#leo x higgs

[astrandofgold]

When you’re a good Porter and he’s a wanted man, but he’s got sixteen inches of height on you, and you feel like you’re floating but it’s not entirely due to the fact that he can just pick you up, no effort required. Or maybe it is the fact alone that he can just lift you like this that has your head spinning.

Weightlessness, shock…and… something else, writhing inside you, burrowing deeper and deeper inside with every second that those flashes of blue peer into your own dark eyes. His smile, now etched into the back of your eyelids.

[multiedits]

Hey! Love your work a lot!! I was wondering if we could see the list of what you have to do? And I hope you have a nice day/night.

I'm Glad You Like Our Things!

List:

— G-Man (Half-Life) messy type icons

— Saw (Battle for Dream Island) trans icons

— Ivlis (The Gray Garden) dereality Moodboard

— Reginald Copperbottom (Henry Stickmin) Bi and Trans icons

— Reginald Copperbottom (Henry Stickmin) GIF icons

— Reginald Copperbottom (Henry Stickmin) pride flag

— Flower (Vocaloid) Moodboard with Polymer Clay Foods, Desserts-themed slimes, Sweets, Drinks with pinks, browns, black, whites colors

— Vaporwave Moodboard

— Amity Blight (The Owl House) icons

— Luz Noceda x Amity Blight (The Owl House) Wallpapers with themes of with, academia, gothic, trans

— Bee (Minecraft) Softcore wallpapers

— Shadow Joker (Kaitou Joker) Scenecore Moodboard

— Ava x Asch x Rhys x Leif x Pierce x Noi (Aphmaus my Inner Demons) wallpapers with Poly Relationships Theme

— Yuno Gasai (Future Diary) Insta Board with themes of mental health recovery and lovecore

— Akira Kurusu and Goro Akechi (Persona) lovecore icons

— Leo x Phe x Zero (Meteora Valley) nature and farm themed Moodboard

— Mordecai (Regular Show) Moodboard with themes of Summertime and Being Close to Rigby

— Korekiyo Shinguji (Danganronpa) wallpapers with themes of Chains and Roses with dark red and dark green colors

— Miami Morty (Rick and Morty) Stimboard

— Aang (Avatar) pride flag

— Zim and Almighty Tallest (Invader Zim) space themed wallpapers

— Mara and Adora (She-Ra and the Princess of Power) icons

— G-Man (Half-Life) space and glitchcore themed wallpapers

— Higgs Monaghan (Death Stranding) black glowcore icons

— Ruby and Louise (Max and Ruby) Moodboard with themes of Ruby that is in love with Louise, but Louise doesn't notice it and with school and lesbian flag

— Scarecrow (DC) Vaporwave Wallpapers

— Viney (The Owl House) icons with pink shade and lesbian flag

— Squigly (Skullgirls) Moodboard

— Katsuki Bakugo x Uraraka Ochako (Boku no Hero Academia) wallpapers

— Peacock (Skullgirls) Moodboard with themes of Anarchy and 50s cartoons

— Raymond (Animal Crossing) Icons

— Bee (Minecraft) Honeygender Instagram board

— Sam Gladiator (Yandere High School) insta Board with themes of trouble kid and white and yellow colors

— Duncney (Total Drama) Instagram board

— ᴍᴏᴅ ɢɪʀ 🤖💚

[punk-in-docs]

Rose & the Nightingale Chapter 2

Benedict Cumberbatch x Female OC, AU. Set in the 1920’s, This tells a story of love, jealousy, friendship and desires. Set in the backdrop of 20’s Britain, as the ages begin to shift, and Friends realise their lifelong preference for one another could turn out to be the beginning of a simmering romance… (eventual smut) - also on AO3 Chapter number: Chapter 2 Author: punk-in-docs (Here is my Masterlist for more chapters… Don’t laugh at me cause it’ s so, ridiculously tiny) but do take a look if you feel so inclined… Triggers/warnings: Again, we see them meet, this time in 1926, no warnings.

Elizabeth was just bounding leisurely back to the house across the lawn from having taken a walk through the small green woods on the edge of their property to while away the time. Though the woman had adored every second of London she had spent there, she rather preferred that she could up and walk about and take in scenery rather than sitting and watching the clock tick. She had finished her University degree at Imperial College in London nearly two years ago now. She had studied Literature, and the arts. She was an avid photographer and painter. Her mother didn’t understand why she didn’t pursue the sciences or mathematics, she was very bright and terribly good at them. But, in true manner, Libby had genteelly put her foot down and insisted upon her life’s ambition of the written word and the painted arts. While her mother had flapped about in hysterics, and warned her it would get her barely anywhere in life, she had clamoured Libby’s father to get her to change her mind, to which the elder man simply smiled and waved her off into what she loved doing, regardless of her mother’s utter abhorrence of the notion. ‘Carry on, dear heart.’ was what he had said.

And so it was, That Libby Jones had a degree under her belt, appreciated books and sculptures, and paintings and drawings, and always kept a sly ear open to the changing politics of the day much to her father’s proudness, had subsequently moved back to her Parent’s permanent summer home in Oxford, and spent her days leisurely pouring through books and sketching until the right job came along. And if the right job didn’t come along, then her mother was jumping through hoops to ascertain that the right husband did.

Libby was an impressive looking beauty now. Gone was her once dainty status as a debutante, and out of the shrinking violet grew the effervescent rose. She grew tall and slender, but still with the right amount of shape where it counted most on her body, resting on her hips and thighs and making her bust more pronounced than the fashionable stick figure that every woman wanted to have now in the roaring swing of the 20’s. Her beauty, much to her mother’s favour when soliciting a potential suitor was a favourable asset.

“Oh, My Elizabeth…” she would fawn. “Oh her eyes are as blue as sapphires, and her lips are as full and soft as the first bud of roses in May. She is of a fair complexion, after my side of the family, of course! A very fine figure, But, unfortunately she was gifted with a wicked tongue that she takes great delight in lashing at people with nonsensical notions! But I am sure, when she meets a kind gentleman she would shut her mouth and behave prettily… It need only take the right and brave man to tame my daughter, you know…” Mrs Jones would scoff at Dinner parties to young entrepreneurial Men, who would brave taking on the backboned beautiful woman she described to them, if they were up for a challenge and didn’t know what was good for them.

Libby felt her mother didn’t quite stretch far enough the Braveness of the young man in question. In the last year alone she had turned down four offers of marriage. Two the year before that while she was still in University. Her mother had just about had enough of her, stating she would end up as an old spinster if she carried on at this rate. Stubbornly saying she would not stop until Libby was walking down the aisle to wed a rich suitor. To which the woman in question would roll her eyes and insist that life would mean she wouldn’t have to endure sitting around and talking about how rich she was, being poor and lonely was by far a more exciting way to live. At which point her mother would storm out of the room at her only daughters unreasonable ability, tearing her hair out over the fact that is she, Nor her Older Brother, Leo wouldn’t settle down, then she would have no grandchildren to contend with. And Libby’s father would undoubtedly – as the conversation would be conducted in his office as that was where all of these ‘serious’ discussions took place – would hand her a copy of the times, kiss her on the forehead, and tell her never to change her ways.

As she walked back across the lawn, she could hear her mother’s avid flapping and fussing from her open parlour doors, the French shutters would open out onto the patio and across to the lawn, where Libby was just rounding the large concrete fountain. Running her fingertips across the most covered lip of it, Her other hand clutching at the wild flowers she had gathered. She rolled her eyes as her mother carried on wailing her name. The woman crossed the patio quickly, leaning inside to see her mother hurriedly beckoning her inside.

“Libby! Libby! You need to go and make sure Eliza prepares the guest bedroom right away! Cressida is coming to stay for a week! Oh if only she’d have said sooner!”

Cressida was a close friend of the family’s. She was an odious and poisonous blonde bombshell who had had more husbands and affairs than Libby had had hot dinners, and the gossip about town was that she had her eyes on Leonard Jones, Libby’s own Older brother, to grab with her talons as her next husband or brief fling.

“Cressida’s coming?” Libby asked, as her face fell darkly with distain.

“Oh don’t behave like a petty three year old please, I can’t stand the obnoxious trollop either! Just go and see to it that the room is prepared.” Her mother shrilled.

Libby rolled her eyes one last time and considered spending the evening wishing to stick pins in her eyes rather than face Cressida Cowper, the pins alternative was certainly less painful. The awful woman had a revolting habit of cleverly insulting you so as you didn’t realise she was disguising the insult in a good natured comment. It didn’t help that she was vulgarly pretty, never was she seen without huge rouged lips and an extravagant dress that screamed impracticality. Cressida was a woman about town, hot on the gossip vines, cruel witted and repulsive kind of woman, with a figure like a stick and a smile that was a siren call to stupid men. Nothing alike the gently bred, outspoken demurely beautiful likes of Libby, whose figure wasn’t thin or all the rage, and whose dresses weren’t pictured in vogue or imported from New York. She preferred simplicity and elegance over extravagance and frippery.

She walked out onto the patio again, and around to the side of the house through the walled gate to the kitchens on the other side of the house. She waved good morning to Simpy, Mrs Simpson, the Housekeeper, the ever reliable woman who kept the house running smother than a naval battleship. Past Ms Higgs, the plump old cook who was constantly trying to fatten Libby up and get more, as she put it ‘meat onto her skinny little bones’ and past Parker, the Butler who was enjoying his quiet hour off duty, reading the paper.

“Good Morning Simpy, Morning Ms Higgs, Hello Parker, Is Eliza about?”

Libby asked cheerfully, rooting around, under the old sink that was full of vegetable peelings, looking for a vase for the flowers in her hand. Had she entered the house via any other door she would have been hung drawn and quartered if her mother saw the state of her muddy court shoes on her pristine carpets…

“She’s gone to change Leon’s bed, she’s probably still up there.”

Parker spoke in his gravelly posh voice from behind the large sheets of the telegraph that barricaded his face from view.

“Ok. I’ll go find her. Morning all.”

The girl sung over her shoulder smiling, finding the vase she wanted, and throwing her shoes into a corner before exiting the kitchen to walk back through the house barefoot to her room. Leaving her mud encrusted shoes behind.

She swept round out of the kitchen, up the stairs into formal dining room, through the formal lounge, down the corridor past the courtyard window into the front garden, across the foyer and up the stair past the library and her father’s study, where he could hear him engaged on the telephone behind his oak office door, she went up the stairs and along the landing, before making a sharp right at the end of the hallway and peering into her Brother’s large room to find the petite housemaid fussing with the corners on Leon’s sheets.

“Oh, Eliza. Mother asks if you would make up the spare guest room on the second floor?” Libby asked her, peering her head around the door.

“It’s already made up Ma’am. Whoever for, I don’t know.” She spoke searchingly. Eliza and Libby were firm friends despite the gaps in their social class. Eliza was a loud mouthed and cheeky cockney London girl who had to fight to be quiet at times, rather alike Libby herself, so naturally the pair were as thick as thieves.

“Cressida Cowper’s coming to stay…” Libby intoned in displeasure. Eliza huffed straightening herself. Tugging the sheet down in irritation.

“Oh not ‘er Ma’am, Last time she was here I nearly broke me hands cause she ordered all her clothes washed. Every day.” The maid groused.

“In that case, then, I shall pray for your hands to survive the week.” Libby smiled, leaning out of the doorway and taking the vase full of flowers to her own room.

She had practically an entire wing for her bedroom on the other side of the large house. She had a spacious bathroom, an informal lounge filled with books and long forgotten sketches that was always lazily doused in sunlight during the day, and brilliant in the moon at night. She had a spacious bedroom that had more than a couple of dresses strewn about the place, and more than one disorganised bottle on her vanity chest. Her wardrobe was stuffed full of gowns and dresses and coats that her father had sent to her from Vienna, Milan, Paris, New York, London and god knows where else, Every time he went away on a trip, it was always the same thing brought back for his children. He would send back a dress for Libby whilst he was still there, with a note attached saying he saw it and thought of her, with endless love, from Dad. And For Leo, he would send any books that he found invigorating to have on his travels, Which Libby and Leo would clamour over who would get to read them first. And when he would physically return home, he would keep the besotted children up all night telling them what the different cities or countries were like. And how cultured and variable and wonderfully different he found each one.

Libby saw that the scarlet silk gown that was folded lazily over the back of the chaise longue at the end of her bed which was his most recent purchase from abroad, from Rome. He told her how he had walked the streets late one evening and attended the opera, Don Giovanni, and how every woman there was cascaded in deep red, maroon, or scarlet silk. So the next day he found an expensive dressmaker, and had a dress hand made for her. Tailored to her exact body shape, she hadn’t tried it on yet. But she was planning to wear it to Dinner tonight. Along with her pearl earrings that belonged to her grandmother and a splash of Dior perfume that he had brought back with him from France a year ago. She used it sparingly as she adored the scent.

Leon was traveling back from London this afternoon, to stay for an unknown amount of weeks for the summer. Which delighted Libby, if she and Leo happened to coincide their times in London, when he wasn’t off in New York, working, and when she had some free time in-between her studies, then they would occasionally meet for a late afternoon tea or lunch. But there was something so final and undisturbed about having him home that meant she couldn’t wait for him to arrive. Like every siblings of course, they were bound to squabble, but as they both got on in years, the teasing became softer, the arguments sillier, and they loved each other more dearly as brother and sister.

She walked past her vanity table to place the flowers on it, plucking idly at them, seeing how they made the room appear softer, and warmer. As she arranged them, she caught sight of the woman staring back at her in the mirror.

She wasn’t a vain creature. She knew she wasn’t the most attractive woman on the planet, like the sizzling looks of Marlene Dietrich or Carmel Myers with their Hollywood beauty. But she didn’t have an awful complexion she supposed, but then again, like every modest woman she found fault in her features. For instance, she felt her nose was too pointed at the tip, and her eyes were too big. And she didn’t quite like the way her lips looked a might too thin, and she despised the light mole to the left side of her chin that many would consider a beauty spot. She also knew she wasn’t considered to be this seasons raving asset, and that suited her just fine. She loathed the idea of being fawned over like a prize pig at the country fair, because no matter how beautiful you were, next season, there would always be someone who was twice as beautiful. And she had no desire to be stuck on an endless, rotten, cycle of vanity and show trotting that most women her age fought tooth and nail for. She was also quite relieved that she wasn’t on the side-lines as a run of the mill beauty either. With short brown or blonde hair and brown eyes and plain figures. No. She took some pleasure in the fact that she looked completely different from other girls. Her hair had faded in its vibrant red tones, and had shifted into a dark red bob of hair, which she had trimmed to an ‘Eton crop’ as they so called it. Which swept down just so over her eyes at the front and was clipped and short at the back. her mother had flustered and fretted so when she, in this new age of sharp feminine style and liberation, cropped her long locks away to what she called, practically nothing. she justified her fussing, saying that “No man will want to take a modern woman for a wife.” She had nearly fainted with exasperation at Elizabeth’s answer. Apparently “Suits me” was not an acceptable reply.

She had put on a large headband this morning, a vintage multi-coloured silk tie that wrapped around her forehead, the long ties of which rested at the back of her head, and ran down her back. She had placed her small silver gem rose earrings in her ears, and as she went to collect some flowers in the woods, and sat reading by the old river from the small book of poetry that was tucked into the back pocket of her old tweed trousers, that were scuffed at the knees and covered in paint markings. Her duck egg blue shirt, (also covered in paint) which the shirt was tucked into as it was a tad too large. Overall, she didn’t exactly look neat, pristine and groomed. She was fairly certain she had mud and grass stains on her trousers and knees. So she probably smelt like a field, and was dressed most uncommonly for a female, who should be draped in a day dress or other alternative elegant attire. She was quite surprised her mother didn’t throw a fit when she saw her dressed this way earlier, mind, she was too busy worrying about when Cressida would arrive.

Libby just contemplated a long bath to get rid of the grass and mud stains when she heard a car rattle up the gravel drive, crunching its way towards the front door. Peering out her window she saw Leo’s 1911 bright red Stoddard Dayton crawl up the drive. She saw the familiar sight of her dark wavy haired brother with sunglasses across his face, smile, as he curved the car around to come to a stop outside the front door. She also saw that his lips were moving, which meant he was talking to someone in the passenger seat. A Friend. And she knew precisely which fried Leo would bring home for the summer…

Benedict.

Her heart did little jump starts as Leo stopped the car and saw the two get out. And Libby saw once again, the face of the boy she knew, who had become a man. She remembered thinking on the night they met, that he was bound to get infinitely more handsome as he got older. And my word, she could just kick herself at how handsome he was now.

The long thin face was no less compromised by his years, in actual fact. The years had made all the difference. When he smiled the crinkles at the side of his mouth and at the corners of his eyes made his eyes light up when he smiled a certain way. Even though she knew he had been on various trips abroad with Leo, and just for the pleasure of traveling, his skin bore no sun kissed glow, and was its usual pale complexion. Which made his jaw dominate his face under the paleness of his skin, aswell as the curve of his cheeks. She watched as he smiled and leaned his head down, meaning an errant and stray curl of hair sway over his forehead, and he brushed his hand through his dark tresses, attempting to tame them as he squinted at the bright sunshine that was clouding the sight of his dusky blue eyes. Libby smiled to herself as she wondered what it would be like to cart her fingers through that thick dark hair…

Libby smiled as she tore herself away from the window, and raced across her room to run downstairs. She took them two at a time as the front door open and Leo and Ben strode in. Libby watched as her parents gave their welcome’s, assuring Ben, when he stated he was sorry for the change in plans, but, truth be told, Mrs Jones had a sixth sense for these kind of things. And she, and Mr Jones, wholly welcomed the arrival of the young man, as he such a close friend he was nearly considered family. Leo finished clapping hands with his dad, when Libby bounded down the stairs towards them both.

Ben swallowed and smiled widely when he saw her.

She looked twice as strikingly beautiful as he remembered. He had seen her last in May when she celebrated her 24th Birthday at a party in London. They had gathered, drunk champagne and been merry. And danced to the latest records all night long until the sun rose. Her hair had been cropped, so that it was sleek and short and only just reached her eyes at the front, as she turned her head he saw it was short at the back, and he imagined it was soft and thick to run his fingers through. Her eyes still held their luminous beauty, as did her soft lips and pretty skin.

He watched her laugh as she descended the stairs to them, as Leo opened his arms wide and engulfed her in a large hug with a cry of “There’s my kid Sis!”

As he swept her up and spun her round, squeezing her tight in familial sentiment. Before making a mock moaning sound.

“Oh, my. You’re getting heavy in your age old girl!” He struggled, wincing, placing her down and ruffling her hair, to which she smiled grotesquely, and mocked nearly punching him rowdily in the stomach in a way that only siblings could. In a way that made her mother roll her eyes far back in her head,  and complain that was no way for a lady to behave.

As Leo moved aside, Libby was left smiling at Ben as he spoke to her.

“But what your loathsome brother fails to comment on, is that fact that you’re getting more and more beautiful, Ms Jones.” Ben teased,

She winced and shook her head. Smiling a very wonderful smile at him.

He smiled wider, so the crinkles and lines made his eyes switch on like a blue bulb. She crossed and gave him a welcoming hug. In which he revelled at the feeling of having her in his arms. He smiled feeling her there, seeing as how she smelt like a maddening combination of fresh flowers and perfume. And the fact she was wearing old tight trousers made his head swim as he realised he could see the outline of her marvellous figure.

“How many more times am I going to have to beg you to call me Libby?”

She spoke into his ear, her hot breath on his earlobe feeling dangerously good and making him feel very hazardous thoughts. He smiled and hugged her right back. Before they pulled away and looked at each other in close proximity.

“At least once more. Libby.” He winked.

[astrandofgold]

Y’all wanna see the cutest thing I’ve ever made?

[astrandofgold]

take me as i am

chapter 6: fell in love in the only way i knew

Here it is, the latest chapter! It’s only been….forever? I’ve had this sitting in my drafts for so long because I wasn’t quite sure how to finish it off, but I finally figured it out. This one focuses on the sweet, with some minor suggestive content. The song I referenced is Q&A by Kishi Bashi, and I’m absolutely obsessed with it! Also, is it even a story about Higgs if there isn’t a part where he plays guitar? 😂

___________________________

A well-worn blanket, a pack of beers, and a guitar. That’s what was strapped onto Leo’s back. The guitar was awkward, but she’d be damned if she hadn’t carried worse cargo. And besides, Higgs had promised her, with a chuckle, that he’d play for her if she managed to carry it all the way to their destination, of which, was now within view of the two former porters. Out of the corner of her eye, Leo caught Higgs giving her a side glance, smirking. She rolled her eyes, flipped him off, and grinned, trekking forward.

Higgs had to hand it to Leo, the girl had some real grit. It was one of the many reasons why he was smitten with her. She reminded him of himself, and she carried that spark in her that he had misplaced long ago. Higgs mused to himself, thinking about how she was helping him find that spark again. Life had a funny way of placing into his hands the very thing he never dared to dream would come into his life. He could still see his daddy sneering down at him, telling him all the lies that shattered his young child’s heart. The scars still remained, littering his body like constellations. Each one formed the story of a boy wincing at the sound of a cracking belt, a boy covering his face with his arms as tears silently fell, a boy tending to burn marks in the cover of the night. A boy that grew up believing he was as ugly and worthless as his daddy was.

Despite that, Higgs was starting to come around on the concept that maybe he wasn’t as ugly of a person as he was led to believe. If it were true, then why the hell would Leo be with him? Maybe she was batshit crazy to be with him, the thought had crossed his mind more than a few times. But regardless, he was happy that she chose to stick with him. He remembered the night that he finally revealed his scars to Leo, she held him close, placing gentle kisses on each one, eyelashes glistening with fragments of tears. He didn’t know what she saw in him, but he definitely knew what he saw in her. As Leo coughed, Higgs was brought back to the present moment as he focused his attention and realized that Leo’s orange eyes were peering curiously into his own blues.

“What’re you thinking about, babe? You’ve been staring off like that ever since we passed the hot springs.” Higgs smiled gently in response, then chuckled. “I’m thinking about the fuckin’ food I’ve been carrying on my back for the last half hour. I’m starving!”

Leo scowled at him, teasingly smacking his toned upper arm.

“Dammit, Higgs, didn’t you eat right before we left? Where the hell do you store all that food?”

Higgs turned a mischievous eye to her as he patted her head, the height difference becoming strikingly apparent.

“Well, darlin’, you tell me where you think I store it all.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re freakishly tall.”

“And it’s not mine that you’re adorably short. I’m so glad we’ve had this conversation, but now I’m gonna eat something.”

“No, Higgs, just-just wait a second! Look, that’s the spot right there!”

Leo quickened her pace just a little, walking down the slight hill to a spot next to the riverbank. Small, white flowers grew in the lush grass, giving the area an aura of safety. This portion of the valley hadn’t seen timefall for quite some time, yet had a consistent supply of river water, which led to a unique ecosystem developing. Fauna had begun to return to the valley floor, birds chirped in the taller grass, and small deer ran in the woods where Homo Demens had once declared their base. Higgs still shuttered to think about his time there, as infrequent as it was. Surrounded by men who were just as delusional as he had been, who sought to bring about the same thing he had wanted. As he glanced over to the woods with the ghosts of his past, he let out a sigh of relief knowing that they hadn’t succeeded in their goals. He never would have been here with Leo, watching life return to the mountain base. It almost reflected his own healing, and he wryly smirked at the thought.

____________________

The sun was setting as Leo and Higgs reveled at their picnic spread, the worn Bridges blanket hosting a multitude of food items. Higgs couldn’t even begin to figure out where Leo had sourced it all from. She stood there, hands on hips, grinning at the selection. She was resourceful, and Higgs knew that the local preppers gave her gifts on occasion, but some of the stuff was unheard of. Chocolate? Fresh fruit? Those words alone would have caused Mules to come running from across the region to have a go at claiming it as their own. A wave of satisfaction and pride spread throughout Higgs as he thought about his partner’s success, and the fact that she chose to share it with him. He knew he was one lucky bastard.

The meal consisted of attempts at trying to throw bits of food in each other’s mouths, a few delectable favorites hand fed to the other followed by laughter, and one episode of Leo rolling her eyes when Higgs blew right through an entire loaf of fresh bread that she had procured all the way from the Timefall Farm. The light in the sky changed from yellow to orange, and now bathed the valley in soft shades of lavender as mist slowly filled the basin. Leo gasped as the flicker of a firefly appeared near them, low to the grass, but unmistakable in its glow. One after the other appeared, and soon, Leo and Higgs were surrounded by a field of light. Higgs unwrapped his arms from where he had been holding Leo as they watched the light show, and leaned over to grab the unforgotten guitar from the case. He knew Leo had been waiting for this moment with much patience. Her bright eyes, made even more orange by the fireflies, flickered with anticipation.

“Now don’t get your hopes up. It’s been a long time since I’ve played one of these things, and, well…you never know.” Higgs messed with the tuning, strumming until he seemed satisfied, a peaceful smile washing over his face. Leo, despite his protestations, had always thought Higgs attractive. But now, here in his element, surrounded by the glow of the evening and hair falling over his face, with his blue eyes shining, she thought he was absolutely beautiful.

Higgs broke the silence with a hesitant strum, getting the feel for the strings, forming a melody. It was a full, warm sound, and reverberated in Leo’s heart. Higgs looked up at her as he played, beaming.

“It’s somethin’ I heard on the network the other day. I think you were humming to it, and it kinda reminded me of you.”

He continued playing, and Leo laid on her back, folding her hands underneath her head as she listened. The stars twinkled in the sky, something she would never take for granted after a lifetime of chiralium-filled skies.

“You are the answer to my question

You are my accomplice in a crime…”

Leo sat up and looked over at Higgs, a smile breaking out on her face as she processed that Higgs was singing to her. He was absolutely beaming as he sang, the happiest she had ever seen him.

“You are my wing woman and did I mention

We were together in another life?”

Higgs wasn’t one to vocally voice his emotions, Leo knew that. He showed them through actions, through caring touches, hands on the small of her back, fingers gently moving strands of hair, lips whispering on skin in the dark of the night. Leo was surprised when she felt drops fall on her arms. She hadn’t realized she was crying. Higgs looked up at her, eyes earnestly exploring her own. He held her gaze as he sang the next line.

“…in that dream, you probably were my wife.”

With a final strum, the notes gave way to the quiet noise of the night. Crickets chirped, wind gently caressed the two bodies, and the nearby stream bubbled. Higgs set the guitar down next to him on the blanket, and Leo could see he had a hint of blush on his cheeks. Leaning over, slowly and softly, Higgs reached out and caressed Leo’s face. Thumb running over her cheek, over her lips. He wanted to take in every bit of her that he could. Blue eyes met golden eyes, each hungrily taking the other’s features in. Higgs moved in closer until his nose brushed against hers, lips a breath away. Leo closed the distance, softly kissing him, brushing her fingers against his neck, then running them into his hair. He gave a hum of pleasure at the motion, and broke the kiss, only to rest his forehead against hers.

“Leo, I-I love you…I know I don’t say it much, but I do. I really fuckin’ do. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, and…I don’t deserve you. I just don’t—“ Leo cut him off with a finger to his lips, eyes brimming with tears.

“Higgs, please….please listen to me. I want you to know that every morning, you’re the first thing I think about. When I open my eyes, you’re the only thing I want to see. At night, I want the feeling of you holding me to be what stays with me as I fall asleep.” Leo couldn’t stop the tears from flowing as she earnestly gazed into his eyes, and she gave a laugh amidst them. “I want to live a thousand lifetimes with you by my side, and….I never want anyone to take your place. Higgs Monaghan, I love you. I fucking love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are my everything.”

The next moment found Higgs and Leo tangled in one another, clothing rapidly abandoned. Tender hands grasping to bring the other closer still, lips writing their own unique love stories on skin. Hands running through hair, hands running down hips, hands staking claim on bodies that willingly offered. Passionate prayers left Higgs’ lips and spread to the sky, prayers offered up at the alter of Leo’s body. Higgs was by no means religious, but at that moment, he found god in the form of the woman gasping his name from underneath him.

___________________________

Lying under the stars with nothing between them and the balmy night air, the two wrapped up in the blanket. Leo rested her head in the crook of Higgs’ shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, placing his chin on the top of her head. The night was peaceful, and Leo had never felt safer than she did in Higgs’ embrace. The rise and fall of his chest, rhythmic and soothing, quickly lulled her to sleep. As he lie there, drowsily watching the stars twinkle and absentmindedly rubbing Leo’s shoulder, he thought about how his life led him to this point. How this woman, making soft sighs as she slept, accepted him and loved him with an incredible fierceness, showing him a facet of life he had never known. In that moment, as night in the valley settled and he drifted off to sleep, Higgs knew that for the first time ever, he had a long life to look forward to.

[astrandofgold]

Take Me As I Am

Truth or Dare

So I’ve had an idea for character development for a while now, and I’m still not sure about it, but thought it would be fun to do a quick one-off slightly smutty fluff piece. Anyway, here goes….

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Higgs almost chokes on his beer as he spits a little out, covering his mouth with a hand. “W-wait, wait. You drop that bomb on me now?” He starts laughing that deep, low, dangerous laugh, and wipes a tear from his eye.

“Yeah, I fucked a girl once”, came the nonchalant response.

“Okay, c’mon now, you can’t just tell me that and keep it all in. Share with the class, Leo.”

In her semi-drunken state, Leo gave a small wave of her hand, and continued. “Well…she and I worked at the same company when I was first starting out as a porter. We bumped into each other in the cafeteria a few times, and got to chatting. We’d go out of our way to use each other’s structures when out on runs. Sometimes I’d leave notes for her—yes, actual notes—at timefall shelters if I knew she’d be coming that way, and frequently, I’d find small packages in my private room. Y’know, just small things…”

Leo stares wistfully at nothing in particular, gently rubbing the cat goddess pendant that hung around her neck. Higgs notices this, but leaves his comment unspoken. His demeanor rapidly changes from one of aroused interest to gentle understanding. He leans forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his knees as he plays with the can in his hands.

“We’d request to go out on partnered runs. We worked so well together, and we made some of the fastest runs in our company. One of our trips…well…we had a close run in with some BTs. I honestly thought we were going to trigger a void out that night.”

Higgs gently rubbed her hand when he saw Leo’s eyes widen at the memory. She smiled softly at him.

“We ran like hell after we got away. We were grabbing onto each other, sometimes dragging the other, only stopping to slam the terminal button at the first safe house we found. I really thought my lungs were going to burst. But…the two of us collapse on the bed—we normally shared the beds—and…we just start laughing. Like full on, tears in eyes laughter. We’re laying there, legs dangling off the bed, looking at each other, and…I don’t know what came over me…I leaned over and kissed her.”

Silence washes over them as long lost memories fill the intimate space. Higgs holds her hand as she works through the past.

“Before we knew it, we were all tangled up, clothes scattered…I….”

Leo’s face was covered in a subtle blush, which was growing less subtle by the second.

“But, uh, yeah…she was my first.”

Higgs lets out a whistle, stretching out his legs and reaching his hands behind his head.

“Well shit. You got me beat. My first time was a random hookup in a dark alley back in one of the knot cities. I don’t even recall which one. Didn’t even get his name…just did the deed and parted ways.” Higgs had a lopsided grin on, but Leo could see figments of his past surfacing in his ocean eyes. “To be honest, darlin’, you’re the first person to ever…give something back to me. You didn’t just take. And…well…it’s a fuckin’ good feeling.”

Leo sat up from her chair, leaned over the coffee table between them, and pulled Higgs in for a deep kiss. He tasted like Timefall Porter and pizza, and Leo wasn’t complaining. He hummed happily, pulling her hips in towards his lap, helping her over the table. She straddled him, forehead on his, fingers combing through his hair. She placed a kiss on his forehead as they sat there, taking in each other’s warmth.

With a low hmmmm, Higgs looks up at her, and breaks the silence.

“So, I want you to know, darlin’,” he says, earnestly gazing into her eyes, “if you ever, y’know, wanted to bring someone else in, I wouldn’t mind.” Leo watches the composed facade break as he loses it and breaks out in a wide grin. She rolls her eyes, laughs, and playfully smacks his chest.

“Ohh you know I’d only do it for you, babe. I wouldn’t enjoy seeing my hot girlfriend with another girl at all, no pleasure at all. S’all for you, darlin’…all for you.”

Leo lets out a dramatic sigh, gets off his lap, and turns around to head to the shower.

“I know, why don’t we invite your old co-worker. What was her name?….ah yes, Fragile, that was it! Why don’t you give her a call?”

A smug and throughly satisfied smirk spreads across Leo’s face as she hears Higgs gag on his drink as she leaves him shouting out his retorts and thinking about his actions.

As she showered, waiting for Higgs to join her, she thought about her “offer”. The more she thought about it, the more it actually sounded…fun.

[astrandofgold]

you bewitched me with your gold and blue from the start

[astrandofgold]

Higgs and Leo moments

[astrandofgold]

Higgs had the charming habit of sneaking up behind Leo, wrapping his arms around her waist, spinning her around, then lifting her up for a kiss. She gasped every time, butterflies forming in her stomach, toes brushing against thin air. This would never get old.

[astrandofgold]

Take Me As I Am

Chapter 3: stay awake with me

Leo x Higgs; slight smut. I love this chapter so much, I love the idea of Leo helping Higgs see his own worth. I drew the two of them together, then realized how cute of a story it would be, and here we are 🥺

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“Come on, let me take one. Just one, I swear.” Laughter filled the old bunker as Higgs and Leo sorted through the former porter’s belongings. Years of possessions piled up, giving an eclectic peek into Higgs’ former life. Leo wondered where each item came from, but figured that with Higgs moving into her slightly bigger home, she’d have all the time in the world to learn their backgrounds.

“Like hell I will”, Higgs snorted, “and besides, who knows if that camera even works anymore—that’s old technology, darlin’.” Leo pouted, jutting her bottom lip for dramatic effect. She knew very well that the camera worked, based on the fact that she had recently found a photo Higgs had snuck of her, in which she was failing miserably at cooking dinner for the two of them. Her face was flush and she could remember the burns she sustained on her hands. She had been flustered, but Leo smiled at the memory. It was a stressful moment, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to attempt to make that man a home-cooked meal.

Upon finding the photo in the midst of packing, Leo blushed at the thought of Higgs taking the time to capture that moment. That he wanted to have that memory of her. She quietly slipped it back into its place, between two pages in an antique book about Ancient Egypt. But now, she was set on capturing her own quiet memory.

Leo looked up at Higgs from where she sat on the floor, securing packages that were ready for transferring to her home. He was content, humming quietly as he deftly sorted through his belongings, each one bringing a happy memory and feeling associated with it. Leo knew that everything in this bunker was curated from a time after Higgs had started life on his own, away from the place he grew up as a child. There was nothing here to summon memories of the abuse he had sustained from a young age, save for the scars. Like constellations on his skin, she had murmured to him one night. She remembered how his eyes grew misty, his hand gently rubbing circles into her shoulder as he told her the stories.

Right now, however, his eyes were clear, focused on his task. Leo leaned back against the base of the couch Higgs was working from, and rested her head against his leg. She was still getting used to the casual intimacy the two shared, but it made her feel complete. Upbeat music played while the two of them worked. An old jazz song from the 1950’s as Higgs had explained when he set up the record. Part of his collection of scavenged belongings included a record player, and it’s technology astounding Leo. As someone used to streaming content from the chiral network, there was a quaintness and warmth in the bunker that filled her with a nostalgia she couldn’t quite place.

Right here, at this moment in time, Leo was completely happy. She closed her eyes and took in every little sound and feeling. Higgs absentmindedly tapping his foot to the beat, humming along, brushing his hand against Leo’s cheek every so often, the warmth from the action spreading a blush to her face. The thought of Higgs leaving behind this bunker to move in with her, the two becoming one unit, one family , if she dare think, was something that Leo never thought she’d see in her future. Someone that loved her, would spend the nights up talking in the dark, warmth against her back, or holding her close if she had a DOOMS nightmare, sobs the only sound permeating the night. A content sigh escaped Leo’s lips, and she burrowed deeper next to Higgs.

“Alright, fine. Grab it”, Higgs said, a small smile taking shape on his lips. Leo looked up at him, her thoughts dissipating like mist, then suddenly smiled devilishly.

“The camera , darlin’, get that pretty head of yours out of the gutter”, he said, laughing and rolling his eyes, then continued with fake irritation, “you’re absolutely insatiable”. His features softened, one hand absentmindedly running through his hair.

“I want you to take a photo, Leo. Of us.” The weight of what Higgs was telling her took a moment to hit Leo, but when it did, the surprise overtook her. It must have shown on her face, because Higgs became slightly flustered, looking down at his hands, which now nervously lay in his lap.

“The reason,” he started, with a shiver in his voice, “why I haven’t wanted you to take a photo of me...is because I’ve never wanted to see myself.” His brow furrowed, and Leo rest her hand gently on his knee.

“When I look at my face, I see my daddy’s face...his eyes, his hands, his face above mine, screaming at me, and I just...”

He faltered, voice trailing off. Sighing, he looked directly at Leo. She could see how much this affected him. Her heart shattered into a million pieces as she held his gaze, upon realizing that her requests caused him pain like this. She had never known.

He softly grabbed her hand with his left, ran his fingers through her short hair with his right. A smile lit up his face, replacing the dark memories that had surfaced. His eyes glimmered with an ocean of better memories.

“Darlin’, I want to remember this day. Forever. I want to see who I am when I’m with you. I want to believe you when you tell me I’m pretty.” Higgs playfully batted his lashes at her, lightening the mood. Leo laughed, abashed that her comments were being used against her in this manner. It was true; he was pretty, and she wanted him to feel just how gorgeous he was.

Five minutes later, Leo had the camera set up with a timer. She directed Higgs to stand against the bare wall where before, his collection of Egyptian-themed art and magazine pages lived. It struck Leo that it was a marking a new chapter for Higgs, a new start for a new life. She wondered who would fill this bunker next. Would they be able to feel the love that eventually grew here? The life of the man who rebuilt a life out of nothing. Leo checked the viewfinder to make sure Higgs was in focus, set the timer, and ran over. A moment of panic flashed in Higgs’ eyes.

“What the hell do I do with my fuckin’ hands?”

Leo laughed.

“Just do something, anything!”

Without another thought, Higgs settled on resting his arm on Leo’s head. She laughed, then faked a scowl. The shutter snapped, capturing the moment. Higgs let out a sigh of relief, the chuckled. He was caught off guard as Leo whipped around, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him down to her level so she could kiss him. Any tenseness left his body, and he deepened the kiss. His hands moved to Leo’s waist, lazily wrapping around her. A satisfied hum emitted from Higgs, and Leo could feel him grinning as she bit his lower lip. Her hand lowered from his shoulder to his stomach, then continued lower. She teased at the waistband, then rubbed her palm against Higgs, who was getting harder by the second.

A second snap filled the room, and Higgs’ eyes shot open as he realized that the camera took another shot. He narrowed his gaze, looking down at Leo as he straightened up, towering over her. He looked even taller to her like this.

“Oh, you sneaky, sneaky temptress”, Higgs purred, mischief in his eyes. “How ever am I going to punish you for that photo?”

Leo yelped, backing away with a nervous grin on her face.

“We can throw that one away!”

Leo knew she was in for it with the way Higgs stalked her as she got ready to bolt out of the room.

“Oh no, we’re keeping that one”, and his lips curled up into a catlike smirk.

The last time he looked at her like this, they didn’t get a wink of sleep that night. Higgs growled, and jumped after his prey. Leo’s playful shouts filled the bunker, and the two of them found themselves tangled up in each other, tired from a long day of work, and an even longer night of passion.

[astrandofgold]

Leo looked up at him, the cold metal gloves brushing her face. She couldn’t see his blue eyes, didn’t know what emotions lie behind them. All she knew was that Higgs was here with her, instead of out there. And if he wasn’t out there, then that meant he had found his hope.

[astrandofgold]

Take Me As I Am

Chapter 5: cast some light, we’ll be alright

Note: it gets dark and creepy, but it’ll be alright. I promise. Based on this sketch.

______________________________

Lightning broke the sky in half above Leo’s head. The thunder, louder than any noise she had ever heard, screamed around the landscape, shaking the surrounding earth. Leo had never seen a storm like this before, electric and heavy and terrifying, dark tumultuous clouds writhing above. Leo’s skin prickled with the charged atmosphere, and her body screamed at her, instincts telling her to run. But there was no where to run to.

As the wind wrapped around Leo, pulling her hair and tugging her clothing, she took one last look at the wrath of the storm, then retreated inside the house. The front entrance, which looked out on the valley and normally provided a peaceful window to the outdoors now became a terrifying weak point of the structure. The windows shook and groaned against the pressure of the wind. Leo paced, running hands through hair, eyes wide as she tried to override the compelling longing to hide. She had to prepare for this storm.

Running from room to room, grabbing as many blankets and linens as possible, many bearing the old Bridges logo, Leo started covering windows and door frame gaps. Anything to prevent shattering glass or leaking rainwater. A sheet of rain slammed against the side of the house, causing Leo to jump. The ferocity and suddenness with which the torrent beat against the house was not normal. It shouldn’t be so strong. Is it a tornado? Leo had read about them while reading through science texts she found on the network, but they were unheard of in this age.

Without warning, floodwaters filled the valley, and Leo found herself mere centimeters away from meters of water, with only the panel of glass between her and it. Water began seeping in between the cracks of the doorframe. The water, now obscurring the windows entirely, filtered the light and filled the room with a deathly red glow. Leo held back a scream with her fist when a body hit the window, the face of a poor porter caught on foot in the storm. The water was now pooling at her feet. A quiet sob rattled Leo as she realized that she was going to die here. She wanted out of this house, the structure that was her prison growing up, where the ghosts of her memories would replay the beatings and the screaming of her childhood over and over and over again. She already ran away from this place once, but it found a way to drag her back. She never thought it would be her grave.

She wanted to see the sun. She wanted to hold Higgs again. Wanted to feel his warmth against her, his hand running through her hair, lips against her forehead, whispering all the reasons why he loved her.

Leo wrapped her arms around herself, sobs now filling the dark, empty room. She slumped to the floor, giving up on trying to keep the looming flood out. She knew there was no way out of this. She was dead, and she was alone. She wondered if she could find her gun in time to avoid a death by drowning. One quick pull, and it could all be over. Just do it. Do it before the water breaks through the door.

Crack.

It was too late.

Leo whispered one last love note to Higgs before the door gave in to the tidal wave of water, and Leo’s body was seized up by the unforgiving darkness.

“I’ll be waiting for you, Higgs, on our beach”

Higgs was half asleep, eyelids heavy with the late hour when he sat up in bed and found Leo huddled on the floor of their bunker. Shaking off the drowsiness as he processed what was happening, he jumped out of bed and swiftly moved to her side. Her underwear and tank top were drenched in sweat, eyes wild, frantically seeing phantoms around her that didn’t exist.

“Leo, darlin’—sweetheart—it’s okay, it’s alright, you’re safe. It’s Higgs…”

Higgs knelt in front of her, cradling her in his lap. He brushed aside her damp hair, humming quietly. Anything to try and break Leo out of her nightmare.

“I…the water...Higgs….t-the storm….you need to save yourse—”

“It’s okay, darlin’, I’m right here, I gotcha.”

Higgs wrapped an arm around Leo and held her close to him, and placed her small hand in his own, larger hand. He set it on his chest, just over his heart.

Eyes bloodshot and defeated, Leo stared through Higgs, and he gently brushed the side of Leo’s face with a thumb. Tears fell down, one after the other, as consciousness started returning to the hazel eyes.

“Higgs….th-the nightmares…won’t stop….”

“Listen to me, darlin’. I’m right here. Feel my heartbeat. This is real, this is where you are. You’re with me, in our home. You’re safe, and I love you.”

Higgs searched her face, desperate to find any sign that the horrors plaguing Leo were receding. He hated seeing her in this pain, hated that he was powerless to stop her from enduring this. He’d take on the DOOMS nightmares tenfold if it meant she never had to live through one more. He knew exactly what she was going through, and while he’d long ago figured how to cope with them, he knew Leo was fighting this as hard as she could.

Looking at her glossy eyes, Higgs bit his lip, then decided to take a chance.

“Sweetheart, I’m gonna pick you up and take you outside. That okay?”

Leo slowly nodded.

Progress.

Higgs let out a soft, relieved sigh, then scooped her up, grabbing a blanket as he went. As much as he hated the term, it always made him feel warm and fuzzy inside whenever he lifted Leo. Everything in him craved the need to protect her, and he held her close to his chest. She was so small, and should have been fragile based on her stature, but within her tiny body hid her namesake’s strength. Higgs couldn’t help it when the corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile at the thought of Leo’s ferocity. She was an absolute wildfire.

The cool breeze gently enveloped the two when Higgs stepped out into the grass. The moonlight gently bathed the valley in a soft glow, and the dew on the ground sparkled, much like chiralium used to. Mist blanketed the far reaches of the valley, near the edge of the small forest. The range that hid Mountain Knot City pierced the sky, caps dusted with snow. It was silent, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Leo, now rapidly gaining consciousness courtesy of the chilly night air, snuggled close to Higgs. He was still holding her in his arms, blanket wrapped around the two of them. Tonight was a particularly clear night, and the stars twinkled above.

Higgs broke the silence with a content hum.

“You know, I never saw the stars until a few years ago. Not like I was ever gonna, what with the chiralium and my daddy-“, the motherfucker, added under his breath, “-keeping me from enjoying them like I am now. The view’s exceptionally beautiful, better than anything I ever dreamed about.”

Leo shifted her view from the twinkling night sky to Higgs, and smiled, watching his boyish blue eyes take in the wonders of the universe. The nightmare’s last strand of dread dissipated. She lifted a hand and placed it on Higgs’ face, caressing over the stubble, closed her eyes, and sighed contently as he leaned into her embrace.

“The view from where I’m sitting is even better.”

[astrandofgold]

Take Me As I Am

Chapter 4: i want every other freckle

18+ Leo x Higgs: VERY NSFW. Oh boy this is full on hardcore smut here. I haven’t written that type of content before, so this was my attempt at practicing it 😬 Also, AU Porter Higgs, they both work together for the sake of whatever minimal plot there may be.

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12:34 am. The cuff link around Leo’s wrist emitted the time with a digital blue light. It had been three fucking hours since her tired body had crashed on the firm mattress of the private room, exhausted from a day of hauling heavy cargo around the Mountain Knot region. She delivered cargo boxes full of food, medicine, and the occasional special underwear from early morning until after the sun set, and all she wanted now was some relief from consciousness. And of course, life didn’t want to offer it up to her today.

Leo kneaded her eyes with her palms, sighed, and stared up at the ceiling. The low lights gave the room a soothing vibe, her eyes used to the way it settled on the objects in the room that she had collected over time. She liked how her room now represented who she was. It was the closest thing to a home she could remember.

Leo’s hand wandered mindlessly, lazily moving underneath the light blanket that covered her body. It found its way to the outside of her underwear, black briefs that she found comfortable. Rubbing gently at first, she felt herself melting into the mattress. If she wasn’t going to get sleep, she figured she might as well relieve some stress.

As she rubbed back and forth, her thoughts bubbled towards her coworker. He was tall, unbelievably so, and his presence was always felt when he was in the room. Leo always thought he was attractive, but she absolutely melted at the thought of his clear blue eyes, and the smudge of eyeliner he always framed them with. When he looked at her, Leo felt like he could see all of her, where she came from, who she was as a child, her hopes and dreams, all of it. It was an intense feeling, but it was just one of the many reasons why Leo was smitten with the man. To Leo, he was the very image of her deepest fantasies in human form. She knew her face betrayed her feelings towards him, burning with the disrespectful thoughts that occurred when he was near her. She hoped that it just looked like a kiss from the sun due to the many years of harsh outdoor life as a porter, but she had a feeling she was being too hopeful.

Warmth started emanating from the point between her legs, and her caresses grew rhythmic. Inhaling deeply, she let her head fall back into the pillow.

The way his eyes brightened when he smiled. That one strand of hair that fell in his face when he was focused. The way he applied his eyeliner, something so simplistic that added an undeniable appeal. His cologne, intoxicating and floral, permeated her mind, and she wanted nothing more than to leave his room in the morning marked by that scent. The way his sleek black shirts cling to his muscular, lean frame. The way he pulled off his gloves at the end of the day, slowly pulling them off one finger at a time. Tantalizing. Tortuous. The way he’d lean over to tie his boots, sometimes his shirt would lift and Leo would be privileged with a peek at his corded, bare skin. So muscular. His pants. God, they were so fucking tight in the just the right places. Sometimes, Leo could see the bulge of his co—

Close. Very close. Leo’s slender fingers worked at her clit, body pulsing. She let out soft moans as she grew closer and closer to climax. Without thinking, she let his name slip through her lips, flowing out like honey.

It felt so wrong, calling out his name in the middle of the night. Her passion betrayed her, and she let her mind go wild. Picturing what he would do to her, what she wanted him to do to her. Her cries came out broken and jagged, but she knew the walls of her room were sound proof. Nearly over the edge now. Her toes dug into the bed, her back arched.

“Higgs, Higgs, H-Higgs, HIGGS ”, she cried out with a breathless gasp, a bead of sweat running down her neck. At that moment, the room filled with a current. The hair on Leo’s neck stood on end. A flash of light filled the room for a split second, then the darkness returned. In a daze composed of sexual tension and confusion, Leo panted from the bed, eyes wide and looking around the room. They landed on a dark figure in the corner. As her eyes readjusted, Leo froze. She found herself looking into the blue eyes that she had been fantasizing about moments before. Higgs was in her room.

“Well I’ll be damned.” His slight drawl caused Leo’s eyes to flutter, and her face reddened to what she knew must have been a bright shade of crimson.

“H- Higgs” Leo managed to squeak out.

“I never would have guessed that you had such a dirty mind, darlin’. I could hear you screaming my name in your head. DOOMS, y’know”, and he tapped the side of his head with two fingers. How the fuck did his DOOMS allow him to hear thoughts? What else did he know?

“I’m flattered, really, that you spend your evenings, ah, thinking about me.” He gestured a hand towards Leo’s lower body, eyelids lowering the slightest fraction. It was subtle enough to almost miss it, but Leo caught it. She always did. Leo was mortified at being caught with her pants literally down, but she was surprised at his nonchalant nature. She assumed he would have been put off by her boldness at fantasizing over someone in such lewd detail with whom she’d only had a professional relationship with. She knew she was, and her mind ached with guilt. He took a few steps closer. Leo’s eyes widened.

“Now that that’s out in the open and I know what you fantasize about in the lonely night, we can drop the pretenses of friendly office banter. I have to ask—“ his voice dropped dangerously low, and he approached the bed “—do you want to see what it would really be like?”

Leo’s heart was racing now, and she was sure he could hear it. Sweaty palms gripped the sheet underneath her, eyes lowering to flee from the intensity of his eye contact. Did he just say that? No, she must be misreading it. It was late, after all. It had been a long day. A long, hard day.

She looked back up at Higgs, mouth slightly agape as she searched for words that weren’t coming. He placed his hands on the bed, leaning over where Leo still lay, shaking slightly, and emphasized each word with a quiet clarity.

“Do.

You.

Want. Me.

To. Fuck.

You?”

Leo involuntarily bucked her hips ever so slightly in response, and Higgs smirked. She quivered at his expression, and nodded. This is what she wanted. This is what she had always wanted.

“My my, darlin’, I haven’t even touched you yet and you’re already shaking.”

Without warning, Higgs repositioned himself with hands on either side of her, knees tight on the outside of her thighs. Body tantalizingly close above hers. She could feel his heat radiating. It made her dizzy, so dizzy, and her breath hitched.

“I wonder what would happen,” he said as he lowered his head close to hers, eyes blazing with lust, “if I did this. ”

He gently nestled into the crook of Leo’s neck, then licked a line from her collarbone up to the precipice of her jawline. Leo let out a gasp, resisting the urge to arch her back. She hadn’t anticipated that from Higgs, at least not Higgs the person. Higgs the daydream ravished her on a routine basis. In person, he always had an air of elegance about him. He was polite, and while he was flirtatious, it never escalated beyond that. The Higgs that was on her bed in the darkness of night, now biting marks into her neck? This Higgs was completely unexpected, and completely welcome. The way he grazed his teeth over the delicate skin on her throat had her writhing under his lithe body. It was so animalistic, and it drove her fucking crazy.

His eyes searched her face, hungrily taking in every little spasm it made. He grinned, and ran his tongue over a pointed canine. He brushed his fingertips along her rib cage, along the edge of her white shirt, teasing underneath it. Her sporadic breathing betrayed the sense of self control she was desperate to maintain.

“St-stop teasing, and f-fuck me already” were the only words Leo could manage to force out.

With a swift motion and a chuckle, Higgs moved his hand underneath the shirt and pinched one of Leo’s already sensitive nipples, causing her to yelp out.

“Mmmm, you’re a feisty one. Y’know sweetheart, if I had known before about those dirty little secrets you were keeping in that pretty head of yours, I would have had some fun with you when we first met.”

Leo, in no position to think logically, gazed up at him, confusion written on her otherwise preoccupied face.

“When...we first met?”

His eyes pierced into hers, and Leo lost herself in his kohl-lined blues. That fucking sexy eyeliner. She could feel him tense up as he lowered himself so his chest touched hers, forehead brushing hers, breath cohabitating in the same space. She felt him rub against her thigh, and he let out a low groan. He was already hard.

“I wanted you from the very moment we met”

Lips crashed against one another, each trying to take the other in. Hands grasping in the dark, tangled in hair, forming wordless prayers at the alter of each other’s bodies.

“I wanted to hear you scream my name”

Moans escaped Leo. She grabbed at his arousal as he grinded against her. She was just as ready as he was. Leo grabbed his hand, and pushed it down towards the hemline of her underwear.

She knew what she wanted.

“Then make me.” She dared to look him in the eye as she said it. “Fuck me, Higgs. Fuck me like you mean it.” The ensuing growl that left Higgs sent shivers throughout Leo’s body. This was real. This was happening. All the nights she spent deep in lust and shame and one-sided cries of passion, and against all odds, Higgs was here with her.

And he was between her legs in an instant. Shoving her underwear aside, he slipped two fingers into her, already slick from her earlier activities. She gasped, back arching and body shuddering at the sudden warm intensity in her abdomen. His fingers found a rhythm, stroking and pulsing, hitting that one spot over and over again. The loud moans that escaped Leo would have set her face ablaze in different circumstances. Higgs let out a small chuckle and quickly used his free hand to cover her mouth.

“Careful, darlin’, don’t want the neighbors to come runnin’.”

Leo cried out as Higgs quickened the pace. The constant strumming assault on her sensitive nerves caused her to shudder continuously, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold out. She normally took longer than this, but these were unusual circumstances.

“H-Higgs....I’m g-getting.....getting close....”

Words were forced, unnecessary. Leo cried out as she bucked her hips into his hand, forcing his fingers deeper.

“Oh, no no no, I don’t think so”, he spoke with words reminiscent of a purr. “You don’t get to come until I say you can come.” Leo whimpered, and considered begging. She wasn’t beneath doing anything anymore. She was now a desperate woman, and decided to take the lead. “Higgs, I swear to god, I need your cock in me right now.” Those were, apparently, the magic words, and more than Higgs could handle. Hands tangled, moving to undo the zipper on those green pants.

Hands wandered, and hands led.

In a swift motion, Higgs ripped the underwear from Leo’s hips, wrapped her legs around his waist, and teased Leo’s slick entrance with the head of his cock. It was torture, and Leo tried pulling him into her with her legs. With a wicked grin, he thrust into her all at once, filling her completely. It was a sudden immaculate balance of pleasure and pain as he stretched her swollen folds, over and over and over again. Warmth spread through her core with each thrust from Higgs, and she could feel herself leaking around him. He ran his fingers between where they met, then slowly licked them clean. “F- fuck. You taste amazing.” Leo tightened around him at the sight, and Higgs quickened the pace in return.

“Oh, oh, oh .... Higgs! ”

He grabbed her wrists, and positioned them above her head. His mouth crashed into hers, causing her passionate screams to die in her throat. His thrusts were frantic, desperate now. Her bruised core sang out a litany of unknown pleasure, marks covering her body telling the story of two lovers in the dark, writing words in a language only they shared.

“Darlin’,” came the sing song voice, “come for me. Now.”

Leo felt golden in that moment, heat and fire rocketing through her as she climaxed. Her body trembled as waves of electric made their way through her body. She could feel every breath Higgs made, every bead of sweat that mixed between their bodies. She inhaled his scent, musky sweat mixed with his floral cologne. It was intoxicating. She let out a satisfied cry, and she felt Higgs finish seconds after her, streams of his pearlescent completion filling her. She wanted more, she wanted him in her everywhere. She wanted him to use her and leave her leaking from every single one of her holes. She had experienced the impossible, and now she needed more.

Higgs let his body fall onto Leo, panting and covered in sweat. Leo exhaled a long sigh, then broke out in laughter. Higgs, who had his head resting on her chest, looked up at her. His eyes crinkled, exactly the way she remembered them, and he asked her what she was laughing at. She grinned. “I have to admit, Monaghan, you managed to outdo my fantasies.”

He gave a knowing laugh, then teased her.

“I’m surprised, considering how kinky your fantasies are, and how little time we had tonight. I saw some of that shit, and my dear, that was some pretty freaky stuff you were scheming up.”

His brows were raised in fake disapproval, and Leo scowled as she gently punched him on the shoulder.

“Well then we’ll just have to add that to the list for next time.” It took Leo a moment for the weight of what she said to hit. Her face went red, and she looked away, shyness suddenly settling despite the fact that they were both laying naked together, embracing in the soft afterglow.

“Will there....be a next time?”, she asked, quietly.

Leo felt a gentle hand on her chin, and Higgs turned her to look up at him.

“Darlin’, you’re too perfect for me to let go of. I want there to be many next times.”

Exhausted, and happier than she had felt in a long time, Leo rested her head on Higgs’ shoulder, and her exhaustion made itself known as her eyelids grew heavy. She didn’t have time to worry about seeing Higgs off as he left to his own room, or offering up her shower to clean up, because she soon fell asleep. Higgs enjoyed the quiet moment, arm around Leo as she snored softly against his chest. She was so beautiful, he had always thought. He never dared to imagine in his wildest dreams that he’d be here, seeing this side of her. He knew he took a huge risk when he jumped after sensing someone calling out to him. Luck was looking out for him that night. He gently rubbed Leo’s shoulder as he rested his eyes. Slowly, his breathing synced with Leo’s. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Slowly. Slower. Slow.

Asleep.

The quiet of the room, the humming of the power source, the gentle light bathing over the two bodies.

Morning found the two lovers where the night left them, still holding onto one another, completely at peace in each other’s arms. Leo yawned, opened her eyes, and felt complete bliss when she woke and found two ocean blue eyes waking up next to her.

[astrandofgold]

Death Stranding OC

I’ve shared some of my Leo content, but never actually introduced her! Here’s a quick bio!

Leo, who goes by Bastet, is an early-30’s Porter with a pixie hair cut, and blazing orange/hazel eyes. She wears a necklace with a small charm of a cat goddess that she fell in love with as a child. It felt sacred, like it would protect her. She also carries a small sketch pad and pen wherever she goes to capture some of the quiet beauty of the surrounding landscapes. She was quite a proficient artist at one point. Her old art litters her bunker, and some of the friendlier preppers in the area have received her art as gifts. She’s petite, and puts on a tough exterior to make up for her lack of imposing nature. She’s an empath and an introvert, but has long since given up on trying to build friendships. Despite the changing environment after the postponed Stranding, she still can’t help but feel vulnerable and lonely in a world that has beaten those concepts into her from a young age.

She has no family, she lost them years ago to a void out. While she misses the idea of family, she can’t help but think on the fact that she’s better off without them. She’s better off not thinking about them at all. There was abuse-physical and mental all throughout her childhood, and the trauma rears it’s ugly head routinely. It’s part of why she finds it so difficult to get close to anyone. That, along with the DOOMS.

She found the Porter life to be validating and consistent. She saw the same holograms, the same voices, the same scenes. She got to set her own terms, and get enough exposure to civilization to not cause her to go crazy in isolation. She was torn-she craved human contact, but felt too intimidated by the prospect of actually building a relationship. Seeing the brief respite on the faces of those she delivered to gave her a sense of fulfillment.

Once upon a time, she was fire and laughter, a downpour of rain on a warm spring day, the first strokes of color on a canvas. Now, she doesn’t know anymore

[astrandofgold]

Take Me As I Am

Chapter 2: come at you from both sides of your mind

Note: because I’m me, I didn’t actually plan this story out in a linear manner, so here’s the intro for the main character 😂

Smut-free, Leo

_______________________________

Mist clung to the field of grass surrounding the hot springs. Steam swirled up from the water’s surface, mixing with the cold morning air, reminiscent of the chiral matter that trailed a BT. At least that’s what the woman soaking in the healing waters thought. She was a Porter, and a good one at that. In her early 30’s, she had her fill of encounters with the creatures in her time, and despite the BTs having been gone for a few years, she still saw them out of the corners of her mind. Her golden eyes studied the swirls, running her slender fingers through them. She sighed, then sunk into the water until her short, unruly chestnut hair touched the water. Mindlessly, she played with the necklace that hung on her neck. On it hung a small, golden charm in the shape of an ancient diety—the source of her chosen name. The woman’s birth name was Leo, but for the nearby preppers that relied on her for supplies, she was known as Bastet.

These preppers became Bastet’s family, given that she had left her family of origin years ago. Not that the people she had the misfortune to call her parents were much of a family; she knew she was better off in a world without them. She was better off not thinking about them at all. There was abuse, both physically and mentally, throughout her childhood. Scars littered her body, but not all were visible to the eye. Some were physical, but most were psychological. The trauma still lingered. In a world where mankind couldn’t trust themselves to live in close proximity to one another, it was a miracle that Bastet had even survived long enough to step foot outside of her childhood bunker. She ran as fast as she could, and never looked back.

Another grim gift that life imparted on her was the addition of DOOMS. She was plagued with nightmares that felt more realistic than her waking hours. Visions of horrific events played out under her eyelids as she slept, images of bodies burning, catastrophic natural disasters wiping out entire cities, death and decay of the most morbid kinds burned into her retinas. It had the added benefit of giving Bastet the ability to sense BTs, but that was a curse entirely on its own. It was why she excelled at her job. Being able to sense the specters meant that as a porter, she could traverse areas that others couldn’t, and could maintain a quicker pace. She found it odd, but it seemed to Bastet that the nightmares had actually decreased in the last couple of years. She wasn’t about to question it, just take it as a bit of good luck for a change.

Bastet sighed as she looked at the time on the device that lived on her wrist. It was an all in one communication device, and what it communicated now was that Bastet needed to be on her way. Her lithe body rose from the water, and she quickly dressed in her white uniform and replaced her cargo on her back. Today’s order was headed for one of the nearby preppers. Cargo cases were usually full of medicine, vintage books, and the occasional savory food treat, but the item she was most eager to deliver today was a gift for the Photographer. It was a small painting, depicting the valley during a particularly beautiful sunrise. Pinks, oranges, and yellows bled into the valley basin, hiding the grim history that once hid in the form of the former Homo Demens camp. It was a pretty painting, and Bastet was quite proud of it. She quickly got on good terms with the Photographer, and in exchange for photos for her home, Bastet would paint scenes from the woman’s photos. It was a symbiotic relationship, and it pleased Bastet to know that she was responsible for creating a small art community. Her paintings hung in various prepper homes around the area.

Bastet considered the Photographer the closest thing she had to a friend. Their relationship consisted of brief greetings via hologram, delivery of goods, short chats about the weather or good photography spots, and then farewells. While Bastet was used to the curt interactions with the preppers, she felt like she was missing something deeper. She wanted somebody she could sit next to and spend hours in quiet solace, or stay up until the early hours of the morning going on tangents about some random book she picked up on a run. She wanted somebody she could laugh so hard with that the pair start crying, somebody she could try cooking for. She wanted something more. Bastet had long ago given up on the idea of a partner; in a Stranding world, a partner was a luxury that few lived to see. Flirtatious emails were commonly sent back and forth, but sooner or later, one would break it off as the reality of the world set in, and the parties involved realized it was safer to stay in the protection of their bunker. Life was just more complicated than it was in the previous decades. With the connection of America and the further extension of the UCA, Bastet heard whispers of hope from the the nearby Knot Cities that communities could start blooming and citizens could start rebuilding close relationships, but the reality was grim. Most people were stuck in their ways, having lived a good portion, if not all, of their lives underground and isolated. Nobody was ready to change.

The mechanical voice of the proximity sensors sounded off her name and porter affiliation, pulling Bastet back to reality. She had reached the Photographer. With a sigh, she adjusted her cargo so she could pull the small package out. Her back was strained and marred from the cargo she carried daily, but it was all part of the job. The interaction with the Photographer went smoothly, but was cut short due to an urgent call on the woman’s end. She thanked Bastet, and left quickly. As the hologram died away, tears built up in Bastet’s eyes. She turned and walked out into the valley air, storm clouds in the distance. Her heart felt as empty as the depleted cargo bag on her back. Once upon a time, she was fire and laughter, a downpour of rain on a warm spring day, the first strokes of color on a canvas. Now, she didn’t know anymore.

[astrandofgold]

Take Me As I Am

Chapter 1: you left your keys in the lock of my heart

Light smut, Higgs x OFC

Note: There’s some smut in here. This started as a random writing project, and has slowly turned into an out of order story involving my OFC and Higgs. It’s been so much fun creating a backstory and getting to know my OC.

_______________________________________

Leo felt something stop her in her tracks. It wasn’t physical, no. It was a feeling. A gut feeling, and it felt like she was being filled with a warmth in her stomach, bubbling and spreading through her body. It told her that walking away was the wrong choice. She had noticed the hollow sadness in Higgs’ eyes earlier as she packed up to trek back to Mountain Knot. The way he said her name as he said his goodbyes. The way he lingered before going back in his bunker. The way her name lingered on his lips, like mist clinging to the trees at dawn. Moments from the last few months played back, a film in her mind. All of the gentle hands placed on shoulders, the soft chuckles, the way the corners of his eyes would crease with a smile as he looked at her passionately talk about her day. The way her heartbeat quickened when she smelled his cologne, earthy, floral, addictive. The way it quickened right now. This was it. She was going to act on those feelings. She was going back to Higgs’ bunker.

The cold wind buffeted her face as she ran down the hill, porter backpack straps held tightly as she avoided the bigger rocks scattered about the terrain. She didn’t know what to expect. She didn’t want to ruin their friendship, but she was more than certain that he reciprocated the feelings. At least, she thought she was sure. Now that she was actually on her way, she started getting nervous. She decided she’d figure it out as she’d go, but she needed to take this shot.

His bunker was in sight now. She ran. Heavy boots thudding on the frozen ground. The proximity sensors went off as she crossed the boundary. She didn’t slow down as she got to the entrance.

“Higgs! Higgs, get out here!” she yelled out, laughing. Mirth showed in her face, blood flow coloring it the rosiest shade of peach.

“Higgs! I need to tell you something!”

She ran right past the terminal and started banging on the heavy metal door. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, a lifetime pass by. Leo was growing nervous, but stayed resolute. She knew that there was no going back after this.

Slowly, the door creaked open. Higgs’ blue eyes met hers on the other side. She hadn’t noticed before how many different shades were in them. He broke out in a grin and chuckled as he took in the sight of her. It hadn’t been long since she left, yet she was covered in sweat, her face red from running. He opened the door and stepped out, arms out to his side as if giving her a grand welcome.

“Well, well, well. If it’s not my favorite tiny Porter. What’s it been, twenty-seven loooooong minutes since you left? Well now, that’s a new record, darlin’. I might go so far as to even say you mi—”

Whatever was about to come out of Higgs’ mouth stopped dead in its tracks as Leo grabbed onto his collar, pulled him down to her level, and pressed her mouth to his. All of his showmanship dropped instantly. Months of subconscious longing wrapped up in this one moment. Leo’s face burned as she let go and stood back. She searched his face for any sign of trepidation or resentment, but found none. What she saw was her own desire staring back at her, his bright eyes ignited with a passion she had only seen glimpses of. Her heart caught in her chest as Higgs grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up and pinning her between himself and the wall of the bunker entrance. This was going much better than expected.

She wrapped her legs around him, hands running through his hair. His hands gripped her thighs, holding her in place. It was the grip of a man who had spent many nights dreaming of this moment, a grip that never wanted to let go. Mouths desperate to taste one another, lips crashing against the other, wanting to become one. A low moan escaped from Higgs as he buried his face against Leo’s neck, taking her in, her scent, her warmth, her essence. He couldn’t even count how many times he’d fantasized about doing this, and now she was here in his arms. Leo was in pure ecstasy as Higgs ravaged the delicate skin on her neck and collarbone, leaving a trail of dark marks as he moved onward to virgin skin. It was her turn to let out a deep sigh, his name slipping through her teeth. Instantly, Higgs locked eyes, pausing his passionate foray.

“Say-say it again—say my name—”

He spoke in a low whisper, voice dripping with anticipation and longing. It was clear that he had waited so long to hear Leo say his name in this manner. His name rolling down her tongue, lost in her eyes as she looked upon him like he was the only other person in the whole wide world. Leo was not about to deny him this pleasure.

“Higgs”, she breathed into his ear. She could feel him shudder.

“Higgs”, she moved to kiss along his jawline. His eyes were closed, and his heart raced.

“Higgs”, she pulled the collar of his shirt down and sucked on his skin, leaving a mark on his collarbone. He was covered with a beautiful blush, dark eyelashes fluttering.

“Higgs.....”, she drew out his name, filling the quiet bunker entrance with his name, and his sporadic, fast breathing. Leo could feel his arousal as she gently started grinding against him.

With a glint in her eye, Leo licked up the length of his neck.

“Higgs, make me yours”, she whispered enticingly.

Losing all composure, he gripped her thighs tighter, painfully but not unwelcome. Leo gasped, pain and pleasure combining to make her mind reel. He set her down, resuming where his hands left off, pulling her hips towards him.

“Well darlin’, I think we should move this little number inside. Hate to give the neighbors a free show”, he said, murmuring into the crook of her neck.

Leo couldn’t help but laugh, despite feeling overwhelmed with what her body craved at this moment. Even in this most vulnerable, heated state, he could still make her laugh. Where he put his hand after that, however, caught her laugh in her throat. She quivered as he explored. Higgs leaned down to rest his forehead again hers as his fingers teased outside her uniform, feeling her heat.

“Whaddya say, darlin’, how about we move this to the bedroom?”

Leo, with eyes half closed, nodded. Their breath feverish, intermingling in the cold air like a mist. She managed to get out a response.

“Well Monaghan, I thought you’d never ask”