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victorluvsalice · 1 month

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AU Thursday: Valicer In The Dark -- Fun With Special Abilities

We're back with my beloved Blades In The Dark trio again today, this time to discuss the fun special abilities they pick up during their time as scoundrels! I've touched upon this topic before, when I did the initial post on the group's playbooks, but I wanted to explore it in more detail now that I'm actually posting fic for the verse. Because there are a LOT of fun special abilities that these three can snag, both from their own playbooks and others. :D Here are the ones I've gotten locked down so far:

-->Alice: Alice, as per previous posts, actually starts with two special abilities -- Not To Be Trifled With, which allows her to perform superhuman feats of strength or take on a gang of up to six people on equal footing (like, say, a certain Bluecoat squad), and The Devil's Footsteps, which allows her to perform superhuman feats of agility (like a real-life double jump onto a carriage roof) or dance around her enemies so they attack each other. These two I think cover her Wonderland abilities in AMA and A:MR very well, and given that she starts with a trauma, Haunted, it felt only fair. As for the abilities she'll pick up as a member of the Three Pillars, we have --

A) Vigorous -- she heals faster from harm! In game-mechanical terms, this means she permanently fills in one quarter of her "healing clock" (a four-segment clock where you have to fill in all the segments to reduce all your accumulated harm down a level) and takes an extra die on healing rolls. This goes well with my headcanon that Alice heals exceptionally well (to explain how she survived a massive house fire with no visible burns on her character model) and just makes the whole process of healing easier for the person most likely to get in a fight (because it's fucking TOUGH in this game).

B) Bodyguard -- she's better at protecting her teammates from threats! She gets an extra die on resistance rolls (which allow her to avoid or reduce the consequences of an action) to protect Victor or Smiler from something or someone, and gets extra effect (aka better quality info) when she researches potential threats beforehand. This felt like a good one for Alice because I imagine she wants to make very sure that nothing horrible happens to Victor or Smiler during their time as scoundrels -- they're her new family, and she doesn't want to lose them! And it goes very well with a trauma I want to give her in the future -- but that's another post...

C) Ghost Fighter -- she can imbue her hands, melee weapons, or tools with electroplasmic power, giving her an edge against supernatural foes! Specifically, she gains potency against them (which improves the effect of her rolls against them) and can actually physically grapple with ghosts and other electroplasmic creatures to restrain them. This is just cool, and I think it would be something Alice would want, especially if and when they tangle against more supernatural creatures -- but this one actually comes with a prerequisite: Victor's gotta know the Ritual special ability first (see his section below the read-more). Because as Victor is the "magic guy" of the group, I feel like this is something they'd work on together. (Maybe after they turn Alice's knife into a electroplasmically-charged weapon by tying it to his lightning hook during their fight against the Jabberwock?)

D) Savage -- she is fucking scary when she unleashes the physical violence. Meaning she can frighten anyone who sees it, and gets a bonus die on rolls to then Command a terrified target. I see this as just a natural consequence of her getting better at real-world violence and the gang's reputation as a trio not to be messed with growing as time passes. Think of it as Alice basically entering real-life Ragebox Mode or Hysteria Mode -- that'd be pretty scary, wouldn't it? (And it also ties in well with that trauma I'll be talking about later...)

-->Victor: Victor starts with the Ghost Mind special ability -- he is always aware of any ghosts or other electroplasmic entities in his vicinity, and he also gets an extra die when he researches the supernatural. This felt the most appropriate for him given that I had him get dragged into the ghost field -- the supernatural echo of the city where ghosts actually live -- for an entire day as part of the process of adapting Corpse Bride for this setting. I mean, that would have to have some sort of side effect, right? As for what he gets as time goes on, we have --

A) Strange Methods -- he's better at inventing and making stuff that is a little arcane (like magical potions and odd spirit-related gadgets)! Game-mechanically, he gets a better result when he makes these kinds of things, and he automatically learns how to make one particular thing for free (instead of having to learn about it and figure out the process for making it during play). This special ability is going to cover Victor learning how to infuse insects (specifically moths and butterflies) with electroplasm to turn them into little radiant energy generators (radiant energy being the closest thing this setting gets to sunlight -- as you might imagine, it's pretty important for growing crops and thus important for making sure their greenhouse actually works!). It felt like the closest match for that project! Plus it might be fun to figure out what else he can make going forward...

B) Ritual -- he knows how to do ritual sorcery and can study or even invent his own rituals to call upon arcane powers! Much like Strange Methods above, he also gets one ritual that he knows for free when he takes this ability. This was another contender for the whole "how Victor figures out how to make radiant energy butterflies" thing above (though I obviously decided Strange Methods fit better), and I knew I wanted him to get this one regardless because come on, it's cool and dangerous magic. Who doesn't want cool and dangerous magic? XD And, as indicated above, it feels like a good prerequisite to some of the abilities he and his friends get, both as individuals and as a team -- I mean, Ghost Fighter feels like something you would need a ritual for, right? That being said, I'm not planning for every magical spell Victor gets through this ability being a straight-up ritual -- instead, this will also cover him learning the demonic language of sorcery, a concept briefly mentioned in the book that I found very cool and wanted to use more. Victor will still have to pay a stress cost to speak things into existence using the language, of course, and learn what various words mean and how to pronounce them, but he just has to say them to trigger the effect. I'm not sure what his first ritual or spell will actually be, mind, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

C) Warded -- he has special armor that allows him to deal better with supernatural nonsense! Specifically, he can "expend" the armor (check off the box on his playsheet) during a score to avoid supernatural consequences coming his way as a result of something he did, or to push himself (generally means picking up an extra die for your roll) when dealing with arcane forces, without having to take stress. I think this is a cool thing that Victor would very much like to have while dealing with the supernatural beasties he might encounter inside the city (as he can already tell that they're there) -- I picture his "special armor" as a coat he enchants with Elder Gutknecht's help, covering it in strange glyphs and suchlike to imbue it with arcane-busting power. (...actually, maybe he's inspired to make the coat after his ghost-busting score with Bonejangles. Must keep that in mind.)

D) Ghost Veil -- he can shift himself back into the ghost field for a few moments, becoming as shadowy and insubstantial as a ghost! In game terms, he takes two stress to do this, plus one extra stress if he wants to make it last longer, make himself fully invisible, and/or give himself the ability to float It's very cool, and it felt like the sort of thing that Victor would be able to do after his little trip into the ghost field courtesy of Emily -- it just takes him a bit to properly "unlock" the power. I was originally thinking that Ritual would have to be a prerequisite for it as a result (as Victor wouldn't figure it out until he got deeper into studying spellcraft and sorcery), but if it's something that's another side effect of his "ghost bride" adventures, maybe it's just something he stumbles on accidentally -- like, he does it on reflex during a fight, and the trick is figuring out how he triggered the effect so he can do it deliberately. I mean, it's probably still going to come after Ritual, simply because I plan for him to take that early, but -- yeah.

E) Tempest -- he can push himself to unleash a bolt of lighting as a weapon, or summon a storm (rain, fog, high winds, heavy snow) in his immediate area! Costs him two stress in game terms, but I think it's worth. This is just downright cool, and I love the idea of Victor being able to do something so powerful. He is more dangerous than he looks with this! This one definitely does have Ritual as a prerequisite, though, because I picture this ability as being tied to the demonic language of sorcery (hell, the book itself implies that it is). So Victor has to be able to use said language before he can fry people with lightning. Small price to pay!

-->Smiler: Smiler starts with the Alchemist special ability -- they're good at brewing up anything with alchemical features (drugs, non-magical potions, things like that), and get one formula that they already know for free. Since my concept for them in this verse is "cultist drug dealer," and I've always pictured them as an excellent chemist regardless of the universe they're currently occupying, this was a no-brainer as their starting ability. And as you might expect, their free formula is their signature Joy Serum -- after all, you can't be a drug dealer if you don't know how to make the drug. XD Anyway, as for what they get while running around with Victor and Alice, we have --

A) Physicker -- they gain enough medical knowledge to serve as the team doctor! Specifically, in game terms, this lets them Tinker with people's bodies to treat wounds and stabilize the gravely injured; Study maladies to see how to treat them and corpses to see how they died; and gives everyone in the crew an extra die when it comes to healing rolls. This is something that I think Smiler would like to pick up just to help keep their partners safe and healthy -- being a scoundrel is a dangerous job, after all, and hurt or sick friends are unhappy friends! Plus it's just good in practical terms, because, as I mentioned before, healing is tough in this game, and any advantage you can get is a good one!

B) A Little Something On The Side -- they get extra money after every score! In game terms, this means that at the end of every "downtime" phase (time after scores when characters work on projects and acquire assets and relieve stress and suchlike), they get two extra "stash" (how the game tracks each scoundrel's personal finances -- how much stash you have determines how good your character's lifestyle is and if your character ends up destitute on the street or in a halfway-decent home when they retire). I think this is a good one for Smiler simply because it feels like a good way to represent mechanically them still continuing to sell Joy Serum when they're not doing scores with Victor and Alice. They may not be living with the Advocates anymore, but that does not absolve them of their responsibility to bring chemical joy to the masses! Though, given that Smiler canonically sells their Joy Serum for cheap, maybe I'd reduce this to one extra stash. We'll see.

C) Mesmerism -- they have the ability to not only talk someone into something, but also make them forget that they were ever talked into it! Specifically, when they successfully Sway someone, they can also choose to have the person forget that it happened -- at least, until they next time they see Smiler, at which point they are like "HEY!" XD This one just feels like an appropriate one to me because it fits well with the actual rollercoaster's theme of hypnosis and mind control. And I did give Smiler a little hypno-wheel as one of their starting gadgets -- maybe they use that when they're using this ability? Or maybe this is an additional blessing from Mar-Mal that they get for helping the Advocates out with something...hmmm. I'll have to think about it. Point is, it's thematically appropriate, and could make for some interesting scenes.

D) Functioning Vice -- they're better at indulging their vice in a way that does not cause them to overindulge -- and can help Victor and Alice do the same! In game terms, this means whenever Smiler indulges their vice (which is how you reduce stress after scores -- you roll dice equal to your lowest attribute score and remove the highest number from your stress tracker), they can adjust the roll up or down by one or two to prevent overindulgence -- and any allies who indulge with them can do the same. I saw this in action in Oxventure Presents: Blades In The Dark with Johnny's character Kasimir in the second season, and holy fuck is it useful. Like, this is the ability to get if you want to make sure your scoundrels can reduce their stress quickly and safely. And Johnny was using it on a character whose vice was Obligation and involved Kasimir tending his busted knee -- Smiler's vice is Pleasure! Do you know how much easier that is to pair with another vice? Alice has an Obligation to keep an eye on the children of Houndsditch? Take 'em on a picnic! Victor has a taste for the Weird? Go on a shopping trip to a bookstore to look for occult books! Want to do something all together? Take the kids out and have Victor demonstrate some of the safer magic tricks he's learned! :D Seriously, this is going to be like their best special ability --

Which is why it's kind of a shame that I've already come up with a score revolving around them overindulging their vice at the Golden Plum restaurant and then having to help Chef Roselle there get ingredients for a new dish. XD So yeah, Smiler can only get this ability after that happens. Probably inspires them to be more careful when indulging their desires!

E) Trust In Me -- they're better at anything they may choose to do against a target who they already have an intimate relationship with! Basically, in any roll against someone whom they already know well, they get an extra die -- and no, it doesn't have to be a social roll, nor does the relationship have to be that kind of intimate -- they just have to be close. I think this one fits Smiler simply because they're the most extroverted of the three, and probably have all sorts of friends scattered around the city that could be convinced to help the Three Pillars on their various scores. I do picture them using this mainly to help Sway friends to their various causes -- Smiler's a lover, not a fighter, and wouldn't want to damage the friendship by doing something mean. Though if someone they like decides to be an ass to them first -- well, all bets are off. Smiler may not be good at throwing a punch, and not want to hit a friend, but if they have to...

Whew! Quite the lists, huh? And this isn't even getting into the special abilities the trio can pick up as a crew! Not to mention the upgrades I have planned for their lair... I think telling you all about that will have to be a separate post, though. This one's long enough already. XD

#valicer in the dark au #valicer #blades in the dark #special abilities #victor van dort #alice liddell #smiler alton #the nice thing about this game is that it encourages you to mix and match abilities from the various playbooks if you want #mind you it isn't THAT clear about it #each playbook has a 'veteran' ability on it that has three checkboxes next to it #and the description 'choose a special ability from another playbook'#but as clarified on the forums you don't have to pick all the other special abilities on the playbook to get access to 'veteran'#and you can take it more than three times #that's just how the playbooks were designed #John Harper you might have at least given it another name??#ah well I'm glad I learned that because it's allowed me to mix and match as necessary #like both Alice and Victor's special abilities are largely from their Cutter and Whisper playbooks #but they each have one Lurk (the 'stealthy infiltrator' playbook) ability too #(The Devil's Footsteps and Ghost Veil if you were curious)#while Smiler's set is a mix of Leech Slide and one Spider ability #which makes sense because they are both the 'tech person' and the 'face' of the group #and I could NOT turn down Functioning Vice after seeing it in action #like holy hell that ability is amazing #Smiler is going to make recovering from stress so much easier once they get it #and given some of the shit I put them through #they're gonna need it #queued

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archaickobold · 4 months

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Mornings Are Brighter With You In My Life

It's Slate's birthday, and Miro and Lucas want to give him a surprise. Fluffy and sweet, just these three being absolutely head over heels for each other.

Rating: G

Word count: 3101

(I recommend reading the other posts under #koboldwrites, just for context, but if you just want to jump in instead, go right ahead! This is the first time in a long while I've shared my writing, and I'm really excited! I hope you enjoy!)

Slate woke up slowly, consciousness creeping in like the first beam of sun through his window in the morning. He was warm, comfortable, and very much at ease, with a contented feeling settled deep in his chest. His eyes were closed, but he could feel the soft, fluffy blankets of Miro’s bed tangled around him. For once, he didn’t feel the pressing weight of deadlines, of stress, of a thousand responsibilities he had to worry about. Right then, he knew that the only thing that mattered was that he was relaxed and happy.

After what felt like a blissful eternity, he felt the bed dip next to him slightly, and a hand gently brushed a lock of his hair out of his face.

“Darling dearest, are you awake?” Lucas asked softly, and Slate groaned. He very much did not want to wake up. Lucas laughed quietly. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he murmured, and moments later, Slate felt him start to press light kisses along his jaw, before his lips found Slate’s. He kissed him, slow and sweet, and the warm feeling in Slate’s chest grew. He pushed Lucas away gently so that he could catch his breath, his eyes blinking open. He met Lucas’s bright blue eyes, which were full of a love that he knew was mirrored in his own.

“I love you,” Slate mumbled, his voice still rough with sleep. Lucas smiled, holding Slate’s hand and gently rubbing a thumb across his knuckles.

“I love you too,” he whispered, as if it were a confession and not a fact that they shared among themselves as often as they could. Lucas scooted closer to him on the bed, one arm wrapped around his waist, and a leg catching behind Slate’s ankle. This time, Slate was the one who initiated the kiss.

“Miro wanted me to tell you he’s making breakfast,” Lucas breathed, when they had to separate for air yet again.

“He can wait,” Slate said firmly, leaning in to kiss him again. Lucas melted against him, his other hand threading through Slate’s hair and lightly scratching his scalp. Slate quickly turned to putty, kissing Lucas back with even more enthusiasm. Lucas laughed, which only ended up making Slate laugh and quickly putting an end to their making out session.

“What?” Slate asked, still grinning as he rested his forehead against Lucas’s.

“You’re just so Sol damned adorable,” Lucas said, grinning back at him even as Slate’s face quickly turned a bright shade of red. He turned and hid his face in the pillow, letting out a whine.

“You can’t just say things like that,” he said, muffled, and he felt Lucas kiss the back of his head again.

“And why not? Can’t I compliment my lovely boyfriend?” Lucas teased gently, and Slate buried his face even further into the pillow, even as he couldn’t help but smile to himself.

“You’re right, you should go compliment Miro,” he teased back, and Lucas hummed. He pressed a kiss right behind Slate’s ear, making him shiver.

“I will, later, but right now, you’re the one I’m focusing on. It is your birthday, after all,” he said, and Slate felt a jolt go through him.

“It is!” he said excitedly, suddenly sitting upright. Lucas startled, having to quickly lean back himself to avoid getting hit in the face. He laughed, giving Slate a warm smile.

“It is,” he agreed, lightly kissing him again. “Happy birthday, love,” he said earnestly.

“Thank you,” Slate said, squeezing his hand. There was a pause, and then Lucas bit his lip, clearly fighting the urge to laugh.

“You didn’t- you didn’t forget today was your birthday, did you?” he asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Wh- no!” Slate protested, a little too quickly. He didn’t forget, so much as get so caught up in the wonderful fact that he was warm and comfortable and loved that it didn’t seem that important at the time. What could he say?

“If you say so,” Lucas teased, kissing Slate’s hand.

“Lucas, sweetling, when I told you to go make sure Slate was up, this wasn’t really what I meant,” Miro said, standing in the doorway with a smile on his face. Slate looked up, his face lighting up as soon as he saw him.

“Darling! Get over here,” he said, laughing and reaching out for him. Miro laughed, quickly closing the distance and joining the two of them on the bed.

“Mm, just for a minute,” Miro hummed, kissing the top of Slate’s head. Slate hummed happily, the feeling of warm contentment only growing in his chest. “I made pancakes, and I don’t want them to get cold,” he said, and Slate paused. As tempting of a reason that was to get up, he was warm and comfortable where he was. And now that he had both of his boyfriends, what else could he ask for?

“There’s fresh fruit, too,” Lucas added, and Slate blinked, twisting to look at him.

“Really?” he asked, his eyes wide. Fresh fruit was expensive, and he honestly didn’t know if either of them could afford it- he knew for a fact Miro couldn’t. And sure, Lucas had been an Upper, but that didn’t mean he had the money for fresh fruit anymore.

“Yep,” Lucas hummed casually, kissing his cheek. “I knew you mentioned that you were wanting some peaches, so I went ahead and got a couple for you. And some strawberries, too.” Slate knew the look of pure joy and amazement was shining clear on his face as he looked at his wonderful, thoughtful, caring boyfriends.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked. He was met with a soft smile from Lucas, and with Miro gently squeezing him in a hug from behind.

“You were yourself,” Miro said easily, and suddenly Slate couldn’t hide the blush that crept across his cheeks.

“Didn’t you say you made pancakes? That sounds great, why don’t we, go, go eat those?” Slate stammered, and Miro grinned.

“You can’t escape the compliments so easily, you know,” he teased, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. Slate wrinkled his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, though he couldn’t help but smile too. He felt a hand on his cheek, making him open his eyes almost immediately. He saw Lucas staring fondly into his eyes, tilting his head slightly.

“Beautiful,” he breathed, and Slate felt his cheeks warm even more.

“You can’t just say things like that,” he whined, wanting both to hide out of embarrassment and to stay where he was, comfortable with both of his boyfriends.

“Mm, I think I can though,” Lucas countered, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. That did it for Slate, making him hide his face in his hands as he heard both Miro and Lucas laughing at him.

“I love you,” Miro said, and Slate opened his mouth to say it back, only to be interrupted as his stomach let out a very loud growl.

“Love you too,” Slate said, mildly dying inside but with a sheepish smile on his face.

“You know, maybe breakfast isn’t such a bad idea after all,” Miro said, and Slate paused to consider it for a moment. He was hungry, but at the same time…

“But it’s comfortable and warm here,” he pointed out.

“I mean, who says you have to leave? We could do breakfast in bed,” Lucas suggested, and Slate’s face lit up.

“Please,” he breathed. “That, that sounds wonderful, I’d love that,” he said, looking hopefully between the two of them. That sounded heavenly, and now that Lucas had mentioned it, he didn’t know what he’d do if he had to get up now. Miro laughed, gently kissing him.

“Then we’ll do that,” he said, his voice overflowing with fondness. “Sweetie, you stay here, and me and Lucas will be right back,” he promised. Slate pouted as both of them left, only reluctantly letting go of Lucas’s hand as he got up. He knew they’d be right back, but it was the principle of the thing. He flopped back on the bed, dramatically covering his eyes with an arm.

“I am simply going to waste away,” he mumbled, still grinning to himself. Sol, he loved his boyfriends so much. They were so sweet, and kind, and they were doing all of this for his birthday. This feeling of sheer joy and contentment that he felt around them was something precious, he knew, and he wanted to cradle it close to himself. To keep it safe. He knew that it couldn’t last forever- not as long as he had to stay in the Upper- but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy it for as long as he could while it was still here.

Mere moments later, he felt the bed dip under him again, and he peeked out from under his arm to see Lucas and Miro smiling at him.

“You haven’t gone back to sleep, have you?” Miro teased, and Slate made a small offended noise in the back of his throat.

“I could never!” he said dramatically, sitting up with a grin. “Not when I know my very wonderful boyfriends are here,” he said, a light blush spreading across his cheeks.

Lucas smiled as he carefully set down the three glasses of milk he was carefully balancing, before leaning over and kissing Slate.

“You’re so cute,” he murmured, and Slate felt his face abruptly turn a much darker red. Lucas laughed, even as he moved to help Miro unload the armloads of plates and food he was carrying.

“There’s the breakfast,” he said as Lucas helped him set the last of it down on the nightstand. “And here’s the bed,” he added, getting on the bed and scooting closer to Slate. He wrapped an arm around his waist, making Slate melt against him as Lucas quickly got on his other side. Lucas pressed another kiss to the base of his jaw, making him shiver.

“Good?” he asked, and Slate hummed contentedly.

“Very,” he mumbled, shifting so that he was a little more squished between them. “Sol, I love you both,” he said, smiling warmly at both of them. Miro grinned, nudging him with his knee.

“And we love you too, though you really should eat something,” he prodded, handing Slate a plate and offering the larger plate with an impressively large stack of pancakes. Slate laughed, taking a couple. After some more shuffling in order to go get the forgotten syrup- which was a necessity- Slate was finally able to take a bite. He hummed happily as the flavor hit his tongue, sweet and warm all at once.

“What do you think?” Miro asked, looking over at Slate as he grinned at him, his chin propped up on his hand.

“It’s so good!” Slate mumbled around the bite in his mouth. He quickly swallowed, offering him a sheepish smile. “It, it really is. I love it,” he said, hoping that his expression was able to convey all the love he felt that his words couldn’t do justice to. From the responding lovestruck grin on Miro’s face, he was fairly confident it had worked.

“With that good of a review, I need to try them too, you know,” Lucas said, reaching for a plate. Before he could, however, Miro quickly intervened, grabbing it and holding it out of Lucas’s reach.

“Nope, not like that you won’t,” he said, a mischievous, teasing note in his voice. “Slate said it was good, but not great, so maybe there’s an element missing. Part of the experience.” Slate didn’t even bother to hide the baffled expression he gave him at that.

“Miro, I love you, but what the hell are you talking about?” Lucas asked, fond exasperation clear in his tone. Miro’s grin only widened.

“Close your eyes, and open your mouth,” he said, and Slate could only watch, bemused, as Lucas did as Miro said, albeit with some hesitation. Stealthily, Miro snatched a piece of pancake from Slate’s plate and popped it in Lucas's mouth. As soon as he did, Lucas's eyes fluttered open, giving Miro a look of confused affection. Still, he gave in and chewed as Miro grinned smugly.

“You know what, it is very delicious,” Lucas said. “Though,” he hummed, pretending to think for a moment before grabbing Miro’s hand and pressing a kiss to his palm. “Not as sweet as you,” he said casually. A light dusting of pink spread across Miro’s cheeks, though he didn’t pull his hand back.

“You’re the one who’s sweet,” he complained, and Lucas only laughed. Slate nudged Lucas with his foot, giving him an innocent look.

“I don’t know, I think you’re both pretty sweet,” he said, and Miro raised one eyebrow.

“Oh? Really? Well, maybe you’d better check,” he said, also the perfect picture of innocence even as Slate’s face grew warm.

“I mean, I- I wouldn’t say no,” he mumbled, and Miro leaned in closer.

“So would you say yes then?” he teased, and Slate hid his face in his hands again. Sol, he really didn’t know if he could stand much more of Miro’s teasing before he simply combusted. All the same though, he still wanted to give him an answer that he was patiently waiting for.

“...yes,” he mumbled, he heard Lucas laugh, his heart soaring at the noise. Even if he was laughing at him, he still loved to hear it.

“Come here, then,” Miro said, and Slate let his hands fall, leaning into the soft, sweet kiss Miro offered. They parted after a moment, and Slate pretended to consider it to disguise the way his heart skipped a beat at the sheer tenderness of it all.

“Yeah, you’re, you’re pretty sweet,” he confirmed, unable to hide the still-present blush. “Though, mm, Lucas?” he asked, turning to him.

“Right here, darling,” Lucas said, before he leaned in and kissed him too. It was wonderful and just as full of love as Miro’s had been. When they both had to stop for air again, Slate nodded.

“Yeah you’re also, uh, very sweet,” he mumbled. He felt Lucas brush a lock of his hair out of his face before he gently pressed another kiss to his forehead.

“So are you,” he murmured, and the look he gave him was one so full of pure affection that he didn’t know what to do with himself for a moment. He was frozen to the spot, slowly turning redder and redder.

“Slate? You okay?” Miro asked, concerned.

“Just fine,” he squeaked, feeling like his face was on fire. Miro and Lucas both laughed, again, and Slate couldn’t help but smile back at them. Sol, he loved both of them so much.

“Oh! Slate! The strawberries!” Lucas said suddenly, bouncing slightly in excitement. “You need to try them, here,” he said, gesturing for Miro to hand him the bowl of fruit. When he did, Lucas quickly looked over his choices before picking one up and offering it to Slate. Slate looked between him, the strawberry, and back, before realizing what Lucas was offering. He leaned forward, closing his eyes as he bit into it. Lucas made a small surprised noise, but didn’t move his hand away as Slate opened his eyes and gave him a curious look. He paused, before he realized that Lucas probably had just meant for him to take it and eat it himself. He blushed again, quickly ducking his head.

“They’re really good. I love them, thank you,” Slate mumbled, and Lucas reached over and squeezed his hand.

“I’m glad,” he said softly. As Slate stared at the bowl of fruit- definitely not trying to avoid looking at Lucas- he couldn’t help but wonder…

“Miro, have you ever had fresh strawberries before?” he asked, looking up at him. Miro shrugged.

“I’ve never had any fresh fruit, actually. Dried, yeah, and otherwise preserved, but not fresh,” he replied, and Slate’s face lit up.

“You haven’t? We need to fix this right now, hold on,” he said, quickly reaching for the bowl. He thought of going for a strawberry, but hesitated. They were good, yeah, but his favorite fruit was easily peaches. And so, he might as well start him off with one of his favorites.

Grabbing a slice of peach, he offered it to Miro. “Here,” he said, and Miro raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you going to hand feed me too?” he teased, but instead of getting even more embarrassed, Slate was hit with a sudden burst of impulsiveness.

“Of course,” he said confidently, and Miro grinned mischievously.

“Oh, are you now?” he said, leaning in closer.

“Yep,” Slate said, refusing to let himself hesitate. Miro looked at him, making eye contact as he bit down on the peach. He paused, humming, and his eyes went wide.

“Oh, it’s so good!” he mumbled. “And juicy! Hold on, what the fuck-” he hummed again, sitting back a little as he continued to chew. Slate and Lucas watched, amused. Sure, he may have been playing it up a little bit at first, but now it was clear that he was feeling genuine emotions about the peach. And, Sol, Slate didn’t know that he could feel so much joy just from watching someone he loved experience something he loved for the first time, but he was.

“Okay, why didn’t you both tell me about this sooner?” he said, pointing at both of them. “This, this is a crime that I didn’t get to taste this fucking amazing thing sooner,” he said, and Slate grinned.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said.

“Like it? Fuck no, I love it,” he said, smiling broadly. “And Sol damn it, I love both of you, too,” he said, and both Lucas and Slate gave him soft smiles right back.

“We love you too,” Lucas said.

“We do,” Slate agreed. “But, maybe we should, uh, actually eat before the pancakes get cold? I know you worked really hard on them, and the peach will spoil if we leave it much longer, and that would just be a crime,” Slate pointed out, glancing between his boyfriends.

“Mm, smart as always,” Miro said, kissing his cheek. “Why don’t we dig in then?”

As they lay there in bed, smiling and laughing as they fed each other from their own plates, the warm feeling that had been resting in Slate’s chest grew and grew. He’d never felt so loved before, but he was glad that he had this now.

#koboldspeaks #koboldwrites #at the request of my qpp who wanted this to be the first thing i post #thank you so much for encouraging me literally all of the time <3 #also i love these three so much holy shit #don't get me wrong #i hurt them too #in many ways #but sometimes they're allowed to have nice things #sometimes

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