#extra snippets

[jedidryad]

Six Sentence Sunday: Conversations that should have happened.

I don't do this particular tradition much. I have enough trouble managing WIP Wednesdays, and I'm pretty sure this segment is more than six sentences so I'm messing with the tradition as I attempt it which might be poor form.

While working on this Mara memoir, I have sometimes found my brain wants the story to go in a different direction than canon allows. Some of these imagined sequences can turn into other "Luke and Mara get together stories" and some of them don't really merit that but still demand to be typed into a doc in black and white so I can stare at them and think of how different canon would have gone if the conversation had happened. This one is a brief snippet from a far more rambling discussion that might have happened if, instead of scolding and abandoning Mara after Kyp stole her ship on her first night at the academy, Luke had the insight to pull back after his outburst and ask Corran to escort Mara to his office and get her a cup of tea. If he had promised to meet her there after he calms the students and does post-Kyp damage control.

Maybe something like this could have happened...

Mara glanced up from the cup of elba she’d been holding in a death grip.

Luke stood in the doorway, robe hanging off his shoulders. His white sleep clothes made him look less imposing but also reminded Mara of just how good he had looked in an undertunic on Myrkr

He hesitated at her baleful expression but didn’t let her continued silence deter him. He entered his office, and sat down in the chair next to hers rather than circling around to his desk.

“I thought when I sensed your emotions that it was a…” he paused, clearly choosing his words carefully, “more the sort of danger that meant everyone needed to evacuate,  instead of something more personal.”

“So you sounded the alarm.”

“Yeah. and then I had to come up with some sort of explanation…”

“I embarrassed you.”

“I embarrassed me, Mara.” He sighed, “I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I’m not really feeling much like a confident Jedi these days.”

“Great,” she muttered, “Karrde sent me here because he thought a confident Jedi could help  me with my mess. Now what’ll I do?”

Luke’s gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulders drooping. He seemed  to fold in on himself.

Mara grimaced and set her mug on the small table between them: “Okay, not funny then.”

He glanced up at her, clearly trying to read her gaze from under the hair that was now falling into his eyes.

“You were trying to be funny?”

“I’m not my best self right now, Skywalker.”

“Neither am I.”

“Great."

“The whole galaxy knows what’s wrong with me. What’s up with you?”

“They don’t." She picked up her mug again and tried to let the warmth soak into her, "they really don’t. No one who didn’t sense you had any idea.”

“You sensed it?”

She nodded: “You and Kyle took a dip at the same time. I was with him. I sensed you.”

“I wish you hadn’t.”

“Why is that? You want to be some all-powerful master?”

He snorted ruefully.

“No, but I didn't particularly want to lose your respect.”

“Skywalker, I served a Sith Master for my entire childhood. Do you think slipping for a little while would be enough to lose my respect?”

“I wasn’t sure. Master Yoda said ‘if once you start down that dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny’.”

"And he never did anything wrong?"

He smiled. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“You are?”

“I meant it when I said it earlier.”

Mara took a deep breath, “I don’t think I’m in any state to train to become a Jedi.”

He looked at her for a moment.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

“Sure, it’s not like we can fly anywhere.”

[joejhang]

my favourite bits of the unhinged kandreil draft snippet

honestly this is a goldmine of insane moments. love nora for this.

THEIR BANTER THO

good to know neil's always been a cunty diva

it's giving you'll just have to taste me when he's kissing you. r.i.p. kandreil au kevin you truly had infinite rizz.

the way i feel like i've been sledgehammered

andreil still going strong

the way they have me giggling and twirling my hair kicking my feet booktok couples could only DREAM of having this kinda chemistry

i don't think i need to say anything

[fearandhatred]

the rapture

it's a holy thing, in theory, a glorious celebration, where those who believe rise to meet the lord in the air. it's a day of joy, in theory, and maybe even of vindication for those who have always believed.

but no one thinks about how it's like to see the dead rise again—bodies clawing their way out of bolted wood and six feet of packed earth, bodies decomposed and maggot-feasted, nails stained with rot and dirt. no one thinks about the violent lurch of their bodies being jolted into the air by the stomach, gravity flinging their heads back down to earth as they struggle in vain to find footing on molecules and gas. no one thinks about those who don't make it.

no one thinks about the screams.

crowley hadn't thought about any of these things. he certainly hadn't thought about the angels that would be called back to heaven along with the believers.

here they stand dead in the middle of absolute ruin, the promise of heaven the only thing left to look forward to on the wasteland of this earth. the sky has opened up like the eye of god, watching over her people for the very first time, and crowley's black wings against the beams of light only remind him that he doesn't belong up there with the rest of them. crowley wraps his arms tight around aziraphale, squeezes his torso like he can maybe keep aziraphale with him through sheer will or, laughably, demonic intervention. like love could ever be enough. like love could stay.

around them, the cacophony of wails and mockingly exaltant trumpets scorch the earth in their intensity, clashing and agonising even—especially—for them, and words make no sound. but they hold on to each other, even as they shrink into themselves against the noise of the undying. i don't want to leave you either, aziraphale doesn't say, but his hands dig into the cotton of crowley's sleeve, and crowley hears the words through his fingertips.

he feels a stronger upward resistance against his embrace now, and he clings tighter, steadfast, even as aziraphale's grip falters. but he knows he can't hold on forever. he knows that nothing ever lasts.

trembling with something unspeakable, he lifts his arms from aziraphale's torso and covers the angel's ears with his hands. he feels more than hearing aziraphale's resulting sob, and he spreads out his wings to wrap them around their bodies. a shield, a comfort, a goodbye.

it's okay, the gesture says in silence. i'll see you in another lifetime.

[wizard-tinky-winky]

I'm on my knees BEGGING people over on twitter to just read the goddamn extra content bc some of you were asking questions Nora answered YEARS ago like fuck you mean you're surprised Kevin is bisexual?????? he was in a polycule with Andrew and Neil in every other draft???? he fucked men at the nest????? he says it's easier to be straight to the public???? be so fr. and I can tell Nora is loving that she can just.......retell some jokes like the one about Andrew being too short for forehead kisses, but confirming Neil gives them anyway READ THE FUCKING EXTRA CONTENT YOU WILL BE HAPPIER I PROMISE

[perolesims]

Future story snippet tagged by @changingplumbob & @bloomingkyras 💞

Tysm for tagging me 🥰 (I know I already made one, but I couldn’t resist and decided to make another one 😮‍💨 But I won’t make any more ☝🏽 or else I’ll give everything away!)

"It was a fair battle, I feel honored."

"Argh, I don’t want to talk to you, get out of here."

"Come on, that’s why — you always get so mad. That’s the downside of being hot-headed."

??? steps closer and closer.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

"You know that if you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be able to resist..."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think I’d better go back."

But it was too late—she could no longer deny what she was feeling. Nor control what happened next.

Tag time: @itmeansiris @abbysimsfun @opalsimmer @finchfin @simscognito @kissalopa @mdshh & you! ❤️

[backpackingspace]

Odysseus knows he made a mistake calling out for Athena. He knew the second her name left her lips. /she/ doesn't like it when he calls out any name but hers. When he mentions home or telemachus or gods forbid his penelope. It's not allowed. He's not allowed to think about anything but herherher. He knew it was a mistake. But

He had /felt/ Athena. For the first time in years that old connection sparked to life. A muscle long stiff with use but /there/he felt her. And if she heard him. If she chose to help well.

It would have been worth calypso wrath.

In the days that follow, it's all silence. All signs of Athena having disappeared. And as odysseus hangs from his wrists, numbly allowing his master to do as she pleases, he can't help but regret.

He knows the rules. He knows how to survive (dying is pointless /hes tried/) he can't help swallow the bitter pointless helpless rage. Why had athena even checked on him if she was just going to /leave/ him like this. And even still, as soft fingers drag their way down his skin, he can't help but silent pray (his tears long since dried up. It only ever made things worse) please goddess, please Athena don't leave me here. Kill me punish me in any other way just please please let it end.

[lucabyte]

i am looking at nohats au 👀 please share more

So! NoHats! I'm going to grab you and use this to ramble. A Lot.

The NoHats AU is @samhainian's it's just that I'm the strange little freak who takes the words said unto me and executes on them. But I can still do a little explainer on what our overall thoughts and vibes are. (And, that we are in fact propping up a little box with some cheese under it here. 🪤 Please (PLEASE) feel free to pick up what we're putting down.)

We're far from the only ones exploring a "what if siffrin fucking died" AU, though the main difference with NoHats is the placement of the death in the timeline. Instead of being 'Mal Du Pays Wins' or 'Act 6 encounter goes horribly wrong', the death is… Just after the (literal) falling action.

(This placement is because Sam is a comic book fan who thus has become used to characters being ripped away at the cruelest times by shitty writers. THANK FUCKING GOD adrienne is not that and isat is delightful yippieee, but, back on topic.)

Giving the party the full understanding of What Happened that you get by putting the death after black hole siffrin, but before the A6 encounter leaves an interesting gap to be filled. See, making Siffrin's death very much not Loop's fault means that… this once again reads (when not read as simply a tragedy...) as the universe doing what it sees fit to fulfull Loop's wish… Thus making Siffrin's death Loop's fault again, but only in their eyes. And only in a way they could express if they were honest about who they were…

And this is where having had excuse to waffle about my general Postcanon Loop thoughts the other day comes in handy, because Sam and I have that as our canon-compliant reading to begin with, NoHats plays off of a lot of the same readings of Loop's character. Namely: Uh Oh Somebody's Lying By Fucking Omission Again. (BECAUSE TO BE FAIR THIS TIME… HOW THE FUCK WOULD YOU HANDLE THAT?)

Now, neither Sam nor I are fanfic writers, so this has been a little bit trapped in our heads and DMs (and my unfinished art but,)

But our thoughts on how NoHats like… Goes.

Siffrin's death is peaceful, but that does not mean the aftermath of it is. I can't imagine the party takes it well, especially after understanding the circumstances of the Loops. (And, of note, in A5 where nobody had the discussion on what to do with each other's bodies should something happen…) But I'd imagine it traumabonds them somewhat (understatement of the century) and now knowing how the rest of the party feels, they resolve to travel together for the forseeable future.

The party track down Loop to deliver the terrible news, since they were clearly Siffrin's friend too, and invite Loop along to travel at least long enough to (let them grieve) get the burial over with. Loop, here, can be helpful in knowing what Siffrin would've wanted where the party would be at a loss. Loop, I think, takes a bit of a lead on the funerary aspects of it all, because, um. (Performing rites on your own body, huh?)

Then, as things are after a death, life just… Kind of has to continue on as normal. The party travel, pick up Nille, and get to know Loop as this mysterious new person. Maybe in this situation they might stay in Bambouche for a while to give Bonnie more stability since. They are probably taking it the worst. It would've come out of absolutely nowhere for everyone in the party obviously but god, for a kid? For A Kid?

It should be stated NoHats is not intended to be grimdark, just y'know. An exploration of grief. This is also why it's got a bit of a lopsided focus on Bonnie vs the rest of the party because hhrrhghghhghghhhghhghhh <- incoherent

Now, a crossroads.

How does the party discover Loop to be Siffrin? How long does it take. How much have the party embraced them as part of the family (especially with something as intense to bond over as this)?

There's the Odile option. Have her put it together and have to bring it up somehow. This could also be done by Isabeau, perhaps. He's smart. (which. God. If anything's the real Isabeau Torment Nexus it's this)

Then there's the other option batted around by Sam and I. The: The Universe Dislikes Duplicates option.

The items in the house that fzzt away when inspected. The Universe doesn't like there to be two of something, at least not when they're acknowledged. But one of something is just fine…?

Which is to say. I'm not a personal proponent of 'Loop getting their body back'. EXCEPT …… except this one time.

There's only one Siffrin now, so they don't need to be obfuscated to exist.

Consider, if you will. Loop swallowing their guilt for long enough to be comfortable. Falling back into old habits. Without another Siffrin around to compete for the niche of, they actually begin to act like Siffrin again. Not intentionally, it's just… The party is as welcoming as they've always been. And the party swears they keep catching glimpses of a face under all the light.

Then, one day, while still not fully human again, the resemblence becomes undeniable. Loop having not even noticed until everyone looks at them like they've seen a ghost.

Has it been months? How long have they kept up this lie? Is it even a lie, to them? They're Loop. But they were, once, Siffrin.

Even after explaining it, does that make it better or worse?

Bonnie cuts through the betrayed, struck-nerve reactions with a sobering "I missed you."

… Anyway !

Yeah so that's the vibe for NoHats. As for LoopLoops? That's more nebulous. I think it can go anywhere really in the NoHats timeline. I err personally toward the "Loop continuously replays the last 10 minutes before Siffrin's death almost immediately after they find out and have to parkour their ass up the House in the most distressing situation possible to try and get them to hold on, just please hold on." (Remember! Siffrin can remember the contents of Loop's loop backs in the A6 fight!)

But there is the possibility that this happens months, or worse years down the road. One last Loop back. Throw it all away for the chance to just get that one thing you didn't know you even wanted but now know you NEED.

Misc:

Okay miscellaneous time.

This is where I admit that I have a bunch of unfinished NoHats art that I haven't gotten around to yet because I feel like a right tool being so obviously Loop-Centric with my fancontent (I AM . . I REALISE I AM NOT DOING MUCH TO BEAT THE ALLEGATIONS.) So like if people want to see that please say because euaghghghhfh <- the nervous.

this is like the most fucked up place to do isaloop fr. anyway.

one of Sam's mid-game observations that I'm just going to share for no particular reason is that Bonnie's hair shares a bunch of shapes with Siffrin's. The flick up at the top, the 3 pronged shape of the fringe… just something to think about.

Without 2 Siffrins around to compare each other to it'd likely be a lot harder to notice Loop's similarities. Doesn't mean that those similarities don't sting more in this context though.

If you do NoHats without LoopLoops. The concept of this all fading into memory years down the line while they just have slightly-glowy but otherwise regular Siffrin hanging out is fucked up to think about. Just like real grief. Augh

6. a peek into the original dms as a treat from us

[verbenaa]

snippet sunday ❤️‍🔥

thank you so much to @eraserspiral @elinorbard @bakuliwrites @roguishcat @ladyduellist

@xxnashiraxx @vividiana and @khywren for all thinking of me and giving me a tag, it means a lot. apologies if I forgot anyone as well!!! ❤️ I haven't been feeling myself recently and ended up taking a mini-break, but I am happy to be feeling a little better and am working to catch up on alllll the things in my askbox/mentions/comments etc so I apologize if it takes me a little bit!

ANYWAY, here is a little snippet from what I've been working on for to eden 💕 I should have the next update ready in a week or so!

tagging EVERYONE WHO TAGGED ME BACK along with @preciouslittlebhaalbae @inkymoonbunny @justabiteofspite @caffeinatedmunchkin @obsessedwhyyes @badbloodwitch and anyone else who wants to join in 💕 I'd love to see what everyone is working on

[ladytauria]

You said something about a vampire Tim drake? May we please hear about it

sure!

the working title is icy hands, icy hearts. vampire!tim assumes that the other bats know he's not, and never has been, human. he's wrong.

well.

kind of.

'cause he did tell bruce & dick when he first started as robin. (and also alfred and later babs. and leslie had to find out for medical things.) and then after that, i think he just kind of... assumed people knew? or heard about it? because he wasn't hiding it from them. but they're bats, and outside of them no one knows, so they just kind of fell into speaking around it without realizing it.

tim also assumed that the league of assassins knew about his vampirism, so obviously jason and damian would too.

and uh. they didn't, lmao.

but after they find out... jason can't stop thinking about it, and what it might feel like to have tim bite him~

i have shared snippets on my blog before, but that was last year, and also before i rewrote it.

so just for funsies, here is the original snippet i shared last year, and here's the rewritten version:

“Jesus, Tim. Are you still down here?”

Tim’s fingers pause on the keys. It’s the only sign of his surprise, and it only lasts for the briefest of moments.

He knows it doesn’t go unnoticed, but mercifully. Jason doesn’t comment.

Less mercifully, he continues his lecture— “Seriously, babybird, what are you, some kind of vampire?”

This time the pause in his typing is deliberate. Tim turns to look at Jason, his arm draped over the back of the desk chair, looking down at Tim with something like fond exasperation. Normally, that would be enough to warm Tim’s chest and make his heart skip beats—especially considering Jason has changed into his form-fitting undersuit.

This time, incredulity swallows the symptoms of his crush.

“Um… yes?”

Jason blinks at him. “You’re fucking with me.”

“…no?”

Jason blinks again; confusion painted all over his face. It sends a little thrill through Tim’s chest to see him this way, open and unguarded.

“You really didn’t know?”

[celestialseawitch-ff]

🌹

Send a rose 🌹 and get a snippet of a wip

“Harry?” Mr. Weasley said. “Why’re you up? Are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah. I just went to the bathroom.”

“Ah, I thought I heard someone moving around.”

Ron groaned and came awake. “Dad? What’s happening?”

“Nothing, Ron. Go back to sleep. I’m just checkin’ in.”

Ron groaned again and rolled over. Mr. Weasley closed the door. They heard Mr. Weasley’s footsteps as he headed back to his and Mrs. Weasley’s bedroom.

“You alright, mate?”

Harry looked over at Ron and released a breathless laugh. He lifted the blanket and Hermione wriggled out from under the bed. Ron’s eyes widened. He covered his mouth to smother his laugh.

Harry shushed him frantically. Hermione sat up and dropped her face into her hands. Ron had to bury his face in his pillow as his entire body shook with laughter.

Finally, once Ron had settled and Hermione's own shame at hiding under the bed had passed, she moved to get up.

“Hey.” Harry stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and was surprised when Harry kissed her right there in front of Ron. Harry grinned.

Hermione pulled her lips into her mouth as she fought a smile.

Ron snorted. “Happy Birthday, I guess?”

Hermione headed for the door and slipped out without a word.

[vinelark]

hello! was thinking of, sunday snippet. mayhaps?

sunday snippet!

——

“And even that is an exaggeration; it’s not like we were going steady, this isn’t the 1950s,” Tim continues, cool gaze locked on the reporter. “Honestly, Vicki, I’d expect this gossip-hungry lack of tact from the Weekly, not from someone who claims to be a serious journalist.”

There’s an indignant Hey! from one of the nearby reporters. The one from the Gazette—Vicki—gives Tim a tiny, razor-sharp smile. “It’s hardly gossip when there’s potential danger involved. I’m just doing my job, Mr. Drake.”

Tim responds with a sharp smile of his own. He must be wearing makeup—the cut on his forehead is barely visible. He still hasn’t looked at Kon.

[hannahssimblr]

Future Story Snippet

Thanks to @thebramblewood for tagging me <3 I'm never even remotely far ahead with my story these days, totally pantsing it, so the scene in question is due for publication on, like, Tuesday. Not long to wait, friends.

tagging @rebouks @lynzishell @likelyamused @daniigh0ul @aheathen-conceivably @swiftviolets

[colorsofcthulhu]

Soap in a shirt my girlfriend actually saw a man wearing at the celtic festival, because he Would

[crescendo-if]

[maethologies]

happy wip wednesday!! playing the snippet word game today (this week's word is: nerve)

Narrowing her eyes at the man, she asked, "Do you know me?" He shrugged. "I've never met you, if that's what you're asking," he said. "But you've got a pretty recognizable name." "Right," she said. Her eyes landed on the screen announcing the floor they were on—she'd be out of this box soon enough. "And so, because I'm a Sorrengail, I should know everything there is to hockey." Absentmindedly, she began to roll her wrists in small circles. They hurt; she'd been an idiot and had forgotten to bring her wrist braces with her, in her haste to get to the arena. Spending three hours frenetically tapping at her keyboard had been far from ideal, but the building had been so loud that the text-to-speech function built into her word processor didn't work properly, so she'd had to deal. Violet added, "Including the identities of arrogant hockey players." "Correct," the man said. Violet scoffed again. The nerve of him, really. "Mhm. And you won't enlighten me?" He shrugged, drawing Violet's eyes back to him. "It's not as fun if I tell you," he said. He sounded detached, but she could see the spots of gold dancing in his eyes. "Though I could text you my name, if you give me your phone number." For a single moment, Violet was tempted.

[screams-in-writing]

Posting from the comfort of the bed I’m about fall asleep in, here’s a late pseudo Valentine’s Day thing that is both sappy and angsty b/c I just can’t help myself.

Note 1- I wrote this all out in one go, so there could be typos.

Note 2- I haven’t decided if I’ll have puzzle park stuff in the long fic, so this is a kind of a what-if aftermath scenario.

It had been a very long day at the cafe.

By the time you reached home (only a few blocks away) you were all but ready to collapse onto the sofa. There was no plan to go all the way up the stairs to get to your bedroom, so the sofa it was. Your roommates weren’t due to get back to the house until later in the day, so you could crash for a few hours.

Or so you’d hoped, until entering the darkening house and seeing the distinct shadowy shape of a certain tv-headed man who was sprawled out over the sofa you’d intended to flop on yourself. Frowning in thought, you closed the front door and locked it as you stared at the stolen sofa. Mr. Puzzles hadn’t mentioned that he was going to stop by today; he’d not sent you any messages for a few days, come to think of it. Stepping through to the kitchen, you use at the sight of a vase of roses that most certainly hadn’t been there before. A mix of colors, as if one couldn’t be decided upon. There was also an envelope with your name on it. A quick glance told you that Mr. Puzzles was still in one spot.

You didn’t think Valentine’s Day would be so subdued from someone who made a spectacle of your birthday, but here you were. You almost expected a dinner, date and movie cliche from the man, but maybe recent events had Puzzles rethink making a grandiose deal of this day.

The envelope was opened.

A simple outline of a cartoon heart was stamped on the front; inside was a simple ‘Thank you for giving me another chance.’

It was unsigned.

You recognized the handwriting anyway, seeing as Mr. Puzzles couldn’t help but write all over your and your fellow podcast members’ scripts. Or to eagerly offer you a new script of his own for you to read, antenna on top of his metal head perked up expression focused on you when you read one.

The card answered your earlier question.

Mr. Puzzles was still hesitant over where the two of you stood relationship-wise after the disaster that was Puzzle Park.

A slow sigh left you, tracing the handwriting on the card before turning it over to look on the back and rolling your eyes fondly. In one corner was Mr. Puzzles’ logo stamped there. The one that he used for his different ventures. What a silly man he was, specifically making a line of Valentine’s cards to sell (and possibly other holidays planned) so that he could give you something of his own in the process, along with the roses.

Shaking your head again, you put the card by the case and backtrack to the living room, not stopping until you stood alongside the sofa, to stare down at a still-asleep Mr. Puzzles.

The sight of his long legs thrown over one end of the sofa was amusing as it always was; his knees over the arm if the sofa, and his tv head resting on a two sofa pillows to prevent his antenna from pressing into fabric.

Eventually, an idea came to mind, and you shuffled over to lightly pet along the side of Puzzles’ head.

Nothing.

Good, that meant you had time to trap him before he could sneak away again, since you’re fairly certain that Mr. Puzzles hadn’t meant to fall asleep and still be here when you got back home. Maybe he felt guilty over not speaking to you, maybe he didn’t think you wanted to see him. Maybe you should ask him yourself, when he woke up.

But no matter the answer, you were sure of the actual meaning behind the roses and the card when paired with the words written within.

Mr. Puzzles brought you a peace offering hidden behind a Valentine’s Day gift.

You had an answer for him, and, withholding a grin, carefully crawled on top of Puzzles and settled on him comfortably. There was a twitch and a static noise from the darkened tv screen but the man didn’t wake up.

Perfect.

Reaching up, you undid the bow tie and two buttons of the dress shirt, glancing up now and again to assess for any motion that would indicate Mr. Puzzles waking up.

Nothing.

Completely out.

No wonder, too, with the stupidity of what this man had done to his own body when he went off on another power trip in an amusement park of all places; you wanted to have a word with Puzzles’ parents, if they happened to be around.

Smg4 and his crew too.

And Puzzles himself.

So many conversations needed to be had, and it was absolutely and utterly infuriating that so much progress had been lost for miscommunication and assumptions about one party to another.

“My dear, not that I’m opposed to it but…if your plan is to divest me of my dress shirt, I’m afraid you will be unable to do so while lying on top of me.”

The ticklish sensation of a powered on television set could be nearly felt, close as you were to Puzzles’ shoulders. Flicking the parted collar of the dress shirt, you promptly face-planted into the area where the human part of his neck was attached via wire and other metals, covered in a smooth barrier of cloth that blended the wires wrapped around the neck to brace it were.

“This might be better.” Mr. Puzzles announced in a strained voice, right after releasing a startled noise. He let out an interested hum next, one hand moving to rest lightly over your upper back. “Good evening.”

Awkward.

Uncertain.

You remained in place, then lifted one arm to drape over Mr. Puzzles’ other arm to keep it trapped against the side of the sofa. Breathing out a slow breath, you felt the way Puzzles shuddered over the sensation, his fingers flexing in a twitch over your back before settling, then languidly trace along after a moment.

“I wasn’t planning to fall asleep…” The words tapered off, followed by the telltale sound of the man’s expressions flipping around before settling on something. “…you want me to stay?”

“I saw the card.” You murmured into the wires, lifting your free hand to rest over the exposed collarbone, the skin cooler to the touch, but not as cold as the metal and wire woven in and out of it. “…some people don’t think I should give you more chances.”

“Ah.” Mr. Puzzles shakily moved his hand from your back to rest over your hand, gently patting. “That’s…it’s still rather tender there.”

You turned your hand over and clasped Puzzles’, but he merely guided you before letting go of your hand to have it rest over his shoulder. “Better?”

“Yes.” Mr. Puzzles lapsed into silence; it was uncharacteristic enough that you levered yourself up on your right forearm to get a good look at the man’s expression.

Averted digital eyes, furrowed brow, neutral technicolor smile.

This, and the lack of immediate clinging to you, told you that there may be genuine regret for his actions this time around when it came to Smg4 and his friends.

“Just so you know, Tiffany says you’re welcome to work in the cafe again. If you want, when you’re not in the podcast room crossing out sentences on the scripts.” You say, not ready to touch the subject that was Puzzle Park. Right now, you just wanted to spend time with Puzzles, without accusations being tossed about that he had been manipulating you behind the scenes, when you’d been blissfully (for the most part) unaware of the amusement park until someone contacted you when most of Smg4 and his friends has gone inexplicably missing.

Later.

There would be time to unpack that later, when things had settled down in Mr. Puzzles’ home world, and Swag stopped attempting to capture him to put him into an underground bunker prison.

Which would only make everything worse, to isolate Mr. Puzzles. That was the last thing he needed, and-

A gloved finger gently prodded the middle of your forehead.“You’re thinking very hard, my dear.” Another poke. “Don’t keep this expression for too long or it might freeze that way.”

You didn’t ask what the expression was; instead, you refocused, and saw Mr. Puzzles had tilted his head up so his screen could face you a little better. It looked painful in the neck, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. For now.

“What are you thinking about now?”

“You.”

“…”

While the man may not have said anything, there was a quick flash of surprise, longing, then weary happiness. “I was thinking about you too, while I was running to come over here.”

“…why were you running?”

“Swag found out I was headed here, to visit you, and I just barely outran the tank-”

Tank?!

“-and I did know some shortcuts, which was why I was able to get here without too much trouble, but I do think that I may have to ask someone to make sure that Swag isn’t just. Just camping out and waiting for me to return.” Mr. Puzzles sighed theatrically as he leaned his metal head back on the pillows to stare up at the ceiling with a faintly annoyed expression.

You…think you may postpone visiting Mr. Puzzles’ home world, at least until Chris managed to convince Swag to leave the tv headed man alone for the time being.

“The offer of the cafe is a tempting one, but I think…” Mr. Puzzles voice wavered, then, quietly. “I believe I’d rather just spend some time with you, if you’re willing.”

Just showing up to your world was answer enough for you; the roses and the card helped too. But instead of speaking, you just levered yourself up along Mr. Puzzles’ frame to lean your head against the side of his tv one.

He went perfectly still beneath you, hands moving as if to touch, but held himself back, the doubt still present in his actions.

Pressing your head harder against his, feeling a little static from the edge of the screen, you carefully looped one arm around the back of his neck. Once Puzzles slowly, hesitantly, wrapped his arms around you, you looped your other arm around the back of his metal head. Settling on your side carefully so his tv head was partially cradled onto you, you whispered into the vent. “You kept me out of the danger when it mattered. We talked. We spent time alone from one another. I don’t understand the why, but you don’t have to tell me, so long as talking to someone else is helping.” You encouraged Mr. Puzzles to turn his head slightly so you could see the screen. “We’ve done this before, and we can get through it again. Please, don’t keep isolating yourself. If you need me to tell you over the phone or text that I do want to see you, I can do that.”

The screen dimmed to static for a few minutes before the ‘face’ returned, a very brief sight of teary eyes before Mr. Puzzles finally looked at you, the digital eyes directly on you, along with an uncertain smile.

To this, you leaned in and offered a brief grin before peppering the tickle static screen with kisses, pleased to hear the spluttering.

Mr. Puzzles suddenly hugged you to him, after making certain that he wouldn’t accidentally headbutt you. There were no tears, as he couldn’t physically cry any longer, but the breathy, shuddering sounds were there. The flickering screen indicated an inability to settle on any one expression. Eventually, it did, and the static was loud in the sudden silence.

“I can stay, for a little while?”

“As long as you want, so long as we get off to my room before Derek or Rose get back.” You felt the underside of Puzzles’ metal head nuzzle you, and felt a little better at hearing the low chuckle.

“How scandalous, to be found lying peacefully on the sofa together.” A soft, light teasing as you were held closer. “Are you…is this comfortable?”

“Only if you keep holding me like this.”

“I…you’re…” A light tremor went through Mr. Puzzles whole frame before he let out a facsimile of a sigh as he did so. “Of course I will.” A moment of quiet. “…thank you, for letting me stay.” Another long silence, and then, a bare whisper. “I’m sorry.”

It was a start.

“Me too.”

A soft laugh; a quieter murmur of thanks.

Better to communicate, than to remain silent.

As a bonus for being nice to Mr. Puzzles while he was still navigating the bridges he’d burned for a second time, you were ever so rudely (aka mercilessly teased) about the combination of roses and a few other flowers you’d missed in the vase by Rose, who’d entered the living room via the kitchen.

Because of course Mr. Puzzles would find a way to both apologize and attempt to woo you at the same time.

Smug man that he was, Puzzles enjoyed your blush before quickly leaning over to press his screen to a cheek, and, after making a kissing noise, leapt to his feet and booked it for the front door like he expected Rose’s look to set him on fire despite the distance.

The joke was on Mr. Puzzles when he realized that his bow tie was missing and half his dress shirt had been undone.

The later fluster was worth waiting for once you were done with your next shift, and you found Puzzles in the house at the edge of town, and upon seeing you, and the bow tie you held up, he flushed.