry him on the last day of the first year :3)

107 notes - Posted May 29, 2022

#4

Patreon reward for the lovely sissy_the_siren - she requested a picture of her adorable Hawke and I hope I did her justice.

110 notes - Posted February 9, 2022

#3

Okay... so... this was supposed to be my "personal art" piece for March. But migraine... I at least managed to finish it and I am mostly satisfied with the outcome. Since it's not a commission I am not going to fret too much over the parts that didn't turn out quite like I wanted them.

But at least I got myself a Lynn/Bruno fanart while I am still enjoying Season 4 of "Love Island the Game".

This game is truly a guilty pleasure and I am probably 20 years older than the target audience XD but it's silly and fun and I need that in my life right now XD Lynn is the main character in this season and I am playing her in the game.

And I know about the controversies around season 4. But I decided that I can't shut out everything in my life that I enjoy because capitalism is a thing... I have fun - you just don't have to take this season too seriously XD

Lynn and Bruno would never work outside the Villa... but that's a problem for another day XD

[My Patrons get the high res version as well as sketches and progress pictures leading up to this piece.]

Patreon || Twitter

112 notes - Posted April 2, 2022

#2

Of course... right before I need to get back to work I find my inspiration and the motivation to draw again ;) At least that's a good sign that I am really over Covid (now I only need to get rid of that annoying cough...) But at least I could seize the remaining time and managed to finish something small for myself. A picture of Virgil Tracy - yes, it's that time again that I need Thunderbirds escapism and a self-indulging picture of Virg... 

Btw... Virigl has horrible hair and I hate to draw it...

The background is a photo of the sky ... I was too lazy to come up with an actual background...

115 notes - Posted May 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

It’s the 16th... so we can post this, right? I’ve been waiting since May to finally be allowed to share this XD  My contribution to this years TAG Mini Bang ( @tagminibang2022 / @tagminibang ) I got assigned to illustrate one of @womble1′s great fanfics and there was so much to chose from and many brilliant fics! ♥ But that one scene totally brought an instant image to my mind, so I had to illustrate it after I read the little story called “Rest”.

In the sunken seating area, Scott was stretched out across a sofa, head propped up on a cushion, a book in one hand, legs crossed at the ankles.

“That's right little bro,” he [note: Gordon] crouched lower, draping an arm over Alan's shoulder and lowered his voice in his best nature programme voice over impression. “Here we see a very rare sight, for a while it has been thought to be extinct by several scientific communities, it’s a resting Scott Tracy”

Story: “Rest” by @womble1 

121 notes - Posted July 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[bigjigglyidi8]

My Time At Portia Masterlist

Key/Legend:

WattPad

Ao3

Tumblr

Gay = 🏳️‍🌈

Multiple Relationships = ✳

OC/Reader = 👟

Fluff = 🎂

Trans = 🚻

Ongoing = ⏸

Completed = 🔂

SFW = ✅

3rd Person Point of View = 3️⃣

NSFW = ⛔

School = 📚

Straight = 👫

1st Person Point of View = 1️⃣

2nd Person Point of View = 2️⃣

No Romantic Relationship = ⭕

Poly = ♾

ABO/Wolf = 🐺

Fantasy = 🦄

Aliens = 👽

Angst = 💥

Zombies = 🧠

Supernatural = 🌟

Draft = ✏

One Shot Collections:

Asteria • ((Arlo x Builder)(Emily x Remington)(Antoine x Xu)(Sonia x Albert)) • (Ao3) • 👫/🏳️‍🌈/3️⃣/✳/🎂/💥/⏸/👟

Chaptered:

Drabbles/Oneshots:

What's a Date? • (Emily x Remington) • (Ao3) • 👫/🎂/🔂/✅/👟/3️⃣/✏

Stalking Isn't Right But Here We Are • (Antoine x Xu) • 🎂/👟/🔂/✅/🏳️‍🌈/3️⃣/✏

Self-Indulgence PWP of a Foursome Cause Fy! • (Emily x Remington x Arlo x Builder) • (Ao3) • ⏸/⛔/♾/👟/3️⃣/✏/🏳️‍🌈/👫/✳

Lists:

Idi8 Creations

Masterlist of Masterlists

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo! After 8 Weeks I'm finally able to post the next prompt.

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya and Remi successfully freed Arlo, Sam and Mint from Ingall’s Mine and defeated this strange AI without any significant injuries. But then why were there black dots dancing in her field of vision?

Word count: 6,992

Prompt: Doesn't Realize They've Been Injured

Author’s note: I'm really sorry it took me so long again, but I hope the lenght of it makes up for it. That prompt was also the most requested one, so I hope I did it justice. I really struggle with actions scenes and I'm still not happy with it, but I think you're not here for that, anyway, so... :D

I'm also sorry in advance for what you are about to read. You will probably know what I mean when you get there.^^ You can thank my past self for that scene, who thought it a good idea to implement that damn sweater in every one of those works.

But now I won't keep you any longer and wish you a happy reading!

Warnings: Blood and Injury, Angst and Fluff, Nightmares, Mentions of death

Read on AO3: Link

Black Dots

Adrenaline was rushing through Elenya's body.

She had been fighting her way through Ingall's Mine with Remington for almost an hour now. Worm after worm stood in their way, locked doors had to be repaired and even a human-like creature tried to stop them from rescuing Arlo, Sam and Mint.

But at last they seemed to be getting closer to their goal. In front of them were lots of dead worms and in between, Sam's boxing gloves.

While Remi picked them up, she propped herself up for a moment on the handle of her hammer. Remi had given it to her because it was better than her simple iron sword, and while it was pretty fun to fight with, it was damn heavy.

Her arms were burning from the effort, and she was going to have some nasty sore muscles tomorrow, but she didn't care much about that right now. The main thing was that she could see for herself that Arlo was actually alright.

Even though he had assured them that nothing had happened to them in the cave-in, she couldn't shake the anxiety that had been consuming her since the collapse. Never in her life had she been so afraid for someone as when they were standing in front of the huge pile of rocks and there was no sign of life from the three of them at first.

Only a few weeks before, Arlo had given her a heart knot after he had accidentally broken her nose and she had accepted it overjoyed. Her nose has since healed without any lasting damage, while her relationship with Arlo flourished. Rarely had she felt as happy as when she was around Arlo, and that he felt the same way was something she would never have dreamed of before.

But for the time being, they decided to keep their relationship a secret. They knew how quickly such news spread around the village, and they wanted to enjoy their privacy, at least for a while. Fortunately, this wasn't too difficult, as their daily routine didn't change much. Only the two of them knew that their dinners together had changed from friendly to romantic, and the intimate hugs and tender kisses took place behind closed doors.

The last few weeks had been just perfect, so of course something had to burst their pink bubble.

With a deep breath, Elenya straightened up again and with a confirming nod to Remi, the two walked deeper into the mine. Not much longer, and hopefully she would soon be able to embrace Arlo again.

Another closed gate and a few scattered worms stood in their way, but they weren't any more of an obstacle than the others, and finally the three missing ones came into view.

Deep below them they stood, crowded together behind a rock and in the middle of the room was a...

"What on earth is that?" Remi's horrified voice rang out from beside her, and she looked up at him in equal horror.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's friendly. Quick, we have to help them!" 

As quickly and quietly as they could, they hurried down the steel staircase that wound once around the room. The closer they got to the floor, the better they could see the construct that threatened their friends. It seemed to be an AI robot, consisting of a round body with a giant drill as its base and 3 long arms with huge, sharp-looking claws as hands.

It looked angry and damn dangerous.

"Remi!" Sam was the first to spot them and at her delighted exclamation, Arlo and Mint turned to them as well. 

Elenya's eyes swept over the group, but stopped worriedly at Mint's head. A bloody bandage was wrapped around his head, but the engineer stood upright and his gaze was clear, if frightened. An encouraging nod from him reassured her, and she finally let her gaze drift to Arlo.

Like the other two, he was covered from head to toe in dust and a small scratch adorned his cheek, but otherwise he did indeed appear to be unharmed and a huge weight fell from her chest. Exhausted, her shoulders slumped, and when she heard his voice, she could have cried with relief.

He was alright!

"Just in time, come on, we need to handle this thing!" Relief mixed with determination showed on Arlo’s face and with a soft sigh, Elenya straightened her shoulders again. 

Her arms burned from the exertion, and her exhaustion caught up with her now that some of the tension and adrenaline had worn off, but she didn't have time to sit down. The danger was not over yet.

Immediately Arlo's worried gaze turned to her, but she waved him off. He could probably see her exertion of the last hour, but they had no time to rest. For the moment, the robot seemed content to stand silently in front of them, but who knows when it would feel threatened by them and attack. It was better if they struck first.

With one last deep breath, they nodded to each other and the four of them attacked the robot while Mint backed further away from the fight.

A new wave of adrenaline allowed Elenya to swing her hammer with the same force as before, but even this seemed to do no good. The robot was extremely fast and they had to dodge more than they could actually attack, but even when they did manage to land a hit, their efforts didn't even seem to leave a scratch.

Desperately, she tried to smash the joints of one of the arms with her hammer, hoping that would slow it down, but the material just wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she examined the robot.

Damn it, this thing had to have a weak point! Only where?

"Elenya! Watch out!" Startled, Elenya backed away from the robot at Arlo's warning shout, and just in time. Because the robot jumped up, pulled its arms to its body and rammed its drill tip into the ground, spinning wildly around itself.

Unfortunately, she didn't manage to pull herself completely out of its reach and her brown leather jacket was caught by one of its claws. She was knocked to the ground.

A brief pain in her left side was accompanied by three startled yelps, but she barely noticed. Because just as the robot stopped spinning, she saw it from her vantage point on the floor. A weak point.

One of their attacks must have had an effect after all, because under one of the three arms something had come loose that looked a lot like an energy source. If she could destroy it, then this fight would finally be over.

Gathering all her strength once more, she straightened up and used the time that Arlo, Sam and Remi were trying to distract the robot from her to grab her hammer, duck under the swinging arms and slam the hammer into the power source with all her might. The force of the blow vibrated through her arms, but her attack had paid off.

The robot suddenly went completely still and then collapsed. Amazed, she looked at the now lifeless pile of metal in front of her, and it took a moment for the reality to sink in that the battle was over.

Wide-eyed, she looked to the three Civil Corps members standing on the other side of the robot, who looked at her just as dumbfounded until Sam let out a whoop.

"Woohoo! You did it!" Proudly, Sam came over to her and clapped her shoulder approvingly. "I knew you had it in you, kid."

The heady feeling of a battle won rushed through her body, and laughing, she thanked Sam for the compliment.

The feeling didn't last long, though, and exhaustion quickly took over. With trembling muscles, she set her hammer down on the ground and then propped herself up on the handle to catch her breath. Mint had joined them again in the meantime, and she left it to the four of them to figure out what the robot was all about.

It was only a gentle touch to her shoulder that made her look back up, and her gaze immediately met familiar blue eyes that looked at her with concern.

"Hey, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Arlo's soft voice enveloped her like a warm blanket and she would have liked nothing more than to snuggle against his strong chest and let his arms wrap around her. Instead, she hurried to stand up straight so he wouldn't worry so much.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just pretty exhausted." A tired smile settled on her lips and Arlo's gaze softened.

"I'll take your word for that. You fought really well. Remi was just praising you to the skies." A proud smile settled on his lips and she felt her cheeks redden.

God, she always felt like a teenage girl whose crush had just smiled at her when she got a compliment from Arlo.

Before she could sheepishly thank him, though, Remi came over to them and took the heavy hammer from her.

"Come on you two. Let's get the hell out of here."

"Oh God, yes, please. I've had enough tunnels and sand for now." Accompanied by Arlo's soft chuckle that followed her words, they followed Mint who, tracking a draft of wind, led them out of the mine.

For a moment, she was able to keep up with the group, but the further they went, the more her adrenaline level dropped and the heavier her legs became. Black dots danced in her field of vision and an overwhelming tiredness came over her. Exhausted, she stopped.

Damn, she had apparently exerted herself a lot more than she had first thought. But she couldn't rest yet. She had to at least make it home.

With a vigorous shake of her head, she tried to dispel the dots and hurried to catch up with the others again before anyone noticed how far behind she had fallen.

A bit of her energy returned when they finally found an exit and the warm evening sun greeted them. Finally they were out of that dark mine.

Elenya didn't pay much attention to where they came out, instead fixing her gaze firmly on Arlo's back. The sight calmed the still not completely disappeared anxiety inside her and her steps felt a little lighter.

Only Mint's delighted "Mayor Gale!" made her look up and with astonishment she realised that the very same man was running towards them together with Gust, Albert, Paulie, Dr. Xu and even Higgins.

Concerned, the group stopped in front of them and naturally wanted to know what had happened. Arlo, of course, immediately took on the task of summarising what had happened, but Elenya had trouble following the conversation. The black spots were back and she discreetly moved away from the group.

For a moment she let her eyes fall shut and took a few deep breaths. The better oxygen intake seemed to help, because when she opened her eyes again, the black dots had disappeared and she could just see the others heading back towards the city. 

Only Arlo turned to her and she hurried to catch up with him again. Now that they were no longer being watched, a warm look graced his face and she instantly felt better. With a smile, she stopped in front of him.

“I'm glad we got out of that ordeal without anyone getting hurt. I didn't get to say this earlier, but thanks for sticking your neck out and coming to our rescue back there.” He smiled at her and she felt how finally the rest of the anxiety drained from her body.

It sometimes shocked her, how a simple smile from him could make her feel so at ease.

She opened her mouth to answer him. Wanted to tell him how glad she was that he was okay, that he wasn't buried under all those rocks, but no sound came out.

Her head suddenly felt a lot heavier and her tongue wouldn't cooperate. 

What was wrong with her?

Arlo's face contorted with concern when she didn't answer him and he took a step toward her.

"Elenya? Is everything all right? You're really pale." His right hand lifted, gently coming to rest against her cheek, and it was as if that touch snapped her body out of a daze.

Pain suddenly ripped through her like a burning fire, blazing up her left side. With a pained gasp, she pressed her hand against the aching spot, only to encounter something wet. Confused, she looked down at herself.

What...?

She couldn't see anything on her dark jacket, but when she removed her hand from her side, it came back smeared with blood. Quickly she pressed it back.

Oh...

Arlo, who had followed her gaze, drew in a shocked breath at the sight. "Elenya! You're bleeding! What happened?" He grabbed her hand in panic, pulling it away from the wound so he could see better, and she had no strength to fight back.

Nausea had mixed with the woozy feeling in her head and the black dots dancing before her eyes became more and more. Her legs buckled.

Before she could hit the ground, though, strong arms caught her and once again her name left Arlo's lips in alarm. As carefully as he could, he lowered her to the ground and suddenly she found the blue sky in her field of vision instead of Arlo's worried eyes.

"Damn! What happened? Talk to me, Elenya. Come on." Frantically, he set about opening her jacket. Each movement of the fabric sent new waves of searing pain through her side, and with a whimper she tried to push his hands away.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry, sweetie, but I need to know where you're hurt. It'll be over in a moment." Arlo’s words sounded pained and she wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, that it was okay, but her tongue still wouldn't obey her.

The black dots in front of her eyes became bigger and the world started spinning, intensifying her nausea and so she closed her eyes with a low moan. But when Arlo suddenly let out a loud curse, they shot open again.

"Bloody hell!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him begin to rummage wildly in his waist bag.

Surprised, she tried to catch a glimpse of her now free abdomen, but she had no strength left to lift her head.

Was it really that bad? Why hadn't she noticed it until just now?

She didn’t get any further with the train of thought.

Two hands suddenly pressed firmly on her injury and for a moment her world consisted only of pain. A weak cry escaped her and Arlo's eyes appeared in her field of vision, both hands not leaving her side.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I really need to stop the bleeding. You've already lost way too much blood. Please hang in there, okay? It's going to be okay." Comfortingly, he briefly pressed his forehead against hers and then turned to look at the departing group, not letting up the pressure on her wound.

"SAM! Bring Dr. Xu back here! Now! Elenya's hurt!"

Startled, Elenya flinched at the suddenly loud words, sending a new wave of pain through her body. Tears gathered in her eyes and desperately she placed her left hand on Arlos, who she realised was pressing a bunch of compresses tightly against her side.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. Help is on the way. It's going to be okay." Warm lips pressed against her forehead, but she was barely aware of the touch.

The fog in her brain grew thicker, the nausea increased, and more and more loud voices gathered around her until all that was left was a loud roaring in her ears.

Her tears overflowed, cold sweat spread all over her body and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. 

What was happening to her?

She was terrified. She didn't know what was happening anymore. All around her, voices were talking in panic, hands were tugging at her jacket, her whole abdomen was on fire and the only familiar thing she felt was the big hands under hers.

But when they also disappeared and were replaced by others, she lost herself in her panic. She tried to fight back against the hands, tried to get away from all the voices, but only more pain shot through her body, making her cry out weakly.

Where was Arlo?

The voices grew louder, frightening her even more, but then they were back. The warm hands. They softly cupped her face, gently brushing away her tears, and an even warmer voice broke through the roaring in her ears.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here. Nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe. I promise. But you need to stop moving, please. Dr. Xu is trying to help you. Everything is going to be okay." 

Relieved, she opened her eyes with difficulty and directly met Arlo's beloved blue eyes. His face was upside down, as he was kneeling behind her head, but that didn’t diminish the effect he had on her. Immediately, all the tension disappeared from her body, along with the voices around her, and all that remained was Arlo.

“That’s it. You are doing great, sweetheart. Just keep those pretty eyes on me.” His voice was pitched to a soothing tone, his worry and panic well hidden behind a mask and it managed to calm her racing heart. Sweet words and pet names left his lips ceaselessly, enveloping her in a blanket of comfort, while his thumbs caressed her cheeks, effectively brushing the tears away that didn’t stop flowing from her eyes.

Her eyes drooped.

She barely noticed what happened to her body anymore. The pain had faded to the background, leaving a weird pressure behind, the roaring back in her ears droned out Arlos voice and his face vanished behind black dots.

Her eyes closed.

“No, no, no! Keep your eyes open, sweetheart. Come on, look at me!” Frantic, Arlo softly patted her cheek, tried to get her attention, but she couldn’t hold on any longer.

Her world got dark and the last clear thought that ran through her mind was:

Well, there goes their secret relationship.

~~~~~~

Elenya awoke a short time later to a world of pain. Her body was being jolted, sending wave after wave of pain through her body and she wondered what was going on.

Where was she? What happened? Was that... a humming engine?

She could feel strong arms wrapped around her upper body, a warm chest pressed against her right side and her head seemed to rest against a shoulder. The familiarity of the body holding her managed to quell the panic that wanted to rise in her. But what it couldn’t quell was the pain.

It was licking at her whole left side like flames, burning her up like nothing she had ever felt before. She only realised her constant whimpering when the hand who had been holding her waist came up to rest gently against her cheek, the thumb rubbing soothing circles against her skin and a soft voice spoke right beside her left ear.

“Shh, you are okay, sweetheart. We’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer. You are doing so great.” Warm lips pressed against her forehead and she tried to concentrate on that point of contact instead of the pain, but then the DeeDee she supposed she sat in, jolted even more and with a cry of pain, new tears flowed from her eyes.

“Hurts…” Her voice was weak, barely more than a whisper, but Arlo heard her.

The arm around her shoulder tightened even more and the hand cupping her cheek softly wiped her tears away.

“I know, sweetheart, I know. But we are almost at the clinic, I promise. Soon you will feel a lot better.” Pain and worry sat deep in his voice and she felt bad. Even though she couldn’t recall what happened, she hated when people had to worry about her. But the pain was all encompassing, taking over her mind and she couldn’t do anything to reassure him.

The world started to fade again. She could hear how Arlo tried to keep her from passing out again, but she lost the fight against the darkness.

~~~~~~

Elenya woke to a deep voice, who seemed to be telling a story.

“Did you know that Remi grew up here in Portia, before he moved out to Lucien? We were best friends back then, too and because he was 2 years older than me, my parents gave him the task to keep an eye out for me. Not that it did much good, as I'm sure you can imagine..”

The tale went on, but the words blended together in her mind, leaving her with a sense of security. She didn't know where she was or what had happened, but she knew that as long as the owner of that wonderful voice was with her, she was safe.

“... and well, that really didn’t go well for me. You should have seen the face of my mother. I don't think she has ever been as angry in her life as she was at that moment.” A warm laugh ran through the room, washing over her like a soft summer breeze and instinctively her head turned to the source of it.

To her dismay, the laugh immediately stopped as she did that, but then a big hand softly cupped her left cheek and with a happy sigh, she nestled into the warm palm.

“Hey there, sweetheart. Can you hear me?” The warm voice was back, whispering softly somewhere above her head, and with a confirming humm, she snuggled even more into the hand.

“That’s great. Do you think you can open your eyes for me?” The thumb resting on her cheek started to stroke the patch of soft skin underneath her eye, as if he wanted to encourage her, but she scrunched up her face in protest.

She didn’t want to open her eyes. It was nice and dark behind her eyelids, she felt like she was floating on a cloud and she wasn’t really sure she could open them even if she wanted to. Her eyelids were as heavy as lead, and even just snuggling into the warm hand took a lot more effort than it should have.

The warm laugh was back, filling her with happiness.

“That’s okay, sweetheart. I’m just glad you’re okay. You really had me worried.” Warm lips pressed against her forehead, lingering there for a moment and she almost fell back asleep when the words registered in her brain.

Worried? Why was he worried? Where was she anyway? What had happened? Should she be worried too?

These questions sparked a panic in her that she couldn't explain, but the warm voice was quick to reassure her.

"Shh, sweetheart, you're okay. Just get some rest. I'm here." Another long kiss was pressed to her forehead and the hand on her cheek went up and began to gently stroke through her hair. Soothed by the words and the caresses, she fell back into an exhausted sleep.

But the dreams that greeted her there were anything but restful.

She found herself in the middle of an underground labyrinth, full of crossroads and endless tunnels. Wherever she looked, there was only sand and stone, illuminated by a single torch ominously fixed to the wall directly in front of her.

Where was she? What was this place? And how did she get out of here?

Frightened, she looked around.

A sudden gust of cold wind woke her from her panic-stricken stupor, and startled, she reached for the torch that was threatening to be extinguished by the gust of wind.

No! This was her only source of light!

She quickly shielded the flame from the strong gust of wind with her body, her heart racing in her chest.

Oh God, please don't go out....

Fortunately, the gust of wind disappeared as quickly as it came, and relieved, she dropped her tense shoulders. At least she still had light.

But her relief didn't last long.

"Why are you just standing here like a fool? Aren't you going to save him?"

Terrified, she flinched. Where did that voice come from? What did it want from her? And who was she supposed to save?

Frantically, she looked around in all directions, but couldn't make out the voice's origin. 

"Come on, what are you waiting for? He doesn't have much time left." A sinister laugh echoed through the empty tunnels. "Or do you want the light in his pretty blue eyes to die out forever?" 

Blue eyes? Oh God, did it mean...? No, please no...

Full of panic, she started to run. She ran as fast as she had ever run before. Ran through the endless corridors until she hit a dead end and was forced to turn around.

God, how was she going to find him in all those tunnels? He could be anywhere.

She ran even faster.

"Yes, that's it. Run! Run for his life!" The eerie voice chased her. Laughed at her maliciously when she ran into another dead end, and the panic in Elenya grew.

A stabbing pain had started to spread in her left side, and completely out of breath she stopped in front of the next dead end. Desperate tears flowed incessantly from her eyes and in hopelessness she sank to her knees.

How was she supposed to find him? She didn't even know which corridors she had already walked down and which not. She was completely lost.

"Oh, are you giving up already? What a pity. He would have still had a chance. But whatever. Then I guess he'll have taken his last breath soon." A false, pitying sigh echoed over her head and with renewed energy she straightened up again.

No, she couldn't give up! She had to save him!

Ignoring the pain in her side, she ran again. And then finally, after two more dead ends, she saw a strange light in the next tunnel. That had to be him.

Pulling together the last of her strength, she ran even faster until she could see the scene before her, bringing her to a horrified halt.

Oh no...

Another dead end opened up before her, but this time it was different. A cave-in blocked the way and under the rocks he lay. Arlo.

His familiar shock of red hair lay on the ground in front of her and on shaky legs she approached him, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest.

Please don't be dead. Please don't.

She dropped to her knees in front of his head, the torch falling to the ground beside her.

"No... Arlo..." Paralyzed, she stared at him. His eyes were closed, blood was running down his face from a wound on his forehead and from the corner of his mouth, a grotesque contrast to his pale face, and further down she didn't dare look. For everything beyond his shoulders was covered by huge rocks.

"No..." With trembling hands she tried to feel a pulse, pressing her fingers tightly against his neck, but... there was nothing. Desperately she tried the other side, but there too.... nothing. 

"No, no, no. Please, Arlo. Please, you can't..." Deep sobs shook her body as she desperately tried to find a sign of life when the eerie voice suddenly sounded again.

"You're too late. You let him die." Another cruel laugh followed the mocking words and pure anguish coursed through Elenya.

No, it couldn't be! She had to save him!

Desperately she tried to lift the rocks from his body, ignoring the growing pain in her left side, but it was useless. She was too weak.

Sobbing, she collapsed back next to his head. Tears streamed down her cheeks and completely shattered, she pressed her forehead against Arlo’s.

"I'm so sorry, Arlo. Please come back to me. Please. You can't leave me alone, please..." With each sob his name left her lips, praying that he would just please wake up. But his eyes didn’t open.

Suddenly, a gentle, warm wind brushed her cheeks, softly drying her tears, and a beloved voice echoed through the tunnels this time.

"Shh, I'm here, sweetheart. Everything is fine. I'm here. We are safe. I've got you." The warm wind enveloped her more and more, bringing with it a wonderful scent, and suddenly she was no longer in that awful tunnel, but standing in a green field, beautiful flowers all around her and the sun shining warmly in the sky.

"I’m here, darling. Get some rest. I'll take care of you."

Her head snapped to her right in wonder.

Arlo was here! And his eyes were open. Warm and full of life, he looked at her, a loving smile on his lips, and tears of relief escaped her eyes. Big, calloused hands cupped her face tenderly, brushing away her tears and she let herself fall into his strong arms.

The pain in her left side was still there, but if Arlo told her it was okay to rest, she was going to do it.

Her world plunged into warm darkness.

~~~~~~

Elenya woke again to a deep, warm voice, but this time it seemed to be reading from a book. The voice was calm and steady, rumbling deep in the owner's chest, and it filled her with a deep calmness. Together with the wonderful scent that rested right in front of her nose, she felt warm and safe.

For a while she hovered in the state between sleeping and waking, letting the warm voice envelop her until more and more of her senses woke up. She could feel a large, rough hand gently holding hers, the thumb of that hand softly caressing her fingers. Could feel her face buried in something soft, something soft from which emanated that wonderful smell. 

Instinctively she buried her nose even more in the soft fabric, inhaling deeply the familiar smell and letting out a happy sigh.

Mmm... Arlo...

The latter didn't seem to have noticed that she had woken up, so she tried to gently squeeze his hand. Unfortunately, her body was so exhausted that she hardly had any strength, so her fingers only twitched slightly.

But it seemed to have been enough, because immediately the voice died away, the hand pulled out of hers, and she could hear a chair being pushed back. A short time later, a large, warm hand came to her cheek and happily she snuggled into the palm.

"Elenya? Sweetie, are you awake?" There was hope and concern in his voice and she wondered what had happened.

Why was he so worried?

To get to the bottom of this question, she opened her eyes. It took her a few tries before her eyes would even stay open, her eyelids much heavier than usual, but when she could finally see clearly, she was rewarded for her efforts. Arlo's face greeted her, his blue eyes full of warmth and love.

“There you are.” A fond smile graced his lips and sleepily, she smiled back.

The hand that had been cradling her cheek moved up and started to pet her head, which elicited another happy sigh from her. For a while, they just stared at each other until the soft look on Arlo’s face turned to concern.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart? Are you in pain?” The hand in her hair drew back and she whined in protest.

Why would he stop? That had been the best feeling in the world!

Longingly, her eyes followed the retreating hand. Maybe if she stared long enough at it, he would put it back?

“Sweetheart?” At Arlo’s concerned voice, her gaze snapped back to him and she remembered that he had asked her a question.

Right. He had asked her if she was in pain. But why would she be in pain? She couldn’t remember getting hurt…

Strained, she went through her memories, hoping to find out what had happened. But the only thing she could remember was a lot of sand. Sand and Remington, oddly enough.

Looking for answers, she glanced up at Arlo, who was still looking at her with deep concern.

“What…?” Speaking was a mistake. That single word sent her into a coughing fit, sending a sudden pain through her left side and Arlo instantly had a glass of water in his hands, holding it carefully against her lips. With his other hand, he slightly lifted her head so that she could drink better. Gratefully, she drank the cool water, relishing in the way it wetted her dry throat.

“Slowly, sweetheart. Don't choke on it.”

When the glass was empty, Arlo carefully set her head back into the pillows, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead as he did so and set the glass back to where it came from.

Elenya didn't notice much of that, though. The pain in her left side distracted her far too much. The pain was not too strong, rather dull, and she suspected that a lot of painkillers were responsible for that, but she still wanted to know what exactly she was dealing with.

Carefully, she raised her trembling right hand, but before she could make contact with her side, she was stopped by a large, warm hand.

“Don’t.” Apologetically, Arlo gently lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a loving kiss to it, mindful of the IV needle she now realised was inserted into the back of her hand.

“Dr. Xu had to fix you up with a lot of stitches. He won’t be pleased if you ruin his hard work.” A short pause. “Again.”

Stitches? And what did he mean by "again"? What had happened, and why couldn't she remember anything?

Desperately, she looked at Arlo.

"Arlo...what happened?" Slight panic mixed into her voice and Arlo quickly put his hand back to her cheek to soothe her.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Everything's fine. What's the last thing you remember?"

Good question. A few separate images flashed through her hazy brain, but they just didn't make sense. There was sand, a strange robot, she thought, and a mop of green hair.

"I... I don't know. There is sand... and Remi? But... I don't know..." A single, frustrated tear escaped her eye, but Arlo quickly wiped it away.

"Shh, it's okay. Dr. Xu already said you might not remember. You lost a lot of blood, so that was to be expected. I'll tell you what happened." Careful not to disturb her, he sat on the edge of the bed and raised her right hand, which he still held tightly, to his lips once more, pressing a gentle kiss on each finger. Immediately warmth spread through her body and her troubled thoughts calmed down.

"So, Mint, Sam and I were in the new Eufala tunnel when it suddenly collapsed. The debris blocked our way out, so you and Remi tried to reach us through Ingall's Mine. I'm afraid I can't tell you what happened along the way, but you found us just in time. An old robot, consisting of 3 long legs and a giant drill, had been awakened by the construction work and was anything but friendly to us. The four of us, mostly you to be precise, managed to defeat it and Mint found us a way out of the mine. We had just told Mayor Gale what had happened, he was waiting for us outside, and everyone had left for the town, when I suddenly noticed how pale you were. I didn't know what was wrong, so I reached out for you and then..." A haunted look settled on his face and he swallowed hard.

"God... You just collapsed in my arms. I thought... Fuck, you scared the shit out of me. There was so much blood everywhere, which you couldn't see on your dark jacket, and when I finally uncovered your stomach, there was this huge gaping wound on your left side. I don't know how you were even able to walk with that." The painful look on his face made Elenya feel bad.

Even with his narration, she still couldn't remember, but it must have been terrible. She didn't mean to cause him such pain. But before she could say anything, Arlo continued.

"Fortunately, Gale had brought Dr. Xu with him, so he was able to help you quickly. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there. You had already lost so much blood and I could barely stop the bleeding myself..." His voice broke on the last words and apologetically she squeezed his hand gently. She didn't want him to think about it too much.

"We don't know exactly how you were injured, but we assume that a claw from the robot got you. Your skin was shredded more than it was cut and it took Dr. Xu a long time to patch you up. There will be a scar, but it should be straight and even."

The gentle, loving look was back on his face and the hand that had left her cheek during the recounting came back and with his thumb he stroked her cheek tenderly.

"Nothing that would make you any less beautiful to me." The words and the affectionate smile brought a blush to her face and, embarrassed, she hid her face in his hand.

Damn it, he couldn't just throw something like that in the room! 

Apart from the fact that she hadn't been worried about that at all. What concerned her much more was the fact that it had taken so long for anyone to even notice that she was hurt. Why hadn't she said anything?

She asked Arlo the very same question.

"I don't think you had even noticed it yourself. God, I was so angry with you at first. Why hadn't you told me you were hurt? You were almost bleeding to death! But then I remembered your face. You looked so confused when you saw the blood. I think your body was so pumped with adrenaline that you didn't feel anything. Only when the excitement was over did your body allow anything else to register. But please don't worry too much about that, okay? I'm just glad you're feeling better and you're going to get back on your feet."

Warm lips pressed against hers and Elenya happily returned the kiss. It was gentle and at the same time a little desperate, but no less wonderful for that. Enveloped in Arlo’s wonderful scent and warmth, her body relaxed and an incredible exhaustion spread through her. Her lips no longer wanted to obey her and a frustrated grumble escaped.

She couldn't be exhausted again! She had only just woken up. Who knows how long she had already been asleep.

With a soft chuckle, Arlo broke away from her. "It's okay, darling. Get some rest. Your body's been through a lot." Gently he began stroking her hair again and with a sigh she gave in.

Exhausted, her eyes closed and she buried her face back into the soft fabric still lying next to her head. Before she fell asleep, though, the thought of what that fabric actually was returned to her mind.

Curious, her eyes opened again and met a grey bundle, which she guessed from the smell was a sweater from Arlo. Puzzled, she looked up at the owner, who was watching her intently.

"Arlo?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Why is there a sweater of yours lying there?"

To her further amazement, a slight blush came over his face and eagerly she waited for the answer.

"Oh... you were suddenly having terrible nightmares. You had started writhing, opening your stitches again, and Dr. Xu and Phyllis just couldn't calm you down. You were calling out for me in your sleep, so Dr. Xu dragged me out of the shower I had been in, and luckily I was finally able to calm you down. I don't know what you were dreaming about, but it must have been terrible. It broke my heart to see you so frightened. I tried to stay by your side all the time after that, but Sam and Remi made me eat and sleep, so I thought maybe a sweater with my scent on it would keep the nightmares away." The blush on his face deepened and her heart swelled with love.

She couldn't remember the nightmares either, thankfully, but she did remember the feeling of safety and security emanating from Arlo's comforting scent.

Lovingly, she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Arlo. That really helped me a lot. When you're around, I always feel safe and protected."

She could literally see his chest swell with pride at her words and couldn't help a soft giggle. After all, she knew his strong protective instinct and loved him for it.

But she also saw what he was trying to hide from her. The guilt. The guilt that he had not protected her. Of course that was nonsense and she would try to talk him out of it when she was no longer so exhausted, but she hoped that showing him how safe she still felt with him would be enough for now.

But now she was finally losing the battle against exhaustion and so she buried her face back into the wonderful smelling sweater and closed her eyes.

"I'm glad you feel that way. I will always protect you, I promise. Now go to sleep, darling. I'll be here when you wake up." A warm, lingering kiss against her temple was the last thing she felt before she fell into a restful sleep.

[mtap-comics]

So, I got myself a Bad Thins Happen Bingo Card from @badthingshappenbingo...

Like it already says in my blog header I'm not a good writer and I'm using it more as a writing practice. These stories will definitely be completely self indulgent, but maybe someone out here likes it nonetheless.

The first one here already got way out of hand, so please enjoy the almost 5000 words of hurt and lots of comfort/fluff:

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder (Pre-Relationship)

Summary: Elenya's day off didn't go as planned, but maybe it wasn't all bad either.

Word count: 4957 Prompt: Twisted Ankle

Warnings: mention of blood, may give you cavities

Read on AO3: Link

Beware of the apple trees

It was a warm autumn day in Portia. It seemed like the summer wasn’t really ready to go just now and Elenya didn’t mind one bit.

It was her first autumn since she arrived in Portia and she really loved all the colours nature had to offer. While Barnarock was her home for a long time, Elenya definitely didn’t miss the hot, dry and harsh weather. Also for the first time since her arrival, she was taking a day off. Arlo practically forced her after she collided with him on the stairs to the Central Plaza yesterday and only avoided falling down the stairs thanks to his quick reflexes.

~~~ The evening before ~~~

Elenya was completely exhausted after pulling a few all-nighters to get the tree farm running again and finishing all her other open commissions. She was just coming down from the clinic, where she delivered a tea table to Dr. Xu, and decided to take the long way home, past the wishing tree and then up the main path to Peach Plaza. While that was her last point on her to-do list for today, her tired mind already wandered to all the things she had to do tomorrow. Engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't notice the figure coming towards her on the stairs and collided directly with its shoulder.

Startled, she lost her footing on the steps and already prepared herself to make closer acquaintance with the stairs. But in a flash, a hand closed around her upper arm and she was pulled against a strong chest. With a racing heart, she looked up to see who just saved her from breaking her neck and concerned blue eyes met her green ones.

Oh no, why did it have to be him?

“Elenya, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” Arlo’s deep voice sent a pleasant shiver down her spine and she could feel how her cheeks warmed from embarrassment.

Couldn't she have made a fool of herself in front of someone else?

She tried to regain her balance and take a step back from the warm presence in front of her, but her exhausted body wouldn’t have it. Her left leg buckled out from under her.

“Woah, hey! Careful!” Immediately, a second hand closed around her other arm and she was carefully guided down to sit on the stairs. “Elenya?” Arlo was now crouching in front of her and his concerned gaze was looking her up and down, probably searching for injuries, reminding her that she hadn't given him an answer yet.

“Don’t worry, Arlo, I’m fine. Nothing’s hurt.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but a huge yawn interrupted her. Arlos face furrowed and she could see how his gaze fixated on her bloodshot eyes. “You definitely don’t look fine. When was the last time you slept?”

Sheepishly, she tried to avoid his worried gaze, but a gloved hand on her cheek gently turned her head back to him. His blue eyes pierced through her, and with a sigh she gave in.

“I may have gotten about 2 hours of sleep in the last 3 days.” The furrow between his eyes deepened. "That's not good. Why would you do that? You need to take better care of yourself." An embarrassed blush covered Elenyas cheeks.

“There’s just so much work to do. The tree farm needed its watering system, the days are getting colder, so there are a lot of small repairs and… I just… can’t say no if someone needs my help.”

Understanding spread across Arlo’s face. “While I admire your work ethic and selflessness, you are no use to anyone if you work yourself to the bone.” Worried, his thumb softly caressed her cheek and she let herself lean into his touch.

“Please, take the day off tomorrow and sleep as long as you can. I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if I weren’t able to catch you.”

She didn’t want to, either.

“Okay, I will take a day off.” The next huge yawn escaped her.

“Good, now let’s get you home. Your bed is waiting for you.”

With Arlo’s help, Elenya was able to get home without any further incidents and as soon as her head hit her pillow, she was out like a light.

~~~~~~

Now she was here, on the southside of Portias’ wall, on her way to the Bassanio Falls after a good 9 hours of sleep and she begrudgingly had to admit that she felt a lot better already. 

It was already past noon and the only thing she did was stocking up her furnaces with ore, so she would have enough bars for tomorrow, and tending to her crops. It felt strange, to not work after over half a year of constantly working on commissions and upgrading her workshop, that she didn’t even knew what to do with herself at first. But then she caught sight of the Bassanio Falls from behind her house and decided to grab a blanket, something to eat and a book to read comfortably by the water.

~~~~~~

The sun was already setting when Elenya made her way back to her workshop. She hadn’t felt that relaxed in a long time, even before coming to Portia, and she definitely had to thank Arlo for that.

Maybe I should invite him to dinner at the round table?

This thought triggered an image in her head that made her blush. Arlo sitting across the table from her, talking about his day or laughing at one of her bad jokes. Oh, how she loved his laugh. Just the thought of it triggered a warm feeling inside her and her lips automatically twisted into a smile. Oh boy, she was so screwed.

“Miss Elenya!”

A young, boyish voice snapped Elenya out of her daydreams, and confused, she looked to her right towards the eastern city gate. Beside it, she spotted Toby, who, waving wildly, motioned her to approach him.

“Hey Toby, what’s up?” Elenya smiled down at the adventurous boy after reaching him.

“I wanted to pick some apples, they look so delicious today, but unfortunately the lowest branch of the tree here broke off and now I can't get up. Can you help me?” Big, pleading eyes looked up at her, and while she knew that the boy was normally full of shit, she still couldn’t resist the puppy dog eyes. “Sure Toby, which one would you like?”

“Oh, thank you very much, Miss Elenya! Do you see the aroma apple directly above us? I’m sure my mother can bake something delicious with it.” Toby pointed above his head and there really was one big, red and shiny apple that looked heavenly.

“No need to thank me. Just make sure Martha leaves me some of her baked goods.” Laughing lightly, Elenya put her bag down, grabbed the branch closest to her and started hauling herself up. She hadn’t climbed a tree in forever, but it took her less than a minute to get to a suitable branch from which she could reach the apple. But just as she picked it, her eye caught another, almost larger one.

“Hey Toby, here's an even bigger apple. I'll throw the first one down so I can get that one for you, too.”

Elenya threw the apple to Toby, who shouted a thank you to her, and then thought about how best to pick the next apple. This one was just out of her reach and she cursed her small height. Then a branch slightly above her caught her attention and an idea sprang to her mind.

She held onto the branch with her left hand and was thus able to bend forward a little more. But just as she held the apple triumphantly in her hand and was about to lean back, the branch she was holding onto broke off and she lost her balance.

Startled, the apple fell out of her hand and a small cry escaped her. She tried to grab for the nearest branch, but that only caused her forearms and hands to be scraped open and before she knew it, she was sitting on the ground a little dumbfounded, her face and upper arms additionally scratched by small branches.

“Miss Elenya! What happened? Are you okay?” A frantic Toby ran to her and examined her anxiously. 

“Ouch, that hurt...” She winced, but tried to smile reassuringly up at him. “Don't worry, just a little roughed up.” “Are you sure? That must have been at least 2 metres.” He looked at her sceptically.

“Yeah, see? No harm d…” She tried to get up, but as soon as she put weight on her left ankle, pain shot up her leg and she crumbled back to the ground. “Ouch, or maybe not...”

“Oh no, what’s wrong? Is it your leg?” Toby’s eyes snapped to her left foot. “Yeah, I think I twisted my ankle…”

Elenya carefully rearranged her limbs, which wasn’t that easy with scraped hands, so that she leaned against the tree trunk and her legs were stretched in front of her. She tenderly prodded at her ankle, and yeah, that definitely hurt.

Oh man, and her day started so well…

“I’m so sorry, that is all my fault.” Toby hovered at her side anxiously, helpless and with actual tears in his eyes. She quickly tried to reassure him. “Hey, don’t worry, it’s okay. And it’s not your fault, just bad luck and my clumsiness. But could you go find someone from the civil corps? I will need some help getting to Dr. Xu…”

While she hated to admit that she needed help, she knew she couldn’t walk on her bad ankle and she wasn’t actually sure if it really was just twisted.The more her adrenalin faded, the more it started to hurt. Plus, the prospect of being able to do something seemed to put Toby at ease.

“Yes, I can do that. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” With that, he was already on his way, running as fast as his short legs would carry him.

Elenya smiled at the retreating form. While the boy loved to cause trouble, his heart was in the right place and he will make a good civil corps officer one day.

~~~~~~

Less than 5 minutes later she could see a horse and 2 people hurrying towards her. Relief washed over her. Her ankle was really getting uncomfortable and she couldn’t wait to get some ice on it. But then she could make out the white fur of the horse and a mop of red hair.

Oh no, why couldn’t Toby have found Remington, or even Sam? After almost falling down the stairs yesterday, she now has to tell him she fell out of a tree. What must he think of her?

“Elenya! Are you okay? Toby told me you hurt your ankle, but what happened?” Arlo instantly kneeled down beside her feet as he reached her and looked at her with concerned eyes.

She had to make a pitiful sight. Scratched arms and face, leaves in her long black hair and an already swelling ankle.

A blush spread over her cheeks. “Hey Arlo, I ehm… may have fallen out of a tree…”

A look of pure confusion appeared on Arlo's face. If she wasn't so embarrassed, she probably would have laughed because she had never seen the captain so bewildered.

“You fell out of a tree? What were you doing up there?” “It was my fault,” piped Toby in. Surprised, Arlo looked at the boy. “I couldn’t reach this apple here and Miss Elenya offered to help me. But one of the branches broke and now she is hurt because of me.” While talking, he pointed at the big apple who lay forgotten on the ground and guilt coloured his face.

“Like I told you before, it wasn’t your fault, Toby. Just my bad luck striking again.” “She is right, Toby. It was an accident. You couldn’t have known that that would happen.” The reassurance of the both of them seemed to get through to the boy and relieved, he took a step back to give Arlo more space.

“Now, let me see your ankle.” Arlo carefully prodded at her already swollen ankle and she couldn’t contain a wince. “Sorry, but that definitely needs to be looked at by Dr. Xu. What about your hands? They seem to be bleeding slightly.” Surprised, Elenya looked at her hands. She was so distracted by her foot that she didn’t even notice the burning sensation of the scraps, but now that her attention was called to it, she couldn’t ignore it any more.

Hands clad in fingerless gloves cupped the back of her hands carefully and Arlo’s head was suddenly a lot closer to her face than before. Concerned blue eyes roamed firstly over her hands, then over the cuts on her face before landing on her own eyes.

“You sure did a number on yourself. Didn’t I tell you to take a day off?” A fond smile played on his lips and up this close, Elenya was even able to make out the faint laughing lines around his eyes. Her brain short circuited at the realisation of how close he was and before she could muster a response, he surprised her again by running one of his hands through her hair, effectively combing out the leaves and twigs in it.

She couldn’t help but close her eyes and lean into his touch. Her ankle hurt, her hands burned and with the setting sun she was getting cold. While the gesture was more of the practical manner, it was soothing and she was almost sure that Arlo kept the motion up for a little longer than necessary.

Satisfied with his work, he got back to his feet. “Come on, let’s get you up on Spacer and to Dr. Xu.” He extended a hand to her, but she had to decline the offer. “I don’t think I can stand up on my own and I won’t be able to hold onto something.” A frown appeared on Arlo’s forehead and he seemed to consider the options they had. “Hmm… I could carry you, if that’s alright with you?” Questioningly, he looked down at her and… was there a slight blush on his cheeks? No, she had to be imagining it.

“Oh, sure.” Elenya could feel how her own cheeks warmed again, the prospect of being even closer to Arlo making her heart race.

“Okay, here we go.” He slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back. And while he tried to stand up as carefully as he could, it still jostled her foot and she couldn’t contain a small whimper.

Fuck, that hurt.

She buried her face in Arlo’s neck to hide from the pain and the smell that greeted her there actually helped her relax. He smelled like clean sweat, leather and something earthy that was just him . He smelled safe.

“I’m sorry, Elenya. And I’m afraid the next step will hurt again.” He really sounded sorry and comfortingly pressed his cheek against the top of her head. Then he made his way to Spacer, who was waiting patiently a few metres away, making sure to stand on his left side.

Elenya just wanted to ask how he planned to get her up on the horse, when he lifted her even higher until she was sitting sideways on the saddle. Stunned, Elenya looked down at him.

How fucking strong was that man?

“So, now we just have to slide your right leg to the other side and we are set to go.” He put his hand on her waist to stabilise her and behaved like lifting up people on horses was the most normal thing in the world. Still a little stunned by the casual display of muscles (and a little turned on, if she was honest), she followed his leading hands and clumsily managed to bring her leg on the other side of Spacer.

While that indeed hurt again, this time she managed to suppress the whimper.

Satisfied with her position, Arlo squeezed her thigh comfortingly and made his way back to the tree, where he picked up her forgotten bag. “Toby? Can you bring Elenya’s bag back to her workshop?” Toby, who had watched the whole scene with wide eyes and who she had almost forgotten, immediately straightened up and eagerly accepted the bag.

“Sir, yes, sir!”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Arlo said to the boy, who shrank under his stern glance, “stop roping unsuspecting builders in your shenanigans, okay?” Toby nodded eagerly. “Yes, I will. I’m really sorry Miss Elenya. I hope your ankle gets better soon.” With that, he clutched her bag against his chest and ran off towards her workshop.

“Great, now let’s get your injuries sorted out.” Arlo stepped up next to Spacer and with one fluid motion, he was sitting behind her in the saddle. Elenya could feel his warm chest against her back and her heart gave a little leap when his left arm wrapped protectively around her waist. His right was holding the reins and with a gentle nudge to Spacer, they were on their way toward the clinic.

With a soft sigh, Elenya closed her eyes and let herself melt against the warm presence behind her, her head coming to rest against Arlo’s shoulder. The exhaustion of the last few days caught up to her again and the constant pain in her ankle robbed her of her last strength. She just wanted to forget the pain for a moment and bask in the warm and safe feeling the civil corps captain always evoked in her.

The arm around her waist tightened. “Hey, are you okay? You didn’t hit your head, did you?” Arlo’s concerned gaze burned a hole in the side of her head and she quickly turned her head to give him a reassuring smile. “No, don’t worry. I’m just still tired and you are really warm.” To prove her point, a cold breeze over her bare arms let her shiver and she snuggled a little closer to him.

“Then I’m glad. A sprained ankle and scraped hands are enough for one day.” His soft chuckle warmed her from the inside and he somehow managed to shield her with his own body from the cold evening breeze for the rest of the way.

5 minutes later, they finally arrived outside the clinic and Arlo lifted her off Spacer just by grabbing her waist and carefully lowering her down until she could stand on her good leg. 

She was a, although not too tall, fully grown human. Where did he hide all those muscles? His leather jacket wasn’t that tight.

“Do you want me to carry you inside or want me to help you walk?” The question snapped her out of her short daydream about how his upper body would look without clothes. 

Suppressing a blush, she briefly thought about the question. She probably could have hobbled in somehow with his help, but it had felt so good to be carried by him that she couldn't resist. “Could you carry me, please?” Sheepishly, Elenya looked up to him, but he only smiled at her and with a soft “Sure”, she was in his arms again.

~~~~~~

It seemed like Dr. Xu was just putting away his utensils for the day, Phyllis already gone, when Arlo carried her through the door. “Alro, Elenya! What happened?” He quickly approached them and directly noticed the various scrapes and grazes on Elenya's face and arms, before his professional eyes catched on her swollen ankle.

“I fell out of a tree and landed awkwardly on my left foot.” Elenya explained while Arlo carried her over to the bed closer to the door. There he carefully set her down, helped her lift her feet up on the bed and then took a step to the side to make room.

Concerned, Dr. Xu sat down on a chair by her feet and set about opening her shoe. “What were you doing up there?” “I wanted to he…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. The doctor had begun to remove her shoe and a pained whimper escaped her. Instinctively, she tried to clench her fists against the pain, but before that could happen, callused hands slid carefully into her own and prevented her from reopening the barely closed cuts in her palms.

When did he take off his gloves?

Surprised, she looked to her left and found Arlo sympathetically looking down at her. The gesture distracted her so much that she didn't even notice how Dr. Xu was able to remove the shoe, and gratefully she smiled up at him.

“Now, let’s see what we’ve got here.” Dr. Xu began to prod at her ankle, moved it in different directions and asked her what hurt and what didn’t. And fuck, everything he did hurt and she was so glad that Arlo never let go of her hands. It gave her something to focus on beside the pain.

“Okay, the good news is, nothing seems to be broken. But I’m afraid it’s a bad sprain and you have to completely stay off of it for at least a week and another week without much strain. Now we'll ice the ankle first and then bandage it. In the meantime, we'll clean your little cuts and take care of your hands. Would you like something for the pain?” 

Elenya escaped a sigh after Dr. Xu's calm explanation. 2 weeks without proper movement sounded like hell to her. How would she be able to work like that? She couldn't even easely go to the commerce guild to pick up a commission!

A soft squeeze to her hands got her out of her head and she remembered the question she was given. “Yes, that would be great, thank you, Dr. Xu.” With a gentle smile, he disappeared for a moment and came back with an ice pack, bandages, things to clean her cuts and a small vial of medicine. He firstly placed the ice pack on her ankle and then turned to Arlo. “Here Arlo, can you help her drink that? I will take care of her hands in the meantime.” “Sure.” Arlo let go of her hands to take the offered vial and she immediately missed the soft contact. She didn’t have to miss it long, though, because his right hand slid behind her back to help her sit up. The vial was softly pressed to her lips and she gratefully drank the strange tasting medicine.

~~~~~~

30 minutes after entering the clinic, she was sitting sideways on the bed, her ankle thoroughly cooled and bandaged, every small cut cleaned and her hands wrapped. The pain medication also did its job and she was finally pain free. Arlo had stayed at her side the whole time, rubbing her back comfortingly and she was really grateful for his presence.

"Okay, I think you are sorted out. Here, I will give you some pain medication for the next few days and some crutches. You shouldn’t use them for the next two to three days, unless it is absolutely necessary, okay? Your hands need some time to heal, too.” “Okay…” A pleasant drowsiness had taken her over, making her eyelids heavy and she had some problems following the instructions.

What was in that medicine?

A fond chuckle to her left made Elenya look up to Arlo. She could feel the vibration of it in her side, his right arm wrapped around her shoulders being the only thing holding her upright at the moment. “I think I will take these for her. I’ll also make sure she remembers your instructions tomorrow.” With a last soft squeeze to her shoulder, he let go of her and took the offered medication and crutches from a soft smiling Dr. Xu.

Fortunately, neither of them saw her almost topple off the bed before she could just barely catch herself. God, she was so tired.

“Elenya?” A warm hand cupped her cheek and startled, she opened her eyes.

When had she closed them?

“I’m just going to sort a few things out and then I will take you home, okay? I need 5 minutes at the most.” “Oh, okay.” She let her eyes close again. Arlo withdrew his hand and soon only the faint sounds of Dr. Xu cleaning up the clinic for the night could be heard.

Elenya let her tired mind wander aimlessly, not fixating on anything until the door to the clinic opened again.

“So, one more thing and we are set to go. Can you lift your arms above your head for a moment?” “Huh?” Confused, she looked at Arlo, who was coming towards her with a grey bundle, but did what he asked her to do. Her world plunged into darkness for a moment before she was engulfed by warmth and a wonderful smell.

Bewildered, she inspected her now sweater clad hands.

Huh?

“It’s gotten real cold outside, so I brought you one of my sweaters. I don’t want you to get cold on top of everything.” Oh, so ‘Arlo’ was that pleasant smell. Happily, she snuggled herself more into the sweater and inhaled deeply.

“Thank you, Arlo.” She smiled up at him and the fond smile he gave her in return made a blush rise high on her cheeks. 

How could the normally stoic civil corps captain have such a sweet side? He was killing her here!

“You are welcome. How about we get you home now?” “That sounds great.” 

With a grateful smile, she turned one last time to Dr. Xu, who very pointendly was putting his things away, his back turned to them. “Thank you Dr. Xu, for patching me up at this late hour. I’m sorry I was keeping you.”

With a smile, the doctor turned around. “No need to thank me, that’s what I’m here for. Just try to stay out of trees for a while, okay?” “Will do!”

Elenya gave Arlo a nod and he lifted her into his arms again. She let her eyes close once more and leaned her head against his shoulder, her short bout of energy quickly leaving her again. With steady steps Arlo carried her out of the clinic, both not noticing the exasperated, albeit fond, look Dr. Xu gave their retreating backs.

Outside, Arlo managed to get her on Spacer again, on whom he had secured her crutches without them getting in the way. He quickly mounted up behind her, his arm securly wrapping around her waist. 

The way back to her workshop was slow going, taking them almost 15 minutes. She may even have dosed off for a moment, trusting Arlo to not let her fall off the horse. But once there, he carried her inside just as easily as before, carefully setting her down on her bed.

“Okay, let’s get you comfortable and then I leave you so you can rest, okay?” Before she could answer, he already left for the second room, bringing two pillows from the couch with him. These he placed at the end of the bed and carefully placed her injured foot on it. And while he was already at her feet, he also took off her remaining shoe, putting it beside the other one he somehow carried with him. Then he disappeared once more and returned with a full glass of water, placing it on her bedside table. There he also put down the vials of Dr. Xu's medicine, which he took out of his belt pouch.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Be right back.” Bewildered, Elenya could just watch Arlo scurrying around and before she knew it, she was tucked into her bed, Arlo’s sweater still warming her, her crutches and anything else she might need within reach.

He just wanted to walk away again, doing god knows what, when she snatched his wrist, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in her hand. “Arlo.” She pulled lightly on his arm until he got her meaning and sat down on the edge of the bed. “What are you doing?” She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

With a sigh and a slight blush on his cheeks, he slumped over. Without looking at her, he confessed, “I don’t like to see you hurt, even if it’s just a twisted ankle. If making sure you are as comfortable as possible is the only thing I can do, I will do it.” The earnestly spoken words filled her heart with warmth. Maybe she wasn’t so screwed at all.

Clumsily she sat up, put her bandaged hand on his cheek and made sure he was looking at her. “Thank you, Arlo. I really appreciate what you have done today and every other day you were looking out for me. I always feel safe when you are around.” She pressed a soft kiss to his other cheek to emphasise her words. His blush deepened, clashing horribly with his red hair, but a happy smile spread across his face.

“I’m glad you think so.” He wanted to say more, but a deep yawn escaped her and his gaze softened. “But I think it’s time for you to sleep now. We can talk tomorrow, when you don’t fall asleep on me.” “Mmmh, okay.” Arlo helped her laying down, tucking the blanket up to her chin and started to card his fingers through her hair again. “I’ll make sure Emily brings you some breakfast tomorrow.”, were the last words she heard, followed by a soft kiss to her forehead and she fell asleep cocooned in warmth and safety.

She can be frustrated about her ankle on another day.