#moments with Caleb

[kykyonthemoon]

Hello! I really enjoy your LaDS writings!

I was wondering if you can do a headcanon with Caleb or Rafayel with a workaholic and burnt out reader?

Thank you so much!

A/N: Dear Anon-san, Thank you so much for requesting <3 For this one, I went with Caleb because I already made something similar to the prompt for Rafayel, where he soothes a stressed out reader (though the reason why she's being like that isn't because of work). You can read it here. I really do enjoy writing for Caleb since we haven't seen many of his story yet in the game. I hope you are content with this story too. On a side note, I've recently got a few requests about a stressful or burnt out reader. I just wanna make sure my readers are doing alright out there <3 Sending you mental support right here through the fics I write <3

A Surprise Visit

Returning home at midnight after a long day of work, you unexpectedly find a guest being in your apartment.

‧₊˚❀༉ Caleb x F!Reader

‧₊˚❀༉ Soft fluff, domestic fluff

‧₊˚❀༉ Masterlist

‧₊˚❀༉ Request a fic

You came home when the clock struck twelve. The night was quiet, only the sound of your tired footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. After what seemed like an endless journey, you finally reached your apartment.

You unlocked the door. A soft glow from within illuminated the corridor. Since you left early in the morning, you did not recall leaving the light on. You let out a long sigh and felt guilty for being forgetful.

Yet, in the house there were not only lights, but also the delicious smell of food. How strange! How peculiar! You felt your weariness leave your mind as it was replaced by vigilance. Was there another person in the house?

You tiptoed to the kitchen, where the aroma of food made your stomach rumble. Then, you saw a very familiar figure. Fortunately, you were able to contain your joy and instead called his name quietly:

“Caleb?!”

He turned around, nodded and smiled at you. “You're back just now? Wash your face first and we'll have dinner."

You rubbed your eyes. Was it because you're so tired that you're daydreaming?

“Caleb? Is that really you?”

A soup was cooking on the kitchen counter as Caleb departed. Reaching over, he put his hand on top of your head.

“Are you expecting another man then?”

You immediately shook your head. Your hands reached up to wrap around Caleb's wrist and untangle it from your hair before he patted your head again like a child.

“No way! I'm just surprised to see you here, at this hour... Aren't you busy with your mission at Skyhaven?”

"Everything went smoothly. So now I'll take a few days off."

“Why didn't you tell me you're coming? I thought the apartment was being robbed..."

Caleb reached out and pinched your cheek. It was painful. He said:

“What kind of thief would help you clean up this messy apartment and even cook for you because they knew you got off work this late?”

You rubbed the cheek that had just been pinched and frowned. “You don't need to pinch it so hard.”

Caleb laughed. He told you to quickly go inside to wash up and get changed while he finished cooking the soup. You obediently followed. How joyful it is to get home after a hectic day and see the one you love.  All of a sudden, you forgot how tired you were after the long day.

The two of you had a simple meal. Caleb said that since it was late, you shouldn't eat too much. He observed you as you were enjoying your food. He had taken care of the apartment, made a trip to the grocery store and prepared your meal all day. What surprised and delighted you the most, though, was the fact that he was here. You had given Caleb a spare key a long time ago, but to be honest, you never thought he would pay a surprise visit. Due to work, you both had to live in two cities far apart.

After dinner, you threw yourself on the sofa and grabbed your laptop. Caleb got you a cup of warm water, then used his Evol to take the device out of your hands.

“I still have a report to finish…”

You wanted to get your laptop back, but Caleb turned it off and put it aside. "That's something you can't do right now." He stated. “Do you know what time it is? Shouldn't you be in bed? There are dark circles around your eyes.”

He used a finger to poke the thin skin below your eyes. It must be dark by now and somewhat made you look like a panda. You grimaced:

“Don't mess around, Caleb. I have a ton of work to get done.”

“I'm not messing with you either.” Caleb had a solemn expression. “You've been working hard for many days. Now you need to rest. I'm here to make sure of that.”

You let out a sigh. You were drawn into Caleb's embrace. Maybe he was right— you need to rest. Yet, the notion of the incomplete task made you feel quite uncomfortable.

You were a workaholic, and Caleb knew it. He therefore needed to be even more committed to getting you to give up the laptop.

“You're always working. It's hard to find some spare time with you." Caleb whispered as he rested his head on your hair.

You admitted you were a bit neglectful of Caleb, but that's because your job required extra work and concentration.

“I had to text Tara to find out you got off work at midnight.” Cale went on. “If you read the message, you'd know I've been here since noon.”

You raised up. At that time, you hurriedly reached for the phone on the table. As you opened it, you saw a series of messages and missed calls from Caleb.

“Oh… I'm really sorry…” You mumbled. “I really don't know where I left my phone…”

Caleb rubbed your shoulder, then pulled you back to the original position, leaning on his lap. "No problem. It's the price I pay for dating a girl who loves her job more than me."

You giggled as you pressed your face against his neck and gave him a breath tickle.

“I already apologized.”

He put his arms around your waist and gave you a gentle squeeze. Only when you were in his arms, listening to his heart beat, feeling his warmth and subtle scent, and only then could you stop acting tough. You could burst into tears. You could let the weight and pressure of work fall on your shoulders. For you knew, he would fight against the world with you.

Only then did you face your physical and mental fatigue and acknowledge that you were just too exhausted to handle everything at once.

“If you're truly sorry,” Caleb's monotone voice rang out as you gradually drifted off to sleep in his arms. “Then you must let me have you this whole weekend, okay?”

Pictures from Pinterest.

Edited by me.

[midnightziege]

I'm sure it'll wear off soon enough

[frogenthusiastt]

when i get my hands on Liam O'Brien i'm making him pay all my therapy bills

like. LIKE. look at his face. the sudden surprise as jester invades his space and proceeds to RUTHLESSLY unravel and acknowledge his pain after the traumatic events of the day, the way he's so carefully tucked away all emotions and tried to move on without worrying the group. look how quickly the layers all crumble away, how emotional and vulnerable and small he looks, how for a second we see Caleb Widogast without all his layers. if i had any power at all to do so i would give this man a thousand oscars and then ask for a milion dollars to compensate for the emotional damage he has wrought me

[sky-scribbles]

Bell's Hells: Hey Essek, do you know anything about these three dead bodies?

Essek: Haha yeah, my friends and I addled their minds with crippling pain, threw them down a hundred and fifty foot cliff, and blasted them with like 200 psychic damage. Then we stabbed them a lot.

Bell's Hells:

Essek: Anyway, tiny gnome man, don't be like them :)

[thelonelywhale]

No you don't understand how important it is to me that Caleb and Essek have this soft, deep, profound love for each other. These two people who were so broken and saw themselves as so damaged and irredeemable and utterly damned, having the chance to heal together and cultivate this sweet, gentle relationship with each other. The fact that they can now carve out moments of joy together, that they proved you can change and better yourself, with time and effort and love.

Matt taking the time to show that even in just a few little ways, to let Essek express his love so casually and with so much reverence and care is just AUGH. That's how you do redemption arcs. He understood the assignment. That's not only respecting the players for the time they put in to creating these characters and their pathways for growth, but also saying to your players (and viewers), "it's possible. Everyone deserves a second chance at happiness."

They redeemed themselves, together.

[astrid-beck]

I will never understand people who want Caleb to find some weird magical way to live longer not only bc it extremely obviously undermines everything that is poignant and crucial about him thematically but also because I think about old man Caleb and I want to start violently weeping

[stormyblankets]

What type of fish you think Evelyn would be? It must be something that bites.

[unfortunatelyevent]

thinking about essek thelyss "my entire life goal is and has always been the search for knowledge, the uncovery of mysteries, and I'll do it before everyone one way or another, no matter what I have to do, no matter the cost, but meeting you turned my life around in such a way that I would turn away the opportunity to uncover the greatest time mystery of all that's right in front of me and fix every mistake I made, just by the mere possibility that changing any of the choices I made would take you from me, nothing would make me give away any of the moments I had and will have with you.... unless it's for you, then I would do it in a heart beat" and going just a little bit more insane

[k-wame]

LEWIS COPE as Nicky Miligan & JOSH HORROCKS as 'Ally' 2023 • Emmerdale • 27.02.2023

[mybrknhrtt]

caleb

[kykyonthemoon]

oh gosh i loved your “a surprise visit” so much that it had me lamenting over caleb again ☹️

if you’re up for it, i would like to request headcanons for caleb with a reader who wants to cuddle him but is too shy to initiate. (i feel for the shy girls whose love language is physical touch 🙈)

thank you so much and have a great day!

Dear Anon-san,

It flatters me so much that you enjoyed "A Surprise Visit" I wrote for Caleb <3 With this request of yours, I decided to turn it into a story. I'm aware that it would be a little different from what you expected when sending me this request. Still, I do hope you enjoy this cute little piece.

For all the shy girls out there, I wish you courage to put your feelings into actions, just as MC does at the end of this story <3

When The Crabapple Blossoms

You had been waiting for a chance to tear down the last bit of the wall separating you both. He also wished for the same thing.

❀ Caleb x Female Reader/MC who is really shy

❀ Tags: fluff, shyness, adoptive siblings who are secretly in love with each other, domestic fluff, longing, pet names

❀ Word count: 1k3

❀ Masterlist

❀ Request

You had always been Caleb's shy little girl.

One day many years ago, when he had just been brought home by Grandma, there was a little girl, barefoot on the grass, holding a teddy bear, coming out to greet him. Grandma told the two of you to quickly get to know each other, but you said nothing and looked down. One hand kept the teddy bear tight, while the other grabbed the hem of Grandma's dress. You hid behind her and refused to look directly at him. Grandma had to coax you for a while before you could tell the boy your name.

It took you a while to open your heart to accept him into your life. You were the little girl so shy that she only talked to him through the teddy bear used to cover her face. Then, on another day, you got lost. You were terrified and cried until your tears dried. When you saw Caleb, the first thing you did was to rush to hug him. Since then, it seemed that the wall between you and him had begun to crumble.

You said, Caleb had such warm hugs. You would always feel safe and comfortable in his arms. A few more years passed, and Caleb grew up so quickly. He began to grow taller, and his arms became larger. That made you feel even more protected. He said, he must grow up fast to defend you.

And you gave him a new moniker: Mr. Bear. Instead of using the old teddy bear to talk to him, you began to regard him as a teddy bear with the size of a human; which was able to move and talk, and knew how to take care of you.

Still you were very shy. Except for that time when you got lost, you never made the initiative to get close to him. All the time, it was Caleb who started first.

“Pipsqueak, come here.”

Simple as that, you would obediently go to Caleb. He would pull you into his arms, caress your hair and gently rub your back. At times like those, you felt like all the troubles in the world disappeared, leaving only the two of you with this simple yet extremely precious warmth. And because you could not say it with words, you used those gentle brushes against his chest as a way to express your feelings.

Then, both of you grew up. Caleb went to the Academy and you started your training to become a Hunter. He and you had both gone separate ways, and there was little time spent at home or seeing each other. But you missed the feeling of being buried in his arms. It seemed that when you grew older, all your emotions no longer retained the simplicity of a child.

You were not sure how Caleb felt about you. You were too afraid to ask, and then received an answer you did not want. You anxiously waited for him to come back home every weekend, covertly studying every change in him. His skin began to tan, his hands developed calluses, and his muscles grew more visible. You wondered, during those days at the Academy, did he have a girlfriend? Had anyone else shared the same warm embrace that Mr. Bear once reserved just for you? You wanted to ask Caleb numerous questions but did not do so.

Since he knew your timidity, Caleb took the initiative in everything, from planning outings when he was on a break to holding your hand in crowded places. He was also concerned that you would dislike it; since after all, you were now a young lady and no longer the child who would follow him everywhere. He started asking more questions like: "Do you want to sit next to me?", or "Can I hold your hand?", and waited for your approval.

Of course, you were happy with the touches. Still you wanted a little more. You counted every day to see him again during breaks, hoping to touch him just a little more. But he never asked for it. Did he no longer wish to embrace you in his arms?

That day, you were silent the entire trip home from the movie theater with Caleb. As if realizing what you had in mind, he spoke up:

“Pipsqueak, is there something bothering you?”

Your footsteps paused on the bridge. Sunset tinted the sky with mild orange and pink, mixed with clear blue. You did not say anything, only shook your head.

“I know when something's wrong with you.” Caleb added. He did not accept your answer. “Say it, I'll help you out.”

You still felt like it was difficult to speak up. Your hands gripped the wooden bridge, nails barely scraping the surface. What to do? There was so much to say, but you had no idea where to begin.

“Some guy made you sad?” Caleb asked, half joking, half serious. You smiled and replied briefly:

"That's not it…"

While all you wanted to say was: No. The only person I care about is Caleb.

But he would never hear that, because you were too shy to say it out loud.

Caleb sighed. He leaned against the bridge, gazing at the sky in the East, while you turned towards the setting sun. In secret, you glanced at Caleb, halting at his shoulder. There was a small petal staying on it; that one must have fallen at the foot of the bridge where a crabapple tree was in full bloom.

Out of the blue, you reached out and picked up that flower petal. Caleb reacted fast and grabbed your wrist just in time. The wind surged. He stared into your eyes for quite a while.

You had been waiting for a chance to tear down the last bit of the wall separating you both.

He also wished for the same thing.

Since a long time ago.

“Well… um…” You hesitated. “There is a flower petal on… on your shoulder…”

Your fingers extended, the flower petal was lifted high by the wind. You glanced at it, as if to say farewell. Caleb still locked his gaze on you. Intense yet gentle.

He had yet to let go of your hand, while getting closer and closer to you.

"Pipsqueak." He called softly. “The truth is… Can I…”

You continued to wait. Caleb was about to say something but paused.

“Ah… Nevermind…”

His fingers wrapped around your wrist gradually loosening. You started to panic.

If I don't say it, he will never know...

If I don't say it, he will leave again...

If I don't say it, we will forever just be brother and sister...

“Caleb!” You called his name, so loudly that he was startled. You did not know where to start. Since when did you start looking forward to his touch? Since when did you hope to be a little bolder and tell him what you really wanted?

Better late than never. You looked at his hand that was slowly retracting, then decided to grab onto his arm.

“Caleb I… I want to…” It felt like something was bearing down on your heart and suffocating your throat. You could not do this. Your entire body trembled. But you had decided to seize this chance no matter what.

“I want to be embraced by you!!!”

After those words, you shut your eyes, your lips pursed hard. You clung to Caleb's arm but he did not feel the pain since his mind was preoccupied with something else. After a long while, when you felt his arms wrap around you, when the sound of his heart beating strongly and clearly heard, you opened your eyes then.

“Come here, pipsqueak. I also want to hold you close..."

Caleb breathed the words in the late spring air, faintly scented with crabapple blossoms; it made your heart burst. This was enough. Step by step, one at a time. There was no need to be in a hurry and let this dream slip away. Gradually, you would find ways to let Caleb know what your heart had to say.

[revvethasmythh]

it's so funny to me that caleb and veth really did just trade off the job of intensely pining for the other at like the halfway point of the campaign. like, imo, nott in the early days did not behave in any real romantic or even romance-adjacent ways toward him--I imagine it would be very hard to even think in that way when you hate what you look like so much, have such low self-esteem, and are actively lying about your entire past, including a secret husband. caleb, on the other hand, is kind of diving directly back into the sort of relationship he had with astrid and eadwulf. very close, very intimate, we-huddled-for-warmth-together-and-oops-it-led-to-something-else sort of thing. he is the one who expresses that he's fine with it if people think he and nott are romantically together when they're talking to keg. nott is the one who pushes back on that. he calls her his life partner. unknowingly, he compares his feelings for nott to nott's feelings for yeza. his behavior only really starts to change after he finds out about veth's husband because suddenly all of that other stuff is rendered inappropriate in retrospect. but even then he compliments her to yeza over dinner in the most awkward of ways, he admits to being jealous, he calls yeza "a lucky man" to have her, he stares at veth and yeza closed bedroom door for far too long, he creates an entire arcane tower with room for her family just so she'll stay with him. in general, his behavior is not, um, totally and completely platonic about it, you know?

like, veth's feelings for caleb are canonical and therefore indisputable in their existence, but caleb in the early days was not that dissimilar to how veth was acting near the end of the campaign. it really paints a picture of "right person, wrong time" in the way things just didn't line up for them. or, as veth would say: "in another world, maybe"

[sparring-spirals]

Bell’s Hells: *successfully defeat a big robot*

All of us, unaware, fools: *applauding* Incredible! Bravo! How exciting! Nothing can top this!

Episode 50, abruptly and without warning:

(source)

[liamobrienlove]

Liam + Travis moments (requested by @samuraiko )

[anglerflsh]

Me and the girls on the discord sever discussing how Philip's death would have been more impactful if instead of being pelted we got a shot of Caleb and Evelyn and the grimwalkers looking down at him behind Luz:

[romancemedia]

Cartoon Romances + Reverse Bridal Style Carry